Castle In The Clouds Ch 07

Brunch the next morning was, unsurprisingly, much briefer and more somber than we had prepared for. Thank goodness the children rejoined their parents for the meal, and their delighted retelling of the night's party was enough to occupy all the adults. Still, plates were barely empty before it seemed everyone had found a reason to leave early. Alice herself never appeared for breakfast, and I learned from Lawrence that she had called for her driver and left shortly after I had escorted her to bed the night before.

Andrew looked like a ghost. He was able to smile bravely for the children, but as soon as they were escorted from the room, all light left his eyes. My heart longed to take him away from his troubles, but a calm practicality took hold of me. I continued about my business that morning as planned, knowing that he would find a way to keep himself busy, and determined that I would see him later that night.

Instead of seeking him out during my moments of free time, I looked for Francine. If I was about to enter my Sherlock Holmes era, I would need a good Watson, and she would fit the bill.

I found her cleaning one of the guest rooms toward the beginning of the afternoon. Knocking on the door lightly, I asked, "May I help?"

Francine looked up from the bed she was stripping and grinned. "You haven't anything more worth your time? I'm on my last room, it won't take me long."

"I'd like to speak with you," I said, stepping in and closing the door behind me. "And I don't want to interrupt your work as we do."

Francine nodded understandingly, pointing to the far corner. "There's my cleaning trolley, if you want to grab some gloves."

I did so, and busied myself with wiping down the surfaces. "I suppose you've heard about last night?"

"Who hasn't?" she replied. "Half the staff can't stop talking about it and the other half can't stop telling them to shut up. Susie in the kitchens is damn near scandalized, and I think George the gardener almost had a heart attack."

"This is a close cut to the heart of the house."

"You're not kidding." Francine shook a pillow out of its case with extra vigor. "I wasn't here, of course, but I've heard about the mistress--Elaine--and everyone can only say nice things about her. And the lady herself, Miss Mbaye, everyone sounds worried...or..."

I watched her carefully. "Or?"

Francine stood paused over her folded sheets. "There's some that are acting quite suspicious about her. I'm sure it's nothing," she added hastily, "but this has definitely soured things."

I nodded slowly, spraying down the mirror. "Don't brush it off so quickly," I told her. "Your listening ears and instincts are exactly what I need."

In the reflection I saw Francine quirk her head curiously. "Need for what, ma'am?"

I finished wiping down the mirror as I spoke. "Miss Mbaye's words struck a chord with me, you could say. That a woman who was so careful about her health, and so young, would die so unexpectedly in her sleep...it certainly seems unlikely." I held up my cloth to stave off Francine's questions. "Furthermore, her death continues to linger here. It's like her shadow has cast a cloud over the family. They grieve, but there's no healing. Andr-- Mr. Khatri's manner this morning isn't one who is shocked by a friend's behavior. I think he believes her words too, although I don't think he knows what to do about it."

I looked at Francine meaningfully. "Someone needs to do what law enforcement couldn't, two years ago."

Francine's eyes went wide. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"And you want my help?"

"Can I count on you?" I set down the spray bottle and cloth. "I won't ask you to put your neck out for me, or cross any lines. What I need is another pair of eyes and ears who can help me hone in on where I should be looking. And I need complete discretion. No gossip or hints to the staff. It could prove deadly," I emphasized.

Francine searched my face. "You're going to do it regardless, aren't you?"

"I am." I had no idea what gave me the dedication, but I was firm. "It's what's best for Mr. Khatri and the children. We need answers."

Francine held out her hand. "Count me in."

I shook her hand, and we resumed cleaning with our discussion. "First thing's first," I said, "I'm going to need to gather more information about the night she died. Get my hands on the coroner's report if I can. And I need to know what the staff believe about that night, and what they remember about the day before."

"I can definitely help with the last part," Francine said, pulling the sheets in place onto the mattress. "Everyone's been talking about what they remember about that night and day. I might get more details in the next couple days, just by being a sympathetic ear."

"Excellent start," I said. "That will help us try to explore any possible causes of death. Then we need to find motive."

"That's going to be harder," Francine sighed. "Everyone won't stop saying how much they love her. She sounds angelic. Who would want to kill an angel?"

"A devil," I said. "No matter how pure she is, the people around her won't always be. But the usual motives aren't apparent here. The only people who would benefit monetarily from her death are Mr. Khatri and the children, and Mr. Khatri certainly didn't need the funds."

"Unless she has any long-lost siblings out there who may have been in her will," Francine pointed out.

I smiled at her, already relieved I would have another brain to bounce ideas off with. "Good point, I can try and find out what was in the will. But it still seems unlikely. You would think any family she was still closely connected to would have been invited to the party last night."

"That's fair."

"Then of course there's the idea of murder to cover up a secret."

"If there's any secrets that need hidden, they're murdering the wrong person," Francine scoffed. "The staff know everything before the family does--especially Lawrence and Henri."

"True...but there's always something. And more often than not, any secrets of that caliber leave traces behind." I switched out my cloth for a vacuum. Every cleaning trolley had portable vacuums that barely made any noise, allowing staff to clean a room next to the family without them ever noticing--and allowing my discussion with Francine to continue uninterrupted. "Of course, the secret might not be the reason for the murder. The secret might just be the disguise for more emotional reasons--revenge, fear, jealousy, passion."

"It's hard to imagine anyone wanting revenge or feeling fear for her," Francine reiterated.

"True, but a strong emotion seems like a greater motive than money," I contemplated.

"So we'll need to discover if there were any shadows to Elaine's sunshine. And we start by finding the people most emotionally invested in her."

"Usually that would put a spouse on the suspect list," Francine said quietly.

"Usually," I agreed, "but thankfully Andr--Mr. Khatri has an alibi. He was away on business the night she died, nowhere near the house. And he couldn't have sneaked to the house and back without the assistance of multiple staff."

"Whom he could have paid off for their silence," she said uncomfortably. "Or paid to...y'know...do the deed for him."

As much as it rankled my heart to hear accusations against Andrew, I appreciated how upfront and sincere Francine was being. "He may have had the funds, but he didn't have the motive," I reassured her. "Besides, a man as wealthy as him can punish or get rid of a wife in so many more legal ways, like a quiet divorce. We can keep our ears out to see if there was anything of that kind on the horizon."

Francine nodded, and seemed satisfied to move on to other threads. "So we need to think of who else was emotionally invested in Elaine besides her family."

"Exactly. Then we figure out whose emotions were threatened, and we find a motive."

"And with the autopsy report, you'll find the method."

"Hopefully." I wasn't a doctor and doubted I would find anything a coroner would have missed.

"Method, motive, murder," Francine whispered. She looked up at me as I finished vacuuming and she finished arranging the bed. "That all sounds fine, but what are you going to do if you do find the culprit?"

Her question gave me pause, and it was a few moments before I had an answer. "It depends on what--and who--we find. But no matter what happens, we need to put the memory of Elaine to rest, and bring her family peace."

"Agreed." Francine finished packing up the cleaning trolley and grinned at me cheekily.

"You're more than a housekeeper, Claire. Where'd you come from?"

I sidestepped her question just as I sidestepped to hold open the door for her as she wheeled the trolley to the hallway. "One mystery at a time, young lady," I play-scolded. "Now, no neglecting your duties as you do your searching."

"Hands busy, eyes peeled, ears open," Francine said, winking at me as she walked away.

--

I spent the next couple hours doing household tasks, but my mind was elsewhere. Francine would be able to get a pulse of the staff, but some of the information I required was more official and I would need help procuring it. I didn't want to trouble Andrew with my investigation. My job was to comfort and support him, not stress him further. And, I had to admit, I was worried he would try to stop me. In part because this certainly was not my place, and in part because I feared his heart couldn't bear the pain of reopening that wound without any certainty of answers.

Without Andrew's help, though, that meant my next possible resources were Henrietta Skylark and Lawrence Kumiega. They had worked with the family the longest and were Andrew's left- and right-hand-men. But asking either of them outright for help in this area was dangerous. Firstly, they may try to stop me for similar reasons as Andrew. But secondly, talking with Francine had made me realize that aside from Andrew, Henri and Lawrence were the two household members who were probably the most emotionally invested in Elaine.

After debating with myself, I decided I would start by trying to have a conversation with Henri. Besides being the more approachable of the two, I had a better strategy for how I could encourage her to open up to me. She was very much grandmotherly to the children and almost motherly to Andrew, and believed as I did that the housekeeper's role was one of emotional as well as logistical care. I would need time to think of how to approach Lawrence.

Thankfully an opportunity to speak with Henri came up in the late afternoon. She and I crossed paths as I was finalizing the next week's menus for dinner. She seemed almost surprised to see me sitting at the desk in the kitchen, looking over the chef's suggestions and filling out the approvals for his purchases. After her brief startle in the doorway, she let out a chuckle. "I almost forgot this is your job now," she acknowledged. "I've had such a time of it today."

I waved her over to a chair next to me. "You can help me wrap up. I'm sure you need to get off your feet for a bit."

She groaned appreciatively as she sat down and pulled the menu over to examine more closely. "You'll be returning to the mountain estate with Annie tomorrow?" she asked me.

I blinked in surprise. "Oh, has he moved up the departure?"

She sniffed in what I thought might be disapproval. "Lawrence talked him into it over lunch today. I tried to tell him to take as much time as he needs, but Mr. Kumiega--" her voice took a bit of a bitter turn "--seems to think it's best that Annie return to work to take his mind off things. He already has him scheduled to shake hands on a new resort."

"A new resort?" I asked, baffled. "But they just finished the resort in Tunisia earlier this year. There hasn't been any time to see how it performs. Any profit it makes will sink straight into a new development."

Henri shrugged her shoulders with a deep sigh. "That's all beyond me. I'm just disappointed the boy never seems to take any time off."

"Well, it'll be Thanksgiving shortly," I reminded her, reaching for a blank menu request form. "And I think you and I can document right here and now that it's going to be a small family affair?"

"Oh, certainly," she said, watching me start to fill it out. "Yes, no more guests until... Perhaps Christmas. But yes, for Thanksgiving let's plan on just Andrew with his children. I'll stay on Lawrence's back to keep it private--and to block out Annie's calendar. No meetings!"

"Cheers to that." I signed the form and set it to one side. Turning to Henri, I looked her over, trying to get a read on her. Her shoulders were drooped, but her eyes were alert, and her pen moved steadily. She seemed focused, maybe disheartened. I decided to try my shot. "Mrs. Skylark--I mean, Henri?"

"Yes dear?" she said, setting her own form aside.

"I'm afraid I have something rather audacious to ask," I said in a low tone. "But I think it's necessary, in order for me to serve the family to the best of my ability. And I think it may be best if we spoke somewhere private," I added, glancing around the kitchen.

Henri followed my gaze, considering my request. I expected her to ask what it was I wanted to speak about, but to my surprise she only nodded curtly. "We can head to the office," she said, standing. "This way, dear."

I followed her closely. The office wasn't far from the kitchens, and in moments she was welcoming me through an elm wood door I hadn't seen before. I examined the room casually upon entering. There were two desks, each piled high with paperwork and with two monitors dimly lit. There were three filing cabinets, a paper shredder, and a couple chairs to one side. Unlike most of the rooms of the estate this one was strictly utilitarian.

"Lawrence and I use this for confidential employment matters," Henri stated as she pulled out one of the desk chairs to sit. "Employee paperwork, disciplinary discussions, payroll. Most of the worst of it is handled by management firms and accountants, but there are some things we prefer to keep in-house."

I sat in one of the side chairs. "I suppose that's his desk over there?" I pointed to the one opposite the one she had sat at. It was the busier and yet the more organized of the two, with piles settled into 'in' and 'out' trays and office supplies meticulously aligned.

"Yes, he's quite the paper hoarder," Henri chuckled, "but he never loses a thing." She turned to me, and although her smile remained, her eyes were serious. "Now, what did you want to ask me about, dear?"

I was surprisingly nervous. I was beginning to realize I liked Henri, quite a bit, and I was equally afraid of upsetting her and breaking her trust. I had no authority to ask the questions that were on my mind, and Henri was surely more closely touched by this tragedy than I ever would be. I steeled my nerves and pressed forward. "My first day here, you so kindly told me all about Mrs. Khatri, and how much she meant to everyone here. That knowledge you shared with me has helped me better connect with Mr. Khatri and the staff, and I thought I was prepared. Unfortunately, I think last night's events have demonstrated there is more to her death than I realized, and that I was unprepared for. I need to support this staff, the family, and their alliances--as I know you have, for decades. I'm afraid I must be bold and ask you to share everything you know, and hold nothing back."

Henrietta Skylark was more observant and shrewd than she seemed on the outside. The entire time I was talking her smile did not fade, but her eyes were restless, watching over my body language, the quirk of my lips, where my eyes fell as I spoke. She was watching me, I was certain, to measure my sincerity and intentions. I was thankful that in this particular moment I had nothing to hide. When I finished, there was only the barest of pauses before she responded, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything that happened the day before she died," I stated, "everything you know about her death, and how it was investigated after."

Henri gave a heavy sigh. "These are...very difficult memories that you're dredging up. But you're right, you were unprepared for last night. I had hoped you wouldn't need to know more than what I had already shared. Clearly I was mistaken."

Henri folded her hands in her lap and looked reflective. "The week of Elaine's death, Andrew was out of town for business. Each day there was a familiar routine. Elaine and the children ate all their meals together. In between Tarak was with his tutors, Marisol was either with Elaine or a nanny. At times Elaine would step away to consult with the staff or engage with her own hobbies. Elaine would put the children to bed and then walk through the gardens or read, then retire to her room. Nothing unusual was supposed to happen that week. But two days before Mrs. Khatri's death, she told me over breakfast that Miss Mbaye was coming to visit."

One of my eyebrows gave the smallest quirk to indicate my surprise as Henri continued. "I didn't ask anything of it, of course, but questions about menus and accommodations. All Mrs. Khatri would share was that Miss Mbaye had reached out to her directly and asked to stay for a few days, possibly until Annie returned. I did try to speak with Lawrence about it separately. He stated he had no particular knowledge of what it was about either. So we readied her preferred guest room, adjusted the menus, and pretended nothing was strange."

"Was it strange?"

"Oh yes," Henri said emphatically. "Miss Alice hadn't come to visit the home outside of holidays since before Annie and Elaine were dating. By that time it had been almost...oh...eight years since her last visit!"

"She used to visit alone more regularly?"

"Well of course she and Annie were dating for about seven years. Not always consistently, mind you. But her father was always very close with Mr. Khatri, Annie's father, and they had practically grown up together. Even after her father became ill she would come quite frequently. 'My home away from home,' she used to say."

"And she stopped coming when they broke up?"

"Oh, no, not at first," she said. "She didn't really stop coming until about a year after Annie and Elaine got together. She was quite happy for them at first. After all, Elaine was her best friend."

My other eyebrow joined the first. "I don't think I knew that."

Henri nodded vigorously. "They met in boarding school. Like peas in a pod, they were. Alice was the reason Elaine and Annie really met and got close."

A new picture was beginning to form in my mind. "So at first she was happy that the two people she cared about most were together. But after a year...?"

"There was a fight of some kind." Henri pursed her lips. "They were still quite young, you know. And Alice...well, you've seen what Alice can do when she has strong feelings."

"I certainly have."

"Alice had a row with Annie and Elaine. I think it was with Annie at first, and Elaine stepped in. They never told me exactly what happened, but I watched Alice run out of those front doors in absolute tears. Elaine used to say that Alice was healing, and they would be waiting for her here when she was ready."

I nodded with understanding. "And that's why you believe Miss Mbaye was still in love with Andrew."

"Oh yes. She came back with her parents for the holidays, and she's attended almost every party since, but she was never as close to them as she was before. I quite missed her, actually. Lawrence said it was much more peaceful without her. And when she asked to come visit that week, we were both quite surprised."

"When did she arrive?"

"About midmorning that day. She ate lunch with Elaine and the children, and she spent all afternoon talking with Elaine in the library. I checked in on them a few times, just to bring them tea."