“We did our best,” Sara said.
“I loved your English murder mystery crack,” Kate said. “I feel sorry for the detectives on TV having to deal with all the lies.”
“Then figuring out the answer through superior intelligence,” Jack said. “Wish I could do that.”
Kate was looking at her aunt. “You have something in mind, don’t you?”
“Willa said she’d walk us through that night. I know she still wants to know where Clive was hiding
, but I wonder about the others too. Maybe...”
“Maybe what?” Jack asked.
Sara closed her computer. “I have an idea about something. Would you two mind if I kept some secrets from you?”
“I would love it if you kept everything a secret,” Jack said. “I mean like shoot Cupid’s arrows into the sky love. I’d light candles of thanks. I’ll name something after you. A kid maybe. I’ll—”
Sara and Kate were looking at him with expressions of too much!
“Wouldn’t mind it at all,” he said. “What about you, Kate?”
“I’d be fine with it,” she said politely.
“See you later then.” Sara hurried out the door.
Jack turned to Kate. “I’ll take care of this. Go. Have fun.”
“Thanks.” Kate hurried after her aunt.
Smiling, Jack finished clearing up.
Eighteen
It was early evening, and Sara was being bawled out by Bella. They were in her mini-Versailles of a bedroom—way too much gold for Sara’s taste—and Bella was piling guilt onto her. “How could you do this to me?” Bella said for the third time. “You know how hard I’ve worked to make this into a world-class hotel. And I’ve succeeded. But this!” She held up the tabloid that had butchered Sara. “Murder at Oxley Manor. I’ve already had six calls asking to stay in the room where the man was murdered. Not suicide but murder.”
Sara kept her head down and looked as contrite as she could manage. But, she was thinking, This is nothing. Wait until the world finds out there’s a skeleton on your property. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. Again. She wanted to defend herself, but she really was the one who’d started it all.
“They were going to leave.” Bella was standing over Sara like some great ogre ready to drop blows onto her head. “Then you met in the chapel and now they’re all...” She turned on her heel. “I don’t know what they’re planning. Some of them are in the attic.”
“Kate and Byon are looking for—”
“I don’t care,” Bella shouted. “I want them out of here.”
“Bella,” Sara said gently. “There are things going on that I can’t tell you about.”
Bella threw up her hands in exasperation. “Parasites, the lot of them. That Nadine is husband hunting. Disgusting. I think that daughter of hers was fathered by the boy who worked in the stables. How distasteful! The music man plays piano in a bar.”
Sara was looking at her friend with wide eyes. “You seem to know a lot about them.”
“They’re not exactly quiet, are they?”
From what Sara had seen, they were a secretive lot. On the other hand, if Bella had done some research, Sara didn’t blame her.
“What went on in my chapel?” Bella’s eyes were intense.
“Showing off my photography,” Sara said. “You know how vain I am about it. I have lots of pictures of the estate. You can use them on your website. Free.”
“Next to the pictures of the Murder Room?”