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Authors: Leona Karr
Tags: Suspense
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knowledge and approval, but it wasn’t easy to accept the fact that he would probably keep her in the dark about a lot of things. Still, it made sense not to trust her with any information that she might, inadvertently, blurt out.
Adam quickly left the table and slipped through one of the open French doors. As he followed a hall that led to the front of the house, he passed several open doors, revealing a beautifully furnished room within. When he passed a dining room with a highceiling and crystal chandeliers, he saw Morna at the far end of the room, by the butler’s pantry.
Grateful that she had her back to the door, he slipped by the open door without being seen and hurried up the main staircase. From an earlier report, he knew that Jasper, Della, Lisa and Buddy occupied the wing opposite the one that contained the master suite he and Carolyn had been given. It was pure luck that they were all out for the day. He wanted to get a feeling about these people, and giving their living quarters a quick scrutiny might prove helpful.
As he entered the rooms occupied by Jasper and Della, it was obvious they were cohabitating. Her stuff was mingled with his in the style of a married couple. They each had their own walk-in closet, and judging from the clothes hanging there, both seemed fairly conservative, if quality conscious, in their choice of attire.
Adam was much more interested in an adjoining study, which was obviously a home office and had its own exit into the hall. A large executive desk held the latest and most advanced computer system. Everything needed to transact business was right there in this room, and it appeared from notes and memorandums lying on the desk that Della spent many hours sitting there.
Speculation instantly filled Adam’s mind. What programs did she have running? Would they help in his investigation of Horizon? Was there time to log on— These questions came to an abrupt halt as muffled voices floated down the hall.
Someone was coming!
He stared at the door to the hall and prayed they wouldn’t use it. Their voices came closer. A man and a woman. Damn. Jasper and Della had come back.
“We have no choice, Jasper. You know that,” Della was saying. “It doesn’t matter what we think of her. Nothing can be done. We’ve got to look ahead and see what opportunities may come our way. I can’t believe Arthur put one over on us like this.”
A low grumble was his only reply.
“Morna says they’re having lunch on the terrace,” the woman continued. “We’ll take a minute to freshen up and then go down with smiles on our faces.”
Adam let out his breath when they turned into their private rooms, giving him a chance to ease out into the hall. He couldn’t go back the way he’d come without going by their open door. Should he chance it? He had to get back downstairs and join Carolyn as quickly as possible before Della and Jasper made their appearance on the patio.
They’d left the bedroom door open, and he could hear movement inside the bedroom. If he tried to pass the door, one of them might see him.
Deciding not to chance it, he headed in the opposite direction down the hall. As he passed rooms obviously occupied by Lisa and Buddy Denison, he glanced in. The young woman’s bedroom was stark white with burgundy accents and filled with designer furniture. Buddy’s was that of a young man who chose comfort over style and was cluttered with mementos of his various pastimes: boating, golfing andtennis. The idle rich. These two young people had the lifestyle down to a T.
There wasn’t any sign of back stairs at this end of the hall, which Adam had counted on. Only two doors. The first one he tried opened to a linen closet, but as he opened the second one, he breathed, “Bingo.”
He knew that in these old mansions, back stairs, or servant’s stairs were a must. It was important that staff members serve their masters without cluttering up the main halls and staircases.
When Adam
Adam quickly left the table and slipped through one of the open French doors. As he followed a hall that led to the front of the house, he passed several open doors, revealing a beautifully furnished room within. When he passed a dining room with a highceiling and crystal chandeliers, he saw Morna at the far end of the room, by the butler’s pantry.
Grateful that she had her back to the door, he slipped by the open door without being seen and hurried up the main staircase. From an earlier report, he knew that Jasper, Della, Lisa and Buddy occupied the wing opposite the one that contained the master suite he and Carolyn had been given. It was pure luck that they were all out for the day. He wanted to get a feeling about these people, and giving their living quarters a quick scrutiny might prove helpful.
As he entered the rooms occupied by Jasper and Della, it was obvious they were cohabitating. Her stuff was mingled with his in the style of a married couple. They each had their own walk-in closet, and judging from the clothes hanging there, both seemed fairly conservative, if quality conscious, in their choice of attire.
Adam was much more interested in an adjoining study, which was obviously a home office and had its own exit into the hall. A large executive desk held the latest and most advanced computer system. Everything needed to transact business was right there in this room, and it appeared from notes and memorandums lying on the desk that Della spent many hours sitting there.
Speculation instantly filled Adam’s mind. What programs did she have running? Would they help in his investigation of Horizon? Was there time to log on— These questions came to an abrupt halt as muffled voices floated down the hall.
Someone was coming!
He stared at the door to the hall and prayed they wouldn’t use it. Their voices came closer. A man and a woman. Damn. Jasper and Della had come back.
“We have no choice, Jasper. You know that,” Della was saying. “It doesn’t matter what we think of her. Nothing can be done. We’ve got to look ahead and see what opportunities may come our way. I can’t believe Arthur put one over on us like this.”
A low grumble was his only reply.
“Morna says they’re having lunch on the terrace,” the woman continued. “We’ll take a minute to freshen up and then go down with smiles on our faces.”
Adam let out his breath when they turned into their private rooms, giving him a chance to ease out into the hall. He couldn’t go back the way he’d come without going by their open door. Should he chance it? He had to get back downstairs and join Carolyn as quickly as possible before Della and Jasper made their appearance on the patio.
They’d left the bedroom door open, and he could hear movement inside the bedroom. If he tried to pass the door, one of them might see him.
Deciding not to chance it, he headed in the opposite direction down the hall. As he passed rooms obviously occupied by Lisa and Buddy Denison, he glanced in. The young woman’s bedroom was stark white with burgundy accents and filled with designer furniture. Buddy’s was that of a young man who chose comfort over style and was cluttered with mementos of his various pastimes: boating, golfing andtennis. The idle rich. These two young people had the lifestyle down to a T.
There wasn’t any sign of back stairs at this end of the hall, which Adam had counted on. Only two doors. The first one he tried opened to a linen closet, but as he opened the second one, he breathed, “Bingo.”
He knew that in these old mansions, back stairs, or servant’s stairs were a must. It was important that staff members serve their masters without cluttering up the main halls and staircases.
When Adam
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