Theodosia shook her head. “No, no, everyone is welcome.”
“Then sign us up for your Romanov Tea,” Luke said just as Drayton arrived with a pot of tea and a plate of scones.
“I hope you enjoy these lemon scones,” Drayton said. “And I brewed a nice pot of Chinese Keemun tea for you.”
“We’re tea neophytes,” Sabrina said. “So I’m sure anything you serve us is going to be wonderful.”
? ? ?
While Sabrina and Luke enjoyed their tea and scones, Theodosia crowded behind the front counter with Drayton.
“What do you know about those two?” she asked him.
Drayton raised his eyebrows. “The Androses?”
“Yes.”
“Not a lot. Just that he’s the yacht guy. But we already gleaned that information from Delaine.”
“They’re also new members at the Heritage Society.”
Drayton’s nose lifted a notch. “That comes as a bit of a surprise. I had no idea.”
“Yes,” Theodosia said. “They work fast. In fact, they tell me they’re planning to attend the Rare Antiquities Show Saturday night.”
Drayton reached for a Yixing teapot and pulled it down. “Then they must have made a sizable contribution, went right for Gold Circle membership.”
“I need to tell you something,” Theodosia said. “I . . . I was running down by the marina last night. And I happened to overhear a conversation on Luke Andros’s yacht.”
Drayton squinted at her. “Happened to hear?”
“Okay, so maybe I tiptoed out onto the dock.” She made a fanning motion with her hands. “I couldn’t help myself. There was this enormous yacht moored way out on the end, and it kind of pulled me toward it, like there was a tractor beam at work.”
“Theodosia . . .”
“No, listen to me, Drayton. This could be important. I overheard a man talking to a group of people. I couldn’t see who they were, but the conversation sounded serious.”
Drayton stared at her intently. “Explain, please.”
Theodosia leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper. “The man was telling his group that they could leave town in another four days.”
Drayton blinked. “Four days?”
“The Rare Antiquities Show is in four days. Or it was, anyway. Four days from yesterday.”
“Oh.” Drayton was still processing this information. “Oh my.” His fingers crept up to his bow tie. “That does sound a little ominous.”
“I think so, too,” Theodosia said. “Which is why I made it a point to tell Tidwell about my eavesdropping.”
“Good for you,” Drayton said. He dipped his wooden scoop into a tin of loose tea and said, “But do you think Tidwell took you seriously? Is he going to investigate Luke Andros?”
Theodosia looked grim. “We can only hope.”
14
Theodosia arrived at Channel 8 studios with barely one minute to spare. She pulled her Jeep into the last available visitor’s spot and gazed into her rearview mirror. Eek. An open window and an easterly wind had done a number on her hair, billowing and pillowing it into a mass of auburn curls that any Pre-Raphaelite angel would have been proud of. But not so great for a TV appearance.
Theodosia smoothed her hair and climbed out. She grabbed the cardboard box filled with tea, teapots, and scones that Haley had put together for her, and scurried toward the hulking white building that was ahead of her. It was hard to believe they produced all the area’s lovely cooking, art, and local news shows inside all that stark architecture.
“Hello.” Theodosia approached the expansive front desk, where a security guard and female receptionist sat in silence, transfixed by the glowing screens of their cell phones. “Excuse me.” She tapped the desk gently with her knuckles. The reception area had the same white, sterile look as the exterior of the building, except for a bright-red rug in the middle of the floor.
The guard immediately hopped to his feet and stuffed the phone into his pocket.
The young woman glanced up at her and blinked. “Oh. I guess it’s still windy outside, huh?”
“No,” Theodosia said sweetly. “My car’s still in the shop so I took a ride in the Large Hadron Collider.”
“Huh?”
“I’m here for an appearance on Charleston Today. Theodosia Browning from the Indigo Tea Shop.”
The receptionist frowned and touched a glitter-polished nail to her computer screen. “Let’s see. Yup, here you are. And it looks like you’re late.” She shoved a plastic visitor’s badge across the desk to Theodosia. “Put this on and head down the hall to Studio B, just past the room with all the vending machines.”