Leona Karr - Silent Witness

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Maybe nothing. That’s what he’s here to find out.” In a way, that was the truth. If Scotty was lying, there wouldn’t be anything to find out. Ryan Darnell would go back to his regular duties and this whole thing would be forgotten. She’d probably never have the occasion to see him again. And if he turned up something to verify Scotty’s story, then…She quickly shoved the thought away. The consequences were much too dire to even think about.

When Marian came into the elegant dining room with the rest of the teachers and children, she was surprised to find Ryan helping to set places at the one long table. She was amazed at the ease with which he handled water glasses, helped scoot in chairs and unfold napkins. Obviously, somewhere, sometime, he’d had plenty of practice.

Nancy winked at Marian as they walked to the end of the table where the adults sat, and whispered, “Let’s jimmy the security system and keep him around.”

Children as noisy as any in the hearing world took their places and began attacking the food and drink that had been put before them. A few of the youngsters had been finicky eaters when they first arrived, but they’d soon learned that meals were “eat up now or go hungry until the next one.”

Henry Ziller, a tall, balding man in his fifties, also showed up for the evening meal. His habitual scowl spoiled his appearance and he was the only one who ate without any interaction with kids or adults. Apparently he preferred Elsie’s cooking to any he could do for himself in his small garage apartment.

For all intents and purposes, Henry ignored everything but the food. He’d made it quite clear to Marian that he felt Alva Wentworth had betrayed him by turning the place over to a bunch of do-gooders. He’d been in charge of the place for nearly twenty years. He was resentful, suspicious and obviously wanted them gone.

Marian watched Ryan ignore a chair at the adult end of the table and take one between Scotty and Mindy. When he signed something to the little girl, she laughed but Scotty just scowled and gave his attention to the food.

Marian’s stomach tightened as the day’s events played over in her mind. The detective was probably used to living on the edge of drama and trauma, but she prided herself on a well-ordered and uncomplicated life. How could events of just a few hours send her life into a tailspin?

When dinner was over, the children were taken into the large parlor for a movie before bed. Ryan remained behind in the empty dining room and so did Henry Ziller.

As the caretaker walked over to Ryan, his expression was like that of a guard dog ready to drive the intruder from the premises.

Apparently Ziller didn’t remember him as one of the boys who had been at Stanley Wentworth’s sleepovers in the cabin almost seventeen years ago. Ryan was not surprised and doubted if he would have recognized the caretaker if he’d met the balding, big-bellied, frowning man someplace else.

“You working here now?” Henry demanded bluntly. “Every time I turn around the old lady sends somebody else around to make my job harder.”

Ryan had enough experience with hostile people to know that interviewing was about asking questions, not answering them. “You’re the caretaker, aren’t you?”

“Damn right! I see to the whole estate,” he answered pugnaciously, as if ready for an argument.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Ziller. I remember you!” Ryan smiled as if the memory was a pleasant one. “You were the caretaker here the summer some of us high school kids were running around with Stanley Wentworth.”

Obviously taken aback by this reference to the past, the caretaker deepened his scowl as Ryan stuck out his hand and forced a handshake. “Ryan Darnell. My folks have a place west of town.”

“Don’t remember you none,” Henry replied flatly, still scowling. “Stanley’s friends didn’t mingle with the hired help. A snotty brat, he was. I’m glad the old lady cut him out of her will.”

“I heard Stanley got himself into some kind of a jam and she disowned him.” Ryan waited, hoping he might have turned on a valve that would bring him some personal information about the family.

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