Jane Eyre Austen

by Doyle MacBrayne

  Jane nodded yes as Clayton entered the room. Gray introduced them, and Clayton sat down opposite Gray.

  Clayton nodded to the detective, “I’ve been Gray’s friend longer than I’ve been his lawyer. I’m here to listen, that’s all.”

  The detective looked at Gray, “Do you think you need a lawyer?”

  Gray shrugged, “Clayton assists me in my business, and yes, I need a lawyer.”

  The detective shifted in his chair, “Did you have a reason to want to kill Richard Austen?”

  Clayton coughed and raised his eyebrows, and Gray said, “No.”

  Detective Goold looked to Jane, “I’ve seen the video. It’s clearly self-defense; my question is why was he there with a knife?”

  “He thought I was manipulating Gray.”

  “How, exactly?”

  Jane shrugged, “I don’t know.”

  Goold tilted his head slightly and asked softly, “What made him think that then?”

  Gray spoke up, “I purchased a piece of land.”

  Jane interrupted, “No, it started before then. At the symphony dinner, you bid on the photography package.” She looked at the detective, “Richard and I never got along. He was jealous of my relationship with his father, and hated the fact that my father married my mother. After my father died, the will stated that Richard’s inheritance from the estate was final. Basically, my father paid Richard off at his death, leaving the remainder of the estate under the control of myself and my cousin James. It was my father’s wish that we care for my mother, and he left a substantial amount of investments to ensure that. James and I have been careful with the money, and the money remains intact. Richard, on the other hand, I believe has spent his inheritance or lost it in bad business deals.”

  Jane sipped on her tea, “It didn’t make sense to me at the time, but at the symphony charity dinner Richard added to the auction a package for a photography session and a water color portrait, without asking. I knew something was wrong, when one of his business partners bid for it. Ben found out that Richard had started a rumor that the package included sex. With me, I mean. Anyway, it didn’t work out at all for Richard, because Gray offered an obscene amount of money, and then had me photograph his niece.”

  “How obscene?” Goold asked.

  “$10,000.” She answered.

  Gray muttered, “It was for charity.”

  “Did Richard know you were dating?”

  Jane shook her head no and Gray answered politely, “He knew she worked for me, I’m sure.”

  Clayton spoke up, “I believe Richard started the rumor in order to discredit Ms. Austen’s character. I think he was planning on trying to get some control over the remainder of the estate.”

  Goold nodded, “Could he have done that?”

  Jane shook his head, “Doubtful, the will was written very clearly, specifically. My lawyer found out that it was notarized and witnessed by a judge. After speaking with the judge he discovered that the signing of the will was videotaped, and that Dad clearly states that he has rewritten his will with the intention that Richard never gets access to the funds. He states that he doesn’t trust Richard.”

  Goold sighed, “So it’s safe to say that Richard has a few enemies?”

  Jane, Gray, and Clayton all nodded. Goold leaned forward and scratched behind his ear. “What can you tell me about his wife?”

  Jane sucked in a breath, “How did he, I mean how do you know it’s murder?”

  Goold sat back, “It’s a suspicious death right now, but the ME is doing an autopsy. It should take weeks before I know anything definite.” His eyes softened, “His doctor, however, insists that his death is not a complication due to surgery or his injuries.”

  Jane paled slightly and Gray got up to make her some more tea.

  Jane sighed, “Astrid’s a bitch.”

  Clayton coughed and Jane rolled her eyes.

  Detective Goold seemed impassive, “Please, go on.”

  Jane swallowed and looked at her hands, “After my father died, Richard started to…” She looked up, “Can we talk about this privately?”

  Clayton stiffened, “I don’t recommend that.”

  Gray put the cup of tea in front of her, “Of course you can Jane. We’ll be in the study.” He kissed her forehead and glared at Clayton who got up and excused himself.

  When she heard the study door close she spoke quickly and quietly. “My father died my junior year in high school. At the time, I was dating Patrick and we were very serious about each other.”

  Detective Goold looked confused, “Patrick Whitfield?”

  Jane nodded, “Yes.”

  “And now?”

  “We’re best friends.” She waited for him to ask the obvious question about Patrick’s sexuality but he didn’t, so she continued. “Richard would come by the house on Sunday’s, once or twice a month, usually for brunch. He started to make rude comments to me; sometimes it was just innuendo, and never when anyone else heard him.” Jane looked at him, “They were never appropriate; he knew he was making me uncomfortable. And then, one time he said something in front of her, Astrid I mean, and she just laughed. She didn’t care.”

  Jane sipped her tea, “When I went to college, I only saw him a few times over summer. My freshman year, Patrick introduced me to Ben. Ben encouraged me to learn self-defense because he didn’t trust Richard.” She sipped her tea again, holding the cup allowing the warmth to penetrate her cold fingers, “It turns out he was right. Richard would find me alone, in the kitchen, pantry, or garage and just grab me. Sometimes he hit me, but usually he would just grab at me. I told Astrid and she didn’t care.”

  Jane looked up, “I was really embarrassed, but I told Patrick after it happened the third time. He told Ben, and then Ben found Richard after work one day and beat the crap out of him.” She stopped and grimaced, “Oh my God, he’s not going to get in trouble for that is he?”

  Detective Goold smirked, “No, I’m certainly not going to pursue that now. Did Richard stop?”

  She sighed, “Yes, and I took taekwondo. Ben talked to James too, so I was never alone with Richard again.”

  Detective Goold sat back, “So, Richard has a history of attacking you, but you never reported it.”

  Jane nodded, “It would upset my mother.”

  “Why did he attack you yesterday, I mean what changed?”

  “We should invite Gray and Clayton back in for that.”

  Detective Goold held up his hand, “First, I’d like to ask you about your relationship with Patrick and Ben.” Jane nodded cautiously and he continued, “You’ve known Ben for four years?”

  Jane nodded, “Yes, I met him when I visited Patrick at school one weekend.”

  “Ben told me that Patrick is his partner.” Detective Goold said quietly and watched as she relaxed.

  “Yes.”

  “Is there anything else I should know about the three of you?” his question was impassively stated, no recrimination in his voice.

  She shifted, “Look, there are a lot of rumors and speculation about our relationship. The truth is Patrick was my first boyfriend, my first lover, and Ben was my last. I dated one guy in between. It’s over between Ben and me, and honestly the only reason we ever,” she looked up and waved her hand refusing to finish the thought, “Was because he was so jealous that I was Patrick’s first. It was difficult for the two of them to admit their feelings for each other, at first. They are in love, disgustingly, happily, crazily in love with each other.”

  Goold nodded thoughtfully, and then she saw a thought cross his mind, “Why did you spend the night here, instead of with them?”

  “I texted Ben when it happened and he had Gray come and get me. He then went to find Richard; he wanted me to stay here in case I had a concussion. Patrick was with my mom. Maybe he had other reasons, I don’t know.” She looked up, “He’s kind of intense and bossy, you know?”

  “Are you and Poole dating?”

  She shrugged, �
��I have no idea what the hell you’d call it. With my mom, it’s not possible for me to date, I watch her evenings.”

  “How do you feel today?”

  She tilted her head from side to side, “I’m still pretty sore, but mostly I’m in shock that he did this, I mean he’s an ass, but I would never have considered him so violent before.”

  Goold looked at her, “After six years?” He shook his head and stood up, “I’ll get Poole and Clayton to come back in.”

  He was gone for a good five minutes, leaving Jane nervous about what he could be asking them, or worse telling them. She sat nervously at the table until she couldn’t take it anymore and began to search through his pantry for muffin ingredients, eyeing the browning bananas on his counter.

  When the men returned, they found her sifting flour into a large bowl. Gray looked amused.

  Detective Goold held out his hand and shook hers briefly. “Thank you Ms. Austen, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’ll let you know when I’ve made some headway in this case. I appreciate your honesty, and hospitality.” He nodded to Gray. “Here’s my card in case you have any questions.”

  Clayton nodded, “I’ll show you out.” He called over his shoulder, “Talk to you later Gray.”

  Gray wore his lopsided grin and leaned against a free bit of counter, watching as she returned to sifting.

  She looked up nervously, “So that’s it?”

  Gray shook his head, “No, definitely not. He’s going to look into what Richard’s wife was doing. Astrid? God that’s a horrible name.”

  Jane muttered, “It suits her. The flower doesn’t smell nice either.”

  He watched her fascinated, “Am I to understand that you can bake from scratch, without following a recipe?”

  Jane smirked, “Not really, I’ve just memorized it.” She looked at him, “There’s too much chemistry in baking to not follow the recipe.”

  She placed butter in a bowl and he watched as she folded it into sugar and eggs. He asked, “You know I have a mixer.”

  “Yeah, yeah. This is the therapeutic part. The rhythmic churning, watching the colors blend until it’s perfectly mixed.” She sighed, “You were in there for a while with him, what did he ask you?”

  He moved behind her, pulling her long hair back over her shoulders and gently kissed her neck. He whispered, “Clayton told him about the real estate deal. He’s going to check into Richard’s finances and how much life insurance he has.”

  His hand wrapped around her waist and he pulled her back. “Jane, can this wait? I’d really like to take you back to bed.”

  She squeaked and stepped away. “Gray, this morning, I got carried away too. Look I’m not prepared for this in so many ways.”

  He reached out for her hands and pushed her against the pantry door, locking her hands over her head. He bent down to kiss her gently, and teased her with his tongue. “Do explain, not prepared.”

  She looked up at him, “I have my mother to take care of. It’s not fair to you, I can’t be the person you wake up with, have breakfast together. My mom needs me.”

  He released her hands but kept her pinned against the door, kissing her, until her fingers were wrapped in his hair.

  She finally broke free and sighed, “I’m not on anything Gray, birth control. I don’t have anything.”

  “That’s not a problem Jane.” It was a low growl in her ear, and he bent down and bit her neck gently, kissing her jaw and finally kissing her lips. All of her resolve melted, and her hands trailed down his back.

  Her phone rang; the ringtone was her home phone. She apologized as she answered it. “It’s home,” she offered to explain. “Hey, how’s Mom?”

  She listened for a long time before she started nodding and making little agreeing noises. She finally spoke, “Absolutely, I’ll be there. Thanks Susannah.”

  She hung up and grinned sheepishly, “I’ve got to go home.”

  He groaned, “If that was Ben, I would have killed him.”

  “No, Susannah. Apparently people are dropping by offering condolences, and Mom is having a hard time.” She looked at the counter. “I’ll just finish this up and bring the batter over to the house to bake.”

  “I’m coming too.”

  Jane looked surprised, “Don’t you have work, or something?” A part of her was relieved too, and touched by his concern.

  “I’ll bring my laptop.” His tone was definite and she knew better than to argue. She quickly finished the batter while he disappeared. She was washing things up when he returned with a leather backpack and her overnight bag. He had a sports coat on and looked incredibly handsome. He gave her his lopsided grin when he saw the way she was looking at him. He pulled out a Tupperware container for the batter and packed it in a grocery bag.

  “Are you well enough to drive?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded, “Good, I’ll follow you in my car then.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  At the steps to the kitchen door, Jane allowed herself a moment of impulsiveness and leaned over and kissed him hard on the lips. She whispered quickly, “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Susannah opened the door and grimaced, “Thank God you’re here. She’s really in a mood today. You’d better change, Jane.”

  Jane nodded and ran up the stairs leaving Gray at the door. Susannah eyed the bags in his hands suspiciously.

  “Planning on staying a while, Mr. Poole?”

  He tilted his head slightly, “Call me Gray, and yes, it was my intention.”

  Susannah grinned, “I’ll take your bags and put them in Jane’s room. Good God but you’ve come at a bad time. She’s in the parlor.”

  He thanked her and headed toward the parlor. James stood in the doorway and took Gray’s hand in both of his, sincerely relieved, “Thank you so much for taking care of Janie yesterday.”

  Gray nodded, “It was my pleasure. How is Mrs. Austen?”

  James whispered, “This is the worst I’ve ever seen her. She doesn’t know he attacked her, just that Jane and he were both attacked yesterday.”

  Her voice was sharp and startled them both, “James! What are you conspiring about over there?”

  James stepped into the parlor and Gray followed. He saw she was sitting on the love seat and two women were seated opposite the coffee table. There was an impressive tea service set on the table.

  James cleared his throat, “Mr. Poole to see you Madam, but he didn’t wish to disturb your company.”

  The women turned to face Gray and one of them smiled cattily at him. He recognized her from the dinner, Jackie something.

  Mrs. Austen nodded, “Mr. Poole, I’m so glad you’ve come. Jane is not here, she was also viciously attacked.”

  He nodded politely, “I see that you are visiting with two of Richard’s close friends. I will wait in the other room, please take your time, ladies.”

  Mrs. Austen took the opportunity to politely bid her guests good bye, and James ushered them out of the house while Gray waited in the dining room.

  Jane joined him, dressed in a lovely black dress with a white cardigan. She looked at him sardonically and answered his unspoken question, “No, I didn’t make it. I just liked it.”

  He grinned, “It’s beautiful, and you’re beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed her quickly. James was carrying the tea service tray out of the room as they entered. Her mother quickly got up and rushed to Jane, hugging her tightly.

  “My dear, how are you? I’ve been so worried!” She outstretched her arms and turned her around slowly.

  Jane led her mother back to the love seat and sat beside her.

  Her mother looked at her, “What happened, Jane? They won’t tell me, they are afraid I…” She looked at her, “I know he was a bad man Jane, there’s no reason you should protect me from the truth.”

  Jane held her mother’s hand and quickly told her about Richard attacking her in the stairwell. The account was truthful but brief. Her mother sat back and reflec
ted, and then looked at her carefully.

  “Where were you last night Jane, were you in hospital?”

  “No, Mother. Mr. Poole arranged for his physician to treat me privately at his house. I stayed the night there in case of concussion. No one except us knows of Richard’s attack.”

  She shook her head, “It’s not right, it will come out.” She sighed, “Your father was so worried about him. He tried to help him, but Richard had a character flaw that could not be cured.” Mrs. Austen stood up and walked over to the window. “Dear God, more of Richard’s friends. Please Jane, make excuses. I cannot bear another visitor.”

  She looked over to Gray, “Thank you for taking such good care of my Jane, Mr. Poole.”

  Gray nodded, “It was my pleasure. I hope your dear daughter will allow me to care for her always.”

  Jane whipped her head around and glared, but the movement was so fast it made her dizzy. Her mother went to her side and held her hand.

  “Jane dear, you are so pale.”

  “I moved too quickly mother.”

  Her mother nodded, “You stay here Jane. I’ll make my own excuses. Will you stay for dinner Mr. Poole?”

  “Yes ma’am. I was hoping to stay the night and keep watch over Jane.”

  She nodded and smiled, “Of course, I’ll have Susannah prepare a room.”

  She left the room and Gray sat down next to Jane who smirked, “She’s putty in your hands.”

  “She’s your mother, she loves you. She wants you to be happy.” Gray reached out and held her hand.

  Jane cocked an eyebrow, “You realize that she’ll expect you to write me letters now. She’ll be checking the mailbox regularly to gauge your romantic progress.”

  “Handwritten letters?” he asked amused.

  “On linen paper.” Jane answered.

  “I don’t suppose she’d accept texts as proof of my love.”

  Jane smirked, “I’m afraid not.”

  He sighed and shrugged, “I guess…” He looked at her carefully, “Or I could just ask for your hand in marriage.”

  Jane paled, “Oh no, you don’t.” She stood up, “You think you’re going to avoid courting me?” She stood in front of him, hand on her hip. “Hell no! Grayson Poole, our children deserve to hear a romantic love story when told about their parents, not that dad knocked mom up so they got married.” He looked surprised and she continued, whispering, “Yeah, you heard me right. Don’t think I don’t know you’re intentions are to get into my panties.”