“Did you find out anything from the other guests?” Randal asked.
“Other than that Rachel and my brother were hot and heavy? No. But back then, he seemed to believe they were going to get married.” She gave a sound of disbelief. “Rachel told me that she was handed over to some New England hedge fund guy and told to marry him. She said she never had a choice about where her life was going.”
Kate gave snort of laughter. “Poor Rachel. Forced to live in a multimillion-dollar mansion instead of a two-bed flat with your brother.”
Greer smiled. “That’s just what I thought.”
“Too bad they weren’t told that Reid—” Kate didn’t finish, but only Greer didn’t know the end of that. Too bad Derek Oliver didn’t live long enough to tell Reid he owned the Lachlan Estate. Reid should have taken over ownership long ago. Maybe with good management, it could have become a big citrus industry.
“Did you learn about anything besides her and your brother?” Randal asked. They all knew he was asking about Lea. Was there any hint of her guilt?
“I tried to get information from them.” Greer paused. “It’s so different being around them now. I’m treated as an equal, not as a nuisance.” Her head came up. “I think people are searching for things, but I’m not sure what they’re trying to find.”
“In the nursery,” Kate said.
“Yes. There are missing items and rearranged things. I’ve tried to remember it all by going over this trip hour by hour. I got here early. That’s when I met Quinn and Gil and we watched an old movie. Then we—”
“What movie?” Sara asked quickly.
“Nothing important. The tape had a worn cover so I thought maybe it might be interesting.Onlysomething was the title. It was good. Strange but it held your interest. Some gorgeous young man made love to women, then killed them. I think it has a cult following.”
“Never heard of it,” Jack said. “Can’t be too big of a cult.”
“I’ve never seenRocky Horror Picture Show,” Sara said, “but people still pay to see it. I bet the tape was taken to Billy’s place. What happens in the movie?”
“I don’t know,” Greer said. “I fell asleep before the end.”
“We’ve been looking for a movie,” Randal said. “From the 1940s. I’m not sure it means anything to this case, but my sister believes—”
“This is getting nowhere,” Jack said. “We need to decide how to handle the fact that Greer is alive.”
“Should we gather everyone, then she shows up and we see who passes out from the shock that she’s not dead?” Sara asked.
“Then she gets killed a third time?” Randal said. “I really don’t like that. Someone sneaked into my sister’s house while she was sleeping.”
Sara smiled at her brother in gratitude.
“The murderer will see that we know Rachel is dead,” Kate said.
“The reactions will tell all,” Sara said. “If we can read them. But can we risk it?”
Jack was looking at Kate and Sara. “I don’t like taking such big risks.”
“Nor do I,” Randal said. “We have to—”
He stopped talking when the front door opened and in came Sheriff Flynn. The look of disgust on his face said everything:Yet another death. Probably the fault of the Meddling Medlars.
Without a word, Jack stood up and led the way to his bedroom. Minutes later, the two men returned, then the sheriff went outside to make some calls. The others silently waited for him.
Sheriff Flynn came back in and sat down on one of the couches. “Are those muffins?”
Sara and Kate jumped up to get fruit, butter, and orange juice for him.
During this, no one said a word. They were waiting for the pronouncement of their fate. Would this second murder cause Broward law to take over the case? Tell the Medlar-Wyatt group to go away? They stole glances at Greer. They didn’t want to say it, but it was quite possible that she would be accused of the old murder—or for both of them. She had motive and opportunity. And the way she ran away and faked her own death might reinforce her guilt. Add her impersonation of the dead woman and there was a strong case.
They stayed silent while the sheriff ate a muffin and a bowlful of berries.
Finally, he turned to Greer. “You look like the dead woman.”
