Iris nodded and the women slid the trays onto the table. They turned to go. “Iris, if you could stay behind please.”
Jenny and Iris exchanged a quick glance and Iris nodded. “Of course.”
Jenny lowered into a small curtsy and hurriedly exited the room while Iris laced her fingers together and slowly crossed the room.
“Mrs. Garlucci and Mercedes would like to ask you a couple of questions about yesterday, if you don’t mind.” Tori patted the chair next to her. “Have a seat.”
Iris perched on the edge of the chair. “The sooner we figure out who killed Ava, the better.”
“I’ll make this brief,” Carlita said. “When was the last time you saw Ava alive?”
“As I told the investigators, it was in the morning. Of course, we were busy with last minute preparations for the party. We were all running about. To be honest, after my confrontation with Ava, I was glad I didn’t run into her again. She was not a nice person.”
“That’s what I’ve heard. If you can think of anything, anything at all that stands out in your mind as unusual or odd that may have been said or occurred during the party, or even before the party, I’m all ears.”
Iris shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t think of anything.”
Carlita decided to try a different approach. “Why don’t you give me a rundown of your day yesterday, starting with your morning routine?”
“I wake every morning at six, do a few stretches since I have a bad back, and then I shower. I’m dressed and in the kitchen at 6:45 a.m., where I meet Mrs. O’Brien. She typically has a fresh pot of coffee brewing for Mrs. Montgomery, who likes her coffee in her office at 7:00 a.m. sharp.”
“We run a tight ship around here,” Tori chimed in.
“Yes ma’am. It works out perfectly,” Iris agreed. “After bringing Mrs. Montgomery her morning paper and coffee, I returned to the kitchen where Mrs. O’Brien was holding a staff meeting to go over the final preparations for the party.”
“Was Ava there?” Carlita interrupted.
“Yes. It was a mandatory meeting. We were all there. Byron, Lucien, Patrick, Chad, Jenny, Ava and me. Mrs. Montgomery hired some extra kitchen help, but I don’t remember their names. Mrs. O’Brien would remember.”
She told the women that after the morning meeting; she delivered Tori’s breakfast to the office and then began a final inspection of the butler’s pantry, the dining room, the library, the drawing room and the front and rear courtyards. Her final stop was to check the restrooms that were sandwiched between the drawing room and the library.
“I never crossed paths with Ava at all yesterday, but Jenny stopped me right after lunch to tell me she argued with Ava after she caught her taking a nip of gin while on the job, which is against Mrs. Montgomery’s rules.”
Iris cast Tori a sideways glance before continuing. “Jenny said Ava blew her off, telling her it didn’t matter because she was going to quit and file discrimination charges against Mrs. Montgomery.”
Chapter 14
“Discrimination charges?” Tori’s hand flew to her chest. “Whatever for?”
“I…” Iris squeezed her hands together. “I’m not completely sure. Something about her weight. You’ll have to ask Jenny.”
Tori leaned forward in her chair. “I’ve already talked to Jenny. The investigators have already talked to Jenny and this is the first I’ve heard of Ava’s plans to quit and file charges.”
“She was a wicked person,” Iris offered. “Jenny was afraid to tell you. She figured Ava was blowing a bunch of hot air. I mean, there’s no way you would have harmed Ava or any one of us.” Her voice trailed off.
“If the authorities catch wind of this, they’re going to add you to the list of suspects,” Mercedes said.
“I’m already a suspect. Ava was my employee. She died while working for me and on my premises. They haven’t come right out and said it, but I’m sure I’m at the top of the list.” Tori leaned back in her chair. “Jenny needs to come clean with the authorities, but this won’t look good for her or for me. She was trying to help, but may have done more harm.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Montgomery.” Iris’ eyes filled with unshed tears. “We would never do anything to hurt you.”
“I know Iris and I sincerely appreciate that.” Tori sucked in a breath and turned to Carlita. “Do you have anything else for Iris?”
“While you were making your rounds yesterday, you said you inspected both courtyards and the pool areas and nothing appeared to be out of place.”
“Correct.”
“Who else has access to the pool area?”
“Patrick. He’s in charge of the pool house, plus the courtyards.”
“Yes, Patrick has keys to the pool house,” Tori confirmed.
It was asking the obvious, but Carlita decided to make sure all of her bases were covered. “Did Patrick argue with Ava, too?”
“No. Patrick avoided Ava. She chased after him, but he wasn’t interested in her. She also flirted with Chad Olsen, but I don’t think he was interested either.”
“Ava argued with you, threatened to report Jenny for using her cell phone during working hours and argued with Jenny, who threatened to report her after she caught Ava taking a nip of gin while on the clock. She complained that Lucien was stalking her, that Tori, Mrs. Montgomery, was discriminating against her and Patrick avoided her.” Carlita slid out of the chair and wandered to the fireplace, staring at the glowing embers. “It appears the only person who remotely tolerated her was Chad Olden.”
“Olsen,” Tori corrected. “Thank you for talking with us, Iris. You can return to the kitchen.”
“You’re welcome.” She lowered
