The Sound of Secrets

by Irene Brand

  “Let’s hear who you’ve eliminated.”

  “Rissa, definitely! Alannah Stafford, Winnie and Barbara Sanchez. I’m discounting those because we don’t have a speck of evidence to connect them to this crime,” Drew explained.

  “I’ll go along with those with the exception of the Stafford woman. From what I’ve heard, she gets what she wants one way or another—and it’s obvious she wants Ronald Blanchard, although for the life of me, I don’t understand why.”

  Drew laughed at him. “That’s because you’re a man. It’s women who fall for his handsome good looks and the suave manners he exhibits when he wants to. Now for the ones still on the list of suspects….”

  “I think the hitman, Conrad Keefer, is lying. Let’s keep him on the list. I was hoping he would crack before he went back to prison. The state police hauled him away this morning, still insisting that he didn’t know anything about the Blanchard case.”

  “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a toss-up between Ronald and his father for the murder of Trudy,” Drew said as he made notes about the hitman in his notebook. “But I can’t believe either one of them would hurt Rissa.”

  “I agree. So if one of the Blanchard men killed Trudy, we definitely have more than one perpetrator in this situation.”

  “But the only reason anyone would have to kill Rissa is to keep her from revealing what she saw in the library,” Drew countered. “And as much as I dislike Ronald Blanchard, I don’t believe he killed his wife.”

  Mick ran his hands through his hair and groaned. “So we’re back to square one—only one murderer.”

  The phone rang and Drew answered. He listened intently and slammed down the receiver without saying a word. “Scratch Conrad Keefer. He escaped on his way to prison this morning,” he muttered, disappointment ringing in his voice.

  “So that leaves us with the Blanchard men. Which one do you think is the culprit?”

  “Howard,” Mick said.

  “Okay. Then let’s concentrate on him for a few days.”

  “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” Mick suggested.

  “I will, but I’ll spell you at midnight.”

  Drew walked toward his cruiser, knowing that the time had come to make a definite move in his relationship with Rissa. He supposed that it was natural for him to be concerned about the differences in their social standing, but that hadn’t kept Mick and Portia from becoming engaged. And he didn’t intend to let that problem keep Rissa and him apart.

  It was time for him to concentrate on what Rissa and he had in common rather than dwell on their differences. Having a family wasn’t an issue for either of them. They both wanted to live in a city, and they shared a firm belief in God’s direction for their lives, which was probably the most unifying factor of all. He was ready to commit. Tonight he would learn how Rissa felt about sharing the future together.

  SEVENTEEN

  Drew opened the door of his house and received his usual scolding from Rudolph, who pranced from one side of his enclosure to the other, acting like an angry child. Drew unlocked the cage door, filled the water bowl and feed tray.

  “Pout if you want to,” he said, “but if you want any exercise you’d better take it while you can. I’m going to visit a special lady tonight.”

  “Squawk!”

  After he’d showered, Drew called Rissa on her cell phone. “I’m off work until midnight. May I see you this evening?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “What time do you finish dinner?”

  “Seven o’clock.”

  “I’ll come out about that time, and maybe we can walk around the grounds. The snow has almost melted here. I’d like some time alone with you before you leave. There are too many people in the house to find any privacy.”

  “We still have quite a few slushy spots on the lawn. But we can go to the gazebo. We can be private there, and it’s in sight of the house. I’ll admit that I’m a little skittish about being outside at night. I wish we could walk along the bluffs, but I don’t think I’ll ever want to go there again.”

  “I’m not sure it’s safe, anyway. The hitman escaped on his way to prison today. If he was after you, as I suspect, you’ll have to be cautious. When are you leaving for New York?”

  “In a day or two, if it’s all right with the authorities.”

  “I think I can arrange that. I’ll miss you, sweetheart, but I want you out of harm’s way as soon as possible.”

  Rissa’s pulse always quickened when he called her sweetheart. “I want to go, but I’m leaving so many unanswered questions behind. Who tried to kill me? And why? Who tried to gaslight me by putting those things in my room? Why could I hear the woman wailing when no one else could?”

  “If you find the answers to those questions, be sure and let me know. Mick and I lie awake at night trying to figure out who is causing all of this trouble.”

  “And I’d like to know why my family has been targeted. But enough about that. I’ll be counting the minutes until you get here.”

  Drew was smiling when he hung up. He walked to the sink to draw a glass of water.

  Rudolph zoomed out of his cage and landed on Drew’s head.

  “Now look what you’ve done, you pesky bird. You’ve messed up my hair.” He swatted the bird lightly. Rudolph squawked and swiftly perched on the pantry door.

  “You have about fifteen minutes before you have to go back in the cage.”

  Rudolph turned his head and eyed Drew with displeasure.

  Drew dressed in a pair of brown slacks, a khaki polo shirt and a brown leather jacket. Before he left his bedroom, he lifted the lid on a small chest in a dresser drawer, picked up an item and looked at it for several minutes before he put it in his pocket.

  When he entered the living room, Rudolph screeched from his perch inside the large cage. “Goodbye, goodbye.”

  Drew didn’t want the parrot flying around the house when he was away, so he secured the lock, which he had installed soon after he’d started to harbor the bird. Until then Rudolph had occasionally let himself out of the cage and ransacked the house.

  The bird was a nuisance, but it was pleasant to have something, even if it was a bird, to greet him when he entered an otherwise empty house.

  Rissa waited for him in the foyer wearing a gray fleece cape over the dress she’d worn to dinner. She stepped out on the porch when he parked in the circular driveway and snuggled into his open arms. He kissed her forehead and released her.

  Dusk had settled around the mansion, a cool breeze wafted in from the ocean and a sliver of new moon hung over the bay. Without speaking, hand in hand they wandered to the gazebo.

  As they climbed the steps, Rissa fleetingly recalled the altercation that had occurred here between her father and an unknown woman. Had Ronald met her mother in the gazebo, threatened her and subsequently lured her into the house to murder her? She shuddered, and Drew must have felt it, because he put his arm around her waist.

  “Tonight, I’d rather not talk about the crimes that have plagued your family for the past few months. Let’s think about pleasant things for a change. I want to talk about us.”

  “We do need to talk,” she said. “I’ve decided to leave tomorrow afternoon and go back to New York. Aunt Winnie and my sisters, except Bianca, are having a fit about it. Bianca is leaving tomorrow, too. Delia has already gone back to Hawaii. I haven’t mentioned it to Father—I’ll tell him in the morning.”

  “Our relationship has been a strange one, interwoven with all this crime and mystery. But in spite of all the counts against us, it seems right for us to be together. Despite everything, I love you and want to marry you.”

  “That’s what I want more than anything else,” she murmured as he pulled her close and kissed her.

  When their lips parted, Rissa said breathlessly, “I think we have a lot in common. I can’t help where I was born any more than you can change your childhood. If I understand marriage, two different people beco
me one, and our relationship from then on is what counts.”

  “That’s a wonderful way to describe it. That’s what comes of writing for a living, I suppose—being able to speak what you feel. Although I have very little conception of what your life is, I want to share it. Mick wanted Portia to leave the city and come back to Stoneley, but I don’t expect that of you.”

  “I don’t think I could ever live in Maine again, although I’d try it if that’s what you wanted to do.”

  He shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I’m sure I can get a job on a police force near you. Law enforcement is my life and I don’t want to change that. But as crazy as it sounds, I believe we can be happy combining the lives of a playwright and a cop.”

  Rissa laughed. “I’ll admit that putting it into plain words like that does make it seem impossible. But love will find the way to work out our differences.”

  “I wouldn’t feel right to skip out on Mick and the others when they’re in the midst of the most notorious crime wave of the town’s history, so I won’t resign yet.”

  “But you will come to visit me, won’t you? We need some time together away from Blanchard Manor.”

  “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away. And we’ll be together when Mick and Portia have their wedding, although that’s on hold, too, until the mystery is cleared up.”

  “I haven’t even discussed it with Portia, but I don’t think they’ll get married soon. I’ve been thinking about where we will live. I rent an apartment but I don’t know if you’d be happy there. It’s plenty big enough. There are two bedrooms, besides a small room that I use for my office. You could use Portia’s bedroom for your workroom. The living room and kitchen area are combined. I do have one question though. What about Rudolph?”

  He grinned. “Rudolph isn’t a city bird. When I leave for New York, I’ll find another home for him. I’ve only kept him now because I felt sorry for the bird when he lost his owner. Besides, I like to have somebody to talk to at night. But before too long I expect you to be waiting for me when I come home.” He leaned close to her and his breath softly brushed her face.

  Her heart danced with excitement and her voice trembled as she spoke. “That’s a load off my mind. I’m not sure our relationship would survive if I had to compete with that bird for your attention.”

  “So you’re willing to become officially engaged?”

  “We can consider ourselves engaged but I’m not necessarily ready to make it public yet. And don’t think I’m ashamed to have the family know that I’m engaged to you, but our love is so special that I’d just like for us to nurture it together before others get involved. And if it doesn’t matter to you, I don’t want a big wedding. Let’s elope.”

  “Nothing could make me happier. I’d like that event to be special for us and no one else. I hope that isn’t being selfish.” He took a box out of his pocket. “I knew we wouldn’t have time to choose a diamond ring before you left for New York—we can do that when I visit you. But I didn’t want you to leave without a token of our engagement.”

  “Why, Drew, how sweet! I’ve been wondering if you were the romantic type, but I believe that you are.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll be romantic, either, but as much as I love you, I figure I will be.”

  He held the small box in his hand, wondering if she would laugh at such a simple token of his love for her.

  “There’s never been much money in our family, but I have a family antique that’s been handed down through the generations, and I want you to have it as a reminder of our upcoming wedding.” He gazed tenderly into her eyes. “One of my ancestors went to the California goldfields in the nineteenth century, and he brought home a special ring for his wife. It’s passed from generation to generation, and before my father left home, he gave it to me.”

  He lifted a ring from the box and turned on the small flashlight on his key chain, showing a gleaming, wideband ring. “The ring itself is made of gold and the stone is a piece of deep red coral. The initial L is etched underneath the band. It’s never been resized. If it didn’t fit, I guess the woman wore it on a chain. I know it doesn’t compare with the Blanchard jewels,” he said humbly, “but I’m offering it along with myself and my love.”

  Tears blinded Rissa’s eyes and choked her voice. He held out the ring to her. It looked as if it would be a close fit, and she extended her left hand for Drew to place the ring on her finger.

  He lifted her hand reverently and pushed the ring on her third finger. The fit was near perfect. He turned her hand and kissed the palm.

  Smiling he said, “Grandpa always said that no Lancaster ought to propose to a woman unless the ring would fit her ‘weddin’ finger.’ Looks as if I’ve made the right choice.”

  Rissa relished his bit of humor. The few hours they’d shared hadn’t been conducive to any light repartee, and she knew she would cherish this moment as she did the ring. He turned off the flashlight, and she held up her hand and turned it so the security lights on the lawn would focus on the stone. With a touch of sadness she remembered that Drew would never have a son to pass the ring to.

  Perhaps he sensed what she was thinking because he said, “It hasn’t always gone down from father to son—doesn’t matter as long as it’s given by a Lancaster who descended from the original owner. I’ve got lots of male cousins.”

  “And it doesn’t really matter to you?”

  “Not anymore. If I have you, that’s all I want. In the past few days I’ve recognized more than ever that my life is in God’s hands. If He wants me to have a son, I’ll have one despite what a doctor told me. The future is in His hands.”

  Rissa snuggled in his arms, content. She didn’t know how many days would pass before they could finally be together. Or if some member of her family might be implicated in the murders. But the future had always been a mystery. God had brought her and Drew together for a purpose, and the future was in His hands.

  Dear Reader,

  I’m completing The Sound of Secrets prior to the Easter season 2006, and since the book will be published during the 2007 Easter season, my thoughts have turned to the resurrection of our Lord.

  As you read this book, I pray that you will dwell on the meaning of the resurrection. “Because He lives, I will live also.”

  And because most of the readers of this book will be women, I will concentrate on the women’s role in the resurrection. Even though they were grieving, the women prepared spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Because they sought relief from their sorrow by doing something tangible, they were the first to hear the joyous news that Jesus had risen. Often those who are most blessed are those who continue to serve in spite of personal difficulties.

  Once they heard the news of the resurrection, they were told to go quickly and tell what had been revealed to them. They hurried to tell others that Jesus was alive. When the angel delivered the message, He had completed His errand—it was up to Jesus’ earthly followers to spread the Good News to the rest of the world.

  My writing ministry has provided an opportunity for me to witness to the power of the resurrected Lord in my life. I pray that the Christian message in this book will encourage you in your walk with the Lord.

  Sincerely,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  The Blanchards were definitely a dysfunctional family. Discuss the various members of the family. What could each of them have done to promote harmony in the home? Does it seem strange that the six sisters enjoyed a good relationship in spite of the stressful living conditions?

  Name dysfunctional families in the Bible. Refer to Genesis, chapter 21, 27–32. Are there any similarities between the biblical families and the Blanchards? Did Rissa set the right example for her family by trusting God to help her through her difficulties?

  What has caused the breakdown of the family unit in today’s world? Think of dysfunctional families whom you know. Is there any parallel between these families and the characters in The Sound of Secrets?


  What help can the Bible give to those whose marriages are in crisis? What advice would you give?

  Study the following passages in the New Testament—Ephesians 5:22 and 6:4. Ronald Blanchard expected to be the head of his household. In disobeying their father, did the sisters fail to carry out the biblical command to honor their father? Is the advice of the apostle Paul archaic? Or is it still a valid way to approach harmonious relationships in the home?

  Rissa relied heavily on the Bible to guide her decisions. Do you find it hard to follow God’s way when it isn’t what you want to do?

  When are you most content in your Christian faith—when you live the way you know God wants you to or when you’re rebellious? Why do you think this?

  Do you believe that Rissa and Drew’s marriage will be successful? What compromises will Drew have to make to fit into Rissa’s world? Rissa is an individualist. How will she react to having a man underfoot all the time?

  Is it possible that the deceit of her grandfather and father have scarred Rissa’s life so that she will never find true happiness? What advice would you give a friend in Rissa’s situation?

  Have you ever suffered from clinical depression? Did you seek medical help? Did God’s Word and prayer also aid you in overcoming this problem? How?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-4559-8

  THE SOUND OF SECRETS

  Copyright © 2007 by Harlequin Books S.A.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.