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Drayton’s brows pinched together. “What chairs?”
“Okay, I guess there is more to the story,” Theodosia said. So she carefully explained about the metal folding chairs that had been leaning up against the bookcase in Helene’s office. How they’d resembled the hotwired chair that had killed Josh Morro.
“You see!” Haley exclaimed. “That’s something important right there.”
“I thought so, too,” Theodosia said. “But the police pretty much discounted any connection.”
“Then they’re dead wrong. I think those chairs have to mean something,” Haley said.
“Maybe so,” Theodosia said. “I know the Crime Scene guys were going to haul them back to the lab and analyze them.” She stopped and thought for a moment. “But what if those chairs were placed there after Helene was murdered? What if they’d been left to intentionally throw off the police—to somehow cover the killer’s trail?”
“You’re talking about planted evidence,” Haley said.
“I guess I am,” Theodosia said.
“Another distraction,” Drayton said. “Something to point the police in the wrong direction. I guess that could be it.” He took a final sip of tea, stood up, and said, “All right, dear ones, these murder mysteries make for fascinating conversation, but we have a busy day ahead of us so we’d better hop to it.”
“Agreed,” Theodosia said. But that didn’t mean she’d stop thinking about it.
* * *
It was a busy day. In fact, Fridays were always busy at the Indigo Tea Shop. Visitors who crowded into Charleston for a weekend jaunt were always drawn to the charming hotels, inns, and B and Bs in the Historic District. And once they’d wandered the hidden alleys and lanes, once they’d marveled over Charleston Harbor, the amazing architecture, the Gibbes Museum of Art, and traveled Gateway Walk, they often found themselves ending up at the Indigo Tea Shop.
Today was one of those days.
By ten o’clock morning tea had hit a frantic pace. Every table was filled to capacity and at least eight people stood waiting eagerly inside the front door. Miss Dimple had called in at the last minute—some problem with her car, so she couldn’t work today. But Beth Ann was there to help. Thank goodness.
Theodosia took orders, rushed them back to Haley, then picked up orders of caramel scones and apple tea bread to be delivered to guests. In between, she skittered to the front counter to grab steaming pots of silver needle, rose hips, and orange pekoe.
“You know,” Drayton said as Theodosia grabbed a special order of black tea with peaches and ginger, “next time you stumble into a murder, you could wait until morning to inform me.”
“Sorry to upset your sleep,” Theodosia said. “But I thought you’d want to know.”
Drayton ducked his head. “Truth be known, I was curious. Am curious. But finding Helene’s body last night—it didn’t worry you?”
“Did I say that? No, it didn’t worry me, it scared the crap out of me. I barely slept a wink last night,” Theodosia said as her cell phone chimed from inside her apron pocket. She pulled it out and said, “Hello?”
There was a moment of dead air, then a chuckle, then Riley said, “Boy, is Tidwell ever mad at you.”
“He shouldn’t be,” Theodosia said. “If I hadn’t gone to Helene’s shop last night and found her, nobody would know the poor woman was dead until she didn’t show up for…well, whatever. Then the trail would be even colder than it is now.”
“You think the trail is cold?”
“I don’t think your department is hot and heavy into the chase.” Theodosia hesitated. “Or are you? Is there something I don’t know?”
“Not really,” Riley said.
“Did you turn up any forensics on those two metal folding chairs?”
“Just that they’re two metal folding chairs.”
“You know what I mean. Do they match the one that killed Josh Morro? Same model? Same make?”
“They’re a close match, but not exact.”
“What about DNA?” Theodosia asked.
“That takes time.”
