Foiled (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Seven)

by Amy Saunders

  “You do realize,” Bennett said just behind her, “that we usually find something bad in these situations, right?”

  They came out into a room, or a wider space anyway. “Like what?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” He came up next to her. “Dead bodies, that sort of thing.”

  “Not every time.”

  Bennett turned to look at her. “Whenever I’m with you, we find a body.”

  “Nonsense.” Belinda aimed her flashlight at his face. “Besides, I always blame you for that.”

  She grinned as he pushed her flashlight away, blinking to see clearly again. “I think Victoria would side with me on this. And Kyle. And Jonas. And possibly the rest of the Portside police force.”

  Belinda frowned. That was too many testimonials from her point of view. Bennett had a clear advantage over her–he knew several people who knew Belinda well. On the other hand, she didn’t know too many, outside of Jonas and his grandmother, who knew Bennett that well. The odds were stacked against her.

  That didn’t mean she was going to agree with him.

  “Maybe,” she said. “Maybe not. Either way, there’s nobody here.” She swept her light around the room to demonstrate. “See, nothing.” Though she hoped they would discover some clue about what was going on in that house.

  She swiveled the light left and right again, noticing the room looked like a perfect square with no clear definition as to its purpose. And it looked empty, which might be a good thing in case anyone else knew about it. “What do you think it is?”

  Bennett shrugged, stepping farther into the room. “I don’t know. A former closet maybe? Or one of those sitting rooms people would have next to their bedroom a long time ago.”

  Belinda nodded, imagining a servant scurrying between rooms in the hall behind them. It was a way for servants to do their job without being seen. And when she put it like that, a hidden door didn’t sound so romantic anymore.

  Before she could decide how to investigate with the one small light between them, Bennett snatched it out of her hand, pointing it toward one corner. She started to protest, but her eyes automatically followed the cone of light and landed on what had caught his eye.

  Belinda gulped. “Oh.”

  “Still going to argue with me?” he said.

  She shook her head absently, fixated on the lifeless face of Elizabeth Hall with something sticking out from her chest.

  “You stay here,” Bennett said.

  “Where are you going?” Panic twisted up in Belinda’s stomach at the thought of being left alone to guard the body.

  “To call the police before anyone has a chance to claim this was another accident.” Without another word, he shoved the flashlight back at her and stomped back through the hallway.

  Belinda watched him disappear, turning back to find the light frozen on the Warden’s face. She immediately aimed the light somewhere else, taking a breath to steady her nerves. It explained the woman’s lack of presence that day.

  It also likely meant the Warden did not kill Henry Lawson. She could have been an accomplice, Belinda supposed. But this changed everything.

  Soon enough, she faced the all-too-familiar routine of questioning by the police. Statements were taken, the room was blocked off, and a confused and disoriented staff huddled around in the kitchen, waiting for orders.

  “What do we do now?” Caroline asked, her eyes big as they landed on Belinda.

  “Wait our turn, I think,” a man responded from one corner of the room.

  Belinda tried to give Caroline a reassuring smile, coming closer. “I’m sure they’ll want to talk to all of you. Just answer their questions and it’ll be fine.”

  Standing in the middle of the packed room, the staff standing, sitting, leaning, and even a few crouched on the floor, she had to wonder if one of them stabbed the Warden. The woman was not an easy employer to have, so this could have been something unrelated to Henry Lawson. Maybe somebody just snapped.

  Maybe.

  With permission to leave, Belinda and Bennett gladly took it, despite Caroline’s pleading eyes. Belinda gave her a quick hug, promising things wouldn’t be so bad, and told her to let her know what happened. Then they packed up the van, about to leave, when a Mercedes swung up behind them.

  A woman popped out of the driver’s seat, and for a moment, she thought it might be Camilla, Henry’s daughter. But the woman turned, pushing her short sandy hair out of her face, revealing a woman probably older than Camilla. She spotted them, slamming the door, and marched over in a pair of pointy-toed heels that peeked out from underneath black pants.

  “What is going on here?” she demanded, waving toward the police cars.

  Belinda’s mind raced; the close-set blue eyes and pointy chin were familiar. But she couldn’t pull out a name to save her. Or where she’d seen her before.

  After a moment of speechlessness, Belinda said simply, “Someone died.”

  The woman blinked as if she didn’t quite believe it. “Who?”

  “The household manager…Elizabeth Hall.”

  That seemed to surprise her even more, her eyes frozen on Belinda. “Thank you,” she said tersely and marched through the front door.

  Belinda traded a glance with Bennett through the van windows. “Let’s get out of here before we’re trapped forever,” she said.

  They both jumped into the van and left, stopping at the inn to collect their luggage and check out. Once they had safely exited Southwood and were headed back over the bridge toward Portside, it all came together, and Belinda remembered who the blue-eyed woman was.

  “She works for Camilla!” Belinda snapped her fingers. “That’s how I know her. She was at the function last week.”

  “Who are we talking about?”

  “The woman who pulled up right as we were leaving. I knew she looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why.”

  “So…she works for the company?”

  Belinda nodded, satisfied that she’d remembered. “I don’t remember her name. But I know for certain she works with Camilla.” She drummed her fingers on the armrest, biting her bottom lip. “We need to talk to somebody objective with a bird’s eye view of the company.”

  “The ‘objective’ part is going to be hard.”

  “Maybe not.” A mischievous grin spread across her face.

  “Uh-oh,” Bennett said. “I know that look.”

  “I think I just might know someone. And I bet a certain grandmother of mine could convince him to talk to me.”

  Bennett shook his head, but he smiled despite himself. “She’s not going to like that plan.”

  “I think she’ll acquiesce, anyway, when I tell her why. And I don’t think she minds him…that much.”

  “You do that, and I’ll call Jonas to make sure we’re covered when the Southwood police show up on our doorsteps.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  Bennett glanced over. “How long do you think it will take them to find out that we were using fake names?”

  Belinda’s face fell. Great. “Oh…”

  “Yeah, ‘oh.’ And we found the body.”

  The corners of her lips drooped more. “Oh, boy.”

  “Exactly. So, learn what you can from Carmichael because we might be in our own mess for a while.”

  Belinda hadn’t counted on any of this being a problem before they agreed to do it. She didn’t plan on a murder–never mind finding the victim.

  Bennett squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “It’ll be fine. But we will have a lot to explain.”

  “I’m terrible at explaining these sorts of things.”

  “I’m aware.”

  Belinda narrowed her eyes.

  “But,” he continued, ignoring her glare, “it will still be fine. It may help in terms of figuring out whether Lawson was murdered or not.”

  “You could be right. Though no one truly appreciates me like Jonas does.”

  Bennett half smiled. “They may appreciat
e us more when we can tell them all the weird stuff that was going on in that house.”

  Belinda cocked her head toward him. “Do you think the reign of silence will continue? Now that the Warden is gone?”

  Bennett shrugged. “It’s anybody’s guess. I suppose it really depends on whether anyone else is invested in what’s happened. It might not just have been the Warden.”

  “Or she could have figured out what was going on.” Belinda gazed out at the bay below before they left the bridge behind. The sun shimmered across the blue water, boats zipping out in the nice weather. “She seemed…unsettled by your accident.”

  “She was killed for a reason. One way or another.”

  And one way or another, Belinda thought, if someone was going to figure out why it might as well be them.

  Chapter 15

  After Bennett dropped her off, Belinda stopped by Victoria’s, just to present herself alive and unharmed. And to fill her in on everything she’d missed.

  Her next task was to call her grandmother and make her request, which was granted without too much fuss, despite her grandmother mildly complaining about giving Carmichael encouragement. But Belinda reminded her he’d never needed it in the past.

  She thought Kyle was even more relieved to see her than Victoria. Though he tried to hide it–as well as the fact that he still hadn’t finished cleaning out the living room.

  Otherwise, the rest of the day felt like any other–like she hadn’t just been undercover (well, sort of) and found a murder victim. She had Cake Diva paperwork and a weekly discussion with Mia. Life went on as usual.

  Until the next day when she had her meeting with Carmichael. Her nana’s Portside house was less about the sea and more about the gardens, but the breeze rustling Belinda’s blonde waves while they sat on the back veranda reminded her the water was still feet away.

  Carmichael was in his usual business attire–suit and tie–his square glasses pushed up on his nose. He’d popped over for a quick luncheon. Belinda knew he was in the middle of a work day, so she didn’t pussyfoot around with why she asked to meet.

  Belinda knew he ran in circles where people like Camilla and her father, and their colleagues, gathered. Technically, Belinda saw these people too. But she didn’t have a business mind about it. She saw them and moved on. She hoped Carmichael would take a deeper interest in the goings-on of the business. After all, he was a lawyer and quite observant. Not to mention, she suspected some of them might be his clients.

  “An overview of the company?” Carmichael sat back in the wicker chair, folding his hands on his concave stomach, raising a bushy gray eyebrow. “Well, I can tell you that right now things could be more…stable.”

  “How so?” Belinda wished Bennett could’ve joined them, but after the detour to the Lawson house, he had a lot of work to catch up on. So, she would have to do her best alone.

  “Transitions are often difficult. And this one has been rocky, to say the least.”

  “Because of Camilla…?” Belinda didn’t want to force him to answer a certain way. She wanted Carmichael to talk; to say what he really thought about the situation. On the other hand, she had specific questions of her own.

  “I don’t think anyone seriously objected to Camilla taking over–at least that I’ve heard. She’s a natural successor. In fact, I think it was welcome by most.” Carmichael relaxed into his seat, crossing his legs. “Lawson got more difficult to please as he got older and I think everyone was tired of it. The problems for Camilla really began when Vincent Sutcliffe snuck in, getting a big, and what some thought unwarranted, promotion.”

  Vincent again. And Alex had thought he’d visited Lawson, more than once.

  “So, Vincent’s Camilla’s right-hand man?” Belinda said.

  “Oddly enough, I don’t think so.” Carmichael gazed over at her with his chin tucked into his chest. “Really, her closest adviser is Marie Sinclair. They worked together before Camilla joined her father’s company. And once Henry was gone, Camilla immediately brought in Sinclair. But she’s experienced, practical, level-headed. Vincent…not always.” He gave a knowing smile.

  “Vincent’s more volatile?”

  Carmichael nodded slowly. “Can be. And Camilla knows it. She ignores him when necessary. But Vincent’s ambitious.” Carmichael shifted his gaze away from Belinda for a moment. “He wants more.”

  Belinda tucked that away, but when Carmichael didn’t offer anything else, she prodded, “Like running the company himself…?”

  Carmichael’s small eyes held a twinkle. “Not alone. But he would definitely take a co-leadership role with Camilla.”

  “Is that your opinion? Or is that what others think?”

  “Actually, I don’t have to give my opinion in this instance. Vincent has proclaimed as much loud and clear.” He glanced away again, thoughtfully. “I really believe he thinks she’ll marry him…in the end.”

  “What do you mean, in the end?” Belinda rested her arms on the table now. This conversation was not relaxing. Not even a little. And she had to wonder, if Carmichael was right, whether Vincent hoped he could get Lawson’s approval to marry his daughter somehow.

  “Camilla’s not easily swayed, and she doesn’t seem to be jumping at the chance to marry him. Whatever their involvement behind the scenes, and despite how much she seems to fawn over him, Camilla is still keeping him at a distance.”

  “Why do you think so?” With her father gone now, provided Lawson did despise Vincent, there wouldn’t be much reason to refuse to marry him.

  “I think it comes down to her career.” Carmichael twiddled his thumbs. “Camilla is well-aware how everyone feels about Vincent. It doesn’t stop her from pampering him or keeping him close. But I think it does worry her enough to keep him right where he is. And knowing Vincent, I doubt he likes that. I’m sure he’s frustrated.”

  “Would her father have affected her decision about Vincent?”

  “I doubt it.” Carmichael shook his head. “Camilla has her own mind. Though Lawson would have put in his two cents, I’ve no doubt.” His lips curved up slightly. “But in the end, Camilla would make her own choice.”

  So, based on that, it didn’t sound like Vincent would have much reason to kill Henry Lawson. “Do you think Vincent would have had reason to visit Lawson at some point?”

  Carmichael’s eyebrows arched, though his face stayed neutral otherwise. “Maybe on behalf of the company.”

  “But not for personal reasons?”

  Carmichael shrugged his bony shoulders. “I really don’t know. All the gossip about him surrounds his ambitions and how he wants to marry Camilla. He and Lawson never got on. I doubt Vincent would have gone to see him on his own.”

  Belinda gazed down at the table. Maybe his potential visits to Lawson were just company business. An errand Camilla sent him on, for instance. If so, that shot a lot of suspicion out of the water.

  “If you want to find someone who would have consulted with Lawson of her own accord, I would look at Marie Sinclair. She’s the most likely person to have visited him on something other than company business.”

  Belinda cocked her head. “Out of curiosity, was she at the fundraiser last week?”

  Carmichael thought about it, finally nodding. “She was with Camilla’s group on the other side of the room.”

  “Does she have shortish, sandy hair and sharp blue eyes by some chance?”

  Carmichael’s lips quirked up in a smile. “That would be her. A mild appearance but make no mistake. Her mind is as sharp as they come.”

  “Would she have reason to visit Lawson on her own?”

  “That is a complicated question.” He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes amused again. “I don’t believe they were friends. But I don’t believe they were quite as hostile toward each other as Lawson and Vincent, either. I think Lawson and Sinclair could have been possible allies–when necessary.”

  “And when would that have been necessary?”

  Ca
rmichael crossed his legs, leaning to the other side toward Belinda’s nana, who listened in perfect silence. But Belinda knew her well enough to know she was taking in every word.

  “I told you Camilla has a mind of her own,” Carmichael said. “Well, sometimes it’s in agreement with everyone else, sometimes not. She may be an old friend and adviser to Camilla, but that doesn’t mean that Sinclair always agrees with her. And once Camilla decides something…that’s the end of it. She can be incredibly stubborn.”

  “So, Marie Sinclair would go to Lawson for help with that?”

  Carmichael now leaned forward, resting his folded hands on the table. Belinda’s eye caught the gold pinky ring on one hand as the light reflected off it. “I think it’s possible Sinclair could have sought Henry’s backing at times. The transition wasn’t easy, but once things settled down, it became obvious that Camilla’s positions on certain things weren’t going to budge. And I genuinely believe her cabinet, if you will, thought she would listen to them and see reason once she took over.”

  Belinda nodded, trying to store away everything he said. “But Camilla’s set on her own ideas.”

  “She just wants certain things within the company a certain way.” He shrugged. “She’s really not much different from anyone else, including her father. The problem is that not everyone around her agrees.”

  Belinda gazed out beyond him to the flowers swaying in the breeze, thinking this all sounded like too much trouble for her. “Is it possible that Sinclair might try to get around Camilla, using Lawson somehow?”

  “Anything’s possible.” Carmichael glanced down at his thumbs. “Though, I don’t see Henry going along with it…not without a very, very good reason. Unless, of course, he didn’t realize what Sinclair was trying to do, which is doubtful. Henry was sharp.”

  If all of this was true, then they needed to know why Marie Sinclair was at Lawson’s house the previous day. She showed up in broad daylight, undaunted by all the activity, which didn’t look much like a secret meeting to Belinda. Sinclair could have just been cocky, but Belinda didn’t think so.