A Real Pickle (14 page)

“Don’t take any chances,” he said as he lit the candle in my hand.  “Just see where it leads and then come straight back to me.”

“I will,” I said.

I opened the door the rest of the way and started inside.  I was glad that Moose had suggested the candle.  There was very little light inside the passageway, and as I made the first turn, the light from the door was nearly gone.  There was a stale smell in the air, combined with something that smelled a little industrial to me.  I walked slowly, looking at the plaster and lath corridor on either side of me.  There had to be another door somewhere. How else had my late-night visitor gotten in?

The passage dead-ended, though.

It appeared that I’d been visited by a ghost after all.

That was nonsense, of course.  On my way back, I studied the walls a little more closely, and upon further examination, I spotted a section that didn’t look like the rest.  Gently putting my hand on it, I pushed lightly, and the one part of the wall swung back effortlessly.

It didn’t put me directly out into another room, though.  I saw an area had been chipped away, and one single beam of light came through.  

It was clearly a peephole.

But what could I see when I looked through it?

Chapter 15

It was the hallway where we’d all discussed things the night before!  I was all set to open the door to see how it was accessed from the other side when I heard voices.

My hand stopped, and I moved back to the spyhole.

“I don’t like this one little bit,” Tristan said, his voice soft enough to nearly make it impossible for me to hear him.

“You don’t have to like it.  You just need to fix it,” his sister, Sarah, said.  She was making no effort to keep her voice down.

“Do you want everyone in the house to overhear us?” Tristan asked her in a harsh whisper.  “Speak softer, Sarah.”

“No one’s even up yet,” she said with disgust, “and I wouldn’t be either if you hadn’t barged into my room.  What was so urgent, anyway?”

“I don’t trust those two,” he said.

“Which two are those?” she asked him.

“Moose and Victoria, of course.  Who
else
could I mean?” Tristan asked.

“I think that Jeffrey and Crane are a much bigger threat to our immediate interests than two short-order cooks,” Sarah said.  I’d never been a short-order cook in my life, but I had a suspicion that this wasn’t the time to point it out.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because
they
control the money.  If anyone’s going to hurt us, it’s going to be them.”

Tristan shook his head.  “I’m not as worried about that.”

“Well, you should,” Sarah said.

“Why do you say that?” Tristan asked.

She was about to answer when a third person joined them.  

“Good morning,” Jeffrey said as he entered the space.

“Morning,” Tristan and Sarah said in unison.

“Have either one of you seen Moose and Victoria?” he asked.  “I’d like to speak with them.”

“Try their rooms,” Tristan said.

“I’ll do that.”  The chauffeur started toward my room, and I knew that I had to hurry, but as I was leaving the hidden space, I heard Jeffrey say, “The three of us will talk later.”

“I imagine that we will,” Sarah said, and there was a frigid air in her voice that Jeffrey noticed immediately.  

“You don’t like any part of this, do you?” he asked her.

“Which part are you talking about?” Sarah asked in turn.

“The fact that I have a hand in your future,” Jeffrey said.

“Don’t delude yourself.  All that you’re
really
good for is something that any teenager with a driver’s license can do,” Sarah said.  As she’d said it, she’d sounded remarkably like her aunt.

If it stung Jeffrey, he didn’t show it.  Instead, he replied with a smile, “That may have been true a few days ago, but I shouldn’t have to remind you that things have a way of changing.”

Jeffrey didn’t wait for her reply, so neither could I.  I hurried down the passageway so I could get back into my room before he showed up knocking on my door.

As I rushed though, I forgot to shield my candle, and it suddenly went out.

I was plunged back into darkness.

There was no way that I was going to make it back in time now.

As I felt along one wall, a light suddenly appeared before me.  I felt my heart jump until I saw that it was my grandfather.  “What took you so long?  I thought something happened to you.”

“Turn around and go back.  We have to hurry.”

He did as I asked, and soon we were back in my room.  I shut the passage door behind us and started for the door when there was the expected knock.

“Act naturally,” I told Moose before I opened it.

“How did you know that someone was coming?”

“I’ll tell you when Jeffrey’s gone,” I said.

There was another tap, and then before he could finish knocking a second time, I opened the door.  “Jeffrey, we were just going to breakfast,” I said, hoping that he couldn’t tell that I’d been rushing to get there.

“Let me walk you down,” he said.  “I trust you slept well.”

“I did,” I lied.  

Moose stretched a little.  “I wasn’t as fortunate.  The older I get, the harder it is for me to sleep away from home.”

“I appreciate your sacrifice,” he said.  “Shall we go?”

“Give us one second to chat, okay?” I asked.

Jeffrey looked a little puzzled by my request, but he agreed to it nonetheless.

When the door closed again, I whispered, “Where are the things we found in Curtis’s room?”

“You’re not the only one good at hiding things,” he said.  “Don’t worry about it right now, Victoria.  It’s all taken care of.”

“Is it safe?” I asked.

“I’ll be shocked if anyone finds it.  Now, let’s go.  We don’t want to make anyone suspicious.”

“That ship has probably sailed already,” I said.  I wanted to know where Moose had hidden the potential clues that we’d found, but I understood his caution in telling me.

After all, I’d just seen for myself that the walls had both eyes and ears.

“There you are,” Tristan said as we walked into the dining room.  “Where have you two been?”

“Tristan, don’t be rude,” Charlotte said.

“Sorry, but breakfast is supposed to be served on time around here.”

“You could have always started without us,” Moose said.

“That’s against the rules of the house.  No one eats until everyone is seated.”

“Tristan, stop being such a nit,” his sister, Sarah, said.  “We can’t get started until Crane gets here, as well.”

Charlotte frowned, and then she turned to the butler, who was hovering nearby.  “Humphries, go fetch Crane, would you?  Please tell him that we’re all waiting for him.”

As the butler left, Sarah asked me, “So, what did you find in Curtis’s room last night?”

Before I could answer, Charlotte asked, “You took something from my brother’s room?  By what right did you do that?”

“Don’t be that way.  You
know
that I was with them,” Jeffrey said.  “I gave them my permission.  After all, they’re here by Curtis’s explicit request, and I was told in no uncertain terms to help them in whatever way that I could, so that’s what I’ve been doing.”

“It’s still all rather unseemly,” Charlotte said softly.

“So is murder,” Jeffrey answered.  

Wow, those two really didn’t like each other.

“Victoria, you never answered my question,” Sarah said.

“Honestly, we haven’t had a chance to examine everything closely yet.  I’m not all that comfortable saying anything until we’ve had a little more time to see what we’ve uncovered.”

“Did any of you hear a woman scream last night?” Tristan asked lightly.  “Or did I just dream it?”

“I’m afraid that was me,” I said.  It was time to go into our backstory.

“Nightmares, dear?” Charlotte asked.

“Exactly.  I dreamed that someone was standing over my bed watching me sleep,” I said as I sheepishly looked around the table.  No one gave anything away though, at least not that I could see.  Maybe Moose had better luck picking up on a subtle clue.

“I hate those,” Sarah said.

“Do you get them often, sis?” Tristan asked her.

“What I dream about is none of your business, big brother,” she said.

He found that amusing for some reason, but at least his low chuckle was the only answer that he gave.

Jeffrey said, “As a matter of fact, I had a few nightmares myself last night.”

“It’s an epidemic,” Tristan said with a smile, though I didn’t find anything amusing about it.  I decided not tell anyone that I’d lost the box of clues just yet, because I didn’t feel all that comfortable about playing the fool.  What kind of idiot loses the only clues she has, anyway?  Besides, if I pretended that the box hadn’t been stolen in the middle of the night, maybe it would make the killer believe I was just a scatterbrained woman.  Ordinarily I hated being underestimated, but if it helped me catch the murderer, I could live with that for the moment.

Humphries rushed back into the dining room.  “May I have a word, Ms. Trane?”

She started to stand when Jeffrey spoke up.  “If you’ve got something to say, everyone should hear what it is.”

Charlotte loomed over him in his seat.  “You may be in charge of my late brother’s estate, but it gives you no power over me, do you hear me?”

Jeffrey just shrugged.  “I don’t see it that way, and neither do the lawyers Curtis hired to back me up.  For all intents and purposes, until the last bit of paperwork is filed,
I’m
the one running things.  If you’d feel more comfortable in your home, you can go there at any time.  I’ll see to it that you’re informed about the most significant findings that we make here.  What do you say?  Should Humphries move your bags for you, Charlotte?”

“I’m fine right where I am,” she said.  After a cold stare in Jeffrey’s direction, she turned back to the butler.  “Go on, Humphries.  Tell us all what you’ve discovered.  Why is Crane late?”

“That’s the problem, ma’am,” he said.  “Mr. Crane isn’t in his room.”

“Then he’s most likely just gone for a stroll before breakfast,” Sarah said shortly.  “He can’t be
that
hard to find.  I know this place is big, but it’s not
that
big.”

“You don’t understand,” Humphries said.  “It appears that there was a struggle in his room sometime last night.  I got the distinct impression that when he left, it wasn’t by choice.”

“Let’s go take a look,” Moose said as he stood and started for the staircase.

“I’m right behind you,” I said as I followed him out of the dining room.  “Humphries, lead the way.”

“What about breakfast?” Sarah asked with a whine.

“That can wait,” Charlotte answered as she joined us.

“Well,
I’m
not traipsing off looking for someone who doesn’t want to be found.”  She appeared to settle into her seat with no plans to budge at all.

Her brother clearly had other ideas, though.  Tristan pulled her arm up.  “Come on, Sarah.  No one gets left behind.  Wouldn’t you feel safer with me by your side?”

“Barely,” she replied.

“I’ll take what I can get,” he said with a smile.  “Let’s all go look.”

As we headed up the stairs together, Jeffrey touched my shoulder.  “What do you think this is all about, Victoria?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I said.

“Do you think he’s really gone?” Jeffrey asked.

“I don’t doubt it.  The question I want answered is if it was by choice, or by force.”

“What a nightmare,” Jeffrey said.  “We’ve got a ton of work to do today.”  He glanced at his watch.  “Renee is due in twenty minutes.”

“Could that be why Crane’s missing?” Moose asked.

“What do you mean?” Jeffrey replied.

“I’m just wondering if there was something in those ledgers that he didn’t want you two to find.”

Jeffrey frowned.  “Curtis trusted him with his life.”

“Let’s just hope that it wasn’t misplaced trust,” I said as Humphries paused in front of a door down the hallway from where Moose and I had stayed last night.

“Go on, open it,” Charlotte snapped at him.

The butler paused long enough for Jeffrey to nod his approval before he opened the door.  Smart man.  He knew who was really in charge.

The room was a mess, with pillows and blankets strewn across the floor.  The mattress was askew, and I noticed a few drops of blood near the bathroom from where I was standing outside.  “Nobody needs to go in there,” I snapped.

“Why on earth not?” Charlotte asked.  “He might be hurt.”

I turned to Humphries.  “Did you search the room?  What about the bathroom?”

The butler looked unhappy about the scrutiny.  “I never dreamed that it wouldn’t be acceptable.  As I said, he’s not here.  I checked the restroom myself.”

“That settles it,” I said.  “Lock the door right now.”

“I’d do it if I were you,” Jeffrey said, and the butler closed the door and locked it.

“That’s not fair,” Tristan said.  “I didn’t get a good look.”

“Sorry, but until the police arrive, no one is going in there,” I answered.

“Is that really necessary?” Charlotte asked in that tone of disdain she’d clearly mastered so well over the years.

“It is,” I replied.  “Would you like
us
to call the sheriff for you, Jeffrey, or would you rather handle it yourself?”

“Call him,” he said.  After another glance at his watch, he said, “I’m sorry, but I have to get something in my stomach before Renee gets here.”

“Finally, someone is talking sense,” Sarah said.  “I’ll join you.”

“Anyone else?” Jeffrey asked.

“Why not?” Tristan asked.  “The excitement’s over for now.”

Humphries started to trail Charlotte when Jeffrey stopped him.  “If you don’t mind, will you keep guard over this door until the police arrive?  No one is to get in, and I mean no one.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir, of course,” he said as he pivoted and placed himself squarely in front of the missing business manager’s room.