Bound By Blood

by Clara Lewis

  Chapter 5

  On the way home, Olivia had recalled Eustace’s reaction to being questioned. He seemed to be the kind of man who gauged a person upon first appearances, and if he deemed someone weaker than himself, it was his cue to bully them. He was a big man and Olivia was sure that his tantrum had been a show.

  That explained why he cowered before his brother and why he eventually complied with Olivia’s questions.

  Still, something didn’t add up and Olivia couldn’t quite tell what it was. Exhaustion finally set in and Olivia sighed deeply. A dull throb began in her temples.

  Jordan looked over, concerned.

  “Told you to rest, Hudson.”

  “Just drive past a pharmacy; I need something for my headache.”

  If she had a choice, Olivia would have preferred to stay in a hotel somewhere in town. Staying at the Barlowe residence was awkward. The family seemed busy, though, and fortunately, Olivia had to eat dinner by herself.

  Dresden was the ultimate summer destination. Unfortunately, the winter was brutal and Olivia felt its effects as she sat in the library.

  The library had a door that led straight into the mansion’s extensive gardens. One wall was lined with floor-length windows which allowed natural light to illuminate the entire room. This room may have been the coldest room in the entire mansion, but Olivia just couldn’t ignore the beautiful scenery before her.

  “I can't concentrate,” she mumbled and set her laptop down beside her.

  Olivia got up from the sofa and made her way to the fireplace where the fire flickered weakly. No wonder the room had suddenly gotten colder. She looked around for the fire poker and found a rack nearby. She looked for the fire poker and realized that it was missing.

  Olivia frowned and rubbed her shoulders. She should have worn socks. She returned to her seat and picked up her work. As she continued to read, she heard someone whispering in the hallway.

  “I can't tell them about you!”

  The hushed, panicked voice of Eustace Barlowe reached Olivia’s ears. He was coming this way. Olivia grabbed her things and hurriedly hid them under the sofa hoping he wouldn’t see her. She got off the sofa and hissed as her foot touched the cold floor.

  His footsteps became louder and louder and Olivia looked for a place to hide. She found a tall bookshelf and hoped that he wouldn’t have to come this far into the library. If she were to hide anywhere else, the moonlight would act as a spotlight. Olivia doubted that Eustace would take kindly to her being in the same room and eavesdropping.

  Olivia heard the familiar creak of the sofa as he sat down. Fearing that her breathing was too loud, Olivia placed her hands over her mouth. She willed herself to calm down, but her heartbeat drummed rapidly. Her eyes widened in panic as she saw the faint glow of the laptop screen from under the sofa.

  “I am in the middle of a murder investigation and if they find out about you, what do you think they’ll say?” he asked.

  Eustace sounded weary.

  “No, don’t get me wrong. I love you, but I can't do anything until this mess is cleaned up.”

  Olivia raised her eyebrows. It seemed like every person in this town viewed the laws of marriage as mere suggestions and were involved in some sort of affair. Even though Eustace was a Barlowe, he wasn’t exempt from it.

  How long had this been going on?

  Olivia couldn't reveal to Eustace that she had been in the room listening the entire time. She needed to find something solid on Eustace. He needed to confess to something.

  Once Eustace had finally left, Olivia gathered her things and went to her room. As she booted her computer up, she decided to call for backup.

  She took her phone and hurriedly tapped in Marion’s number.

  “Olivia, you’re aware that it is three in the morning.”

  Olivia offered no explanations and gave no apologies.

  “I’m totally breaking the rules right now but I need you to look into Eustace Barlowe’s financial accounts.”

  Chapter 6

  “Ms. Hudson, you reassured me last time that the questions were a one-time thing.”

  Olivia smiled. She hadn't told Jordan about questioning Eustace again. She had a feeling that Jordan would object.

  “Oh, I just want to talk with you, Mr. Barlowe.”

  Olivia watched Eustace as he fidgeted in his seat. “I watched this drama when I was a kid. It was about a rich family. You see, this family had a son, he was married to this beautiful girl and they seemed like a happy family.”

  Olivia took a sip from her teacup. Eustace had gone pale.

  “What’s your point here, Ms. Hudson?”

  “They soon realized that they weren't happy. He had lost his joy, but you know what? He found another woman and he was happy again. There was just one issue; he was still married. Divorce was an easy option but it would make the family look bad. So you know what he did?”

  Olivia paused for dramatic effect.

  “He murdered her!” Olivia said, clapping her hands. “How weird is that?”

  Eustace gripped the armrests of his seat tightly. He was turning red now, a telltale sign that he was about to have another outburst. Swiftly, Olivia moved the teapot and her teacup onto another surface.

  “You think this is some kind of joke, Ms. Hudson?” Eustace yelled, his face turning red.

  The table shook violently the moment his hands slammed down. His teacup tipped over, causing its contents to spill all over the table. Olivia kept calm and simply shifted her leg to avoid the spill.

  She leaned back into the chair and crossed her arms.

  “It was just a story, Mr. Barlowe, for the sake of making conversation. However, your reaction makes me curious.”

  Eustace curled his hands into a fist and stalked toward Olivia. Olivia stared at him, silently daring him to make a move. And there it was—for a moment, Eustace hesitated. Olivia noticed his momentary weakness and latched on to it.

  She motioned toward the chair in front of her.

  “Please take a seat.”

  Eustace lowered his hands and sat back down. He looked at his watch.

  “Do you have somewhere to be?” Olivia asked him as she tilted her head.

  “No, and even if i did have an appointment, I don't think that has anything to do with you," he said coldly.

  Olivia nodded in understanding.

  “Then, we’ll make this quick. Do you recognize these financial records? ” she asked Eustace as she handed him a stack of papers. Judging from his previous reaction, Olivia felt that it was better for him to rip the papers up rather than take his anger out on her laptop.

  Eustace looked at the papers in bewilderment, then looked up to glare at Olivia. She ignored it and moved her chair closer to his. He flinched away.

  “Why did you kill your wife, Eustace Barlowe?” Olivia asked quietly.

  “Ms. Hudson, I did not kill my wife. Be careful of what you say to me.”

  Olivia shrugged.

  “Then did your mistress kill your wife? Did she tell you to hire someone else to do it?”

  Eustace’s face was turning red again. Olivia scooted back, just in case. Again, there was a hesitation in his movements.

  “I did not kill my wife,” Eustace started, enunciating each word deliberately. “And I do not have a mistress.”

  Olivia nodded and pointed at the papers he held in his hands.

  “Have a look at the highlighted areas, Mr. Barlowe. You’ve spent a lot of money weeks after Ruth disappeared.”

  “And what about it?” Eustace huffed.

  “Do you like to wear jewelry, Mr. Barlowe?”

  Eustace Barlowe broke.

  “Fine! I was having an affair!” He yelled. “But let me remind you that I did not kill my wife.”

  His affair was of no importance. Olivia wanted facts and she wanted to see what happened if she got Eustace angry enough. Was he capable of murder?

  Her suspicions had been correct. She had provoked
him twice. He had intended to hurt her, but he never carried it out. Instead, he seemed to take his anger out on the objects around him.

  Once intimidated, Eustace was nothing.

  “I believe you, Mr. Barlowe. I don't think you have it in you to kill someone. Thank you for your time.”

  Olivia stood up from her seat and brushed off her jeans. Eustace stood up, still agitated and walked away without a response.

  Before he exited the room, he turned around again and said, “Ruth wasn't all that innocent. I had an affair because she had her own to deal with and I suggest you ask her lover the same questions you asked me.”

  Chapter 7

  Olivia jolted awake in bed and realized her mistake. She glanced at the clock and scowled at the time. It was too early for anyone to be awake.

  As satisfying as it was, her interaction with Eustace was hardly professional, and she felt a little bit guilty. If Marion had been with her, she would have been livid. Olivia had riled Eustace up based on suspicion and not fact. Who knows what would have happened if Eustace ended up using his fists?

  That wasn't the problem though. Olivia had been so caught up in her resentment toward the Barlowes, that she had focused on them, and those within their circle.

  The possibility of Ruth having an affair was high. She was mostly alone. The family had always been away for business and she had nowhere else to go.

  Olivia looked at the clock again. Not much time had passed, but Olivia couldn't sleep. She had barely slept since arriving in Dresden and she often felt the exhaustion in her bones. Olivia tossed and turned for a few more minutes, determined to get some rest in, but it was useless.

  Olivia threw the covers off and grabbed her notes. “Might as well get some work done,” she grumbled.

  The house was unnaturally quiet as Olivia made her way to the library. She bumped into someone on the way there and let out a yelp. Hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her and Olivia felt the need to fight and escape.

  “Relax, relax,” said a familiar voice, “it’s me, Liam.”

  Olivia squinted in the dark and released her tense shoulders when she confirmed that it really was Liam. Embarrassed, Olivia quickly tidied her hair and straightened her shirt. They stood looking at each other for quite some time and Olivia wanted nothing more than to leave, it was so awkward.

  She cleared her throat and pointed to the library.

  “Are you on your way there too?” she asked.

  Liam nodded and replied, “Yeah, I couldn't sleep.”

  The few times they had been together, Olivia noticed that it was quite difficult to get him to talk. His replies were always curt. There was never anything Olivia could take and turn into a new conversation.

  “Me too, I just decided to work.” She held up her notes.

  In silence, Olivia and Liam walked to the library. The first thing that she felt was how cold the room was. Her own room was too far for her to just walk back and grab a jacket. She rubbed her shoulders for warmth.

  “Liam?”

  Liam appeared from behind her and she nearly got a fright. He was stealthy for sure.

  “Yes?”

  “Would it be possible to get that thing to work?” Olivia said, indicating the fireplace.

  Liam crouched by the fireplace and poked around. Without the fire poker, he was forced to use the handle of one of the other tools. Olivia brought her feet up on the sofa and leaned on her knees as she watched him struggle with the short handle.

  “Why don’t you just replace the set? It’s just kind of pointless to keep something that won't be useful.”

  Liam turned to look at her and he chuckled. Olivia wasn't used to seeing him smile but it was truly a sight to behold. Olivia quickly looked to one side, embarrassed.

  “Well, this set was actually handcrafted by one of my predecessors, so it’s become something of an heirloom. It is unfortunate that one of the pieces went missing. We’ve asked Eddy about it since he regularly cleans them.”

  Something clicked in Olivia’s mind.

  “Eddy?”

  “He’s the gardener.”

  “Oh," said Olivia.

  By then, Liam had already returned to his place by the bookshelves. Olivia immediately whipped her phone out and dialled Jordan. This time she didn't care about the time.

  Waiting was painful. When Olivia saw Jordan’s car in the distance, she grabbed her things and ran into the driveway. She jumped into the front seat, breathless.

  “I need to buy a fire poker first.”

  This time, Jordan knew better than to ask questions. He could do that later.

  * * * * *

  Fire poker in hand, Olivia walked into the coroner’s office. Before the coroner could protest, Jordan put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

  Jordan then entered the room and found Olivia swinging the fire poker high over Ruth's body.

  “Olivia!” he yelled, grabbing her arm. “What do you think you're doing?”

  Olivia dropped the poker to the ground and placed her hands on Jordan’s arm.

  “I'm not going to do anything irrational, so just watch, okay?”

  Jordan let go and put his hand on his heart.

  “I’ll watch from there," he said, pointing to a chair by the door.

  Again, Olivia lifted the fire poker and slowly brought it down to Ruth’s skull. Her eyes widened with her discovery. Excitedly, she called Jordan over.

  “I’ve discovered what type of weapon was used. Look here," she said as she placed the tip of the poker against the skull. “The size is different, but since it’s a fire poker, the shape is more or less the same.”

  Without waiting for a response, Olivia grabbed Jordan’s sleeve.

  “We have to get back to the Barlowes’. There’s someone I want to talk to.”

  Olivia and Jordan arrived at the Barlowe estate in the afternoon. The butler had been waiting for them by the door, and in her hurry, Olivia nearly knocked him over.

  “Where’s Eddy?” she asked after apologizing profusely.

  “He didn't come into work this week. His mother hasn't been feeling well so he visited her.”

  Olivia looked worriedly at Jordan. She bit her lip trying to think of a solution.

  “Do you know where he lives?” she asked the butler.

  He nodded and recited the address. Olivia typed the address into her notes and asked if they could swing by Eddy’s in the morning. Jordan nodded and made note of it.

  “Anything else, miss?” the butler inquired.

  “Yes, I’m going to need a key to the garden shed.”

  Chapter 8

  Key in hand, Olivia guided Jordan to the shed. Going to the shed through the library exit saved them more time than she had expected.

  The shed stood in the midst of a bunch of tall flowers. It looked like a little cottage straight out of a fairy tale book. During her time at the estate, there had been days when Olivia looked out of the library windows, and the shed had caught her attention.She often imagined having a small cottage overlooking the lake. Every day, she could sit by the window with a cup of tea and just enjoy the scenery. It was her retirement dream.

  Right now, however, her outlook on the shed had changed. It no longer looked cozy and inviting. The fear of what she may find inside caused Olivia’s hand to tremble slightly as she put the key in the door.

  Olivia pushed the door open and was greeted with a cloud of dust. She held a hand to her mouth and coughed while Jordan entered holding his elbow to his face.

  “Seems like no one has been here in some time.”

  Olivia agreed. Done with her coughing fit, Olivia gave her chest a few good pats and proceeded rifling through the shelves. She found nothing.

  The shed was small. It had one row of counters to serve as the kitchen, one bathroom and a cot shoved into a corner. Having Jordan in the shed with her made Olivia feel crowded. Despite all that, Eddy seemed to have kept the place neat.

  Olivia and Jordan even
tually gave up. They had searched every shelf and drawer and even under the bed. but they still found no damning evidence.

  “I guess we're back at square one. Sorry for leading you on with this assumption,” Olivia said, defeated.

  Olivia had received clues and found herself with more questions than answers. She was tired of it. Feeling sleepy, she sat on the bed. The sound of something crinkling woke her up.

  Curious, Olivia lifted the blanket and sheet off the bed and gasped, causing Jordan to look at her.

  “What’s that?” he asked, accepting a letter that Olivia handed to him.

  “Looks like love letters to me. It might tell us something. Come on, help me read through them.”

  After what seemed like ages, Jordan and Olivia put down the letters. The letters had started off sweet. Eddy had doted on Ruth, and in her loneliness, she had shown interest. Judging from the dates on the letters, Ruth’s affair had been going on for years.

  Eventually, Ruth feared her husband finding out and put an end to the relationship. Eddy went from being a loving, gentle partner to someone who threatened her not to leave him. He went into detail with what he was capable of and it chilled Olivia to the bone.

  Olivia stood up and gathered the letters into her bag.

  “There has to be more,” she told Jordan. “Let’s keep on searching.”

  This time, they looked thoroughly. The two of them knocked on the walls trying to find a hollow space and they checked each floorboard to see if one was loose. They searched for anything that could be a hiding place.

  Jordan pulled the cot out of its corner but on the way out, it got stuck. Olivia looked over to see where it was stuck and squealed when she found that the cot’s leg had gotten jammed in the crack left by a loose floorboard.

  They tried grabbing on to the floorboard to pull it out but it was stubborn. Eventually, Jordan left to grab a crowbar from his car.

  Once the floorboard had been opened, Olivia caught sight of a black duffel bag. Filled with excitement, she grabbed one of the handles and pulled. Something heavy slid to the front of the bag and a sharp tip ripped through it, scratching Olivia in the process.