James, Miranda - Out of Circulation (CAT IN THE STACKS MYSTERY)

We continued to chat for a while, and I enjoyed myself. Nothing pleased me more than having those I loved so close by. If only Diesel and Justin were here with us, I thought.

The party wore on, but by nine thirty people began to leave. Tomorrow was a workday for many of those in attendance, including Helen Louise and me, and I was ready to go home. As a board member, however, I needed to hang on for a while yet. Laura, Frank, Sean, and Alexandra had departed about twenty minutes prior, and only five other people were still in the parlor. Even the waiters had left the room.

Neither of the Ducote sisters was present, nor did I see Sissy, Hank, or Stewart. I thankfully hadn’t seen Vera since she had received her award. Perhaps she and Morty had left already.

“Let’s go find Miss An’gel,” I said to Helen Louise, “and let them know we’re going.”

“Good idea.” Helen Louise covered her mouth as she yawned. “I have to be up at four.”

“Poor baby. You’ll be exhausted at work all day.” I tucked her hand in my left arm as we headed for the parlor door.

In the hallway we encountered Kanesha and Robert Sharp. Kanesha appeared worried. “Charlie, have you seen my mother recently? We can’t find her anywhere. She’s not in the kitchen, and Miss Clementine hasn’t seen her in half an hour, at least.”

“I’m sure she’s fine, honey,” Sharp said, a protective arm sliding around Kanesha’s shoulders.

“Who’re you looking for?” Morty Cassity walked up to us. “I can’t find Vera, neither. Any of you seen her lately?”

THIRTEEN

Azalea and Vera both unaccounted for—that earlier ugly scene between them reran in my head. What if they had confronted each other again?

“We need to find them,” I said. “Quickly.”

Kanesha’s eyes narrowed as they bored into me. I knew that look of suspicion all too well. “Right. Robert and I will take the third floor. We’ve already been through this floor. Helen Louise, you and Mr. Cassity take the second. Charlie, would you find Miss An’gel or Miss Dickce? They’re probably down here somewhere.”

She didn’t wait to see if we obeyed, simply took that as a given. Dr. Sharp followed her as she ran up the grand staircase, his long legs allowing him to keep up easily.

“Come on, Morty,” Helen Louise said, taking hold of his arm. “Get moving.”

I started checking each room on the first floor. I knew the Ducotes weren’t in the parlor, so I started with the room across the hall, the dining room. No sign of them there.

No sign of either sister in any of the rooms. I came at last to the kitchen. I’d expected to find the catering staff at work cleaning up, but the room was empty. They couldn’t have left yet, because there was still equipment on the counters. The back door stood slightly ajar, and I strode over to it. As I neared I could smell the cigarette smoke and hear the sound of laughter and conversation. Evidently the workers had stepped outside for a smoke break before finishing up.

I was about to stick my head out the door to ask if they’d seen the Ducote sisters when I heard a muffled thumping nearby. I moved away from the back door and scanned that side of the room. There were two doors on the wall near me. The first one turned out to be the entry to the pantry, but it was empty of people.

The next door was five feet further down the wall. As I came closer I could hear the thumping again, and this time I heard the faint sound of a voice. I grabbed the knob and pulled, but the door wouldn’t open. I glanced down and saw a doorstop jammed under the bottom of the door.

“Hold on, gotta get the door loose.” I raised my voice to be heard over the thumping as I kicked at the doorstop. My feet failed to dislodge it, so I bent down to wrest it away with my hands.

The darn thing was really wedged in there, but I managed to loosen it and get it out of the way. I twisted the knob, and the door burst open. Azalea Berry stumbled into my arms. “Thank the Lord. I been beating on that door for ten minutes.” She pulled away to stand on her own. Then she started trembling. “Oh, Mr. Charlie. It’s terrible.”

“What is?” I said, afraid she was going to pass out. I reached toward her, but she turned and pointed toward the open door.

“In there.”

I stepped around her and peered into the dim light of what turned out to be a narrow staircase leading up. I gasped when I saw a body sprawled headfirst and prone about halfway up the stairs. A hoop skirt was canted forward with the crinolines revealed, and the red silk of the gown covered the head. One arm extended beyond the cloth.

Inching forward to the foot of the stairs, I reached out to touch the one visible wrist. I felt for a pulse, but there was none.

Vera Cassity was dead.

I withdrew my hand and backed away. As I did the door at the top of the stairs opened, and more light streamed in.

“Who’s there?” a voice called down to me. I looked up to see Kanesha on the landing, peering down.

“It’s me, Charlie,” I said. “Your mother is down here in the kitchen with me, Kanesha. She’s okay.”

“Is that Mrs. Cassity on the stairs?” Kanesha asked.

“Yes, and she’s dead. Don’t try to come down the stairs.” She couldn’t come down at all, I realized, as I took in more of the scene in front of me. Vera’s hoops blocked the narrow stairs completely. That made me wonder whether she had simply stumbled and fallen and had the bad luck to break her neck.

Maybe it wasn’t murder after all. That was my first assumption, but I hoped like anything I was wrong.

The catering staff began to come in through the back door, and I wasn’t sure what to do. It was cold outside, and I didn’t think they would pay any attention to me if I told them they shouldn’t come back into the kitchen.

“Listen, everyone, please listen.”

They stilled and stared at me curiously, and in some cases, with hostility. I was sure they were tired and ready to finish up, but they probably wouldn’t be going home for a couple of hours yet. Neither would I, I realized as a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

“Thank you. There’s been an accident, and I’m afraid you’ll have to wait on packing up and leaving.”

The grumbling started, but Kanesha’s voice cut through it. She must have run through the mansion at top speed to get to us so quickly.

She strode forward to where I stood, pushing her way through the milling group of workers. She identified herself as she moved closer.

“Mr. Harris is right. I need you all to move out of the kitchen for now. Please make your way to the front parlor and wait there. The sheriff’s department is on the way, and someone will be talking to you soon. We’ll let you go as soon as we can.”

There was more grumbling as they complied with Kanesha’s orders, but no outright rebellion.

Kanesha turned to her mother, who had slumped into a nearby chair. “Mama, are you okay?”

Azalea nodded wearily. “She be dead, Kanesha, but she that way when I found her.”

“Okay, Mama,” Kanesha said gently. She turned to me. “Charlie, will you find Robert and send him in here? I want him to check my mother. He’s in the front parlor with the others.”

“Sure.” I was glad to get out of there.

Dr. Sharp stood at the door of the parlor, and as I reached him I heard the drone of sirens approaching the house. I explained what Kanesha wanted. He hurried off.

I was about to enter the parlor when the front door opened. Men in uniform streamed in, including the sheriff himself. Gerald Tidwell was a massive man, about six-three and probably two hundred and fifty solidly muscled pounds. He barked out orders to his men. Obviously familiar with the layout of the house, he sent two men ahead of him to the kitchen. He turned to another, an officer I recognized as the man who often accompanied Kanesha, Deputy Bates. After a brief conferral Bates nodded and headed toward me. Sheriff Tidwell strode off toward the kitchen.