“What did you remember?”
“Greer and Rachel had a blistering fight.”
“About what?”
“Rachel was shouting that Greer stole something. ‘I know you did it.’”
“Do you know what she stole?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Could it have been a toy? A stuffed animal?”
She gasped. “Yes! I think it was. Lea and I thought it was ridiculous.”
Unless the toy was filled with jewels, Randal thought. His phone buzzed.
“Please take it,” Barbara said. “Maybe your sister has solved the case. I’ll meet you outside.” She left the house.
Randal looked at the text from Billy.
In 1995, Barbara Adair played a neurosurgeon on a TV medical series for eight episodes. In an interview, she said she’d had to learn how to saw the top of a skull off. She added that she found the whole process fascinating and that she got quite good at it.
When Randal caught his breath from that bit of information, he texted Billy:
Harry Adair wrote a script and may have made a movie about the actor who was killed. No date on it. Don’t think it was a blockbuster.
He sent a text to his sister:
It looks like Greer had motive and was capable. Barbara had motive and the know-how for all of it.
He included copies of the two texts he and Billy had exchanged.
Randal shut his phone off. He hadn’t told about Troy. He’d save that information for when he was with them. He wanted to see Jack’s face when he was told that he had a brother.
Smiling at the thought, he went outside to meet Barbara.
Twelve
Kate was nervous about asking Reid to lunch. He seemed like a nice guy, but as all women know, some men misinterpret any invitation from a woman. She’d just be careful that they went to a public place. Or maybe they should stay there at Lachlan House. She could make it into a picnic. Outside where Lenny could see them.
She found him on his way back from the cottage. He’d been working on the landscape and had just emerged, showered and in fresh clothes. With great effort, she controlled her nervousness and asked him to have lunch with her.
He smiled. “Thank you, but I can’t go. Maybe tomorrow.” He turned away.
Kate was annoyed with herself for being ego-hurt. She was quite a bit younger than he was, and well, she was attractive. It took her a moment to get herself under control, then she hurried after him. “I can’t tomorrow. Today is the only day I can go.”
He frowned but then his face cleared. “You’ve been assigned to ask me questions, haven’t you?”
She could feel her face turn red. She would never make a spy! She gave a curt nod.
“How about later? This afternoon about four? We can have tea.”
All Kate could think about was telling the others that she’d failed. “Couldn’t you change your appointment?”
“I’m having lunch with my grandmother. It would upset her if I canceled. I hardly see her anymore.”
Kate had to bite her tongue to keep from saying,The woman whose husband was executed?“I’d love to meet her,” she managed to say.
