The Wednesday Couples Bridge met every other Wednesday night - a lot of socializing with a bit of Bridge thrown in. It had started rather casually, but for the past year or so it had become a bit more of a dress-up affair. The group had four couples:
Bertie and Benny Hill from the Colonial,
Brigitte and George Burns from the Concord,
June and Arnold Cleaver from the Concord,
Sue and Tom Jones from the Colonial.
This Wednesday was no exception, they gathered at the Hill’s fourth floor apartment and sat around for awhile going over the day’s gossip and particularly about the upcoming hurricane. The storm was called TD 9 right now but CNN and FOX were both going on about how it might turn into a category 4. Some even suggested it might reach a 5, but these couples weren’t fooled. The news channels said that every time a little storm showed up in the Atlantic. And this one was almost surely going to miss Freedom Village, just like all the others did. Even if it did come close, so what. Maybe some limbs knocked off and a few power dips.
Sue had heard enough hurricane talk. She turned and said “Bertie, what a really lovely brooch. Is it an emerald?” She was smiling as she said this. Bertie replied “Oh I think so. It’s just something Benny picked up for me the other day.” June chimed in: “Sue, you and Bertie always wear nice jewelry. Must be nice to get a surprise like those diamond earrings for your birthday.” She gave Arnold a little sideways glance as she said this.
Arnold figured it was time to get out from under those looks so he said “Hey, let’s play Bridge, I feel some Slams coming up.”
Over at the Lexington, Mella had worked both new jigsaws, and didn’t have the energy to go get another one so she decided to read awhile. So she made her usual cup of tea and sat down with a book she had picked up from the Colonial library the day before the murder. That was the day she had seen that scruffy young man on the stairs. The title of the book was
“One Spade, Two Diamonds: a Bridge Mystery”. Mella didn’t play Bridge, but several of her friends kept suggesting she should give it a try. Of course other friends kept after her to learn Mahjong but she didn’t fancy bothering with either one. She doubted she would finish this book, but she opened it anyway . . . a scrap of paper fell out.
“What in the world.” thought Mella. This didn’t look like it related to Bridge, but she really wasn’t sure. Did bridge involve Overtime? She’d rather not contemplate what WF might mean these days. Truth to tell, it looked kind of like Frosty the Snowman running through the town. She put it in the back of the book, turned to the first page, took a sip of tea and started reading.
Ten pages later Mella decided that Bridge mysteries weren’t for her, so she took the Frosty picture out and put the book away. She turned it this way and that, trying to make sense of the bits and bots and finally it hit her.
“Oh my word, it’s a map!” she exclaimed out loud. Once she had figured this out she kept thinking, and ten seconds later she knew what the map showed. She was so tempted to go check for herself, but it was late, and dark, and maybe dangerous, and just not a good idea. So she rang the number Detective Tracy had given her and told her everything she had figured out.
Thirty minutes later, Detective Tracy knocked on her door. Over another cup of tea Mella told her what she had figured out and gave her the book and map.
Thirty minutes later, Detective Tracy knocked on her door again. No tea this time, Tracy was in a rush. “Hi Mella. Just stopped by to thank you and let you know you were 100% right. If you’re ever looking to un-retire let me know, we might have an opening for Detective First Class.”
On her way to the station, Tracy called her partner to update him on what she’d found. Then Franks updated HER on what he had just run down. They agreed that both of their new information could wait until daylight so they decided to call it a night and start fresh the next morning.
It was Tracy’s turn to buy donuts so she stopped at Dunkin’ on the way to the station and bought a whole dozen. Who knew if they’d have time for lunch.
Dave Franks went first. He had been running the background on the billionaire Madame von Pozzi. “Well, as it turns out, she wasn’t a billionaire, and her name wasn’t von Pozzi, and I doubt she was ever a Madam. She was Poesy Palumbo from Jersey City. Forty years ago she helped her no-good boyfriend knock off a pawn-shop in Jersey City. They took everything they could carry, but the only valuable stuff was about 200 grand worth of good jewelry. They caught the guy with half of it but Poesy managed to escape and took the other half with her. New Jersey kept the case open for a while, but finally gave it up. The jewelry has never been found.”
Tracy grinned. “Well, actually Dave, it has been found.” Franks, looked up a little puzzled, but waited for her to continue. “You remember Mella, the British lady from the Lexington?” “Sure” he said “the one who kept seeing mysterious men on the stairs. How could she find missing jewelry?”
So Tracy explained everything Mella had done while Dave just sat their flabbergasted. “I’ll be damned” he said, “maybe I’d better start reading Bridge books.”
“Wait till you hear the rest, Dave. I went to the Colonial Courtyard last night, and looked behind the Orchid tree and water fountain. Sure enough, there was the ‘rock’ shown on the map. It was one of those fake rocks that are hollow inside. It was a pretty real-looking job, but easy to open. In fact it was so easy to open I figure it has been opened frequently in the past year or so. And the jewelry inside was lined up very neatly, not particularly concealed other than being in the rock. It looked like the jewels were laid out in a showroom.”
“What are you saying, Dix? That somebody has been looking in there every day to admire stolen jewelry?”
“I’m thinking something along those lines. But not just admiring. I’m pretty sure that the people who found the jewels in the first place didn’t have the villainy in them to steal the jewels, but convinced themselves there wouldn't be anything wrong in 'borrowing' them occasionally. Sandy, the evening Concierge, told me about two ladies who wear nice jewelry every other Wednesday." She continued “So this morning we need to visit the Wednesday Couples Bridge group for some answers.”
Dave grinned “Let’s go Dixie, this assignment sounds like it might be fun. I’m really eager to find out what crime you’re going to arrest them for. Maybe it will help me learn enough to get your job!”
Right after lunch the two detectives met with the four couples who made up the WCB group in the Admin conference room. Two of the couples were looking very puzzled, but the other two looked more sheepish than surprised. Tracy plowed right in. “Would someone in this room please tell me what they know about diamond earrings?” Everybody looked at everybody else, until Arnold Cleaver finally said “Well I don’t seem to know as much about them as June would like. She wants a pair for her birthday like the ones Sue has.”
Sue looked even more sheepish, but she knew she had to say it. “Oh, those aren’t MY earrings, Arnold, I just borrowed them for Bridge Night.”
Bertie took the opportunity to speak “Why yes, it’s just like that emerald brooch Benny borrowed for me the other day. Just so I could look stylish on Bridge Night.”
The detectives sat quietly and let them talk.
George chimed in “Benny, where in the world can you borrow an emerald brooch?” Benny, looking like he wanted to sink under the table, took his medicine bravely. “Oh, all the jewelry is under the Jewelry Rock in the courtyard. Whenever Bertie or Sue want to dress up we just go down and borrow a nice piece. Of course we always return it right away.”
Now it was Detective Tracy looking puzzled, like she didn’t know what to do next. Detective Franks took pity on her – “Det Tracy, I believe these two couples may have committed a misdemeanor – tampering with evidence of a crime. It appears to me they have been cleaning the mud off of the jewelry. “
Tracy looked at him gratefully. “I believe you are right Det Franks. Mr and Mrs Burns, Mr and Mrs Cleaver you four are free to go. But please keep this meeting confidential. Mr and Mrs Hill, Mr and Mrs Jones, we’d like you to write out a statement explaining what you have been doing with the jewelry. After that you may also go home. But do not go on any trips or cruises without checking with us first.”
And that was the end of the Wednesday Couples Bridge game.