Death Takes a Holiday (23 page)

“Well, who else?
” Meredith asked, nimbly hopping over Grace and Kyle’s heads.

Grace debated following her to the bathroom
, but one look at Kyle’s handsome face only inches from her own caused her to change her mind. She happily snuggled back into him. Gently lifting his arm, she brought it back around her waist. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed in contentment. Gently kissing him on the nose, she snuggled closer and closed her eyes.

“You know
, there are several perfectly good empty rooms in the sleeping car,” he whispered into her ear.

Grace felt her face flush. “How long have you been awake?”

“How can I possibly sleep with you and Chatty Cathy next to me?”

“Sorry,” she said rubbing a hand across her eyes.

“Can’t sleep?”

“I keep thinking of Robert.
It’s creepy.”

“I could use hypnosis to
help you relax enough to sleep.”

“
I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Grace said hesitantly. “I mean, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Kyle looked affronted. “Of course. I learned how to do it from watching my dad. I had to. He kept t
rying to use it on me. One minute, I would be trying to convince him to let me stay up later and then all of a sudden it was morning. Now, look at my finger,” he said, holding up a finger in front of her face.

“Wait.” Grace reached up and grabbed his finger. “What happens if you put me to sleep and then something happens to you?”

“Oh, you would never wake up.”

She leaned away from him, so she could look at him better. She was pretty
confident he was teasing, but she had to make sure.

He smiled
playfully. “Would you relax? You’d be perfectly fine . . . well, until you learned that I’m no longer around then you’d be horribly depressed—vowing to avenge me.”

“Hmm,” Grace said
with a grin. “I’m sure. Right after breakfast.”

“Really, i
t’s not dangerous. I’m just going to make it easier for you to relax and drift off to sleep.”

“Ha. I know you. You’ll have me clucking like a chicken.”

“First of all, I can’t make you do something you wouldn’t want to do. And secondly, even if I was going to do something nefarious, trust me, having you clucking like a chicken would not be high on my list.”

“How does it work?”

“Boiled down into its simplest terms it’s the power of suggestion which works on the subconscious mind. There’s also a bit of repetition. So, when I put you into a hypnotic trance and tell you to relax and drift off to sleep, your unconscious mind picks up on it,” he said, dropping his voice down to a bare whisper as he ran his finger down the side of her face.

“Can you hypnotize anyone?”

She felt him shrug next to her. “Depends on the person. Some people are highly suggestible. You give them the right cue and their own imagination will take it from there. Others require a bit more work and finesse. And then there are the stubborn ones who refuse to be hypnotized,” he said, making it sound like a challenge.

“I have a feeling that’s me,” she admitted with a rueful grin. Willing to at least give it a shot, s
he closed her eyes and tried to relax. It might have been easier if she wasn’t laying on a hard floor in the middle of the train, surrounded by a group of people, one of whom might be a dangerous killer. It also didn’t help that Kyle was pressed so close to her side that she could feel the rise and fall of his every breath. Every movement brought with it an electrifying awareness to her senses. “So, you’re going to try to talk to my unconscious mind, are you?” she asked, trying to lighten some of the tension she was feeling.

“
Well, to be honest there is some debate on whether it is the conscious or unconscious mind that the hypnotist speaks to. See, Freud thought—”

Grace grimaced.
“Are you putting me to sleep now?”

“No,” h
e said, running a finger down the side of her face. “It really is a fascinating debate.”

“I’m sure.”
Grace yawned as he began to explain in great detail about the various differing theories surrounding hypnotism and hyper-suggestibility.

“
Then, of course, you have waking suggestions which are a bit different from hypnosis, but just as powerful.”

“Are you sure you’re not trying to put me to sle
ep?” she asked sardonically as some of the tension left her body.

“Not yet,” he said in the same
soft voice.

Grace felt her mind began to drift off, convinced it had more to do with
the subject matter Kyle was lecturing about than any sort of power of suggestion. She didn’t even realize when he stopped talking and covered them both up with a blanket.

CHAPTER nineteen

Grace
, slightly dozing
in the chair next to Kyle’s bathroom, lifted her head sleepily as she waited for Kyle to finish his shower. She lazily reached down and petted Abry who was curled up on her lap, sound asleep.

She
yawned loudly, startling the bunny. He gave her a baleful stare before laying his head down on her lap. She leaned her head back and was about to drift off again when she heard a commotion out in the hall. Wearily pulling herself to her feet, she placed the rabbit on the floor and opened the door to find Lucas standing in front of Tracy’s room. Tracy was in front of her door, arms outstretched, blocking Lucas from entering.

“Lucas, I don’t have it.”

“Don’t give me that, Tracy. I saw Robbie with it yesterday.” He pushed his way past her and began searching the room.

She threw Grace a pained expression before running a frustrated hand
over her face. She motioned Grace over. “Would you stay here with me?” she whispered harshly. “I just don’t want to be alone with him.” Grace nodded and followed her into the room.

Lucas tossed
the contents of her suitcase onto the floor. “Where’s Robbie’s laptop, Tracy?”

“
I have no idea,” she said, sinking down into the chair next to the closet. “Why do you need it?”

“
Robbie promised me that if anything should happen to him, that I’d get his share of the company.” Lucas smiled. “Looks like we’re going to be business partners, Tracy.”

Tracy gave him a “so what” expression. “I know that. He and I made our wills together after your father died. That still doesn’t tell me why you need his computer.
”

“I
want to see a copy of the will,” he said softly. “He told me a few months ago that he stored a digital copy of it on his hard drive.”

Grace sat down on the nearest chair and watched as Lucas powered up the laptop. “Lucas, this isn’t a good idea. What will
you tell the police when they ask you why you were anxiously looking for your brother’s will the day after he died?”

“
The truth. It’s a family tradition,” he said with a smirk. “You two should be congratulating me for being so patient. I’ve waited twelve hours to look at the will—that’s a Kirby record, by the way.”

“This is ridiculous, Lucas
,” Tracy said. “Grace is right. You’re just making yourself look guilty.”

Lucas didn’t say anything. He sat there
staring at the computer screen while Grace and Tracy exchanged wary looks. Several minutes passed by before Lucas spoke to either one of them.

“Good ole Robert,”
Lucas said, snapping the laptop shut.

Tracy immediately thrust her hands out. Rising to his feet, Lucas transferr
ed the laptop to his underarm. “I think this actually belongs to me now, Tracy.” He looked thoughtfully at his sister-in-law. “When was the last time you spoke to Jack?”

“Not since before the fire. Why?”

“I’m in charge of his trust fund,” Lucas explained. “I need to know exactly what you and Robert have been doing with it since Father died.”

Tracy sadly shook her head
. “I have no idea. Robert handled that,” she said as she walked out of the room.

Lucas flexed his shoulders and grimaced.
“I don’t suppose you know where Merry is, do you?”

“I don’t think she wants to see you.”

“Oh,” he said with a smile. “I think she’ll be happy to see me.”

“I take it
that you got good news,” Grace said, pointing to the laptop.

“
Yep. If it’s anything like his official will then he was telling me the truth. I get his share of the company.”

“
Congratulations. What happens to Tracy?”

Lucas snorted.
“Don’t worry. Father took care of her. She still has more than a substantial interest in the company.” He glared at the door passed her shoulder. “More than she should. She knows nothing about the business. Robert made all of the decisions. Which is probably just as well since she hasn’t been to the office in years.”

“How did she end up with a substantial interest in the company then?”

“My father had to give it to someone. He had already cut me out, and he couldn’t stomach giving everything to his other son, either and you can forget charities. Victor Kirby had never been charitable in his life,” he said bitterly. “She was the only one left he could give it to, plus he had always liked her. She’s an anchor for the local news. Father was always so proud of that fact. His daughter-in-law. The
reporter
.” Laying the computer on the dresser, he kneeled down and opened a small gym bag. “I’ll probably have to look over her interest in the company, same as Jack’s,” he said, plucking a racquetball out of its interior.

“
Wonderful. I’m sure that will make them both happy. Any clue where Jack might be?”

“I’m s
ure he’ll turn up at some point,” Lucas murmured dryly.

Surprised, Grace narrowed her eyes.
Apparently, finding his brother’s alleged murderer was no longer high on his list of priorities at the moment. “Aren’t you a bit worried that you may be next?”

Lucas snorted. “Why would I be next?”

“If Jack did kill your brother—”

“Of course he did. There’s no question.” He stood up and slowly passed the ball from one hand to another. “
Right? I mean who else would have killed Robbie?”

“Perhaps the same person who killed
your father,” Grace said.

“No,” he said slowly, seemingly contemplating her words, “that’s not possible.”

Grace was a bit taken aback. This wasn’t the reaction she expected. Instant dismissal, laughter or even anger, but not quiet contemplation. Not from Lucas. “Why isn’t that possible? What do you know, Lucas?”

He reached past her and closed the door. Grace instinctively stepped back. She glanced at the other side of the wall and wondered if Kyle would hear her if she screamed. Her thoughts must have been apparent on her face because Lucas held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just didn’t want anyone to hear us.” He took a step back and sat on the bed. “I
just don’t think any of this is related to my father’s death.”

“Do you know who killed your father?”

Lucas nodded his head.

“Who?”

“Look,” he said eyes watering, “it doesn’t really matter. I hated my father. As far as I’m concerned the person who killed him deserves a medal but . . .”

“But?”

“Robbie was a different matter. I loved him.” He leaned forward. “It has to be Jack. No one else had a motive for killing Robbie. Tracy loved him. They’ve had their problems, but nothing they couldn’t get beyond and I’m almost convinced Felicity is all talk. I don’t believe half of the stories about her.”

“What stories?”

He grinned. “You haven’t heard of her? Supposedly, she’s the black widow of the book world. But why would she kill Robbie? She doesn’t gain anything by his death. Now Parker on the other hand, he could have . . .” He looked off to the side and back. Dismissing whatever thought had gone through his mind, he shook his head. “It has to be Jack. He’s the only one that has a motive to kill Robbie.”

“
That’s not completely true. Perhaps Robert knew something. Something about his father’s death that could implicate the killer.”

“No,
” Lucas said slowly, “that’s not the reason.”

“It would really help if you would tell me what you know.”

Standing up, Lucas pocketed the ball. “All I know is that Merry and I are going to be back together again soon.”

“
That’s rather optimistic. Does Meredith know this?”

Lucas crossed his arms in front of his chest
. Wincing slightly, he brought his arms down and rubbed his left arm. “She has you convinced that she doesn’t love me.”

“Well, she’s very convincing, Lucas. You should try listening to her sometime.”

“She’s just saying that. She’ll come around.”

“You cheated on her.”

Lucas released a long-suffering sigh. “It sure would be nice if someone would believe me. I did not cheat on Merry.”

“She saw you come out of the burning building nak
ed,” Grace pointed out.

“I wasn’t naked,” Lucas said. “Tracy was
, but I wasn’t.”

“
So, you two weren’t having an affair?”

He grimaced. “No, never. She’s too stuck up.”

“What about the proof Steve found? Can you explain that?”

“
Yes, Steve’s an idiot. Now if you will excuse me,” he said picking up Robert’s computer and placed it under his arm.

“Just out of curiosity what is the fascination with Meredith?”

“I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s funny, charming, wonderful, full of vibrancy and full of life.”

“Meredith?”

Smiling, he nodded.

Still doubtful Grace asked again, “Meredith Mallory?” The Meredith she knew wasn’t anything like Lucas’ description.

Lucas nodded.

“Really?” Grace asked still doubtful
. “Well, I guess she’s changed in the year you two have been apart.”

“
Nope. She’s as wonderful as always. I’ve loved her from the moment we’ve met. I thought I was over her, but being here with her again, it’s just brought it all back. She’s perfection.”

*

Ms. Perfection herself was sitting at the
bar in the dining car reading a book, a red pen dangled between her fingers. She shook her head, disapprovingly, before marking a big X on the page she was reading. Frowning, she turned to the next page.

The first thing Grace noticed
, besides the fact Meredith seemed to be now editing her book, was her appearance. Gone was her drab uniform and in its place was a bright sunflower yellow, tailored, silk shirt tucked into a slim-fitting pencil skirt. Her hair, once unkempt was now stylishly framing her face. She was even wearing light make-up. If it hadn’t been for the perpetual scowl on her face, Grace wouldn’t have recognized her.

Grace slid onto the bar stool
next to her and reached for the bowl of peanuts. She ignored the side eye Meredith gave her and dug in with gusto.

Tracy approached the bar.
“I really hate to bother you two,” she said in annoyance, “but it’s twelve o’clock and I’m starving. Do you happen to have anything ready back there for lunch, yet?”

Grace looked at her blankly before remembering she was supposedly their waitress for the trip. She glanced toward Meredith who had given up all pretense of working or even caring. She simply pointed at Grace, her eyes never leaving her book. “Talk to her about it.”

Grace slid off the stool. “I’ll see what I can find.”

Entering the
kitchen, Grace began rummaging through the cupboards.

Picked clean.

She turned her head slightly at the sound of approaching footsteps. She smiled as Kyle came up behind her.

“Where did you go?
” he asked. “I’d been talking to you from the bathroom for a couple of minutes before I realized you weren’t even there.”

“Tracy’s room,” she said before explaining what happened between Tracy and Lucas.

“So, what does that tell us?”

“Love is blind.” She opened another cabinet
door. “What have you been doing?”

“Talking to
Wellington,” he said with a confused voice. “Do you know what the lunar phases have on the psyche of man?”

“Not really.
”

Kyle
made a face. “Neither do I, but apparently it’s important. Wellington wants me to report back to him”

Grace opened and closed another cabinet door.
Defeated, she stood up with her hands on her hips. “You want to come with me?”

“Sure, what
are we doing?”

“We need to forage for food.”
She picked up a couple of pieces of bread and a piece of American cheese from the refrigerator and pressed them together for a sandwich. Not exactly high cuisine, Grace thought with a touch of embarrassment, but it would have to do for the moment.

Grabbing a plate, she headed out into the
dining area. She handed the sandwich to Tracy, who took it much more gratefully than Grace expected, and then motioned for Kyle to follow her.

Kyle gave her a confused
look, but followed her out of the dining car without a question.

She glanced over her shoulder as they
walked into the vestibule. “What happened between you and Lucas last night?” she asked, vaguely remembering seeing Kyle, Sara and Lucas whispering in front of the door to the sleeping car at some point during the night.

“He got up a few minutes
after my shift started and decided that he wanted to get a book from his room.”