The Bet

She closed her eyes and turned away, but the image of Beatrice lying on her back on the bed, her eyes wide open in a death stare, a foamy dribble dripping from the corner of her mouth, still lingered.

Myles stalked toward the bed and touched the back of Beatrice’s cheek. It was still warm but the blue tinge to Beatrice’s lips warned him that she was beyond help.

“This is recent,” he snapped. “Whoever has done this has only just killed her. They are still in the house.”

Fury burned through him and put a bite in his words that conveyed all of his inner rage and frustration.

“Where is Isaac?” he shouted, as he stalked around the room yanking open dresser doors, and the cupboard doors before he knelt down and peered under the bed. He froze and pierced his father with a look. “Stay with me, do you hear me? Don’t you dare step out of this room without me.”

Barnabas nodded jerkily.

Estelle, alarmed at how pale Barnabas had gone, helped the man to a chair. He slumped into it gratefully and patted the back of her hand in a fatherly manner. Estelle had no idea what to do next. She didn’t want to send for a maid because the maid who usually attended Beatrice was still sobbing in the hallway. The rest of the staff would also be alerted to another death in the household, and she didn’t want to do that until Myles said it was alright to do so. With nothing else to do, she stood beside Barnabas’ chair and waited.

“Has she been strangled too?” Barnabas asked weakly.

Estelle winced. Her gaze flew immediately to Beatrice’s neck. She was relieved to see the skin unblemished.

Myles slowly lowered her lids and studied the bed Beatrice lay on.

“It doesn’t look like she struggled,” he murmured, although Beatrice’s fingers were curled. In his book this indicated that she had struggled in her final moments but with what nobody knew. He hated to have to do it but he studied the foam coming out of the corner of her mouth.

“It looks like she had a fit of some kind,” he added.

He wasn’t talking to anybody in particular, just thinking aloud. He had no idea if either Barnabas or Estelle was paying him the slightest bit of attention, but it helped to be able to talk about his findings, if only to get his thoughts in order.

“Did she suffer from fits?” Estelle asked.

“Not as far as I know. She certainly never mentioned it,” Barnabas replied. “Do you think it is poison of some kind?”

“I don’t know,” Myles replied honestly. “From what, though? We all ate the same thing last night and we all made it through the night.” He looked at Estelle. “Just.”

With the possibility that she might have been poisoned in his mind, Myles bent down and sniffed Beatrice’s mouth.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking her for causes of death,” Myles murmured as he leaned over her to study her back. He tugged the covers back but could see no sign of a knife. “If a seizure didn’t kill her she may have been poisoned. It is a safe assumption to make without a definitive diagnosis from a doctor.”

“So we have to assume she has been poisoned by something at presently unknown,” Barnabas snorted. “Gerald has been stabbed in the back. The same miscreant has tried to strangle Estelle, and now Isaac is missing and you tell me he is not the killer. I told you all along that boy is no good, didn’t I? Didn’t I?”

“We need to find Isaac,” Myles declared forcefully.

Although he didn’t say as much he knew from the look in Estelle’s eyes that she understood him. While Isaac was missing, they had no idea if he was the culprit or another victim.

“And Vernon,” he warned darkly.

“You can’t think he has anything to do with this, surely to goodness? I mean, Vernon is odd I will grant you, but he has been in this house for years. He isn’t set to inherit anything if I pass away, and he knows it. In fact, he would be out on his ear, and so would Eva.” Barnabas shook his head. “No, I won’t believe it possible.”

Myles sighed because he knew he could argue with his father all day and get nowhere. The simplest thing to do was find Isaac.

“Look, we cannot establish just how Beatrice died without a doctor. We can’t get one of those right now because the river is still too high. It is going to take a couple of days before it recedes enough for us to cross the bridge. Until then we are on our own. That means we have to know where everyone is at all times. Beatrice needs to be moved into the cellar with Gerald for now. It is too late for her. I am sorry, father,” he added when he saw the clear lines of distress on Barnabas’ face and softened his stance.

“She always was a pain,” Barnabas mumbled affectionately. He dabbed at his eyes, suddenly looking every day of his three and seventy years.

Myles couldn’t allow himself to think of the family’s loss. Gerald’s death was one thing, but to have two relatives die in as many days had left everyone reeling, himself included. He just hoped that Isaac wasn’t the next to go.

“We need to look for Isaac,” Myles urged gently. “You go back to your room. I will escort you there. For now, it is best if you keep the door locked. Don’t answer it for anybody. I will be back when we have searched the house again.”

Myles winced because he