by Beth Byers
Violet glanced at Geoffrey and shook her head.
“Don’t trust him?”
Violet shook her head and gave Geoffrey a smile, surprised she was happy that he was with her. That he might hear it from her and understand her choices. “Aunt Agatha built the fortune. Not me. I’m just the steward, and as much as I might care for Geoffrey, he was no one to her.”
“What do you do with it then?” Grandfather Wakefield frowned at her.
“Help people like Mariposa Jenkins or orphans. I do spend too much money on clothes and shoes, but Aunt Agatha knew I would.”
Chapter 15
“How was Kate?”
“Uncomfortable,” Lila said as they walked back to the front of the house. “She looks like someone is twisting her spine into knots and moves like she has bricks chained to her ankles.”
Violet gave Lila her most wicked grin. “That’s going to be you.”
“And you,” Lila countered. “I can see that look in your eye.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Violet told her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about either,” Geoffrey said, looking between the two of them.
“Go to bed,” Violet told him. She paused for a moment and then took a deep breath and with an edge of horror added, “Lock your door.”
Geoffrey glanced at her. “I’ll be fine. Why would anyone want to hurt me?”
“It’s not you we should be worried about,” Lila told him. “It’s Vi we should worry about. You have a broken arm and someone was killed in the house. Your mother is going to slaughter Violet slowly.”
Violet shuddered and Geoffrey, to Violet’s shock, giggled. “She really is going to bring it up for the rest of your life.”
“It won’t even matter,” Violet muttered, “that you got drunk and decided to be a fool. It’ll still be my fault.”
Geoffrey looked fully amused when he said, “You left me alone. I’m just a child. What did you expect?”
Violet gasped as Lila rubbed him on the top of his head and told Violet, “I don’t know what you were talking about. We should have known he was just as much of a demon as you.”
Violet laughed and then found Jack was watching them. “What’s this?”
“Another devil,” Lila told him.
“Denny said if I found you first I was to send you to your room.”
“He said what?” Lila sounded fully scary.
Violet oohed. “There’s the dangerous creature Denny fears.”
“He also said,” Jack continued, “to immediately add that he adores the ground you walk on, and only wants you to be safe from my murderous family, any of whom could rob him of the only joys his life has to offer.”
Geoffrey glanced between them. “You all are so strange.”
“You really do need to make sure that you’re safe,” Violet told Lila, then she faced Geoffrey. “We’re focusing on the frivolous because the rest is too horrible. Did you learn anything?” She added this last to Jack.
“Frank and Liam both accused each other and then Frank said Hyacinth would do anything for Liam. Liam punched Frank and went to check on his sisters, who refused to let him enter. Then Liam punched a hole in the wall of the hallway and said we’ve all gone mad.”
The foursome exchanged telling looks, then parted for the night, Geoffrey escorting Lila to her room.
Violet and Jack went to their bedroom where Jack locked them in.
“Who is with Herbert?” Violet asked.
“Aina is sleeping on the floor in his room.”
Violet told Jack about Hyacinth and then asked, “Are we really just going to let Grandfather Wakefield be unwatched?”
“Please,” Jack told her, “don’t be silly. There’s a constable outside of his room. He saw you. You really should look behind the stairs before you eavesdrop. Someone could be eavesdropping on you.”
Violet gasped. “You were having me followed, weren’t you?”
“Violet Wakefield,” he told her, those penetrating eyes fixed on her. He seemed to know her more fully than anyone else ever could have. “Of course I was. You are completely troublesome and I will lose everyone and everything before I lose you.”
“That’s disturbing,” she told him flatly, but he wasn’t bothered. “You are entirely unrepentant.”
“You would do the same if it were me.” Jack turned her face to his and pressed a kiss on her forehead.
“Are you all right?”
He paused before answering. “They’re younger than I am, so I don’t know them, not the same way you know your cousins. It’s nowhere near like you and Victor. Or even you and Isolde.”
He was lying. She could see it in his gaze and the way his eyes turned to the side. Violet laid her head on his chest, but she knew it wouldn’t make him feel better. Even now, she didn’t feel better about Meredith killing Aunt Agatha, and Violet had had years to think on it. There was no making him feel better now.
Instead, she waited up all night with him for someone to try to kill Herbert, but no one did. The next morning, Violet looked at Jack with burning eyes and told him, “I’m having gin in my Turkish coffee.”
“I understand,” Jack said.
“We need to just remember something,” Violet told him, not able to hide her growing fury.
“What’s that?” Jack’s lips twitched at her irritation.
“This fiend is related to you, and I’ve seen a ridiculous amount of evidence that they’re almost as brilliant as you.”
Violet dressed, unable to shake her mood. She deliberately put on a black dress. It was fabulous, with layers of sheer fabric laying over each other, but it also matched her mood. She wanted nothing more than to kick all of his family out of her house and tell them to take the fortune they were fighting over with them.
The breakfast room only contained Frank, Liam, Herbert, and James. Violet and Jack entered, and then James said, “Denny, Lila, and Geoffrey left this morning. I sent them to your brother’s house.”
Violet sighed. “We know it wasn’t James,” she began without greeting. She probably should have gotten her coffee first. “We know it wasn’t Herbert because he knew what was in the will, and we know it wasn’t Hyacinth because she just put her father to bed, weeping over knowing it was one of you two.” She fixed her gaze on Liam and Frank.
“That’s not true,” Liam said. “We wouldn’t…I wouldn’t…there’s no way. How could Mother think that?”
Frank look at Liam, then back at Violet. “Of course we wouldn’t. My goodness, how can you even say this? What are we supposed to do, lie and confess?”
“To be honest,” Violet said to him, “I don’t really care.”
“Violet,” Jack said, glancing at her. “What are you up to?”
“Me?” Violet demanded. “I don’t like them. They should leave.”
“I didn’t like Meredith,” he shot back. “I barely like Denny.”
Perfect, Violet thought, knowing that he realized she was stirring the pot. “Every time we go somewhere, we find another body, someone else who is killing over money. I’m just tired of it all.” Violet shook her head and then hurried out of the room. She found Aina in the hall. “You know Jack.”
He nodded. “Quite well during the war.”
“He’s smart. He’s observant. He’s intuitive.”
Aina agreed, “He is.”
“I suspect he comes by it naturally.”
Aina laughed and nodded. “They’re cagey, all of them. From the elder Wakefield to those little girls.”
Violet nodded. “The trap isn’t going to work. It’s not worth trying for Herbert when everyone is watching. The consequences are too great.”
“Maybe you should go see your brother. Take a step back.”
“You haven’t removed me or Jack as suspects,” Violet told Aina, lifting a brow.
“I see why Jack fell in love with you. It’s the combination of cleverness and bluntness.”
Violet winked
at him. “Don’t lose your heart to me, lovey. I’m taken.”
He shook his head. “The amount of money that you and Jack would have lost isn’t enough to commit this kind of crime, and you both have a long history of solving murders, not committing them. I talked to Scotland Yard. They laughed at me when I said you were a suspect. It wasn’t even Barnes.”
Violet grinned and curtseyed and then sobered. “I hate that one of these people killed the uncle I liked the best and that they’re eating my food and living under the same roof as my little brother.”
Aina nodded. “I don’t believe that your family is in danger.”
“Not my family.” Violet looked at him. “Jack’s remaining nice uncle.”
“We’ll follow the evidence to realize who did it.”
“We need a confession,” Violet told Aina. “Somehow, we need a confession.”
“I don’t believe you’ll get it. If the killer were Jack, he would never confess.” Aina’s doubt reflected Violet’s and she groaned.
“If Jack were the killer,” she told Aina, “he would set someone else up. If the killer is as clever as Jack, he’d have a plan.”
Aina looked at Violet and was very gentle as he said, “Perhaps you give Jack more credit than he deserves?”
Violet’s smile was as gentle as she told him, “Perhaps.”
“You know him quite well. You could trap Jack. You could guess what he would do. He isn’t infallible. Neither is the killer.”
Violet paced as she considered. “Usually there are too many suspects.”
She paused in her frustration and glanced at him. With a wink and a grin, she said, “You’re right. I should go see my brother.”
She called for an auto and told Jack she was going to see Victor. She drove through the village with her mind on the problem. She couldn’t wrap her head around how to catch someone who had planned so well.
Violet tried to push the thoughts of the murder aside as she arrived at Victor’s house. Kate had one hand on her stomach, rubbing back and forth, and Violet could see her sister-in-law wasn’t comfortable. She tried being cheery, but it didn’t help Kate.
She finally asked, “What can I do?”
“There’s really nothing to be done,” Kate said, “until this baby arrives. Distract me.”
Violet rose and paced as she spoke. “I can’t figure it out. How would you catch someone as smart as Jack?”
“You find their weakness.” Kate tried to shift her body again, but it wasn’t enough to make her comfortable.
“How?” Violet groaned. “I didn’t sleep last night, waiting for someone to try to kill Herbert. I’m frustrated. This was supposed to be the baby celebration.”
“You need details on the brothers. You know who would be able to take Victor down? Without even trying?”
Violet stared at Kate. “Me.”
“Without question.” Kate pressed her hand to her back and then sighed. “I could too, though I might have to try a little harder since I can’t read his mind like you can.”
Violet glanced at Victor and saw the worry and concern over Kate in his face. She reached out and took his hand. “Women have been having babies for centuries. Kate will be fine.”
Kate grinned at Victor. “You better hope that our one…maybe two…children are as close as you and Vi, because if they aren’t…”
“Oh my goodness,” Violet said. “You know who could break down those brothers? Their overlooked sisters. They locked the boys out of the room they were sharing. They guessed. Or one of them did. Those clever girls. I need to talk to them.”
Chapter 16
Violet slipped back into the house unobserved. She and Geoffrey entered through the kitchens, took the servants’ stairs, and used the master key to let themselves into the bedroom. The sisters looked up in horror with several squeaks.
Violet glanced at Geoffrey. “That one.” Violet pointed to the one sister who stood quietly.
“Me?” she asked.
“Nan?” one of the sisters squeaked. “Not Nan!”
The quiet sister glanced at the one who cried out. “Not Nan? What are you talking about, Ursula?”
“They must think you’re the killer,” Ursula said. Violet immediately repeated the name in her head. She was very concerned she’d only ever remember Nan’s name. Perhaps she’d be able to recall Ursula for being stupider than the rest.
“Why would they think that?”
“So we won’t be homeless now that Grandfather changed his will?” another sister suggested. “To save us.”
“We’ve discussed this,” Nan said patiently. “Uncle James has never been interested in the company, Uncle Anderson is dead, Mama would never, and Uncle Herbert’s children are benefited more by the changes in the will and he knew the contents of the will.”
“But what if he didn’t?”
Nan sighed and leaned towards Ursula, “Collect yourself. The secretary overheard. He told Grandfather.”
“What if he’s lying?”
“Why would he? He could lose everything. He isn’t a member of the family.”
Violet watched the back and forth until Ursula said, “I don’t want it to be our part of the family.”
“No one does,” Violet said. “We all want it to have actually been Uncle Anderson’s heart.”
Ursula nodded and Nan scoffed. “Our brothers were nearly hysterical about the changes to the will. They were convinced Uncle Anderson had finally persuaded Father not to break the business apart.”
Violet sighed. She really should have talked to the girls directly from the beginning. They were never suspects, but they knew far more than Vi would have guessed.
“You have it all figured out, don’t you?”
Nan met Violet’s gaze and then glanced at her sisters. “We have an idea.”
“Which brother do you think it is?”
Ursula groaned and then hissed, “We don’t know!”
“But you have an idea.”
Ursula covered her face, and Nan said flatly, “Frank is meaner than a snake.”
One of the youngest girls squeaked and another groaned. “If you’re wrong, Frank will never stop punishing us.”
There was actual fear in that whisper, and Violet closed her eyes.
“Are you afraid of him?” Geoffrey asked. He sounded so gentle that Violet’s eyes burned. She knew she was more emotional because she was so tired, but…the difference in Geoffrey when he was away from his mother was astounding.
None of the girls answered.
Violet took a seat. “Your brothers are smart.”
“We know.” Nan sat across from Violet on the bed.
“Wicked clever, even. They’re both biding their time.”
“No they aren’t,” Nan said. “Liam doesn’t want to believe Frank is the killer. Liam is searching for another reason and probably clinging to the idea that it was Uncle Anderson’s heart.”
“How would you trap Frank? Because we’re failing.”
Nan started to shake her head and then she stopped. Her gaze narrowed upon the wall and her mouth twisted.
“Those pistachios came from our house,” Nan said.
“Nan!” Ursula hissed.
“We kept them for him when Uncle Anderson visited. We’d add them to his sweet if they made sense.”
“Nan! Stop! He’ll find out.”
Nan stared Ursula down. “We have to get rid of him. He’s mean, Vi. He likes to torment us, and there’s a reason we don’t have pets.”
Violet shuddered and Geoffrey gasped. “Your pets?”
“We had the sweetest little…” Nan started and one of the little girls started to cry. “Never you mind.”
Violet felt that she was certainly going to be ill. She placed a hand on her stomach and thought that she was a breath from sicking up.
Geoffrey rose and paced among the girls before speaking to Nan. “You can do this. You can help us.”
Her gaze narrowed on Geoffrey. �
��Us?”
“And yourself. Why are you his victim? Why didn’t you tell your other brother or your grandfather or one of your uncles?”
“No one would believe us,” Nan hissed back. “They never do. We always look like hysterical little girls who are upset because our doll broke.”
“Jack would have believed you,” Geoffrey told them fiercely.
Oh, Violet thought, oh my goodness. That act of faith in Jack was the best gift Geoffrey could have given her.
“We were just holding on,” Nan said. “We go to school and are gone for much of the time. During the holidays, we stay together. And Jack? He’s never here. We don’t have any reason to know him or trust him.”
Geoffrey scowled and glanced back at Violet. “So help Vi. She believes you. She can catch your brother. What about the pistachios? Why do those matter?”
“Because someone would have to have delivered them. He would have. He’s controlling.” Nan looked at Geoffrey like he was an idiot.
“No one saw,” Geoffrey told her, giving her the same scathing look.
Nan sighed, relenting. “This is what you do,” Nan said.
Violet and Geoffrey leaned in as Nan laid out her plan.
The next morning, Violet watched silently as Aina announced, “We can’t keep you here any longer, but we know it was one of you, and we will find the evidence. To the killer, enjoy the last measure of freedom. It is going through your fingers like sand through an hourglass. To the rest of you, you’re free to go back to your homes.”
“That was dramatic,” Denny told Lila. “We really should convince this Aina fellow to come to London. It would be endless entertainment.”
“Are you trying to be funny?” Herbert asked Denny. With a disgusted glance at Jack, Herbert said, “I don’t like your friends.”
“My feelings would be hurt,” Denny told Lila. “If I cared.”
Aina shook his head and then said to Jack, “Be careful.”
Denny giggled and Lila advised, “You should probably muzzle it, laddie.”
“By Jove, please do!” Liam groaned.
A moment later Grandfather Wakefield rose. “James, I need you.”
