False Pretenses - Kathy Herman [47]
Vanessa took of sip of sweet tea and glanced over at the open door, watching Carter playing with his toy submarine in the bathtub.
“I’m anxious to find out if your dad or uncles knew about the tunnel,” Vanessa said.
“My guess is they didn’t.” Ethan pursed his lips, his eyebrows arched above his round glasses. “I want to know all the secrets of that old place and write them down before they’re lost forever.”
“Me, too. I’m going to dig out the rest of Augusta Langley’s diaries. Maybe something she wrote will give us a clue.”
“Well, before we start knocking out walls, I’d sure like to know the significance of the tunnel. It might be worth preserving. Josiah Langley went to a lot of trouble to put it in. The least we can do is find out why.”
“I’d like to walk through it. Maybe the reason for it being there will become obvious.”
“I’ll go with you.” Ethan took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “This is intriguing. How do you suppose the guy Carter saw in the closet found out about the tunnel? Maybe he just discovered the trapdoor at the edge of the woods? Then again, how likely is that when it was hidden under brush?”
“Not very. And right now he’s our biggest problem. He’s still out there. When he can’t get the trapdoor open, he might break in.”
“Honey, why would he do that? He has to know the police are investigating. If he’s smart, he’ll get as far away from here as he can.”
“What if he’s not smart?”
Ethan took her hand in his. “Then he’ll get caught even faster. Every law-enforcement agency in the state has been alerted. He, or the other persons involved, are bound to do something suspicious. He’ll be caught eventually. We just need to trust the Lord and try not to worry.”
“I’m angry that he’s defiled your family’s heirloom.”
“The crime didn’t happen at Langley Manor, Vanessa. Why does the fact that he was in the house have to taint the family heirloom?”
“I don’t know. It’s creepy to think he was in there. Maybe they were all in there.”
“Maybe. The house is just rooms and doors. The fact that these guys might have slept there and the fact that there’s a secret tunnel just adds mystery and intrigue to the history of Langley Manor and could be just as fascinating to our B-and-B guests as ghost stories.”
Zoe walked into the office and flipped the light on, then let the door close and lock behind her. She realized she had stepped on something and looked down. Under her shoe was an envelope.
“I wondered when I’d get the next one,” she said out loud. “It doesn’t matter what you know. I’m one step ahead of you.” She reached down and picked up the envelope with her name typed on the front. She slit it open and unfolded the note, which had the same type of letters cut from a magazine. But the message was longer this time: I know what you did. It’s going to cost you. We need to meet. Tell no one. Wait for instructions.
Zoe’s neck muscles tightened. How dare he tell her what to do? Who did he think he was? Should she save this note with the others, or shred them all? She read it again, her mind racing in reverse, trying to figure out who could be doing this. A number of men worked for Adele in the six years Zoe did, but most of them worked outdoors, and she couldn’t even remember names and faces. How could one of them know that she had stolen the ring—especially when the police finally dropped the matter? And how did he figure out where she relocated—and her married name? And why wait ten years to blackmail her? None of it made sense.
Zoe exhaled and stuck the note in her pocket. He could make all the demands he wanted. But the threat to her had been over the minute Adele knew the truth and agreed to let her pay back the money. Zoe was eager to meet with this creep and tell him herself—and before Pierce accidentally intercepted another of his notes and started asking questions.
CHAPTER 15
The next morning, Zoe walked into the dining room at Zoe B’s and spotted Savannah in the waiting area, a bucket on the floor