Page 63 of A Spot of Tea
It was awonderfulday.
Thanks to Eliza’s ingenuity in reviving the business, Patty got to order beautiful tea sets all the time. Some were sold in the shop, others on the website. Every so often, a set would come in that was too beautiful to part with and she’d add it to her own collection.
Today was extra special because Sheila had decided to work from the tea shop while Patty unpacked. Eliza was still under the weather and Mackenzie was running things in her place.
“I don’t know what’s going on with her,” Sheila said quietly, settling into a table with her laptop and papers.
“Must have caught a bug,” Patty said, cutting the tape on the box. She opened it and stopped to admire the tight packaging. Nothing had broken. How lucky she was!
“I don’t buy it.” Sheila dropped her voice. “I think it has something to do with Joey. Have you seen him around?”
There was a delicate box under the bubble wrap, pink and gold, nested in a mound of pink and white shredded paper. “Why don’t you ask Mackenzie?”
Sheila looked up from her laptop. “She won’t tell me a thing. If I ask her any questions about Eliza, she changes the subject to the sea pen or my music.”
“How is your last song coming along?” Patty asked.
Sheila sighed. “Fine.”
“Doesn’t sound fine,” Patty said with a smile.
She shut her laptop. “You’re doing the same thing! Changing the subject!”
“I’m not changing the subject. I’m curious about your progress!” She turned from the box to face Sheila. “Is it Lottie? Are you upset because you haven’t been allowed to see her?”
The other owners of Marine Magic Funland had first hit Sheila with a lawsuit. When that went nowhere, they whipped up a restraining order to keep her away from the park.
It was a lot of silliness. Lottie would be living a short boat ride away in a matter of months.
“No, Lottie is doing great. I’m worried about Eliza.”
“I think you’re right; she’s come down with a bug. Alovebug.” Patty laughed. “You remember being young, all the drama. I’m sure she’ll tell us when she’s ready.”
The door to teashop swung open with a jingle. A man and a woman walked in dressed in matching black vests, the letters ATF across their chests in white lettering.
Sheila stood from her seat. “Hi. Can I help you?”
“I’m Special Agent Grouper and this is my partner, Special Agent Wallace,” the woman said. “We need to talk to Eliza Dennet.”
Patty stared at the agent. She was short and slim, with hard eyes and a pair of large sunglasses sitting atop her head. “Are you the agent who talked to Eliza after the robbery?”
She nodded. “Is she here?”
Mackenzie emerged from the kitchen. “What’s going on?”
Patty set down the box with the carefully packed pair of teacups.
Thiswas the woman who’d accused her granddaughter of robbing a bank? The one who had called her stupid?
“Eliza isn’t here today,” Patty said firmly. “Thanks for your inquiry.”
“If it’s all right with you, we’d like to have a look around,” agent Wallace said. “We received a tip—”
“I don’t care what you received,” Patty said, hands on her hips. “Unless you have a warrant, there will be no looking around.”
The lady agent scoffed. “Ma’am, we’re trying to help.”
Sheila’s eyes darted between them. “I’m sure we can—”
