The Amish Heiress (The Paradise Chronicles Book 1)

by Patrick E. Craig

  I wonder what that was all about.

  *****

  Gerald St. Clair followed his grandmother down the hallway toward the main part of the house. He felt hot and sweaty and flushed. She had almost caught him telling Rachel that they were poisoning her. He was about to go into the living room when he felt his grandmother’s hand on his arm.

  “I understand that Mr. Randall delivered my message, Gerald. I meant every word of it. You will not stand in the way of me getting what I want, so don’t screw this up. You will be very, very sorry if you do.”

  “Just what do you want, Grandmother? And I don’t believe that you would kill me. You need me alive if you want to get your hands on all that money.”

  Augusta smiled her icy smile and turned to go. “Sometimes money isn’t everything, Gerald.”

  *****

  Daniel looked through the bushes at the house. He had not seen Rachel outside for days. He had to get inside to see her, but he knew he would have no excuse to be in the house. And those men, what were they doing here?

  What can I do, Lord?

  He turned and began walking back to the barn. As he came around the corner, he ran right into Gerald St. Clair. The two men collided and Daniel was knocked to the ground. Gerald reached down to help him up. “Wow, sorry, I didn’t see you. I’m rather distracted at the moment. Are you all—”

  As Gerald looked at Daniel’s face, a light of recognition dawned in his eyes. “You look very familiar. Do I know you? I mean, I know you work here, but haven’t I met you somewhere else?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “What is your name?”

  “David, my name is David.”

  Daniel’s response caused Gerald to look at his face again. “No...it’s not David. I know you, don’t I?”

  And then the penny dropped. “Wait...yes, I met you in Paradise. You’re Rachel’s friend. Dennis, right?”

  Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Gerald held onto Daniel’s arm. “Dennis...no, Daniel. You’re Rachel’s Amish friend, Daniel. You were with Rachel the first time I met her. But you were dressed in those funny clothes. And you didn’t have a beard.”

  Gerald looked around quickly and then lowered his voice. “What are you doing here?”

  Daniel looked for a way to escape, but Gerald held his arm with a grip of steel. Daniel capitulated. “All right, Mr. St. Clair, you’re right. I’m Daniel.”

  “But what are you doing in Connecticut?”

  Daniel looked Gerald straight in the eye. “I was worried about Rachel, so I came here to look out for her. I think you and your grandmother are not nice people and Rachel is my friend. So I got a job working in the stable. And now there is something going on here that is very strange. Two nights ago I saw three men arrive here. They had guns. Is Rachel in danger? What’s going on? What are you up to?”

  Gerald looked around quickly, and then pulled Daniel close. “Yes, Rachel is in danger. And if anyone hears me telling you that, I’m as good as dead.”

  “Dead? Are you serious? What is happening here?”

  Daniel could see both fear and resolve in Gerald’s face.

  “My grandmother wants all of Rachel’s money. But she can’t get it because she’s not an heir. And I can’t get it if Rachel divorces me. The only way I can get the money is if Rachel dies without children. My grandmother has hired a man to kill Rachel. He’s a professional and he’s ruthless. They have started giving Rachel poison. I thought I could go along with the plan, but I can’t. Rachel is good, she’s beautiful and...and I’ve fallen in love with her. And there is a complication.”

  Daniel looked Gerald in the eye. “I know. Rachel is pregnant.”

  Gerald almost choked. “How...?”

  “I heard you and your grandmother talking in the barn. I didn’t hear everything, but I did hear that part. You were pretty upset.”

  Gerald put his face in his hands. “If they kill her, they’ll kill my child, too. I can’t let that happen. But I don’t know what to do, and I need help getting Rachel away from here.”

  It was Daniel’s turn to grip Gerald’s arm. “I can’t believe you have been poisoning my Rachel? How could you do such a thing?”

  Gerald shook his head. “I thought the money was everything. But something Rachel said has been bothering me.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She told me I could have a relationship with God. I thought I didn’t believe in this Christian stuff, but ever since she said it, I can’t get it out of my head. This morning I realized I’m basically a worthless human being, and now my grandmother wants to make me into a murderer. I just can’t. It’s...well, it’s wrong. I have to get her out of here. Will you help me?”

  Daniel nodded. “Yes, I will help. What can I do?”

  “I can’t talk any more now, but can you meet me here tonight?”

  “What time?”

  “I’ll slip out around eleven. I have to be careful because my grandmother has men watching the house. She controls everything. They will stay until Rachel is dead. You must be very careful. These men are trained professionals and they won’t hesitate to kill us if we get caught. My grandmother has something very evil planned for Rachel, and I think I’m on her list, too. I think it’s much deeper than just getting the money, but I don’t know all the details. We need to help Rachel.”

  Daniel could sense the urgency in Gerald’s voice.

  “I’ll be here at eleven.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Suspicion

  Augusta picked up her private intercom and called out to the caretaker’s cottage. A male voice answered.

  “Yes?”

  “I need to speak to Randall.”

  There was a moment’s silence and then Randall came on the line. “Good morning, Augusta.”

  “Randall, something is going on with Gerald. I found him with Rachel this morning, and he looked very guilty when he saw me. I’m sure he is going to betray us.”

  “Well, he will at least try to wiggle out of his part in all this. I’ve seen his type before. He’s weak and cowardly and has no stomach for this kind of operation.”

  “What should we do?”

  “I’m already on it. My men are watching him to make sure he doesn’t try to leave or mess up our plans. He is a liability, of course. I assume you will want to deal with him at some point.”

  “Yes, but not until he is vested with Rachel’s inheritance. When he turned twenty-one, I had Gerald sign over all his powers of attorney and make me the sole beneficiary of his will. Of course, he didn’t realize that he was signing those specific papers. He was too eager to start spending his trust fund to pay attention to the legal details. But be that as it may, if he dies before Rachel, there will be no money for me to inherit. And even then, I think we should wait awhile before we arrange something special for my darling Gerald—give everything time to cool down.”

  “That’s right, but we might have to keep him on ice until then.”

  “Whatever needs to be done, that’s up to you. There should be plenty of ways to keep him quiet, I imagine.”

  “Not a problem. As far as anyone is concerned, he will be a grieving husband who has locked himself in his room and is not receiving visitors. After a few weeks, the horrible and unexpected death of his lovely young bride will unhinge his mind until, being unable to face life any longer; he will drive out to a remote spot on his magnificent estate and shoot himself in the head. The authorities will inspect the scene but find no reason to suspect that any other people are involved, and they will put the whole matter down as a suicide. And life will go on as the billions of dollars are transferred to the grandmother’s bank account.”

  Augusta listened to the scenario and smiled to herself. “Really, Randall, you are quite ahead of the game, aren’t you?”

  “I try to be.”

  Augusta was quiet for a moment.

  “Augusta, you still there?”
<
br />   “I’m just wondering, how difficult would it be to turn him into a vegetable without killing him. I mean, someone who is totally crippled, you know—in a vegetative state but totally aware of everything going on around him. As his conservator, I would be in charge of his money, so he could just sit there day after day while I did whatever I wanted. It would be very fulfilling to see him suffer as I have suffered.”

  “You, Augusta?”

  “It’s just a thought. Put it down to the musings of an old woman who has endured much at the hands of this cursed St. Clair family.”

  “I can arrange for any outcome you desire. A coma, a vegetable, or just dead. But it’s like taking a choice from a menu. As you add degrees of difficulty, you add more to the cost. So that’s totally up to you. But the bottom line is that adding Gerald to my list is going to cost you, at a minimum, double my fee for Rachel. And I will need half up front, as usual.”

  There was a pause and then Augusta sighed. “No problem, Randall. I will have a check for you this afternoon.”

  The line went dead. Augusta stared at the phone in her hand. She put the phone down and walked over to a mirror that was hanging on her office wall. She admired herself and then pointed a finger at her own reflection.

  “Be very careful, old girl. You’re almost there. In a little while, all the St. Clairs will be dead.”

  Augusta laughed out loud.

  *****

  Gordon Randall picked up a small bag and headed outside. He didn’t want to make his next call on a line that Augusta might be monitoring. He walked into the woods and stopped under a large pine tree. He reached into the bag and made some adjustments to the equipment inside. Then he pulled a wireless handheld phone out and dialed a number. In a moment, the hissing voice of Michel Duvigney answered. “Well, Randall, how are we doing over there?”

  “Everything is going as planned. Rachel will be out of the way in a few days and then we’ll deal with Gerald and Augusta.”

  “I assume you have a plan for that?”

  “Augusta is already counting the money she’ll get when Rachel dies and her grieving grandson commits suicide. What she doesn’t know is that you have lost or spent all her money, so there won’t be any coming to Gerald and, consequently, none to her. If I were you, I would find some money to put into Rachel’s account so that Augusta will take the pressure off you for at least a week. Then when Rachel is dead, I will send some very incriminating tapes to the police that reveal Gerald’s part in murdering Rachel and how Augusta was his accomplice. When the police investigate, they will find the medicine bottle with the poison in it and Gerald’s fingerprints all over it. Rachel’s body will be exhumed and the coroner will find that death was caused by arsenic poisoning, not Asiatic flu. As a murderer, Gerald will be disqualified from inheriting the money and will spend the rest of his life in prison. Augusta will also go to prison, with no hope of ever inheriting anything, which will let you off the hook. Voilà! Michel Duvigney is never audited and the missing billions remain missing.”

  Duvigney actually laughed, although it sounded more like someone dying of tuberculosis. “Brilliant, Randall, absolutely brilliant. I’m delighted. If everything goes as planned, there will be quite a nice surprise in your stocking this Christmas.”

  “Thank you, Michel. I will keep you informed.”

  Randall turned off the phone, put it back into the bag with the tape recorder, and then walked back to the cottage.

  *****

  After his conversation with Randall, Michel Duvigney sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking about what Randall had said. Then he picked up the phone and dialed a number. Duvigney heard the phone pick up.

  “Rose, here.”

  “Rose, I have a feeling that Randall is double-crossing me. In a conversation today, he revealed that he has been making incriminating tape recordings of Augusta St. Clair. Knowing Randall, that means he has also been making recordings of my conversations with him. If those conversations ever leaked to the police or the press, it would be very disadvantageous for me. So I want you to be ready to eliminate him as soon as the project in Greenwich is completed. How many days until the girl is dead?”

  “Three or four.”

  Duvigney nodded. “Good. Things are going as planned. As soon as you can verify that Rachel St. Clair is eliminated, I want you to take care of Randall. Does he have any idea that you’re a double agent?”

  “Colonel Randall trusts me implicitly. After all, we went through some very hot action in Nam together.”

  “Good. You’ll be paid the usual fee and, Rose, be very careful. Randall has eyes in the back of his head.”

  “I can read the Colonel like a book. He trained me.”

  “Well, yes, that’s true, but be careful anyway. I know I don’t have to tell you this, but be sure you recover any tapes or information that will be incriminating to me. He will have them on his person or in his effects.”

  Duvigney disconnected from the call. He smiled and spoke to himself. “Money always trumps loyalty...”

  Then he dialed another number. A woman came on the line.

  “Charlene Esperanto here.”

  “Charlene, it’s Michel Duvigney. Have you accomplished the task I requested of you?”

  “Yes, Michel. We have tracked Randall as you requested and discovered both the attorney that he would use to deliver any incriminating evidence he might have collected against you and the safe deposit box where it is kept. When should we move on it?”

  “Wait until I hear from Rose. He will be taking care of Randall, personally. As soon as Randall is dead, I will call you and you will get rid of the attorney. And what is the bank?”

  “Manhattan Trust.”

  “Good, I will have my man there clean out the safe deposit box as soon as Randall and the attorney have been eliminated. You’ll hear from me within five days.”

  Duvigney hung up the phone. Then he made one more phone call to the Manhattan Trust Bank. When he had passed on the information and instructions to his contact there, he got up and went to the Louis XIV Lion Head wine bar against the back wall. He got out the bottle of Le Voyage de Delamain Cognac and poured himself a drink. He held the snifter to his nose and reveled in the delicious bouquet. Then he raised it in a silent toast to himself. If all went as planned, he wasn’t going to have to give up his expensive little habits after all.

  *****

  A cold, bitter wind cut the night air like a scalpel. The moon was a slim crescent, high in the sky, but the pale light did little to illuminate the grounds of the St. Clair mansion. The clouds had blown through and the temperature had dropped again. A million stars set against the indigo backdrop twinkled in the high canopy of the heavens, but the effect was not delightful. Instead, it was almost ghastly. Daniel King walked quietly toward the huge horse barn. He made sure he stepped on already trodden paths to avoid the crunching of the icy crust under his feet. It was a few minutes after eleven. He slipped inside the open barn door and stepped into the shadows. He waited there silently for almost twenty minutes. Finally, he saw a shadow slipping down the path from the house. It was Gerald St. Clair. Gerald stepped inside the door. He whispered in the darkness. “Daniel?”

  “Here, Gerald.”

  Daniel stepped out and pulled Gerald into the shadows. Gerald was trembling. “Sorry I’m late. I had to wait until Randall’s men went for coffee. They were sitting at the end of my hallway. I think my grandmother is suspicious because she’s had those men watching me more closely.”

  “I’m glad you were able to get out. How will you get back in?”

  Gerald shrugged. “I’ll just tell them I went for a walk, if it’s any of their concern.” Gerald started trembling again.

  Daniel put his hand on Gerald’s shoulder. “It is very brave of you to go against your grandmother and her evil plans. You have to gather your courage and trust God.”

  In the dim light, Daniel could see a puzzled look on Gerald’s face.

  “Y
ou talk like Rachel does, Daniel, but I don’t understand what you mean. You both act like God is a real person.”

  “Oh, but He is a real person. And He’s helping us right now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Rachel is his daughter. He’s concerned about her safety. He has moved on your heart to save her. Don’t you see?”

  “You mean these feelings that have been bothering me are from Him?”

  “Have you been feeling guilty?”

  “Very guilty.”

  “So think about it, Gerald. Here you are, a playboy who married someone you don’t even love, just to get her money. She becomes pregnant and now you’re feeling guilty, probably for the first time in your life. I would imagine you have gotten other girls pregnant and not given it a thought.”

  Gerald lowered his head and stood silently for a long moment. Then he looked up at Daniel.

  “You’re wrong about two things, Daniel. I have felt guilty before—not for a long time, but I have. I used to feel guilty when I was a boy and the priest talked about sin and doing the wrong thing. But after my parents died and I came to live with Grandmother, I learned to never feel guilty about anything I did.”

  “What is the other thing I’m wrong about?”

  “You said I don’t love Rachel, but I do. I don’t know when it happened, but she’s different from any girl I’ve ever met. She’s strong, and sweet and pure. Well, she was...before...”

  Daniel put his hand on Gerald’s shoulder. “I understand, Gerald. I love her, too. So we must not be afraid to find a way to save her. Tell me where she is.”

  Gerald pulled Daniel to the door of the barn and pointed at a wing of the house. “She has her own suite in the east wing. It’s on the ground floor and she has a set of French doors that open out into the gardens. She pretty much keeps to herself. But those men are watching everything very closely. It will be hard for you to get to her.”

  Daniel stood quiet for a moment. He tried to think of a way to sneak in to rescue Rachel. He thought of several, but discarded each one as impractical. Finally, he turned to Gerald. “First of all, you’ve got to stop giving her the poison. Then, I don’t know how, you have to tell her I’m here and that I will come for her tomorrow night. Can you do it?”