Deadly Inheritance: A Romantic Suspense Page 13

  “Come on, let’s find the others. I should help Sarah with dinner, too,” she said.

  “Why should you make dinner? Isn’t that Sarah’s job?”

  “Do you really want poached chicken and steamed vegetables again?”

  “It wasn’t that bad.” Gabe’s dismal expression belied his words. His broad hands, with their long, tapered fingers, hovered over the keyboard of one of the computers.

  She stifled a wish to have him fold her in his arms and feel his warmth around her.

  Beyond him, one of the drapes ballooned out into the room. It looked almost as if someone stood behind it, watching them. Listening.

  She folded her arms and rubbed them as she took a step closer to Gabe. “You can stay here if you want,” she said. “I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

  He gazed at the computer screen and then frowned before clicking the mouse. “I’m done. I can go with you.”

  “You don’t have to. I’m only going to the kitchen,” she replied sharply, irritated by his careless attitude.

  Ever since he’d returned, he’d confused her, blowing hot and cold. One minute the intense expression in his blue eyes made her catch her breath and lean closer, only to see him blink and grow distant the next minute.

  Not that she cared. She could handle herself. And their relationship, if that’s what you wanted to call it, was only a temporary arrangement set up by Frank to protect her at Autumn Hill. Gabe might be one of the most attractive men she’d met, but he was also a ghost debunker—another term for a guy without a real job—and she really didn’t need that.

  Which was good because she’d seen his face change when she’d blurted out that she needed him. Apparently, he didn’t particularly like to be needed. He was contrary, kind of a like a cat. The more you wanted the cat to do something, the more it avoided doing it, even if it was something the cat had originally wanted to do.

  He swung around on the desk chair and faced her. “We should both go—leave Autumn Hill tonight.”

  “Before it’s too late?” She cut him off. “No.”

  “Why? You heard Frank. This whole setup doesn’t make sense. Is that money worth your life?”

  “We’ve been through this before.” She shoved her fisted hands into her pockets and tried to sound reasonable. After all, he’d almost been killed yesterday. But then again, so had she. “Look, if you want to go, feel free. I’m staying.”

  The muscles in his jaw tightened. “I promised Frank—”

  “Oh, well, if that’s the case, you’ll just have to stay. Since you promised Frank and all.” Sarcasm razored her voice into tight, hard shards.

  He clamped his mouth shut, clearly trying to control his temper. The tips of his ears burned deep crimson, and his broad shoulders tensed into granite.

  Seeing his anger, Nora felt her own seethe and churn, rising to match his.

  “Apparently, we’re both staying,” he said at last. He sounded remote. Cold. “But from now on, you’re going to do what I say—”

  “Because you being in charge has worked out so well?” she asked sweetly.

  “Because I don’t want you to die.”

  She stared at him. After a few seconds, a wry grin twisted her mouth. “Well, I’m not such a fool as to argue with that sentiment. I don’t want to die, either.”

  “Shake?” He stood and held out a large hand.

  She took it and was surprised when he pulled her against him. Her heart thudded. Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her.

  When he released her, he smiled down at her, his blue eyes intense. “If you’re really going to cook my dinner, I want to make sure you aren’t still mad at me.”

  Her hands tingled on his warm chest, but she pushed him away and forced a laugh. “Then I wouldn’t relax too much if I were you. You might have just sealed your fate, buddy.”

  “I’m not worried. Lead on.” He spun her around and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I can peel potatoes with the best of them.”

  Feeling off balance and breathless, she realized she’d been depressingly right, he did blow hot and cold.

  And then very, very hot.

  No wonder her own emotions were on a roller coaster, rising on the effervescent high of attraction and then swooping down in stomach-churning anger. The best thing she could do was to concentrate on fixing a dinner they could all enjoy, stomach problems or not, and forget about everything else for a few hours. If that was even possible, given the tense atmosphere of Autumn Hill.

  Thankfully, Nora found that Sarah had started a large pot of deliciously fragrant jasmine rice and thawed some chicken. Making orange chicken was a simple solution, and Nora reserved a generous portion for Sarah before she added hot pepper flakes to the rest.

  The dinner went well, and even Candy had second helpings, leaving only a few teaspoons of rice and a smear of orange sauce behind. But despite the pleasant mood created by the meal, all the cousins were quick to adjourn for the pleasures of television in the den.

  So Gabe, Nora, and Sarah dealt with the task of cleaning up.

  Watching Sarah’s gray face and heavily shadowed eyes as she finished putting the dishes away tugged at Nora. She had to do something. They couldn’t go on like this. The strain apparent on the housekeeper’s face had to be intolerable. Nora stared at the kitchen table. A sudden brainstorm made her lift her head.

  With a nod to Gabe, she strode into the dining room to make a quick call on her new phone before returning to the kitchen. She made each of them a fragrant cup of green tea and then sat down to sip the pale brew.

  “Were you here the night Archie James died?” Gabe asked Sarah as she was reaching on tiptoe to put the large wok onto a high shelf. He gently took the pan out of her hands and shoved it into place.

  “Yes.” Sarah nodded and wiped her hands on an old cotton towel. The look of gratitude on her face at his thoughtfulness slipped under a mask of suspicion. Her mouth tightened, creating deep grooves at the corners.

  “Do you remember anything strange?”

  “The police already questioned me.”

  The two faced each other in a classic standoff. Why had Gabe ruined the companionable after-dinner mood? What could he possibly hope to accomplish, except to antagonize the housekeeper?

  “Perhaps you’ve remembered something, some impression that you didn’t mention to the police?” Gabe continued, undaunted by Sarah’s crossed arms and closed face. “Or that you think they may have ignored?”

  “They have their reasons for deciding what’s important and what’s not,” Sarah answered stiffly.

  Nora sat up straighter. So something was still bothering the housekeeper.

  “I’d like to hear, in your words, what happened. What did they find unimportant?” Gabe probed, obviously making an effort to be non-confrontational.

  “We had supper, as usual, and Mr. James went on to the library, as usual. He used that as his office and all. So I was clearing the table and all, and I heard…” She eyed Gabe and then Nora as if trying to judge their reactions. “It’s probably nothing. Detective Gerhardt thought it was nothing.” She shrugged. “Maybe just the heat coming on after all, although Mr. James kept the thermostat set low to save money. I just don’t know.”

  “What did you hear?” Nora stood, unable to sit still.

  Sarah flushed and stared at the floor. “I’ve made it seem more important than it was. I’m not even sure what I heard. It’s just that I thought I heard a sound, a fan blowing or something, like air rushing through them ducts. And a kind of low whispering.”

  “Whispering? Or just a whooshing noise?” Nora asked, deflated. Gerhardt was probably right after all.

  “Whooshing, at first. Like the heat coming on and rattling those vents. But I never felt no warm air from them vents.” Sarah shrugged. “And then that whispering. Like voices only I couldn’t hear them proper. Well, maybe it was just them curtains brushing the floor like they said. Probably not important.”

&
nbsp; “What happened after the noise?” Gabe asked.

  “Nothing, at least nothing that I knew about at the time. I didn’t hear nothing else. I didn’t hear no gunshot, if that’s what killed him. I didn’t even know he’d died. Or when. The police never told me nothing. They just asked me to account for my movements, but there wasn’t much to account for. I did what I always do. I cleaned up the kitchen and went on to my room. I read some and went to bed. I don’t leave this area after dinner. Mr. James liked his privacy.” She crossed her arms. “And I liked mine. I suppose that makes me guilty.”

  “Not at all,” Nora said hastily as she flicked a glance at Gabe. What had they learned? Nothing new.

  “Was anyone visiting him at the time?” Gabe asked, ignoring Sarah’s mutinous frown and protectively crossed arms.

  “They’d all been here, all of them except her.” She thrust her chin in Nora’s direction. “He’d chased them all out, though, before supper. Said he didn’t plan on feeding them, too. Suited me fine to see them go.”

  “Did any of them seem angry, or irritated?” Nora asked.

  Sarah’s face softened. “Mr. Mike and Miz Kirsty were always polite about it.”

  “And Drew and Candy weren’t?” Nora asked, moving closer.

  Gabe placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, although whether it was in approval of her question or to stop her from interrupting again was a mystery.

  “Mr. Drew and Miz Westover were none too pleased. They never were unless Mr. James was feeling generous and gave them a little something.” Sarah’s answer was pretty much what Nora anticipated. “Mr. James just showed them the door and went on up to raise the drawbridge, so they couldn’t get back in without permission, and that was that.”

  “Did he do that often?” Gabe asked.

  “No.” Sarah shook her head. “Sometimes he’d give them a little something. But not so often. He said it wouldn’t do to give them too much. It might make them think they just had to show up to get a handout.” Sarah’s thin mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “He didn’t want no one to mistake him for a generous man.”

  “Why did you stay?” Nora blurted out. “After—well, after everything?”

  “Where was I going to go?” Her voice grew even more bitter and her eyes turned to stone. “I never finished school. Housework was all I knew. And Mr. James, well, he had a way of getting what he wanted.”

  “He blackmailed you?” Nora was appalled. Uncle Archie just seemed to get worse and worse the more she discovered about him.

  “No,” Sarah said firmly. “I never did nothing wrong. He couldn’t do that. He just said he’d tell people I stole and couldn’t be trusted if I left.” She shrugged. “And in the end, I got used to being here.”

  “But that’s terrible.” Nora gripped Sarah’s arm. “That’s the same as blackmail.”

  “It’s not, I never did nothing wrong! Anyway, that was a long time ago. I had no reason to murder him. If I were going to do that, I’d have done it when I was still young. Not now, not when I’m over sixty. Who’d hire me, now?” Sarah’s voice rose, and she shook Nora’s hand off. Anger replaced the flat expression in her eyes. “What am I to do? I can’t find me no job at my age, no one wants an old woman. What am I going to do?”

  “I don’t know.” Nora glanced at Gabe, but he just looked thoughtful, his gaze focused inward. “But we’ll think of something. Don’t worry.”

  “I guess them police have already thought of something,” Sarah said bitterly. “Arrest.”

  “Don’t think that way, Sarah,” Nora said. “We’ll come up with something. They’ll find the real murderer.” She glanced at the clock. “Can you excuse me for a minute?”

  Both Gabe and Sarah stared at her, making her cheeks burn.

  “I’m sorry, but I just need to take care of something. I’ll be right back.” Nora dashed out of the kitchen and ran to the front door.

  Right on time, a car pulled up, unloaded the things she had asked for, and was on its way before anyone else realized they’d had a visitor. She checked the boxes, grabbed one of them and dashed back to the kitchen. Gabe and Sarah were still standing there, talking in a desultory way about the weather.

  “Sarah, can you help me with this?” Nora shoved the box into the woman’s arms.

  Sarah resisted taking the box.

  Nora finally put it on the floor at her feet.

  “What is it?” Sarah asked.

  “Why don’t you look inside. I have some other things outside that I have to get. Supplies.” Nora ran back to the front door, collected the other items, and brought them back to the kitchen.

  By the time she returned, Sarah had discovered what was inside the first container. She knelt on the floor next to the box, her eyes suspiciously wet when she looked up at Nora. She held a small, marmalade kitten against her chest.

  “I hope it’s okay, Sarah.” Nora placed a large cardboard box, containing a litter box, litter, and kitty kibble, next to the housekeeper. “I’ve been worried about that cat. It was hit by a car, and someone brought it to me. It’s blind in the left eye, and its balance is off, but with care—”

  “You don’t need to tell me nothing about this here cat. Anyone with a lick of sense can see what to do.” With an ungainly lurch, she got to her feet, holding the kitten protectively in her arms.

  “We called it—”

  “Her name is Dizzy,” Sarah said. For one instant, Nora saw Sarah’s eyes soften, and the hint of a smile curl the corners of her mouth, before the woman turned away. “We should move them things into my room.”

  After a strange, lingering glance at Nora, Gabe picked up both boxes and carried them to the housekeeper’s room.

  Sarah followed, talking softly to the kitten, her face flushed with happiness.

  Gabe returned to the kitchen alone, Sarah obviously occupied with the kitten.

  “You want to explain that?” he asked.

  “A match made in heaven. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do with that kitten. There are so many cats around that no one wants one so obviously handicapped.” She shrugged, feeling self-conscious. “Sarah needed…something. And she seemed like a person who wouldn’t mind Solitaire’s—that is, Dizzy’s—handicaps. That cat will never be right, but it’s a sweet little thing. It deserved a second chance.”

  “And you gave it one.” He grimaced as he took a deep breath. His ribs obviously still bothered him.

  A sense of guilt at allowing him to carry the cat supplies to Sarah’s room made Nora’s face warm. The warmth turned to heat when she caught Gabe’s intense gaze and smile.

  The room hushed around them.

  A deep awareness of his nearness filled her. The breadth of his shoulders and strong arms, and those broad, capable hands—she stared and bit her lower lip, remembering his earlier kiss.

  She glanced up to find him leaning closer, his deep blue eyes partially closed. Bedroom eyes. One of his warm hands cupped the side of her face. She caught her breath as his mouth covered hers. He felt so good, so right, as she pressed against him, her hands running over his shoulders to his neck.

  “Does she need any medicine?” Sarah returned, still cupping the purring kitten in one arm.

  Nora stepped away from Gabe, one nervous hand smoothing her hair and the other rubbing her slacks. She felt as if she were in disarray and half-naked. “No. The course of antibiotics was completed yesterday.”

  “I’ll keep her in my room, for now. So she’ll be safe.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Nora glanced at Gabe, trying to bring her pulse down to a normal rate and think clearly. “I was wondering, Sarah, if there was anything else you remembered about Archie’s death?”

  Sarah stared at her as if in surprise. “No, I was in my room. I told you that.”

  “I was wondering, though, about Archie, himself. Did he have any enemies, anyone who might want to hurt him? Was he involved in anything shady?”

  “I stayed out of his way.
” Sarah held the kitten closer, gently smoothing its fur as the animal purred loudly. “I doubt anyone liked him particularly.”

  “What was the deal with the moat?” Gabe asked.

  “I don’t know.” Sarah frowned thoughtfully, her hand running more slowly over the kitten’s back. “He had it put in about fifteen years ago. Said he was tired of people coming and going without a word, particularly the leaving. He got so angry every time someone left without saying a proper goodbye. But what could he expect when he made them so mad? He’d argue and argue, I could hear them clear from the kitchen sometimes, and then they’d storm out.”

  Gabe studied the housekeeper thoughtfully. “Who? Anyone in particular?”

  “Why, almost everyone.”

  “But was there anyone who was especially angry?” Nora asked.

  Sarah laughed. “All the cousins lost their tempers. He liked to taunt them with the possibility of giving them some of his money and then, when they came to Autumn Hill, he’d tell them he’d changed his mind. Or that they didn’t deserve nothing because they’d only visited him when they wanted something. Maybe Mr. James was right, and the place is haunted.”

  “When did that particular rumor start?” Gabe suddenly switched to a different angle.

  Sarah’s hand stilled, covering the little cat protectively. “I don’t know.”

  “Was Autumn Hill always reputed to be haunted?” Nora asked.

  “No one never said nothing that I remember.” The V between her brows deepened. “Mr. James was the one who said it. Several years ago, now.”

  “Was it before, or after, he built the moat?” While Gabe’s voice was light, the tightness in his shoulders and neck indicated that he was very interested in the answer.

  “I don’t know. Honestly, it was so long ago. But it may have been about the time he put in that moat.” Sarah sighed and resumed her gentle stroking of the kitten. “I never understood why he did that, not really. He just seemed to grow so odd, so secretive. I used to wonder if he had some kind of brain fever or tumor that made him go a little, uh,” she flushed as she caught Nora’s gaze, “strange. No disrespect.”

  “I understand,” Nora said. Uncle Archie sounded more than just strange to her, and she assumed that the gold had changed him. Gold changed a lot of people for the worse.