Murder at the Million Dollar Pier Read online

  Uncle Percival stood and shook Mac’s hand. “Pleased to meet you. I am Percival Pettijohn, Cornelia’s uncle.”

  “It’s good to meet you too, sir.”

  The professor returned to his seat. “And you’re a pilot. Fascinating. When I served with the Union, we surveyed the battlefield with balloons of heated air. True flight must be much more exciting.”

  “I loved it,” Mac confessed, “except for the time I was wounded. I spent many hours in the ward talking to Nurse Teddy.”

  “That sounds like Nurse Teddy,” Cornelia said, and received a swat from her companion. “Are you also visiting Florida, or do you live here?”

  “I have a place in town, but my parents are staying at the hotel. My father is involved with the construction in Saint Petersburg, so they’re spending the winter here. It may be a permanent move if he continues to get so much business.” He hesitated, then added, “My family is at a nearby table. Would you like to meet them?”

  “I would love to,” Teddy said. She and Cornelia followed the young man back to his family’s table, which was a large one. “This is my mother, Florence,” he said, gesturing to a plump woman with a dark blonde coiffure. “I was right; these are the nurses who took care of me in France. This is Nurse Teddy, and this is Nurse Pettijohn.”

  The woman smiled and clasped Teddy’s hand. “Thank you for being there. You must be such brave women.”

  “Oh, no, he was the brave one,” Teddy said. “We were there to help boys like him.”

  “Where’s Father?” the young man asked.

  “He went off to smoke,” Florence said. “You know how he is.”

  Mac sighed. “He would be gone when I have someone important here. Ladies, these are my sisters, Evelyn and Violet.”

  Evelyn was a younger, blonder version of her mother. She was smartly dressed, with a gold sautoir that ended in sparkling beaded tassels. Violet, the youngest child, was the odd one out with jet black curls.

  The man beside Evelyn, who had risen at their arrival, offered his hand. “Pleased to meet you, ladies. I’m Arthur Downs, Evelyn’s fiancé.” He was well-tanned, with hair kissed by the sun. Like Mac, he had a military bearing. He’d probably served in the Great War, too; he looked to be several years older than his prospective bride.

  “So, Mac, what have you been doing since you left the service?” Teddy asked. “Are you flying again?”

  Mac started to answer, then stopped. “Good, he’s back. Father, I’d like you to meet the nurses who took care of me in France.”

  Cornelia turned around and saw a middle-aged man, dark-haired with white at the temples. Like his daughter, he appeared to be fond of gold: cufflinks, cigarette case, even a pinky ring. He began to smile, then froze, staring at something behind her.

  That something was Teddy. Her face was now pale except for the powdered blush on her cheekbones, and her dark-rimmed eyes were wide. She stared back.

  Then, she lunged past Cornelia and slapped Mac’s father hard. “You—you scoundrel! You out-and-out rotter! You misbegotten—”

  “Teddy!” Cornelia couldn’t believe her eyes. Should she intervene? But no, her companion was stepping back, breathing hard from emotion.

  Teddy turned, almost reeling, to Florence. “Mrs. Stevens. Mac. I’m sorry you had to see this,” she said, trembling. “I hope—I hope he has been kind to you. I’ll go back to my table now, if you don’t mind.”

  Strangers gaped as Teddy lurched away like a wounded butterfly, hair comb taking flight from her tresses. It flashed in the air, then disappeared under one of the chairs. Cornelia started to go after it but was stopped by the head waiter.

  “Madame, we cannot have this disturbance. The governor of Maine is here tonight!”

  “She didn’t slap him,” she retorted, more sharply than she intended. “I’ll hold her back if she goes for a rematch.”

  “Do you think she will?” the poor man asked in a worried voice.

  “I don’t.” She pushed him aside. “Let me go to her.”

  Teddy sat at their table with her arms wrapped around herself. Uncle Percival was patting her shoulder solicitously. His expression was dour, but his eyes were alive with questions. She couldn’t blame him. In all the years they had been together she had never seen Teddy have an outburst like this, not even when she was more than a little drunk.

  “What was that about?” Cornelia demanded. “I assume that you know Mac’s father.”

  “Know him? I was supposed to marry him.” Teddy’s body still shook, but her voice was firm. “I don’t want to discuss it here.”

  Cornelia had shared many confidences with Teddy during their years together as army nurses, but this was a complete flabbergast. Questions pricked her mind, but none found exit through words. Teddy was right. A public restaurant was no place for this kind of discussion.

  “Should we take you back to our rooms, then?” the professor asked, then added, “To recover, of course.”

  Teddy straightened in her seat and detangled her bangles. “No, I don’t intend to allow him to ruin our visit. I’m going to finish my squab au cresson and soldier on.”

  “Good girl,” Uncle Percival said, crestfallen.

  Arthur’s prospective father-in-law took his seat, rubbing his jaw.

  Mrs. Stevens raised a well-shaped eyebrow. “That was her, wasn’t it?”

  “Not now,” Stevens snapped.

  Her? Arthur leaned close to Evelyn, inhaling the scent she usually wore, musky with a hint of tobacco. It wasn’t unpleasant, but who wanted a wife that smelled like a fine smoke? He’d purchased some Shalimar to give her on Sunday, Valentine’s Day. It was all the rage, according to his secretary, and a floral scent fit better with his business. “Who was that?”

  “I don’t know,” she whispered. “Now shush, Daddy will hear.”

  Arthur looked from face to face. Violet was gazing directly down into her plate, picking at the food but not eating it. Mac had a dismayed expression on his face, as if the woman’s explosion had somehow been his fault. It certainly wasn’t; she’d seemed as surprised as the old man when they saw one another.

  But, in the aftermath of the incident, Florence Stevens wasn’t flustered at all. Arthur didn’t find it a surprise, either, given Stevens’ temperament, but the incident was interesting. He’d known a few military nurses in the navy. They didn’t rattle in the face of mortar fire. It must have been some hullabaloo to cause that much anger.

  Chapter two

  After dinner, Cornelia found the words to go with her questions. She and Teddy were back in their room, and the professor had been shooed away. He’d urgently whispered to his niece that he expected an intelligence report on the situation in the morning. Cornelia had whispered back that no such report would be given.

  She sat down on the edge of one of the beds. “Tell me about this man. You were engaged to him?”

  Teddy, now wearing a kimono dressing gown, took a Ball jar out of her ‘medicine’ case and poured herself a stiff drink. After swallowing a hearty belt, she sunk into one of the easy chairs. “For a short time, yes.”

  The strong scent of the moonshine wafted through their room. Cornelia’s nose wrinkled as she spoke.

  “I can’t imagine you marrying a man. You were in love?”

  Teddy let out an exaggerated sigh. “No, not really, but I didn’t know my own mind then.”

  “I’ve always found you to be quite opinionated.”

  Teddy’s mouth, softer without the lipstick, curved. “I had a somewhat sheltered upbringing. At seventeen, I was indecisive and still biddable by my parents … at least, in matters I had no knowledge of. Men were one of those.”

  “They chose a husband for you?”

  “They didn’t put it that way.” She stretched out in the chair and dangled a slipper from one foot. “They said they wanted me to be well cared for after finishing school, and Ansel’s father was successful. They encouraged me to meet him and see how things went.” She swung t
he foot.

  Cornelia eyed the slipper, clinging to a foot full of nervous energy. “So, you agreed to marry him?”

  “Not immediately,” Teddy replied. “We attended several social functions together, and events went swimmingly. He was well-spoken, intelligent, and an excellent dancer to boot.”

  “The dancing part must have been persuasive.” Cornelia was only half teasing. There were few things Theodora Lawless liked to do more than dance, even now after being injured in the war.

  “It was a strong selling point. He was handsome and charming. My friends were all envious of the attention he lavished on me. My parents pointed out daily what an excellent match we were. So, when Ansel asked me to marry him, I thought my confused emotions were normal for a young woman. I agreed because it seemed the proper thing to do.”

  “You, proper? I never met this Teddy.”

  “She died young,” her companion said caustically. The foot with the slipper bounced. “The preparations began. My mother ordered Venetian lace for my gown. Can you imagine it?”

  Teddy had been a dark-haired beauty when Cornelia met her. “I can picture you in the gown.”

  “I could, too.” Teddy chuckled. “I might have married him for the dress alone.” Her foot kicked hard, and the slipper flew.

  Cornelia caught it. “But you didn’t marry him. Why, if you didn’t know any better?”

  Teddy pressed her lips together and looked up at the ceiling. She did this when she was searching for the best way to put something. Cornelia suspected there wasn’t a good way to tell her what happened.

  She finally found the words. “Close to the wedding, he began talking more about how we would live—except he wasn’t consulting me for my opinion. And you know I…” she faltered, “I always have one.”

  Cornelia handed Teddy her handkerchief. “Naturally. This was your future together.”

  “I realized that the life he was describing wasn’t one I liked. So, I tried to tell him what I really wanted. To learn something more important than flatware placement for a formal dinner. To travel. To do something… of meaning. He was getting angry, but I kept going. I had to make him listen.”

  She stopped, and Cornelia kept quiet. After a moment, Teddy drew in a great breath.

  “Well …” she continued, “he heard me, because he exploded. He shook me, shouting that I was his wife, and this was his household we were talking about. I was angry and told him that I was not his wife yet, and I didn’t think I wanted to be his wife any more. He slapped me, so I punched him. Then he really thrashed me. God, I had been spoiled and indulged my entire life, and I discovered how powerless I really was that night. Finally, I lied and told him that of course he was right, and I would do what he wanted.”

  “Oh, Teddy …”

  “There was no way to conceal the injuries I had when I got home. At first, they assumed Ansel had forced himself on me. But he hadn’t, and they then considered my condition less frightening. I told them that I had no intention of marrying the man, and they told me that wed him I would. It was too late to back out, simply because I’d gotten the worse end of a quarrel I started. Arrangements had been made, invitations had been sent, and,” her mouth twisted into a smile, “business alliances had been formed. I was afraid of what Ansel would do to me once we were married and alone in his house.”

  “So, you fled,” Cornelia said.

  “Like those Filipino rats when they caught sight of my slingshot.”

  “Oh, Teddy.” She didn’t know if she would laugh or cry.

  “I took the train to my grandmother’s house in New York. She kept me there in secret and paid to enroll me in nursing school at Bellevue.”

  They’d visited the grandmother together a few years before she passed. The woman had doted on Teddy; Cornelia wasn’t surprised that she would provide sanctuary. “So, you were safe. That doesn’t explain your reaction.”

  “It’s what he did after I left!” Her face and chest flushed. “He told everyone that he had broken the engagement, because I was with child by another man. That I had fled to Europe to clandestinely give birth and dispose of the baby.”

  If Stevens had been in the room, Cornelia would have socked him herself. “And they believed that flapdoodle?”

  “He was there; I’d flown the coop. You know what an unspeakable sin having a child out of wedlock is, and it was more so back then. People love repeating a scandalous story. My father lost several customers and couldn’t acquire new ones. It took years for him to rebuild the trade he lost.” Teddy’s hands clenched. “He never spoke to me again, even when he learned where I was, and my mother told me not to come to his funeral. I was disinherited.”

  Disinherited? Cornelia was confused. “But—but you have an inheritance.”

  “It was from my grandmother. She left her money to me, which is another reason my mother and I don’t speak. But that’s my story, sordid as it is.”

  “It is sordid. I can’t believe everyone believed him, and you had to suffer.”

  One corner of Teddy’s mouth turned up. “That slap was thirty-five years too late. I pity his wife.”

  “Mac seems to have turned out well.”

  “I’m sure that’s of his mother’s making, not Ansel’s.” She took another gulp from her glass.

  “It does create an awkward situation, though. Should I ask my uncle if we could move to a different hotel?”

  Teddy waved a hand and shook her curly head vigorously. “No. No, don’t do that. This is his special treat, and he should enjoy it. Especially after that mess in Homosassa. Besides, I’m not a frightened girl anymore. Ansel isn’t going to get the satisfaction of bullying me into leaving. I think we can find plenty to do that doesn’t involve bumping into him at the hotel. Although I may see his wife in the salon. I’m sure we can politely ignore one another.”

  She sprung up and took off the kimono. “I need to get out of here. I’m in a mood.”

  “Really, Teddy, I’m sure Uncle Percival could be persuaded to change hotels tomorrow morning—after he films the pier construction, of course.”

  “No!” Teddy was already at the wardrobe, riffling through her dresses. “I’m not running away again,” she said. “I’ll be hanged if I’ll let him spoil our vacation.”

  Cornelia was pleasantly surprised. “That’s the spirit. We’re going to the Palm Room?” She’d seen a sign advertising the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Teddy always turned up the volume on the home radio when one of its songs played.

  “No, that rat might still be downstairs. I have another place in mind. I learned that there’s dancing every night at the Coliseum. It’s not that far from here, although we’ll need the car.”

  “What about Uncle Percival?”

  “If he wants to go with us, he can.” Teddy opened her makeup case. “You can ask while I freshen my face.”

  Cornelia was about to enter her uncle’s suite when she saw a suspicious black square retreat from beneath the adjoining door. She kicked the door hard and was rewarded with a groan from the other side. Perhaps the old coot would resist future temptations to listen in on other people’s conversations. Her kick must have sounded thunderous when amplified by his hearing device.

  The professor gave her a sheepish grin when he opened the door.

  Cornelia’s face softened. Neither of them mentioned the eavesdropping. It was impossible for her to scold him for snooping. Teddy would have done the same, had the situation been reversed. She knew; she’d seen her press a water glass to closed doors often enough.

  He declined their invitation to go out; he wanted to be well-rested for his visit to the Pier the following morning. They bid their farewells and headed for the lobby. Once again, it was packed—this time, by spillover from the ballroom. There were no valets in sight.

  Teddy walked up to the front desk, where two clerks dashed from customer to customer. She dinged the bell until she got service. “We need our car, please. Could you ring a valet for us?”

&
nbsp; “They’re all busy pulling cars out for the Governor and his party,” the harried young man said, “I apologize, ma’am, but even if one of them were free, your vehicle would still be boxed in. The street and driveways are blocked.”

  “I see. Thank you.” Teddy put some change on the counter and headed for the double doors.

  Cornelia rushed to keep up. She asked, with a bit of suspicion, “What are we doing?”

  “We’re getting a ride. Don’t say anything; just look your most formidable.”

  The desk clerk was right; large cars and trucks jammed the area between the hotel and the marina. Teddy strode to the first car at the edge of the makeshift parking lot with swift assurance. Cornelia brought up the rear, forming her face into hard disapproving lines.

  The driver, who had been taking a smoke, looked surprised. He tossed his cigarette aside.

  “Drive-uh, take us to the Coliseum,” said Teddy in an authoritative voice.

  Cornelia’s surprise almost ruined her grimace. Teddy’s impression of Sergeant Allen was dead on.

  The man shook his head. “These cars are reserved for the Governor and his entourage. They’re making several stops tonight.”

  “Ayuh, that’s exactly why we’re hee-uh,” Teddy said. “We’re due at the Coliseum in fifteen minutes. Please take us they-uh immediately.”

  “The … the Coliseum?” The man checked his ledger. “That’s not on the schedule.”

  “It’s on his dotter’s schedule,” she snapped. “We-uh the chaperones. Now take us they-uh before some disreputable mash-uh spikes the punch.”

  The driver looked from her to Cornelia. He nodded at the latter’s scowl. “Get in, ladies.”

  It was hard for Cornelia not to smile.

  Even at this late hour, traffic was heavy on the downtown streets. It slowed to a crawl on Fourth. Everything from flivvers to luxury vehicles jammed the road ahead.

  Finally, their car stopped. Their driver got out and opened the back door. “Here you are, ladies. Sorry we didn’t get here sooner.”

  Teddy mock-sighed. “It will have to do. Hee-ah, young man, take this for your trouble.” She pressed a crisp bill into his hand.