Chapter Eighteen

Sara was trying to figure out how she was going to tell the others that she'd failed when her phone dinged for a text. Good! Maybe someone in Alaska urgently needed her and she'd have an excuse to escape her embarrassment.

It was Kate.

Dad and I are in the library. He's dying to tell us something. My guess is that it's about Roy's son. Should we act surprised?

Sara replied. We'll act bored. Old news.

Kate sent an emoji laughing to tears.

Sara thought, Maybe my little brother will distract from my failure. She went downstairs, but on the second floor she used the main staircase rather than the narrow one that led down to the kitchen. The last thing she wanted was to see Rachel in the kitchen. Little Miss 1950s Homemaker rolling out pie dough for a man she seemed to like very much didn't fit with what Sara knew. Why had she kissed Reid?

You're getting old, Sara thought. Today young people popped in and out of bed with each other for no reason at all. Certainly not love.

When Lenny stepped out of the shadows, Sara gasped in surprise.

"Sorry," he murmured, "but you were right."

Sara's eyes widened. How many times in her life had she heard a man tell her she was right? Three? Four? That was probably too many. "About what?"

"I talked to Rachel. I don't like her either."

Sara refrained from saying that she'd changed her mind. "Tell me specifics."

"She's sneaking around trying to find something her grandmother hid."

"Oh!" Sara said, thinking that maybe it was Mrs. Meyers who sewed the jewels into Kate's toy. "Did she say what was hidden?"

"Of course not. She did say she came here to escape her mother. Not sure if that helps or not."

Maybe she was postponing doing what she was "supposed to do,"Sara thought. Meaning marry a man she didn't love. "Anything else?"

"She doesn't seem interested in Gil." There was anger in Lenny's voice.

"But isn't she baking him a pie?" Sara was confused.

"Not in this kitchen."

"Maybe she's using the guesthouse kitchen or the cottage," Sara said. "I have to go. They're waiting for me. My brother is dying to reveal that Barbara and Roy had a son." Sara's smile showed how much she was going to love one-upping her brother.

Lenny smiled as much as his face would allow. "Met the kid. Real smart aleck." There was affection is his voice.

Sara started down the stairs, but Lenny's voice halted her.

"She has a tattoo," he said. "All the kids do now but hers looks old."

Sara nodded and went down two more steps.

"It's a bow, like a ribbon tied," he said.

Sara stopped, opened her ever-present notebook, and drew the tattoo Reid had shown her. "Like this?"

Lenny nodded yes, then gave Sara a look that congratulated her on her sleuthing.

"Thank you," she said. "How's your place over the garage? Need anything?"

"It's all fine, thanks."

They smiled at each other and parted, both pleased at what had been said.

Kate and Randal were in the library, talking about Kate's wedding. If his life had been different, it wouldn't be a stretch to see Randal as a party planner. Whatever he did would be elegant.

Sara felt guilty that they were ignoring Kate's happiness in favor of talk of executions and sawed skulls. She made a vow that she'd get Lachlan House for Kate's wedding even if she had to buy the place.

"There you are," Randal said. "We've been waiting for you."

"Where's Jack?" Sara asked.

"Taking a shower," Kate said. "He and Gil were doing something that made a lot of sawdust. It was all over him."

"Is that what's in your hair?" Sara asked.

With a laugh, Kate ruffled her hair to clean it out. "Dad has some big news to tell us." Her eyes were twinkling.

"Barbara Adair and Roy had a son," Randal announced dramatically.

Sara and Kate looked at him with bored eyes.

Randal, who was quite perceptive about other people, groaned. "How could you already know? Barbara thinks he might even be here."

"Really?" Sara said. "Does he—?" She broke off because the door opened and in walked Troy. "You're supposed to be helping with the tapes."

"He looks just like Roy," Randal whispered. He was so overcome with emotion that he stepped back and braced himself against the desk.

Troy was looking at Sara, his eyes alight. "I found a hundred-and-six-year-old man who's old enough to remember how to use a VCR, so he took over." Obviously, he was teasing Sara.

"Hmph!" she said. "And new ways are better? Do you know how to drive a stick shift? Write in cursive?"

"Yes, I do."

"Know how to use a rotary phone?"

"I've seen them in museums. Maybe you could get a job as a guide and demonstrate."

Sara was trying not to laugh. He was good at word jousting. Before she could say more, Jack walked in.

For a moment, he froze, as they all did. As though they were trained for this, the two women went to flank Jack, while Randal stood by Troy.

Jack was staring at the young man. "Who are you?"

Troy seemed too overwhelmed to say anything.

It was Randal who spoke. "This is Troy, your father's son. Barbara is his mother."

Jack and Troy kept staring at each other in silence.

Finally, Jack said, "Chimney?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "That was me. I yelled. I didn't mean to startle you so bad that you nearly got hit."

Again, they lapsed into silence.

Troy took a breath and said, "I can sing. I've had lots of lessons."

"Know any Sinatra?"

"I know some of all kinds of music. Mom made sure of that. Blues to Broadway."

Jack put his hand on the doorknob. "Come on then, we're going to the Brigade." The two men started out, but Jack looked back at Kate and Sara. "You two coming?"

Kate's smile could have lit up a stadium, but Sara didn't move. No, she wasn't going.

"You get hours of peace." Jack looked at Randal. "And you?"

"Dinner with Lea. A friend of mine is making us a special meal. And Reid is going to his grandmother."

Jack looked at Troy. "Your mom?"

Troy grinned in a way that made him look like a clone of his father. "She's with Billy and his minions. I told him that if he pushes her, she'll reenact her every scene in every movie. She loves small, adoring audiences."

"So you've seen her then?" Sara asked.

"Nope."

The way he said it made them laugh.

"Come on, little brother," Jack said. "Let's go eat, drink, and sing."

"And dance with firemen," Kate added.

"My wife-to-be," Jack said to Troy in a fatalistic way.

"I hear you, man," Troy said.

The three of them left together, all of them smiling broadly.

Ah quiet, Sara thought when they were gone. She closed her eyes and listened to it. Within minutes, she heard voices, mostly women, who were laughing and excited. Then came children and one or two men's voices. Sara was pretty sure she knew what was happening. Randal probably told Lenny that they were all going out—which meant the dinner the caterers had prepared wouldn't be needed. It sounded like Lenny had invited Dora and her friends. They'd done so much work in getting the house ready for visitors that they certainly deserved a good dinner. Of course they invited others.

Sara knew she should go say hello and tell them to help themselves to wine. She should play the hostess.

Was there a word more hated by introverts than should? Add it to hostess and it was full-blown terror.

There was no way Sara could escape them. To reach the main staircase, she'd have to go through the living room past where they were gathered. Even if she managed to evade them, the stairs could be seen from the dining room.

Hysteria began to rise in her throat. Just great! she thought. A skeleton falls out of a closet and I don't panic, but a gaggle of giggling women makes me feel like I'm trapped in a burning building.

As the voices got closer, she looked at the window. Ground floor. Not far above the lawn.

She was small and thanks to many years of gym work she was lithe. She tossed her notebook out, then climbed through the window with the speed of a lemur after a banana. As soon as she was on the ground, she circled around to the kitchen. She knew where she wanted to go: the nursery. That room hadn't brought back the memories she'd hoped for with Rachel, but Sara knew there was something there. Derek Oliver's ghost? She hoped not, but there was definitely an energy in there.

The kitchen was full of people in white uniforms. For once, Sara was glad for her lack of presence. No one ever paid attention to little old ladies. She didn't even have to do her slumped-over, crotchety act to get them to ignore her. They were busy serving dinner to half a dozen women and what appeared to be all of their children and grandchildren. Sara smiled. Good for them.

She opened the narrow door that most people didn't notice and went up the stairs to the top floor. Yet again, she smiled at the lovely silence, then went into the nursery.

As she remembered what Rachel had told her, she looked around. A missing rug. Books out of order. Kate had said the same thing. If Kate saw the disarray, then straightened it, did that mean someone had searched a second time? For the stuffed animal full of jewels? Rachel didn't seem to know what was inside the toy. But she also wanted to tear the room apart looking for it.

The more Sara thought, the more confusing it all was. They had so many pieces of the story, but no connection between them.

As she twisted to look around, she felt a bit of a stab to her chest. The brooch was still pinned inside her shirt. She took it out and looked at it. She couldn't help wondering about the value of the green stone. Was it a raw emerald? She'd written enough books set in the Middle Ages to know it was cut the way jewels used to be. Not faceted so it sparkled. Was it thirteenth century? Or earlier?

Why had Reid's grandmother entrusted something so valuable to a stranger? Was it true that she had Second Sight? Some form of clairvoyance? Did she foresee that Sara would feel, intuit, something from it?

She put her hand to her head. This was too much for her. She'd been going since 2:00 a.m. She'd talked to too many people, heard too much.

The window seat seemed to beckon her. Soft pillows. The fading sunlight of the day. She went to it and stretched out. She was so very sleepy. Please let me dream, she thought as she closed her eyes. Let me add to the story.

With the brooch clutched in her hand, Sara closed her eyes and went to sleep.

When Sara opened her eyes and realized she was in another dream, she nearly cried with thankfulness. As before, she was floating above, invisible to the people.

She saw a young couple in a beautiful forties car. It was a convertible, black with white sidewall tires. He was driving, and they weren't in Lachlan. In fact, they didn't appear to be in Florida.

The man was beautifully dressed in a lightweight gray suit with a pale blue shirt and a wide tie. From his dress and the vehicle, he must be the young man who was riding a horse in her first dream. When he turned his head, she saw that he looked different. As a person who worked hard to maintain her weight, Sara knew that he'd lost about twenty pounds. His cheekbones were more pronounced, and the weight loss made his shoulders seem broader. He was more handsome than he had been. A 1940s heartthrob.

More important than a physical change was his look of anger, hatred, even. Something big has happened, Sara thought.

Beside him, at the end of the wide seat, was the young woman. She looked the same. Teeth, moles, nose. They hadn't changed. It was Alish, Greer's grandmother.

No. That wasn't true. She was twisting a wedding ring on her left hand, twirling it round and round.

Please let there be sound,she thought. Please, please.

"It's over," he said angrily. "It's done."

Sara smiled. Yes!Sound!

"I know," she said softly. "It's just that Mr. Lachlan—"

"It's his fault." There was rage in the man's voice. "If he'd been here, it wouldn't have happened."

Ah, Sara thought. The execution of the nephew. Oh no! The nephew was the one Alish loved. It was her husband who was executed. This young man must be James Lachlan's son, Aran.

His face showed growing anger. "Why was the marriage so important to you?" He gave her a hard look. "You know you won't get any money. I have my own life to live, and it won't be in a backwater town but in a real city. What I've done there will live forever. When it's seen..." He didn't finish his sentence.

"I know."

"You can't tell anyone. You're as guilty as I am."

"I know."

"Stop saying that! If I had any sense, I'd..." When he came to a stoplight, he gave her a look that made Sara's hair stand on end. The woman kept eye contact with him, and Sara could feel her fear. He's threatening to kill her, she thought. Why? What are they talking about? What secret is he threatening her with?

When he drove forward, his face changed to a smirk, as though he knew something no one else did. "You think you tricked me, but you traded a murder for a marriage. Was it worth it?" He was taunting her.

She hesitated, and the way she put her hand to her stomach made Sara know she was going to have a baby. Whatever had happened, Sara knew it was for the child's sake. She also sensed that the man didn't know about the child.

Sara's writer-mind thought, Did they play a part in sending the nephew to the gallows? How? And more importantly, why?

He pulled into the parking lot of a train station, got out, and opened the trunk of the car. With an imperious gesture, he motioned to a porter to come and get his stash of beautiful leather luggage. As it was unloaded, he put his hand to his neck, then adjusted his collar.

When the porter was gone, the young man went back to the front of the car, glaring at her over the closed door. "Remember! You don't know where I am or what happened to me. I no longer exist. If I hear that you've betrayed me, I'll come back for you. Do you know what I will do to you?"

Sara was beginning to understand. James Lachlan's son disappeared and was never heard from again, but Alish knew where he went. She never told anyone.

He looked at her with more anger and hatred than Sara had ever seen before. She knew he was saying that he'd kill her. Sara gasped so loud that the woman flinched. It was as though she heard the sound—and knew she wasn't alone. It seemed to give her courage.

Alish straightened her shoulders. "I know I won't see you again, and I know that someone who loves you is waiting for you. But I also know about my life. I will stay in Lachlan forever. I will have a family and love and security. I will prosper through you."

He was obviously startled by what she'd said—and not a little creeped out by it. But then he sneered in derision. "You and your stupid Second Sight. No one believes you. Everyone laughs at you. I will have a hundred women, all of them beautiful." He gave her a look that told of her lack of beauty. "You may think you've won, but you will never get another thing from me." He stepped away from the car. "Remember to keep your mouth shut." He turned his back to her and went toward the train station.

"No women," she whispered. "None at all." She gave a little smile and moved over to get behind the steering wheel. As she drove away, she kept smiling.