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The hairs on the back of her neck raised. She didn’t doubt his words. There was a core of steel in his tone. Just maybe he’d be a match for Lester.
“Earlier you said you broke into their house?”
She shifted at that steady stare. “Not exactly.”
“What…exactly?”
Teri released a breath and reminded herself that she needed his trust. “I let myself in through an unlocked window. But that’s not the point. I think Lester killed her.”
For a long minute, R.J. didn’t move. He didn’t speak, but his features clearly showed a starkly dangerous side to the man. Then his normal expression settled into place.
“That’s a strong statement.”
She managed not to shudder. “Yes.”
“Why would he kill her?”
Could she make him understand? Would it matter if he did?
“Lester is not what he appears to be. Most people who meet him will tell you he’s one step from a halo.”
“Murderer to saint is a pretty far leap.”
She was no longer fooled by his mild tone. “Not as far as you might think. You haven’t met him yet.” She set her jaw, unwilling to get into a discussion about Lester Boyington. “Look, if you really care about Valerie, help me.”
His eyebrows lifted. “How?”
“Take me to Heartskeep and introduce me to the people who were there.”
“The police have already talked to everyone.”
“Female officers?”
He didn’t respond.
“These are women who’ve been abused, right? I can get them to tell me things they may not want to tell a male authority figure.”
She knew R.J. didn’t trust her, but he wanted Valerie found. If there was even a chance she could deliver, Teri felt sure he’d take the risk.
“And you think they’ll tell a private investigator things they wouldn’t tell Wyatt?”
“Maybe. I think it’s worth a shot, don’t you? Someone must have seen something.”
“Not necessarily. It was dark. And you haven’t seen Heartskeep.”
“Then show me. Tell people I’m an acquaintance of yours.”
“Who happens to be a private investigator?”
She met him glare for glare. His eyes fell first.
“Wyatt won’t appreciate interference in his investigation.”
The knot of tension in the pit of her stomach eased. He was going to help.
“Let me worry about your police chief.”
He set the last dish in the dishwasher before answering. “I’ll see about moving that branch from the driveway. Then we’ll see if we can get your car out of the mud.”
“I’ll give you a hand.”
“Ever use a chain saw?”
“Power tools don’t scare me.”
“What does?”
She met the challenge without flinching. She could have told him, but she didn’t. And a few hours later, after she got her first glimpse of Heartskeep, Teri decided the huge old mansion might have to be added to her short list.
The wrought-iron gates that protected the vast grounds were intricately shaped, but, to her mind, dark and towering and intimidating. She waited in her mud-splattered car behind R.J.’s large truck while he spoke into the call box near the mouth of the gate. Then he punched a series of numbers into the box. After what seemed like a long wait, the gates slowly swung open.
If all it took was a pass code and R.J. had the code, he could have gotten inside whenever he wanted. So could anyone else. Or was it necessary to call first and be given a code? She didn’t know much about security systems, but Valerie had gone missing so there was some way to beat them. Teri had no doubt that Lester had discovered that way.
The long, fog-cloaked driveway with its dripping trees was disturbing, but it did little to prepare a first-time-visitor for the impact of the house itself. The enormous structure squatted in the center of a clearing shrouded in mist. Dismally, its many windows reflected the gnarled, half-dressed trees and the bleak fall sky overhead.
“Welcome to Heartskeep,” she muttered out loud.
If houses had souls, this one would be old and splotched with secrets.
Teri tried to quell her apprehension as she followed R.J. and Lucky onto the wide front porch. The imposing front door was unlocked. Because someone knew they were coming or did they leave it that way? Without knocking, RJ ushered her into a hall much too large for the purpose.
Though attempts had been made to make the insides cheerful with the use of colorful, welcoming fabrics, nothing could be done to shrink its overwhelming size. Heartskeep would never be a homey sort of place to anyone who wasn’t fond of grand hotels.
The woman who bustled forward to greet them exuded the warmth the estate lacked. Kathy Walsh was probably in her midfifties. A slim, well-preserved woman with sad but friendly eyes, her expression showed concern and a trace of alarm.
“R.J., I’m so glad you came by. We have a bit of a situation. Alexis insisted on coming in this morning and now she’s in labor. I’ve been trying to reach Wyatt, but either he turned off his cell phone or he’s out of range. I don’t want to call the dispatcher because at this point I’m not sure he’d have time to get here anyhow. Alexis needs to get to the hospital right away. Can you take us in your truck?”
“Of course.” R.J. strode into the enormous open room clearly visible from the front door. A group of women clustered around an attractive, very pregnant young woman bent over in a high-backed chair. She looked up ruefully as R.J. reached her.
“Wyatt told me to stay home today, but oh no, I just had to get some paperwork done. I felt fine other than a slight backache this morning. I had all kinds of energy when Will picked me up and drove me over here, but my water broke after he left to run an errand in town.”
“Yeah, sometimes it happens that way,” R.J. said calmly.
She smiled at him, shaking her head. “How would Stony Ridge’s favorite bachelor know that?”
R.J.’s grin was cocky. “Television. A person can learn all sorts of things watching television.”
“Yeah, well I hope you learned how to deliver a baby, because I’m not sure this one is going to wait much longer.”
“He’ll wait,” R.J. promised. “Hear that, junior? Hang in there a little longer.” He helped Alexis to her feet. “I’d offer to carry you, but Wyatt would probably punch me.”
“Hah! You’re just too much of a gentleman to point out you’d need a crane to lift me.” She looked past him to where Teri had stepped forward to stand in the hall opening. “I’m sorry for the rude welcome. I’m Alexis Crossley.”
“Teri Johnson. And no apology is needed,” Teri told her. “There’s nothing more incredible than the birth of a baby.”
“True, but you’d think they could have come up with an easier system for giving birth to one.”
Teri grinned, immediately warming to the woman.
“Let me grab my coat and I’ll come with you,” Kathy told R.J. She sent Teri a questioning look.
R.J. followed her gaze with a frown.
“Go ahead, R.J. I can wait here,” Teri offered. She knew he wouldn’t like it, but his truck wouldn’t hold all of them.
The woman called Alexis doubled over again with a groan. That cinched the matter.
“Okay if Teri waits here with Lucky? She’s not a guest.”
“Fine,” Kathy replied anxiously tugging on her jacket. “We need to go. Mrs. Norwhich is in the kitchen.”
Teri grabbed Lucky by the collar so he wouldn’t follow them. “Go.”
R.J. shot a warning look in her direction and went.
Teri turned to the silent cluster of watching women and smiled. “Hi. I’m Teri. I’m a friend of R.J.’s.”
“THE GHOST isn’t going to like this,” Boone whispered. His small face pleated with worry.
“It’s okay, Boone,” Nola consoled. “Ghosts don’t hurt people.”
Ian peered around the dim dining room as if making sure the ghost wasn’t listening. “Haven’t you ever heard of pol…pol…polter something or other?”
“Poltergeists,” Nola told him briskly. “There’s a book on them in the library. They throw things. But they don’t make people disappear.”
“Yeah? What about Corey’s mom?” Ian demanded. “The ghost got her.”
“Stop it,” Nola ordered, laying an arm on her brother’s thin shoulder. She felt him quiver and barely stopped a shiver herself. “You don’t know that.”
“Sure I do. I saw him. He was out by the fountain that night.”
Nola did shiver this time. Her brother grabbed her hand. His fingers were cold in hers. The fountain was where the police had found the missing woman’s cell phone all smashed. She’d heard them talking about it.
“You’re making this up,” she said.
“No, I’m not.”
She could see he wasn’t.
“And that isn’t the best part,” Ian added, his eyes growing large with suppressed excitement. “I heard two of the adults talking in the kitchen last night. I know who the blond ghost is and why he’s haunting Heartskeep.”
“Who?” she breathed.
Boone leaned in close as Ian lowered his voice still further.
“The man who used to live here before this house was turned into a place for people like us was a doctor. He murdered his wife and buried her in the maze. But first he hid all his money so no one could take it away from him.” Ian paused for effect. “Then he went crazy. He got shot dead right on top of where he buried her.”
Boone gripped his sister’s hand so hard his fingernails punctured her skin. Nola pulled his bony shoulders more tightly against her body, holding him close as if she could fend off the feeling of horror licking at her mind, as well.
“It’s still here, Nola,” Ian pressed. “No one ever found his money because he’s guarding it.”
“You’re making this up,” she said again.
Ian’s expression turned hurt. He drew back his head.
“Am not. Mrs. Walsh wasn’t happy when Mrs. Isley asked about the story, but she admitted it was true. Even you have to admit Mrs. Walsh wouldn’t lie.”
No, it was unlikely the kindly Mrs. Walsh would tell a lie or a tall tale like that one.
“There’s more,” Ian added conspiratorially. “The house used to be different, with dark wood walls around the balconies upstairs. There were secret passages to get onto them. Only what if they didn’t find all of the hidden passages, huh? I bet there are more. Look at all these dark walls.”
He waved a hand expansively at the dark panels surrounding them and the others followed his gesture with wide eyes.
“I bet we could find them. I bet we could find the money and the ghost, too.”
His words scared Nola. The idea was terrifying. And just a teeny, tiny bit appealing.
“That’s stupid,” she scoffed.
“Is not!”
“Ghosts don’t need secret passages,” Nola protested. “They can walk through walls.”
Ian gave her a fierce scowl. “That doesn’t mean they can’t disappear inside one. I’ve been thinking about this. We saw the blond ghost disappear in this corner next to the fireplace, right? So what if there’s a secret passage over here? We should look now while our moms are in the kitchen talking to that new woman.”
Lucky nudged her arm for attention. Nola stroked the big dog’s head absently. She was glad for his presence because Lucky wouldn’t let anything bad happen. Nervously, she followed Ian to the gigantic fireplace that nearly spanned the back wall of the dining room.
“How are we going to find a secret passage even if there is one?” she asked.
“It’s got to be the bookcase, like in the movies.”
The three children eyed the bookcases that shored up either side of the big fireplace. Instead of books their shelves were filled with wine glasses and brightly colored dishes.
“If we break something, we’re going to get in big trouble,” Nola warned.
“We’ll have to be careful, then. Move, Lucky.”
“The ghost isn’t going to like this,” Boone warned unexpectedly, his small face seamed with worry.
