AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That sent a chill through Quinn and Gabriel must have seen her fear because he reached for her hand and pulled her from her seat.
"Thank you for sharing, Constance," Gabriel said as he put his arm around Quinn's shoulders and started walking to the door.
Constance held the door open for them and whispered, "Be careful, both of you."
They walked a distance from the shop before Gabriel broke the silence, "She isn't telling us everything."
Quinn didn't miss a beat when she replied, "No, she's not."
Later they were sitting in Nick's solar with Cole as Gabriel relayed what they had learned from Constance. Nick stood and walked toward the bar.
"Are you saying you think Bryon Scarcliff killed Morgan and then…what? Jumped into the future and killed Quinn? Morgan, if the bastard killed her, I can see that, but what's the motive for Quinn?"
Gabriel exhaled as he stood and walked to the fire to stare into the flames. "I've no idea."
Cole spoke up from his spot next to Quinn. "Not to mention how did Bryon learn about jumping through time? Only Derek or Constance could have told him."
"Yeah, and when Derek arrived in the past Bryon was already believed to be dead. I think we need to find out what exactly happened to Bryon Scarcliff. Did he die or was his death faked like Constance's?" Quinn added.
"And who helped them fake their deaths?" Nick asked before he turned to Quinn. "We're going to need Charles."
She reached for her phone. "I'll call him."
The records office, that supported Whispering Winds and the two villages near it in Gloucestershire, was right next to Jack O'Shea's pub. The place was small, damp and so full of unorganized pile of papers, that Nick was convinced it was going to take them years to find what they were looking for.
"Death records are stored here, really?" Nick asked as he ran his finger along the table where a quarter inch of dust had settled.
"Everything is. Land grants, birth records, divorce settlements, all of it is here. These are property lines disputes," Charles said as he put the lid back on the box and moved to another. Quinn was in the corner with Gabriel and while she was looking through marriage records he was brushing his lips over her neck, licking the skin behind her ear.
"Would you stop that? I can't focus when you're feasting on me," she muttered under her breath which caused Gabriel to chuckle.
"But I like feasting on you."
She turned to look at him which was a mistake because she was blushing and he, of course, noticed causing his one eyebrow to rise ever so slightly. "Oh, Quinn, love, please don't do that." He wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his head to her ear. "Your body covered in that blush is gorgeous."
"Please stop my legs are getting weak."
"Later, my beauty, I'm going to make you blush in earnest."
She lifted up onto her tip toes and brushed her lips over his. "Later, I'm going to let you."
He growled before his mouth covered hers in a kiss that was more a promise. When he pulled away, they were both a bit breathless.
"I've got something," Cole said and Quinn and Gabriel immediately stopped their banter.
"I didn't find Bryon's records. However, there was only one doctor in the area so he was more than likely the one who tended, Morgan, Connie and Bryon."
"Well, we know he wrote up Morgan's death as dying in childbirth and created a death certificate for Connie even though there obviously wasn't a body, so it's not a stretch to believe that he would have lied about Bryon, if asked."
"Especially considering Bryon was the Earl and his word was the law so if he had asked, the doctor would have done as requested." Nick offered.
"So in theory, Bryon kills Morgan and then asks the doctor to fudge the death certificate. Then he has the records sealed to keep his secret from Archer while making his son believe a lie to cover his ass. Sick, but obviously doable. But what's the link to Quinn in the future? You said that Constance mentioned that Bryon really was ill so how likely is it that he'd travel through time to kill Quinn, again, and what would be his motive? Gabriel isn't a Scarcliff," Cole worked on the scenario out loud.
Gabriel's head snapped up at that. "That's a really good point. Presumably, Bryon did all he did because Archer wasn't living up to the family name but I'm not in that family so there's no motive for Bryon in the future."
"So, we're back at square one. Who had the motive?" Quinn asked.
"Derek?" Nick suggested.
