A Wish to Die For by C. A. Phipps

Author:C. A. Phipps [Phipps, C. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cheryl Phipps

Chapter

Fifteen

After he storms from the room, I print off the article, tuck it into my back pocket and go back out to the kitchen where Landy is sighing as she loads up a tray. She’s struggling and my heart is heavy for her. “Let me take the tea in.”

“Would you mind? I have a bit to do,” Landy says gratefully and adds a plate of sandwiches and another of small cakes to the large tray that holds yet more tea, plates, and napkins.

“No problem.” I put an arm around her shoulders. “Hopefully I can make a quick getaway once they’ve eaten, and you should try and get some time to yourself to take in what’s happened.”

She looks away. “When I’m sure Mrs. Griffen is okay, I might do that.”

I don’t believe her for a minute. She’s carried this household and won’t let them down, even when she’s hurting. I pick up the laden tray, marveling at how she manages everything in such a short time, and carry it carefully into the sitting room—where Edward is having a tantrum. Tiffany Sneed sits in the corner, nostrils flaring, hands clasped in her lap.

It seems he’s not used to being questioned. I carefully rest the heavy tray on a large side table and proceed to place the tea things on the coffee table.

Robard raises an eyebrow and I look pointedly at Mrs. Griffen, who seems to have shrunk in the last couple of hours. She needs sustenance, even if he doesn’t, and he obviously recognizes this as he gives a slight nod. Another tick for the officer.

“Are you listening to me? This is outrageous!” Edward shouts.

“What precisely are you referring to?” Robard asks, his voice edged with ice.

“All this cloak-and-dagger stuff. A woman is dead and while that is regrettable, no one is complaining of a burglary, are they?”

Robard taps his pad loudly. “Except you did. Three nights ago.”

Edward shakes his head obstinately. “I didn’t phone you.”

“No, but you told Ms. Winton to do so.”

“As I said previously. She misunderstood me.”

“Really?” Robard taps his notebook once more. “I’m pretty sure you’d be the type of man who makes your thoughts and requests very clear.”

“I was upset and perhaps I wasn’t as clear as I might have been.” Edward shifts awkwardly. “I do regret the conversation.”

“I see. Well, for now, we should concentrate on the fact that your mother’s assistant is deceased and her room’s been ransacked. Do you have any idea why someone would choose to rummage through her possessions before or after her death?”

Edward pales. “Certainly not and nobody who lives here would do such a thing.”

“So you’re saying that I can rule out Mrs. Landy and your mother?”

“And myself, of course.”

“But you live elsewhere,” Robard reminds him casually.

“I must protest,” shrills Tiffany. “This is surely harassment when you know full well that Edward wasn’t here last night. It was obviously the work of a burglar.”

She’s been as still as a statue until now, which is a mystery in itself when she’s usually so vocal, but suddenly Tiffany is alive and kicking.

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