Secrets of Hallstead House (15 page)

“I know what you mean,” Pete agreed. “And as nice as Summerplace is, it’s a far cry from being a castle.”

“This has been a very memorable morning. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“It was Alex’s idea, but I’ll be happy to take the credit.” Pete grinned. He paused, then put his hand lightly on mine. “I’m glad you were able to get away from Hallstead Island for a little while at least. I know how oppressive that place can seem after a while. Everyone needs a break from it now and then.”

I nodded, wondering whether I should discuss Alex’s fears with him. She had declined to discuss her problems with Pete, but I needed someone to talk to, someone who could look at this problem with fresh eyes and tell me either that I was crazy to take Alex seriously or that I should take careful note of the things she had told me about Forrest. Pete might be able to give me some much-needed advice and perspective. Taking a deep breath, I decided to tell him everything. I hoped Alex wouldn’t be upset.

“Pete, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, if you don’t mind.”

“What is it?”

“I couldn’t sleep last night and I went in search of a new book to read. It was after midnight, and Alex was in the library, acting strangely.”

Pete’s brow furrowed, and I continued. “She was afraid of something.” I related to him the story she had told me during the night. He listened, not interrupting, and sat in silence after I finished speaking.

“What do you make of her story?” he finally asked me.

“I don’t know what to make of it. I was hoping that you could provide me with some insight.”

Pete thought for a long time, looking out over the water. Finally he spoke. “She was absolutely lost when Forrest died. He was a great man; those two were made for each other. It took her a long time to start living again. I do remember that she mentioned once that she had heard voices shortly before Forrest died, but like everyone else I suppose I chalked it up to her state of mind at the time and didn’t take her claim too seriously. Maybe I should have.”

“Did she ever mention it again?”

“Not to me. And I think if she mentioned it to someone else, I would have heard about it. It concerns me that she still feels this way after four years. And I hate to think of her sitting in her rooms like a prisoner, afraid for her own life.”

“So you think there’s something to what she says?”

“I honestly don’t know, but maybe it’s something you should discuss further with her. I would talk to her about it, but she went to you with her concerns, not me. I’m not sure she would even want you discussing this with me. But I’m glad you did,” he added.

“I’m glad I did, too. I didn’t know where to turn. But there’s something else I’ve been thinking about.”

“What’s that?”

“I received a letter recently from my nursing agency. They have another position for me—a woman in New York who needs a private nurse. They are wondering if I’d like the job and they need an answer soon.”

He nodded and looked again at the water. Without looking at me, he asked, “And are you thinking about it?”

“Yes,” I answered truthfully.

“What about your job here?”

I sighed, exasperated. “I feel like I was tricked into coming here! I feel like my job is secondary to the real reason I was asked. I don’t know anything anymore! Alex has overwhelmed me these last couple of days, and I think it might be best for me to take that job.”

“Well, if that’s how you feel . . .” His voice trailed off. He stood up abruptly. “It sounds like you have a decision to make before you start worrying about Alex’s problems. Do you want to look around the island anymore?”

I was startled by his sudden change in demeanor. “Uh, yes,” I stammered. “Do we have time?”

“I guess so.”

“What should we see first?”

“I’ve seen everything. Why don’t you start in that building over there while I take the basket back to the boat?” he suggested, pointing to a building that seemed to rise right out of the water and was joined to the island by a small bridge.

“What is it?” I asked.

“The Power House and Clock Tower,” he answered. “There are a lot of exhibits on the walls in there. It should be pretty self-explanatory.”

Perplexed by his mood swing, I wandered off toward the Power House while he walked away in the opposite direction. I was intrigued by the building’s interior. It was indeed self-explanatory, and I learned that, as its name suggested, its intended use had been to provide electricity for the castle. As I walked back over the small bridge to the main island, I saw Pete striding toward me. I waited for him before making my way to another small building nearby. When he joined me, his attitude seemed to have softened a bit.

“What did you think of the Power House?” he asked.

“It was interesting,” I told him lightly.

“Do you want to see Alster Tower next?”

“Alster Tower was the playhouse, right?”

“That’s right.”

“That sounds fun.”

Pete nodded and continued walking. He didn’t say anything else until we reached the front of the playhouse, a magnificent structure that any child would be thrilled to have. Then he turned to me suddenly and asked, “What about me?”

“Huh?” I asked, utterly confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean . . . ,” he began, then stopped. More quietly, he began again. “I mean that
I
don’t want you to leave Hallstead Island to take the job in New York.”

I was at a loss for words. I opened my mouth to speak several times before shaking my head and laughing. “Is this why you’ve been such a jerk since we finished lunch?”

He threw his head back and started laughing too. “Yes,” he admitted, “I’m sorry. Your announcement took me by surprise.”

“Apology accepted,” I said with a smile. But I didn’t know what to say next. It made me happy that Pete didn’t want me to leave, but that didn’t solve any of my other problems. I still needed time to come to grips with being part of Alex’s family, and I needed time to decide what to do about her plea to help find the person who supposedly killed Forrest.

I tried to put my confusion into words. “I don’t know what to say,” I told Pete. “It’s not that I
want
to go back to New York, but I feel confused here. I don’t know what to think about being Alex’s granddaughter and I certainly don’t think I’m in a position to help her find out who killed Forrest. If anyone really did kill him.”

Pete sighed and took my hands in his. “I’m sure Alex knows that it will take time for you to accept her as a family member. And as for her request that you help find out who may have killed Forrest, all I can say is that you have my support and her support, and that’s something.

“But I can’t stop thinking about you.” And with that, he pulled me to him and kissed me. He must have known I’d be willing. I got a feeling in my stomach like butter melting as I kissed him back. It had been a long time since I had felt this way, at least since the beginning of my relationship with Alan, and I hadn’t felt close to anyone in a long time. Some of my fears about staying on Hallstead Island, wisely or not, began to fall away in Pete’s embrace. I looked at him earnestly. “You’ll help me if I decide to stay?” I asked.

“You know I will.” He grinned.

“Then I’ll postpone sending that letter to my nursing agency,” I told him. “But I haven’t decided for sure. I have to let my head clear a little,” I warned.

He reached for my hand and we walked up the steps into Alster Tower together. We were exploring the playhouse when Emery came in.

“I thought I’d find you in here,” he remarked. “Pretty interesting place, isn’t it? The room we’re standing in is called the Shell Room because of the shape of the roof. It was intended for dancing. Did you see over the railing to the basement level? There was a bowling alley planned for down there. How many kids do you know with a bowling alley in their playhouse?” He laughed.

“Upstairs, there were plans for a billiard room, a library, bedrooms, a café, a kitchen, and a grill. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Pete and I agreed, nodding.

“I hate to mention it, but it is getting late in the day. Maybe we should start heading back to Summerplace,” Pete said.

I agreed and the three of us walked toward the boat. As we were passing the main entrance to the castle, I turned to Pete and Emery. “Do you mind if I just run and look inside one last time? I took pictures, but I want to see it in person again.”

They smiled and shook their heads. I ran lightly up to the veranda and let myself in through the great wooden doors. I gazed in awe once again at the chandelier, the beautifully decorated rooms on the main floor, the gleaming wooden railing of the grand staircase, and the fine artwork on the walls. I hated to leave this place and return to the uncertainty and turmoil on Hallstead Island, but at least I was leaving with an ally I could depend on for support and encouragement. I smiled to myself, remembering the feeling of Pete’s arms around me, and left the castle behind.

When we got to the boat, Pete and I both thanked Emery for his time and his storytelling. Then we were off, Emery waving from the dock.

“Well, what did you think?” Pete asked, looking at me.

“I loved it. Thanks for bringing me today,” I answered.

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” he replied, reaching out to put his hand on my shoulder.

I held his hand in mine and we stayed like that for the ride back to Hallstead Island. It felt right; I didn’t dwell on my fear of the water (though I did wear the life jacket), and for once I was not ready for the boat ride to end when we pulled up to the dock.

I collected the picnic basket and told Pete that I would take it up to the kitchen and put it away. Then I thanked him a second time for taking me to Boldt Castle and he kissed me again, quickly this time, before I left him. I walked to Summerplace with a spring in my step that hadn’t been there earlier in the day, and I found that I was actually looking forward to seeing Alex. Pete had done more for me than he suspected.

Once inside, I deposited the basket in the kitchen and went in search of Alex. I didn’t have to look for long; I found her in her office, where I supposed she would be.

She noticed the change in me at once.

“Whatever happened today did you good,” she said approvingly.

“I think you’re right,” I agreed. I didn’t tell her what had happened to cause this change in me, but I’m sure she knew it all along. She had probably sent Pete and me to Boldt Castle together intending for us to grow closer. It didn’t matter to me . . . I was glad she’d done it.

I
enjoyed a restful, dreamless sleep that night and woke up the next day feeling hopeful and brighter than I had the previous morning. I still wanted to postpone sending the letter to my agency, though I knew I would have to make a decision soon about staying. After breakfast I went to see Alex. She declined to go for an early morning walk outside and instead announced that she wanted to spend some time today packing up the things in her rooms that would make the trip to her winter home on Pine Island. She assigned me to packing up her clothes. I spent the entire morning going through her voluminous wardrobe and putting her heavy winter things in boxes. Before I was done with the clothes, Alex requested that Vali bring lunch on a tray for us.

After lunch, I spent a short time in the library packing the books she had requested, largely works of fiction and books about the Thousand Islands. I found Alex working again and proposed that she take a break to do some exercises, which she consented to do for about an hour. After that, she needed to do some more work in her office and she suggested that I take a couple of hours to do whatever I wanted. I made my way up to the turret room, where the warmth of the day made it quite comfortable. I got out all the supplies I would need to start a watercolor painting. I knew just what I wanted to paint—Boldt Castle. It had so inspired me yesterday that I wanted to try to do it justice on canvas. I didn’t want to paint it up close; I wanted a distant view of it, with other islands and the river surrounding it.

As usual, I sketched first. Using a light touch, I penciled the castle as I envisioned it from my memory. I added islands nearby, including the tiny island I had seen that barely had enough room on it for a small cottage. It took a couple hours of complete focus to get a general idea of the castle forming on the canvas, but the work was good for me. I don’t think I looked up once, except to notice the light changing and shadows shifting slowly around me as the afternoon lengthened.

I had just put down my charcoal pencil to stretch my fingers and arms when I thought I heard a scuffling noise on the turret stairs. Not wanting to be stuck up in the turret again for several hours, I ran over to the door to catch any would-be perpetrator before he or she could lock me in. I yanked the door open and stared, shocked, at what I saw.

Alex stood at the top of the turret stairs, her mouth a thin white line of determination and pain. She was breathing heavily and she kept turning around to look behind her. In her hand was a slip of white paper. The paper shook as she held it out to me with trembling hands. I quickly took it from her, shoved it in my pocket, then led her gently over to the sofa, where she sat down heavily and leaned her head back. I helped her lift her feet so she could lie down, but she resisted and kept trying to sit up again. Finally she relented and sank down, bringing her hand to her head.

“Alex, tell me what’s wrong. You aren’t ready to be climbing stairs. That was dangerous! Thank goodness I heard you.”

Her voice was small and scared when she answered me. “Macy, I was right. I’ve known it all along.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The note. Read the note!” Her voice rose to a shrill pitch as she spoke, and I quickly took the crumpled paper from my pocket and spread it on my knees. There were only a few words typed on it, but their message made my blood run cold:

I must have read the note a dozen times before I looked up at Alex. She was staring at me with a mixture of fear and anger.

“Someone killed my daughter,” she stated dully. “All this time I thought it was a terrible accident,” she whispered as she gazed at the sky through the tall windows. “Who would have killed her?”

I couldn’t answer that. I held her hands in mine as she continued talking.

“And Forrest. My wonderful Forrest. I knew his death wasn’t an accident. I suppose all this time there’s been a part of me that wanted to believe that I really was hearing things that day, like everyone else thought. But now I can’t indulge that part of myself anymore.” Tears spilled slowly from her eyes, and I got her a clean cloth from the table nearby. She spoke again.

“This note makes me sad and angry at the same time. Sad because now I’m mourning Diana all over again and because I’m still mourning Forrest. And angry because how could anyone do this to my family? And why?”

Silence hung in the air. I had no answers for her. Neither of us had mentioned the last part of the note. What did it mean? As if reading my mind, Alex wiped her eyes and looked up at me. She struggled to a sitting position. “And now this—this—person is arranging another accident! I know I’m going to be next! What should I do?” she asked me imploringly.

I knew then that I needed to stay on Hallstead Island. I couldn’t leave Alex now. I would have to put aside my confusion and hurt in order to help her.

“I’m going to stay, Alex. We’ll get you through this.”

“Will you, Macy? Oh, thank you. I should be thinking of nothing but my daughter and my husband right now, but the truth is that this note has me scared to death. I’m scared to be in Summerplace alone. I don’t know who wrote the note, and I’m afraid to die.” Alex had worked herself into a very agitated state. Her voice had risen by an octave, her face was ashen, and her body was trembling. I needed to calm her down before we could talk more about the note.

“Alex, let me help you downstairs, and I’m going to give you something to help you relax and rest for a while. Then we can talk about this.”

We walked over to the stairs and I went down first, backward, to help her on each step. Going down those stairs was even harder for her than going up had been. She bravely made it down to the balcony and leaned on me only a few times.

I thought it best that Alex lie down in my room for a while rather than trying to walk down another flight of stairs to her own rooms. She agreed and let me help her to recline on my bed. After assuring her I would be back in just a minute, I ran down to her bedroom to get the sedatives her doctor had prescribed for her. When I returned, she insisted that I give her only half a tablet so she wouldn’t feel groggy after she rested. Reluctantly, I gave her what she asked for, then settled down in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace to wait while she slept. I think that my presence helped her to relax a bit, and she was asleep quickly. I spent the next hour, until she woke, wondering again who could have killed Forrest and, apparently, Diana. No one on Hallstead Island seemed to have any reason to kill either of them. Alex rustled the quilt, sitting up slowly.

“Macy, I think I’d like to eat dinner tonight in the dining room. I’m too frightened to eat alone. Would you join me? Stephan and Will will be there too, so there will be plenty of people around to help take my mind off things.”

“Of course I will. Alex, how did you find the note in the first place?”

“I had called Vali and asked her to bring some tea to my sitting room. I was getting tired and I needed a little lift. So when she brought it I sat in there for a short time, just drinking my tea on the sofa. When I went back into my office, there was an envelope on my desk. It just said ‘Alexandria Hallstead’ in typed letters. I don’t think it had been there earlier, so someone must have gone into my office from the porch outside. Anyway, when I opened the letter I panicked immediately and didn’t know who to talk to or where to go. I couldn’t stay in my office. You were the first person I thought of. I called for you downstairs, and when you didn’t answer, I managed to get upstairs and I called for you up here too. When you still didn’t answer, I took a chance that you were up in the turret rather than outside. So somehow I got myself up those turret stairs. I’m so lucky I found you.”

“Have you discussed the note with anyone else?”

“Not yet. I wanted to tell you first. Do you think we should tell people?”

“Yes,” I answered. “I hate to say it, but I think you should tell everyone on the island. They might be in danger. I think we should tell the police, too.”

Alex nodded grimly. “You’re right.” She looked at me with haunted eyes. “Why is this happening?”

“I wish I knew.”

“How do you think everyone will react?”

“I honestly don’t know. What about you?”

“I think Stephan will insist that I move back to New York for my own good. I lived there years ago. But I don’t want to do that.”

“What about Will?”

She sighed. “I can generally count on Will to do the things a doting nephew should do, like pulling out my chair for me at the table or holding a door for me, but I’m never sure how much he really
cares
. I think he might pay me some lip service and feign concern if I told him about the note, but in his mind he would probably shrug it off as some kind of joke. He tends to be rather mocking sometimes, and I don’t care to be on the receiving end of that.”

“How about Pete?”

She shook her head. “I hate to drag Pete into these things. He works so hard around here and he’s so good to me. It’s not fair for me to burden him with the problems of my family.”

Now it was my turn to sigh. “I know you don’t want to tell Pete, but I think you have to. He’s entitled to know since he may be in danger, too. You should know that I have discussed with Pete what you told me about hearing voices right before Forrest died. I just had no idea what to do with that information.”

“I understand, Macy. Let’s go down to dinner. Stephan and Will should be in the dining room by now, and I have to tell Vali to set a place for me.”

Slowly, gingerly, we walked down the stairs together. When we entered the dining room, Alex made a visible effort to appear strong and self-assured, but I could feel her fingers trembling on my arm.

“Alex!” Stephan exclaimed when he saw her. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us tonight!”

She smiled at him as Will asked solicitously, “Aunt Alex, can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you, dear,” she replied. Vali must have heard us enter the dining room, because it took only a moment for her to bustle in with another place setting for Alex.

It wasn’t long before we were all seated around the big, elegant table with Alex at the head and the rest of us seated at her sides. Vali served a delicious meal of trout with rice pilaf and brussels sprouts, followed by a dessert of sliced fruit. Conversation throughout dinner was light, as Stephan and Will entertained Alex with personal reviews of some of the new shows that had opened on Broadway. I listened, curiously uninterested in the talk of New York. At one point Will asked me, “Macy, don’t you miss all that?”

“No, I really don’t,” I answered honestly, surprising myself a little. Will raised an eyebrow at me and grinned slyly. “I can’t imagine what’s got you so uninterested in New York all of a sudden.”

I looked at him blandly and ignored his remark.

As dinner came to an end, Alex looked at me questioningly. I nodded in encouragement and she started to speak.

“I want you both to know that I received a note in my office today that confirmed that Forrest did not die from an accidental fall. He was killed by someone.”

“What?” Stephan and Will asked together.

“Let me finish,” Alex stated. “The note also said that Diana’s drowning was not accidental either, and that someone else will be next.”

“What are you talking about?” Stephan asked incredulously. “What note? Who’s next?”

“It was an anonymous note that I found on my desk. I showed it to Macy right away, but no one else knew about it until now. And it doesn’t say who’s next.”

“May I see it?” Stephan asked.

The note was still in my pocket. I handed it to Stephan, who read it slowly with a growing look of confusion and surprise. Will held out his hand and Stephan handed it to him. They looked grimly at Alex when they had read it.

“Alex, I think it would be in your best interests to move back to New York,” Stephan said gravely.

“I knew you would say that, Stephan. I want to stay here. This is my home,” Alex explained.

“Are you sure this isn’t some kind of a joke?” asked Will.

“I really don’t think so. I don’t know of anyone who would play a joke like that.”

“You don’t know of anyone who goes around killing people, either,” Will pointed out.

“I think the best thing for me is to stay here at Hallstead House and make sure that I spend as little time alone as possible. Macy will be a big help with that. No one is going to hurt me with another person in the room.”

“Alex, if you’re determined to stay here, we’ll make it work so you stay safe. But I’d still feel better if you moved back to New York,” said Stephan.

“I appreciate that, Stephan, but I would be lost in New York.”

“Let us know if there’s anything we can do, Aunt Alex,” said Will.

“Thank you, dear. I will. I should be fine with Macy.” Will shot me a look of scorn; I ignored him. After dinner, Alex and I went back to her sitting room. I asked her if she wished me to continue packing her clothes for the move to Pine Island, but she didn’t answer. Her thoughts seemed far away, and I suspected she wasn’t interested in packing tonight. I didn’t have to ask what was troubling her—I knew she was scared to be alone in her room all night.

“Alex, would you like me to sleep on the sitting room sofa tonight?” I asked gently.

She heaved a sigh of relief. “Would you, Macy? Oh, I would so appreciate that.”

I ran upstairs to get my things and was back in a few minutes. Poor Alex. She hadn’t moved while I was gone. She really was paralyzed with fear, and my heart broke for her.

She let me help her into bed that night, I think because she was so physically and emotionally exhausted. I told her we would go easy on the exercises the following day since going up and down the stairs today had been such a strenuous activity for her. She readily agreed.