The Garden Tour Affair: A Gardening Mystery Read Free Page B

hill to the inn.”
    “Miss Seymour, none of the guests sound like much trouble.”
    One of her eyebrows arched upward. “Oh? I’m not finished. There’s more. A couple of singles. Teddy, don’t forget this little piece of advice: One never knows as much as one should about singles; they can
be very
troublesome. Whereas there’s something comforting about couples, even the ones who don’t get along very well.”
    “So who
are
the singles?”
    “There’s a woman named Bebe Hollowell. Just widowed, from a little farm town in northwest Massachusetts. Doesn’t sound ominous, does it? But she wouldn’t even deal with Elizabeth when she called—had to talk to me. Went on and on and
on
about her husband’s death. She’s pretty down, Teddy. I’m hoping we can jolly her out of it.”
    “Who’s the other troublemaker?”
    She looked at him quickly and could tell he was making gentle fun of her. That was because Teddy didn’t findanyone a burden. His good humor seemed to sweep away other people’s foibles.
    “A science professor from New York University named Freeling. Elizabeth said he’s well known in the field of genetic engineering.”
    He flicked his hand, as if swatting away an insect. “Genetics? Aw, no problem. Probably wears glasses, drinks herbal teas, and spends his time thinkin’ up new ways to clone sheep. But Miss Seymour, that’s only seven rooms. Leaves you with three empties. Who else is makin’ the scene at the inn this weekend?”
    She smiled at the way he tried to glamorize their staid old country inn. “This group is interesting. I liked the woman: Louise Eldridge. She’s perfectly charming on the phone, but I have some misgivings.” Her brow showed deep worry lines. “Trouble seems to follow this Eldridge woman everywhere she goes; she’s been involved in more than one
murder
.”
    “
Murder?”
said Teddy, his eyes shining. “Neat! Is she a private eye? Is she on a case?”
    “Of course not. Apparently she just stumbles into violent situations.”
    “What does she do—I mean, when she’s not involved in a murder?”
    “She hosts a Saturday morning garden show on public television.”
    Teddy broke into a big guffaw, revealing a set of snaggly teeth untouched by city orthodontists. “A Saturday morning
garden
show hostess? What kind of a detective would
she
make?”
    Barbara looked at him disapprovingly, at which point his laughter subsided. “You’re wrong on that, Teddy. And her show is quite successful, too. Her station is sending her to Litchfield to film both the garden tour and Wild Flower Farm. She’s bringing a whole entourage with her.”
    “A TV crew?”
    “Not exactly. The TV crew is mostly from New York;they won’t be staying here. She’ll be with her husband, her daughter, her neighbor, and the neighbor’s son. He’s about your age, maybe a little younger.”
    Teddy’s face took on an anxious expression, and she knew he was worrying again on her behalf; that’s why she liked him so much: She was
sure
he cared—about both her and her inn. “Sounds like more than three rooms to me, ma’am. Are you sure this is going to work out?”
    “It will,” Barbara explained, “since the husband will share a room with young Radebaugh. Mrs. Eldridge will sleep with her daughter. Mrs. Radebaugh will sleep in a room alone. That makes our full house.”
    “Wouldn’t it be cool if she stumbled into a crime when she was here?” said the young man.
    “I’m afraid that is something we can’t provide, with the low crime rate in Litchfield. The only thing we have to worry about is that everyone shows up for work. We’ll need absolutely every staff member on hand, especially as all the guests will be eating at the inn on Friday.” She bit her lip thoughtfully and jotted some quick notes at the bottom other list. “Don’t forget now: We need an occasional fire in the library fireplace, to keep down the damp—especially since they predict rain this weekend. We’ll