AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sarah shuts the door behind us. As we head down the hall, she points at doors, naming the room beyond.
“That is Annis’s bedchamber, which you may search, of course, but I cannot imagine Gordon would put the fig box in there. His own bedroom is in the next wing, which is in Helen’s territory, but if you decide to search it, I would agree with Annis. Do not ask Helen’s permission. Simply be cautious, and Annis will handle the situation if you are discovered.”
Sarah continues on, “This is Annis’s sitting room and then her office is—” She turns sharply to me. “Office! Yes. When the figs came for Gordon, I was in the trophy room with him. Afterward, he went to his office and took the box. I searched in there myself, after he claimed it was missing, but I did not find it.”
“I will check his office then. I presume it is in Helen’s territory.”
Her lips twitch in a humorless smile. “Disputed territory. It is in Annis’s side of the house, but Helen has forbidden her to enter and, in turn, Annis has forbiddenherto enter. They have declared it no-man’s-land, pending the reading of the will, when the contents must be examined.”
“Where would I find his office?”
She starts to give me directions. Then a voice says “Miss Sarah?” from down another hall.
“Coming!” she calls. She quickly gives me the directions to Leslie’s office and adds, “I will see what is the matter and then I will keep the way clear for you. Helen ought to have retired by now.”
I thank her. As she hurries off, I watch her go. Could that really be the person who murdered four people? I don’t think so. Other than with Leslie, Sarah lacks motive. What I fear is that Annis is setting Sarah up. And not just Sarah. If I’m right, there are three levels of blame here. Three ways for Annis to get away with murder.
First, the wives. That’s a half-hearted scheme, mostly relying on public opinion to blame the wives for poison. Annis herself, of course, will have an alibi. If the women are not blamed, then there is Fischer. And if all else fails, who does she toss onto the gallows?
Her long-lost love. The woman she sent packing when she married.
Is it coincidence that Sarah came back into her life now?
Maybe not.
I hope this isn’t the answer. I really do.
Once Sarah is gone, I hurry along the halls, following the route she gave me, until I reach a closed door.
I check both ways and turn the knob—
Locked. Naturally.
I bend to the lock, which is thankfully no more difficult than the one on the trophy room. I pop it open, slip in, and quietly close and lock the door behind me. Then I look around the room.
Huh. Well, this is not what I expected. Lord Leslie struck me as the sort who’d have a grandiose office that he never used. Like people who have a grandiose library when they never read.
This is more utilitarian than I expected, but he’s clearly making a show of working, which makes sense from what I know of the man. There are papers and binders everywhere. It’s not the paper tornado I’d see in Isla’s and Gray’s rooms. It’s a more organized chaos, everything obviously arranged.
I walk over to the desk, expecting to see dust on the stacked papers, as if this show of busyness had been staged long ago. There isn’t a speck of dust. Okay, well, just because Annis runs the business doesn’t mean Leslie plays no role in it. The cemetery scheme says he has his own projects.
The cemetery scheme.
I am in Leslie’s office, where I can further investigate the fraud and his role in it.
Where I might find evidence that Annis was also involved.
Yes, yes, I’m supposed to be looking for the fig box, but that was just an excuse to let me nose about while Isla talks to Annis.
I start working as quickly as I can, going through the papers on the desk. They all seem to be for legitimate business. I’m shifting the stack aside when I knock the blotter, and a piece of paper peeks out from under it.
I lift the blotter. Under it are a key and a piece of folded paper. I examine the key. Then I go to the door, open it, and put the key into the keyhole. It fits, but it doesn’t turn. Not a key for this room then.
I take out the paper and unfold it. I read it. Reread it to be certain I’m not misunderstanding.
It’s what seems to be a record of transfer from one account to another. A transfer into an account managed by Andrew Burns. And the person transferring the money?
Annis Leslie.
