Asking for Trouble - Leslie Kelly [79]
Hmm.
“Who was the family member?”
He shuffled some papers. “A Lou Harrington from Philadelphia.”
Hmm again. Brother Lou? Cousin Louie? Uncle Luigi? Not enough information.
“Anyway, beyond that, the jailed suspect still isn’t cooperating. Philadelphia police have looked into it and don’t have any criminal background on either one of the attackers.” Mark cleared his throat.
“What?”
“Well, the investigator I talked to did have some things to say about the victim.”
I immediately tensed. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Mainly what a poor son of a bitch he was to stumble onto these two, because they really messed him up. That balcony apparently looked like a slaughter had taken place, but all the blood was the intended victim’s.”
Hot moisture rose to my eyes but I blinked it away. Simon wasn’t hurting physically anymore. And dammit, soon he wouldn’t be hurting emotionally. I’d see to that if it was the only important thing I ever did in my life.
“He also said the bartender and hotel staff had noticed the woman hanging around a couple of nights before that one, never talking to anyone. But the minute this Lebeaux guy came in, she was all over him.”
“She—they—targeted him,” I said, never doubting it. “Not just any wealthy-looking hotel guest would do.”
“Looks that way.”
Big hmm. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up and if I had a mirror handy, I knew I’d see my pulse throbbing in my temple. Because I sure felt it.
“Lottie, just thought I’d mention…the staff also told the investigators that Lebeaux hadn’t been, you know, trolling the bar during his stay. They never saw him with a woman until that night and she was definitely the aggressor.”
Hearing a note of gruffness in Mark’s voice, I suddenly realized why he’d told me that. He knew. He somehow knew, without me saying, that I was involved with Simon. And though he was far away, it almost seemed as if he were offering his approval, and his support. Have I mentioned I really do love my brothers?
“Thanks, Mark. Give Noelle a hug for me.”
“I give her plenty of my own, but I’m always happy to give her one more.”
Laughing, I promised to call later. And I promised to be careful. Then I disconnected the call and went inside to find Simon. It was time to search Seaton House and get to the bottom of what was happening within its walls.
14
Simon
WITH THE SKELETON KEY in hand, they searched the entire house. Every room. Every closet. From the attic to the basement. It took most of the day, but by Sunday night, Simon felt sure they’d exhausted all possibilities within the building itself.
That didn’t mean someone hadn’t been doing exactly what Lottie theorized—it just meant they hadn’t taken up residence in his house. There were a few outbuildings—the free-standing garage, a gardener’s shed and a small building where Roger had kept the outdoor lawn equipment. But it was getting dark, so they’d have to search those tomorrow.
There were other things that had to wait until tomorrow as well, including word from his uncle’s attorney, who hadn’t, despite Simon’s best efforts, been reachable today. So by that night, he was feeling irritated and frustrated.
“Look, we’ve searched the whole place, we know we’re secure for tonight,” Lottie murmured as they lay sprawled on his bed. They’d both collapsed there, fully clothed, tired from their long, dusty day of creeping over every inch of the place. “We’ll find out more tomorrow and search the grounds.”
“I just wish there was more to do tonight.”
“You could do me tonight.”
He tugged her onto his chest. “I fully intend to.” Smiling, he added, “But first, I’m absolutely starving.”
Some women might take offense at being put in second place after a meal, but not Lottie. She immediately shot up. “Excellent. I’ll make us something fabulous.”
Laughing, he tried to pull her back down. “I didn’t mean right this minute.”
There was no stopping her, though. Following her into the kitchen, he watched her dive into the fridge and start pulling out enough food