A Nice Clean Murder Part 6

He looked at the mausoleum, took off his gla.s.ses, and cleaned them on his shirt. aSee that column structure, Iad say thatas definitely circa eighteen twenty. Now if you look at the topa"a he suddenly stopped, as if saying too much, and put on his gla.s.ses. aI read somewhere about these things.a aLetas get out of here, shall we?a Mac said and we walked to the stables.

Once back at the house, we found the girls had finished the cleaning. They had their buckets and mops in hand all lined up ready to leave. They stood there looking at Mac. I sat on the stairs and watched.

Mac turned to Peter and whispered, aHow much have they been getting?a Peter turned red. aWell, not much, see the moneyas been tied up. But usually, they get five pounds each.a Mac looked amazed. aThatas all? Thatas not enough for all this work.a aItas plenty,a Peter whispered insistently.

Teri was shocked, as well. aI agree. Thatas not nearly enough.a I sat there shaking my head. The Rockefellers at work.

Mac turned and walked over to them like the lord of the manor. aWell, ladies,a he started and looked at me as I cleared my throat. He turned red and coughed. Ignoring my grin, he continued. aThank you for all your help. You did a fine job.a He handed each of them a ten-pound note. I raised my eyebrows and Mac gave me a superior grin.

They all stared at him in amazement. They shrieked and picked up their buckets and ran out, stopping to thank the generous landlord and lady. Mac stood there bursting with pride with his hands in his pockets.

Peter gave him a curious look. aJust how much did ya give them, Mac?a aTen pounds,a he smiled broadly and so did Teri.

Peter put his hand to his forehead and groaned. aEach?a Mac nodded confidently and Peter sighed. aItall be all over town by this evening.a aWhat will?a aThat thereas a daft yank throwing ten-pound notes to people who probably have never seen more than a fiver.a Peter let out a short laugh. aYouall be crawlina with maids by mornina.a The Rockefellers looked at each other. aOh.a

Chapter 9.

After all that expense cleaning the house, we had to stay the night. What else could we do? The fireplace in the living room was roaring and there was plenty of food in the fridge. Mac and Teri asked Peter to stay, as well. I watched him. He seemed fidgety or maybe it was me.

Teri was thrilled and went into the kitchen to make dinner. I was sitting in the most comfortable chair imaginable. aI didnat know you wore gla.s.ses.a aI misplaced them. I only need them for reading,a Peter said quickly.

aYou know weave never talked about what happened in Chicago. You never explained the incident,a I said evenly as I watched him.

Teri came into the living room. aOkay, we eat in an hour.a She sat next to me. She caught me rubbing the back of my neck. It ached horribly. aItas this weather, isnat it?a aYes, and thereas nothing I can do about it. Itas a constant reminder of my stupidity. I donat ever want to be in that position again.a aIt was years ago. Youave been locked up too long. Please donat be so hard on yourself,a she said and turned her attention to Mac and Peter. aWhat are we discussing?a aI was asking Peter about Chicago and the run-in he had with a knife,a I said. aSo what about it, Peter?a Peter stood by the fire and took a long drink of his whiskey. aThere are those who donat want you to own this property. I donat know exactly who they are, but the man in Chicago sorta works for them,a he said and took a deep breath.

Mac sat next to Teri. aI donat know what this is all about,a Mac started. aAll I care about is my family, so if you have any influence or know of anyone who does, youad better spread the word. I donat scare easy and no one harms my family.a Peter looked hurt as he gazed at the fire. Teri said, aPeter, Macas not implying that youare involved in anything. Are you, Mac?a She gave him the look of a wife about to clobber her husband.

I have no one whoall clobber me, so I continued for Mac. aNo one is implying that, Ter. Weare curious. Thereas too much going on that we have no answers for, and that bothers me.a I kept an eye on Mr. Sullivan.

aPeter,a Mac said calmly, aIam not accusing you of anything, either, but you seem to know more about whatever this is. Iave trusted you, and so far, youave come through. Iam extremely grateful. Youave made this transition go without a hitch. However, I am serious about my family. When I took this inheritance, I made a promise to do what I thought was right. I keep my promises.a Peter looked at Mac with what I considered close to hero worship. aYouare an honorable man, Mac. Iad like to think I am, too. You say you trust me, well trust me a little longer. Iave lived here all my life and I can help you.a aHelp with what?a I asked firmly.

With that, there was a knock on the door. Mac got up to answer it. A thin elderly gentleman and woman stood at the door.

aYes, can I help you?a Mac said affably.

aWell now, I donat know. I would like to see Michael McAuliffe,a the gentleman said.

aIam Mike McAuliffe. Wonat you come in, please?a Mac stepped back and Teri came to the door.

aThis is my wife, Teri, and her sister, Kate.a aIam Sean Farrell and this is my wife, Mary. Brian was a dear friend of ours.a aPlease, come in out of the rain,a Teri offered.

Mac took their coats and brought them into the living room. They instantly reminded me of the vicar and his wife from the John Wayne movie The Quiet Man filmed here in Ireland.

aPlease, sit down. Can I get you a drink?a aWhiskey would be grand,a he said, smiling.

aA small gla.s.s for me,a his wife said.

Sean looked at Peter and frowned. ah.e.l.lo, youngster. What are you still doing here?a aIam trying to help them, Sean.a I noticed the tension between them. Mary coughed and gave Sean the wife look.

aItas nice to meet you,a Teri said cordially. aDo you live close by?a Mary nodded. aJust down the road, about two miles. It was a nice night for a walk.a Teri looked outside. aIn the rain?a she asked.

Mary laughed. aYou Americans. This isnat rain. Thereas a storm coming in a day or two, then youall see rain, my dear.a We talked for another half-hour or so before anyone brought up Brianas death. Of course, I did the honors. aI understand you called the police about Brian,a I said.

Husband and wife exchanged a quick glance. aYes, we were worried that he had too much to drink. When we paid a visit the next morning, he was nowhere to be found, and that wasnat like Brian.a aSo you believe Brian stumbled and fell?a I asked.

aI donat know what else it could be, Miss Ryan,a Mary replied.

The topic was dropped and the conversation turned to the weather and the woolen mill. Twenty minutes later, they said their goodbyes and left.

Mac turned to me. aIt seems like an accident, Kate.a I heard the impatience in his voice. aI know. Iam sorry,a I said.

Teri put her arm around Mac. aI have an idea. How about we have dinner for some of Brianas friends?a aThat would be fine, honey, but how many people are we talking about?a It appeared to me that Mac sounded relieved to be talking about something other than Brianas accident. I couldnat blame him.

aPeter knows all of them, Iam sure,a I said and looked at him. aDonat you?a He looked me in the eye, and once again, our eyes locked for an instant. I couldnat figure him out, and it was beginning to annoy me. Sean Farrell and his wife didnat seem too happy that Peter was still around. Iam a.s.suming they meant after Brianas death. I wondered why it bothered them. It seemed natural that he was taking care of the stables.

aOf course, I can give you a small list of, Iad say, four or so. How would that be?a he asked and looked away from me.

Teri whistled. aFour or so. With us, that makes seven. Iave never cooked a formal dinner for seven.a She looked at me as I tore my eyes away from Peter.

aHey, I love to cook, but I havenat a clue about this,a I said, holding up my hands. aBut according to Peter, weall have a lot of help in the kitchen.a aThat you will, Kate. Now if youall excuse me, I have a few things to attend to.a aPeter, one question,a I said. He stopped and c.o.c.ked his head to one side and waited. aSean Farrell seemed surprised that youad still be here.a aYes, he did,a he said simply and shrugged. aWell, good night.a He smiled and left the room.

aOkay, what was that about?a Mac asked.

aI donat know. Thereas something that doesnat sit right with me about Peter.a I was glad Mac and Teri let me stay in the cottage. I started a fire and got the place warm and cozy. I tried to think about what was going on here. Someone didnat want Mac to be here, that was a given. If I wasnat sure of it back home, after being tossed around in the fog, I certainly was sure of it now. But why? And what did Peter have to do with it? He wasnat what he seemed, but I couldnat put my finger on it.

It was late, but I couldnat sleep. I sat there gazing at the peat fire. Maggieas face flashed through my mind. I should have asked her to join us on this odd trip. I knew why I didnat. Maggie is a good woman and I know she cares for me. I also know that Iall have to spill my guts if we should get closer. My heart started the familiar pounding in my ears. My skin crawled and I shivered violently. I quickly rubbed my eyes, hoping the vision would not appear again. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I took a deep calming breath.

I walked over to the window that overlooked the back property and looked out into the dark night. The moon was drifting in and out of the clouds, briefly illuminating the hills and the woods. I looked toward the main house and could barely see their lights.

It was then I heard something at the front door. I quickly turned around to see the old doork.n.o.b twisting back and forth. As I ran to the door, I gracefully tripped on the ottoman and landed with a heavy thud. aDammit,a I exclaimed through clenched teeth and rubbed my foot.

I heard something again; it sounded like someone running. As I looked out, I caught a shadow flying by the front window. I quickly got to my feet and ran out into the windy night.

The wind was whipping around as I saw the fleeing figure stumbling his way to the top of the hill. I quickly followed, not giving any thought as to what I would do if I caught up to him.

As luck would have ita"well, my luck anywaya"I slipped on the craggy rocks and stumbled against them, completely losing my balance.

Sliding down the rest of the way on my backside, I came to a halt at the foot of another small hill.

Well, that was interesting. I stood and rubbed my sore a.s.s. So much for being a finely honed private investigator.

Whomever I had seen was long gone and I did not intend to wander around in the dark any longer. I meekly walked back to the little thatched cottage and the safety of my bed.

It was a cloudy and damp morning, making my neck and shoulders ache like the devil as I walked to the house. There was a light fog and the wind was blowing off the cliffs as I made my way up the road. Even in the daylight, it was eerie.

Mac and Teri were in the kitchen with Mac at the stove. aGood morning, Lord and Lady McAuliffe.a Mac grinned and bowed slightly. aGood day, you lowly peon.a aLandlord,a I grumbled playfully and took the offered cup.

I noticed Terias worried look. aHowad you sleep?a she asked.

I raised a curious eyebrow and glanced at Mac who shrugged as he read the paper. aFine, why?a Mac said from behind the paper, aMother hen was worried about her chick.a I laughed as Teri hit the paper he was reading.

aI think you must be psychic,a I said with a weak smile. Mac immediately lowered the paper and sat forward.

Terias blue eyes got as big as saucers. aWhat happened?a aSomebody was outside the front door. He took off and I followed hima"a aYou what!a Teri exclaimed and Mac winced and gently pulled her down in the chair next to him.

aIt was nothing, Teri. I lost him along the ridge of the hill out back,a I said and drank my coffee.

aAnd?a Teri asked.

I let out a sheepish laugh. aI fell on my a.s.s.a aSomething different!a Mac exclaimed, and before I could answer, he put the paper down. aLetas put on our walkina shoes and check out the woods. Maybe it was just kids playing around with the crazy Americans.a It was still foggy and damp as we walked behind the house toward the mausoleum, and we slowly made our way in the direction of the ridge.

aThis is kind of eerie,a Teri said and shivered while she pulled her sweater around her.

I agreed. aIs it me or do you guys feel like weare being watched?a I asked and looked around.

The light fog dulled our senses and I felt my heart beating in my ears. We heard something in the woods. A twig snapped, which sounded like a gunshot, and we all whirled around. It was Peter.

aChrist, will you wear a bell or something?a I exclaimed, putting a hand to my heart.

aGood morning. Takina a nice walk in the beautiful Irish weather this fine morning?a His smile faded when he saw our faces. aWhat happened?a aNothing,a I said with a shrug. aJust had a visitor at the cottage last night. Or maybe it was my imagination.a I noticed the look of concern on Peteras face. aAny ideas, Mr. Sullivan?a I asked and once again looked right in his eyes.

aNo, I havenat a clue,a he said and scratched the back of his neck.

aYou stay at the house tonight, Kate,a Mac said as we walked back to the house.

I was about to argue with him when Bridget came around the back of the house. aThere ya are. I knocked but got no answer. How is everyone this morning?a I explained my visitor and watched Bridget as she shot a questioning look at Peter, who shrugged. aAny ideas?a I asked her.

aNone,a she said.

aWhat brings you out here this morning, Bridget?a Teri asked.

aOh, I wanted to see Kate,a she answered and smiled at me.

Mac and Peter headed back. So did Teri, but not until that certain scowl flashed across her face.

aI have a client at eleven, but if you like, I have the afternoon free. Perhaps I can show you the countryside,a Bridget suggested with a slight shrug.

aIad like that. How about one oaclock?a We agreed to meet at her office.

With Bridget gone, I wandered back into the kitchen. aWhat are your plans for the rest of the day?a Peter asked Mac and Teri.

aMac and I are planning a dinner on Friday evening. I hope that Rory Nolan and his wife, Anne, Bridget and you, and Sean and Mary Farrell will attend. Wow, thatas ten. Iave never planned a dinner party for so many,a she said.

Peter coughed. aIf you donat mind a suggestion. Youare the woman of the house, you should be having someone doina the cookina. Theyall expect that. Why not let me get you a cook and a server for the evening? Howas that?a He smiled broadly.

Teri was amazed. aI wonat need all that, will I?a Peter nodded. aBelieve me, Brian told me how he used to have people over all the time. The people in the village really loved him. Theyad be glad to do it for ya, Iam sure.a He smiled wickedly. aBesides, you pay far better than Brian himself.a aLandlord,a I grunted playfully.

Chapter 10.

I was at Bridgetas office at one oaclock. She was locking the door when I arrived. aWell, good afternoon,a she said, smiling. aI thought wead go for a drive, howas that sound?a aSounds fine. Shall I drive?a aNo, youall be wantina to take in the scenery. Iall do the drivina, you relax.a We drove south along the coastal road; the view was breathtaking. The sun had come out and it was unusually warm. I noticed a basket in the backseat as Bridget picked a spot near the cliff and parked the car.

aWhere in the world are we?a I asked.

aClewBay. Isnat it grand?a she asked, gazing out at the ocean.

We found a spot on the gra.s.s, and she put the blanket down. aI hope you like cold chicken.a aI didnat know this was going to be a picnic,a I said as I sat down.

She gave me a sly grin. aI figured if I told ya, you might not come.a I looked out at the bay. aClewBay, huh?a I asked. aAny history there?a aG.o.d, yes. Many a ship has been scuttled against those rocks. Legend has it that a ship from the Armada was sunk somewhere out there,a she said, gazing almost lovingly at the ocean.

aYou really love it here, donat you?a I asked and sipped my wine.

aYes, I really do.a We sat and talked about nothing in particular. aI donat know what to make of last night, with whomever it was outside my door,a I said, stealing a glance at her. aBut it does seem strange. With all these things happening, itas somewhat scary.a aI donat blame ya. Maybe you shouldnat be staying at the cottage alone,a she said.

aWell, thatas the consensus of opinion.a I laughed and ate my chicken.

She gave me a curious grin. aYouare an independent woman, Kate.a It was not a question.

I stretched out on my side and leaned on my elbow. aI guess so. I never really thought about it, but in the past few months or so, Iave been told that incessantly.a aWell, thereas nothina wrong with being independent. Just as thereas nothina wrong with beina unattached. If thatas what ya want, of course,a she said as she munched on a chicken leg.

I scowled as Maggieas face flashed in my mind. I changed the topic. aTell me about Brian. Iam curious as to how he died. Seems strange that a man lives all his life in one spot and one night trips and plunges to his death.a I shrugged and looked out at the ocean. aDoesnat mesh.a aI donat know, but ya donat live here. The night plays tricks on ya.a I raised an eyebrow. aBanshees again?a Bridget laughed and looked out at the ocean. aWho knows? Sean and Mary said he had far too much to drink. Itas sad. Brian was a good man. I only saw him when he came to town and had business with me. He came to me with his will. Iall admit I was a little surprised, but I figured Mac must have some great qualities in him,a she looked at me and continued. aAbout two years ago or so, some people from Dublin came to see Brian. He never said a word about it. We never knew who they were, but they came several times. Different people,a she said with a shrug.

aHow do you know they were from Dublin?a I asked and she blushed.

aI asked Constable Reardon to check the license tags. It was not a rental and they were from Dublin.a aVery clever, but why ask? What did it matter who called on Brian?a I asked curiously. She hesitated for a moment. I thought a moment too long.

aWeare a small village here. Unexpected visitors are a curiosity, and ya know we Irish are a curious lot and love a bit of gossip,a she said with a wink. aNow finish your chicken, or youall have me thinkina ya donat like my cooking.a I chuckled nervously, not sure why I should be nervous around this woman. She was smart, attractive, and amusing. Maggieas face flashed through my mind, clouding all my reason.

I looked at Bridget, who was watching me. My detached emotional loop had me by the ankle, dragging me back once again. I did the only thing I could think ofa"I ate my chicken. aWhat do you think they wanted?a aI donat know, but they looked very high cla.s.s. Ya know, impeccably dressed. There was the same woman and man, they came three times,a she said. aI have no idea what in the world Iam talkina about. You have a way about you, Kate Ryan. Youare easy to be with.a I let out a rude snort, which I did not intend to do. aWait till you get to know me, you wonat think Iam so easy,a I said, trying to keep the conversation light and on track. That was not going to be easy with Miss Donnelly, who leaned in and gave me a sly grin. I instinctively leaned away.

aI didnat say you were easy, but I would like to get to know ya, to find out for myself,a she said as she handed me an apple.

I looked at it cautiously. aDonat worry. Iam not Eve, but I am temptina ya,a she said with an evil grin and laughed, Iam sure, at the dumbfounded look on my face.

I immediately thought of Bette Davis in the movie All About Eve. Her distinctive voice rang in my earsa"aEve, Eve, little Miss Eve-il.a I took the offering and a healthy bite.

We sat there the rest of the day talking about our childhoods and Irish history, then not saying very much at all. I was leaning against a tree, eating another apple, looking out at the ocean. I leaned over, poured her another gla.s.s, and refilled mine.