Then immediately leaned back in disgust.
“Ugh! I was not prepared for that!” I cried.
Aunt Shirley shook her head in wonder. “I haven’t seen anything like that in…well, in many, many years.”
“Stop!” I begged. “I can’t take any more.”
The image on the screen was of Tina Collins and Trent Starnes, and what they were doing was straight up illegal I was sure. I rubbed my palms over my eyes, hoping to erase the image that seemed to be burned into my brain.
“Guess she was right,” Aunt Shirley snickered. “She went out there to get her ride on and she—”
“Enough!” I slapped Aunt Shirley playfully on the arm. “I feel like I should be gouging out my eyeballs.”
“Let’s see what else is on there. Fast forward it a little bit.”
I did as Aunt Shirley requested, and we both got the giggles when the images on the screen started doing the nasty at warp speed.
When the images on the screen became G-rated again, I slowed the camera down. Tina was leaving the office and Trent was walking toward the camera. He cursed and moved back away from the camera and called out.
“That’s my voice!” I said as I paused the video. “I met Tina coming out of the barn and she was adjusting her clothes. Then I went in and called out to Trent. He said to give him twenty minutes and he’d have the horses ready.”
I pushed play again. Trent walked back into the office and went to sit at his desk. Obviously he’d forgotten about turning off the camera when I startled him. I heard a noise off camera and saw Trent’s head jerk up. He looked over at the door and scowled. Unfortunately, the camera only gave a visual of his desk so we couldn’t see who it was.
“What do you want?” Trent said as he got up and went toward the door. “I told you—”
Aunt Shirley and I jumped at the sound of Trent’s head taking the blow. My hands started to shake. We couldn’t see anything, but we could hear Trent crying out in pain. Then silence.
Aunt Shirley and I sat there on the bed breathing hard. I fast forwarded the tape a few more minutes and then let it play. A couple seconds later I heard my voice again.
“This must be when the four of us came back into the barn and discovered the body,” I said. We listened to the rest of the story unfold…Aunt Shirley telling me to go inside the office and look for clues. I saw me sit down at Trent’s desk and open drawers. Then my face up close and personal as I picked the camera up off the shelf and turned it off.
I blew out a breath. “That’s it. Nothing really there except some nasty stuff no one should ever have to see, and then the murder. We don’t hear or see anything that helps us.”
Aunt Shirley chewed on her bottom lip. “We really don’t. I guess the next time we see Sheriff Simpson, we’ll give this to him. We’ll tell him we forgot to give it to him in the excitement if he asks.”
I looked at my cell phone. “We better head on down for lunch.”
“I need to change out of this outfit. It’s not really all that comfortable.” Aunt Shirley grabbed a pair of polyester pants and a floral button-up blouse out of the dresser. “Oh, and don’t think I haven’t noticed that you haven’t texted your boyfriend and told him about what’s happened.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’m kinda hoping we have some good solid leads when I call him tonight. This way he doesn’t give me too much grief.”
Aunt Shirley hooted on her way to the bathroom to change. “Good luck with that!”
***
Lunch was a light affair of fruit salad, grilled cheese sandwiches, cranberry muffins, and sweet tea. Everyone was in attendance but Tina and Stewart Collins. I had to wonder if Stewart didn’t suspect something. I was going to make it my mission to find Tina and talk with her. Especially since I’ve seen more of that woman up front and personal than I have of Paige. And Paige has been my best friend for almost thirty years!
“I think I’m going to go to the library and see what I can find,” Mom said after lunch. “Maybe read and take a nap.”
“That sounds great,” Paige said. “Can I come, too?”
“You bet.” Mom pushed her chair back to leave when Wayne put his hand on her arm.
“I’d love to talk books if you have a little time,” he said. “Not only am I an avid reader, but I’m currently writing a novel.”
I could tell Mom wasn’t keen on the idea, but she must have realized Wayne was only being friendly and probably bored out of his mind, because she agreed.
The three of them left to go to the library. Gary and Cybil Wainwright excused themselves for the office to take care of paperwork, and Dayna followed closely behind. The poor girl still looked like death warmed over.
“Well,” Olivia said, “I’m in the mood to party. Do you want to join me in the parlor for a little whiskey and gossip?”
Gossip, yes…whiskey, no.
“I think that would be nice,” Aunt Shirley said.
Of course you do!
Aunt Shirley and I followed Olivia into the parlor and waited patiently as she poured each of us a glass of whiskey and went to sit down.
“I can’t help but notice that you’ve been in a pretty chipper mood since they discovered Trent’s body,” Aunt Shirley said before taking a sip of her drink.
Olivia laughed humorlessly. “You bet I am. This couldn’t have happened to a better person.” She knocked back a little of her drink. “I know how that sounds, but I just don’t care. I’ve thought about killing that SOB for months. I just didn’t think I’d have the good fortune to actually see it happen.”
Aunt Shirley didn’t say anything, but I could tell she was taking in everything Olivia said. “Do you think you and your husband will be able to get back together now?”
Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know we weren’t together anymore?” Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them back. “I only told the Wainwrights he was working and I wanted to get away.”
Aunt Shirley clucked her tongue. “You’ve been miserable. Your eyes have been swollen like you’ve been crying for days. And my niece here saw you and Trent arguing early this morning and you slapped him.”
Olivia paled and lifted a shaking hand to take another drink. Unfortunately there wasn’t a whole lot left in her glass. She got up and poured herself another.
“I’m all for drowning sorrows, dear.” Aunt Shirley said. “But you’re gonna want to keep a level head about you until this murder is solved.”
Olivia sat down again on the couch and this time took a little sip of her whiskey. “It’s true. I did confront Trent this morning, and I did slap him.”
“Was he blackmailing you?” I asked. I knew Cybil couldn’t be his first time.
Olivia barked out a laugh. “Yes!” She leaned over and grabbed a wad of tissue out of the box. “About three months ago I came here to Mystery Farms with my husband. We were already having some problems in the marriage, and so when Trent came on to me, I went for it.” She paused and wiped her nose. “I thought it would be a one-time thing and my husband, Brian, would never know. Then about two months ago, I got an envelope in the mail. There were pictures of me and Trent in some very compromising positions.”
I knew those positions all too well. I had unfortunately witnessed them between Tina and Trent just an hour or two ago.
“So, I did what Trent requested and I sent him a thousand dollars in the envelope. I thought that would be the end of it.”
“But it wasn’t?” Aunt Shirley prompted.
Olivia sighed. “No. I received another envelope demanding more money a couple weeks later. It was never for huge amounts, but enough that it was beginning to break me. But I was willing to do it to keep him quiet. Until…”
“Until he sent pictures to your husband?” Aunt Shirley guessed.
Olivia said nothing, just nodded her head. “Brian was so angry. He wanted to know who it was. I guess he didn’t recognize or remember Trent. I was afraid if Brian found
out who it was, he would kill him!”
You don’t say?
“So I told Brian I would take care of it. Brian said I had one week to settle it or he’d leave me forever.” Olivia hiccupped. “I know sleeping with Trent was wrong, and I’m really sorry. I don’t want to lose my husband. I came here to put a stop to the blackmail.”
“How exactly were you going to do that?” I asked.
Olivia shrugged. “I thought if I confronted him and told him that my husband and I would sue him for harassment, he might back off.”
“Do you still have the latest blackmail request and envelope?” Aunt Shirley asked. “I’d like to look at it if you do.”
Olivia nodded. “Yes. It’s in my room. Do you want me to slip it under your door when I find it?”
“That would be great,” I said.
“Have you spoken to your husband about what has happened here?” Aunt Shirley asked. “About Trent being murdered?”
Olivia bit her lip. “That’s the thing. I’ve been trying to call him since Trent’s body was discovered, but he’s not answering his phone. I can’t seem to reach him.”
My eyes felt like they were gonna pop out of my head. “When’s the last time you spoke to your husband?”
Olivia dug out her phone. “Yesterday after I got here and right before dinner. We had a terrible fight. I found out he’s at my mom’s house.”
“Does your mom know what’s happened?” Aunt Shirley asked.
“Yes. And I made her promise not to tell Brian where I was. But he can be very persuasive and charming when he needs to be.” Olivia gave a hallow laugh. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows by now where I’m staying. I just wanted to confront Trent, make him stop, and get out of here before Brian figured things out. Jealous husbands are never a good thing.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Aunt Shirley said.
I barely suppressed a laugh.
“Speaking of jealous husbands,” Olivia said. “You might want to check out Stewart Collins. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually knew what was going on between Trent and his wife. This whole I-hate-the-world-leave-me-alone-I-work-for-a-living thing could be a disguise.”
Aunt Shirley smiled. “I’ve had the same thought, my dear. Jealous husbands will do all sorts of crazy things.”
“And that’s why you confronted Trent this morning by the barn?” I asked.
Olivia nodded. “Yes. Only…it was really weird. When I confronted him about the pictures and the money, he acted like he had no idea what I was talking about!”
Chapter 9
Aunt Shirley and I left Olivia to drown her sorrows and headed for the kitchen to talk with Bessie Terrance. Aunt Shirley and I ran into Mom and Paige coming out of the library.
“Enjoy your time with Wayne?” I teased.
Mom grimaced. “He’s a nice enough guy, but I can’t take being in his presence for long. He loves to hear the sound of his own voice.”
Paige giggled. “We did learn a lot about him.”
We parted ways and went to go find Bessie. We found her sitting at a tiny table in the middle of the kitchen writing down a list of supplies she was in need of. “Something I can get for you ladies?”
“Actually,” Aunt Shirley said, “we were hoping to talk with you about Trent Starnes.”
Bessie stopped writing and turned to us, a scowl on her face. “Look, I’ll tell you the same thing I told the Sheriff. I don’t know anything. The boy was a horn dog. Went sniffing around every woman that came here. Broke poor Miss Dayna’s heart. But I don’t know who would want to go and kill him.”
“Where were you this morning around the time the body was discovered?” Aunt Shirley asked.
Bessie blew her red, frizzy hair out of her eyes. “Why? I already answered Sheriff Simpson’s questions. Don’t see why I need to answer you.”
I put my hand on Bessie’s arm. “Maybe you saw something important but you don’t know it’s important. If you tell us where you were, we can mark it on our timeline.”
“Fine. I was busy cleaning the kitchen. That means I was in the kitchen and sometimes I was upstairs in the west wing in the laundry room putting the dirty linens from breakfast in the wash.”
Aunt Shirley frowned. “That seems like a terrible place to put a laundry room. You have to haul all that laundry out through the dining room, foyer, up the stairs and to the west wing?”
Bessie laughed. “Heavens no. I’m too old to do all that.” She turned and pointed to a skinny door by the refrigerator. “See that door? Behind it is what used to be called a servant’s staircase. Basically it’s a back entrance that dumps out into the west wing.”
Aunt Shirley brightened. “I remember Dayna telling us that all guests stay on the east wing when we first got here. So, who stays on the west wing?”
“The staff. Trent, Wayne Skaggs, and me. There are two bedrooms located downstairs away from the main part of the house, and that’s where Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright and Miss Dayna sleep.”
“Did you see anyone upstairs in the west wing when you went up there this morning?”
“The only person up there would be Wayne. And I didn’t see him, but I did hear him.”
I frowned. “Hear him? What do you mean?”
Bessie rolled her eyes. “That man is always writing on a novel when he’s not doing his acting bit here. He thinks he’s the next Hemingway.”
“What exactly does Wayne do here?” Aunt Shirley asked.
“He plays two different characters in the play on the weekends, and during the week he helps out with lawn care and other maintenance. Same as Trent when Trent wasn’t taking care of the horses.”
“And how exactly did you hear him?” I asked.
“That man refuses to get into the modern age. He still insists on plunking away on some antique typewriter. You know, the kind that makes loud sounds and dings. Blasted thing keeps me up some nights. I’ve had to learn to sleep with earbuds in my ears!”
Aunt Shirley looked toward the narrow door. “Could we go up and see Trent’s room?”
Bessie shrugged. “I don’t have a key, but I know Mr. Wainwright does.”
“Thanks,” Aunt Shirley said. “We’ll go find Mr. Wainwright and see if we can’t get into his room. You’ve been a big help, Bessie.”
We left Bessie and went in search of the Wainwrights. Aunt Shirley’s cell phone vibrated. She pulled it out and looked at it.
“It’s from Sheriff Simpson. He said there’s been a terrible accident on Hwy 19 and he won’t be able to get back to Mystery Farms until later this evening. He wants to know if we have anything new to report.”
Aunt Shirley hunched over her phone and started clicking away like a mad woman.
There was no one behind the front desk when we walked into the foyer, or anywhere else in the vicinity for that matter.
“I wonder where Mr. Wainwright is?” I asked.
“Who knows,” Aunt Shirley said without looking up from the phone. “Get back there and grab a key from the box on the wall. If we’re lucky the rooms are labeled.”
“Why do I have to be the one to steal the key? Why don’t you do it?”
Aunt Shirley looked up from her phone and huffed. “Because I need to be quick on my feet if we get caught. I’m good at getting us out of jams.”
She had me there.
“Fine,” I sighed. I slowly made my way around the counter. I took a quick look over my shoulder, saw the coast was clear, then quietly opened the wooden box on the wall that contained the keys to all the rooms.
Luck was with me. I spotted a row that had the employees’ names on them with a key on the hook. I reached for Trent’s key when I heard Aunt Shirley let out a squeak. “Get down! Hide! It’s Wainwright.”
I heard the front door open and quickly shut the door to the wooden box then dropped down to my hands and knees. I scrambled across the floor and pressed up against the counter as much as I could. I turned my head to the right and spotted the anta
cids Dayna had given me recently, along with a First-Aid kit. I willed my heart to stop pounding as I tried to control my breathing.
“Aunt Shirley,” Mr. Wainwright said. “Is there something I can help you with?”
Aunt Shirley started to moan. “My heart! I think I’m having a heart attack!”
“Oh, no! Let me grab the phone behind the counter. I’ll call nine-one-one for you!”
“No!” Aunt Shirley screamed. “I mean, I think if I rest in the parlor a moment I’ll be okay.”
“I don’t think resting is going to stop a heart attack,” Mr. Wainwright replied.
“Maybe it’s not a heart attack,” Aunt Shirley said quickly. “I bet it’s gas. I’ve been awful gassy lately.”
Mr. Wainwright coughed. “Oh. Well, in that case, maybe lying down for a minute in the parlor will do the trick.”
“Will you help me to the parlor? I fear I may not make it there on my own.”
“Of course,” Mr. Wainwright said.
A few seconds later their voices tapered off and it was silent once again. I popped up quickly from behind the counter and made a dash for the wooden box. My hands were shaking as I yanked the box open, grabbed Trent’s keys off the hook, and slammed the box shut.
I stuff the key in my pocket and took off for the parlor to relieve Aunt Shirley.
“Are you sure you’re feeling better already?” Mr. Wainwright said as I entered the parlor. He was waving his hand under his nose.
“Yep. I think it was the way I sat down on the couch. Just enough pressure on my tummy and out that toot came. See, no heart attack, just gas.”
“Yes, well. I guess that’s good.” Mr. Wainwright slowly backed up from Aunt Shirley. “If that’s all you need, I better go see to a few things. I’m glad you’re feeling better.” He turned on his heels, mumbled hello to me, and fled from the room.
“You’re a nasty woman,” I grinned.
Bed, Breakfast and Murder (A Ryli Sinclair Mystery Book 4) Page 6