Plantations and Allegations: A small town Lowcountry mystery (A Holly Daye Mystery Book 4) by Rachel Lynne

Author:Rachel Lynne [Lynne, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Seven Oaks Press
Published: 2023-08-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter fifteen

Before Elijah and I could reach the sparring pair, Auntie won the tug of war. Her final pull was strong enough to put Bradley off balance. His arms windmilled for a second and then he crashed into a table, sending a vase of flowers crashing to the heart pine floor.

Shocked that a woman as tiny and seemingly frail as Auntie Pearl was capable of toppling the younger man, I stared a moment too long, giving Bradley time to regain his balance and launch himself at the old woman.

Auntie was game and the proverbial fur began to fly. Bradley’s hands went around her neck and the little woman smacked him upside the head with the jar, shattering it. The murky water and bits of debris soaked Bradley and puddled on the floor. Auntie Pearl started chanting in syncopation with her blows. Elijah jumped into the fray, trying to pull his aunt away, and I shook off my surprise and tried to restrain Bradley.

Chaos ensued. The Randalls and Connie, drawn by the noise, were screaming and attempting to help, but the combatants, fueled by fury, were besting our attempts to regain control. Attempting to subdue Bradley and his flailing arms, I wrapped mine around him from behind. He shrugged me off and I went down, falling on my bad leg.

Struggling to stand, I was about to intercede again when a crash of metal followed by a shout rang out. “That’s enough!”

Everyone came to a standstill as Christopher strode down the stairs, a metal trash can in one hand and an umbrella in the other. He set his makeshift noisemaker on the bottom step and stepped between Auntie Pearl and Bradley.

“What’s going on here?” Without waiting for an answer, he sneered at his stepbrother. “Beating up old women? A new low for you, Brad.”

Bradley hissed. “This doesn’t concern you!”

“On the contrary,” Christopher smirked. “If it involves my resort, it’s nobody’s business but mine.”

Bradley’s face turned scarlet and he began to sputter. “Arrogant impostor! I’ll see you locked up for attempted fraud! I’ll sue you for every penny you don’t have! I’ll—“

“You’ll do nothing but pack your bags.” Dismissing him, Christopher nodded at Elijah and then took Auntie Pearl’s hand. “Auntie, I understand you and your people have suffered a terrible wrong. Will you allow me to make amends?”

A soft smile spread across her face. She raised a gnarled hand and cupped Chris’s cheek. “‘Bout time you claim what’s yers. Welcome home, Mr. Christopher. Ain’t been the same since you left.” She glared at Bradley. “No account trash been stinkin’ up the place.”

Christopher smiled. “Don’t worry, the garbage is about to be set on the curb.” He glanced at Elijah and then back at Pearl. “I’m told you were promised ownership of Pennington Village in exchange for your support of that monstrosity marring our landscape. I can’t restore the fields, but I can and will honor the deal. I’ve been speaking with the estate lawyers, and they are working on dividing the village into parcels and creating deeds.

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