Leona Karr - Silent Witness

Quickly she motioned Ryan toward one of the chairs and sat down opposite him on the sofa. She tried to keep her manner relaxed. “Now, then, what exactly did your investigator find that made you question Scotty again?”

“Nothing concrete. And that’s the problem.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Toby didn’t find any blood anywhere, especially in front of the fireplace where Scotty said he saw the body. He looked the area over closely and took pictures. We’ll have to wait to see if Toby got any fingerprints. No telling who’s been using the cabin since Alva’s been gone.”

“The caretaker told me they hired a cleaning service for the mansion shortly before we took over. I don’t know if the cabin was included in that or not. I could ask and find out.”

“You are going to stay out of this,” he said firmly. Leaning forward, his eyes locked with hers. “No one is going to know anything about what happened today.”

“What do you mean?” She was startled by his tone and the sudden rigidity of his body.

“You haven’t told Scotty’s story to anyone, have you?”

“No.”

“Good.” He leaned back with obvious relief. “It’s a pretty safe bet the boy hasn’t said anything to anyone.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re not the only one,” he admitted with a fleeting smile. “And that’s the danger, Marian. Until we know if a crime has been committed, any talk and speculation could trigger something totally unexpected.”

“But you just can’t ignore—”

He quickly moved to the sofa beside her. “My first responsibility now is to keep Scotty and you safe. If someone did see the boy running away from a murder scene and knows the boy confided in you, both of you could be in danger.” He put his hands lightly on her shoulders, turning her to face him. “Do you understand?”

“Are you trying to frighten me?”

“No,” he replied in a softer tone. “I just intend to stay around and make sure neither of you are in jeopardy until we know exactly what we may be dealing with.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. How can I explain your presence to everyone? You want me to lie about who you really are?”

“Not at all. We just have to put a little twist on the reason for me being here at the estate.”

“Then you do mean lie.”

“It’s called a protective cover.”

“And what could that be? It’s hardly likely the staff will believe you’re a volunteer staff member.” Her mind raced ahead, already anticipating the problems of trying to incorporate a totally unlikely person into the curriculum.

“I was thinking more along the lines of something in keeping with the truth of my real occupation.”

“And what would that something be?”

“How about your needing my services to check out or change the security system?”

“I could never do that without the permission of Arthur Kennedy. He’s Alva Wentworth’s Denver lawyer and controls the budget. We’d have to get his approval for such an expenditure.”

“He’s in Denver? How often does he show up here?”

“I never know,” she admitted. “Most of the time we talk on the telephone. When he’s in town, he reports everything personally to Alva and then gives me instructions. I have never made a move without their approval.”

“Well, let’s go with the security story as long as we can. That will give me a free hand to hang around and keep you and Scotty under protection.”

“Do you think that’s really necessary?”

“I don’t know, but until we get something solid to go on, one way or the other, I intend to play it safe.”

She could tell from the firmness in his voice it was useless to argue. In a way she felt relieved that he was taking charge. On the other hand, just thinking about him being a constant presence in her life created challenges on more levels than one. She was very aware of his physical warmth and sexual appeal. Having him around as a bodyguard night and day wasn’t going to be that easy.

She rose abruptly to her feet.

“What’s the matter?” he asked as he stood up beside her.

“The children will be coming in soon. I have to see to the dining room.”

Something in her voice must have betrayed her anxiety, because he put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll make this as easy on you as I can. Just remember we’re role-playing. Okay?”

“Okay,” she echoed as firmly as she could.

“I’m here because you have been concerned for the security of the children and want me to check out the present system. I’ll offer to remain on the premises until everything is brought up to date. Hopefully that will give Officer Bower time to carry out his forensic tests and provide us with some direction for any necessary investigation. I have a relative who is deaf and I can handle a little signing.”

He fell silent as they walked through the house to the dining room.

“I need to check with Elsie Mullens, the cook,” Marian said, turning toward swinging double doors leading into the kitchen. “We don’t have any money in the budget for additional help, so all of us pitch in when we can. Two of the older children help load the two dishwashers and get a dollar a day for it. Scotty started out helping but gave Elsie such a bad time that she quickly decided to dispense with his services.”

As they came into the kitchen, Elsie was filling bowls with a hearty vegetable soup. Platters of fried chicken, corn bread, fruit salad and peanut-butter cookies were side by side on the serving carts with pitchers of milk.

“Wow, everything smells delicious!” Ryan said enthusiastically as he smiled at Elsie. “I hope there’s enough for one more.”

“I wasn’t told there was going to be a guest,” she informed him in her blunt fashion.

“And I wasn’t told there was a chef in the kitchen preparing good solid food that could send a man’s stomach growling,” he countered as he bent over and sniffed the vegetable soup. “Just a touch of oregano, I’ll bet.”

Elsie’s frown instantly changed into an expression of surprise. “You some kind of a cook?”

“Nope, but I grew up on a ranch. We had a chuck wagon cook who was a whiz at making a soup that smelled just like this.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time during roundup cooking for a bunch of cowhands,” Elsie said proudly as she gave him a full-blown smile.

“Really? I may just decide to stick around for a while. What do you think?” he asked as he turned to Marian.

“I guess you can take your time,” she replied on cue. She was surprised how easily the lie flowed from her lips when she introduced Ryan to the cook. “He’s going to be checking out the security system.”

As Elsie wiped her hands on her apron, she scrutinized Marian’s face and then Ryan’s. Marian couldn’t tell what was going through her mind but she knew the cook wasn’t going to be easily fooled. If anyone saw through the charade they were creating, it would be Elsie. Once her suspicions were aroused, she could easily say or do something that could blow Ryan’s undercover pretense sky-high.

Marian’s mouth went dry.

And then what?

When the children came in from their activity period, Marian went upstairs with Nancy to help the girls get ready for supper.

“All right, give,” Nancy ordered, her round eyes sparkling with open curiosity. “Who is that hunk of masculinity in the kitchen? A parent checking us out?”

Marian shook her head. “No, his name is Ryan Darnell.”

“And?” Nancy’s full face spread in a teasing grin. “Do I detect something personal afoot?”

“Not at all. He’s here on business.” The lie came out easier than she thought it would. “He’s checking out the security system.”