Murder Checks Inn - Tim Myers [64]
“There was a fire at the place she was staying. She was nearly killed.”
Cynthia stood. “But she survived.”
With some satisfaction, Alex said, “The doctors say she’s going to be fine. Let me ask you something. Have you considered the possibility that Julie really is Mathias’s daughter, that she deserves to be included in the inheritance?”
“My husband was many things, Alex, but even he wasn’t scoundrel enough to pop this on us without warning. I wouldn’t believe a DNA test at this point. There’s something suspicious about this entire scenario.”
She started to leave as Alex asked, “What do you think was in the stolen will?”
“How should I know? My husband was famous for his erratic behavior his entire life. The ‘sound body and mind’ clause is enough to have the entire document disputed, even if the will is found. One thing you may bank on: my children will be provided for; I’ll make sure of that.” Cynthia hesitated at the door, lost in her own thoughts. After a few moments of silence, she added, “We won’t make any agreements with this usurper. My children will not be denied what is rightfully theirs.”
After Cynthia was gone, Alex stared at the door after her departure. The woman was single-minded about protecting what she thought of as rightly hers and her children’s. He couldn’t help wondering if she would go so far as to try to use a match and a can of gasoline to settle the dispute once and for all.
Elise came in a few minutes later. “Well, that was useless. Steven would barely talk to me. I could hardly get a word out of him when his mother stormed out, accusing me of browbeating her son. I hope you managed better than I did.”
Alex said, “I’m not sure.” He shared Cynthia’s comments and his theory that she might have taken matters into her own hands.
“Alex, I have a hard time believing she would go that far. We don’t even know how much money Mathias left behind. How can we possibly know if it was enough to kill for?”
Alex leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think it matters all that much to Cynthia. I believe she considers it a matter of principle.”
“So where does that leave us in our investigation?”
Alex stood. “There’s nothing we can do here at the moment. Why don’t we head over to the hospital and see if Julie saw something Amy might have missed. I particularly want to ask her if she remembers hearing a car pull up, or if the arsonist was on foot.”
“Let’s go,” Elise said.
“Aren’t you worried about our guests?” Alex said with a smile.
“They can take care of themselves,” she said.
They found Amy stationed just outside Julie’s room. Someone had cleaned her face and tended to the cuts on her hands where she’d tried to break out of the barn, but she hadn’t changed clothes yet.
Elise said, “Amy, I didn’t even think about what you’d wear. Can I run back to your house and get you something to change into?”
“It’s kind of you to offer, but I’m fine.”
Alex asked, “Any news about Julie?”
“The doctor’s in with her now. Armstrong came by ten minutes ago. He wanted to know if we heard or saw anything unusual before the fire.”
“And did you?” Alex asked.
“No, neither one of us had anything to tell him. It just kind of happened, do you know what I mean? I was caught completely off guard.”
“I can only imagine how frightening it must have been for you two in that barn,” Elise said.
Amy sighed, still hoarse from the smoke she’d inhaled. “Do you want to know the truth? All I could think about was that it was all my fault.”
Alex asked, “How can that possibly be true?”
“I knew Julie was in danger. I should have been taking more precautions than I did to protect her.”
Alex asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Come on, it sounds like there is a ton of money at stake here, and people go crazy sometimes when that much temptation is involved. What was I thinking, trying to protect her all alone? I’ll never forgive