Foiled (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Seven)

by Amy Saunders

  She could tell it still amused Bennett. “We will learn something. With the house going up for sale, I’m sure all hands are on deck to get things ready. Somebody’s bound to be talkative.”

  “Do you suppose he really did just fall by accident and Camilla’s just paranoid?” Belinda leaned forward. “Honestly, despite the rumors, she and Vincent don’t have a lot of motive. I mean, killing him wouldn’t help with the house situation, or make people like Vincent more. It was in their interests to keep Henry alive.”

  “That’s why I told you something’s not right here. There’s absolutely no reason to dig up dirt when the police call something an accident.”

  “You think we need to focus on finding out what it is they’re withholding?”

  Bennett held her gaze a moment, his lips tight. “I’m not sure. Part of me thinks we’re safer just going according to the brief.”

  “But?”

  Bennett sighed. “But ignorance can hurt you. We both found that out the hard way.”

  A sick feeling came into Belinda’s stomach thinking about the ordeal with Mrs. Sykes last year, and Bennett’s past issues with Alexa Dupuis. What if they were easy scapegoats for whatever was really going on? They could both be ruined. Bennett had finally recovered from his business and financial issues; she didn’t want anything like that to happen to him again.

  “I say we investigate according to our own rules,” she said firmly. “This is all very odd, and to protect ourselves, I think we need to cover all the angles. And not rule out that this could have been masterminded by Camilla and Vincent.”

  Bennett half smiled. “Not so inclined to believe people anymore, are you?”

  “No, I’m not.” Belinda had faced enough dangerous situations to know better. “And if we’ve simply been hired because we look like easy prey, they have another thing coming.”

  Bennett’s smile spread wider. “That’s my girl.”

  Belinda hopped up from her seat and took his face in her hands and kissed him. “Team Belinnett is a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Team what?”

  “Belinnett. You know, Belinda and Bennett combined, like a celebrity name.”

  Bennett shook his head, bringing her closer. “Let’s just stick with our real names.”

  Chapter 8

  “Should I bring a dress?” Belinda stood in her walk-in closet, arms akimbo, staring at a row of dresses and skirts dangling from their hangers.

  It had been a few days since Bennett told her about their undercover job cleaning out Henry Lawson’s house. Since then, all the details had been settled, and all that was left was to actually go to Southwood and start working. In more ways than one.

  And she’d received her work uniform. It was folded on her bed, and she wasn’t putting it on until she absolutely had to.

  “Yes!” Victoria shouted from the bathroom down the hall. She shuffled back with facial products in both hands, cramming them into Belinda’s toiletry bag.

  Belinda glanced over her shoulder, taking one dress down to examine. “I can live without a few things until I get back, you know.” Which would be early the next week.

  “You won’t feel that way when you get there.” Victoria triumphantly smacked the side of the toiletry bag she’d managed to zip, then made a face at Willa, who cooed on a quilt on the floor by the bed.

  “Fair enough.” Belinda held up the dress for Victoria’s approval. She nodded and Belinda slid it off its hanger to place in her suitcase.

  They’d spent the better part of the day packing and getting Belinda’s hair ready for the occasion. Since she’d have no one to help her with a wig, they’d decided to take an alternate route–temporary hair dye. She was now officially a redhead.

  “You know,” Victoria said, working on the other side of the toiletry bag, “with the new hair color, I keep not recognizing you after I haven’t seen you for a few minutes.”

  “You think it worked?” She shook out her waves, now falling in auburn tendrils around her shoulders.

  “I think it worked. I don’t believe anyone you know will immediately recognize you.”

  Belinda grinned. Not that she knew a ton of people in Southwood, but you never knew. It wasn’t far from Portside and a relatively small community. If this plan was going to work, they needed to blend in.

  The downstairs door opened and shut. It was probably Bennett, so it was a good thing she was almost ready to go. After a few seconds, heavy footfalls echoed on the stairs and Bennett appeared in the doorway.

  Belinda and Victoria blinked, then burst out laughing. “Who do you think you are?” Belinda said. “Clark Kent?”

  He shrugged. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “You’re wearing glasses and a baseball cap. That’s not a disguise.”

  He came over, running his fingers through her hair, his forehead wrinkled. “Is this a wig?”

  “No.” Belinda shook her hair out again, glancing at Victoria. “We decided to go for hair dye instead this time. It’ll be easier to manage.”

  His face changed from perplexed to horrified. “So, your hair is going to be this color from now on?”

  Victoria narrowed her eyes, setting her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing…” Bennett examined Belinda head-to-toe, his face falling. “I just like how it was.”

  Belinda smirked, patting the top of his cap. “Clark, it’s fine. It’s just temporary; it’ll wash out in a few days.” She hoped not before they finished their assignment.

  He still didn’t look convinced, even though he nodded.

  “And I just want you to know,” she added, changing the subject, “that I’m not listening to your weird podcasts on the ride over.” She’d humored him once…and that was enough.

  Bennett gave her an amused smile and scooped up Willa, who didn’t flinch at his “disguise,” reaching her peachy arms toward him as far as they would go. “We’ll wait for you downstairs.”

  Once Bennett was out of earshot, Victoria whispered, “He’s very attached to your hair.”

  Belinda giggled, thinking it was a good thing he hadn’t known her as a teen. Her hair had been one giant experiment then.

  Victoria helped her finish up and haul her suitcase and tote bag down. Belinda hadn’t really thought she’d need this much for a few days. After all, her work clothes would be a uniform, and that was primarily why they were going to Southwood. But her suitcase was bursting with clothes for every other possible situation (the dress was the final contingency plan), plus the odds and ends in her tote.

  She rolled her suitcase by the bench as Kyle came in, a mix of sunscreen and salt wafting in with him. Their eyes met and he watched her hard, the door swinging shut behind him. “What happened to your hair?” he said.

  Belinda rolled her eyes. “I already told you what we’re doing.”

  “That doesn’t explain what happened to your hair.”

  “It’s a disguise, Kyle, okay?”

  Kyle looked past Belinda to Bennett, then back to his sister. “You guys need help in the spy department. He looks like Clark Kent, and you look…like a chick with red hair.”

  Belinda folded her arms, leaning into one leg. “This is the best we could do on short notice. And we’re investigating, not going to a Mission: Impossible movie set. Besides, I needed something I can handle on my own.” In other words, without Victoria.

  “Don’t you think someone might recognize you?” Kyle said.

  “It’s Southwood. I don’t know as many people there.”

  “It’s not that far away.”

  Belinda was getting tired of the questions that were quickly tearing through their plan. It was too late, and they would have to make it work. “Bennett doesn’t have a problem with it.”

  Kyle glanced over at Bennett again, sizing him up. “Yeah, well his disguise is terrible, too.”

  “We don’t have time for this.” Belinda gestured toward her suitcase. “And since when did y
ou become an undercover expert?”

  Kyle scratched the back of his head. “I just think someone could recognize you. That might not be a good thing.”

  Belinda took a breath, trying to see this as Kyle’s way of showing he didn’t want her to die, which was nice. But also a little late. “We’ll be cleaning out someone’s house. The only people we should see are the staff and the people at the inn. I’ve never been there, and they don’t know us. We won’t be going anywhere where we’d run into people we know. And it’s just the weekend. How bad can it go?” She gave a cheerful smile, swiping over the three of them. No one was smiling back.

  “Oh, come on,” Belinda said. “This is no way to start out.”

  “Your history isn’t making me feel positive,” Kyle said.

  “Well, you could’ve said something the other night when I told you what we were doing.”

  Kyle shrugged. “Would it matter? You’re already committed. And no one in this room is going to be able to stop you.” Kyle gazed back at Bennett and Victoria, who didn’t nod or comment, but the lack of response was almost more telling.

  “I’m not that stubborn.” Belinda glanced from one to the other.

  Victoria was the first to speak up. “You have your moments.” She shrugged apologetically, Willa back in her arms.

  Bennett was the only one who hadn’t said anything. His eyes were stuck to a spot on the floor like he was thinking more than avoiding her. “Bennett?” Belinda prompted. “What about you? You’re involved too. If you don’t want to do this, just say so and we won’t.”

  “Are you sure?” Bennett met her eyes, the black glasses still on his face, which was jarring. “If I say no, will you keep out of it?”

  Belinda was very sure they’d been down this road before, and she tried not to squirm uncomfortably with everyone staring at her. “Honestly? Probably not…”

  Bennett pursed his lips. “Then we’re both going.” He stood straighter, in mission mode. “Jonas knows about this, as well as Kyle and Victoria.” Bennett stabbed his finger at Kyle’s chest. “We will keep in touch as much as possible through the day. If you don’t hear from one of us in a reasonable amount of time, then you call the police.”

  “In a reasonable amount of time, you could be…” Victoria trailed off, glancing at Belinda. She sucked in a breath and said, “We’ll be checking on you. A lot. And you better at least send a text that you’re alive. None of this ‘I just forgot’ nonsense.” Her hazel eyes pierced Belinda, who nodded obediently.

  Victoria shuffled over, moving Willa and crushing Belinda to her. Then she shoved her back, blinking tears away. “I just want it to be known that heads will roll if you both don’t come back in one piece.”

  Belinda forced a smile, trying not to tear up herself. Willa was pleasantly ignorant, grinning back. Belinda smoothed down her copper hair, then accepted a side hug from Kyle, who squeezed her shoulder. “Mom and Dad will kill me if something happens to you.”

  Kyle let her go, and after some final words and another hug from Victoria, Belinda and Bennett rolled out to their new assignment.

  Chapter 9

  The drive out to Southwood would have been pleasant if not for the moblike butterflies in Belinda’s stomach.

  They crossed a bridge over a bay heading there, the sunlight sparkling across the water. Once they exited off the highway, the land became more wooded with rolling fields and even some farmland. She wanted to gaze out and admire all the beauty, but the little chat back at the house had brought back bad memories and put a pit in her stomach. The scenery passed by almost unnoticed.

  Bennett was quiet too. Not that it was so remarkable with him, but this felt more like a worried quiet. Part of her wanted to ask, but she was afraid to and decided to let it be unless he brought it up. The only sound in the car for most of the ride was the radio.

  The GPS announced their destination on the right, and Belinda bolted up, peering through the windshield as a brown wooden house came into view between the trees. A low-lying fence ran along the front of the property, guarding a lawn.

  Belinda had been forced to change into the ugly uniform before they left. She straightened out the bright blue polo shirt as Bennett turned into the driveway. They were using one of the cleaning company’s official vans just to make sure there weren’t any problems. Plus, they needed supplies.

  Belinda hopped out onto the gravel driveway after they parked, surveying the lawn that stretched out to the street and the Colonial farmhouse anchored in the middle of the property. Bennett came around, trading his sunglasses for the square, black ones, and motioned for them to head inside.

  They waited in the entryway after being let in. It was quiet in that part of the house, and dark. Hardly any natural light penetrated through the narrow windows nearby. The stone slabs felt cold under Belinda’s shoes, the dark walls closing around them, though the vaulted ceiling made it look larger than it seemed from outside. Still, Belinda felt it could’ve used a skylight or two.

  “Are you the cleanup crew?” a woman barked. Belinda jumped, then tried to pretend like she was fine.

  The woman came through a side door, holding a clipboard, her gray-peppered hair pulled back and frizzing out around her ears. She stared intently at them with two small, dark eyes until Bennett confirmed it, Belinda nodding in agreement.

  “Well, it’s about time,” she said. “Come on. I’ll show you where to start.”

  Belinda dared a glance at Bennett once the woman turned her back to them. What had they gotten themselves into?

  As they followed their boss through the side door, they learned the woman’s name was Elizabeth Hall, and she was the household manager. The rest of the staff was busy packing and darting through the house beyond the entrance. Once they pierced through the formal entryway, there wasn’t anything quiet about it.

  Cardboard boxes scraped, bubble wrap and plastic rustled and popped, doors and floorboards creaked and groaned, but no one really talked, except for a question or order here and there. Belinda scanned for the strange creature who’d interrupted them at the fundraiser, but she wasn’t there.

  They went up a back set of stairs, which Belinda hesitated to take because Bennett had learned from Jonas that Henry Lawson was found at the bottom of a staircase in the old kitchen. And she guessed they were in the old kitchen based on the setup of the room. She glanced behind her to the bottom, but there were no signs he’d ever fallen.

  “This is where you’ll start.” Hall swung open an oak door and revealed…a paper graveyard.

  Belinda swallowed, reminding herself it could be much, much worse.

  “Nothing in here except old newspapers and magazines and the like,” Hall went on. “One of you can take this room.”

  “Do we need to sort it?” Belinda blurted out, her eyes darting around the monolith piles.

  The woman set her beady eyes on Belinda like she’d grown an extra head. “Throw everything out. We’re dealing with what stays.” She turned her attention to Bennett. “Follow me.”

  She didn’t wait for them to talk it over, so after a glance, Bennett took after Hall, leaving Belinda alone in a paper storage room. After staring in disbelief for a solid minute, she scurried back to their van for supplies–gloves and plenty of trash bags–before the Warden came back.

  As she shoved yellowed and rotting newspapers and magazines into a bag, Belinda wondered how someone so successful could be so disorganized. Unless others took care of all that for him. But then as she filled one bag and shook out another, she wondered if he was trying to keep people out of here on purpose, filling it up with junk as a cover for something.

  Henry Lawson had been a savvy businessman. Maybe he was also clever.

  None of the papers or magazines seemed important, but that thought helped her pick up speed. There might be a clue somewhere in there beneath the swill.

  While her hands worked on autopilot, Belinda’s mind raced, wondering what you’d hide in such a room. She was
struggling to land on anything useful when the sound of muffled cries stopped her. She paused the paper shuffling to hear better, wondering if she’d imagined it. But after another moment, she heard it again. It seemed to be coming from behind the door across from her.

  Abandoning her trash bag, Belinda tiptoed to the door, listening for signs of life. The crying was definitely coming from that room. She rapped her knuckles against the door, then cracked it just enough to be heard without yelling. “Are you alright?”

  The crying stopped suddenly, and after a second, Belinda leaned her head in. A young woman was curled up in a wingback chair with the damask curtains closed, her face tear-stained. She was dressed like other members of the staff Belinda had seen.

  “Do you need anything?” Belinda asked, still trying not to speak too loudly.

  The woman shook her head fervently. “I’m fine,” she garbled out, swiping at her face. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

  “I won’t…I just…” Belinda paused, stepping inside. “Are you sure you don’t need anything?”

  The young woman attempted a smile. “You’re here to clean up, aren’t you?”

  Belinda nodded soberly, her hands falling limply to her sides. She suddenly felt bad about it. Everything seemed to be handled in a very clinical way.

  “It’s all going to be gone by next week,” the woman continued, gazing around the room. “Just like that.”

  Belinda swallowed. “Were you close to Mr. Lawson?”

  The woman gazed at the curtains. “Not exactly. But you know, people here are upset. They just can’t show it…” It was like she wanted to add something but thought better of it.

  “I guess he was a nice employer, then.”

  The woman cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. “Not always. It’s more…” she paused, turning her eyes up to Belinda. “Everyone’s more upset because of the rumors. It’s definitely shaken us all up.”

  “The rumors?” Belinda stepped closer.

  “There’s a bunch.” She started checking them off on her fingers. “Some people think he was dying, and the fall was the result of a tumor or something. Others say he was depressed and fell on purpose. But some…some think he didn’t fall on his own.”