She nodded. “I hope he’s more talkative than your uncle was.”
“He wouldn’t have to say much in order to do that.”
Knocking on Harry Winters’s door didn’t elicit a response.
Gabrielle let out a sigh of frustration, but Derek knew Winters had to be home. He never went anywhere else.
“Let’s go around back. There’s a pond there. He might be outside,” Derek said, unwilling to give up.
They rounded the back of the house and started down the hill leading to a large pond. Sure enough, a man sat beneath a tree, staring out at the water beyond.
“He can’t be any older than his midforties,” she said, obviously surprised.
She shoved her hands into her shorts pockets and followed Derek down the rocky path.
Derek drew a deep breath. He knew more about Harry Winters and his background than he’d told Gabrielle. But he wanted her to hear the truth from the man himself. Then Derek could help her put things together and figure out how to solve her problems.
“Mr. Winters?”
The man didn’t stop staring out at the water. “Who wants to know?”
Gabrielle stepped forward, but Derek touched her arm to stop her. He wanted to be the one to introduce himself and ease into conversation.
“I’m Derek Corwin, your neighbor Edward’s nephew.”
“Bully for you. What do you want with me?”
Gabrielle knelt beside to the man. “My name is Gabrielle Donovan. I’m with Derek, but I’m really the one who needs to talk to you,” she said softly.
“About what?” he asked in the same monotone voice he’d used since they’d arrived.
Gabrielle swallowed hard. “I’ve been having some problems since I arrived in town.”
“What’s it to me?”
At least he was curious enough to ask, Gabrielle thought. “I’m an author and I’m writing a book about Derek and Edward Corwin’s family history. The Corwin Curse, to be exact.”
Without warning, the placid man scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide with fear. “I don’t want to hear any more.” He bolted for the house.
Gabrielle rose. but before she could take two steps toward him, she twisted her ankle. “Ouch.” She hobbled the rest of the way up the hill and was grateful to see Derek had managed to corner the man before he could lock himself inside his house.
Gabrielle joined them.
“Are you okay?” Derek asked.
She nodded. “I just twisted my ankle getting back up here. I’ll be fine.”
Derek placed a hand on her back and together they faced the frightened man. “We don’t want to hurt you,” he said.
“Or scare you.” She spoke quietly. “It’s just that someone’s making things really difficult for me. They obviously don’t want me to write about the curse. I’ve had a note left telling me to leave town or else. Then someone keyed my car and broke into both the boarding house where I was staying and my apartment in Boston. I’m just hoping you can help me.”
Harry Winters wrapped his arms around his waist and leaned against the slatted wood of the house. “Why? What’s it got to do with me?”
“I was hoping you could tell me that. You see, earlier today, someone handed me a sealed envelope, and inside it had your name written on a piece of paper.
“Who gave it to you?” Harry asked.
“I don’t know. She said she was once Mayor Perkins’s assistant.”