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Authors: Victoria Abbott
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sight along the winding county road. I leaned back and exhaled.
We were headed home to normal life. I could relax.
I had some delicious memories of a lovely luncheon with some less-than-lovely people in a truly beautiful house. I’d added a great dress to my wardrobe. It was enough.
Even Vera would have to admit it had been a good day.
We had the Marsh collection; nothing had been broken at or stolen from Summerlea; and no one had been killed.
CHAPTER FOUR
I WAS BARELY out of bed the next morning when Lance called. I glanced at the clock. Seven fifteen, early for Lance to be on the phone and for me too.
“So what’s up?” I said, making sure there was plenty of yawn in my voice.
“Did you hear the news?” Lance likes to drag it out a bit.
“In our lifetime, Lance.” Oh God, Vera was rubbing off on me.
“I thought you’d be interested since that’s where you spent yesterday.”
“I am very interested, but also hoping that I won’t spend my morning waiting for you to tell me what it is I’m interested in.”
“Chadwick Kauffman. I set a Google Alert for his name and got a lot of responses today.”
“What about him? Did the Lizard King saunter into the reference department, which is nearly three hours away from opening, by the way.”
“Better for him if he had.”
“Come on, Lance.”
“He’s dead.”
“What?”
“Dead.”
“Chadwick?”
“None other.”
“But he can’t be.”
“Oh, but he can.”
“We saw him yesterday. He was alive and kicking and kind of a pain in the— I didn’t like him much but he can’t be dead.”
“He died from a fall in his summer home.”
A memory of Chadwick’s cold-blooded smile flashed through my brain. My voice quivered a bit. I never really get used to being close to people who end up dead.
Lance said, “The housekeeper discovered his body at the foot of the staircase, apparently, at—”
“Summerlea,” I breathed.
“Yup.”
“Was he alone?” I thought for a minute of Miss Troy and her slightly shaky hands. Had she had a premonition? It seemed like she was fretting about something. Maybe he hadn’t been well. “Was there a woman with him?”
Poor Miss Troy, so worried and sweet. So welcoming.
“He must have been alone. The report said that the housekeeper found him when she arrived to take care of her evening duties yesterday. They said the security system wasn’t on.”
I sat back on my bed and tried to get my head around this. I had taken an almost instant dislike to Chadwick Kauffman, but I didn’t wish that kind of an end on him. I wondered how he could have fallen on those familiar stairs. For some reason I thought of the leather case.
Lance interrupted my thoughts. “What were the chances that he’d die right after you met him?”
I shivered. “I can’t imagine Chadwick Kauffman racing on the stairs or even tripping. He was so . . . deliberate. Hewould find rushing gauche and beneath him. You know the type? Cold and controlled.”
“I guess you weren’t in love with him.”
“I wouldn’t have asked him to homecoming, but that’s a horrible way to go. I wonder if he had time to realize what was happening.” I shuddered. What if he hadn’t died instantly?
“Sorry to start your day this way, but I thought you’d like to know.”
“Yes. Mmm. The housekeeper found him. So I wonder where the butler was.”
“Ha-ha. Maybe he did it.”
“There are thousands of comedians out of work, Lance. Better keep your day job. Well, I guess I should get dressed and go tell Vera.”
* * *
WHEN I FOUND Vera at breakfast in the conservatory, she merely nodded at the news and went back to her
New York Times
crossword. Chadwick Kauffman—dead or alive—was of no interest to her now that she had her collection of Marsh mysteries. She expressed no worries for Miss Troy or anyone else.
“Take that as a lesson, Miss Bingham. As you age, you must take extra precautions. You cannot go running up and
We were headed home to normal life. I could relax.
I had some delicious memories of a lovely luncheon with some less-than-lovely people in a truly beautiful house. I’d added a great dress to my wardrobe. It was enough.
Even Vera would have to admit it had been a good day.
We had the Marsh collection; nothing had been broken at or stolen from Summerlea; and no one had been killed.
CHAPTER FOUR
I WAS BARELY out of bed the next morning when Lance called. I glanced at the clock. Seven fifteen, early for Lance to be on the phone and for me too.
“So what’s up?” I said, making sure there was plenty of yawn in my voice.
“Did you hear the news?” Lance likes to drag it out a bit.
“In our lifetime, Lance.” Oh God, Vera was rubbing off on me.
“I thought you’d be interested since that’s where you spent yesterday.”
“I am very interested, but also hoping that I won’t spend my morning waiting for you to tell me what it is I’m interested in.”
“Chadwick Kauffman. I set a Google Alert for his name and got a lot of responses today.”
“What about him? Did the Lizard King saunter into the reference department, which is nearly three hours away from opening, by the way.”
“Better for him if he had.”
“Come on, Lance.”
“He’s dead.”
“What?”
“Dead.”
“Chadwick?”
“None other.”
“But he can’t be.”
“Oh, but he can.”
“We saw him yesterday. He was alive and kicking and kind of a pain in the— I didn’t like him much but he can’t be dead.”
“He died from a fall in his summer home.”
A memory of Chadwick’s cold-blooded smile flashed through my brain. My voice quivered a bit. I never really get used to being close to people who end up dead.
Lance said, “The housekeeper discovered his body at the foot of the staircase, apparently, at—”
“Summerlea,” I breathed.
“Yup.”
“Was he alone?” I thought for a minute of Miss Troy and her slightly shaky hands. Had she had a premonition? It seemed like she was fretting about something. Maybe he hadn’t been well. “Was there a woman with him?”
Poor Miss Troy, so worried and sweet. So welcoming.
“He must have been alone. The report said that the housekeeper found him when she arrived to take care of her evening duties yesterday. They said the security system wasn’t on.”
I sat back on my bed and tried to get my head around this. I had taken an almost instant dislike to Chadwick Kauffman, but I didn’t wish that kind of an end on him. I wondered how he could have fallen on those familiar stairs. For some reason I thought of the leather case.
Lance interrupted my thoughts. “What were the chances that he’d die right after you met him?”
I shivered. “I can’t imagine Chadwick Kauffman racing on the stairs or even tripping. He was so . . . deliberate. Hewould find rushing gauche and beneath him. You know the type? Cold and controlled.”
“I guess you weren’t in love with him.”
“I wouldn’t have asked him to homecoming, but that’s a horrible way to go. I wonder if he had time to realize what was happening.” I shuddered. What if he hadn’t died instantly?
“Sorry to start your day this way, but I thought you’d like to know.”
“Yes. Mmm. The housekeeper found him. So I wonder where the butler was.”
“Ha-ha. Maybe he did it.”
“There are thousands of comedians out of work, Lance. Better keep your day job. Well, I guess I should get dressed and go tell Vera.”
* * *
WHEN I FOUND Vera at breakfast in the conservatory, she merely nodded at the news and went back to her
New York Times
crossword. Chadwick Kauffman—dead or alive—was of no interest to her now that she had her collection of Marsh mysteries. She expressed no worries for Miss Troy or anyone else.
“Take that as a lesson, Miss Bingham. As you age, you must take extra precautions. You cannot go running up and
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