Page 44 of The Other Lady Vanishes

Adelaide shook her head. “I can’t understand how she could allow herself to believe that diet tonic actually works. Paxton is nothing but a snake oil salesman.”

Florence chuckled. “If the rumors are true, she’s having an affair with Dr. Paxton. Maybe she’s in love with the man and just wants to do him a favor by helping him market his tonic.”

“Maybe. But I’m telling you, the reason Paxton’s tonic has been so successful is that fancy bottle. Packaging is the key. I need to work on our tea labels. Also, we need a catchy slogan.”

“No need to fuss with the labels and such, not when we’ve got stars like Vera Westlake dropping in for a pot of one of your special tea blends.”

Adelaide smiled. “You’re right. Miss Westlake may be promoting Paxton’s tonic, but she’s also selling a lot of tea for us, isn’t she?”

“Yes, indeed,” Florence said.

Adelaide carried the tray with the pot of Tranquility tea out into the tearoom and set it down on Vera’s table. She had to resist the urge to curtsy.

“Good morning, Miss Westlake,” she said. “Thank you so much for stopping by Refresh today. I’ve got your special blend brewing in the pot. It will be ready in a few minutes. Would you care for some tea cakes or cookies?”

“You mustn’t tempt me,” Vera said with a languid smile. “When I crave sweets, I reach for a bottle Dr. Paxton’s Diet Tonic. It works wonders. I wouldn’t want to spoil the effects by snacking on cakes and cookies.”

Vera had the smoky voice of a nightclub singer. She managed to make the sales pitch for Paxton’s tonic sound like an invitation to an exclusive private party. Adelaide knew that everyone in the tearoom had just heard her praise.

“Will there be anything else?” Adelaide asked.

“I understand that you’re the one who found Madam Zolanda yesterday morning.” Vera visibly shuddered. “It must have been a terrible shock for you.”

“Yes, it was,” Adelaide said. “I’m afraid I can’t talk about it. The police are still investigating.”

“According to the local paper, you were not alone.”

“No, I wasn’t alone.”

Vera sighed. “One shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but Madam Zolanda was a fraud.”

Adelaide cleared her throat. “A lot of people are convinced that she had genuine psychic powers.”

“Nonsense. There is no such thing as paranormal abilities.”

“You were not one of her clients, then?”

“Of course not.” Vera looked out the window, a faraway expression on her lovely face. “Still, it’s all very sad, isn’t it? She must have been planning to take her own life when she made that final prediction. She would have loved seeing herself in the headlines.”

“You were at the Palace when Zolanda gave her final performance?”

“Yes. Dr. Paxton wanted to attend. He thought it would be amusing. He asked me to go with him, so I did.”

“I’m surprised, given your opinion of Zolanda’s talents.”

Vera turned away from the view out the window and smiled a surprisingly wistful smile. “Don’t misunderstand me. While I’m certain Zolanda had no real paranormal talents, I did find her act entertaining. You saw the audience. Everyone enjoyed the performance.”

“Yes.”

“I was not one of her clients but I was acquainted with her. She and I were both aspiring actresses at one time.”

“I see,” Adelaide said.

“We showed up at the same casting calls. Occasionally we had drinks together. But when I got the lead inDark Road, everything changed. It’s very difficult to maintain a friendship between two people who are competing for the same roles.”

“I understand.”

“Believe it or not, I was very happy for Zolanda when she came up with the psychic routine. It seemed to be working brilliantly. She musthave been making a lot of money. She had all the publicity she could possibly want. Half the stars in Hollywood were clamoring for private consultations. I can’t believe she took her own life. Suicide makes no sense.”