Free Agony of the Leaves: Tea Shop Mystery #13 by Laura Childs Page B

able to come up with the working capital.”
    She glanced at the papers again, wondering if any of the typed words matched the typography on the recovered note. Hard to tell. “And you could.”
    There was just a brief hesitation. “Yes.”
    “So you let a terrific deal slip through your fingers? Just like that?”
    Manship steepled his fingers together, then pulled them apart, making a small gesture of inevitability. “It’s the nature of business,” he told her. “There’s always a raft of interesting opportunities out there, but not all of them work out. And, of course, not all of them align with my particular interests.”
    “And just what are your interests?” asked Theodosia.
    Manship smiled aself-satisfied smile. “Making a profit, of course.”
    “Spoken like a true businessman,” said Theodosia.
    Manship held his smile.
    “So, help me out here,” said Theodosia. “You hadn’t seen Parker or spoken to him since you cut off your dealings?”
    Manship gave an offhand shrug. “Actually, I had dinner at Solstice last Saturday night.”
    “Seriously?” First and foremost in her mind sprang the question,
Could Manship have lifted the missing file? And if so, why? To steal Parker’s complete plans for the concept of gourmet Southern and hijack it for himself? Hmm…possibly. Could have happened.
    “I was in Charleston for the weekend, visiting friends,” said Manship.
    Theodosia eyed him carefully. “Did you, by any chance, attend the opening at the Neptune Aquarium?”
    Manship shook his head. “No, no, I was back home by then.” He seemed to take a small amount of pleasure in herdisappointment. “So,” he added, “you’ve come into my office unannounced and asked a lot of very direct questions. I, in turn, have pretty much opened the kimono for you.” He gave a genial smile, a philosophical shrug. Both visual cues that this impromptu meeting was over.
    “I thank you for the information,” said Theodosia, standing up to leave. She was disappointed but tried not to show it. After all her questions and efforts, she hadn’t really discovered anything of value at all.
    Manship stood up, too, then seemed to waver. It looked like he wanted to add one more thing to the conversation.
    “What?” said Theodosia.
    “You know, he said, “if you’re trying to piece together your friend’s recent business history, you really should be talking to Peaches Pafford.”
    “Excuse me?” said Theodosia. Peaches Pafford was the owner of thefour-star restaurant Aubergine. The same upscale, au courant restaurant that Delaine had been frequenting fortake-out food. Even though takeout from a white-linen, four-star, maybe evenfive-star restaurant seemed a little strange. “Why Peaches Pafford?”
    Manship rocked back on his heels. “Because, not so long ago, Peaches extended a rather generous offer to your friend.”
    “Um…what?” said Theodosia, not quite comprehending.
    “She tried to buy Solstice from him,” said Manship.
    Theodosia’s jaw pretty much dropped to the floor. “I had no idea Solstice was even for sale!”
    “I didn’t think it was, either,” said Manship. His hand reached out and swiped up the iPhone from his desk. “But if you’ve ever butted heads with the indomitable Peaches, you’d know just how persuasive she can be.”

9

    Theodosia sailed in
the back door of the Indigo Tea Shop, dumped her handbag on top of her desk, then slipped into the steamy kitchen, where lunch service was in full swing.
    “Apologies,” she said to Haley. “I thought I’d be back sooner.”
    “No problem,” said Haley, without bothering to look up. She was busy slicing fresh mozzarella and plum tomatoes, in between peeks inside her oven where something wonderful bubbled away. As Theodosia looped an apron around her neck, she detected the mingled aromas of cinnamon, oregano, melted cheese, and tea.
    Haley finished her chopping and slicing, then finally looked up. “We’ve got a great menu