Verena Applebaum and the Case of the Stolen Scarab
This will eventually get a rewrite. I have never written a mystery, let alone a cozy, and this was for a contest at a local library. (I did not place haha). I just wanted to post it since it’s actually completed and I was practicing.
Cairo, Egypt, 1922
Nineteen-year-old Verena Applebaum shook the dust from her netted hat and let her light brown curls shake loose as she entered the Chattleton's Cairo home. She and her father, Professor Horace Applebaum, who taught Ancient Egyptian Studies at Oxford, were deep into a two-month dig outside the city, sponsored by Lord and Lady Winston and Elizabeth Chattleton. Verena had to beg on her hands and knees to get her mother, Penelope, to allow her to come. So she’d turned to her father.
“Of course, I don't mind if you come along, Vee,” he said, patting her absent-mindedly on the shoulder as he walked into his study, a book on scarab beetles in one hand, half-eaten apple in the other and a large ink stain on his middle finger. “Niall might like the company.”
Niall, Verena sighed, hanging her hat up and sitting at her dressing table to dress for dinner. In the end, Lady Applebaum agreed to let Verena go as long as she was never alone, so her father made sure she was always with one of his students.
A chirp from the window made her look over.
"Bastet," Verena cooed, reaching out to pet the pretty Siamese cat who’d followed her home from the dig site the second day they’d arrived in Egypt. The cat purred and rubbed her face into Verena's hand. Bastet chirped again and leaped onto the bed, circling a few times before curling up to sleep in a patch of sunlight.
After dressing in her favorite pale green muslin for dinner, she brushed her hair into a stylish updo. She went downstairs with butterflies in her stomach and prayed her efforts wouldn't be wasted, hoping Niall would be dining with them. At twenty-two years old, he was much more sophisticated than her, and she dreamt of a life with her father’s handsome assistant, going on adventures and digs together as a married couple.
"Where is it?!" Verena heard Lady Chattleton’s shrill voice coming from the library." It was right here!"
Verena entered and saw Lady Chattleton pointing to a bare spot on a round marble display table. A bright green scarab beetle made out of emeralds, its gold wings folded against its body, had once sat in the place of honor. The other artifacts - vases, jars, and carved animals - now circled an empty space. The jewel-bright scarab was a very valuable piece her father had found on the dig earlier that month. A cowering servant was shaking his head in fear, looking down at the plush red carpet beneath his feet.
"I don't know, Miss Lady, I don't know."
"Well, someone took it!" thundered Lady Chattleton, her face and neck blotchy from anger. The servant glanced at Verena and scurried out as Lady Chattleton noticed her. A snarl formed on her face, and she strode towards Verena.
"You and your idiotic father have been nothing but trouble since you came to Cairo," she said, mere inches from Verena's face. "First, Winston decides to move us to this God-forsaken place," she motioned wildly to the dark, bustling city street beyond the window, "then he decides to sponsor an imbecilic professor who fills his head with dreams of buried treasure! And now it’s missing!" She pointed back to the table where the beetle usually twinkled in the gaslight. A frisson of dread passed through Verena as she gazed at the empty space.
"Did you take it for your dowry since your parents can't afford to give you one?" she accused. "That jewel would fetch a nice price." She suddenly grabbed Verena's arm and squeezed. "Or maybe he brought you here to seduce my Victor." She squeezed harder and leaned closer, her white, frilly cuff tickling Verena's upper arm.
"Ow, Lady Chattleton, that hurts," Verena said, trying to prise her fingers off her arm. "I haven't stolen the beetle. It was a gift from my father to Lord Chattleton, and I am not here to get your son to marry me," she continued with a barely concealed shudder. Lady Chattleton gave her a little shake, then let her go.
"We'll see about that, won't we?" As she turned to leave the room, muttering angrily, there was a loud hiss from under a floral brocade settee. Bastet leaped up onto it and hissed and swatted at Lady Chattleton.
"Bastet, no!" Verena yelled, moving to calm the cat. Lady Chattleton recoiled.
"Get that creature out of my sight!" She glared at Verena, who bent to pick Bastet up, but the cat leaped down and ran out of the room. "Keep that devil cat away from me! It shouldn’t even be in the house - nasty, flea-ridden thing!" And she swept regally from the room.
Verena sagged in relief that Bastet had escaped a swift kick from the lady and was in disbelief the beetle was gone. Was it stolen or just being examined by someone in the house? Her father would be dismayed. The bell rang for dinner, and Verena entered and was immediately on guard against Victor Chattleton.
"Miss Applebaum," he said with an improper look that infuriated her. She couldn't help a ripple of revulsion down her spine. A year older than Niall, Verena knew he already saw her as his wife, his property. She would rather be mummified and buried in a sarcophagus than be the next Lady Chattleton.
"Miss Verena, you look just delectable!" boomed the large, garrulous Lord Chattleton as a servant held her seat out for her. "Doesn't she, Victor?" he nudged his son conspiratorially.
"She does indeed, Father," Victor said, his hooded eyes roaming her face and bodice admiringly until someone cleared their throat. Verena turned quickly to look. Niall had come in quietly, unnoticed.
Verena's breath caught just like every time she saw him. He was dashing and handsome with his windswept hair, its golden highlights from too much Egyptian sun winking in the low lights from the sconces on the walls. His open shirt collar, breeches, and leather boots made her heart flutter, and she heard one of the female servants behind her let out a little sigh. He smiled at Verena, and she forgot to breathe. Niall never smiled at her. She was sure he didn’t know she existed.
"Lord Chattleton, did you know that Verena unearthed that gold bracelet we showed you the other day?" Niall said, then took a sip of water and waited. Lord Chattleton bumbled a bit, taken aback by the abrupt change of topic.
"Well, no, I didn't." He motioned for dinner to be served, and the servants moved forward to fill dishes. "That’s mighty fine," he praised, smiling at her. "Your father must be proud to have such a smart and pretty daughter." He winked at Victor, who had been looking sullen at Niall’s appearance but now brightened.
"Thank you, Sir. I really enjoy being on the dig site," Verena said, ignoring the comments about her looks. She shyly smiled thanks to Niall, who was studying her intently. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hoped he didn't notice her blush.
"My apologies, Lord and Lady Chattleton," Professor Applebaum said, coming in late, smoothing his hair and jacket absentmindedly. He bowed, then bent to give Verena a quick, fatherly kiss on the head.
"Forget about bracelets," Lady Chattleton said from the head of the table. "That beetle needs to be found."
"The beetle?" Professor Applebaum asked.
"What’s happened to the scarab?" Niall asked, looking confused.
"Oh, Elizabeth says the green scarab from the library is missing," Lord Chattleton said, waving a dismissive hand and then cutting into his joint of beef.
"Stolen, Winston!" Her voice carried around the room. "Probably by one of the hired help." She glared at the Egyptian men and women the Chattletons had in their employ.
"Now, dear," he laughed nervously, "I'm sure you don't mean that." He mopped at his now red forehead, chuckling again. "I’m sure it’s just been misplaced."
"Oh, don’t be so utterly stupid, Winston," Lady Chattleton said, slamming her wine glass onto the table. A drop landed on the white cloth, spreading slowly, looking like blood. Verena saw a dark look pass over Lord Chattleton’s face, then clear as the lady stood abruptly.
"Tariq," she barked at the young man standing against the wall behind her husband, "I'll take tea in the parlor. I can’t eat this." She pointed to her bowl, and Verena saw a nervous twitch pass over her husband’s face.
"Verena, you will join me when you're done eating."
"Yes, my Lady," Verena answered, dreading another night of sitting with her. She always fell into a snoring stupor after too much wine with dinner. Verena wanted to sit with her father, Niall, and Lord Chattleton and talk about the latest finds at their dig site. Finally finishing her food, Verena left and saw Bastet running down the hallway into the parlor.
"Nol!" she cried and hurried after. She entered in fear, expecting a hissing cat and an irate Lady Chattleton, but Bastet had vanished.
The lady was reclined in a high-back chair near the open window, a warm breeze fluttering the sheer curtain. Her back was to Verena, something glittering on the floor beneath her. Her outstretched arm looked odd off to the side, a white, empty tea cup gripped between her fingers. Several brown stains were on the white rug.
"Lady Chattleton," Verena said quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep. There was no answer. She crept closer, and Bastet hissed from somewhere in the room. Verena felt an awful sinking feeling but wasn’t sure why.
Something was wrong. Lady Chattleton wasn't moving, and no sounds of familiar snoring issued forth. Verena reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, and the glittering object caught her eye again. She bent to look and gasped. The scarab! She put her hand to her mouth.
"Lady Chattleton?" Verena looked up and screamed, then felt ridiculously silly. She never screamed, but the scene before her warranted it. Lady Chattleton had white foam around her full lips, and her brown eyes were glassy and staring right at her.
Verena glanced at the beetle again and saw it was wet. One of its wings was unfurled, and it looked as if there was a hollow chamber underneath. Being careful to avoid the lady's stiff hand, Verena knelt on the rug and saw it had been immersed in the tea.
"Vee, is everything all right?"
Verena glanced to the door and saw her father’s concerned face, Lord Chattleton behind him, his eyes darting everywhere until they landed on the glittering beetle. Niall stood next to her father, his eyes taking in the scene. Victor was leering at her.
"Call the police. I believe Lady Chattleton is dead," Verena said. She felt faint and stumbled to a couch as a flurry of activity and questions began. A servant got on the phone immediately.
"I found this," she held up the beetle to Niall, whose warm fingers grazed hers. "I think she was poisoned."
As interested in Egyptology as her father, Verena knew of secret places for powders and liquids to be kept in jewels, books, and vases. The beetle looked like one such artifact, and it appeared that someone else in the house also knew this.
"She put that there!" Lord Chattleton shouted, and everyone turned to look at him, startled.
"Father," Victor looked confused. "How can she have? I saw you with it earlier today in the study. You told me you were having it appraised. Miss Applebaum was at the dig site." Lord Chattleton’s eyes widened, and Verena held her breath.
"Shut up, you bloody idiot," he choked out. Victor recoiled.
"Look at the beetle." She motioned to Niall, too surprised the Lady was dead to be concerned by his Lordship’s accusation. "Look at its wing."
Niall, her father, and Victor all looked at the bent wing while Lord Chattletom muttered under his breath, pacing.
"A liquid could have been poured in here," her father said, examining it.
"She stole it! She murdered dear Elizabeth," Lord Chattleton accused again, turning to face them.
"I will kindly request you not accuse my daughter of murdering your wife!” her father said so loudly and out of character that Verena would have laughed if the situation weren’t so absurd.
One of the servants was escorting a Sergeant and two other officers into the parlor, who were looking curiously at the scene playing before them.
"She did! She did!" Lord Chattleton bellowed, turning to the police. "Arrest this young lady! She’s a murderer!" He pointed at her. His face was extremely red, and his eyes darted around the room like earlier.
Suddenly, he lunged for her. Verena screamed and shrank away from his outstretched hands. A streak of black shot from under the sofa, and Bastet jumped onto his shoulders, digging her claws in, hissing and spitting.
Lord Chattleton yelled and spun around, trying to dislodge the cat to no avail. With one last hiss, Bastet let go and leaped down, landing on the settee as if she’d done nothing. Verena had managed to escape the sofa, and Niall put his jacket around her shoulders to stop her shivering. The warm smell of sandalwood comforted her.
"Father, get control of yourself!" Victor commanded. "You know she couldn’t have murdered Mother."
Lord Chattleton, fussing at the scratch marks on his bald head, finally burst. His face contorted in anger.
"That woman would not stop harping on about being here. I couldn't take it anymore."
"Father!" Victor gasped.
"Winston this and Winston that!" he said in falsetto, shaking his head back and forth. "I want to go back to England!" He twisted his hands together. "It was enough to drive any man mad."
They all listened as he confessed to taking the beetle, filling it with arsenic, and putting it in the tea cup.
"I poured the tea before dinner. It was probably cold when Tariq took it to her, and I’m sure the poor chap was confused," Lord Chattleton laughed wildly, rubbing his face. "But no matter, I had to do it." He looked at them all, and Verena saw the disgust and shock on everyone’s faces, which matched her own.
"Lord Chattleton, you’re under arrest for the murder of your wife," the Sergeant said. He grasped the man’s arm to lead him out. Lord Chattleton laughed again. He waved off Victor, who was grabbing for his father.
"Don’t worry, son, King George will pardon me."
The Sergeant said, "My Lord, you are in Egypt, not England. I am afraid you are under our laws now."
Lord Chattleton saw the seriousness of the man’s face and started to pull away. He put up quite the fight, but the officers and Sergeant finally took him outside and into the waiting police car.
Later, over brandy, and once Victor had gone with the officers, Niall and her father praised her quick thinking for inspecting the beetle, which was now safely on its way to the police station to be tested for poison.
"Bastet helped," Verena said, blushing under Niall’s gaze. "She was guiding me all along." Bastet turned over in Verena’s lap, purring.
"She sure did," her father chuckled. "I thought for sure she would scratch the Lord’s face off."
Verena and Niall chuckled, too, in spite of the seriousness of the situation.
"Well, two you and Bastet, then," her father said, lifting his cup in salute. She met Niall’s gaze and thought of better days ahead, digging in the hot sun with him and her father.
