‘Sure, I’ll bring it back first thing in the morning. And the other thing?’
‘Can you tell John what’s happened? – he’s probably beside himself with worry.’
Nancy’s eyes widened in shock. ‘But … I didn’t think you believed him. You said only yesterday that you still thought he was a hoax!’
‘Another long story – I’m still not certain, but I’m willing to keep an open mind.’ And, of course, there’s the fact that I think I’m falling in love with him. She didn’t say those words aloud, it would have made them all the more real.
‘But how will we know where to find him? Nobody but you can see him.’
‘Maybe not, but if you go to my room and stand in front of the mirror … I’m fairly certain he’ll hear. Just tell him I’m in the hospital and I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
‘Okay.’ She cast her husband a dubious glance before smiling brightly at Kelly. ‘I know you had nothing to do with Deanna’s death, but do you have any idea what she was doing there?’
Kelly shook her head slowly from side to side, wincing with each movement. ‘Like I told the inspector, I heard a noise then something hit me. That was it.’
‘You know the police suspect you of Deanna’s murder, although the officer I spoke to couldn’t say any more,’ Tom said solemnly.
Even though she knew the truth her breath caught anyway.
‘I think I might know why they’d suspect me. Deanna may have been jealous that I’d had dinner with Richard. I got the impression she fancied herself in love with him. On Wednesday night, after her interview with you, I caught her in my room. She knocked me over when she ran out, telling me to go back to America. I still don’t know why she was there although I did wonder whether she might be helping Richard orchestrate the projections.’
Tom pursed his lips. ‘Have you told the inspector any of this?’
‘Not yet. I’d only begun to explain about the journal when the doctor made him leave. I don’t think it’s prudent to mention John, though. I can’t prove anything where he is concerned and at this stage any talk about ghost hunts would only make them think I’m crazy.’
The doctor came in and smiled. ‘Hi you two. It’s very late, long past visiting hours.’
‘We were just leaving,’ Tom said as he helped his wife stand. ‘You’ll look after our Kel, won’t you, Helen?’
‘Of course. Now you’d better get out of here.’
Nancy reached over and kissed Kelly’s cheek.
‘You won’t forget about John?’ she whispered as Tom followed suit.
‘We won’t. You just rest up and we’ll come back first thing in the morning with something to read.’
Kelly squeezed Nancy’s hand.
As they left the inspector came back into the room. ‘Feeling any better, Ms Reid?’ he said by way of greeting.
‘A bit,’ she replied cautiously. She knew he was only doing his job but he made her feel very uncomfortable.
‘No questions now, Matt. Leave her to rest,’ the doctor warned.
‘All right. I just wanted to let Ms Reid know that I have placed a man outside in the hall.’
‘Why? I’m not about to run away.’
‘At this point you might be our best suspect, but if you’re innocent I can’t discount the possibility that you might also be in danger. If you’re not the killer … the real killer might think you saw something and want to make sure you can’t talk. Either way, I’ll feel better if I have an officer outside, guarding you.’
A wave of ice swamped her veins and she shivered. She hadn’t thought of that. Whoever had hit her no doubt thought he’d killed her as well. If he learned she was alive … she didn’t want to think about it. She tugged the sheet higher as if it could somehow shield her from any attempted attack.
‘I understand,’ she murmured.
The doctor ushered the inspector out then turned back to Kelly. ‘If you need anything at all, just push the button. If the headache gets worse let the nurse know immediately.’
‘I will. Thanks.’
‘Try and get some rest.’
John watched Tom and Nancy fussing about the room. He desperately wanted to ask them where Kelly had gone, but he was afraid they would run in fright and that would get him nowhere. He figured that if he listened, they might say something about Kelly’s whereabouts sooner or later. So he was astounded when Nancy approached the mirror and looked into it as if she searched for something.
‘John?’ she said tentatively, a concerned expression on her face. ‘Are you there?’
He didn’t know what to do. A shudder coursed through him.
‘John? Please, if you’re there … I have a message from Kelly,’ Nancy said.
‘Where is she?’ he begged. ‘What happened to her?’
Nancy jumped back, straight into her husband’s arms, quivering noticeably.
‘What happened? Tell me!’ He hadn’t meant to yell but he’d been terrified since Kelly had disappeared from the passage. He had heard the commotion, but Kelly had placed the mirror down so he’d seen nothing.
Tom stepped closer to the mirror, studying it intently.
‘Please, tell me what has happened,’ John said again, more calmly this time.
‘She is in the hospital at Abingdon,’ a white-faced Tom explained. ‘Someone knocked her unconscious while she searched for a book in the passage behind the library. She said to tell you she’ll be okay, but the doctors want to keep her in a few days just to make sure.’
John sighed, his heartbeat finally slowing. She was not badly harmed. He had begun to fear the worst.
‘Did you see who hit her?’ Nancy asked hesitantly. ‘Can you tell us anything?’
‘Alas, Madam – I saw nothing. The candle extinguished then I heard a scuffle. It was not until you broke down the wall, Sir, that I could again see.’
‘Did you see Deanna?’
‘The young miss who came to the manor a few days ago? I do not believe so.’
Tom sighed. ‘Deanna’s body was found in the passage with Kelly. The police suspect Kelly of her murder.’
‘You must be jesting, Kelly could not bring harm to anyone!’
‘I wish I were,’ said Tom, still studying the mirror for some sign of the man with whom he spoke. ‘With no one else to suspect …’
‘Are you sure you saw nobody else lurking about tonight?’ Nancy asked.
‘I dearly wish I could provide a name, Madam, but alas, I cannot. I have seen not another soul this past night.’
Tom nodded. ‘We will be going to see Kelly first thing in the morning … would you like us to take her a message?’
‘Please convey my best wishes. I will keep watch, as best I can, until she returns home,’ he answered solemnly.
‘We will,’ Nancy said with a broad smile.
As they started to leave, he added, ‘And tell her she will be in my thoughts.’
Nancy gathered a small bag, a book and a few other articles as she left. John’s eyes narrowed. The book appeared vaguely familiar to him. Still, it was of no importance. He had more pressing concerns. Now they searched for a killer also … and he knew which of the searches would take precedence. He would do all he could to clear Kelly’s name, and if that meant he must spend another twenty years in purgatory then he would do so. Gladly. And though his Maker had deserted him, he would pray for her every minute, indeed plead for her, until she returned to him.
Journal of Edward James Ditchley,
Stanthorpe House, Oxfordshire, England.
March 6, 1862
My Darling, vengeance is the sweetest thing. My new wife submitted, as I knew she would, even as your murderer railed against his prison. Young naïve Anne, she knew little of the ways of men, but I taught her. By debasing her, I debase him!
She claimed fear for the unborn babe when I demanded my conjugal right so I made her kneel before me and take me as a whore would. I stood before the mirror as I taught her how to please
me. She sobbed so loudly she barely heard John’s shouts of protest. From the look of anguish upon her face I think perhaps she hears him and fears for her own sanity.
That is well – they can both rot in hell. Once the child is born I can dispense with Anne as well. Perhaps the sorcerer can provide an equally appealing answer?
No matter for now. We are achieving our justice, my love.
9
Day Eight
Kelly had just pushed aside the breakfast tray when Nancy’s head appeared around the privacy curtain.
‘How’re you doing?’ she asked, smiling brightly.
‘I’ve had better mornings,’ she replied as she tossed the napkin onto her uneaten eggs. At least, that was what the attendant had said they were. They looked and tasted more like salty oatmeal – lumps and all. She drank the juice and ate the toast, which wasn’t too bad … but the eggs were beyond her.
‘You’ve got a nasty bruise there,’ Nancy said as she kissed her friend, taking care to avoid the darkened area.
‘I’ll bet,’ Kelly replied with a grimace. ‘My forehead feels like a football.’
‘I won’t say the obvious,’ Nancy replied with a cheeky grin. She brandished an overnight bag. ‘You can see for yourself – everything you need, plus that book you asked for.’
‘Did you tell John?’
‘That was a weird experience. I kept trying to imagine what he looked like … he has a very sexy voice.’
‘You think? I haven’t noticed myself.’ She looked away.
‘Don’t kid a kidder, as they say. He said to give you his best, and that he’d keep watch till you get back. He sounded smitten.’
‘Smitten?’
‘Yes – I reckon he fancies you, Kel. He was certainly very distressed to think you might have been hurt. And he said to tell you that you’re in his thoughts.’
Her eyes widened slightly. ‘Probably because I won’t be able to search for his cousin’s journal for a while.’
‘He didn’t sound so self-serving to me,’ Nancy said. ‘He sounded genuinely upset.’
‘Maybe, but smitten he ain’t. Besides, do you realise how impossible that would be?’ She shook her head in disbelief. ‘If he’s for real – he is stuck in some kind of alternate reality.’
‘So? What if you can free him?’
‘He says he’ll likely die if I can free him.’
Nancy brows rose. ‘Whoa! Are you saying that if you help him, you’ll probably kill him?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you’re willing to do it?’ Nancy’s brows rose even higher.
‘It isn’t a matter of what I want. It is what he wants. He reckons that it is worse than hell to be trapped where he is. Most people are terrified of him – and because he can only appear every twenty years … he spends long periods, even years at a time, completely alone. He is convinced that death is preferable to that.’
Nancy drew a deep breath and sighed. ‘I don’t know that I could do it.’
Me either, thought Kelly. Aloud she said, ‘At this stage it’s a moot point. Unless I can find that journal I can’t do a damn thing anyway.’
The sound of someone clearing his throat made both women look around. Richard stood in the doorway, his jaw discoloured and swollen.
‘Tom told me I could find you here. I guess it means our trip to London is postponed?’ He strolled into the room and placed a chaste kiss on Nancy’s cheek. ‘I would have brought flowers but the nurse said if it were her, she’d prefer chocolate.’ He presented a small box of cream-filled confectionary. ‘You’re allowed to eat, aren’t you?’
Kelly glared across at the breakfast tray. ‘Most certainly am.’
She accepted the box, and his kiss, graciously.
Nancy stood. ‘I’d better get on home. I’ll call in this evening around five … if you think of anything you need, just call and I’ll bring it along. Any messages for home?’ she asked.
Kelly frowned with incomprehension. ‘Home?’
‘Your friend, back home – any messages?’
Suddenly Kelly understood: John. She shook her head. ‘Just say I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
Nancy smiled her goodbye.
‘You’re heading back to the States?’ Richard asked.
Again she was confounded. ‘Not yet – why do you ask?’
He motioned to the door. ‘Nancy’s mention of home.’
‘Oh, no – that was nothing.’ She smiled as brightly as she could. ‘How is the jaw?’
‘A hell of a lot better than your forehead, I expect.’
‘It’s okay.’ She gave him the same story as she gave the police, taking care not to mention John. ‘I’m sorry about Deanna. I know she was your friend.’
‘Dee?’ He stood and moved by the window, his hands fisted deep in his jacket pockets. He didn’t look at her. ‘Dee was just a kid who did a bit of work about the estate to earn pocket money now and then. I didn’t really know her very well.’
The journalist in her clicked instantly into gear. His tone, his stance, everything about him told her he was hedging. He knew a lot more about either Deanna, or her death, than he would say. She didn’t know which it was, but she’d be certain to find out.
He spun around and graced her with a broad smile. ‘I suppose we’ll have to wait a few days for our return date. Perhaps we can go to a restaurant after you’re released? I’d really like to have the chance to redeem myself after last night’s debacle.’
Return date? The automatic attempt to frown made her wince.
‘That’s very sweet, and dinner wasn’t a debacle. The food was great. How about we just play things as they come. Besides, it looks like I’m a murder suspect. I don’t know what will happen when the hospital releases me. The police might lock me up.’
‘I can’t believe that!’ He drew close to the bed, took her hand and lifted it to his lips. ‘No one in their right mind will believe you killed Dee.’
She shrugged. ‘So far, I’m all they’ve got.’
‘Everything will be fine. You’ll see.’
Detective Inspector Mathieson chose that exact moment to arrive. His large frame filled the doorway. He looked like he was wearing the same suit as he had the night before. Perhaps he hadn’t yet slept? His hard face hinted that he wasn’t in the least happy she already had a visitor.
‘I’m afraid I must ask you to leave, sir,’ he said to Richard, whose face began to flush. ‘Police business.’
Richard nodded, then smiled at her and dropped her hand, taking care to evade the inspector’s scrutiny as he passed. ‘I’ll stop by again later.’
Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t answer.
‘May I ask who that man was?’ Inspector Mathieson inquired as soon as the door had swung closed.
‘Don’t you know that already? Surely your guard would have challenged Richard when he wanted to visit me. Oherwise why have the guard in the first place?’
The inspector’s thick brows drew together to form a single line above his dark, probing eyes. ‘I’d forgotten you were a journalist,’ he commented with a slight sneer. ‘Actually, I intend to talk to Lord Stanthorpe about his relationship with Ms Montgomery later this morning.’
He drew his trusty PDA from his breast pocket and started making scratches with the stylus.
‘Can you remember anything more about last night, Ms Reid?’
‘Not that I can think of,’ she said. ‘Like I told you, it was completely dark.’
The man pinned her with a pointed stare. ‘Perhaps you heard a strange sound … or smelled something unusual?’ he suggested. ‘Most people remember just the visual details at first. It is only later that the memories from the other senses surface.
‘Take your time, Ms Reid. Walk your mind through each stage of last evening until the time you say you blacked out.’
‘I did black out. I really don’t know what else I can tell you.’
The inspector peered at her over his PDA. ‘Take a
minute, Ms Reid.’
As she thought about what occurred in those last few minutes in the passage her nose began to twitch. She sat up straighter as the memory returned. ‘Yes! You’re right … I did smell something. Manure. Horse manure.’
One heavy brow rose quizzically. ‘How do you know it was horse manure?’
She gave a wry laugh. ‘I got some thrown at me when I went to a polo match a couple of days ago. It all but ruined my jacket. It’s not a smell I’d easily forget.’
‘Thank you, Ms Reid. Every clue helps. Has the doctor told you when you may leave the hospital?’
She glanced over at the book that sat upon the cabinet. She wished the inspector would leave so she could start reading.
‘Ms Reid?’
‘Huh? No, not yet. She said something about a CT or MRI or one of those acronyms. She wants to make sure there is no bleeding in my brain.’
He took a card from his wallet and handed it to her. ‘I’m keeping the officer outside your door. Please ring me if Helen says you are permitted to leave. I’ll have an escort accompany you back to Stanthorpe House.’
‘Is that because I’m still a suspect? Am I under house arrest, or do you still think my life is in danger?’
‘Both, Ms Reid. Until the autopsy on Ms Montgomery is complete, I cannot say more.’
‘I understand,’ she said, though in truth she didn’t really.
‘And if you think of anything … anything at all that might help the investigation … call me. Day or night, I don’t care.’
‘I will,’ she replied, staring at the card.
With a sharp nod, he left.
Heaving a deep sigh she reached over to the bedside cabinet and grabbed the red-covered book. Okay, let’s see who you really are, John Tarrant.
An elegant script for a man, she thought, as she skimmed the first few pages.
She’d read all of three paragraphs when the nurse arrived, handed her a small container of pills and a paper cup of water, then informed her that as soon as she had downed her tablets, they were heading to radiology for more tests. The medication made her drowsy and by the time she returned to her room, Kelly had fallen asleep. Nancy came by but left her sleeping and it was very late that night when Kelly finally came awake again.
Secret Reflection Page 17