The Secret of Stavewood (Stavewood Saga Book 4)

by Nanette Kinslow

  Louisa walked into the foyer and listened. The house was empty. She went back to the kitchen. On the table was a sheet of paper, folded once neatly, with her name written on it in her father’s clear hand. She opened the letter and read it silently. Louisa buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

  Fifty-One

  Luc kicked Avalanche to a trot and headed back to town. He wasn’t sure how he would deal with the situation, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to let Louisa have some time to calm down. In town he headed up the alley and tapped on the metal door. A good, stiff drink wouldn’t hurt either.

  At the bar Luc threw back a shot of whiskey and ordered another. A rather rumpled fellow sitting to his left stumbled off his stool and struggled for a moment to right himself. He smiled at Luc and staggered out the door. The bartender winked at Luc and set another whiskey down in front of him. Luc sipped at the shot and pointed at a newspaper the old drunk had left behind.

  “Mind if I see that?” he asked.

  “Not at all,” the bartender replied and handed him the paper.

  Luc shook it out with a sharp snap. The bold print headline on the Wisconsin Gazette told of a tornado that had destroyed six farmhouses out on the prairie. Another, related article described how the storm cellar at the local school was packed to capacity and warned that some expansion was needed.

  “Makes you glad you don’t live in Wisconsin,” he remarked to the bartender.

  On the second page a small article caught his eye and he folded the paper to better read the piece. Under a photo of a sporty automobile was the caption Prized Roadster Stolen. Luc read the print.

  The 1920 red ReVere was a rare and unusual vehicle. Only a few had been made and the one in the picture had been missing for several days, stolen from a wealthy collector. Luc had seen the car before.

  “Talbot,” he said and got to his feet.

  Luc ran out into the alleyway. Instinctively he knew Louisa was in danger. As much as she didn’t want to see him right now he had to go to her. Her life might depend on it.

  Fifty-Two

  Louisa’s stomach grumbled and her head pounded. She had eaten practically nothing in days. She felt filthy and ragged and heartbroken. Birget was gone and she had not even been there. The note didn’t say what had happened and Louisa was too exhausted to think clearly or cry another tear.

  She found a hunk of sharp cheese in the ice box and took an apple from the big bowl on the table and sat down to eat. She wondered where Talbot had gone.

  Despite her hunger Louisa had no appetite and had to force herself to eat. She climbed the stairs to her room after checking all the locks. If anyone tried to come in from outside they would at least have to break in one of the massive oak doors. She ran a bath and tried to compose herself.

  The water was hot and soothing and she willed herself to relax as she soaked in the steaming tub. She lay back in the water, imagining the house unfurling like the dragon in Luc’s carving. It raised its scaly head and roared angrily. Her imaginary beast unfolded its mighty tail and stretched to its full length, spreading its massive wings. It blew a wall of fire across the yard, swinging its head to torch everything evil around the estate. The man on the black horse was engulfed instantly and his ashes collapsed in a smoking heap. The man named Clayton ran for his life, his hard footwear clomping along the road. Luc stood there stubbornly and she wanted to call out and warn him, to tell him to leave and never return.

  Louisa groaned. She did not want to accept the fact that he had lied to her. More than ever she wanted to be in love and she couldn’t imagine it without him. She choked back her tears and pulled herself up in the tub.

  “Damn you, Luc Almquist.”

  She dried herself quickly, toweled off her hair and put on her light cotton gown and robe. She picked up the Old Maid from beside the tub and dropped it into her pocket. She was exhausted but she wasn’t sure she could sleep. Louisa stepped out of the bathroom rubbing her temples.

  “Talbot?” Louisa looked up to see him standing in the middle of the sewing room with a loving smile upon his face, his startling blue eyes looking at her warmly. She ran across the room to him.

  “Oh, Talbot!” Louisa fell into his arms and clung to him. “I thought you had left. I didn’t know you were here.” Her voice cracked with emotion.

  “Of course I’m here,” he said softly, patting her back soothingly.

  Fifty-Three

  Louisa held him tightly, her cheek against his chest.

  “My word, Louisa! You’re shaking! What’s happened?” he asked.

  She leaned back and looked into his face. “Were you here, in the house?” she asked, puzzled.

  “Yes, right here. I’m sorry, Louisa. No one was here when I arrived this afternoon and I fell completely asleep.” He kissed her forehead lightly. “I know I was a fool, Louisa, and you deserve better. I have decided that I will wait a lifetime, if I must, for you.”

  Louisa stepped back and shook her head. “Oh, Talbot. It’s all my fault. I’m so distracted. There are things going on here that make it impossible for me to think about marrying you right now. Terrible things and I’m not sure what to do about them.”

  “Let me help you then. What kind of things?” He looked at her with concern on his face.

  “Luc, for one thing. He told me he was surveying for the government but that is a complete lie. I don’t know what he’s doing around Stavewood but it is clearly not government work.”

  “That big fellow?” Talbot asked, his tone serious.

  “He’s lied to me.” Her words came out in a rush.

  “I’m sorry, Louisa.” Talbot stood perfectly still. “Where is he now?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I told him to stay away. I think he will now that I’ve found him out.”

  “Good,” Talbot said seriously. “The best thing we can do is finish our work and get back to New York as quickly as possible.”

  “Oh, I’ve found out so many things since we last talked, Talbot,” Louisa said. “There’s a secret passage and Jude Thomas used it to make his getaways after the train robberies.”

  Talbot listened silently, waiting to hear the one thing he wanted from Louisa Elgerson.

  “While the posse was out combing the woods for him he was bringing the loot right here to the house. That’s why they never were able to catch him. He was using Corissa, filling her head with lies and empty promises. She was letting him into the house. My father will be devastated when he finds out.”

  Talbot watched her going back and forth across the room, wringing her hands and looking up at him frequently. He kept his expression as concerned as possible, waiting and never looking away, meeting her eyes kindly every time. He knew he was good at it. He was the best.

  “I overheard two men talking,” she continued. “They were threatening everyone. They’re looking for some diamonds that are hidden somewhere in the house. I think they are trying to find the secret passage so they can sneak into Stavewood.

  “I don’t know what to do and I don’t know how long my family will be gone. And through all of this I’ve treated you horribly. I’m so sorry, Talbot.”

  She threw herself into his arms and he held her close. “It’s alright, Louisa. I understand. Really. And I won’t allow anything to happen to you. I promise you that.” He calmed her and for several moments they stood, pressed against each other in silence. Louisa composed herself and stepped back from him.

  “Did you get a good look at those two men out at the gazebo?” he asked.

  Louisa froze. The word hit her like a lightning bolt. She turned her back to him and reached into her pocket, taking the Old Maid into her hand.

  “Why, no,” she said. “It was dark and I couldn’t see their faces.” She turned back to him.

  “A shame,” he said. “We could have turned them in to the sheriff.”

  Louisa pulled the derringer out of her robe and pointed it at Talbot. “Who are you?” Her tone was hard and her hand
trembled, holding the tiny weapon tightly.

  “You know who I am,” he smiled innocently.

  “Who the hell are you?” Her voice pierced the quiet in the big room. “Tell me!” she screamed.

  Fifty-Four

  Talbot raised his hands in front of himself. “What is it, Louisa? What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Stop it, Talbot. Just stop it,” Louisa snarled. “Now you’re the one lying to me. I never said I heard the men talking at the gazebo. How did you know where it was unless you were there?”

  Talbot smiled. “Ah,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t my accent. No, I do the best British anywhere. Even your adorable mother didn’t catch it.”

  Louisa kept her gun trained on him, listening. His entire dialect had changed, replaced instead with a slow drawl. It was a voice she recognized.

  “You’re Clayton!” she gasped.

  “Well done, Miss Louisa Elgerson. Still, you ain’t the great sleuth I counted on. It took a long time for you to find that damned secret passage. And I guess you only know about the diamonds because you heard us talking. Where are they, Louisa? Have you found them?”

  “What makes you think I know anything about any diamonds?”

  “I am out of time and out of patience, my dear. It’ll be better for everyone involved if you just give them to me now.”

  “I’ll decide what happens now,” Louisa said, waving the Old Maid at him. “You just keep your hands up.”

  “Oh, Louisa. Give it up. I’ve been two steps ahead of you since I met you in New York. Nothing’s any different now.”

  “New York? What are you saying?”

  “Listen, honey, it was no chance meeting that day in the park. Victor Leach and I planned that whole thing. I traveled all the way to New York to meet you, to court you, to, shall we say, sweep you off your feet.”

  “Who is Victor Leach?”

  “Who was Victor Leach is what you mean, Louisa. He was the other chap you heard at the gazebo. He was Jude’s ghost across the field. But he’s his own ghost now and you won’t be seeing him anymore.” He chuckled more to himself than anything else.

  “So now you only have to share the diamonds with Luc. Or do you plan to kill him too?”

  “Luc?” Talbot was surprised. “Oh, honey, you disappoint me. He’s no partner to me. I don’t know who he is or how he fits into all of this but he has been a thorn in my side since the day I arrived.”

  “Then, Luc isn’t a part of this?”

  “Only that he competes with me for your attention and distracts you from the task at hand here at Stavewood.”

  “What task, Talbot? Why did you bring me here from New York?”

  “To find the diamonds, of course. We knew they had to be in the house because we eliminated all the other possibilities. Victor never knew where the secret passageway was, so we needed a way to get into Stavewood. That’s where you came in. You’d get me into the house and together we’d find the diamonds. I knew you couldn’t resist the challenge of a good mystery.”

  “So, you never planned to help me with my mother’s story. You were never going to publish any of my books, were you?”

  He laughed again. “I never gave a damn about your books, honey. I simply blew off my appointment with Mr. William Widener and made up a story that I bought his publishing company. You’re really quite gullible, Louisa.”

  Louisa fought back the tightness in her throat. “If I was, Talbot, it was because I trusted you. I believed in you. I thought you loved me.” Tears began to roll down her face.

  “Sorry, honey. It’s all about the diamonds. It always has been.” Talbot lowered his hands.

  “Get your hands back up!” Louisa barked at him, raising the derringer towards his face.

  “Why? Are you going to shoot me, Louisa?” He put out his hand to her and in his British accent said, “Give me the gun now, love. You don’t want to kill me.”

  “I will, Talbot. I swear I will!” Louisa’s hand trembled and she wept freely but she kept the Old Maid pointed at his head. The conflict in Louisa’s heart tore at her emotions and logic. One moment he was Talbot the friend she had trusted and the next he was a killer named Clayton, a man who used and manipulated her. But he only ever was Clayton and Talbot never existed.

  “No, I don’t think so. You see, I’m a killer, Louisa, but you are not. I’ve killed two people just since last night. No one will ever find Victor Leach’s body and everyone will always believe poor Birget met with a tragic accident.”

  “Oh!” Louisa choked. “Talbot, no.”

  “Yes, my dear, I’m afraid so. It became necessary. So you see, as I said, I’m a killer. But you, Louisa, you don’t have it in you to become a killer. And not even knowing that I killed Birget will make you one.” He stepped towards her with his hand still extended. “Now, give me the gun.”

  Louisa did not lower the weapon, but she could not fire it either and Talbot took it from her shaking hand. He turned it around, pointed it at her face and very calmly pulled the trigger.

  Before she could scream Louisa realized she was not shot. The derringer hadn’t discharged, it had simply clicked. She felt faint.

  Talbot laughed heartily. “Oh, Louisa. If you could only see the look on your face. I told you I have always been two steps ahead of you. I unloaded this little toy as soon as I knew you had it back in New York.” He reached behind his back and pulled out a large revolver which he pointed at her. “However, this one, I assure you, is fully loaded.”

  Fifty-Five

  Clayton’s face was stern. “Alright, honey. Enough of all this. Give me the diamonds.”

  “I told you, I don’t know where they are.”

  “Louisa,” he sighed. “You have had enough time and you have gathered all the clues there are to be had,” he said, pacing the room slowly and gesturing with his pistol. “Now, we don’t know when your family will return, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. Or maybe in the next few minutes. But I promise you, it will not go well for any of them if we are still here arguing about whether or not you know where the diamonds are.” He stepped up to her and pressed the point of the barrel under her chin. “Find the diamonds, Louisa. Now.”

  Louisa stepped away from him and rubbed her temples. She moved to the table where her notes and drawings were laid out and went over every detail in her mind: the passageway, Jude, Corissa, Diana, the robberies. Someone had been digging. Digging in Mark’s garden where the Weintraub place had been, digging where the shack used to be, but why? There had been another place, she thought. She sorted through her sketches and found the floor plan she had drawn of Hawk Bend Station. As she studied it she realized she had left out the area that had been roped off because of the damage to the floorboards. “That’s it!” she thought. Victor Leach and Clayton had dug in all those places looking for the diamonds. Those were the places they had eliminated. They knew Jude had been here, in this house. The diamonds would be under the floorboards somewhere in Stavewood, but where?

  “Come on, honey. Figure it out so we can get this whole thing over with and I can be on my way.”

  “There’s nothing I’d like better,” Louisa snapped.

  She turned her attention back to the diamonds. Jude Thomas was hiding his stolen loot in the house somewhere under the floor. In the cellar? No, Louisa thought. The floor down there was stone. In the house then. There were fifty rooms in Stavewood.

  “Which one?” she thought. “Which one?”

  She closed her eyes and imagined Jude coming through the passageway into the cellar. Corissa would meet him there. They’d embrace. He’d kiss her passionately, smug that he had Timothy Elgerson’s woman and access to his beloved home as well. Corissa would leave him, and walk back upstairs through the house. Jude would have climbed the ladder.

  “The pipe access!” Louisa thought. He was coming up here, right here to this very room.

  “Move the table!” she shouted at Clayton. Louisa pushed away the rocker and knocked over the dress
form. She shoved the furniture to one side while Clayton stood glaring at her, the revolver in his hand trained on her as she flew about the room. Louisa rolled up the big Persian rug.

  In the center of the room, one short board seemed out of place in the gleaming waxed finish. “There!” she said, pointing to it. Clayton pushed Louisa out of his way, pried it up and tossed it aside, revealing a dark hole in the floor. He reached into it, feeling around a moment, and pulled out his hand. He held a small, black velvet bag drawn closed with a dark ribbon. He sat back and pulled open the drawstring. The lamplight reflected off the diamonds as he shook some of them out into the palm of his hand. The precious stones sparkled brightly.

  “Yes!” he said, barely able to contain his excitement. He cinched the bag closed.

  He stood up and chuckled. “Well, Miss Louisa Elgerson, there may be hope for you as a great mystery writer after all.”

  He put the diamonds into his breast pocket, his eyes never leaving her. He pointed the revolver at her menacingly and Louisa held her breath, unsure of what he’d do next. He moved towards her and she stepped back. She was against the wall and could go no farther.

  “You know, Louisa, I’ve read all your notes. I know how Jude Thomas took Elgerson’s wife, right here in this room, whenever he wanted. She had fallen for him much the same way that you have fallen for me.” He smiled, pleased with himself and moved closer, pressing up against her. Louisa put her hands against his chest, trying to hold him back.

  “And now,” he threatened, “I will take his daughter.” She felt the revolver under her chin, forcing her head back as he kissed her throat.