Part 16 (1/2)
Rats, he didn't take my bait. ”So what began as a vacation might become a permanent residence?”
Bernie poured himself a gla.s.s of orange juice. ”Yeah, maybe.”
I tried a different tack. ”How's your mom?” She traveled a lot. Maybe he'd visited her in Miami.
”Met some bloke she likes and went to Hong Kong. Last I heard they were in Shanghai on business. She's likely to ring me any day now about another wedding. What's for dinner?”
If he wouldn't talk about Miami, I would have to be more obvious. ”Miami Vice Rice and Pork Tenderloins.”
”You Americans have odd names for food. I stopped over in Miami on my way here. Lovely to catch some sun this time of year but I don't recall seeing Miami Vice Rice on a menu.”
The kitchen door opened and Dad walked in. ”It's cold enough to snow!” He rubbed his hands briskly.
”Where are the others?” I asked.
He contorted his face in mock pain. ”I begged them to drop me off. They had to see one more store.”
Dad's coat landed on top of the jackets. The chair would topple soon. I swooped them up and hung them all in the foyer closet.
When I returned to the kitchen, Dad had settled into a chair. Mochie and Daisy demanded his attention but while he stroked them, he addressed Bernie.
”He's a nice enough guy.” Dad didn't sound convinced when he said it. ”Very polite. But I've never known another man to be so interested in his wedding.”
”Craig?” I asked.
”Who else? I could understand if he planned the honeymoon, but over lunch today, the three of them discussed bows for the backs of chairs for forty-five minutes. I timed them.” Dad stretched out his legs and leaned his head back against the chair. ”The wedding is seven months away. I'm not sure I'll last that long if they keep this up.”
”He's not macho enough for you?” asked Bernie.
Dad winced. ”That wouldn't bother me. It's more like he's a chameleon. Like he says what he thinks we want to hear. I've spent a couple of days around him now and except for the fact that he's a doctor and he likes big droopy bows on the backs of chairs, I don't know anything about the man. I don't know if his parents are living or if he has siblings or what kind of car he drives or which sports he follows.”
”Maybe he's trying hard to adapt, to please you,” said Bernie. ”It can be difficult to join a family.”
I placed a lid on the pot with the cherries and let them simmer. ”I know what Dad means. I think he's creepy. He's been spying on me since he arrived. I keep turning around and finding him there, listening, like he's gathering information.”
”Spying?” Bernie chuckled. ”That's the height of future in-law paranoia. Why would he do that?”
I was about to betray my sister, but I only had her welfare at heart. ”Did you know they met through the internet?”
Dad's face went ashen. ”Hannah told us they met at a party.” He sprang from his chair. ”Mind if I use your computer?” He didn't wait for an answer. Bernie and I trailed behind him into the den.
After a few swift keystrokes, Dad sighed with relief. ”Here he is. Craig Monroe Beacham, MD. Internist . . . not much information . . . valid medical license in West Virginia. Hasn't been sued, went to medical school on the West Coast and did an interns.h.i.+p in South Dakota. Nothing sinister.”
I slumped back on the sofa. So much for that. I would do my best to be happy for Hannah. On her third try, she'd found a relations.h.i.+p the rest of us dreamed of. The kind of relations.h.i.+p some of us, like Francie, still chased.
”Dad, when you talked with the colonel yesterday, did he say anything about Simon?”
”The subject didn't come up. Mostly he told me about his efforts to bring medical care to underprivileged Africans.”
Bernie sprawled on the other end of the couch. ”What gives, Soph?”
”Apparently the colonel happened to be at the hotel when Simon was murdered.”
The keyboard clicked as Dad's fingers flew across it. ”This is impressive stuff. The colonel's received awards for his work. There are pages and pages about him.” The clicking of keys commenced again. ”Okay, now I've got something. Uh-oh. Remember the girl who lost her leg on that show Don't You Dare? Lots of allegations blaming the crew.”
”That's reprehensible. Imagine being so sloppy that someone would lose a limb,” said Bernie.
”It gets worse. The girl who lost her leg is the colonel's granddaughter.”
EIGHTEEN.
From ”Ask Natasha” : Dear Natasha, In spite of my admonishments, my rowdy teenage son is always coming home with blood on his clothes. I've tried all kinds of commercial products, but the stains are usually dried and set by the time he comes home and nothing seems to work. What do you recommend?
-b.l.o.o.d.y in Blue Ridge
Dear b.l.o.o.d.y,
The conventional wisdom is to soak the stain with salt. However, I take a cue from the professionals. Not the professional launderers, the professionals who get blood on their clothes at work-firefighters and police officers. Hydrogen peroxide works best. However, with any stain treatment, always test an inconspicuous area first to be sure the color doesn't bleed.
-Natasha
”So the good colonel might not be such a splendid chap after all,” mused Bernie.
”Could he have killed Simon to avenge his granddaughter?” I asked.
Dad swung toward us in the desk chair. ”If I thought someone rigged something to injure Jen, it might put me over the brink. That kind of thing can blur the lines of right and wrong and tamper with our natural inhibitions.”
”Could he be the one who tried to poison Mars?” I asked, sitting up straight, alarmed at the thought.
”Andrew came up with the idea for the TV show.” Bernie kicked off his shoes and removed his socks. ”Perhaps the colonel meant to poison Andrew. That would have given him revenge against both of them.”
Dad tented his hands and tapped his forefingers together. ”He didn't say a word about being at the stuffing compet.i.tion. Remember? At Thanksgiving when we all discussed the murder. Not a word.”
”And being former military, one would suppose he has some training in how to kill. He'd have known where to lodge the blow that ended Simon's life. Did anyone else get the impression that the colonel was rather surprised by Francie's knowledge about poison?” asked Bernie.
”June!” I jumped up. ”He took her out to dinner.”
”Do you know where they went?” asked Dad.