It would be once she stopped shaking and her heart went back where it belonged. She mustered a weak smile. “Everything’s fine.”
“How was your date? I didn’t mean to try and horn in on anything tonight.”
“It wasn’t a date. Bram just invited me to join him for dinner. I wanted to talk to him about his work here.”
“Oh. You planning to put some of his stuff in that art studio where you work?”
“I’m only an assistant buyer, but I plan to suggest it. His work is pretty spectacular.”
Jacob shrugged. “Hey, look, I want to apologize for that drug crack earlier. I know you don’t use drugs.”
“No, I don’t.”
Jacob quickly changed the subject. “So, what happened to the lights over here?”
“I don’t know. I was just going downstairs to check the circuit breakers.”
“Someone probably hit the wall switch.”
“I already tried that.”
“Huh. The lights are on in my hall. I guess they must be on a different line. I’ll go down with you.”
Relieved to have company, she preceded him out the door.
“Look, Hayley, I know it’s none of my business, and you can tell me to butt out if you want, but I was wondering—is something going on between you and the blacksmith?”
Hayley stopped walking.
“Raw heat and no flame,” was the answer that immediately sprang to mind, but that was hardly the sort of answer she could give Jacob. However, if he’d wanted to divert her thoughts, he’d succeeded. His question left her at a loss. Thinking about Bram confused her. She couldn’t believe how strongly she’d come on to him earlier. It was so unlike her to be that forward. She did have a tendency to go after what she wanted, but her behavior was completely out of character when it came to Bram.
“It’s just…he doesn’t seem your type, if you know what I mean,” Jacob added.
“Why don’t you like him?”
“I’ve got nothing against the guy, it’s just…well…he seems a little strange. You know? A little too tightly wired, if you ask me. Look how aggressive he was when I came home the other night.”
“He was trying to protect me from a possible intruder.”
“Maybe so, but Mom caught him sneaking around inside the house earlier today.”
Hayley’s pulse quickened.
“He claimed he was looking for you, but Mom said Paula and Mrs. Kerstairs didn’t let him in. She was pretty sure you hadn’t, either. You didn’t, did you?”
Hayley shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She didn’t want to tell Jacob his mother had sent for Bram to warn him off. But why hadn’t Eden told Jacob the truth?
“You can see why she was worried. Your dad hired him to make that metal stuff. He’s supposed to be working outside, not in here. Look, I don’t want to scare you or anything, but we don’t know a thing about this guy. I never thought about it before, but Mom reminded me today that you’re going to inherit a lot of money once you turn twenty-five. Suddenly this blacksmith is…well, hitting on you,” he said, sounding uncomfortable.
“It’s okay, Jacob. Bram wasn’t hitting on me.” Just the opposite, in fact. She’d been the aggressor, and she’d struck out big time.
Jacob shifted and Hayley rested a hand on his arm. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For caring. You don’t have to worry. We had a nice dinner together, but we won’t be making a habit of it.”
“Oh. Well, I only wanted to suggest you be careful, you know. Some girls would fall for that dark-mysterious-stranger bit. I should have known you had more sense.”
Hayley cringed mentally.
“Besides, he’s too old for you.”
“He’s not even thirty-five,” she felt obliged to protest.
“Really? He looks lots older. Every time I see that cheap tattoo of his, I think of a motorcycle gang member.”
She didn’t. The tattoo had only made her more curious about him. “As I said, we just went to The Inn for dinner. I ran into a lot of people I haven’t seen in ages, including our next-door neighbors, the Walkens.”
“You know, I always want to laugh when you refer to people living a mile down the road as your next-door neighbors.”
“City boy.”
“And proud of it. What Mom sees in this old mausoleum of a house out here in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. No offense,” he rushed to add.
Jacob was nothing if not likable. “None ta—” Hayley froze. Something moved in the darkness near the end of the hallway. Jacob grabbed her arm, yanking it up so the beam of her flashlight shone on the figure standing there.
“You’re blindin’ me,” Paula Kerstairs complained garrulously. She raised a bony arm to shield her eyes.
“What are you doing up here?” Jacob demanded, releasing Hayley’s arm.
“Lost my wallet,” she complained, holding up a slim black wallet in her other hand. “Had to drive all the way back out here to find it. I told Odette I must’a dropped it making beds, but could she be bothered to look? ’Course not. I’ve got to drive out here in all this heat and find it myself. What’d’ya’go and turn off the lights for, anyhow?”
She reached for the switch and flicked it up. The hall lights sprang to life.
“What did you do?” Hayley demanded.
“You don’t want them on?” Paula asked, sounding disgusted. Before Hayley could protest, she switched them off once more.
“Turn them back on,” Jacob demanded.
“Make up your minds,” Paula barked, restoring the lights. “I don’t have time to stand around here all night.” With amazing swiftness, she vanished around the corner.
Goose bumps ran straight down Hayley’s arms. She hurried forward, but Paula was already out of sight. She hadn’t made a sound.
“That woman gives me the creeps,” Jacob said.
“This wall switch didn’t work a minute ago,” Hayley said. She flicked the lights off and back on again.
Jacob rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure!”
“Maybe my mother beat us downstairs and tripped the breaker.”
Possible, of course, but that knowledge didn’t stop the shaky feeling inside Hayley. “Did you hear a door slam a few minutes ago?”
“In this house?” he asked incredulously.
Jacob used the bedroom next to Marcus’s when he stayed here. If he’d been in his room, he might not have heard the door slam. Eden? Or Paula?
Or someone else?
“Hayley?”
“It’s okay, Jacob. Never mind. What happened to the night-lights?”
“What night-lights?”
“The ones my mother always kept plugged in at either end of the halls.”
Jacob shrugged. “Beats me. I guess Mom had them removed or something.”
“Why would she do that?”
Jacob spread his hands. “Who knows? I’ve never understood my mother. Ask her.”
“I will.”
She stared at the darkly paneled stretch of wall.
“No offense, Hayley, but you’ve been acting a little…”
“Stressed?” she suggested. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, Jacob. I am a little stressed. I’ve got some things on my mind.”
Shrugging, Jacob offered her one of his boyish grins. “Would you like to go downstairs and watch a movie or something? I brought some new video releases with me. Your dad already went to his room and there isn’t a thing on television.”
Hayley hesitated. She wanted to question Bram about the photograph, but Jacob had raised some disturbing possibilities. She was pretty sure his assumptions were all wrong, but they nagged at her all the same. Despite her attraction to him, Bram was a stranger.
She glanced at the light switch uneasily.
She was suddenly tempted to ask Jacob about the picture on her nightstand, but that would lead to all sorts of
explanations she didn’t want to make. She’d seen Bram set it there, so she decided to wait and ask him.
“Hey, we don’t have to watch a movie. I mean, if you’re too tired, I understand,” Jacob said.
Focusing on his anxious expression, she realized she’d never answered him. “Actually, a movie sounds like a terrific idea.” Anything that would stop these crazy thoughts was a terrific idea.
Jacob grinned. “Great. You choose the movie while I make the popcorn.”
“I just ate,” she protested.
“There’s always room for popcorn.”
He was right. The smell was impossible to resist. They settled on an action-adventure comedy. Hayley turned down soda in favor of cold bottled water because her mouth felt like cotton. She’d been terribly thirsty ever since she’d come home. This heavy heat, coming so early in June, was really getting to her. Of course, eating salty popcorn wasn’t helping. It wasn’t long before she found her eyes drifting shut. She woke to find Jacob shaking her gently.
“Hayley?”
“Huh?” Disoriented, she stared at his features without comprehension.
“You need to wake up and go to bed. The movie’s over.”
Rubbing her eyes, she tried to focus. “It is? I’m sorry, Jacob. I don’t know what’s the matter with me lately. My brain feels like mush.”
“Don’t apologize. I understand. Come on. I’ll walk you back to your room. Do you want this other bottle of water I grabbed for you?”
“Yes. Thanks. I’m really thirsty.” She tried for a smile, so tired it was hard to think. “I’m sorry I fell asleep. I’ll make it up to you.”
“I like the sound of that. A beautiful woman in my debt.”
A beautiful woman? Hayley stumbled dizzily. Jacob steadied her.
“You really are tired, aren’t you?”
Was it her imagination, or did his hand brush her skin in a light caress before he released her?
“This is embarrassing.”
“Nope. Embarrassing would be if I offered to carry you,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Unlike your muscular friend, Bram, who’s used to lifting bars of steel, I’d probably drop you.”
Bram’s arms lifting her, guiding her body over his… Hayley shook her head at the crazy image and stumbled over a step. Jacob caught her arm again.
“Whoops. Easy there.”
“Were you by any chance comparing me to a ton of steel?” she asked, trying for a light tone as she shook off his arm and hurried up the steps.
“Hey, that wasn’t what I meant at all. You’re the last person I’d think of as cold and hard.”
His tone was all wrong. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear Jacob was coming on to her. Hayley hurried down the hall, suddenly wanting to be inside the familiar room with her door shut.
“Good night, Jacob,” she said when she reached her room. “Thanks for the movie. I’m sorry I was such lousy company.”
“That’s okay, I understand.”
She wished she did.
Without warning, he pressed his palm to her cheek. His expression sent a panicky flutter of unease straight up her spine. Before she could move, he kissed her forehead chastely and stepped back.
“Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Y-yes. Good night.”
Shutting the door, she twisted the lock, feeling foolish. What was the matter with her? She’d known Jacob forever. She was so tired she must have misread the signals. He’d been acting like the boyhood friend she’d grown up with, that was all.
There must be something wrong with her. She felt as if she hadn’t slept in months. Only firm resolve kept her awake long enough to change into a faded, oversize T-shirt from her dresser drawer before crawling beneath the covers.
Oddly, as she burrowed her face in her pillow, she was reminded of Bram. His scent clung to the pillow. He’d told her he’d lain down while he was waiting for her. She turned the pillow over and closed her eyes. As she surrendered to the grogginess, she had the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right.
She awoke to bright sunshine and a parched throat. When she reached for the bottled water, the disturbing dreams she couldn’t quite bring into focus dissolved instantly. Hayley gulped down half the bottle, sitting there on the side of the bed. As she set the bottle back down, fear wormed its way to life once more.
Leigh’s picture was no longer on her nightstand.
Hayley leaped to her feet. It wasn’t on the floor, under the bed or beneath the nightstand. Her door was still locked, and so was the bathroom door connecting to Leigh’s room. But the photograph was gone.
Remembering the way the T-shirt had been flung over her face yesterday, Hayley felt fear explode inside her. She wrapped her arms across her chest, chilled to the bone.
Someone must have come up here while she and Jacob had been downstairs watching the movie.
Bram?
That didn’t make sense. Why take a photograph that he’d set there in the first place?
“There’s a rational explanation. Calm down and think.”
The sound of her own voice brought no comfort, but it did help her push back the panic.
Paula had been up here last night, Hayley reminded herself. What if she hadn’t left the house as they’d thought? What if she’d waited for Jacob and Hayley to go downstairs before coming back in here?
But what would Paula want with an old picture of Leigh? What would anyone want with that picture?
Hayley gathered clean clothing at random and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. She couldn’t afford to give in to the panic clawing at her insides. If only Leigh was here. Hayley had never needed her sister more. England was five hours ahead of the current time. If she called soon, she might be able to reach Leigh and find out when the picture had been taken. And, more importantly, why it might have some special meaning.
After showering she dressed quickly and found the telephone number for her sister in her purse. Her call was answered by a woman with a heavy British accent. Leigh and her friends had gone out for the afternoon, the woman explained. They weren’t expected back until later. Thanking her, Hayley hung up without leaving a message.
She stared out the window. She had to talk with Bram and demand some answers. After that, she’d look in the phone book until she found the name of her grandfather’s lawyer. Their talk was overdue.
Outside, a movement drew her attention. She was startled to see Eden practically crouching beside a hedge near the opening to the closest maze. There was no one else in sight.
What was she doing?
Hayley stared in amazement as Eden disappeared behind a tree. Without stopping to think, Hayley raced down the back stairs, determined to find out why Eden was sneaking into the maze like that.
Odette Norwhich looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. “I suppose you’re wanting breakfast now?”
“No time.” Hayley sprinted for the side door.
“Are the gardens on fire?” the woman muttered. “First the mister, then the boy and the missus, even Paula and the handyman.”
Hayley ignored her mutterings as she flung open the door and stepped outside. Heat slapped her in the face. Yesterday had been hot. Today, the temperature was going for a record. Good thing she hadn’t wasted her time under a hair dryer.
Sprinting toward the maze, she slowed as she reached the tree where she’d last seen Eden. The air was not only hot and humid, but curiously still. Hayley glanced skyward. Not a cloud in sight this morning, yet the sense of an impending storm was reinforced by the hushed silence.
She moved rapidly until she reached a fork in the path. There was nothing to tell her which way Eden had gone. One way would take her deeper into the garden, close to the cliff overlooking the Hudson River. The other path wound around and would eventually bring her back to the entrance she’d just used. Tossing a mental coin, Hayley plunged deeper into the labyrinth.
She hadn’t been in this part o
f the maze in years and hoped she could remember the way. She generally stayed near the fountain. As Hayley moved along the overgrown path, she decided hiring someone to restore order to the grounds had just moved up on her mental list of things that needed immediate attention. Anyone not familiar with the mazes could actually get lost back here now.
Hayley slowed her brisk pace, starting to feel distinctly uneasy. Uselessly, she wiped at the sweat tricking down her face and neck. Her blouse clung like a second skin. Despite the trees shading much of the path, the air was miserably humid. She could barely draw a breath.
She must have chosen wrong. Whatever Eden was doing, Hayley wasn’t going to find her by blundering around like this. It was time to go back inside before she melted.
Abruptly, Marcus’s voice, raised in anger, shattered the quiet. “No!”
Hayley stopped, wiping at the sweat trickling into her eyes.
“I won’t pay another cent!”
If someone answered him, it was done too quietly to be heard over Hayley’s labored breathing. She inched closer to another fork in the path.
Marcus laughed, but there was no humor in the chilling sound. “Threats won’t work anymore.”
She’d heard Marcus angry on more than one occasion, but she’d never heard this particular viperous tone before. Carefully, she peered around the next corner. The path led to one of the many dead ends. Marcus stood in the clearing there, surrounded by a profusion of colorful roses. An empty stone bench sat nearby.
He appeared to be completely alone.
Hayley was struck once more by how much he’d aged. In memory, he’d loomed like an angry giant. The reality was a tall, gaunt man with receding gray hair and harsh, bitter features.
Was Eden on the other side of the hedge? There was nothing to indicate anyone else was nearby. Even the birds and insects seemed to be in hiding.
Marcus began to pace in agitation. He seemed unaffected by the heat. He wasn’t even sweating, though he wore long pants, a short-sleeved shirt and heavy dark shoes. A pair of soiled gloves hung from his belt.
Abruptly, he bent over to lift the petal of a blood-red rose.
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