“I’m good—”
He motions with his hand for me to be quiet. “If you don’t mind, miss,” he whispers, waving me off to the side.
The butler wants a private word with me. The whole thing is deliciously creepy, so, naturally, I go along.
He guides me through a hallway that leads into a large kitchen. Compared to the rest of the house, which is dark and overly formal, this room is bright and sunny.
A middle-aged woman with caramel colored skin dressed in black pants and a white shirt breaks out into a smile at the sight of us. “Cornelius! I’m so glad you’re back!” She bends down and scratches Paco behind the ears. “We’ve been so worried about you!”
I introduce myself to the woman. Her name is Aurelia. She’s Anthony’s wife and the cook for the estate. “You’ll join us for tea?” She pours me a cup without waiting for my response.
It would be rude to decline, plus she’s just set a yummy looking plate of scones in the center of the table. She gives Paco a scone and lays down a bowl of water for him.
I’m not a huge tea drinker, but the scones are delicious. I should probably get her recipe. “I love your accent. Jamaica?” I ask.
“Ya mon,” Aurelia says, doing a Bob Marley imitation that makes me laugh. “How did Cornelius end up in your care?”
I tell them about Abby.
“How interesting,” Anthony says carefully in a way that makes me think he wants to say more.
“How long did the two of you work for Ms. Van Dyke?”
“I’ve been with her for thirty years.” He smiles tenderly at Aurelia. “And the missus here joined us almost fifteen years ago. I took one bite of her scones and fell instantly in love.”
“I don’t blame you.”
Aurelia blushes prettily. “Susan was like family. We would take Cornelius ourselves, but now that the estate is going up for sale, we’re planning to do some traveling. We’re starting with a world cruise.”
“A world cruise? That sounds fabulous. And, kind of expensive, huh?”
“Susan was very generous in her will,” Aurelia says primly.
“She had cancer?” I ask.
Aurelia nods. “Yes, poor lamb.” She makes the sign of the cross. “May her soul rest in peace.”
“Her death still came as a bit of shock,” says Anthony. “She’d been in remission for so long. Up till the end, she was very active with her charities and of course, with her special projects.”
I have a pretty good idea just what those special projects might be.
“Was Susan involved with the Sunshine Ghost Society?” I ask delicately.
“Oh yes,” Anthony says, “Susan was very involved with those kinds of groups. She used to host séances here at the house all the time. They came because of Cornelius. He’s extremely talented.”
Right. Cornelius, the Canine Ghost Whisperer. I glance at Paco, who’s struggling to lick a fleck of raspberry jam off his nose. More like the Scone Whisperer, if you ask me.
“Did the two of you, um…did you—”
“Did we participate in the séances?” Anthony finished. “Naturally. Miss Susan only hired staff who shared in her beliefs. It would have been too awkward otherwise.”
“Do you have any idea how Abby Delgado might have gotten Cornelius? Is it possible that Susan might have left the dog to her?”
Anthony and Aurelia exchange a telling look. “Susan definitely did not leave Cornelius with that Delgado woman. Or with the other one either.”
The other one?