head of teased white hair quivered
with indignation.
Sylvia turned to stare in her direction, and Emma took a step forward. Before anyone
else could move, a woman in a pleated plaid skirt, cotton crew neck sweater and loafers
came out of one of the rooms marked
Office
. Emma thought she looked familiar but couldn’t immediately place her.
The woman stared at Emma, Arabella and Sylvia for a moment, a horrified expression
on her face, before turning her attention back to the resident in the mint green outfit.
“What’s wrong, Mrs. Decker. Has something happened?”
“Has something happened?” Mrs. Decker spit out furiously, her white frizz bobbing
with each indignant shake of her head. “My brooch has been stolen! The one Arthur
gave me for our fiftieth. It’s gold with diamonds and pearls. Arthur always knew what
I liked.”
“Are you sure you didn’t misplace it?” the woman, whom Emma finally recognized as
Jessica Scott’s secretary, who had been at their trunk show, responded soothingly.
“I most certainly did not.” Mrs. Decker’s delicate coif swayed mightily. She turned
around and pointed a finger at Sylvia. “You!”
Sylvia pointed to her own chest. “Me?”
“Yes, you! Nothing ever went missing before you got here. And now my brooch is gone,
Mrs. Henry has lost that new radio thingie her grandson bought her, and Mr. Mason’s
Korean War medals have disappeared.”
“I’M so sorry,” Jessica’s secretary said as soon as she got Mrs. Decker calmed down
and back to her own room. She smiled at Emma and Arabella. “I’m Crystal Davis. We
met at Deirdre’s party. Jessica Scott is…was…my cousin.” She gave a delicate sniff
and wiped a hand across her eyes.
“We’re very sorry for your loss,” Arabella said. She dug in her purse, produced a
clean, hand-embroidered handkerchief and held it toward Crystal.
Crystal shook her head. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
Arabella looked at her doubtfully. “Are you going to allow that woman”—she pointed
in the direction Mrs. Decker had taken—“to make accusations like that?”
“Oh, she doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s getting a little dotty, I’m afraid.” Crystal
made a circular motion with her finger by her temple as she said this.
“Still! What about Sylvia’s reputation?”
“And to think I was almost starting to like it here,” Sylvia said.
Crystal glanced this way and that, like a cornered rat. Finally, she excused herself
and scurried back toward the safety of her office.
“Useless!” They heard someone snort behind them.
They turned around to see a very tall, imperious-looking woman with a dark gray chignon
headed toward them. She was wearing silver flats, black slacks and an oversized, tailored
white shirt with the collar turned up. She was the most elegant-looking older woman
Emma had seen other than her aunt.
She pointed a red-tipped finger in the direction of Crystal’s closed office door.
“That woman is totally useless.” With an effort she changed her frown to a smile and
held out her hand. “Eloise Montgomery.”
They made introductions all around. Eloise turned to Sylvia.
“I’m so sorry that happened. Mrs. Decker is not, contrary to what that sniveling idiot
Crystal said, dotty in the least. She’s a nasty piece of work, that’s what she is.
Every time someone new moves in, she comes up with some slanderous rumor to spread.”
“You would think Crystal would be onto her by now,” Arabella said.
Eloise shuddered. “Not that girl. If brains were leather, she wouldn’t have enough
to saddle a June bug.”
“I supposed being Jessica’s cousin…” Arabella said, and Emma had to hide a grin when
she saw the sly look on Arabella’s face.
Eloise swallowed the bait smoothly. “I don’t know why Jessica kept her on. Treated
her downright poorly, too. Always yelling at her, telling her to hurry, making her
runerrands. Once she
with indignation.
Sylvia turned to stare in her direction, and Emma took a step forward. Before anyone
else could move, a woman in a pleated plaid skirt, cotton crew neck sweater and loafers
came out of one of the rooms marked
Office
. Emma thought she looked familiar but couldn’t immediately place her.
The woman stared at Emma, Arabella and Sylvia for a moment, a horrified expression
on her face, before turning her attention back to the resident in the mint green outfit.
“What’s wrong, Mrs. Decker. Has something happened?”
“Has something happened?” Mrs. Decker spit out furiously, her white frizz bobbing
with each indignant shake of her head. “My brooch has been stolen! The one Arthur
gave me for our fiftieth. It’s gold with diamonds and pearls. Arthur always knew what
I liked.”
“Are you sure you didn’t misplace it?” the woman, whom Emma finally recognized as
Jessica Scott’s secretary, who had been at their trunk show, responded soothingly.
“I most certainly did not.” Mrs. Decker’s delicate coif swayed mightily. She turned
around and pointed a finger at Sylvia. “You!”
Sylvia pointed to her own chest. “Me?”
“Yes, you! Nothing ever went missing before you got here. And now my brooch is gone,
Mrs. Henry has lost that new radio thingie her grandson bought her, and Mr. Mason’s
Korean War medals have disappeared.”
“I’M so sorry,” Jessica’s secretary said as soon as she got Mrs. Decker calmed down
and back to her own room. She smiled at Emma and Arabella. “I’m Crystal Davis. We
met at Deirdre’s party. Jessica Scott is…was…my cousin.” She gave a delicate sniff
and wiped a hand across her eyes.
“We’re very sorry for your loss,” Arabella said. She dug in her purse, produced a
clean, hand-embroidered handkerchief and held it toward Crystal.
Crystal shook her head. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
Arabella looked at her doubtfully. “Are you going to allow that woman”—she pointed
in the direction Mrs. Decker had taken—“to make accusations like that?”
“Oh, she doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s getting a little dotty, I’m afraid.” Crystal
made a circular motion with her finger by her temple as she said this.
“Still! What about Sylvia’s reputation?”
“And to think I was almost starting to like it here,” Sylvia said.
Crystal glanced this way and that, like a cornered rat. Finally, she excused herself
and scurried back toward the safety of her office.
“Useless!” They heard someone snort behind them.
They turned around to see a very tall, imperious-looking woman with a dark gray chignon
headed toward them. She was wearing silver flats, black slacks and an oversized, tailored
white shirt with the collar turned up. She was the most elegant-looking older woman
Emma had seen other than her aunt.
She pointed a red-tipped finger in the direction of Crystal’s closed office door.
“That woman is totally useless.” With an effort she changed her frown to a smile and
held out her hand. “Eloise Montgomery.”
They made introductions all around. Eloise turned to Sylvia.
“I’m so sorry that happened. Mrs. Decker is not, contrary to what that sniveling idiot
Crystal said, dotty in the least. She’s a nasty piece of work, that’s what she is.
Every time someone new moves in, she comes up with some slanderous rumor to spread.”
“You would think Crystal would be onto her by now,” Arabella said.
Eloise shuddered. “Not that girl. If brains were leather, she wouldn’t have enough
to saddle a June bug.”
“I supposed being Jessica’s cousin…” Arabella said, and Emma had to hide a grin when
she saw the sly look on Arabella’s face.
Eloise swallowed the bait smoothly. “I don’t know why Jessica kept her on. Treated
her downright poorly, too. Always yelling at her, telling her to hurry, making her
runerrands. Once she
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