Миранда Джеймс - Fixing To Die

“I take it that the housekeeper isn’t fond of Mr. Gamble or those other people,” Primrose Pace said. “They don’t seem all that welcome here. Who are they?”

“Mr. Gamble is Mrs. Catlin’s distant cousin,” Dickce said. “Mrs. Foster is his sister, and she has her lawyer, a Mr. Wilbanks, with her. They’re staying in the annex with Benjy.”

“Ah, yes, family,” Mrs. Pace said. “They can be a trial sometimes, can’t they?” She chuckled. “Actually, I think I may have heard of Mr. Gamble’s family before. Is he from Vicksburg?”

“Yes, he is,” An’gel said. “What have you heard?”

“He’s a realtor, I think,” Mrs. Pace said. “Or maybe he does renovations? Can’t remember exactly. I think maybe his father or his grandfather was in the construction business in Vicksburg.”

“I don’t know,” An’gel said. “We really know nothing about him except that he and his sister are Mrs. Catlin’s distant cousins.”

“The more distant the better,” Mrs. Pace said. “I seem to remember that old Mr. Gamble, whichever one it was, father or son, didn’t have a good reputation in business.”

“Word does get around in the South, doesn’t it?” Dickce said lightly.

“Something terrible has happened.”

Mary Turner surprised them all. An’gel looked up to see the young woman in the doorway, arms across her chest, pale and shivering. She got up immediately and went to Mary Turner.

“Come sit down, my dear, and have some coffee.” An’gel guided her to the table and nearly pushed her into the chair before Mary Turner’s shaky legs gave way.

“What happened?” Dickce asked. “Is something wrong with your cousin?”

Mary Turner nodded, her hands clasped around her coffee. “He’s dead.”

CHAPTER 17

“Here, sip some coffee,” An’gel said to Mary Turner. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

The young woman obediently drank from her cup, and An’gel was happy to see color returning to her face. Mary Turner seemed a bit steadier after another couple of sips.

“Tell us what happened,” An’gel said gently.

“Henry Howard was about to go into your room, Miss An’gel, when I got upstairs,” Mary Turner said. “I told him about the switch, and it took him a moment to understand. Then he went down the hall to the French room. I went with him, I’m not sure why.” She paused for a final sip of coffee, set down the cup, and pushed it away.

“He knocked on the door but he didn’t get a response,” Mary Turner said. “By that time I’d caught up with him. He knocked again and waited, but there still wasn’t any answer. So he opened the door and went in. I hesitated to follow him, but then I heard him cry out.” She flushed suddenly. “I can’t repeat what he said. It wasn’t a nice expression. Anyway, I did go in then. Henry Howard was standing over the bed, staring down at Nathan.” She shuddered and closed her eyes.

“My dear, I’m so sorry, I know it must have been a shock to you,” An’gel said. “You don’t have to tell us any more if you don’t feel up to it.”

Mary Turner nodded. “It was a shock, I don’t mind telling you. Poor Nathan. I never liked him, but now he’s dead.” She shuddered again. “He had the most horrible expression on his face. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it.”

“Do you think he suffered a great deal?” Dickce asked. “Perhaps he had heart trouble and didn’t know it.”

“He looked terrified,” Mary Turner said. “Like he had been scared to death.”

An’gel exchanged a glance with her sister. She knew they were thinking the same thing. Had a malign spirit appeared in the French room during the night and frightened Nathan Gamble into having a heart attack?

An’gel didn’t want to believe that. She patted Mary Turner’s hand. “Many people are fearful when they realize they are dying, child. Don’t place too much emphasis on his expression.” She looked at Dickce again, and her sister picked up the cue.

“Heavens, no,” Dickce said. “The poor man may have had a seizure right before he passed away.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Benjy asked.

An’gel shot him an approving glance. “Yes, we’ll all be happy to do whatever you need.”

“Henry Howard is in the office calling the doctor,” Mary Turner said. “And I guess he’ll have to call the police as well, since Nathan died unexpectedly.”

“Yes, the authorities have to be notified,” An’gel said. “Let’s wait here until Henry Howard gets through with his calls. In the meantime, you need some more hot coffee. You’re starting to look too pale again.”

“I’ll get it for her.” Benjy reached for the cup and took it to the sideboard.

An’gel glanced across the table at Dickce and then noticed that Primrose Pace had disappeared from the room. Where was she? An’gel wondered. She had no time to ponder the question further, because Serenity Foster and Truss Wilbanks walked into the dining room then.

“Good morning,” Serenity said. “I hope we’re not too late for breakfast.” She looked around the room for a moment, and when she spotted the coffee urn on the sideboard, she made a beeline for it.

“We’re here before eight,” Wilbanks said as he glanced around the room. “As you told us to be.”

Marcelline bustled into the room, and An’gel wondered if the housekeeper had been standing at the kitchen door, watching for the two of them. She started to recite the breakfast menu but broke off when she noticed Mary Turner sitting at the table with An’gel standing by her.

She hurried over. “Miss Mary, what’s wrong? Are you sick, honey?”

Mary Turner shook her head. “No, Marcelline, I’ll be okay. Something really sad has happened, and I’m a little shaken by it. And now I have to talk to Serenity.” She looked across the table toward the sideboard, where her cousin stood sipping coffee.

“What is it?” Serenity asked as she approached the table. “Did Nathan fall down the stairs and break his leg? I warned him about snooping around during the night. He can barely see in the dark.” She laughed.

An’gel would have found the young woman’s remarks in poor taste at any time, but now they seemed particularly unfortunate.

“Mrs. Foster, I think you’d better sit down,” An’gel told her. “You, too, Mr. Wilbanks. I’m afraid Mary Turner has bad news for you.”

Serenity Foster looked taken aback but did as An’gel told her to. Wilbanks came to stand behind her chair and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Go ahead, what is it?” Serenity said, her tone harsh.

“Nathan is dead, Serenity,” Mary Turner said. “We found him, Henry Howard and I did, I mean, only a few minutes ago. He must have died in his sleep. He was still in bed.”

Serenity stared across the table at her cousin. All the color drained from her face, and An’gel thought the young woman was going to faint. Wilbanks tightened his grip on her shoulders, An’gel noticed.

“He can’t be dead,” Serenity said. “He’s too young, and he was in perfect health as far as I know. Is this some kind of sick joke you’re trying to play, Mary Turner?”

“No, it’s not a joke, Serenity.” Henry Howard spoke from the doorway. He walked into the room, his own shock still evident in his expression. “Nathan is dead. I’ve called for the doctor, well, an ambulance, that is, and I’ve called the police.”

“The police? What the hell for?” Serenity said. “Do you think he was murdered?”

“Calm down, Serenity,” Wilbanks said. When Serenity tried to rise from her chair, he kept her in place. “No one is saying he was murdered.”

“Why would you think that?” Marcelline demanded. “Why would someone want to kill that brother of yours? He probably had a weak heart, and something scared him to death.”