Chapter Fourteen

Lenny appeared to be busy in the kitchen, but the truth was, he was watching and listening. The caterers were in charge of preparing the food, and Lenny used his scarred face to keep them in line. His fierce looks kept them from bothering him with idiot questions about where what was and did he have whatever. He believed in kids growing up instead of endlessly depending on adults.

This freed Lenny to keep up with what was going on in the house. He felt he owed this as he was eternally grateful to Sara, Kate, and Jack for taking him in. After he was shot, they could have left him alone to take care of himself. He didn't tell anyone, not even the doctor he visited often, but he was plagued with headaches, sometimes blurry vision, and an inability to move quickly.

To repay his saviors, he was determined to watch over them. In spite of their encounters with murders, they still tended to believe the best of people.

Lenny was concerned about the chimney that had nearly landed on Jack. They seemed to dismiss it, but Lenny didn't.

He knew that it had been blown up by someone who knew about explosives. Lenny would have called his old friend Harvey and asked him how it was done, but in '91, he accidently stepped on one of his own wires. To Lenny, it was obvious that Jack—not someone else—had been the target. But why? What did someone gain by taking out Jack? Did it have to do with his father? From what Lenny had heard, Roy was capable of anything. Hitting Derek Oliver over the head? Sure. But sawing his skull open? No. That took a fetishist. Someone deeply disturbed. Someone who would have shown signs of that inclination from a young age.

So far, Lenny had seen nothing like that in any of the people lurking about the big old place.

And lurking was the key word. They all seemed to be up to something in secret. He'd seen Lea—the love of Randal's life—rummaging in the Palm Room. She was opening books and shaking them. Looking for what?

The movie star went up and down the back fence like she was searching for fire anthills. If she stepped on one in those little sandals she wore, she'd be sorry. Reid was using a weed whacker to cover the way he was searching the grounds. What were they all looking for? And if it was something so important, why hadn't they come here years ago when the house was empty?

The only person he actually liked was Rachel, and that was because the boy, Quinn, liked her. In Lenny's experience, kids were like dogs. They liked people from their hearts.

But Sara didn't like Rachel, and Lenny couldn't figure out why.

He thought Sara needed to calm down. But then, the two couples, Randal and Lea, Jack and Kate, were so enamored of each other that everything was being dumped onto Sara. As far as Lenny could see, all she wanted to do was to go somewhere quiet and write in her notebook. He'd seen her hurrying from place to place and writing as she rushed. She had too many ideas in her mind to concentrate on just one thing.

This morning as she was rushing through the kitchen, she asked him, "What's a good male name that starts with G?"

"Graham," he said.

"No, can't use it. That's Reid's name. I learned a long time ago not to use the names of people I've met. They like to thank me for using them in my book, then tell me I owe them 50 percent of whatever I was paid. Oh crap!" She was looking at her watch. "I have to go. Keep thinking of names," she called over her shoulder as she ran out of the kitchen.

Through some excellent sleuthing, if he said so himself, he found out that Sara had divided suspects and assigned each person to an interview. Good! Give them a job so they help.

Unfortunately, Sara had taken Rachel. He knew that wouldn't be done fairly. He was sure she'd try to be neutral, but she would take her ill feelings into the interview.

That bothered him, but there was also the fact that all of them were so frantically running from one place to another that they were missing things. They'd even set a time limit on the interviews. Learn everything there is to know and be back here by four was their creed. Right. And each suspect was going to be honest and truthful. What a joke.

Sara had asked him about "the boy with the lawn mower." Lenny had no idea who she was talking about. Early in his life, he'd learned to never let anyone know he hadn't a clue about whatever was being asked. His dad had taught him that. "Act responsible and you'll be given responsibility, which leads to knowledge—which contains secrets. Knowing secrets is the to key to it all."

When Sara asked, Lenny acted like he knew all about the kid with a lawn mower. But he was actually shocked. How had he not heard that loud machine? Especially since it would have been going just at dawn? The only person he'd ever met who slept as little as he did was Sara. If she was outside, it was probably barely daylight.

He'd told her he'd take care of it. But who was the kid, and where was he?

Lenny went outside to look for him, but he was distracted when he saw Barbara Adair skulking about. He followed her. Three times he had to hide from the movie star. What was she looking for? She was made up like she was going before a camera and had on some outfit that should have been labeled Summer in Capri. Did she have a lover? Jack and Randal were taken so that left young Reid. To be fair, he was probably only a few years younger than Mrs. Adair.

Following her without being seen wasn't easy. Lenny's head injury had affected his entire body. He could no longer "disappear" as he used to. He couldn't slide into doorways, stoop under staircases, or dive through windows as he easily used to do. But Barbara was so intent on whatever she was searching for that she didn't see him. Lenny was tempted to test her concentration by stepping in front of her, but he didn't.

Whatever she was seeking, she didn't find it. Instead, she and Randal went off to lunch. Jack and Kate also went away. Separately. Can they bear to be apart for two whole hours? Lenny thought. He'd never come close to being in love and seeing those four obsessed with one another made him glad of it.

When Lenny went back inside, Sara was like a house that was about to explode: agitated and hyperactive. He heard her call the local tearoom and order food to be delivered. What they had in the house wasn't good enough for her?

When she asked Lenny if he'd seen Rachel, he said no—and he knew he had to do something. The way Sara was now, she'd probably have Rachel arrested before she even started to ask questions.

Then an odd thing happened. As Randal and Barbara drove away from the front of the house, in the back appeared a young man Lenny had never seen before. He was impressed and annoyed at the same time. That the boy could hide from him was startling, and it made Lenny feel old and incompetent. He was losing his ability to see all while not being seen.

Lenny lost no time in going after the boy. He was a young man, early twenties, but to Lenny that was a child. "Sara needs you."

He looked blank, like he'd never heard of her.

"Sara? Solving the murder?"

The boy's eyes widened. He was a good-looking kid. Dark blond hair, blue eyes. He looked like he'd been fed nothing but "good for you" food all his life.

"You know anything about VHS machines?"

"Sure. My dad—"

Lenny put his hand up. He didn't have time to listen to a life story. "You're to go with Sara to an old-age home and connect the system. They're researching some guy named Harry Adair. Ever hear of him?"

The kid gave a bit of a smile. "All my life."

Was he some California kid? Knew who directed and produced every movie? "Make the oldies laugh and calm Sara down. Think you can do that?"

His eyes were sparkling. "Sure. I can sing like a forties crooner."

"They're more of a ‘Can't Get No Satisfaction' generation."

"Then give me an electric guitar."

Lenny wasn't sure if he greatly disliked the smart-aleck kid or wanted to adopt him. "Just take Sara away and keep her occupied. Don't let her return here until after four. Got it?"

"Yes, sir! I'll do it."

At that Lenny gave a smile—which he tried never to do. The scar on his head wouldn't let one side of his face move. A smile emphasized the imbalance and turned his face into a hideous mask. At the sight, even people who knew him stepped back.

But the kid didn't so much as blink. "Any more orders, sir?"

"Go on," Lenny said gruffly, trying to quit smiling so he looked less scary.

The boy started toward the house, but turned, walking backward. "Is the VHS in the Palm Room? And the great Harry Adair's movies are in there?"

Lenny's smile left as he realized "who" the kid was. He was what Barbara had been searching for. There was a look of her in his eyes. But his walk was pure... Lenny blinked as he tried to place it. He cursed at his brain. It wasn't as agile as it had once been. "The tapes have been moved to the old-age home. You just need to go there and hook the machines up."

"Easy," the kid said, then began running to the house.

Lenny saw a shadow move. He knew from the shape that it was Rachel. He smiled—as much as his face would allow, that is. Since Sara was going to be occupied, maybe he could be the one to find out some things from Rachel.

It wasn't easy, considering the stiffness of his body, but he confronted her. Her look of surprise pleased him. He hadn't lost all of his abilities! "Everyone is gone. Want to have lunch?"

She hesitated.

"Just us. No one else."

That seemed to intrigue her, and he wondered why.

While he'd been outside, the food from Mitford Tea had been delivered and was on the counter.

Rachel looked at the name on the bag. "We'll have tea? In fancy cups? And pink cakes with roses on the top?" Her sneer deepened with every word.

"How about beer and ham sandwiches?"

"Great!"

Lenny put the bag back in the fridge and pulled out bread rolls, lunch meat, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and mustard. He popped open the top on a bottle of beer and handed it to her. "You don't act like a Connecticut lady."

"Thanks," she said as she drank. "My husband thought the same thing. He wanted me to live in tennis whites."

"Exposes a lot."

"A country club boy's dream. So what happened to your face?"

"Got shot in the head."

"I bet that hurt," she said.

"A bit." He tried not to smile as he handed her a fat sandwich on a plate. "Here? Outside? Where?"

"Out."

He followed her through the back door and they sat down on the grass in the shade. It wasn't easy for him to fold himself, so he leaned against a tree, his long legs straight out. "So what are you sneaking around looking for?" He took a bite.

"If you saw that, did they?"

"No. They're fascinated by some old execution."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It's Sara. She loves history."

"Execution? You mean beheading? Something like that?"

"Not that far back. So what about you doing the spy imitation?"

She frowned, obviously not liking going back to her. "My grandmother hid some things here. I wondered if I could find them."

He didn't ask what had been hidden. He figured that if he did, she'd leave. "I heard that Derek Oliver wanted to marry you."

Heardwas the key word. Eavesdropped was more correct.

She smiled. "He did suck up to me a bit, but I let him know that I found him repulsive."

"Took that well, did he?"

"My experience of men is that if they're hot when they're young, they think they're hot when they're old and wrinkly."

"Then I'm safe," Lenny said, and she laughed.

"You want to know if I had a motive for killing him. No, I didn't. I wasn't even supposed to be here. I ran away from facing my mother."

"I heard you were sent here."

"A lie," she said easily. "I knew I had to deal with my mother, but I postponed it by running here. I was ready to do anything to escape the wrath of that woman. I knew my grandmother would be glad to see me." She smiled in fond memory. "You ever have anyone on your side no matter what you did?"

"Not even close," Lenny said honestly. He was piecing things together. Randal had told him the details of the skeleton they found. Rachel was looking for something her grandmother had hidden. The jewels that had been sewn inside a stuffed toy? Did she do that or did Mrs. Meyers? "Have you found what she hid?"

"No."

"You could have returned years ago and searched."

"My life has changed in the last years," she said. "Besides, it never crossed my mind that the house and a lot of the furnishings would still be here. Is that all? Or are there more questions?" When she raised her arm to push her hair back, her short sleeve fell away and showed a tattoo on the inside of her upper arm.

"What's that?" he asked. It was an unusual shape. A symbol, of some sort.

A frown crossed her face, then she quickly covered it. "A moment of sheer stupidity." She stood up. "I have things to do."

Search the guesthouse where you and your grandmother stayed?he thought. He got up too but much less easily than she did. "Gil's at the cottage."

"What?"

He saw the blank look on her face. "There were some pastries left from breakfast. I thought you might want to take some to Gil and Quinn."

"No," she said. "Not now. Maybe later."

"I think Sara wants to see you. Maybe in the nursery?"

Rachel groaned. "More questions. I didn't kill that odious old man. I wouldn't even be here now if it weren't for—" She broke off. "Are we done?"

Lenny gave a nod and she left quickly. She went around the house so he couldn't see where she was headed. It was a ploy he'd used often when he was doing something he wanted no one to see.

As he stood there looking at the place where she'd been, he said aloud, "Forgive me, Sara. I don't like her either."