“Tamlyn, did you care for Margaret?”
Tamlyn’s eyes widened and she went a little pale. Daisy considered this the moment of truth. She thought she’d be able to tell if Tamlyn lied.
After a hesitation when her eyes turned down, she stared at her flats, then gazed at Daisy. “She was my employer. I cared for her in that way. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
“But as a person, she wasn’t your cup of tea, so to speak?”
Tamlyn shook her head. “She had a way . . .” Tamlyn started. Then she flitted her hand through the air as if she couldn’t quite explain it. “She had a way of shutting people out. Once in a while, a glimmer came through. I knew she liked how I took care of the house. She cared that I didn’t have any family. On the other hand, she could shut me out with a glance. She could give me a look that made me realize she didn’t want me in the room. Mrs. Vaughn wanted to be alone a lot of the time.”
“I know you had nothing to do with the murder, and so do the police. You were bustling around the table when the murder happened. But because you were working here, I would think something you know might help figure out who wanted to hurt Mrs. Vaughn. Did Mrs. Vaughn ever speak about her past?”
“Not to me. She didn’t confide in me,” Tamlyn explained. “But when she was with her friends, she told many stories about when she was acting. They were funny stories about missed lines, missed cues, falling over her own feet. The others would laugh and she would brush it away. She entertained them. That’s the only time I saw her really smile. You know, one of those genuine smiles and even a laugh.”
“So acting had made her happy.”
“I think so. One time she told me that being a housekeeper was honest work and I should be proud of it. I never expected that coming from her.” Tamlyn waved to the whole house in general. “Look what she had. How would she even know what housekeeping felt like?”
“Unless maybe she’d done it?” Daisy asked.
“She mentioned waitressing, but never housekeeping. I guess a waitress would feel the same way. It is honest work. Most jobs that pay the bills are honest work.”
Could that have been what Margaret thought? Had she carried values from her past into her adulthood? Or at the other end of the spectrum, had she had regrets of something she had done to earn a living? That would take some digging.
Tamlyn looked toward the hall where they’d come from. Daisy knew what she was thinking. “I won’t keep you much longer, but I’m going to try to help Mr. Vaughn by finding another suspect.”
“Won’t the police do that?”
“We hope so. But if they want to mount evidence just against him, they might not look at other possibilities.”
“That’s terrible,” Tamlyn said, as if she’d never thought of that.
That was the innocence Daisy saw in her. Tamlyn looked at the world through eyes that considered things the way she thought they should be. She probably believed in fairy tales too.
“Do you remember the amethyst and diamond brooch that Mrs. Vaughn wore?”
“Sure, I remember,” Tamlyn admitted. “It sparkled in the sunlight. That purple was so deep and dark. And when she wore it, she touched it as if it meant a lot to her. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do know what you mean. My husband gave me a strand of pearls. Whenever I wore them and whenever I wear them now, I touch them and think about him. Did Mrs. Vaughn ever explain where she got the brooch?”
“She never did. I didn’t ask her personal questions. She would have snapped, or maybe even fired me. I didn’t want her to do that.”
“How about the amethyst and diamond bracelet she wore? Did she wear that often?”
“Not as often as that pin. When she dressed up, she wore both. One time she told me that it caught on things if she wasn’t careful, you know, like the lace tablecloth or gloves. I’m pretty sure Mr. Vaughn gave it to her. That bracelet . . .” Tamlyn suddenly closed her mouth and didn’t say more.
“Go ahead. You can be honest with me.”
“I think that bracelet was just a piece of jewelry to Mrs. Vaughn. But the brooch, that meant something special.”
And someone had spilled clotted cream all over that brooch. There was symbolism in that, and maybe even something personal.
Where had the brooch come from?
Chapter Fourteen
Making pumpkin pies the night before Thanksgiving was a tradition among Daisy and her girls. Tonight, Tessa had joined them too. She’d insisted she’d put together her vegetable casserole in the morning and bring it along to dinner. Tonight, she’d help roll pie dough.
They’d closed the tea garden early today, and tomorrow it would be closed too. Everyone deserved a holiday with their families. What had really thrilled Daisy was that Vi had come over to join them. It didn’t seem to be a chore for her tonight. She looked as if she wanted to mix up the filling for the pies. They weren’t ready for filling yet, so Vi was pulling the recipes out of the binder Daisy kept in the pantry. They were going to roll shells for three pumpkin pies first. In the meantime, Jazzi would be experimenting with a flourless chocolate cake.
When the doorbell rang, Daisy guessed Jonas had arrived. He was bringing over the table and chairs so they could set them up. She’d told him to drive Elijah’s truck up to the sidewalk near the house. The ground was frozen over and the tire tracks wouldn’t hurt
