“Yes,” Sara said as Greer took her seat.
“What did I miss?” Greer asked.
“I just told them of our visit with your grandmother,” Sara said. “What were your impressions?”
“I don’t believe she killed anyone. I think she foresaw what was going to happen and got me out of the country.”
“But she knew details,” Sara said.
“Obviously, she did see the body,” Greer said. “That it was so violently mutilated reinforced her need to get me out quickly.”
“Why you and not Reid?” Kate asked.
“I don’t think he was there. Now that I know a bit more, I think he was probably with Rachel. That gave him an alibi, but I had none. Could someone please tell me what’s going on with these jewels?”
No one said a word.
After a long silence, Sara looked at Kate. “So what did Billy have to say?”
Greer gave an eye roll but she didn’t ask any more questions.
Their orders came and after the waitress left, Kate said, “Oh, but Billy is a good actor! His tone was ‘I didn’t tell you about when I played tennis? How remiss of me. I was frightfully good at it.’”
“He got the frightening part right,” Sara said.
“But of course you persisted.” Randal gave his daughter a look of pride.
“Yes, I did. Billy finally admitted to denuding the house of furniture, and yes, Derek Oliver was blackmailing him about that. Billy said he didn’t tell us because he didn’t think it was important.”
“What about the movie bit he and Barbara did?” Greer asked.
“He seemed genuinely surprised at that, and I had to listen to several minutes of his telling me that those little sketches were part of why he was such an interesting host. But he didn’t remember one that was specifically about Valhalla. However, he did say that maybe he wrote it, so it was an original piece.”
Jack was typing out a text on his phone and they looked at him. “Just asking how my little brother is doing.”
Randal gave a sigh. “So, not much new information from Billy. But I didn’t expect much.”
“Sorry,” Kate said. “But now we know Billy isn’t to be trusted.”
Sara looked at her brother. “What did you find out from Lea?”
“She’s been searching for a safe.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“She said that she’d never found her husband’s will, and after we discovered his papers, she remembered hearing about a safe. She was looking for it.”
“So why didn’t she tellyouwhat she was up to?” Sara asked.
“You are an advocate of independent women but this woman is supposed to ask a man’s permission tolookfor something?”
They turned to Sara for her response.
Sara gave a small smile. “I stand corrected. Did she find one?”
“No,” Randal said. “She figured it would be in the nursery or the Palm Room but she’s found nothing.”
“We are running out of time,” Kate said softly. “Everyone is a suspect. Lots of motive and opportunity, but nothing for sure.”
