Read Online A Familiar Tail by Delia James - Free Book Online Page B

the bushes. Normal cat style of vanishing this time, not Cheshire cat style. Guess he saved that for special occasions.
    â€œNo, you’re not interrupting.” With a certain amount of effort, Frank relaxed his face into something approaching a neutral expression. “Ellis Maitland, this is Anna Britton.She’s staying over at the McDermotts’. Anna, this is Ellis Maitland.”
    Son of the very blond, very rich, very regal Elizabeth Maitland.
I smiled politely and took the hand Ellis held out.
    Banker,
I thought.
Or maybe real estate agent.
Every inch of him seemed designed to inspire confidence, from the perfectly calculated handshake to the tailored suit with crisp white shirt to the neatly combed chestnut hair with just the right amount of distinguished gray at the temples. I had the sneaking and rather snarky suspicion the rest of it might be dyed. He was definitely not a young man. Although it was early in the season, he already had a good suntan. He probably got it on the golf course. Ellis Maitland looked like the kind of guy who talked business with a nine iron, or whatever it was golfers used to knock helpless small objects around.
    â€œPleased to meet you.” Mr. Maitland looked from Frank to me and back again, like he’d caught us in the act of something adolescent. “Are you in town on business, Miss Britton?”
    â€œVacation.”
    â€œSomething I can do for you, Ellis?” asked Frank.
    â€œI’d heard you finally wrapped up Dorothy’s probate,” he said to Frank. “That must be a relief.”
    â€œYeah, it is.” Frank’s answer wasn’t exactly hostile, but it sure wasn’t welcoming either. I wondered why, but not for long.
    â€œIf there’s anything . . . ,” Ellis began, but Frank held up his hand.
    â€œI’m still not ready to sell.”
    â€œThat obvious?”
    â€œâ€™Fraid so, yep. ’Specially since you’re showing up in the super-agent suit.”
    I rubbed my face to cover the smile. I’d been right. Ellis Maitland was a real estate agent.
    â€œOkay, I admit it.” Ellis chuckled and held up his ownhands in surrender. “I want the house. It’s a terrific property.” He stopped, probably because he saw the genuine distaste that tightened Frank’s jaw. “But that’s not why I’m doing this, and you know it. Or you should. We’ve known each other a long time, Frank, and I really do want to help.”
    Frank’s shoulders sagged. “I know, Ellis, I know. It’s just . . . it’s been a lot . . .” He glanced toward the house, and I knew he was thinking about the basement stairs and what had happened in there. I sure was. “I need more time to think.”
    â€œSure, sure. I just hope that with Dorothy gone you haven’t started . . .”
    â€œDo
not
go there, Ellis,” Frank snapped.
    â€œOkay, okay. I won’t.”
    Where? Where!
    But Ellis Maitland, darn him, had already sighed and moved on. “But it has been six months and—” Ellis paused and glanced at me again. I tried to look harmless, or at least like I wasn’t on the edge of my white wicker seat to hear what came next. Frank just shrugged. The combination must have worked, because Ellis kept going. “I know how much you sank into the
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to get it up and running. You’re going to need more cash soon, and you know it. Just like you know you risk sinking the whole enterprise if you have to take out another big loan. This house is a real asset. At least it can be if you move on it before the next bubble bursts.” He looked at me again. “Unless you’ve got some other plans . . . ?”
    â€œNo. Nothing,” answered Frank a little too quickly. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he swore as he pulled it out and checked the screen. “In fact, I’m late to an