Death Takes a Holiday (2 page)

She stiffened her back. Pivoting around, she stared at her
stepson. “He cut me out, didn’t he?”

Robert shrugged
noncommittally.

Felicity glanced over her shoulder at her ever
-present shadow. “That’s hardly surprising, is it?” Parker asked her.

“No, it’s not surprising
, but it is awfully rude. After the last year and a half I gave him,” she huffed. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I neither need nor want his money. My agent called this morning to tell me my latest book just made the New York Times best-seller list. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will
,” Robert said. “Sit down anyway.”

Felicity smiled tightly
, but primly sank down on the leather couch next to Parker.

Shutting the door,
Wellington turned, and stood next to Steve. “Mr. Kirby, the will hasn’t even been probated, yet.”

“Yeah,” Felicity said quickly. “How do we know that’s his last will?”

“Trust me, it is, but if you have any doubts you can call Father’s lawyer. You remember him, Felicity; you hit on him out in the hallway this morning. I don’t really think he’s your type.”

“Mr. Kirby,” Asa
Wellington said with a reproving shake of his head. “Do you really think this is the time—”

“Why not? Everyone’s here.” Robert unfolded the will. “We’ll still go through all the formalities after the funeral. This will just be a little preview of coming attractions.”
He cleared his throat and began. “To my old friend, Asa Wellington.”

Wellington
glanced up sharply. “I’m in his will?”

“You’re a new addition,” Robert said before continuing. “I leave absolutely nothing and
demand my executor to fight any attempt from you to collect payment for your recent services. You and your agency are nothing, but a joke and deserve nothing but scorn.”

Steve shrank down. He didn’t glance up to see
Wellington’s expression. He couldn’t.

To
Steve’s surprise, Wellington simply chuckled. “I wrote off that bill when I arrived a few hours ago.”

“I’m not done,” Robert said in response. He looked back down at the document
and continued reading. “You’re probably waiting for some sort of confession. Well, you’re not going to get it. I’ll go to my grave happy in the knowledge that you’ll never know what happened.”

Lucas attempted to snatch the will from his brother’s hand. “What was
he talking about?”

Robert slapped his hand away. “How should I know? Ask Wellington.” Everyone turned toward the detective.

Wellington glanced at Lucas, started to say something, but then quickly shut his mouth. He cleared his throat. “Your father was obviously fond of riddles.”

R
ealizing Wellington was not going to elaborate any further, Robert turned back to the document. “To my nephew, Jack Horner, I leave a life estate in my condo in Denver, a trust fund of fifty thousand a year to be administered by my son, Robert Kirby, and five-percent interest in Kirby Industries, on the condition that he will voluntarily undergo a psychiatric evaluation once a year and follow the doctor’s recommendation.”

“I killed him,” Jack said softly. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’m obviously more powerful than I thought.”

Everyone in the room spared him a brief pitying look before turning back to Robert.

Robert continued to stare at his cousin.
A small muscle along his jaw began to throb. Shaking his head softly, he looked down at the document in his hand. “To my daughter-in-law, Tracy—”

“Tracy’s not here,
” Lucas said.

Robert glared at his brother. “Thank you. I hadn’t noticed.” He glanced back down. “To Tracy, I leave a life estate in my estate on Mills Brook—”

Felicity gasped. “Well, how do you like that?”

No one responded.

“I also bequeath forty percent interest in Kirby Industries,” Robert read.

Lucas stood up straighter. “Forty percent?” His eyes drew upward as he mentally did the math on his dwindling inheritance. Not liking the number
he came up with, he strode forward and faced his brother. “How does she get forty percent?”

“
She’s my wife and a member of this family,” Robert said softly. “Why shouldn’t she get forty percent?”

Lucas stepped back
and crossed his arms. “And you had nothing to do with that, huh?” He glanced over at his stepmother. “I guess it’s your turn, Felicity.”

“Oh, goody,” Felicity said sarcastically.
“By all means, tell me what my dearly departed husband left me.”

“Well, I was going to save yours for last
, but since you asked.” Robert smiled slightly as he read, “To my unfaithful wife and her
research assistant
, I regret to inform you that neither of you will be profiting from me as you had from my unfortunate predecessors. I have no one to blame but myself. Everyone tried to warn me about you, but your beauty and charm—false as though they were—blinded me to the utter blackness of your soul. The fact that I was the sixth—”

“F
ifth,” Felicity interrupted cheerfully.

“Seventh,”
Parker said matter-of-factly from her side.

Felicity spared a moment to glare at her research assistant.

Robert cleared his throat and continued reading, “Sixth unfortunate fool to not only marry you, but predecease you is a testament to a man’s foolish belief in love.”

Felicity
snorted delicately. “He didn’t know the meaning of the word.”

“I leave nothing but my undying hatred and the fervent hope that you
both will soon be following me to the great beyond. If Hell truly is my destination, as you so often lovingly pointed out to me, I’ll make sure and wait for you at the gates because there’s not a shred of doubt that you are well on your way here, my dear.”

Everyone turned to stare at Felicity to see what affect her husband’s words had on her. She met their gazes head
-on with a small little smirk and a slight shrug of her slim shoulders. “That sounds eerily similar to our wedding vows.”

Parker
slapped his hands on his knees and stood. “Well, if that is all, I’m going to the kitchen and get a drink.”

“Stay here,” Felicity ordered. She continued to sit prim and proper at the edge of the couch, not at all perturbed
when Parker ignored her and left the room.

Dropping into the leather chair near the desk, Lucas chuckled. “That proves it. She’s our murderer.” He turned around
and faced her. “Just how many times have you been widowed?”

“Only as many
times as I’ve been married,” she said nonchalantly.

“Oh,
” Lucas said with a shudder before turning his attention back to his brother. “What about me? What do I get?”

Robert gazed steadily at his brother. “I love you, Lucas. I truly do. You only have yourself to blame.”

“Spare me, Robbie,” Lucas said sharply. “Just tell me what he left me.”

Robert glanced back down at the will in his hand. “To my eldest son, Lucas Kirby, I leave you the money you already stole from me and threw away at the horse races and on that gold-digging tramp you laughingly refer to as your fiancé
e. Like you, a woman not good enough to share my last name. The only thing I’m confident about is that as soon as she learns that you have been cut out, my boy, she’ll be out of your life the very next second, so in a way I’m doing you a favor. You’re welcome.”

Shocked,
Lucas stared at his brother. “Nothing? He left me nothing. How can he do that?” He glanced around at the walls of the room. “None of this belonged to him. It was all mother’s. He had no right to cut me out.”

Robert
looked sadly at his brother. “I’m sorry, Lucas.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are.” Hands clenching, Lucas stood up.
“You put him up to this.”

“Lucas, how could I? Father never listened to anyone and you know it.”

“He listened to
you
. You get the rest, don’t you?”

Robert set the will down on the desk. “It wasn’t because he loved me. It just so happened that I was the only one left who hadn’t made him angry today.”
Robert reached out a hand to his brother. “You’re still my brother. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“So, instead of living o
ff the charity of my father, I can live off the charity of my little brother?” Without waiting for an answer, Lucas turned and walked toward the library door, stopping when he reached Steve. He jabbed his finger into Steve’s chest. “This is all your fault. I’m going to get you for this.”

Wincing,
Steve reached up to grab Lucas’ fingers, but Wellington was quicker. He shoved the younger man back. “You only have yourself to blame for your problems, young man.”

Surprised at the old man’s sudden burst of energy and strength, Lucas stood still for a second. He looked back and forth between
Wellington and Steve. “Oh no, I have lots of people to blame,” he said quietly. “Lots.” Lucas reached for the door handle. Swinging the door open, he turned and glared at his brother. “I’m not going to stand for this, Robbie,” he said slamming the door behind him.

“I didn’t think you would,
” Robert said softly. “He glanced toward Wellington. “When will the police be here?

Wellington
shook his head. “The storm is playing havoc on the phone lines. Cell phones, too,” he added when Robert reached into his suit coat pocket. “We need to send someone to the police station.” He glanced at Steve and Michaels standing off to the side. “Michaels will go.”

Felicity stood up. “I’ll go, too
.”

They looked at her in surprise.

“He was my husband, after all.” She turned to Michaels. “Besides, you’ll never find your way down the mountain at night in this weather. We’ll take Victor’s truck.”

Michaels nodded shortly and followed Felicity out the door.

“I’ll go with them,” Steve said softly.

“No, Steve,”
Wellington said quickly. “I want you to stay here. Someone needs to stay with the body until the authorities arrive.”

“Just a moment, Wellington.
I would like to talk to you,” Robert said indicating the foyer with a nod of his head. “I’m afraid, I have to agree with my father’s assessment of your agency,” he said closing the door behind them, leaving Steve and Jack alone in the room.

“It’s almost midnight,” Jack said
, excitedly turning on the TV. The local news cast appeared on the screen. The two anchors, bundled up in heavy winter coats, sat outside in front of a crowd of partygoers. “Look, there’s Tracy,” Jack said pointing to the female anchor. “Do you want to watch the celebration with me?”

“Maybe later, Jack
,” Steve said, opening the library door. He turned toward the stairs when he suddenly heard someone yell from outside. He raced to the front door and threw it open. To his surprise Parker was laying half on top and half off Victor Kirby’s truck.

Felicity opened the
driver’s side door and stepped out. Hands on her hips, she stared at her research assistant in opened mouth bewilderment. “Have you lost your mind?”

Parker
slid off the hood. He gripped his arm and groaned. “I can’t let you go. It’s too dangerous. The news just said they’re expecting a blizzard.”

Michaels opened the
passenger’s side door, stepped out and slammed the door shut. “We have to get the police.”

“Do
you want to die in the process?” Parker asked. “You’re liable to slide off into a ravine. We can talk to the police in the morning. It’s not like Victor’s going to go anywhere.”

Felicity looked up at the sky. “The weather’s clearing
and we’re not that far from the ranger’s station. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Parker laid his hand on the front hood of the truck.
“This is just a calm period. We’ll be in the thick of it at any moment.”

“And you are delaying us,” Felicity pointed out.

Parker
pursed his lips. “Fine,” he snapped, “but I’m driving.” He lifted the sling over his head and walked over to the driver’s side. Shaking her head, Felicity walked in front of the truck and joined Michaels standing next to the passenger’s side door. “Parker, just how many pain pills have you taken today?” she yelled over the hood of the truck. She turned to Michaels. “I don’t think he should be driving.” With a worried look, Felicity reached for the door handle.

The door didn’t open.

She blew out a frustrated breath as she knocked on the window. “Why did you lock the door?”

Instead of answering her,
Parker gunned the motor. Michaels grabbed Felicity and pulled her away from the truck as it took off down the driveway.

Her mouth hanging open, Felicity took an irritated step forward. “We
ll, I never!” She looked at Michaels. “What in the world has gotten into him?”