Bones of a Feather - Carolyn Haines [60]
Tinkie was good at applying the taser to my weak spots. Being falsely accused was unpleasant. “I told Eleanor the truth.”
“The harshest truth. I saw her just before she took to her bed. I thought she’d keel over.”
Tinkie had a point. Eleanor had looked sickened at the thought her sister wouldn’t survive the ordeal. Her explanation of the prescription drugs was plausible. And she didn’t seem overly concerned about the loss of the ransom money.
Still, the house had to be searched again, and I did so while Tinkie sat outside Eleanor’s room as a guard. If she came out, Tinkie would divert her until I finished.
With the dogs helping, it didn’t take long to investigate the place. I didn’t find a single locked door or anyplace that looked suspicious. There was no trace of Monica; she wasn’t being held in the house.
During my search the rain clouds passed and the sun burned hot. Humidity at a thousand percent. The air outside was liquid with moisture, creating the highest possible ick factor.
Tinkie and I were in the kitchen. She’d put a kettle on to boil to make herbal tea for Eleanor. “We should talk to Barclay. I need a full accounting of his whereabouts since he arrived in Natchez. I still can’t believe Kissie let him stay in Briarcliff without permission from the sisters.”
Barclay definitely had some ’splaining to do.
“Barclay could charm his way into a convent. I don’t believe Kissie intentionally endangered the Leverts.”
“Do you think he stole the necklace?” Tinkie asked.
The theft of the necklace had fallen so far down my priority list I’d pushed it to the back of my mind. “Why would he stay in Natchez if he had the necklace and money was his objective? He could sell it for a lot of money.”
“Revenge? To make his mother acknowledge him? I’m glad Eleanor gave him the DNA. Maybe the lab will put that issue to rest.”
“I’ll stay with Eleanor if you want to interview Barclay.” I made the offer because Tinkie had a thing for Barclay and also because I did, too. He could work me. Tinkie, who’d grown up manipulating men, wasn’t as susceptible to his charms as I might be. Not that I would betray Graf, but only that I might not be at the top of my game. Barclay was crafty, and I didn’t want to fall victim to his scams.
“I’d love a chance to grill him. At least we know why Marty Diamond was so aggressive toward him. Barclay put Kissie in a bad spot.” Her eyebrows lifted. “A case where we have two handsome, talented men. It could be worse.”
Tinkie was incorrigible. “And it probably will be.”
“I’ll be back here by eight, in case the kidnapper calls.”
In the past, the ransom calls had come late in the evening. Tinkie would have plenty of time to find Barclay—Natchez wasn’t that big a town and Barclay was hard to miss. In the meantime, though, she showed me how to turn on the telephone tape recorder. She left her laptop so I could do some research.
After it was brewed, I took the herbal tea to Eleanor. I tapped and there was no answer. Eleanor was sound asleep, as still as a corpse on top of the bedspread. She was so wan and lifeless I feared for a moment she actually might have died. On closer inspection, I deduced she was in a deep, deep sleep. She was utterly exhausted.
I returned the tea tray to the kitchen and gathered Tinkie’s laptop. In the investigation, we’d learned a good bit about Monica’s sordid love life, but not much regarding Eleanor’s past. Other than Jerome, I had no idea who Eleanor had dated or desired. Somehow, I felt it might be useful information.
Eleanor told us to take our pick of the second-floor bedrooms, but I set up in the front parlor, where I had a good view of the main staircase and also the door to the back staircase, a small, narrow, dark passage the servants used to tend to the needs of their owners or employers, as the case might be. If Eleanor awakened, she wouldn’t get by me. Perhaps I’d jumped to the wrong conclusion about her involvement in this mess, but I couldn’t afford to put aside my concerns based on Tinkie’s say-so. If I’d learned anything from past cases, it was not to