TEN
DENTON STROLLED THROUGHthe manicured lawn with the cook and the butler. Denton had started out praising the two for being such loyal servants and then offering his sympathy over their employer's loss. It was his plan to gain their trust.
“Surely, you must have overheard something,” he said to them, looking at the butler. Tibbs would have heard more than Mrs. Jackson, mainly because the cook stayed in the kitchen.
The older man dabbed his moist eyes with a handkerchief. “After I let Miss Mills in the manor, I went outside to talk to Joseph in the stables.”
Denton stopped, and the other two followed suit. “Tibbs, did you hear anythingbeforeMiss Mills arrived?”
The butler narrowed his gaze. “Why would I have heard anything then?”
Denton sighed heavily but feeling more frustrated than anything. “Because I don’t think Miss Mills killed Mr. Greenwood.”
The cook gasped. “Then who else could it have been?”
Denton looked at the plump woman with an apron tied around her waist. She tucked a salt-and-pepper colored lock of hair behind her ear. “Are you saying that one of the servants killed him?”
Denton shook his head. “I’m not sure who killed him, either it is one of the servants or his own children, but I can guarantee you that Miss Mills is innocent.”
The dedicated servants exchanged worried glances. Tibbs’ expression hardened, and sadness coated Mrs. Jackson’s eyes.
“If you know anything that might help me, I’d appreciate it if you tell me.”
“You don’t understand,” Mr. Tibbs whispered, “even if we knew, we can’t say—”
“Henry, shush!” Mrs. Jackson snapped.
Denton’s hopes lifted. Finally, he found a touchy subject – one that might get him some answers. “Please, Mrs. Jackson. Both of you loved Mr. Greenwood, so now he needs you to help find his killer. We cannot let an innocent woman go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit. Mr. Greenwood would want you to help me.”
Frowning, the older woman glanced down at her hands as she twisted them against her round belly.
“Mr. Reed,” Mr. Tibbs said again, in quiet tones, “if Henrietta and I want to keep our jobs, we must make Albert’s children believe that we trust them, and then in return, they can trust us.”
Denton touched the man’s shoulder. “But Mr. Tibbs, don’t you believe Albert deserves to have justice served for his killer?” He paused and then added, “If you tell me what you know, I promise that you won’t lose your positions.”
“We fear for our own lives,” the cook said brokenly.
Denton’s heart wrenched. “If you tell me who killed Albert, I’ll make sure that person is locked away so that they can’t harm another person.” He patted the cook’s arm. “Was it Miss Louise?”
She wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes. “That girl has always had a fierce temper when she doesn’t get her way. But no, she did not kill her father.”
“Clive?” Denton prodded.
“It was... Terrance.” Mr. Tibbs took a shaky breath.
Shock washed over Denton as he turned to face the butler. His stomach churned fiercely, and he wanted to throw up. No! How could his good friend do something like that – to his father, of all people? “Are... you certain?”
