Paradise Plagued

by Sarah E. Burr

  Jax stood up, a plan formulating in her mind. “Yes. Before anyone else disturbs it.” If they haven’t already. With each passing moment, the trail grew more and more convoluted. “Perry and I will head there now, then grab George to walk around the estate. We’ll reconvene at lunch.”

  Uma stood up and squeezed her arm as she and Vita took their leave. “Good luck.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Master Ferran? Would you mind showing me Tarek’s chambers? I’d like to take a look around,” Perry asked as Jax stood in his shadow in the foyer where they’d found their host.

  Ferran bit his lower lip as he assembled his response. “I’m not sure the Earl would appreciate me letting a stranger rifle through his son’s belongings.”

  “Understandable,” Perry said as he dipped his head reverently, “but it would help me determine if Tarek kept a record of anyone he considered an enemy, or if he received any threats to his life.”

  Ferran’s hand twisted in his own grasp. “I suppose. Take Abra or Samira with you, though. They can clean up afterward.”

  Jax stepped forward. “Master Ferran, might you consider sending the Earl a note asking him to delay his journey one or two days? Perhaps things will go more smoothly for you if we apprehend Tarek’s killer and can present him to the Earl?”

  “Lady Victoire,” Ferran said, his cheeks puffed with indignation, “I don’t know how things work in Mensina, but I cannot just ask Earl Killiam to delay his visit without good reason, and I’d rather not send this news over messenger.”

  Jax stiffened at his curt tone, but then reminded herself he didn’t know who he was truly speaking with. Besides, he did have a point about not wanting to inform the Earl by messenger that his beloved son was dead. “I understand, Master Ferran.” She cast a sheepish glance at Perry.

  “Where might we find your wife?” Perry asked, getting back to the topic at hand. “I fear that having Samira in the room might deepen her grief.”

  “They’re both in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast. If you’ll excuse me, I need to attend to some business.” With a quick bow, Ferran disappeared down a side hall toward the northern wing of the house.

  Jax and Perry hurried to the kitchen, disappointed to find only Samira hard at work. Jax tapped on the wall, not wanting to startle the girl. “Samira, do you know where your mother went?”

  Samira looked up from the basin she was scrubbing dishes in. “No, she took off after she brought in the last of the china. I think she went to go wake my brother.” Her eyes drifted down to the soapy water. “I hear he was with you when you found Tarek.”

  Jax placed a gentle hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I ran into him shortly after. He helped our valet carry Tarek inside.”

  Samira pulled her hands out of the dishwater and wiped them on a nearby rag. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell us about Tarek immediately, no matter what time it was. I swear, sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of his.” While she still wore a sad look, Samira did seem to have regained her composure.

  “Is Nadir very involved in helping your father run the estate?” Jax asked.

  Samira sighed and reached for a cup of tea she had waiting. “Not as much as he used to. Ever since he returned home from the Academy, he hasn’t been the same.”

  “He studied healing there, yes?” Jax pressed further, hoping to gain a better understanding of Nadir’s role in the family. “It must have been hard to have him gone from home for so long.”

  Samira shook her head. “You seem to not have all the facts, my lady. Nadir did go off to the Academy to study healing, but he was there less than a year.” At Jax’s confused expression, she continued. “I don’t really know the details surrounding it, but apparently he was thrown out after only a few months of training. My family doesn’t like to talk about it.”

  Perry’s forehead wrinkled. “Your mother mentioned this morning that Nadir has been offering healing services to a nearby village. Do you know anything about that?”

  Samira’s hands froze in the air as she reached for another dirty pot. “Healing services?” Her eyes darted around the room, as if searching for an answer. “I-I guess no one told me.” Her admission came out sounding more like a question. “I always assumed Nadir had put his time at the Academy behind him.”

  Jax’s lips drew together in a thin line. No doubt, the Ogdams were ashamed of his failure at the Academy and were covering it up with a lie. She wondered how it made Nadir feel, knowing he’d disappointed his parents. Desperate for their approval, if she had to guess. And as Monsieur Louis had said at breakfast, desperate men were capable of dark acts. If Nadir wasn’t visiting the village as a healer, what exactly was he doing there?

  Perry’s questioning gaze met hers, and she continued with their plan. “I hate to ask this of you, Samira, but would you mind showing us the way to Tarek’s room? My husband would like to look around to see if he can find anything pointing to who might have poisoned your fiancé.”

  Swallowing her renewed grief, Samira nodded. “Of course. Right this way.” She ushered them out of the kitchen and toward the foyer, taking the same side corridor Ferran had.

  Moments later, they arrived at a simple wooden door, nowhere near as ornate at the ones attached to the guest suites upstairs.

  Samira unlocked the door and pushed it back to reveal a small, but comfortable bedroom. “This is where Tarek stayed when he visited.”

  “Did he come by the estate often?” Jax asked as she and Perry trailed Samira into the room.

  “Not as frequently as he used to.” Samira bit her lip. “It seems once our engagement was announced, he lost interest in developing our relationship further. He changed.” She hugged herself, rubbing her arms, as if chilled, in spite of her long sleeves.

  Jax scanned the room for any rolls of parchment or scribbles Tarek might have left behind. “But surely things weren’t always frosty between you two?”

  Samira shook her head, sadness lining her eyes. “Not in the beginning. He was sweet and very funny. He would spend his days helping Nadir and me with our chores, even when he had much better things to do. He became a good friend. But once our engagement was announced, it all changed.”

  “He never gave a reason?” Perry asked as he opened the small bureau and rifled through the neatly folded clothes.

  “No, I’m afraid not.” Samira ran a finger over the dust-free vanity, her gaze distant. “After our future was arranged, he hardly ever spoke to me. He avoided making trips to the Oasis as much as possible. The last time he was here was over a month ago.”

  Jax found that to be a revealing disclosure. “If he was so unhappy being here, why did he arrive days ahead of his father’s delegation?”

  Samira’s expression darkened. “Tarek rode ahead of the party to make sure everything was in order for his father’s arrival. The Earl demanded it.”

  Having found nothing out of the ordinary stashed in the desk by Tarek’s unused bed, Jax put her hands on her hips. “Did either of you know why your fathers were so eager to arrange this marriage between the two of you?” This was her chance to figure out how much Samira knew about her family’s precarious financial situation.

  Samira shrugged, averting eye contact. “Father said the notoriety of me marrying an Earl’s son would increase the number of visitors here at the villa. I know the past months have been a bit of a struggle, so I was obviously eager to do my part.”

  Jax and Perry shared a knowing look. Samira had been told enough for it not to be a lie, but her father had omitted a few key points.

  “Thank you for showing us around.” With a smile, Jax took the young woman’s hand. “If there’s anything I can do to help you during this dark time, please let me know. Even if it’s just a shoulder to cry on.”

  Samira wiped a stray tear as she pulled her hand away from Jax’s grasp. “I appreciate the kindness you’ve shown to both me and my family. I do hope you discover who poisoned Tarek. He was a flawed man, yes,
but he didn’t deserve this.” She waited for Perry and Jax to vacate the room before following and locking the door behind them. “And thank you for not making a mess. I know my father will want to show Tarek’s chambers to the Earl when he arrives.”

  “About that…” Jax paused. “Both my husband and I think it would be in the best interest of your family to postpone the Earl’s visit until there is some closure on the matter. But when I mentioned this to your father, he wasn’t too taken by the idea.”

  “I’m sure my father agrees with you but is too terrified to make that request to the Earl.” Samira’s brow furrowed. “My father’s low rank has not allowed him much favor with the Earl in the past. The wedding was meant to change that, but now...” She turned hopefully to Perry. “Please, Lord Rapaste, you must get to the bottom of this before the Earl arrives.”

  Jax hid a smirk as her husband stuttered his agreement. “W-why, yes. Of course.” Then he sent her a private look that said, I hope you’re up to this.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “That proved less than fruitful.” Perry held the door open for Jax as the two of them strolled out onto the back patio.

  Sunlight bathed Jax’s skin, and she took a moment to enjoy the blissful quiet that blanketed the estate. “I wouldn’t say it was completely pointless,” she finally answered, giving her husband a thoughtful stare. “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that the moment Tarek and Samira became engaged, he turned cold?”

  Perry stuffed his hands into the pockets of his linen pants. “I suppose that is a weird reaction.” His eyes caressed her glowing cheeks. “I know I was over the moon when it was made official for us.”

  Smiling, she stole a quick kiss from him. “As was I. Which is why I’m baffled by his sudden change.”

  Perry kicked at a stone on the veranda. “Maybe it had nothing to do with Samira. Perhaps something else soured his mood and he took it out on her?”

  She considered the theory before batting it away. “But for months on end? No, it seems like the notion of marrying Samira was the cause of his behavior. But why?” Pressing her lips together, she sifted through the questions simmering in her mind.

  “Maybe Nadir had something to do with it?” Perry suggested. “Tarek seemed like the type who would have been ashamed to associate with failure, and with Nadir’s record at the Academy...”

  “Maybe.” Jax scanned the glistening sand dunes absorbing the heat of the mid-morning sun. “Where do you think he is, by the way? It’s nearly ten o’clock and he has yet to make an appearance.”

  Perry’s eyes grew worried. “You don’t think he fled the estate, do you?”

  Jax scoffed. “That hardly suggests his innocence in all of this.” She gazed out over the desolate hot spring, not a soul in sight. “I wonder where the other guests went off to. It feels like we’ve stumbled into a graveyard.”

  “Uma, Hendrie, and Vita will track them down. Let’s go find George and survey the property before it gets too hot to move.” Perry held out his arm for her and together, they walked the short distance to the desert garden.

  George sat in the shadow of a leafy palm tree and waved as they approached, standing to greet them. “Any new developments since breakfast?”

  Jax recounted their conversation with Samira and how they found nothing of note in Tarek’s room.

  George stroked his chin as he processed the news. “Do you think Tarek was aware that the estate’s deed would pass to Earl Killiam once he and Samira married?”

  Jax pictured the first conversation she’d ever had with Tarek and his ease with the villa’s history. “He certainly knew a great deal about the house. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but his intimate knowledge does strike me as suspicious, knowing what we know now. My guess is that he and the Earl discussed the acquisition at great lengths.”

  “And yet, Samira was kept in the dark?” Perry looked dubious.

  Jax struggled for an explanation. “Maybe that’s why he had to distance himself from her, and thus, his change in demeanor.”

  “But why keep it a secret?” George asked. “You said so yourself, Samira seems like the type who would put duty above her own happiness.”

  “But what about her brother?” A trickling idea pooled in Jax’s mind. “If he found out about the arrangement, perhaps he wouldn’t have taken it so gracefully. He was expelled from the Academy, after all.”

  George arched an eyebrow. “We don’t know the details about why he left the Academy. For all we know, he could have been removed for cheating.”

  Jax bit her lip. “Samira alluded to something more shameful than that. But you’re right. We cannot assume until we dig into the matter more.”

  George shaded his eyes with a hand as he looked around the vast landscape. “Should we get going before we melt? I want to confirm what Alasdair said this morning about the absence of tracks.”

  Nodding, Jax encouraged him to lead the way. After stepping out from under the shade of the tree, she wished she’d brought a parasol to shield her from the radiating sun. “I hope our investigation keeps us inside for most of the day,” she mumbled, longing for the fabled breeze from the cold spring.

  Perry’s alert ears heard her. “I can’t believe we’re spending our getaway doing this.” He tried to sound reprimanding, but a grin teased at his lips.

  She nudged him in the side with her elbow. “As if you don’t enjoy it as much as I do.”

  Perry chuckled. “I’ll admit, it is fascinating to watch your mind work. It’s one of the things I love most about you.”

  As her heart fluttered, she responded with a jesting snort. “I do hope our marriage isn’t riddled with mystery after mystery. It might get in the way of other things…” She raised an eyebrow in suggestion.

  He grinned through a low growl. “Believe me, I would never let anything get in the way of that.” He pulled her close and pressed his searching lips into her hair.

  George cleared his throat up ahead of them, his cheeks pink. Whether his color came from the heat or what he’d overheard, Jax could only guess. “Let’s start the sweep here.” His hands on his hips, he assessed the loping sand dune, not fifty feet from the greenhouse. “We can walk around to the front of the villa, where the carriage road enters the property, then circle back on the other side.” He laid out his plan. “Keep watch for any type of prints or tracks. We’re looking for signs someone fled the property after Tarek was killed. According to Alasdair, the winds settled down around eleven last night, and since you didn’t find him until two in the morning, there’s a large window of time for an intruder to arrive and leave.”

  Jax gathered her skirts to allow for longer strides and followed George as they began combing the rolling dunes surrounding the Oasis. The sands were flawless, marred only by the footprints left by the trio.

  After ten minutes of sun-drenched walking, Perry stopped. “Where are Alasdair’s footprints?” he asked. “Shouldn’t we be finding his out here, at least? He did say he went for a walk this morning.”

  Jax cursed the heat for dulling her senses, annoyed not to have clued in on the contradiction first. Was she losing her edge?

  George stopped and looked around. “Either he chose a larger perimeter to scout out, or you’re right.”

  “He lied?” Perry seemed too confused to look pleased by his discovery.

  Jax’s hands went to her hips. “Or the wind already washed them away.”

  George shook his head. “The greenhouse had a flurry of prints this morning, and you and Perry had to be the first ones out on the grounds. If your footprints were still there, I’m sure we’d see his.”

  “Why would he lie about finding no prints?” Jax frowned. “The absence of them points to the culprit being someone at the villa, making him a suspect by default.”

  “I’ll have to have a chat with him about it,” George murmured through gritted teeth. “Come on, no use standing out here in the sun longer than we have to. The carriage road is just ahead.
”

  Jax wiped at her brow, a trail of sweat left on her arm. She huffed as she studied the surrounding areas. “Alasdair was right about one thing. The winds last night must have blown everything away.” The sun beat down on her, the rays feeling as though they were burning a hole right through her skull, prodding at a memory. “Wait a moment. George, last night when you found Nadir, what did he say to you?”

  George’s face wrinkled as he tried to recall the exchange. “Let’s see. I found him by the hot spring. He said he’d just arrived home and wanted to rinse off.”

  “Just arrived.” Jax snapped her fingers. “It was nearly two in the morning by that point. Alasdair said the winds stopped around eleven, meaning, if Nadir really did arrive when he said he did, there would have been tracks left behind marking his journey from the village.”

  George nodded, understanding the point Jax was getting at. “He had to be on the estate well before eleven.”

  “Which begs the questions…one, why did he lie to you, and two, what was he doing between the time he actually arrived and the time you found him by the hot springs?” Jax folded her arms in triumph at her deductions.

  A devilish grin spread across George’s sun-kissed face. “I think we’d better find out.”

  ‡

  Jax, Perry, and George hurried along the remainder of their route, confirming there were no other tracks leading to or away from the property. Seeking refuge in the shade of a gazebo by the cold spring pool, they all flopped into lounge chairs, exhausted from the heat. Jax gazed longingly at the crystal-clear water, wishing she’d dressed in her swimming gear. “I’m tempted to jump right in, clothes and all.”

  Perry’s tongue hung from his mouth, mirroring the actions of a dog. “This is the last time I let you pick the vacation spot, dearest. Murder and heatstroke are not my idea of a relaxing getaway.”