Shades of Earl Grey

Theodosia bustled into the kitchen to scrounge a muffin while Drayton busied himself with a fresh pot of tea.

“Surprise him,” Drayton muttered under his breath. “I’d like to surprise that fellow, all right.”

Tidwell was already sipping his tea when Theodosia came back with a reheated muffin and small pot of peach jam.

“And this tea is . . .” said Tidwell, still not wasting any time on pleasantries.

“Earl Grey,” said Theodosia. “Taste the bergamot?”

Tidwell gave a perfunctory nod. “I do. And a hint of something else, too.”

“A touch of white tips,” said Theodosia. “Just to lighten things up.” White tips meant, literally, the white tips or most prized leaf of the plant.

“Excellent,” said Tidwell, finally uttering a positive word. “I take it this is one of your own special Indigo Tea Shop blends?”

“Drayton created it. He calls it Shades of Earl Grey.”

“Rather pleasant,” responded Tidwell.

Theodosia smiled patiently. She was getting used to these strange exchanges with the venerable detective. They so often started out adversarial then veered toward semi-politeness.

Tidwell dribbled a spoonful of jam onto his muffin. “Not that you’d be interested, Miss Browning, but there has been a report of another theft in your neighborhood.”

“Is that a fact?” said Theodosia. Play it cool, she told herself. He’s bursting to tell you, but if you ask him outright, he’ll probably clam up.

Tidwell shook his jowly head. “A rather expensive collectible disappeared last night from the Hall-Barnett House.”

Built in the mid-eighteen-hundreds and located over on Tradd Street, the Hall-Barnett House had first served as a convent and then a private home. Now it was a small museum, a period house, furnished with the trappings of the era and open to the visiting public.

“I only mention it to you,” added Tidwell, “because one of the items missing is a tea caddy.”

Theodosia stared at him. The tea caddy from the Hall-Barnett House was missing?

“Ah,” said Tidwell, noting her surprise, “you’re familiar with that particular piece?”

“Of course,” said Theodosia. “It’s a lovely tea caddy crafted from tortoiseshell and inlaid with ivory. It’s probably from the mid-eighteen-hundreds yet still in excellent condition.”

“Yes,” agreed Tidwell. “Worth quite a pretty penny, I’m told.”

Several thousand dollars, Theodosia thought to herself. “And it’s disappeared?” she said to Tidwell.

“That’s the strange thing,” replied Tidwell. “Mrs. Roman, the woman who was guiding the tours yesterday afternoon, swears she saw the tea caddy sitting in its rightful place on the fireplace mantel. Right before she locked up late yesterday.”

“Do you believe her?”

“No reason not to.”

“Then what do you suppose happened to it?” asked Theodosia.

Tidwell’s eyes burned brightly even as his face assumed a hangdog expression. “I suppose, Miss Browning, it could have caught the fancy of your cat burglar.”

“The Hall-Barnett House was broken into?”

“Let’s just say a window was open upstairs.”

Theodosia conjured up a mental picture of the Hall-Barnett House. Built completely of brick, it was tall and stately, fashioned in the Italianate tradition. Hard to clamber up the side of a brick building, though, she decided.

“Did the police find a ladder anywhere?” she asked. “Lying in the yard or stashed in the carriage house out back?”

“Nothing,” said Tidwell. “If I had to hazard a guess, although I prefer not to, I’d say your cat burglar probably scaled a nearby tree then made a rather heroic leap.”

“Why do you keep calling him my cat burglar?” asked Theodosia, somewhat testily.

“Because you were the first one to put forth the cat burglar theory,” said Tidwell. “Pray tell what’s wrong? Aren’t you pleased? Here I thought for sure that you’d be pleased.”

“No, of course I’m not pleased,” she cried out, and the frustration that had built up inside her for the past week suddenly began to explode. “Poor Drayton and Timothy Neville are worried sick about the public opening of the Treasures Show tomorrow night. Captain Buchanan was killed at the Lady Goodwood Inn... probably in an accident caused by this very same cat burglar. And now, because someone, presumably this cat burglar, stole Delaine’s watch and stashed it in Claire Kitridge’s desk, Claire stands to lose her job! So no, Detective Tidwell, I am in no way pleased. I am angry, frustrated, and worried beyond belief, but the very last thing I am is pleased!”

Drayton, upon hearing Theodosia raise her voice to Tidwell, suddenly grabbed a pot of tea and hustled over to their table.

“Everything okay here?” he asked as he approached.

“Fine,” said Tidwell, putting a chubby hand over his teacup. “No need for a refill.”

Drayton pointedly ignored Tidwell and focused his lined countenance squarely on Theodosia. “Are you okay?” he inquired.

Theodosia shrugged and her voice was slightly tremulous. “Yes. I’m just feeling... embroiled...in this rapidly unfolding cat burglar mystery.”

“I believe Haley needs you in the kitchen,” said Dray-ton. Now he shifted his gaze to Tidwell.

Theodosia waved a hand. “Haley’s fine, Drayton. She’s doing...I don’t know... the cake. Remember?”

“I am quite certain Haley is in need of your assistance,” repeated Drayton. Now his stare turned into a glower and Tidwell seemed to squirm just a bit under Drayton’s intense scrutiny.

“What’s the problem?” asked Theodosia, still not picking up on his cue.

“There’s a dire problem with the coconut,” said Dray-ton. “A question of toasting or not toasting, I believe.”

Now it was Tidwell’s turn to look mildly disconcerted.

Theodosia rose from her chair suddenly. “Forgive me, Detective Tidwell, but there is a pressing business problem I must attend to.”

“Very pressing, indeed. I understand,” he said and walked out.

“Are you all right?” asked Drayton as he pushed his way into the kitchen. “Because that detective seemed far more annoying than usual.”

“I’m fine, Drayton,” replied Theodosia. She was sitting on a stool, sipping a cup of tea. “But thanks for the rescue, anyway. I was pretty much at the end of my rope.”

“Glad to be of assistance,” said Drayton. He reached over and picked up a small plate decorated with purple flowers that was sitting on Haley’s small counter. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Remember the muffin plate I dropped the other day?” said Theodosia. “Along with the teacup?”

Drayton nodded. As he studied the plate, recognition dawned. “Oh. This is the plate that broke in half!”

“Haley fixed it,” said Theodosia.

“I superglued it,” volunteered Haley. “I was going to toss the pieces out, but after I saw the charm bracelet Brooke created, and how delighted Theodosia was at her reclaimed treasure, I decided to try a little glue.”

“It was very sweet of you, Haley,” said Theodosia.

“Not bad,” said Drayton, turning the muffin plate over. “You can hardly see the repair.”

“Thanks,” said Haley. “It turned out to be kind of a fun project.”

“We might have to tap your services for the Heritage Society,” grinned Drayton. “Put you to work in our restoration department. Maybe your talents run toward restoring old prints and photographs, too.”

“Speaking of the Heritage Society,” said Haley, “are you-all still going ahead with the opening tomorrow