Stoneview Estate by Leona Karr

Author:Leona Karr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2006-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

BRIAN RETURNED to the mansion, pleased that he had a reason to disappear upstairs and check out the second floor and attic. As he came in the side door, he saw that Melva and Becky had just come downstairs. There was no way he could pass the breakfast room without saying hello.

Becky was slumped over her bowl of cereal, her head resting in one hand, and she barely glanced up at Brian when he came in. Melva, on the other hand, was her usual spritely self.

“Sit yourself down, and try some biscuits and sausage gravy,” she invited, waving at a chair next to her.

He hesitated a split second before deciding not to pass up the opportunity to see if Melva might shed some light on Lynette’s need for increased security.

“Smells good. I think I will.”

Quickly, he served himself a plate from the sideboard. After all, coffee and a pastry didn’t count as breakfast, and hauling chairs all over the house was going to take energy. Since he’d promised Robyn to have a talk with Becky, he hoped Melva might say something about the girl’s nightly prowl that could lead into a lecture by both her grandmother and him.

However, after a few minutes of idle chatter, it soon became apparent to Brian that Melva didn’t know her granddaughter had been out of her bed during the storm. His repeated attempts to draw Becky into the conversation were only reciprocated with some one-syllable mutterings or shrugs. Obviously this wasn’t the time for any kind of persuasive dialogue with the stubborn little girl.

“I heard Nick’s hiring some security guards for the celebration,” he mentioned casually, hoping to open the door for Melva’s input on the subject.

“Landsake, are some of us going to be bounced out on our ear if we drink too much?” She laughed deeply as she raised one eyebrow. “You have to be kidding.”

“Nope. Lynette’s worried about something?” He phrased it as a question.

“Well, she is going to have a bunch of strangers wandering around. I mean, she doesn’t know anything about the Koleski descendants who are coming, and she invited relatives of the other four families. Maybe she’s afraid somebody will wander off with some of her treasures.”

“Could be. I can’t think of any other reason, can you?” he asked, watching her carefully for any slight lowering of eyelids, a tightening around the mouth, a quick glance to one side—all perceptible signs of lying.

“I never try to outguess Lynette. She’s one sharp lady.” Melva’s smile remained in place, and as far as Brian could tell she had no idea why the guards had been hired.

“Maybe she’s scared someone will find the bag of money before I do,” Becky piped up. “Nobody knows what happened to it.”

Melva groaned. “Child…child.”

Becky’s eyes were bright and snapping. All signs of listlessness were gone. Brian saw the pugnacious jut to her chin, and he was at a loss how to handle the situation. He took the coward’s way out and decided to postpone his lecture until a more appropriate time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.