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“She was up all night working on your dress for your granddaughter,” Lisa Livia snapped.
“She was up all night ruining my wedding dress,” Brenda shot back.
“Bless her heart,” Agnes said. Brenda jerked back to glare at Agnes.
“I’ll have Shane and Joey put that clock in the truck and bring it out to your boat,” Agnes said.
“That clock is the only heirloom from my family,” Brenda said. “You just leave it where it is.”
“It’s in my house,” Agnes said.
Brenda took a deep breath and then stopped, the blood rising in her face.
“I think I’m going up to the gift bedrooms to change,” Maria said, her voice cracking. “It’s quiet up there. And I can look at my china. I’ll like that.”
When she was gone, Lisa Livia said, “Come on, Ma, let’s go back to the boat and leave Agnes to work on the wedding in peace.” She shot a glance at Cerise, still honking her head off. “Sort of.”
“Yacht, not boat,” Brenda snapped. And then she smiled, which was almost worse. “You go on, honey. I’ve got some things to do in town. But I could use a glass of water before I go. You don’t mind if I get it myself, do you, Agnes? I feel as though I still own the place, you know.” She turned on her heel and walked across the lawn and into the house.
“My mother,” Lisa Livia said. “A complete waste of oxygen. Bless her heart.”
“She’s insane,” Agnes said. “Normally, I’d just go berserk and scream at her, but I’m trying to be an adult and use the Dr. Garvin approach.”
“I am no fan of Dr. Garvin, but in this case, yes. Play nice until we find something that we can nail her to the wall with.” Lisa Livia went toward the house, pulling Agnes with her. “Does she even know that you know? About Taylor and the swindle, I mean?”
“Depends on whether Taylor’s had time to talk to her. He is a great avoider of conflict, so maybe not. Go get me something good from those boxes.”
“You know, another place to look is here at Two Rivers,” Lisa Livia said, opening the screen door. “She might have left something behind somewhere.”
“Left it? Like where?” Agnes said, and then stopped in the kitchen doorway, where Brenda was staring at the open doorway to the basement.
“What do you mean, they’re down there looking for the tunnel?” she was saying to Joey, sheet white.
Lisa Livia looked at Agnes. “Like in the basement,” she said.
Shane looked around the rec room, trying not to linger on the Venus de Mildew and thought, The Fortunato taste in decorating. Probably causes genetic damage. Which would explain a lot about the family.
“This is a great house,” Carpenter said as he flipped open the clasps on his large plastic case.
“You think?”
“Can’t you feel it?” Carpenter asked as he brought out a foot-long infrared wand. “Cut the light.”
Shane turned off the light, and Xavier’s blood trail glowed. Carpenter looked like a ghoul holding the wand. He nodded. “Lot of blood. Someone cleaned it up, you can see the smears, probably with bleach.” Carpenter walked the trail from where the stairs had ended, across the floor, around the edge of the bar, to the wine rack. “Turn the light back on.”
Shane flipped the switch. “Why do you think this is a great house?”
“The vibe.” Carpenter ran his large hands lightly over the old wooden rack.
Shane thought about Agnes, maybe in that cool blue bedroom at the top of the house. “Might be a good house to come home to.”
Carpenter stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. “It might be. You tired, my friend?”
Shane wiped a hand across his forehead. “I didn’t get much sleep last night?—”
“Not that kind of tired.” Carpenter shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’m tired. And you do the real dirty work. I’m willing to bet you’re real tired, deep inside.”
Shane stared at Carpenter, surprised, and then thought about what Wilson had said out on the high dock. Taking Wilson’s job would mean he’d be out of the field. He’d be giving the orders rather than having to execute them—literally. Sending somebody else out to do what he did.
