Games (Timeless Series) (24 page)

When it was time for her to turn
toward the house, she halted and smiled sweetly, adding a touch of Southern honey to her voice. “I had fun with y’all.” The four stopped their progression and she noted that each and every one of them was not immune to her smile or charm. “Maybe sometime you will let me sit in on one of your poker games?”

“Any time, ma’am
.” Tipping his hat, José added, “Just let us know so we can clean up a bit.”

She laughed
. “I guess I had better bring plenty of money. You fellows sound good and I am not. But I would love to learn.” She waved. “I will see you all later. Have a good lunch.”

All four shout
ed their good-byes before disappearing through the door.

Just as she turned
toward the house, she caught a glimpse of Simon mounted on a horse. She happily changed direction and sauntered over to him. “You should be happy to know I have been busy.”

Though his
shrug appeared indifferent, his scowl did not. He turned his mount in the direction of the road. “I can see that,” he said over his shoulder.

D
isappointment surged through her. Bewildered at his curtness, she stood rooted to the spot as he rode away.

“
Humph.” His foul disposition would not spoil her mood. She had gotten some very interesting information during the morning and she could barely wait until Simon returned so she could gloat about it to him.

~~

Simon’s disposition was exactly as Giselle had described it—foul. He’d observed most of her walk back with the men. The green-eyed monster named jealousy surely mocked him. The memory of her practically purring about playing poker with them made him want to yank her back upstairs and wipe that flirtatious smile off her face.

He was the only person she’d be playing poker with, at least while he was here
.

Somehow he had to get the annoying woman out of his head
.

The closer he got to the Hillier place, the more
he realized he really wasn’t looking forward to speaking with the widow again.

At
the house, he dismounted and looked around. Things appeared quiet, and no one stirred. He took the porch steps two at a time, praying Caroline’s foreman was handy.

After knocking, he
waited. A few minutes later the door opened, and the same servant Simon saw the other day stood before him.

“What can I do for you, sir?” he asked, his demeanor guarded.

“Is Mrs. Hillier at home?” Even Simon’s warmest smile did no good to soften the man’s expression.

“She’s out at the moment,
” the servant said in a clipped tone.

“How about Frank Miller?
Can you tell me where I might find him?”

“He’s usually in the stables
.” He nodded toward the outbuildings. As Simon turned to go, the servant added, “May I ask who’s calling so that I might inform Mrs. Hillier of your visit.”

“Just tell her Simon Harrington was here to return her ledgers
. Thank you,” he replied, before he stepped off the porch, heading for the stables.

Inside,
he recognized the young hand he’d spoken to earlier.

“You wouldn’t happen to know if Frank Miller is around
,” he asked, walking up to him.

The kid nodded and pointed to a door.
“He’s in the back room.”

Simon thanked him and started in that direction
.

Knocking once, he entered the room
.

A man
wearing spectacles and sitting at a desk looked up as Simon closed the door behind him. “You must be Simon Harrington.” He offered a friendly smile.

“Yes
. And I take it you’re Frank Miller?”

Nodding, Frank took off his spectacles and tossed them on the desk
. “I’ve been expecting you. Caroline said you’d be by sometime today.”

“Yes
. I tried at the house and she’s not in.”

Frank snorted
. “She’s busy.”

Simon cocked an eyebrow
. “Care to elaborate?”

Miller
frowned. “Hell no.

“Well, I don’t need to speak with her,” he said
. “My questions are for you. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure thing
.” He pointed to a chair. “Have a seat.” He pulled a bottle out of his drawer and held it up. “Would you like something to wet your whistle?”

Shaking his
head, Simon sat in the chair he indicated. “It’s a little early in the day for me. But you go ahead.”

“Don’t mind if I do
.” Frank Miller reached for a tin cup off the shelf and blew into it. Then he poured himself a liberal drink and sat back down. He took a big swallow, then looked up, piercing Simon with his intelligent gaze. “Ask away.”

Simon eyed the man
thoughtfully before speaking. “I’ve heard several versions of what happened the day the Hillier Meadows’ thoroughbred got loose and had to be put down. I want to hear your version.”

Frank
offered the details as he knew them. The story matched the kid’s version almost word for word.

“
Who do you believe is responsible?” he finally asked after a long pause.

Miller grunted
. “Hell, your guess is as good as mine.”

“I don’t think so,” Simon disagreed, his attention riveted on the foreman’s face.

“Care to elaborate?”

Simon noted his choice of words and smiled
. “I’m thinking you know this place and its workers like the back of your hand. Nothing goes on here without you knowing. Am I right?”

“Yeah, but how would you know that?”
Miller said, giving a disgruntled snort.

“Someone has to, if Mrs. Hillier’s not interested
. Even though the place looks deserted, it’s well maintained.”

Miller nodded slowly, letting out a big breath
. “Yeah, I figured I owed it to old man Hillier to keep it up ’til it sells.”

Simon sat back in his chair
without taking his gaze off the man.

Miller squirmed
a bit, then finally added, “Look, me and Mrs. Hillier don’t exactly see eye to eye.”

Simon kept quiet, his focus glued to Miller.

Miller broke eye contact and took a big gulp of his drink. “Hell, that’s an understatement. I can’t stand the woman. I’m only praying this place sells soon, because the days never seem to end when she’s around.”

Simon smiled
, understanding Miller’s misgivings given Simon’s earlier experience with the widow. “I can see how Caroline Hillier can be a little overpowering.”

This
earned a hearty laugh from Miller. “The woman’s a rattlesnake in the grass just waiting to strike, only she’s worse because there’s no rattle to warn you.”

Simon stretched out, crossing his legs, creating a relaxed pose
. With humor evident in his voice, he said, “Look, I’m not crazy about Mrs. Hillier either. I merely want information. Nothing you tell me will leave this room. I know you’re the backbone of this stud farm, and I also know you know a lot more than you’re letting on.”

Frank leaned toward the desk on his elbows and put his head in his hands
. He didn’t move. Then he rubbed his face with his hands before glancing at Simon. His head went from side to side. “Nothing goes past this room?”

Simon nodded, keeping his expression neutral
. “I simply want to solve my case.”

“I need to make sure
, though. I know things but I have no proof. Caroline’s got lots of money and she can make my life miserable.”

“I have a pretty good idea from what you’re not telling me that somehow this farm’s connected
. I need to verify my suspicions. Your collaboration will help. I give you my word I’ll keep what you say confidential.”

“Caroline is a nasty creature.”

Simon chuckled. “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

“No, I’m serious
. I believe she killed her husband, but I can’t prove it. Tom Hillier was a good man and he died before his time. He was fifty and in prime condition right before he took sick. She wanted his money…couldn’t wait the ten or twenty years before he’d die naturally, so she aided him.”

Simon held on
to his neutral expression, keeping the urgency out of his voice. “Go on. I’m listening.”

“She’s got some unsavory friends
. I wouldn’t put it past her to have her own horse killed for the money, ’cept the horse was worthless and wasn’t insured.”

This was news to Simon
. He sat up straighter. “How so?”

“He had no stamina
. No drive. But he was a beauty. Fooled everyone ’til I tried to train him.”

“Interesting
. If the horse was worthless, why is she hinting her losses were greater?”

Miller
grunted. “Good question. But I just keep my mouth shut and do my job. When this place sells, I got enough put away for my own small spread.”

“If you feel so strongly, why are you still here? You obviously have no love for Mrs. Hillier
. Why not leave now?”

“I owe it to Tom Hillier
. He was one fine man, and we go way back. I was with him a long time before he met his wife. On his deathbed, he asked me to look out for this place and make sure it was all right. He loved Hillier Meadows more than anything. It’s all he had for a legacy. I figure helping her sell will end my promise. Stupid fool was blind about his wife. As far as I could see, she was his only weakness. In the end, it sent him to an early grave.”

Simon kept quiet, absorbing the foreman’s words
. After a long pause he asked, “What about Isaac Black and Clint Mathers? Where do they fit in?”

Miller brought his cup to his lips for a long drink
, then his chuckle burst forth. “I see you’ve been doing some digging of your own.”

Simon grunted
. “Like I said, I have a pretty good idea by now of where the trail leads. I simply need a little more information to connect the dots.”

“Well
, Black and Mathers are good places to start.” Miller took another swallow. “I never would have hired either one of ’em, but Caroline insisted.”

“How
long’ve they been here? Your records indicate two years, is that true?”

“No,” Miller stated emphatically, meeting Simon’s gaze
. He sighed, rubbing his face. “I altered the records to make it appear as if they’d been here that long. Black showed up outta the blue a little less than five months ago. Mathers came about a month after Black.”

Sitting
up straighter, Simon let his mind churn. “If they were both someone Caroline wanted, why get rid of them a few months later? And why alter the records?”

“
Your guess is as good as mine. Didn’t make no sense to me, either. But like I said, I just do what I’m told and keep my mouth shut.”

Simon sat back in his chair
, puzzled. “That is odd. There has to be a reason.”

“I’m sure she has one.”

“What are you not telling me?” Simon’s intense stare went directly to Miller’s.

His gaze stayed put until Miller sighed
. “Look, you deserve to know the truth. Caroline Hillier has an appetite for men. She uses them up and then discards them. Just so you know, she never goes out much. When she’s out, it usually means she’s entertaining some poor fellow. It’s how she stays ‘busy.’ But she does tire of ’em quickly.” Miller guzzled the rest of his drink, before adding more of the amber liquid. He stopped the cup in midair, noticing Simon’s stare. Keeping his wary gaze on him, he took another big swallow.

Simon remained quiet with eyebrows raised until Miller shook his head and expanded his explanation
.

“She probably got tired of both Black a
nd Mathers and then got rid of ’em. Hell, she’s even used and discarded me. Only she still needed me to run this place, so here I am,” he said with a self-deprecating groan.

Miller gave a rueful half smile
when Simon didn’t respond. “I’m not proud of it, but some things you simply can’t fight. She’s a beautiful woman and she doesn’t play fair. When she wants something, she goes after it, no matter the cost. She wanted me. God only knows why. I ain’t much to look at, not like Tom was.”

He stopped talking
. Simon sensed he had more to say, so he silently waited for the man to continue.

Miller finally let out a heavy breath
. His voice took on a sad quality when he continued. “But I betrayed my friend for her, something I’ll regret to my dying day. I’ll also hate her until then because of it. Only way I can stomach her now is if I have a couple of drinks in my gut. She has no clue how I feel. I’m sure if she did, the idea would amuse her, so I don’t let on. At this point she thinks I’m some fool who’d do anything for her. Definitely not true. She’d never suspect me of telling you about the doctored records, that’s for damn sure. You ask why I’m still here even though I hate her? My guilty conscience won’t let me leave until I make it up to him. Only then will I be free of her.”