“Go home?”
I nodded.
“She said something about staying away from the woods. Something about it not being safe.” I paused and shook my head. “It’s hard to imagine her doing something like this, though. This is too bold and we’re practically parked in front of the house.”
“I can’t believe I missed it,” said Tetyana in frustration. “I had my eyes out every time we were in the kitchen and when you were setting up in the dining room.”
“Maybe it was when we were in Mrs. Robinson’s room. We were occupied and didn’t have a good view of the driveway.”
Tetyana lowered the hood and pushed it down to lock it. Then she turned her torch off.
“All clear.”
“What were you looking for? A bomb?”
She looked out into the grounds. “Out here, I’d expect someone to mess with our brakes or something similar.”
A shiver went down my back.
“Maybe Katy is right,” I said. “Someone here knows who we are.”
With a shrug, Tetyana slipped the torch into her vest and took out her Glock. She was the practical kind. She’d need hard evidence before coming to conclusions. It was Katy and I who had runaway imaginations.
I glanced at the house again. The kitchen light had gone off. The tea party was over. I imagined Mrs. Robinson had gone off to bed, but wondered about Nancy.
“Don’t you think it strange,” I said, “that no one else came down when Nancy screeched?”
Tetyana nodded. “Been thinking about that. Maybe she’s done this before. Waking up screaming from a nightmare.”
“I don’t believe Jim cares for her much either. Those two don’t get along.”
“Maybe he’s having an affair with Lisa?”
I looked at my friend to see if she was joking.
“Impossible,” I said. “They’re night and day.”
“Never make assumptions about your enemies,” said Tetyana. “That’s how you end up dead.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Wouldn’t you expect dogs to be running around in an estate this size?” I said, looking around.
“Unusual, that,” said Tetyana.
She locked the car and threw the keys back at me.
“Let’s find out what’s so special about this barn.”
I took out my weapon and followed her in the barn's direction.
It wasn’t moose we had to be careful about here, I thought, as we crisscrossed the grounds. It was the people in this house.
We took the long way, slipping across the driveway and moving to the nearest tree, then to the next, staying in the shadows.
So far, I’d been cursing the clouds, wishing they’d move aside to give us more moonlight. But now, I wished a cloud would cover the moon fast, so we wouldn’t be so exposed.
When we got to within three yards of the barn, Tetyana stopped and put her right arm out.
I halted.
A small animal ran in front of us, startling us. It was the feral cat we saw when we arrived at the house.
“Shh...” said Tetyana. I wasn’t sure if she was speaking to me or the cat. Hearing her, the animal skedaddled behind the stack of lumber.
I looked at the barn, wondering what we’d find inside. The lights were off and there was not a sound to hear. I hoped they didn’t have dogs in there. We’d rouse the entire house if they started barking.
“Perimeter check,” whispered Tetyana. “West to east. Keep close to the side.”
With a chill, I realized something.
If we’d spotted the two people from our window on the third floor, anyone looking out could easily see our silhouettes too. I looked back at the house, trying to suppress a panic attack, but all the lights were off. It seemed even Katy had gone to sleep.
Tetyana and I walked the length of the barn, peeking in through the windows and trying the locks and latches.
The place was latched down tight, and it was so dark inside, it was impossible to see anything. I wondered how Tetyana had seen a shadow in the windows all the way from the kitchen.
Either she had imagined it or her training had kicked in.
I followed her, keeping my eyes and ears open.
The smell of horses came to us as we got closer to the paddock area. A horsey snort confirmed our findings. I hoped we hadn’t woken the animals up. If they began to get restless, we’d give away our presence.
We stepped away from the barn and slipped behind an oak tree near the stack of lumber. I hoped the snorting horse would drift back to sleep soon.
“How long do we survey the barn?” I whispered.
“Until we find out who walked in an hour ago.”
I zipped my vest all the way to my neck. This could be an all-nighter, and the air seemed to be getting chillier by the minute.
After half an hour, I rubbed my hands to keep warm and tried not to let my teeth chatter. Next to me, Tetyana was standing stock still, as if she was at a road crossing in New York, waiting for the light to turn. Impatient, but still.
“Hey,” I said in a low voice, “if Nancy is the institutionalized daughter, wouldn’t someone recognize her? Especially her own mother?”
“It’s a sizeable gap between nine and twenty-nine.”
“Still. There would be clues.”
“Maybe she’s wearing a disguise?”
“She could have hooked up with this Jim guy, found a way out of the asylum, and convinced the pastor to get them jobs here.”
Tetyana said nothing, her gaze fixed on something distant, away from the barn.
I pressed on, working on my theory.
“Now she’s back, and possibly sending threatening letters to everyone, including Mrs. Robinson. Perhaps it’s her way to take revenge on a family that abandoned her. What do you—”
“Did you see that?” said Tetyana in a warning voice, interrupting me.
I squinted in the direction she was looking.
“What is it?”
“Wait for it,” she whispered.
I scanned the woods, wondering what I’d be waiting for. The grounds looked dead to the world. Unless a pre-hibernating bear or a moose had ventured too close to the house, I couldn’t imagine what we’d be seeing.
Tetyana clamped a hand on my arm.
“There.”
That was when I noticed the faint flicker of light coming through the trees.
“Someone’s out in the woods?” I said.
“Yes, but do you know what’s over there?”
“The cabin!”
Tetyana nodded.
“It’s closer to the house than I thought.”
“The road we came on winds around the mountain. That skewed our sense of distance.”
“I thought Mrs. Robinson said nobody lives there.”
Tetyana didn’t reply, her eyes peeled on the light which was flickering back and forth, like a wind was blowing a candle flame.
I wondered who’d want to spend the night in that cold ramshackle of a place at a time of year when storms were frequent and there was frost on the ground.
“A candle in that place is a fire hazard,” I said. “Come to think of it, the entire shack is a fire hazard.”
“It’s also a good hiding spot,” said Tetyana.
I shook my head.
“I’m sure everyone in the house knows of that cabin. It can’t be a—”
A scraping noise from the direction of the barn silenced me.
We turned to see the barn door opening slowly. We pulled back into the shadows.
A man’s frame silhouetted the lit doorway. He turned around and looked back inside, as if to check on something. Then he turned off the lights and shut the door.
We followed the shadow with our eyes as he slunk through the grounds. The old lampposts along the driveway illuminated his figure as he got closer to the house.
“It’s not Barry,” I said, “too surefooted.”
Tetyana nodded.
“Pastor G
raham?” I whispered.
“Hard to say,” Tetyana whispered back.
I looked at the figure again. He was wearing a coat which made it difficult to distinguish him.
He got to the side door and fumbled. It took a while, like he was having a hard time opening the door. I hoped Mrs. Robinson hadn’t locked us out.
“Maybe it is Barry,” I whispered.
“When he turns the lights on in his room, it’ll give us a clue who he is.”
The man finally got in, but didn’t turn on any lights.
“Could be Jim too,” said Tetyana. “He didn’t hear Nancy scream because he wasn’t in the house.”
I looked back at the barn. “If I’m not mistaken, there’s a second person still inside.”
We waited quietly, our eyes on the house, waiting for a light to turn on and give us a clue.
Next to us, the barn was silent. Even the horses had settled down.
“Frigging hell,” said Tetyana after ten minutes, “let’s check the barn.”
We’d just got to the barn door, when a blood-curdling scream echoed through the grounds.
Chapter Twenty
Tetyana and I spun around and dashed toward the house.
A light went on the first floor in the staff quarters.
“Mrs. Robinson?” I called out when we got close to the side door.
Tetyana fumbled at the door.
“Wasn’t her. That was Nancy. Again.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, but Tetyana was too busy tackling the door.
My mind whirled. The scream sounded genuinely in distress this time. It wasn’t Nancy’s enraged shriek we’d heard earlier.
Maybe Tetyana was right. My mind had been so busy with Mrs. Robinson’s death threat letters, I had automatically associated all danger with her.
“Did that idiot lock the door on us?” said Tetyana, banging on the door. “Damn thing’s jammed,” she grumbled as she rattled and pulled.
I looked up at the house.
Other than the light on the first floor, our bedroom was the only one with a light on now. I wondered if Katy had heard the scream and had already come rushing down.
For the second time that evening, I was surprised how everyone in this house seemed to sleep through all this noise. Granted, it was a vast house, but still.
Did everyone become deaf at night? Or did they just not care?
“Stand back,” said Tetyana, taking a few steps away from the door.
I jumped back.
Tetyana gave a swift kick, and the door flung open.
We ran into the kitchen. I turned on the light just as Nancy crashed through the side door that opened to the staff quarters.
She halted when she saw us. I noticed her face was contorted into a ghastly expression. She wasn’t acting now.
“What happened?” I asked, running toward her.
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. I noticed her whole body was shaking.
“Nancy? You okay?”
She gave me a wide-eyed look.
“For goodness’s sake, talk to us.”
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. She seemed to have gone mute.
Tetyana stepped up to her, took her by the shoulders and shook her roughly, until her head bobbed back and forth. That seemed to do it. Nancy looked at Tetyana in surprise and collapsed into her arms, sobbing.
Tetyana stood stiffly while Nancy bawled her eyes out on her shoulder. Tetyana shot me an awkward look, as she held her gun limply with one hand, and reluctantly patted Nancy on the back with the other.
“Nancy,” I said. “You can talk to us. What’s going on?”
She lifted her head from Tetyana’s shoulder and turned her tear-stained face to me.
“Mrs. Robinson...”
She swallowed like she couldn’t finish her sentence.
A frisson of fear went through me. I stepped up to her.
“Mrs. Robinson? Is she okay?”
“What the frigging heck happened?” snapped Tetyana, pushing the woman away and glaring at her.
“She’s... she’s... in her room,” said Nancy, pointing a trembling finger at the door she’d just burst through.
Pushing her away roughly, Tetyana dashed toward the door.
I raced after my friend.
Where is everyone?
Tetyana was already at Mrs. Robinson’s room.
“Mrs. Robinson?” she hollered, banging on the door.
Nothing.
“Please let her be okay,” I prayed under my breath as I darted toward her, scarcely registering Nancy running at my heels.
Tetyana yanked the door open and dashed in. I rushed inside after her.
We screeched to a halt near Mrs. Robinson’s prone body on the floor.
“Oh, no!”
I fell on my knees next to her. Tetyana was already checking her pulse.
“Mrs. Robinson?” I said, shaking her by the shoulders. “Mrs. Robinson?”
“Faint but still beating,” said Tetyana, looking up.
Mrs. Robinson’s eyelids were half-closed, but I could see her eyes darting back and forth underneath. She was breathing harsh, shallow breaths, like it took every ounce of energy to carry out this simple action.
At least she was conscious.
“Mrs. Robinson,” I said, trying to calm the panic rising inside of me. “Stay with me, okay?”
She tried to move her mouth, but her face was frozen. I let go of her shoulders and felt her limbs. There was no blood anywhere, just stiff muscle.
“Could be a stroke,” I said, looking up at Tetyana, “or a heart attack.”
“Call 911!” Tetyana barked at Nancy, who was nervously twitching next to us. “Now!”
While I held Mrs. Robinson by the shoulders and talked to her, Tetyana loosened her top buttons.
“Did you take anything tonight?” I asked. “Any medication?”
She didn’t respond, as if she was focusing every effort on staying alive.
“Blink once if you took something,” I said, “just once.”
Mrs. Robinson’s face didn’t change.
Tetyana lowered her head to check her breathing.
“She needs a doctor fast.”
She looked up at Nancy, who was standing in the same position as she’d come into the room.
“Did you call 911?”
Nancy gave Tetyana a frozen look. She had gone mute again. And deaf.
“What the hell!” shouted Tetyana, springing to her feet. She pulled out her mobile and punched in the numbers.
Mrs. Robinson stirred in my arms and mumbled something.
I leaned in closer.
“We’re here, Mrs. Robinson,” I said, wishing I knew her first name. “We’re not leaving you. We’re getting you help.”
Her lips moved, but no sound came out. I draped one arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly.
She blinked and swallowed. She was desperately trying to tell me something, but the words weren’t coming out.
“You’re going to be fine,” I said. “Do one thing for me, okay? Can you move your arm?”
I could see her trying, but her arm barely moved a half inch off her body.
“That’s great. Now, what about your hand? Can you wiggle a finger for me?”
Nothing.
She fell back in my arms, like she was too exhausted to try.
“That’s perfect. You’re doing just fine. Just focus on breathing, okay? We’re going to take care of you. Don’t you worry.”
I babbled on, knowing the only thing I could do was to keep her conscious until qualified help arrived.
An angry cuss from Tetyana made me look up.
“What the hell? The damn connection’s gone!”
She punched the screen so hard, I was sure it would shatter into pieces.
“Th... there... there’s a phone...,” stuttered Nancy, coming to life.
“Where?” barked Tetyana, spinning around to face her
. “Where’s the phone?”
“In... in... in the... kitchen,” stammered Nancy, her face white.
Tetyana turned around and bolted out of the room at the same time someone came barreling inside.
They both sprang back in alarm.
“What in good God’s name is going on here?” said the pastor, rubbing his forehead where Tetyana had banged into him. He was in striped pajamas, like he’d just jumped out of bed.
“Do you have a working phone?” shouted Tetyana, making him take another startled step back.
“Mrs. Robinson needs help!” I cried.
That was when he spotted her lying on the floor.
His eyes widened.
“We need medics here ASAP!” shouted Tetyana in his face.
With shaking hands, he pulled his mobile phone from his pocket.
“Doctor Fulton,” he whispered as he dialed. “Doctor Fulton, Doctor Fulton,” he repeated as if that would conjure up the physician.
Tetyana hopped from one foot to the other, like she was trying her darnedest to stop herself from grabbing the pastor’s phone and dialing faster. I held on to Mrs. Robinson, rubbing her arm, hoping and praying she’d recover from whatever was happening to her.
“Stay with me, Mrs. Robinson,” I said. “We’re going to get you help.”
“What in God’s name?” squawked the pastor, shaking his phone in the air. “There’s no reception!”
With an exasperated grunt, Tetyana pushed him out of the way and dashed out to the corridor.
“Where’s the frigging landline in this house?” I heard her shout in the passageway.
With another frightened look at Mrs. Robinson, the pastor ran after Tetyana.
Chapter Twenty-one
Mrs. Robinson’s breaths were coming faster and more shallow.
Her skin was cold to the touch. I clutched her hand tightly to let her know she wasn’t alone.
From somewhere in the depths of the house, people were hollering. I heard someone shouting something about a first-aid kit.
Nancy stepped up to Mrs. Robinson and kneeled on the other side. She was no longer the sullen, angry woman we’d met earlier. She looked concerned.
And stunned.
She took Mrs. Robinson’s other hand.
Merciless Legacy: Merciless Murder - A Thrilling Closed Circle Mystery Series Page 10