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Chapter 1
“Ruby, I don’t have time for a tea party,” said Vickie firmly. She looked at her best friend over her cup of tea before taking a sip of the warm Oolong blend, a hint of Blue Gum honey soothing the bitter taste.
“Poppycock,” said Ruby, waving a lace handkerchief, dismissing Vickie’s words. She dramatically dabbed the corner of her eye, even though Vickie noted there weren’t any tears. “All work and no play make for a boring Vickie.”
Vickie rolled her eyes. “If I weren’t solving cases, then what would you do?”
Ruby grinned cheekily, sat back in the winged chair, crossing her legs in a flurry of material from her rather short skirt, revealing her knees. “I could think of one thing if only Ronaldo hadn’t run off with the servant girl and had stayed with me. We could’ve had so much morefuntogether.”
“It’s over with the cook, then?” Vickie was never really sure if Ruby’s conquests with men were over or not.
Ruby groaned as if in pain. “I’m so upset. I haven’t been able to find a decent cook like Ronaldo.” Ruby raised her eyebrow and looked directly at Vickie. Vickie felt herself stiffen. She knew what was coming.
“A tea party would be the perfect solution to cheer me up.”
Vickie felt Ruby’s trap of getting her to host a tea party tightening around her chest. She really didn’t have the time. There was a string of clients contacting her wanting her services—mostly women worried their husbands were cheating on them—and she needed to get the evidence. She didn’t mind. She was helping these women, and that’s what mattered most. But cases like that could wait, just for a week, though she didn’t like making potential clients wait. It wasn’t good for her reputation. Plus, there was one case she needed to write up and call in Mrs. Packwood to tell her she could find no evidence of her husband’s indiscretion and that he was, in fact, being faithful. Vickie wasn’t sure how she’d take the news. She had a feeling Mrs. Packwood wanted a divorce, and this would have been a way to give her a good reason to contact the lawyers.
The doorbell rang, and Vickie felt herself sit upright on the winged lounge, her shoulders back, her head tilted toward the door waiting for the butler, James, to announce whoever had arrived.
Maybe it was a new case,one that would challenge and extend her investigative skills and perhaps be full of danger and excitement. She empathized with Ruby’s frustration for a moment. Life after the war was slowly rebuilding. It was only the early stages, and there was so much life lost because of the fighting, but each day was becoming easier to live. With her private investigation business and life with her husband being hot and spicy in the bedroom, things couldn’t be better, except if she received a new case, especially if it involved a murder. She hadn’t directly had a case like that yet. The thrill of bringing a criminal to justice rippled through her as she looked at the door.
“You’ve all but forgotten me,” said Ruby, pouting her bottom lip.
Vickie kept her focus on the door, anticipating that James would come in and announce there was someone politely waiting in the hallway who needed her help. Her mind whirled. She didn’t want to, but then she’d have to leave Ruby. An uneasiness welled inside of her. There were so many complications to her life since she started her business. Right now, it was Ruby.
There was a gentle knock on the door.
“Enter,” announced Vickie, not wanting to wait for another second to find out who might’ve called, and then she could get out of hosting a tea party for Ruby. Ruby went through men like the new season’s clothing. Vickie was sure her best friend would recover soon enough with or without a party, and a new man would soon be the object of her attention. Just like a potential new case for herself, one that would extend her investigative skills.
The door to the parlor swung open. James entered, holding a silver tray with something she couldn’t quite see on top of the white doily.
“Mrs. Wenderlen, there was a delivery.” James lowered the tray, his face expressionless, not giving anything away. They had been through a lot together, solving the last case and saved his niece, Sally, from a certain unwanted marriage and being trapped up north in the middle of nowhere. The feeling of satisfaction remained strong within her that she could help someone with her services and make a difference in so many lives.
Vickie raised her eyebrows as she spied a black envelope, her full name written in gold ink, reflecting in the light. Her heart fluttered. This was it. A new case. She was sure of it.
“Curious.” Black wasn’t the usual color for a letter. Her pulse raced as she reached out to take the envelope, then the letter opener that James had thoughtfully placed on the tray. Her mind went through a dozen questions.
Who would deliver a letter like this? Why didn’t they show their face and come here in person? Most people simply arrived at her doorstep wanting to see her, some managed to ring before, but no one had ever sent a letter.
Vickie motioned for James to leave and swiftly tore neatly through the paper and slipped her fingers inside to pull out what she was expecting was a parchment with a note on it. Instead, it was a perfectly folded black paper heart. Her breath caught in her throat as excitement thundered through her.
Ruby gasped with delight. Before Vickie could stop her, she’d snatched the paper heart.
“That was for me,” said Vickie with a huff.
“I’ve heard about these invitations,” said Ruby excitedly as she carefully unfolded the paper heart.
Disappointment flooded through Vickie like when drinking cold tea. This wasn’t going to be the new case she had hoped for, not if Ruby had heard of these black hearts and whatever it was they represented.
“I haven’t.” Her voice disapproving.
Ruby squealed as she sat back down in the chair, reading the black paper with a huge grin on her face. “Finally.”
“Better than a tea party, then?” Vickie picked up her cup of tea. She sat upright on the edge of the chair, her back straight, shoulders back as she held the cup and saucer at chest height.
“Absolutely,” answered Ruby.
It might not have been a new case, but perhaps there was a silver lining from this odd invitation now she was off the hook to host a tea party.
