Fixing To Die

Henry Howard pushed his chair back and left the room. Mary Turner picked up her orange juice but then set it down quickly. She got up from her chair. “I forgot to tell Henry Howard that you and Nathan switched rooms, Miss An’gel. I was asleep before he came home last night, and I just now remembered. I’ll go tell him.” She hurried out.

Marcelline brought in the remaining breakfast orders on the tea cart. She served Dickce, Mrs. Pace, and Benjy. “Where’d Miss Mary and Mr. Henry go?”

“They went up to check on Mr. Gamble,” An’gel said.

Marcelline frowned. “He’d better get up and get his carcass down here if he wants a hot breakfast. I’m not standing over that stove all morning for him or for his sister and that so-called lawyer.” She left the room.

“I take it that the housekeeper isn’t fond of Mr. Gamble or those other people,” Primrose Pace said. “They don’t seem all that welcome here. Who are they?”

“Mr. Gamble is Mrs. Catlin’s distant cousin,” Dickce said. “Mrs. Foster is his sister, and she has her lawyer, a Mr. Wilbanks, with her. They’re staying in the annex with Benjy.”

“Ah, yes, family,” Mrs. Pace said. “They can be a trial sometimes, can’t they?” She chuckled. “Actually, I think I may have heard of Mr. Gamble’s family before. Is he from Vicksburg?”

“Yes, he is,” An’gel said. “What have you heard?”

“He’s a realtor, I think,” Mrs. Pace said. “Or maybe he does renovations? Can’t remember exactly. I think maybe his father or his grandfather was in the construction business in Vicksburg.”

“I don’t know,” An’gel said. “We really know nothing about him except that he and his sister are Mrs. Catlin’s distant cousins.”

“The more distant the better,” Mrs. Pace said. “I seem to remember that old Mr. Gamble, whichever one it was, father or son, didn’t have a good reputation in business.”

“Word does get around in the South, doesn’t it?” Dickce said lightly.

“Something terrible has happened.”

Mary Turner surprised them all. An’gel looked up to see the young woman in the doorway, arms across her chest, pale and shivering. She got up immediately and went to Mary Turner.

“Come sit down, my dear, and have some coffee.” An’gel guided her to the table and nearly pushed her into the chair before Mary Turner’s shaky legs gave way.

“What happened?” Dickce asked. “Is something wrong with your cousin?”

Mary Turner nodded, her hands clasped around her coffee. “He’s dead.”

CHAPTER 17

“Here, sip some coffee,” An’gel said to Mary Turner. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

The young woman obediently drank from her cup, and An’gel was happy to see color returning to her face. Mary Turner seemed a bit steadier after another couple of sips.

“Tell us what happened,” An’gel said gently.

“Henry Howard was about to go into your room, Miss An’gel, when I got upstairs,” Mary Turner said. “I told him about the switch, and it took him a moment to understand. Then he went down the hall to the French room. I went with him, I’m not sure why.” She paused for a final sip of coffee, set down the cup, and pushed it away.

“He knocked on the door but he didn’t get a response,” Mary Turner said. “By that time I’d caught up with him. He knocked again and waited, but there still wasn’t any answer. So he opened the door and went in. I hesitated to follow him, but then I heard him cry out.” She flushed suddenly. “I can’t repeat what he said. It wasn’t a nice expression. Anyway, I did go in then. Henry Howard was standing over the bed, staring down at Nathan.” She shuddered and closed her eyes.

“My dear, I’m so sorry, I know it must have been a shock to you,” An’gel said. “You don’t have to tell us any more if you don’t feel up to it.”

Mary Turner nodded. “It was a shock, I don’t mind telling you. Poor Nathan. I never liked him, but now he’s dead.” She shuddered again. “He had the most horrible expression on his face. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it.”

“Do you think he suffered a great deal?” Dickce asked. “Perhaps he had heart trouble and didn’t know it.”

“He looked terrified,” Mary Turner said. “Like he had been scared to death.”

An’gel exchanged a glance with her sister. She knew they were thinking the same thing. Had a malign spirit appeared in the French room during the night and frightened Nathan Gamble into having a heart attack?

An’gel didn’t want to believe that. She patted Mary Turner’s hand. “Many people are fearful when they realize they are dying, child. Don’t place too much emphasis on his expression.” She looked at Dickce again, and her sister picked up the cue.

“Heavens, no,” Dickce said. “The poor man may have had a seizure right before he passed away.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Benjy asked.

An’gel shot him an approving glance. “Yes, we’ll all be happy to do whatever you need.”

“Henry Howard is in the office calling the doctor,” Mary Turner said. “And I guess he’ll have to call the police as well, since Nathan died unexpectedly.”