Paradise Plagued

by Sarah E. Burr

  “I’d like to be present when Master Ferran learns about the fate of his future son-in-law,” Jax whispered as they entered the quiet villa. “Where did Nadir go? Has he already gone to tell him?”

  “After we placed Tarek’s body in the cellar, he said he was retiring to his room. He plans to break the news to his sister and parents after any guests scheduled to leave in the morning depart.”

  Remembering Olavo and his sister Ines were leaving after breakfast, Jax figured she would have plenty of time to scour the greenhouse for clues as to how Tarek met his demise. “Come find me once you wake. If I’m not in my rooms, I’ll be out at the greenhouse.”

  “Please don’t go there alone. If there is something sinister at play…”

  “I’ll bring Lord Rapaste with me.” She led the way down the dark hall, her lantern all but extinguished. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Be careful, my lady.” George pressed a hand against the small of her back before entering his chambers across the hall from her suite.

  Tiptoeing into her room, relief washed over her to find Perry sound asleep. She didn’t feel like recounting what she’d discovered just yet. Besides, the sleep that had earlier eluded her now tugged at her eyes. She’d bring Perry up to speed after she got a few hours’ rest.

  ‡

  Sunlight tingled her eyelids, coaxing Jax from her hazy dream. It felt like her head had only just hit the pillow before morning announced its bright arrival. Pushing herself up, she sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the large window overlooking the hot spring, which sparkled in the dawn. Windblown sand still blanketed the estate, and with a sudden rush of adrenaline as the events of the previous night flooded her mind, Jax sprang into action.

  She tucked her long, caramel hair back in a loose bun and skillfully tied herself into a linen gown without any assistance. After splashing a cool spray of water on her face from the small bedside basin, she nudged Perry a handful of times before he responded.

  “I’m on vacation. Let me sleep,” Perry said through a long groan as he pressed a goose-feather pillow over his head.

  “When will you ever learn, there’s never any rest for the weary, dearest.” Jax’s airy laughter filled the room as she yanked back the covers of the bed. “You slept through some excitement last night.”

  Removing the pillow from his handsome face, Perry’s eyes popped open. “What trouble have you gotten into this time?”

  Jax tossed him an offended glance. “Why would you automatically assume that?”

  Perry perched himself up on an elbow, his eyebrows raised. “You’re telling me you’re not involved with whatever happened?”

  “Well…” her cheeks flushed as she met her husband’s jokingly accusing stare. Sitting down beside his stretched-out form, she recounted her tumultuous stroll.

  Perry ran a hand through his tangle of dark curls. “Poor Tarek. He seemed to not have a care in the world at dinner last night. What a tragedy for his family.”

  “I’m more appalled by his future brother-in-law’s reaction. Nadir seemed to care more about his family’s reputation than the fact that the young man killed himself.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a custom,” Perry said. “It seems rather harsh to punish the family’s legacy when they should be given space to mourn their loss.”

  “Nadir buried his grief rather quickly, and he and Tarek were supposed to be old friends.” Jax played the scene over in her mind, wondering how anyone could be so cold.

  “Perhaps his training as a healer has desensitized him to situations like these?”

  Jax bit her lip. “I don’t know. It seemed to be fueled by something more personal. Like hatred.”

  “Maybe Nadir was upset about Tarek taking his sister away.”

  “Maybe…” Jax’s eyes meandered to the window and the dunes beyond. “I want to revisit the greenhouse before everyone else tramples around it. There’s just something about this that doesn’t feel quite right to me.”

  Perry’s expression grew tense. “What do you mean?”

  “The rope.” Jax twirled a loose strand of hair, staring off, trying to picture the scene immersed in darkness. “George could barely reach it to cut down Tarek’s body.”

  Perry put the unspoken pieces of the puzzle together. “You’re wondering how Tarek could have done it himself.”

  Nodding, Jax stood up and held out her hand. “Will you help me?”

  Caressing her fingers with his, Perry crawled out of bed and stood at her side. “Always.”

  Within minutes, Perry was dressed in a lightweight linen shirt and trousers that stopped just below the knee. “Ready.”

  Pulling back the door, Jax stuck her head out into the hallway. Due to the early hour, it appeared that everyone else was still asleep. “Let’s go before someone sees us and asks questions.” Jax motioned her husband to follow her lead, and she led the way down the stairs and out the back door.

  A cool breeze waltzed over the dunes, blowing clouds of golden sands across the walkway to the gardens.

  “I wasn’t expecting there to be a chill,” Perry said through a shiver as he wrapped an arm around Jax.

  She leaned into his warm frame. “Perhaps a soak in the hot spring will be your reward for this little detour.”

  “The reward is spending time alone with you.” His lips brushed her hair.

  Jax giggled, then quickly sobered as they arrived at the greenhouse door. The structure appeared much larger in the daytime, casting its shadow over nearly all the flora in the garden. “Keep an eye out and let me know if you see anyone coming. I’d rather not have to explain why we’re out here.”

  Nodding, Perry held the door open and Jax walked inside. Rows and rows of luscious plants greeted her, blooming with the arrival of the sun. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with the gruesome image of Tarek hanging from the back rafters, she would have stopped and admired the lush vegetation. Instead, she briskly walked the length of the greenhouse, her eyes focused solely on the dangling, severed rope hanging from a sturdy beam.

  Standing directly under it, Jax studied the area around her with calculating eyes. In broad daylight, she knew there was no way Tarek could have tied the noose standing on the lone chair, which was still in the same position George had left it.

  “How could the rope have gotten up there,” she wondered aloud, tapping her chin. Her gaze darted to the nearest table, overflowing with potted plants of various shapes and sizes. Her interest was piqued by the arrangement of the plants. The pots were situated in neat, tidy rows, except for a handful toward the edge of the table near where Tarek’s body had been. Four plants, while still in line with the others in their row, looked slightly crooked. “Perry, come here and tell me what you see.”

  Leaving his post at the door, Perry joined her and assessed the table. “Well, it looks like someone might have been in a hurry, putting these blooms back where they belong.” He pointed to the four purple orchids Jax had been examining.

  Pursing her lips, Jax carefully lifted one of the rogue flowerpots and placed it to the side. She did the same with the other three, trying not to disturb the thin layer of dirt blanketing the worktable. Disappointment flourished once she took in the area she had cleared away.

  “Why the sour face?” Perry asked.

  She rubbed her temples, feeling unwelcomed tension building up behind her eyes. “I thought perhaps Tarek moved these plants around so he could use the table’s height to reach the rafter. I hoped to find his footprints, but there’s nothing here but dirt.”

  Perry hopped up on the chair, stretching his long arms above his head. His fingers barely touched the frayed rope. “Well, if he didn’t climb up on the table and couldn’t reach the beam from the chair, how did Tarek manage to do this himself?”

  A sinking doubt weighed in Jax’s stomach. “I’m not so sure he did, Perry. It just doesn’t add up.”

  Before he could respond, the sound of running footsteps startled th
em both.

  “There you are.” George’s frame filled the doorway. “I figured you wouldn’t wait until I got here.” His expression contorted into a frown as he arrived at Jax’s side. “Your eyes! You forgot to reapply the dye Charles crafted!”

  Jax looked to Perry, and indeed realized his stately gaze was his natural lavender. “Damn it. It completely slipped my mind. We’ll just have to sneak back up to our room. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  George looked grim. “I ran into Abra and Ferran on my way out here. You’ll have to be extremely careful.”

  “If anything, you can cause a distraction for us.” Jax waved his concerns aside and returned to the pressing matter at hand. “George, I can’t figure out how Tarek could have done this himself. The only way he could have possibly reached high enough to tie the rope would be if he was standing on the table. And look,” she said, showing him her findings. “There’s not a single sign that he did.”

  The Captain of the Ducal Guard stroked the bristles sprouting along his jaw. “He could have brushed the dirt over any footprints to cover his tracks.”

  Jax considered his theory a moment before shaking her head. “If he was going to take the time to do that, then why not make sure the potted plants were perfectly aligned with the rest of the table?”

  George didn’t have an answer for her. “What are you saying?”

  She met the dark gazes of the two men with a heavy sigh. “I don’t think Tarek killed himself.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Perry sucked in a breath, sharing a wary glance with George. “You think his death was staged?”

  “I can’t be sure until we look at the body, but it’s the only logical explanation, given the circumstances.” Jax motioned her hand to the chair and what remained of the deadly rope. “There’s no way he could have gotten up there by himself.”

  George’s response surprised her. “How do you propose we examine the body?” Seeing Perry’s raised eyebrows, he continued, “I have to agree with her. The whole scene seemed off last night, and it didn’t sit right with me.”

  Perry kept his tone low. “Do you think he was murdered?”

  “Either that, or he enlisted someone’s help in ending his life,” Jax surmised, although she found the latter scenario somewhat unlikely. “We need to figure out which it was, and why it was done. It doesn’t seem safe to allow a murderer to remain on the loose while we vacation here.”

  “I think it might be smarter if we just took our leave.” George held up a hand before she could protest. “If you’re seen asking questions around here, people are going to wonder why. Like it or not, your affinity for solving mysteries is known across the realm. It won’t take long for someone to put together who Lady Victoire really is.”

  Jax turned to Perry, looking for support, but found none. “He makes a good point, my love. The minute you start scrutinizing people, they’ll do the same of you.”

  “And your suggestion is for us to simply run away?” Jax folded her arms, mildly disgusted by their solution. “I’m not about to abandon the Ogdams and their guests to a killer. That goes against everything I believe in.”

  “Against everything the Duchess of Saphire believes in,” George corrected. “But you’re not here as the Duchess.” His shoulders slumped. “We can’t be jumping to conclusions about this. We don’t even know for certain Tarek didn’t kill himself.”

  “We can rectify that easily,” Jax said. “You know where the body is being kept.” She raised an eyebrow in challenge.

  He accepted it with a disgruntled snort. “I’m only doing this because I know you won’t let it go. But please promise me you’ll consider backing down from this one, no matter what we uncover. This isn’t our fight, Duchess. If anything, we just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  She met his request with a determined stare. George knew her well enough to know his plea fell on deaf ears. Instead, Jax turned to her husband. “If we come across anyone, will you distract them, Perry?”

  “What about my eyes? I suspect they’ll be distraction enough if someone catches a glimpse of them.”

  She frowned at his well-made point. “Well, then, let’s hope we don’t get caught.”

  “I can run back to your room to fetch the vial,” George offered.

  Jax bit her lip. “As sensible as that sounds, time is not on our side. What if the Tandorians decide to leave before breakfast? We need to see the body to confirm our suspicions sooner rather than later…”

  “In case Olavo or Ines is involved?” Perry guessed what was on her mind.

  “Everyone is suspect. We don’t want them leaving before we have a chance to sort things out.”

  “All right, I’ll keep my head down and whistle if I see anything.” Perry took Jax’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Lead the way, George.”

  The trio moved quietly through the garden, keeping to the shadows that appeared under the morning sun. Soon they were inside the grand foyer, listening.

  “I don’t hear anyone upstairs.” Perry strained his neck, as if moving his ear an inch closer would help him hear better.

  George beckoned them down the same long hall Jax had discovered while eavesdropping on Abra and Samira the previous afternoon. “The cellar is under this pantry.” The door swung open with a click, and they entered a small room lined with shelves containing large glass jars of various dried leaves.

  “This must be where Samira makes her specialty teas.” Jax eyed the small wood stove with several kettles perched on top. It was unlit, which gave her hope that they were still alone on the first floor.

  George crouched down in the corner and lifted back an ornate rug, revealing a trapdoor. “There’s a shallow set of stairs leading down. Be careful. We nearly pitched forward while carrying the body last night.”

  Glancing down at the dark void, Jax scanned the shelves, spotting a lantern situated on a worktable. “This may come in handy,” she said, grabbing the lantern. She retreated to the hallway, where a dim flame danced from one of the wall sconces. She lit the lantern and hurried back to George’s side. “Perry, stand watch at the pantry door, will you? If anything, just shut us in the cellar and pretend you were looking for a morning cup of tea.”

  Perry rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes filled with worry. “It scares me sometimes how effortlessly these plans just appear in your mind.”

  She kissed him on the cheek and shooed him away, focusing on the old wooden steps leading down into the pitch-black cellar.

  George held out his arm as she moved toward the stairs. “I’ll go first, thank you very much.”

  Rolling her eyes, she handed the glowing lantern to her Captain and followed him closely, careful to watch her footing. The air dropped another ten degrees as the creaky floor evened out, sending a fretful chill down her back. “Pleasant place to stock the wine.”

  Shadows danced across George’s face. “I count four barrels. Seems a bit understocked for a resort, wouldn’t you say?”

  “That does seem rather strange.” Jax examined the spacious underground room, and indeed, only counted four relatively small barrels of wine stacked in the corner. “It’s from a small Hestesian vineyard…” she paused as she narrowed her eyes to read the brand burned into the wood. “This particular blend is rather cheap. I’m surprised the Ogdams would serve this to guests.”

  “Maybe they’re waiting for a new shipment,” George commented, giving her a wry smirk. “What a snob you are.”

  Jax batted his arm. “When you own as many Savant vineyards as I do, you learn to recognize what separates the best from the rest.”

  Rearranging his features into a more serious expression, George took her by the arm and continued walking. “We placed him on a table in the far back, where no one would have reason to poke around.”

  “Your idea?”

  “It was actually Nadir’s. He was quite adamant this be kept secret until he found the right time to tell his parents and s
ister.”

  The lamplight stretched across the outline of Tarek’s motionless body. “Do you think Nadir’s anger last night really stemmed from Tarek bringing dishonor to the family, or did he mention something else when you two carried the body back?”

  George studied the deceased man with his stern gaze. “He didn’t say much. He did mutter something about how Tarek could do such a thing after all his family had done, but he didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t feel it appropriate for me to try to pry it out of him.”

  “I wonder what family he was referring to…the Ogdams or the Killiams?” Taking the lantern from George, her arm hovered over the stoic form, revealing all the details night had hidden when she discovered Tarek. His sundrenched skin had paled since death settled over him. Other than the lack of color and the dark circles rimming his closed eyes, he looked like he was sleeping. Her gaze trailed down to his hands, crossed and folded over his broad chest. “Did Nadir position him like this?”

  George nodded. “Although, now that I think about it, he just placed the hands across the chest. Tarek’s eyes were already closed when we laid him out.”

  Jax frowned, her focus now narrowing on the light bruising around Tarek’s neck. The indent of the rope was still visible. “Nadir didn’t close the eyes?” She glanced back up at Tarek’s face.

  George’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “No. No, I’m sure they were already closed.”

  “I’ve seen enough people executed at the gallows for crimes against the Crown to know it is not a peaceful process.” Memories blurred her vision, the cellar disappearing for a brief moment. “I’ve seen what they look like when cut down. Never have I seen anyone look so serene.” With the tips of her fingers, she pushed back Tarek’s chin, the stiffness of death’s decay protesting slightly. She leaned in as closely as her nerves would allow her to get to a dead man. “The bruising on his neck is far less severe than that of a hanging victim.”

  George tensed at her side. “What are you saying, Jax?”

  Standing upright, she bit her lip. “I think this man was dead before he was strung up from the greenhouse rafters.”