“So it’s decided that we’re going to do this?” Kate asked. “Even knowing that we could find out that an American Treasure like Barbara Adair is a murderer? What was she like?” She was looking at her father.
“She—”
“He had eyes only for Derek Oliver’s wife,” Sara interrupted.
Randal straightened his shoulders in defense. “Mrs. Meyers and her wayward granddaughter were in the guesthouse. I was running back and forth, day and night. I didn’t have time to do anything else. I—”
Jack cut in. “We didn’t see a lot of the house and missed the outbuildings altogether. What are they like? In good condition or falling apart?”
“When I saw the guesthouse,” Randal said, “it was beautiful. There was a trellis to the second floor. Rachel used to climb out the upstairs window at night, sneak into the house, and steal wine from the cellar. Mrs. Meyers laughed about it. She said she was just like her when she was Rachel’s age.”
“And the smaller building?” Jack asked.
Randal shrugged. “That’s the cottage. I never went in it. Reid and his sister stayed in there. They were workers, like me.”
“It’s two stories.” Sara had a faraway look in her eyes. “There’s a bedroom and bath upstairs. It’s a loft and open at the end. On the ground floor, in the back, away from where people can see it, is a two story, fifteenth-century stained glass window. It came from a French cathedral that was destroyed in WWII. The morning sun comes through the glass and makes colors on the slate floor. It is indescribably beautiful.”
They were all staring at her.
Jack said softly, “I guess you and Granddad personally looked after that place.”
“Oh yes,” Sara said in a throaty voice that made it unmistakable as to what the teenagers did in the pretty little house. “We most certainly did.”
They laughed together, with Sara being the loudest.
“So wearegoing to take on this case?” Jack asked and looked from one to the other.
“I guess it’s up to the guests,” Sara said. “We can invite them and see what they say. They could tell us to get lost.”
“Do we tell them the party is because we found a body? We’d make Sara’s phone call a reality.” Jack wasn’t being serious.
Randal said, “Let’s say we’re giving a party for Billy. A celebration of his life and we’d like for them to come. It’s a reunion of sorts.”
Sara snorted. “BVU. Blackmail Victims United.”
“If they do accept,” Jack said, “then we’ll know they have a reason.” He glanced at Randal. “It might be to renew old acquaintances or...” He looked at Sara.
“To find out what we know about a dead man.”
“One that was rudely left out in the open so poor Billy had to take care of it,” Randal said in sarcasm.
“And what happened to the brain?” Sara asked.
“Yuck,” Kate said.
“Yes, yuck,” Sara said, “but we’re all thinking about it. Was it buried? Taken away as a trophy? Is it in a jar somewhere? What?”
Again, no one had an answer.
“So what’s our final decision?” Jack asked.
For a moment they were silent, then they looked at each other. Each one gave a nod of agreement.
“How do we start?” Jack asked. “Anyone have Barbara Adair’s private number?”
“Not her, but I might be able to contact Lea Oliver,” Randal said.
Sara gave her brother a raised eyebrow look. “Has she had her missing husband declared dead so she can remarry?”
