Murder Games (9 page)

“How
are we going to move?” Ivy asked, her voice breaking. “We don’t have any money.”

“Don’t worry, s
weetheart. I’ll think of something. Just rely on ole Rupert.”

Grace opened the door as their voices began to fade. She watched as they walked back into the sunroom.

*  *  *

Frowning
, Kyle crossed his arms and looked down at Austin. Other than a few superficial cuts, and some damage to his suit, he didn’t look too bad. “Why did you go down into the cellar?”

Austin
rubbed a hand across his eyes. “I thought I heard something and went to check it out.”

Laura
, who seemed convinced that Austin’s fall had been all part of the game, turned around sharply. “What did you hear, Hunter?”

“Just a noise.”

Jerry sat down next to his wife who was admiring the bust of a young man that sat on a marble pillar next to her loveseat. She ran her fingers along the brass plaque that said Timothy Benedict Graves and said, “You should be more careful, Hunter.”

“It was probably a rat,
” Jerry said with a smile.

“A rat?” Caroline asked with a grimace.

“Yeah, I bet the whole
cellar is full of them.” Oblivious to his wife’s discomfort, Jerry added, “Or a big bat. I bet it was a bat.”

Caroline rose to her feet.
“That’s it. I’m going back to our room.”

“Oh, but sweetheart,” Jerry said, “it’s not even midnight, yet.”

Caroline turned back and smiled at her husband. “Don’t stay up too late.”

Sighing, Jerry got to his feet and started to follow Caroline out
of the room, but paused as Ivy and Rupert walked back in.

“It’s all gone
,” Ivy said with a moan.

“What is?”
Jerry asked.

“My preserves,” Ivy said
, “the wine. Everything.”

Rupert looked at
Austin. “You must have knocked into the storage shelves when you fell down the stairs.”

Molly pressed a cold compress to the back of Austin’s head.
“That must have been what made the huge crash.”

“You should see it down there.” Ivy sat down heavily. “Just a huge mess.” She looked ashamed for a moment before adding
weakly, “I’m just so glad you weren’t hurt. That’s the important thing, after all.”

“
You’re very lucky,” Rupert said. “I knew someone would fall down those stairs someday. The steps are too narrow and termites have eaten clean through that wooden railing. I knew this would happen. I told them it was too dangerous. I’ve been saying that for years. Haven’t I?” he asked Ivy.

Obviously,
still mourning the loss of her preserves, Ivy nodded half-heartedly.

“It wasn’t the too narrow steps or the rickety railing,”
Austin gently took the compress out of Molly’s hands and balanced it on his knee. “I slipped on something.”

“So did I,” Kyle sai
d.

Concern etched across her face,
Sabrina walked in carrying a glass of water. Noticing Molly hovering over Austin, she handed the other girl the water and tablets. Molly gave her a grateful nod before passing them along to Austin.

“
Thank you, Rose,” Austin muttered as he took the pill and drink from her hand.

Molly’s
pretty features clouded. “Daisy.”

“Right, Daisy.
” Smiling, Austin reached up and took Molly’s hand. “I’m sorry, I promise before this game is through, I’ll get it right.”

Blushing, Molly shook her head slightly. “It’s not that important.
How ‘bout you just call me Molly. That’s my real name.”

“No, he can’t call you Molly. And what do you mean it’s not important?” Laura interjected, her face etched with shock. Before she could launch into the
tirade everyone knew was coming, her sister grabbed her by the hand and forcefully led her out of the room. Still holding onto Laura’s wrist, Sabrina paused at the doorway next to Jerry long enough to give him a knowing look, before casting her eyes up at the ceiling.

Clearing his throat, Jerry surreptitiously tapped at his watch. Once
Sabrina had dragged Laura through the threshold, Jerry turned back around and addressed the others. “Well, I’m exhausted. It’s been such a tiring day what with my dear sister’s death,” he grinned at Ivy, “and her ghost wandering around.”

“J
ust pretend I’m not here,” Ivy said with a smile.

Moving his shoulder gingerly,
Austin winced. “Is the attic locked?”

“The attic?” Rupert asked. “What do you want in the attic?”

Jerry hesitated at the door, clearly torn between following his wife and staying with the others. “Hang on. Are we still playing? I thought we were done for the night.”

Ignoring Jerry,
Rupert turned to Austin. “Attic’s off limits.”

Austin
gestured toward Jerry. “But you let him search the attic looking for Ivy’s diary.”

“That was before you decided to go headfirst down the
cellar stairs. Those are off limits, as well.” Rupert looked around the room. “For everyone.”

“Oh,” Jerry said, clearly disappointed
, “but we haven’t found the diary, yet.”

“
Don’t worry. It’s not in the attic or the cellar,” Rupert said.

“Good, that attic was a mess.” Jerry
rubbed his hands together. “Well, I’m going to head upstairs. Anyone else going?”

Rupert nodded. “I’ll walk up with you.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and brought out his keys. “
Better make sure the attic is locked, too.”

“
Molly, how did you know Austin was in the cellar?” Kyle asked. “He was supposed to be searching the first level.”

“I,
uh, didn’t know,” she stuttered, “I heard the crash and I thought it might have come from the cellar. Then when no one could find him, I was just afraid he had gotten hurt.” Dropping her hand down on Austin’s shoulder, she glanced at him affectionately. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Austin
reached up and patted her hand gently.

Kyle
tilted his head and smiled. “Do you two know each other?”

“What?
” Molly dropped her hand from Austin’s shoulder. “No, of course not.”

Kyle
looked at Austin who shook his head. Wincing, Austin brought the cold compress down and held it out to Molly. “Would you mind refilling this for me?”

Obviously relieved, Molly took the compress and headed out the door.

Deciding not to let them off the hook just yet, Kyle followed her out into the hallway.

“
Molly, how did he know your real name?”

She looked at him in confusion. “I just told him a few minutes ago.”

“No,” Kyle said slowly, “he called you Molly before that. How did he already know your name?”

Waiving her hand dismissively, Molly said,
“Oh, that . . . we met last night at the party. I’m surprised he even remembered my name.”

“I am too
, since he told me that he just arrived this afternoon.”

“I’m
sorry; I really should go fill this.” She held up the cold compress before turning around and walking down the hallway toward the kitchen. “The ice has melted. It doesn’t do any good if the ice has melted.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Grace
sat down
on the window seat in front of the large bay window in her room and slipped on a pair of black ballet slippers. A large thump caused her to glance up toward the ceiling. She shook her head in amusement. She had assumed when she got out of the shower that the game would be drawing to a close, since it was almost midnight. However, the sharp scream she heard while showering, combined with the noises from above her room, and the sounds of someone giggling in the hallway, told her that the game was still in full swing.

Standing, s
he checked her appearance in the mirror one more time. She adjusted the black turtleneck sweater over her designer blue jeans. Definitely not proper fifties attire, but deciding it would have to do she reached for the door. With any luck, she wouldn’t have missed anything important.

Seeing
light streaming out from underneath the door to Kyle’s room, she gently rapped on the heavy wooden door. The door swung open a few inches as she knocked. “Kyle?”

When he didn’t answer, she pushed the door open and
glanced around the empty room. While her room was a bit feminine with its large bay window and full canopy bed with blue and white toile curtains, Kyle’s was definitely masculine. The room’s walls, curtains, and bedding, were all dyed a dark hunter green. The color was so dark it could almost be classified as black. The only bright color in the room came from the dozen or so framed pictures of foxhunts that hung on the walls. All and all, the room gave Grace a rather creepy feeling. How could he possibly sleep in here comfortably? she thought with a shudder. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her middle and walked further into the room.

She glanced over at the leather bench in front of the lar
ge king sized bed. Kyle’s suitcase lay on its side next to it with its contents spilled out onto the floor. She bent down and straightened the suitcase, wondering why he had left it in such a state. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the large cage Kyle had bought for Abry. Wondering if the bunny was still awake, Grace walked up to the cage and lifted the black cover, not too terribly surprised to find the cage locked and the interior empty. She was starting to get used to Abry’s sudden disappearances.

Sighing, she glanced about the room, hoping the bunny hadn’t made it out into the rest of the house. Deciding it was best to start with one of Abry’s favorite hiding spots, she sank to her knees in front of the bed.

She lifted the bed skirt, relieved to find a pair of pink eyes staring back at her. “There you are.” She patted the floor and called the bunny’s name. Abry looked at her for a few seconds, clearly debating whether to obey or not. Coming to a decision, he lay down and stared at her.

“Come on, baby. I have some nice yummy carrots for you.”

His ears perked up.

“Big ones.”

Abry started to hop toward her, but suddenly froze. His nose twitching, he turned, and hopped back toward the wall. Cowering, he squeezed himself into the corner of the bedpost and the nightstand, and looked at her fearfully.

“
Abry?” she asked surprised by the rabbit’s reaction. “It’s okay, sweetie, it’s just me.” She flattened herself on the floor and stuck her head under the bed. The sound of the door clicking shut caused her to jerk up in surprise. She winced as the top of her head connected with the slats underneath the bed. She slithered out and looked around the room.

Still empty.

Maybe it was the wind, she thought as she rubbed the top of her head. She rose to her feet and strode to the door. She opened the door and peered out into the hallway, just as the door to Molly’s room slammed shut.

“Goodness
.” Gripping the banister, Ivy pulled herself up the back staircase, muttering to herself. “I don’t know what in the world has gotten into that girl.” Noticing Grace in the hallway, she smiled and waved her hand. “Don’t mind me, dear. Just pretend that I’m still dead,” she said cheerfully, as she walked to her bedroom. Grace could hear Rupert on the other side of the door, asking Ivy what took her so long. The door shut before Grace could hear Ivy’s answer.

A bit
more disturbed than she liked to admit, Grace stepped back into the room and closed the door. After spending a few minutes coaxing Abry out from underneath the bed, and several more minutes trying rather unsuccessfully to get him back into his crate, Grace finally gave up and decided to let the bunny have his way.

She walked back to the door and stepped
out into the hallway. Suddenly, the oppressive atmosphere of the house descended on her. She looked around nervously. The hallway seemed darker than it had earlier. The only light came from a pair of hurricane wall sconces at each end of the hallway. Between the mahogany wood flooring beneath her feet, and the dark ceiling above her head, she felt like darkness was surrounding her. She noted that the faded purple Victorian wallpaper that she thought was so charming when she arrived that afternoon wasn’t so charming at night.

The house didn’t seem
so creepy earlier in the day when everyone was running around getting ready for the game to begin. Now that she was alone—

No, she thought with slowly mounting dread, not alone. Not completely. She shook her head,
trying to shake off the unsettling feeling of being watched. The sound of a door shutting caused her to turn her head sharply toward the back stairs. She stared at the attic door for a few seconds before she turned in the opposite direction, and quickly walked toward the main stairs. Distracted, she glanced over her shoulder as she walked, prepared to break out into a run at a moment’s notice. From what, she wasn’t sure. She got half way down the hallway before she realized that the closet door near the front stairs was wide open.

A woman’s dead body was found not far from here, she reminded herself as she came to a stop. Grace nervously bit her lip as she thought about all the strange events during the day. In addition to the dead woman, there was the missing actress
, the mysterious Austin Waverly, who didn’t seem to belong, and then his strange accident in the cellar a short while ago.

He could have been killed, Grace thought, becoming
concerned that the accident was anything but. Just who was he and why was he here? According to Rupert, Austin planned to meet Erica for some reason, but she didn’t show. A multitude of questions flashed through Grace’s mind in a rapid amount of time. Why did he want to meet with her? Why didn’t he leave when he found out she wasn’t here? Who locked the cellar door after he fell down the stairs? Where was Erica? Was the woman in the pond really Erica’s cousin, Belinda? None of the events seemed to be connected to the fake game they were all playing. However, they were in some way connected to Murder Manor.

She focused in on the closet door.
There was someone on the other side; she could hear them moving things about. Anyone could be hiding behind the open door. She shook her head. This was silly, she thought, trying to rein in her imagination. Usually Kyle was the one with the overactive imagination. She was in a house full of people playing a murder mystery game. There’s no real danger, she quickly reassured herself. The woman in the pond probably slipped and hit her head. Tragic, but not murder. And if she were Erica’s cousin, Erica naturally wouldn’t show up for work that day. She’d be at home grieving and taking care of her cousin’s affairs. And Austin? Well, there’s probably a good explanation, she thought with a shrug.

Still
, she hesitated, afraid to go past that open door. There really wasn’t a good explanation for that locked cellar door though, and someone had been in Kyle’s room a few minutes ago. She was sure of it, and whoever it was had scared Abry. She glanced back over her shoulder at Ivy’s door.

As she was debating whether to
continue or turn tail and run to the other set of stairs, a hand suddenly reached out and gripped the edge of the open door.

Heart thudding against her chest, Grace waited breathlessly to see who was
behind the door as it swung shut.

Caroline let out a squeal of fright.
Raising her hand to her forehead, she took a deep breath. “For goodness sake, girl, you gave me such a fright standing there like that. I didn’t know anyone else was in the hallway.”

Relieved to see the other woman, Grace smiled.
“Sorry. Me too. What were you doing?”

Still pressing her hand to her
head, Caroline said, “My nerves are shot.” Taking a deep breath, she held up the blanket she had taken from the closet. “It’s freezing in my room.” She glanced down the hallway in distaste. “You should see our room. It looks like something out of Dracula’s castle. We even have this gigantic square balcony that overlooks the backyard. I keep envisioning a big vampire crawling up the outside staircase and slipping through the French doors into my room. And not one of those handsome tortured ones, either.” She instinctively brought her hand to her neck. “I guess I’m being kind of silly. I’d like to know who decorated this place.”

“
Yeah, this place didn’t look so scary this morning.”

Carolin
e hugged the blanket to her chest. “They’re really playing up this murder mystery thing, aren’t they?”

Grace nodded as she passed the other woman. She was just about to descend the stairs when Caroline asked for a favor. Grace turned around and looked at the other woman expectantly.

“I hate to be a bother, but would you mind . . .” she hesitated. “Jerry told me that Kyle was some type of detective.”

Grace nodded, thinking that ‘some type’ was an apt description.
Although, she had to admit for someone with no experience or training, he was getting better at it. Of course, practice makes perfect, she thought ruefully. And they had been getting plenty of practice lately.

“Is
. . . I mean . . . I hate to bother him on his vacation. I know how upset some people get when they’re on a holiday and people keep coming up and asking for advice.”

“Kyle won’t mind. Do you want me to go get him?”

“No. Not right now, but I was thinking I might want to talk to him in the morning.”

“Is there something I can help you with in the meantime?”

“No, it’s not really that important. It can certainly wait until tomorrow.” Caroline smiled. “I was glad to hear that we have a detective here. After hearing about that woman in the pond and all of Jerry’s talk about a serial killer running around.” She turned worried eyes to Grace. “I don’t suppose Kyle has a gun, does he?”

Taken aback, Grace shook her head. “No, he’s on vacation.
But listen, I wouldn’t worry. I’m sure we’re safe,” she said with as much false confidence as she could muster. “We don’t even know for certain she was murdered.”

Seemingly unconvinced, Caroline
nodded her head. “Jerry’s worried. He’s pretending not to be for my sake, but I can tell he’s concerned.”

Suddenly
, they heard a series of loud bangs, causing both women to jump in surprise. They looked around in confusion for a second, just as the grandfather clock in the hallway began to chime signaling the midnight hour. They both suddenly realized the explosions they were hearing were the hotel’s nightly firework display celebrating the New Year.

As the tension began to leave their
bodies, they both began to laugh. Caroline ran a hand through her blonde hair. “I hate those fireworks.” She looked up toward the ceiling. “They sound like they’re right above us.”

Still laughing, Grace nodded. “I guess the hotel figures,
why ring in the New Year just once when you can do it every night.”

Caroline nodded as the smile fell away from her face. “
You know that guy who fell down the stairs?”

Grace looked up in annoyance as another firework went off.
“Austin?”

“Don’t you think he’s a bit strange?”

“How so?” A motion behind Caroline caught Grace’s attention. She tilted her head to the side just as Sabrina, high heels in her hand, tiptoed out of Caroline and Jerry’s room. She turned and blew a kiss toward whoever was in the room. A few seconds later, Jerry appeared at the door. He blew a kiss back at her. Grace’s eyes widened as she looked back at Caroline, shocked they would be so brazen with his wife practically outside their doorway.

“It’s just that I think I saw him last night—”
Noticing Grace’s horrified expression, Caroline looked over her shoulder just as Sabrina ran back into their room, giggling.

“About time
,” Caroline said with a sigh. She looked back at Grace. “I’m so glad you were here to see that.”

“Well, I,
I,” Grace stuttered at a loss as to what to say.

“They’ve been
flirting with each other all night.” Caroline shook her head. “They were so disappointed when no one noticed and called them out on it. I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am that you finally caught them in the act.” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Caroline leaned back against the wall. “They’ve been in our room for the last forty minutes, jumping on the bed and giggling like a couple of teenagers at a sleepover. Every time they’d hear someone in the hallway, they’d run out and blow kisses to each other.”