“What things?” Hannah moved a little closer.
“Gloria was back in her room at Sally and Dick’s at eleven-thirty that night. I went out there for lunch yesterday and I talked to one of the waitresses in the bar. She said that Gloria called down to order a bottle of champagne and the waitress logged in the time.”
“Do you think Gloria had Mayor Bascomb with her in her room?” Michelle asked.
“No. I questioned the waitress about that, and she said she took the bottle of champagne up there herself and no one was there except Gloria.”
“Was she sure of that?” Hannah asked. “I wouldn’t put it past Mayor Bascomb to hide in the bathroom or the closet until the waitress left.”
“I asked her that. She said she noticed the bathroom door was wide open and so was the closet. There was no one else in the room. Not only that, the waitress brought up two glasses, and Gloria told her to take one back to the bar.”
“Either our esteemed mayor struck out, or he’s a fast worker.” Michelle commented.
“I heard that, Michelle!” Delores walked over to the Jacuzzi. “That wasn’t very polite, dear. But the information you received is correct, Andrea. Ricky-Ticky came home at twelve-thirty and he was reeking of perfume. That would lead me to believe that it was a rather rapid assignation.”
“That’s exactly what I said!”
“No, dear. That’s what you should have said. I phrased it much more delicately.”
“Hold on.” Hannah knew she had to divert what might evolve into a mother-daughter skirmish. She turned to her mother. “How do you know what time Mayor Bascomb got home?”
“I invited Stephanie for tea in the garden this afternoon and she told me. We had a nice bottle of white wine, just like the one I opened for you girls, and your caviar pie.”
“You made my caviar pie?” Hannah was thoroughly shocked. As far as Hannah knew, Delores had never used any of her recipes before.
“Yes, dear. I decided to try it because there’s no cooking or baking involved. And I must say that it turned out to be a smashing success.”
“You mean that Stephanie got smashed,” Michelle interpreted her mother’s polite phrase.
“Yes, although I wouldn’t have worded it quite that way, Michelle. Stephanie also mentioned that the mayor had lipstick on his shirt. She confronted him, of course. She’s had enough of these encounters with her husband to recognize the signs. And he admitted everything and begged for her forgiveness.”
“So she got a new wardrobe and expensive jewelry out of the mayor as an apology,” Andrea stated the obvious.
“That’s correct, dear. She did get a bit tiresome extolling the beauty of her new wardrobe and telling me about all of the new gems she had, but she finally left.”
“I hope she wasn’t driving!” Hannah said.
“No, dear. I told her that I’d take her home, that she’d been through an ordeal with her husband and it probably wasn’t wise for her to drive all the way home.”
“Good for you, Mother!” Michelle exclaimed. “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”
“Your sentiment is correct, dear. Stephanie was quite . . . wobbly on her feet, let us say. But of course, I couldn’t blame her for that. Most people would be a bit impaired if they consumed four glasses of wine in less than an hour.”
“You’re one of the most devious people I know,” Hannah said. “And that’s a compliment!”
“Thank you, Hannah. I’ll take it as such. Using a bottle of my best white wine did prove one thing. Given the time frame, Mayor Bascomb couldn’t have possibly killed Chef Duquesne.”
Hannah frowned slightly. “This is really helpful information, Mother, and I do appreciate it, but it doesn’t entirely clear Mayor Bascomb. Andrea found out that Gloria called down for room service at eleven-thirty that night. And Mayor Bascomb wasn’t in her room. The waitress who delivered the champagne will substantiate that. But Mayor Bascomb could have dropped Gloria off and then gone to the kitchen to kill Chef Duquesne.”
“But I haven’t told you everything yet!” Delores exclaimed. “Oh, dear! Perhaps I should have done that first.” She gestured toward the stack of thick towels by the side of the hot tub and then crooked her finger at her daughters. “Come with me, girls. I have something to show you.”