Last Call by Allyson K Abbott

Author:Allyson K Abbott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-05-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

The inside of the Knutson house was the exact opposite of the outside. In stark contrast to the cold, sharp, colorless stone on the outside, the interior decor consisted of warm colors, plush furnishings, and gleaming, refinished hardwood floors.

The entrance had placed us in a great room that included a living room, a dining area, and the aforementioned kitchen. It was obvious the inside of the house had been remodeled over the years, providing a sharp contrast to the nearly century-old façade on the outside. The kitchen was state-of-the-art, and the open concept design of the main living area was a modern touch that never would have existed when the house was originally built.

Roberta, a woman I decided I never wanted to cross, led us down a narrow hallway off the great room to what was clearly the master suite. Though it lacked the enormity of the modern-day McMansion-size bedrooms—there were limits as to how much one could do with these older homes without building an add-on—it was still a good-sized room with beautiful, glossy-white trim around the floor, doors, and windows. The same glossy-white framing was evident in the crown molding near the high ceiling. There was a stone fireplace in the room, but it looked like it had been converted over to gas.

Just off the bedroom was a bathroom, again a smaller version than what one might see in a more modern home belonging to someone of Knutson’s wealth, but still nice. There was a claw-foot tub, black and white hexagon tiles on the floor, a pedestal sink, and a tiled shower stall in one corner that looked oddly out of place.

The bed was an old-fashioned four-poster with a canopy. There was a distinctly feminine feel to the decor, not only in the bed but in the frilly furnishings, curtains, and accessories. I suspected immediately that these touches were Caroline’s doing, but it turned out I was wrong.

“This is where Oliver slept,” Roberta told us. “Caroline has her own room at the other end of the house.”

I stared at Roberta in disbelief.

“I know, I know,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “The room is definitely girlie. It shocked me, too, the first time I saw it. Apparently, Oliver’s first wife, Anne, decorated it. Caroline told me she had intentions of redoing the room but never got around to it. Oliver snored so bad that it was keeping her awake at night, so she took over what used to be the servants’ quarters at the other end of the house and renovated it as her own sleeping space instead.”

“Is Oliver’s first wife still in the picture?” I asked.

“She is,” Roberta said. “In fact, she was the primary impetus behind our investigation into Oliver’s death . . . other than your inquiry,” she added, giving Duncan a pointed look. “Anne has been quite insistent about Caroline’s motives for marrying Oliver, and was concerned that his death wasn’t from natural causes.”

“So she lives here in the area?” I asked.

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