The Rosemary Caper 3

A China Bayles Short Story

Previously: The president of the Merryweather Herb Guild asks China Bayles (a former lawyer, now owner of Thyme & Seasons Herbs) and Ruby Wilcox (the Crystal Cave) to investigate the theft of a valuable cookbook from the Guild House. China and Ruby begin with a visit to Cora Demming, who has a definite suspect in mind. Her name is Jane Clark—next on our sleuths’ interview list.

Premium extras for supporting subscribers include recipes, craft ideas, gardening tips, herb lore.

Jane Clark Is Annoyed

“I can’t believe that Cora Demming accused me of stealing that book!” Jane Clark says angrily. She bends over to add the last bit of parsley garnish to a tray of stuffed mushrooms for the party she’s catering. A handsome woman in her forties, she is wearing an apron with “Jane’s A La Carte” embroidered across the bib. She operates a successful catering business out of her kitchen and is always in demand. If you want to book her, you’d better call weeks in advance.

“Cora didn’t accuse anybody, Jane,” I say quietly. “She just mentioned that your brother deals in rare books.”

“We thought he might be able to give us some ideas about how the thief might attempt to dispose of the book.” Ruby is conciliatory, hoping to cool the escalating tension. It works, sort of.

Jane runs a hand through her blond, Martha-Stewart-style hair. “Sorry,” she mutters. “I shouldn’t be so hard on Cora. If my husband ran off with a younger woman and left me with a pile of debt and no way to pay my bills, I’d probably be suspicious of everybody, too.”

I think of Cora’s new furniture and wonder once again where the money came from. But I don’t mention this to Jane. Instead, I say, “We’d like to get in touch with your brother. With his experience, he might be able to help us track—”

“You can’t get in touch with Eric,” Jane says shortly. “He left two weeks ago on a buying trip to Europe. He won’t be back for another month.” She picks up the tray of mushrooms and puts it in the refrigerator. “Somehow I don’t believe that anybody would steal the Cookery Book for the money,” she says, turning back to us. “But all the same . . . You’ve heard of the Missing Books Register?”

I nod. I learned about that register when I was asked to search for Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, taken from the Hemlock House in North Carolina. It’s an online database, alerting buyers to the possibility that the bargain-priced book they are being offered may be stolen. Sadly, rare book theft is a big business these days.

“Well, if Eric were here,” Jane says, “he’d tell us that Myra Merryweather’s handwritten notes make that cookbook easy to identify. It will be difficult to sell, especially if Vickie does the right thing and lets people know that it’s been stolen.” She rolls her eyes. “I don’t understand that, you know. Vickie’s reluctance, I mean. Really. She should call the police. And she should list that book in the database. Right now.” Another eyeroll. “In fact, the longer she holds out, the more suspicious she looks. It’s as if she doesn’t want it found. Don’t you think?”

I don’t disagree. Failing to report the theft to the police can easily be seen as an attempt at a cover-up. But I answer her question with another. “If the book is so difficult to sell, why was it taken? Any ideas?”

“Not really.” Jane purses her lips. “But I wonder if Delia Murphy might. Her mother was Myra Merryweather’s niece. She might know something the rest of us don’t. In fact, I wonder if—”

She shrugs, leaving the sentence dangling tantalizingly in the air. I can guess why. Jane and Delia had a loud and disagreeable argument over the planting of the herb garden in front of City Hall the year before. They’ve never made up.

Ruby changes the subject. “Cora thinks Jerry Weber might be involved. What’s your take on that?”

“Jerry?” Jane looks sober. “I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he’d pilfered a few garden tools and traded them at the Lions’ Club monthly swap meet. But that book isn’t exactly his thing. He wouldn’t know what to do with it if he had it.” She leans forward and adds, in a lower voice, “If I were looking into this, I’d want to keep an eye on Cora. Did you know she’s planning to run for Guild president in the next election? Against Vickie?”

I shake my head. This is getting more complicated by the minute. I wonder why Vickie didn’t mention it.

Ruby frowns. “What does that have to do with anything?”

 Jane gives her a half-surprised look, as if Ruby should already know the answer. “Why, Cora might have taken that book just to make her opponent look bad. She could blame Vickie and pledge to do better.”

Unsure of what to say, Ruby and I trade glances. But Jane isn’t paying attention. She picks up a list lying on the counter. “Let’s see—next, I’m making a couple of batches of rosemary flatbread. I’m sure you don’t want to stand around and watch me knead the dough. But before you go, let me show you something.”

Having effectively put an end to our conversation, Jane takes off her apron and leads us outside, where she points to a lovely, rusty old wheelbarrow parked a few steps from the kitchen door. She has drilled drainage holes in the bottom, filled it with her own homemade soil mix, and repurposed it as a portable herb garden. It’s filled with culinary herbs: parsley, sage, creeping thyme, golden thyme, lads love, chives, and even a baby bay plant.

“That’s gorgeous, Jane,” I say admiringly. “I’d love to have a photo for my monthly ‘All About Thyme’ newsletter. The one I send out via Substack. Oh, and you mentioned your homemade soil mix. Would you mind sharing the recipe?”

“I took a photo this morning,” Jane says. “I’ll be glad to email it. And the soil recipe, too.” She eyes me. “If you use it in your newsletter, you’ll mention my catering company?”

“Naturally,” I say, and we both laugh.

On our way to the car, Ruby and I compare notes. Jane, clearly annoyed by our question about her brother, was very ready to deflect our attention. But the fact that Eric is currently in Europe isn’t really relevant. She could have taken the book and sent it to him. So Jane is still on our list.

Vickie, too, and Jerry, in spite of what Jane has said. And Cora, who suddenly has extra money to spend—and a reason to put Vickie, her competitor for office, in a bad light. I’m always astonished at how easily even the most petty political motives can become irresistibly compelling.

Ruby checks the time on her phone. “Amy and Kate are bringing Grace over for supper this evening, so I need to get home.” Ruby’s daughter Amy works at a local vet clinic. Kate, an accountant, is Amy’s wife. Grace is their little daughter. “Delia Murphy is next on our list of people to talk to. How about if we drop in on her first thing tomorrow morning? Laurel can open both shops for us. It’s never very busy early.”

“Works for me,” I said. “Maybe Myra Merryweather’s great-niece can throw some light on this mystery.”

But I wasn’t optimistic. Delia Murphy isn’t the easiest person in the world to talk to.

Thanks for reading, everybody! China and Ruby will be back next Wednesday with Episode Four, “A Secret Dark Side.” If you haven’t read my brief (two-minute) history of serial fiction, you’ll find it here. And if you’re wondering about “All About Thyme,” the newsletter China mentions near the end of the conversation with Jane, that’s the herbal eletter that drops into your inbox on the first Monday of every month. China and I have been doing that one for years.

For supporting subscribers: Bonus extras behind the paywall include several of Jane’s recipes, some reading suggestions, and a photo and plant list of a wheelbarrow herb garden (mine), plus a recipe for homemade potting soil.