The House on Candlewick Lane

by Amy M. Reade

  “How much did he owe her?” James asked.

  “Ten thousand pounds, the same amount he owed Arnie.”

  “So did he sell the original?” James asked.

  “No. Gerard found out Neill had it, and Gerard stole it before Neill died. Neill didn’t know Arnie worked for Gerard, so even though Gerard’s theft of the original painting canceled Neill’s debt, Neill didn’t know that. He still thought he owed ten thousand pounds to both Beatrice and Arnie. Gerard had come up with the whole scheme in order to take advantage of Neill’s gambling problem.”

  “So what happened to the thousand pounds Neill was carrying when he died?” James asked.

  “Beatrice took it when she killed Neill in the alley,” I replied.

  “Why kill him if she was going to get the money?” Seamus asked.

  “Because she snapped when she realized it wasn’t enough. She was already angry because, according to the police, Beatrice had overheard Neill telling Arnie that he would pay Arnie before he paid Beatrice. She wanted to be paid first. She figured she was getting the full ten thousand pounds, then when it wasn’t all there, she killed Neill in a rage.”

  James shook his head. “That’s incredible.”

  “So does Beatrice get to keep the money, or will you and James get it back?” Sylvie asked.

  I grimaced. “James and I would get our money back, except Beatrice used it to send her parents on an extravagant weekend trip to London last week. She has a soft spot for her mum and dad.”

  I looked over at James. “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Let’s not worry about that now,” he said. “We’re all safe, and the people who belong in jail are in jail.”

  “How did Beatrice hide her fakes from Janet and Alistair if they were all living in the same house?” Sylvie asked.

  “Beatrice was living with Janet and Alistair, but she had rented a flat where she would work on her paintings. That’s the flat where Neill was staying and where the police found Ellie. All the art supplies in the flat belonged to Beatrice. And Ellie had no idea Beatrice was her aunt because she hadn’t seen Beatrice since she was a baby.”

  “How did Gerard find out where Neill was staying? Did Beatrice tell him?” Sylvie asked.

  “No. I asked the police officer the same question. After Beatrice’s arrest last night, the police went to Janet and Alistair’s house to question them. The officer told me that Janet and Alistair confessed that they had known all along where Neill was staying. They’ll be in some trouble for that,” I added.

  “But how did Gerard find out where Neill was staying?” Sylvie asked again.

  “Janet let it slip. She knew that Neill had a gambling problem and that he owed a lot of money to someone, but she had no idea it was Gerard. She also had no idea that the flat belonged to Beatrice, so she told Gerard one day that Neill was staying in a flat in Bell’s Loch. Gerard put two and two together and found Neill at Beatrice’s flat.”

  “What a mess,” James said.

  I nodded. “The whole family is rotten, but Beatrice surprised me the most. She always seemed so meek. She was never downright unkind to me when I was married to Neill—she merely followed her mother’s lead. I almost felt sorry for her. Turns out Beatrice was the worst one of them all.

  “But she will be going to prison for a long time, along with Gerard and Arnie, I’m sure of that,” I announced. It didn’t occur to me that the mention of prison might make Seamus uncomfortable. Without thinking, I looked at him. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head at me. He knew that I knew about his past. I was suddenly sure of it.

  “Ahem.” Sylvie cleared her throat. “Seamus, I should probably tell you that Greer knows about where you were before we met. I told her one night when I’d had too much to drink. I’m sorry.”

  “What?” James asked, looking confused.

  Seamus shifted his gaze between me and Sylvie for a long moment, then he nodded, his lips pursed together. Finally he spoke. “That’s all right. I mean, it can’t stay a secret for all time, can it? Greer, I hope you’ll let me explain everything to you sometime.”

  I realized I had been holding my breath since my comment about jail, because I let out a long exhale of relief.

  “Sure, Seamus.”

  He smiled kindly at me. “Did I have you worried?”

  “Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” James asked in exasperation.

  Seamus gave him a brief history of his experiences before he met Sylvie. James was speechless.

  “I hope you don’t think any less of me,” Seamus finally said.

  “Not at all, man. I had no idea,” James answered.

  Sylvie reached for Seamus’s hand. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you that I spilled the beans.”

  Seamus chucked her chin and grinned. “I see I won’t be able to keep a secret around your family, eh?”

  But I wasn’t convinced that Seamus was completely innocent. In the back of my mind, I still carried questions about Seamus, about his behavior after Sylvie was attacked in our flat, and about that day I saw him exchange something on an Edinburgh street corner with a man I didn’t recognize. I didn’t say anything, but it was obvious to me that Seamus could, indeed, keep a secret.

  CHAPTER 26

  But he couldn’t keep his secret forever. Ellie and I had come in from having lunch with James one weekend a short time later. I had finally enrolled Ellie in a school near our flat, and I was busy working on a new research project. Those activities filled our weekdays, so on weekends we always spent most of our time with James.

  When I opened the front door, Sylvie and Seamus were in the living room. I had obviously startled them. I gave them a second to untangle before ushering Ellie into the room.

  My sister and her boyfriend stood in the room smiling. Sylvie held out her hand to me. An emerald-cut diamond sparkled on her ring finger.

  “You’re kidding,” I said.

  “Can you believe it?” she asked, her face flushed.

  “Did you say yes?” I asked.

  “Of course!” She put her arms around Seamus and kissed him.

  “What’s going on?” Ellie asked.

  “Your Aunt Sylvie has agreed to marry me!” Seamus answered, his voice filled with happiness.

  “Hurray!” Ellie yelled, running up to hug him and Sylvie in turn. Then I hugged them, and I asked how Seamus had proposed.

  “He got down on one knee, just like a knight, right in this room!” she gushed. Seamus blushed.

  “Let me see the ring again,” I said.

  She held out her hand to me, wiggling her fingers to catch the light.

  “It’s gorgeous,” I breathed. “Seamus, did you design it?”

  “Och, no. I’d be no good at that. I’m a painter, not a jeweler. I got it from a friend who works for a jewelry shop. It’s a funny story, actually. I was supposed to meet him at one of the museums one morning, but he lost the ring. I almost hit the roof! I was walking home in the rain later that afternoon and he called me. He had found it. So we agreed to meet on a street corner and make the exchange there. I’m sure anyone watching thought some kind of shady deal was going down.” He laughed at the memory.

  And that explained the transaction I’d seen that day in the rain.

  “I probably acted a bit strange for a while,” Seamus admitted. “I was nervous about the whole thing. I was afraid she’d say no. That night she called and asked for help, I was already beyond my limit at a pub with a couple friends. They were trying to loosen me up so I could pop the question that night, but when I got home Sylvie was so mad there was no way I could ask her then.”

  And that explained why Seamus had been drunk the night of the phone call.

  I asked him about his behavior when Sylvie was taken to hospital after being assaulted. He seemed embarrassed. “I know a lot of guys from when I was in prison,” he explained. “I was just thinking I could call one of them and
ask him to pay a visit to the person who attacked Sylvie. That’s why I was so keen on finding out if she knew who did it. I’m sorry if I worried you. You know I’d never hurt Sylvie for anything.”

  The two of them held hands, and we called James. This time, when the five of us went out for a celebratory dinner, there were no abductions from the restaurant, no threatening phone calls, no attacks.

  James and I were curled up on the sofa in my flat the next night. Ellie had gone to bed, and Sylvie and Seamus were out celebrating with friends.

  “Do you think they’ll be happy?” James asked.

  “Perfectly.”

  “Do you see us together, happy, in the future?” he asked.

  I smiled at him. “Yes. Perfectly.”

  Glossary

  A h-uile la sona dhuibh ’s gun la idir dona dhuibh: May all your days be happy ones

  Bairn: child

  Bampot: idiot

  Beannachd Dia dhuit: Blessings of God be with you

  Braw: great, fine

  Cock-a-leekie: a Scottish soup of leeks and chicken stock, thickened with rice or barley. Traditionally served with julienned prunes.

  Crofter: a small-scale farmer. Traditionally crofters paid rent to a landlord, but many crofters own and farm their own crofts

  Dinnae: did not

  Dram: a measure of whisky

  Eejit: idiot

  Hairst bree: also known as hotch potch, a mutton stew filled with vegetables

  Och: Oh, my!

  Scunner: something that makes one sick (slang)

  Slàinte: (slanj’uh) (To your) health!

  Stovies: a traditional Scottish comfort food, usually made with leftover meat and vegetables

  Tattie: potato

  Verra: very

  Discussion Questions

  How do you think Sylvie changed throughout the story?

  What do you think Greer learned about herself as a result of her experiences in the book?

  Why do you think the author told Greer’s story about her time in the house on Candlewick Lane as a series of flashbacks?

  What is the theme of the story?

  Is there a particular scene or passage that encapsulates Greer?

  Who was your favorite character and why?

  Who was your least favorite character and why?

  Did you learn anything new from reading the book?

  How do you think the setting contributed to the story?

  What do you think is next for the characters?

  If you enjoyed The House on Candlewick Lane, be sure not to miss Amy M. Reade’s

  A dark presence had invaded the Jorgensens’ house. On a spectacular bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, something evil is watching and waiting . . .

  Tired of the cold winters in Washington, D.C. and disturbed by her increasingly obsessive boyfriend, Kailani Kanaka savors her move back to her native Big Island of Hawaii. She also finds a new job as personal chef for the Jorgensen family. The gentle caress of the Hawaiian trade winds, the soft sigh of the swaying palm trees, and the stunning blue waters of the Pacific lull her into a sense of calm at the House of the Hanging Jade—an idyll that quickly fades as it becomes apparent that dark secrets lurk within her new home. Furtive whispers in the night, a terrifying shark attack, and the discovery of a dead body leave Kailani shaken and afraid. But it’s the unexpected appearance of her ex-boyfriend, tracking her every move and demanding she return to him, that has her fearing for her life . . .

  Keep reading for a special excerpt.

  Click here to get your copy.

  CHAPTER 1

  I knew I should have stayed home.

  I bent my head as the wind whipped down Massachusetts Avenue, hurling snowflakes at my face, stinging my cheeks with hard, frosty pellets. The icy sidewalks were treacherous, making my walk to work precarious and slow. There were very few others brave or foolish enough to be out in this weather. I passed one man out walking his dog and silently praised him for being so devoted.

  I finally arrived at the restaurant. I stamped on the snow that had piled up against the front door and slipped my key into the lock with fingers stiff and clumsy from the cold. Once inside, it only took me a second to realize that no one else was there. On a normal day, one without a blizzard, my assistant Nunzio would already have come in through the back and flipped on the kitchen lights before I arrived.

  I groaned. Even Nunzio, whom I could always count on, had stayed home. I moved through the darkened dining room and turned on the lights in the kitchen. As they blinked to life, I heard a heavy knock at the front door.

  Hurrying to open it, I recognized the face of Geoffrey, the restaurant’s owner and my current boyfriend, bundled up in a thick scarf and hat.

  “Kailani, what are you doing here?” he exclaimed, brushing snow off his boots in the vestibule.

  “Someone has to be here to get things started,” I answered testily.

  “I don’t think we can open today,” Geoffrey said. “There’s no way the delivery trucks can get through, and I don’t think we’d have any customers even if they could.”

  “You mean I came all this way for nothing?” I whined.

  Geoffrey smiled down at me. “Sorry. I just assumed you’d know not to come in on a day like this.”

  “Why did you come in, then?”

  “To catch up on paperwork. Plus, snowstorms don’t bother me.”

  “Ugh. They bother me. Well, I guess if you don’t need me here, I’ll head back home.”

  “Want me to stop by later?”

  I didn’t, but I nodded. Geoffrey and I hadn’t been dating for long. He was already becoming a little too clingy.

  He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Be safe getting home. I’d call you a cab, but there isn’t a single one on the streets.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  I trudged home the same way I had come, the snow falling even harder now and blowing sideways, making it difficult for me to see.

  When I finally made it to my apartment building, I clumped up the stairs in my heavy boots and stood inside my apartment, leaning against the door for several moments to catch my breath. It took me a while to peel off all my layers. I left them lying on the floor while I heated up milk on the stove for hot chocolate. As the milk warmed, I gazed at a canvas photo that hung in my front hall. It was a faraway view of the beach, taken from my parents’ backyard, overlooking the black sand and the curling waves of the azure Pacific Ocean.

  “We’ve got to go home,” I said aloud to my cat, Meli, as she stepped daintily around me. This wasn’t the first time I had expressed this sentiment to Meli, but this time she stopped and looked up at me. She blinked and twitched her ears.

  It was the sign I needed.

  I watched the snow continue to fall for several hours from the warmth and safety of my apartment. Meli and I curled up on the couch while I tried to read a book, but I couldn’t concentrate. My thoughts returned again and again to palm trees and warm, caressing trade winds, to the faces of my mother and father, of my sister and her little girl.

  Geoffrey eventually stopped by, bringing with him an icy blast of air as I opened the door to the hallway.

  He laughed. “Looks like this storm may never end.”

  I invited him into the warmth of the apartment. “Take off your stuff. Want some hot chocolate?” I called over my shoulder as I walked into the kitchen.

  “Sure,” he answered, struggling with one of his boots.

  I joined him in the living room a few minutes later. He was trying to stroke Meli’s chin, but she apparently wanted none of that. Her ears flattened back and she squirmed out of his reach.

  I handed him the mug of hot chocolate and sat down opposite him.

  “Geoffrey, I have news,” I told him warily, knowing he probably wouldn’t be as happy as I was.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m going back to Hawaii.�
� I waited for his reaction.

  “That’s nice. It’ll do you good to get out of this weather for a while.”

  He obviously wasn’t getting it. “No, not for a while. I’m moving back. For good.”

  I was right. He was not happy. In fact, he looked stricken, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. “What do you mean, for good?” he asked, choking on his hot chocolate.

  “I mean, I just can’t stand it here any longer. I’m never going to get used to the weather, I miss my parents, and my niece is growing up without her auntie. It’s time to go back. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

  “I’ll miss you, Geoffrey, but this is what’s best for me,” I added, trying to soften the blow.

  He looked like he was struggling for words.

  “But . . . but . . . what will you do?”

  “I’ll do the same thing I do here, Geoffrey. Sous-chefs are not unique to DC.”

  “Okay, but what will I do? Without you, I mean?”

  I felt sorry for him. He looked crestfallen.

  “Geoffrey,” I said gently, “there are lots of women in Washington who are looking for someone as wonderful and kind and handsome and successful as you are. I have to do what my heart is telling me to do, and that’s to go back to Hawaii.”

  He nodded slowly, his eyes downcast. “Is there anything I can say to keep you here?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “I don’t know. I just made the decision this morning.”

  He sighed and leaned back against the couch cushions, holding his mug on his lap and staring into space.

  “Geoffrey? You okay?” I asked.