She had a quick mind. It hadn’t taken her long to figure that MacDonald might have had a reason to ransack her office. And when they’d been in the pond and his brain cells had completely shut down, she was the one who’d remembered the cave.
“Sutherland, you still there?” Skinner asked.
“Yes.” She was distracting him. Taking his mind off business. He couldn’t recall a woman who’d ever had that kind of power over him.
“I can spare a man to come out there for the wedding tomorrow—unless you think you need someone tonight.”
“Morning will be fine,” Cam said. “Thanks.”
Then he turned his attention back to Adair. One of the reasons she could distract him was because there were so many layers to her. And each one was so intriguing. There was the woman who’d had the courage to come downstairs last night and hit him on the head with a pitcher. Then there was the woman who’d punched him on that ledge. And the generous and passionate woman who’d met his every demand in the cave. And she’d done more than that. She’d made her own demands, and if she had more he wanted to meet them. There was more to learn about her. More he intended to discover.
“Something doesn’t quite make sense here,” Adair said. “I can understand that Nathan MacDonald could have just been in the right places at the right times and decided to take advantage. But his knowing about the secret cupboard argues that he has invested a little more time in his research.”
Turning to Cam, she waved a hand around the room. “And how does all of this relate to your theory about a person who’s been breaking into the castle for about six months?”
“What theory?” Vi asked.
Cam filled her in on his idea that someone might have been making nocturnal visits regularly to use the library. “After you showed me the room this morning I took a quick walk-through, but the two of you have been here for years. I’d like you to take me on a little tour and tell me what you see.”
Cam led the way down the hall and ushered the two women into the long, narrow room. A spiral staircase offered access to the balconies that rimmed the second floor. On three walls, bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling except for the space taken up by a fireplace. The fourth wall was filled with tall windows and sliding glass doors on both levels, and dust motes danced in the afternoon sunlight. Books were everywhere—stuffing the shelves and spilling into piles on tables, chairs and even the floor. Their scent filled the air.
“We haven’t used this room in years,” Adair said as she walked down the center.
“A.D. locked it up after the girls’ mother died,” Vi said. “It was Marianne’s favorite place. The last time anyone spent any time here was when Beth did her research.”
When she reached the terrace doors, Adair turned back to face him. “What are we supposed to be looking for?”
“Evidence that someone has been in here. If I believed Eleanor’s jewels existed and I had the time to devote, this would be a good place to start my treasure hunt. I went to the library in town first thing this morning to see what they had, which was easy, as public libraries have a catalog. Everything is arranged in order. That’s not true here. It’s one of the reasons Mom had to spend so much time here that summer.”
The two women went about their task methodically. Adair checked the doors first and found them locked just as he had. “How did this person get in?” she asked.
“There are ways around alarm systems,” Cam said.
Adair and Vi split up to start checking the shelves. By the time Adair got to the end of the room where they’d entered she had noticed exactly what he had.
“There are different levels of dust on the shelves. The farther I go, the less I find—as if he’s working his way down the room book by book. Is that what you think this person has done?”
Good eye, he thought.
“Now that you mention it,” Vi said, “I can see the same pattern on the shelves over here. And I think I can see where he sits to do his reading.”
Cam and Adair joined her in front of the fireplace where a stack of dustless books sat in a pile next to a leather chair.
“So someone has been just coming in here to go through this library book by book to find Eleanor’s dowry? Who in the world has that kind of patience?” Vi asked.
“A true treasure hunter—someone who believes that Eleanor’s necklace and earrings are somewhere in the castle or on the estate. Maybe someone who’s come across concrete evidence that supports that belief. So far they’ve been willing to go slowly.”
Adair held up a hand. “Okay. So we may, on top of everything else, be dealing with a professional thief who is very focused on finding Eleanor’s dowry. Today’s break-in seems a bit ham-handed for a patient treasure hunter or superthief.”
Cam spread his hands. “This break-in today may be the work of someone else.”
“We’re back to Nathan MacDonald.”
“And the man he was arguing with. Or maybe both of them,” Cam said.
Adair closed her eyes. “In other words, we’re probably dealing with multiple treasure hunters.”
“What do we do?” Vi asked.
“We go on doing business as usual. The two of you have a wedding to prepare for. I’m going to dig through the stuff I brought back from the library in Glen Loch and see if I can find what might have convinced someone that the sapphires are still here somewhere on the estate. But what we’re all going to do is be very careful. With one of the earrings already discovered, our thief may lose his patience and get desperate.”
“You’re trying to scare us,” Adair said.
Cam glanced from Vi to Adair. “I want you to take precautions. From now on, no one goes anywhere alone—not into town, not down to the lake, not even for a walk. And we all shut the terrace doors whenever we leave a room. I’ll work in the main parlor this afternoon.”
“You don’t think you’re being a little paranoid?” Adair asked.
“Humor me,” Cam said. “I’m the one who thought Angus One’s secret cupboard wasn’t a safe hiding place for the earring. You and Vi focus on the wedding,” Cam said. “Let me worry about the rest.”
“Okay.” But she was already worried about the rest. Because “the rest” for her included him.
One thing at a time, she reminded herself as she left the room. Mentally she made her list as she climbed the stairs. Shower first. That would clear her head and help her to think. Then she’d check in with Rexie. That had been on her To Do list earlier, hadn’t it?
She thought of the papers that she’d gathered up and crammed into her desk drawer.
So she’d just make another list. And as far as dealing with what had happened between Cam and her, the only thing she was absolutely sure of was that she wanted it to happen again.
10
IT WAS NEARLY two o’clock when Adair finished the sandwich Vi had brought to her office. The stinging spray of the shower hadn’t helped her to clear her head. Or get Cam out of it. Instead, all she’d been able to think of was what had happened at Tinker’s Falls. That breathless, heart-stopping jump off the ledge. And what had followed. Especially what had followed.
Just thinking about it had her heart thundering again. Cam had made her fantasy come to life. That little realization hadn’t fully struck her until the shower water had turned cold.
Why did that terrify her and thrill her at the same time?
And Cam was not all she should be thinking about right now. But between Bunny and Vi, all the details of the wedding were under control. Caterers, florists, photographers, arrival times. She had a chart on her wall detailing everything. Of course, she and Vi would supervise the setup in the morning. But for now all she had to worry about was the possibility of a runaway bride.
And Cam. Pulling a mini legal pad out of her desk, she tore off three sheets and lined them up in a neat row.
The way she saw it, she faced three major problems: the Cam Problem, the Missing Sapphires Problem and the Maitland/Banes Wedding Problem. With a pen she labeled each of the papers.
Then she frowned, annoyed that the first problem that had popped into her mind was Cam. In a quick movement she picked that page up and put it in third position. Where it belonged.
Because she wasn’t sure she wanted to solve it?
Nonsense. As far back as her memory took her, she had always taken care of herself. She had faced and solved problems all of her life. Practical ones, emotional ones, important ones, trivial ones. They all had to be dealt with by mapping out plans and making decisions. Okay, she’d made a bad one when she’d trusted Bax.
So she’d learn from her mistakes. The trick would be to avoid doing anything rash. She flashed back to that wild plunge she’d taken with Cam off the ledge. Just thinking about it had her heart taking a tumble. But he’d been the rash one. He’d taken the decision right out of her hands—lifting her and stepping out into space.