by Beth Byers
“He was,” Vi lied. “I saw them.”
Merely at the same table, but Vi wasn’t trying to comfort the woman, she was digging for secrets. Mrs. Lissow seemed to lose strength in her knees and she crossed to the bed on shaking legs.
“He…”
“He never got over her, did he?” It was a wild accusation, but Vi decided that crazy statements couldn’t hurt the investigation. “They loved each other for a long time. She made a mistake. He made a mistake, and then they were separated lovers.”
Mrs. Lissow’s lower lip was trembling and Vi was a monster. “I…no.”
Vi was almost positive that the ‘no’ was just a blanket denial, but she decided to pretend it wasn’t. “I knew it. I knew that they were lovers again. I saw those longing looks. Your Melvin must have decided to throw you over and go back to his true love.”
Mrs. Lissow was shaking her head, her eyes were welling with tears, but Vi could see the fear in her gaze. Vi switched her tactic. She reached out and took Mrs. Lissow’s hand. “It’s hard to be the second woman in his heart, isn’t it? It is for me.”
Mrs. Lissow slowly nodded. “Melvin loved her. He’s never gotten over her. The adventuring girl who would ride an elephant and shoot a tiger. She’d dance all night and get up at dawn for another adventure. I’m not like that. I try. I do. But I’m not Loopsie Giles with her charming stories and bright laugh.”
Vi patted her hand and leaned in, letting Mrs. Lissow speak. She wasn’t even talking to Vi, she was just spewing her worries as though someone had finally removed the muzzle that made her hide her thoughts. “Loopsie is a drunk now, but she wasn’t then. Melvin will say she’s let herself go, but he’s really thinking—look at how lost she is without me.”
Vi lifted her brows. That was just arrogant. Loopsie was a mess for a thousand reasons and they didn’t all center on that idiot Melvin who had married a woman he didn’t love, to punish the one he did. At least—he might’ve. Vi was just guessing based upon what she knew.
Mrs. Lissow had turned towards the window and was staring outside. “They’re letting other guests leave. If someone has an alibi that’s verified, they can go. Did you know?”
Vi shook her head.
“Melvin and I can’t leave. He won’t tell me why and I won’t tell him why. What a mess we are.”
To that, Vi didn’t disagree. This was a couple slated for divorce or separation unless they made some major changes. Instead of answering, Vi tried another half-hearted pat again. Mrs. Lissow rose and looked outside. “Is he with her now, do you think?”
Vi doubted it very much. If Mr. Lissow had killed Reese Stafford then surely the man was smart enough to pretend he had no reason to and then go after his lost love later, when detectives weren’t paying attention.
Mrs. Lissow turned suddenly and said, “Loopsie is stark raving bonkers. Melvin might not have killed Reese. It could have easily been Loopsie. She’s dim-witted from too much drink and look!”
Mrs. Lissow pulled up a sleeve and showed scars that clearly came from another person’s nails. Nails that had dug so hard, and so deep, that curls of flesh had been dug out. Vi stared. It was a horrifying sight and Vi didn’t disagree.
“Loopsie could have easily killed Reese. It doesn’t have to be my Melvin.”
“Where were you when Reese died?” Vi asked suddenly and Mrs. Lissow paled.
“Do you have a lover? Is your lover the reason that Loopsie and Melvin have hope now?”
Mrs. Lissow frantically shook her head, but it was so clearly a lie that Vi suddenly believed everything that had been said before. Or at least believed that Mrs. Lissow believed what she’d been saying.
“Who is your lover?” Vi demanded.
Mrs. Lissow’s mouth snapped shut. After a long moment, she muttered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Vi didn’t believe it for a second, but she was sure that they could find out. They didn’t need the truth from the horse’s mouth when there were little birdies all around that ballroom and all throughout the days before. Someone had seen. Someone knew. And someone would talk.
Vi rose and said, “You better lie less to Scotland Yard than you have to me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“They’re far less forgiving than I am.”
A moment of Smith-level evil genius occurred to Vi, and she added, “You might want to get your story straight with your lover before you two tell conflicting lies and put yourselves at the top of the suspect list.”
“Why would either of us kill Reese?”
“Who’s to say Reese wasn’t an accident and your husband was the target? Maybe your lover distracted you while a friend helped him. Or, who’s to say that Scotland Yard won’t just decide if you’re lying in this, you’re lying about everything else. Maybe you owed Reese money. Maybe he figured out about your lover. Maybe…”
Mrs. Lissow had paled so completely that Vi paused.
“He did know, didn’t he?”
Mrs. Lissow shook her head, but it looked more like a seizure than a denial.
“Oh ho,” Vi said, standing slowly. “Now there’s a motive. People kill to keep their crimes and lies hidden all the time. It’s such a common reason to murder.”
“We didn’t.” Mrs. Lissow’s voice was breathy and terrified. Vi believed her. Mrs. Lissow hadn’t. But her lover might have. Even Mrs. Lissow believed that one. Her gaze was wide, horrified, and a little sick. Vi left the room, walked down a bedroom, knocked sharply, and when there wasn’t an answer, she slipped inside with her key, left the door open a crack, and then waited. Two minutes passed and then Mrs. Lissow quietly left her bedroom. She crept down the hall to the servants’ stairs and slipped inside. Vi followed a moment later. She opened the door to the servants’ stairs and listened. The sound of movement came from below. Vi tip-toed after.
One floor down, Mrs. Lissow snuck onto the second floor. A moment later, Vi watched as the woman opened the door three doors down without knocking and stepped inside.
Vi left the servant’s staircase and looked around. She had no idea who was housed here, but she knocked on the first door and found Geoffrey. His eyes widened in horror, and Vi looked past her brother to find her ward, Ginny. They were, thank the heavens, clothed.
“Do you have a water glass?”
Geoffrey looked sick but he slowly turned and found the one next to his bed, handing it over. Vi glanced them both over and hissed, “We’ll be talking about this. Now be quiet.”
Vi tiptoed back to the hallway and listened with the glass.
“…worry!” That was a man’s voice, and it wasn’t comforting to say the least.
“They’ll think it was us.” Mrs. Lissow was crying, and Vi would have felt guilty except for Reese Stafford was dead, Rita’s wedding was fast approaching, and someone had killed the man. That person needed to be found.
“They still need evidence.”
“Did you kill Reese to keep him quiet?”
The mean scoff had Vi flinching for the poor woman. “It’s not my marriage on the rocks, Betty. I’m sorry Melvin never loved you. I’m sorry getting Loopsie drunk and setting her up with Percival didn’t get you the fairy tale ending you wanted. You shouldn’t have expected that.”
Vi gasped and lost hold of the drinking glass. She jerked back in horror and before she could react, her brother—the wart—grabbed her arm, jerked her into his bedroom and locked the door.
“That was close,” Ginny said.
Vi’s gaze narrowed on her ward. Ginny flushed deeply.
“You are too young,” Vi said.
“We were just…”
“I saw what you were.” Vi could guess and didn’t want to know more.
“Denny and Lila were in love like we were. Young as they were.” Geoffrey crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Vi in challenge.
“Denny is an idiot.”
“We’re not,” Ginny countered.
&
nbsp; “Even Denny didn’t…finish things,” Vi lied. It was one of the most blatant lies Vi had ever told and there would come a day when these two would realize it and call her to account, but Vi was betting that wouldn’t be until after she manipulated them into being smarter than they were being. “Even Denny and Lila were smart enough to wait. There are consequences to…” Vi gagged internally as she added, “sex. Consequences that can’t be swept away.”
“We love each other,” Ginny said.
“Is that true?” Vi demanded of the wart who nodded fiercely. Vi’s gaze moved to Ginny only then and she nodded. To Geoffrey, Vi said, “Then you won’t put her at risk for your selfishness.”
“I would never.”
There was a resolve in his gaze and Vi met it not as his sister, but as the guardian of the girl he loved. Vi decided to insert one final nail in this manipulation. “I knew you were a man of honor.”
He met her gaze and nodded. The resolve and the promise had only solidified.
“Now,” Vi said brightly, pretending she wasn’t dying inside at what she’d seen. “Who is staying next door to you?”
Chapter 15
After the coast was clear from the room next door, Vi hurried down to the library to see if anyone else had returned. To her surprise, Vi was the last one there. She crossed to Jack, wrapped her arms around him, and said, “I’ll never get over you.”
His brow furrowed as Vi squeezed him tightly.
“I’ll never get bored of you.”
“All right, Vi.” Jack kissed her forehead and then leaned back. “I am assuming that Mr. and Mrs. Lissow have gotten over each other?”
Vi started to nod and then said, “I’m not sure, actually. Mrs. Lissow is certainly cheating on her husband.”
“With who?” Ham demanded.
“Edward Hollands.”
Smith whistled low and then said, “He told Scotland Yard he was with a lover during the dinner and refused to state who it had been.”
“If they weren’t there,” Rita said, “They’re not our killers. But—”
“But?” Ham asked.
“But, Dr. Hollands and Mr. Hollands—they knew what the prize was.”
“What was it?”
“It’s an old goblet from the ruins,” Rita said. “Father bought it from the owner of the property. It has both history and actual value. It’s gold and bejeweled and expensive. It’s probably the most valuable thing that my father has ever used as a reward.”
Ham’s mouth had dropped open and even Denny was in shock.
“Is there any chance that one of those brothers could have poisoned Reese?”
“Dr. Hollands could have done it,” Smith said. “He was at another table when Reese died, but he was close enough in line to Reese that it was possible.”
Vi glanced at the chalkboard which had been opened and the notes had been read again. She paced as she stared at the board.
Ham was the one who said, “Let’s talk to the doctor.”
“He is a doctor though,” Vi said. “Don’t they swear to do no harm?”
Vi rolled her eyes at herself and threw herself on the chair next to Victor. She grinned at her twin and said, “I won’t get tired of you either.”
“Funny,” he snapped back, “I’m already sick of you.”
Vi laid her head on his shoulder insinuating herself into the chair and pushing him closer and closer to the edge. While they waited for the doctor, Vi whispered, “I just caught Ginny and Geoffrey in his room.”
Victor jerked so hard he fell off the side of the chair and landed on the door. A moment later, the door to the library opened and Dr. Hollands walked in to find Victor on the floor and all his friends staring at him in shock.
“Can I help you?” he asked as Jack jerked Victor to his feet.
“You knew about the prize before Reese died.” Ham’s voice was flat and even.
Dr. Hollands’s gaze widened and he said carefully, “I did.”
“You tried to cheat too,” Jack said as evenly, with those penetrating eyes fixed on the doctor. “You discovered what the prize was, tried to cheat to win it and then still lost. Maybe you decided it was worth using some of your brother’s extremely suspicious case of drugs in order to get rid of Reese, so you could have the prize.”
“Ah, no,” Dr. Hollands said. “Why would I point out the poisoning if I had done it?”
“Because you knew we had noticed it,” Jack suggested. “Better to not miss the poisoning than draw attention to yourself.”
“No,” Dr. Hollands said. “I didn’t know Reese had beat us.”
“Why were you arguing outside of the ruins?”
Dr. Hollands paused and then said, “My brother and I were arguing about our goal to get Mr. Russell to finance our next expedition. If we didn’t win the prize, we had another plan to get what we wanted.”
Vi stared at him and asked, “You didn’t like Reese Stafford?”
Dr. Hollands slowly nodded. “That’s true. Once you know him rather well, you realize—he’s not the charming man he pretends to be. At least my brother and I are straightforward about what we are. Reese pretends to be your best friend and would sleep with your wife and your daughter if you had them at the same time. And he’d throw them both over for someone else.”
Vi rubbed her jaw and then said, “How do you know?”
Dr. Hollands paused and then cleared his throat, shaking his head.
Denny giggled as Jack snapped, “We’re talking murder here, Hollands. If you want your expedition financed tell us why.”
“He knocked up Loopsie Giles and refused to marry her. She solved half that snipe hunt, and we stole her answers sometimes since she was so damn loud.”
Vi stared and then hissed, “Why do you know that?” But she rose before he could answer and started pacing. It was as clear as day. “Reese asked you to get rid of the baby, didn’t he?”
Dr. Hollands nodded. His cheeks were red, and he didn’t say the words out loud, but Vi guessed he’d slapped down a high price on such an illegal service.
“Her name wasn’t on their submission,” Rita added. “I saw the winning submissions from my father and Reese was on the answer alone.”
Dr. Hollands sounded almost as offended as Vi when he ground out, “She won that prize for him and then he told her that they’d sell the prize, whatever it was, pay me to get rid of the baby, and he could join Percival in his next trip to the Amazon.”
“I’d kill over that,” Kate said. “Using my prize to murder my baby, throw me over, and take the money.”
“Poor Loopsie,” Rita added. “She lost Melvin and then she lost Reese and now she’s having a baby.”
Vi bit down on her lip as she paced. They didn’t have any evidence. Not yet. How could they get it? A hateful idea occurred to Vi and she slowly asked Rita, “How well do you know Melvin Lissow?”
In the end it didn’t have to be a particularly well-laid trap. All they needed was a place for the Yard detective and Ham to hear, and Loopsie. She had found herself one of Victor’s bottles of blackberry liquor and Vi wasn’t sure if it was the first bottle or the second, but the girl was well into her cups.
Melvin and Vi approached Loopsie in the back garden where Vi had seen her crying the day before and found her sitting on the ground near the trees. Mr. Lissow’s gaze was filled with sadness as he squatted down next to her and said, “Oh Loopsie love. What have you done?”
Loopsie’s drunk, watery eyes met Melvin’s as tears immediately started falling. It was the tender, sorrowful words from the man she loved that sent the poor girl spiraling.
“I—”
Vi knelt next to Loopsie and reached out, gently taking the bottle away.
“Loopsie darling, tell me you didn’t.”
The girl hiccuped and then threw herself into Melvin’s arms.
“Tell me. Tell me you didn’t kill Reese,” Melvin said. He looked as sick as Vi felt as he rubbed the back of the woman he loved in
return.
“Betty stole you from me,” Loopsie slurred. “Her and Percival and you. He shouldn’t have touched me when I was so far gone. And you should have realized I didn’t understand and…and…Betty, Betty shouldn’t have been there with her big bosoms and her soft hands and her hissed words.”
“I know, baby. I know.” Melvin seemed to actually know, but Vi had seen the widening shock on his face as he realized that Loopsie hadn’t known what was happening when she’d bedded Percival Batting. It had never occurred to the man who supposedly loved her that Loopsie had been taken advantage of instead of betraying him.
A dark fury was rising in Vi as she watched poor Loopsie pull back to ask, “Why couldn’t you keep loving me?”
“I was hurt,” Melvin said. He had stopped being so loving now that he was suspicious.
Loopsie jerked away from him to snap, “So was I!”
“This isn’t about me and Betty, Loopsie.” Melvin had shifted from tender lover to offended and Vi wrapped her arm around Loopsie’s shoulders.
“They just keep taking advantage, don’t they? Betty knew you were too drunk, but she slid in with a sympathetic ear and low accusations.”
“She did!”
“Percival shouldn’t have touched you if you were in your cups.”
“I don't remember it,” Loopsie said. “Did it happen? If it did, what did he do to me?”
Vi shook her head, a tear rolling down her face. It wasn’t forced. Vi didn’t need to force it.
“And then Reese slid in?”
“I thought if I could at least remember what happened, I could pretend that the rest hadn’t. Melvin had thrown me over, and I just needed to put someone else’s touch in my mind and focus on that.”
Vi shuddered.
“But Reese betrayed you just like Melvin.”
“I just wanted him to marry me. I just wanted to settle down. I wanted to be something other than the drunk girl sleeping her way through her adventuring friends.”
Vi rubbed her lips as she leaned back. She didn’t want the answer again. She didn’t want to hear it. She glanced up and saw Jack nearby and Vi shook her head at him, silently begging to not have to draw the confession out. She could see Jack’s wince and even the Yard detective looked ready to commit murder.
