That next morning, he calls Hillary Schmidt. Her man answers the phone. “Schmidt Residence.”
“Hello, this is Ken Cooper, from AAA Detective Agency. May I speak with Miss Hillary Schmidt?” he says in his most professional tone.
“May I inquire what this is about Mr. Cooper?”
“Yeah, I mean Yes. It concerns Mr. and Mrs. Huddler and their new son.”
After a moment, he hears Hillary’s voice.
“Thank you, I will take it from here….” She says in a soft tone to her butler. “Mr. Cooper, it is always a pleasure to hear from you. Julie mentioned that she saw you, before the show, last night. What can I do to help you?”
“What can you tell me about Mr. and Mrs. Huddler and their baby? Let me get to the point, do you think Theodore is the father?”
The phone line was just static silent for a few minutes, then Hillary clears her throat.
“Mr. Cooper, I don’t know what this is all about, but I think you should come here. We can sit in my parlor and talk. Shall I have some tea prepared?”
“That will work, Miss Schmidt. But I really prefer coffee.”
“French, Vienna, or Italian roast? Or would you just prefer the local blend with cream and sugar? Never mind, you can tell me when you get here. See you shortly Mr. Cooper.”
“Thank you, Miss Schmidt.” He says as he hangs up the phone. Ken held on to the article from yesterday’s paper, so he folds it up and puts it in his breast pocket, before grabbing his hat and coat.
“Joan, I’m going out. If you need me, ring me at the Schmidt’s.” He says without waiting for a response.
Driving to the Schmidt estate this time was much better. The cold but clear day was much nicer than the rainy weather last time.
Once again, he was twisting the brass door bell, which is quickly answered by the butler. “Mr. Cooper, please come in.” he says, holding the door open.
Ken removes his hat and coat, hanging them up on the free-standing coat rack by the door. Then the manservant leads him to the parlor.
Hillary is sitting at a small table with a tea pot on it as she sips from a delicate china cup. “Ah, Mister Cooper, Please sit down. Charles, please get the cup of espresso from the kitchen.” She says to the butler.
“Thank you, Miss Schmidt. I have a few questions that your sister told me you were better equipped to answer than her.” He says as he pulls out the folded new article, a note pad, and pen from his pocket.
“I will tell you what I can, but first have a finger sandwich, and your drink.” She says pushing a small plate with tiny sandwiches towards him.
A saucer with a small cup arrives. It smells dark and rich, and he takes a sip. Memories of sitting in a café in a small Italian village fills his mind for a moment.
“It is real espresso. How did you know?” he asks and takes another sip.
“I called your secretary and asked her how you take your coffee, and she mentioned espresso. We have a machine in the kitchen for special occasions.”
The butler closes the door to the parlor as he leaves.
“Now, Mister Cooper, You said you had some questions about the Huddlers and their son.
What can I tell you?”
Ken sets down the cup, and unfolds the new article. Pointing to the photo, “Who is the father of the baby?”
“That is direct and right to the point. According to the article you are showing, Theodore is the father. Do you have any reason to suspect otherwise?” She asks taking another sip of her tea.
“Months ago, you mentioned something about Oscar trying to put the screws on Theodore because he was a pansy and Oscar needed money or something like that. How did you know, and what more can you tell me?”
“It was a sordid affair. I only told you some of it to help you find Julie.”
Ken leans forward and points to Theodore in the photo. “This is not the face of a ‘proud papa.’ That is the face of a man who is behind the Eight Ball. Should I go directly to him and ask what’s going on, or can you tell me enough to show me I’m chasing the wrong car?”
She takes a deep drink of her tea and sets down the empty cup. “I have known Karen for many years. I should tell you, ‘You are wrong.’ ‘There is nothing.’ ‘It’s just a bad photo of Teddy’ or some such. But I have kept tabs on you since you brought back Julie. You have a reputation for being a dogged investigator. And I am afraid that if I turned you away, you would uncover things that we don’t want out.” She refills her cup and leans back in her chair.
After a moment she continues. “I only know about the trouble with Oscar and Teddy because Karen wanted my advice. Her husband loves her but Teddy just isn’t affectionate in a way that a husband should be.”
“I thought all of you folks had arranged marriages, and it was all for money and power. Love wasn’t a factor.” Ken says leaning back, holding his cup.
“Oh, for some families that is the case. My father wanted either me or Julie to marry one of the families. I might still someday. But Karen and I met in school. She wasn’t from one of the families. Her parents worked hard to have her attend a finishing school to attract the right kind of man, and she did. Teddy, was at the prep school and they met at one of the few co-ed dances between the schools. He is a kind and gentile man, and provides everything that Karen requires. He is just not a physical man. Do you know what I mean?”
“I think I do. I heard rumors that he keeps a gaycat with him. Maybe a personal secretary or butler?”
She sighs and pauses. “According to Karen, yes, Teddy prefers to spend time with men. There is a young man who accompanies him when he travels and is said to keep his personal calendar. Karen once caught them together in his study, doing an act that not even a husband and wife should do.” The cup in her hand shakes for a second as she sets it on the saucer. “Karen was very upset and made them promise to never do anything similar in the house again.”
“So that is what Oscar was threatening his brother with? Revealing him to be a nance and a queer?”
“Yes. But apparently Teddy, did the right thing, and father an heir. Shortly before Julie was kidnapped, he and Karen began having marital congress, resulting in her pregnancy.” Hillary explained with a slight quiver to her voice.
“Miss Schmidt, can you call over and introduce me to the Huddlers? I still feel like there is a missing piece to all of this.” Ken said, finishing his cup and gathering up his unused notepad and pen. He then refolds the article and pockets it.
Hillary sighed and then stood. “Yes, please follow me.”
They go from the parlor to the study. A phone is on the desk along with a number of books and ledgers. Ken silently glances at the covers, thinking that Miss Schmidt might be more active in her family’s companies, than he thought. A little piece of information to store away for the future.
She picks up the receiver and dials a number directly from memory. “Hello. Yes, this is Miss Schmidt, please tell Misses Huddler I need to speak with her. Yes, I will wait.”
Ken reaches into to his breast pocket and fishes out a cigarette. “Do you mind if I smoke?”
She frowns, and points to the spotlessly clean ashtray on the desk. “If you must, but please use the ashtray.” Then the tone of her voice changes and she almost sounds like a teen, “Karrie, its Hills. How is the baby? Good, glad to hear it. I’ll come over soon.”
Ken lights up his cigarette, and then Hillary’s voice gets a more formal tone again. “Karen, do you remember that Detective I hired to find Julie a couple of seasons ago? Yes, that one. He is here asking some uncomfortable questions. I told him some of what I know, but I think it would be better for you to talk to him.”
She then turns away from him and covers the mouthpiece, the tone of her voice drops, but it sounds like, “I miss you too. We knew the baby ……… Maybe we can spend time ………. summer home on the lake. Just us girls…… yes, like in the old days.” She stops and listens for a few minutes. Then turns towards Ken, “Very good. I will send him over to you. He is a very good investigator. He might help. Okay, Love you.” She then hangs up the phone. Taking a pencil from a cup on the desk she writes down an address on a note pad and hands the sheet to him. “I don’t know if you know their address, but here it is. You are expected. Karen said that she will answer your questions, but do not upset my friend. With a call I can have your license pulled.” She says in a dark tone.
Glancing down at the address, “Miss Schmidt, I don’t doubt you on that. Thanks. I’ll tread as carefully as I can. You’ve been a help.”
Grabbing his coat and hat, he drives to the address on the note. He really didn’t need it.
From time to time he drives out to this end of town to familiarize himself with which mansions are out here. You need to know where the scratch is, to earn it.
In a short time, he pulls up to another beautiful estate. The large brass sign reads “Huddler” and the scrollwork on the gates has a large decorative H. The front door has a large knocker.
A black doorman responds “Mr. Cooper I presume.” Ken pulls out one of his cards and hands it to him. “AAA Detective Agency, Mr. Ken Cooper. Very well, follow me.”
Once again, his hat and coat are removed and hung near the door, and he is led to a nursery, where a nurse in a white uniform is tending a child and an attractive but recently pregnant woman is sitting in a rocking chair.
“Miss Karen, here is Mr. Cooper.” The butler says as he hands her the business card.
“Thank you, Joseph, that will be all.” She says. Then she stands up, “Maddie, Mr. Cooper and I will go to the library. Come and get me if you need anything.”
She moves with the unsteady gate of someone who is still recovering. She is cute and attractive, even with her belly. Ken extends his arm. “Do you need a hand, Misses Huddler?”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” She says “The pregnancy was more difficult than people tell you.”
In the library, she sits down in a large leather chair and motions to a wooden stool. “Please close the door and sit.”
Ken mounts the stool and pulls the news article from his pocket. “Congratulations on the birth of your son.” He hands her the picture.
“Before we talk anything, I should thank you for killing Oscar.” There is a strange tone to her voice.
“You don’t need to thank me. He tried to shoot me, and I plugged him. He had taken Julie….”
“Yes, I read about it.” She interrupts, “He had kidnapped Julie, and Hills was going to pay to free her. She told me about it. Oscar was out of control.” As she says Oscar, once again there is something about how she says the name.
He pulls the notebook from his pocket and flips it open to a page full of notes.
“Julie’s kidnapping was about 5 months ago. You had a bun in the oven already. I heard Oscar had tried to blackmail Theodore, but that had been a year or more before that.”
“What are you saying, Mister Cooper?”
“I am just trying to make sense of things.” He points to the news article in her hand. “Everyone in the photo looks so happy about your new tyke. Everyone except your husband. Why is that?”
Karen looks at the photo more closely. “Oh that. Teddy doesn’t like his picture taken.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with ‘Teddy’ preferring to spend nights with men. Especially his private secretary?” He stands up and walks slowly around the library.
“Mister Cooper, I don’t know what you have heard, but my husband loves me. He has never been anything but kind and loving to me.” She says as she hands him back the news article. “Teddy is the sweetest and kindest of all his family members.”
Ken pockets the article. “Yeah, that is what I heard. He is so sweet that he’s a daisy.”
She sighs. “It’s not like that.” She stands up. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Then explain it to me.” He responds with an earnest tone.
“Why should I. Are you working a case? Are you trying to get information to blackmail our family? Or worse are you working with the press?”
Ken stops walking, lowers his head and slowly shakes it. “It is nothing like that Misses Huddler. I wish I could explain it. I saw the photo and something didn’t fit. I have this nagging feeling that there is more that just a happy family. Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll leave.”
She walks up and places a hand on his shoulder. “Mister Cooper, you are wrong. If you have no other questions, you can leave.”
He puts away his notepad and goes to the door. “If you need a PI, give me a ring. You have my card.”
Joseph meets him in the hallway and escorts him to the front door. Ken reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few bills and slips them to the butler. “How long have you worked for the Huddler’s?”
“Long enough. But I won’t say nothing against Mister Theodore or Miss Karen.”
“That’s ok. I just feel like there’s something hinky. If I slip you some more lettuce, would that help?”
“No Sir. I’d take your money, but it won’t change a thing. I don’t like peepers, and everything is square between the Huddlers. I’m being polite as I can, but you heard Miss Karen. You gots to go.” Joseph says as he hands Ken his coat and hat.
Ken peels off a Five from the small roll in his pocket and puts his card in it. “Joseph, take it. If you change your mind, give me a buzz, either way, keep the fin.”
As he sits in his sedan, Ken looks at himself in the rear view mirror. “I must be cracking up. Everyone is telling me there is nothing. But my gut says different.” He starts up the car, “But my gut doesn’t earn me any sugar. Maybe Joan will’ve got something.”
(If you are enjoying this, leave me a comment. Hopefully you return tomorrow for Part 4. If you enjoy my writings, follow and subscribe.)
No comments:
Post a Comment