Nadine was watching Wes run around with a basket of items he was taking from one spot to put away in other spots when the doorbell rang. She went to let in Brent, unsurprised he would ring before entering what was legally his own house. Small talk about traffic and the weather lasted down the hall to the kitchen, where Wes had come out from his cleaning spree to put on the coffee. They immediately revealed the entrance to the basement, with Nadine giving an animated “Ta-da!”
Brent was floored. “My aunt was something else. I should have known that she’d match a hidden door to the attic to one to the basement. She liked symmetry despite her generalized chaos.”
It took more than an hour to walk Brent through all the clues, and at the end of it, he paged through the manuscript forIt Is Hellish Gain, shaking his head.
“I don’t know if her agent needs to see this,” Brent said. “Odette told me Dot never started a story without telling her, and she didn’t know about this. I think my aunt meant for this to stay private, particularly given its lack of ending.” He put it on the table and sat down on the leather couch, causing the cushion to let out a small whistle. “You said you don’t have enough evidence to try to publish?”
Wes answered. “Not after the mess with theSpear. TheHeraldwould be reluctant as well.”
Nadine nodded. A gut check with Lisanne had told her what she suspected—Daniel wouldn’t touch this with a ten-foot pole unless there was the equivalent of a notarized admission in those clues. There was no way she could put herself out there, even to pitch it. It was too risky.
“Too bad.”
“We’re going to keep working on it after we leave,” promised Wes.“We have some ideas we can follow up on.”
“Dot would have appreciated your dedication, and so do I.” Brent looked around. “You have any problems with work because of thatSpearstory, Nadine?”
She shook her head. “They don’t know I’m involved.”
“There’s no reason for it,” said Wes.
Nadine knew her expression must have turned stubborn because Wes touched her hand.
“We don’t both need to lose our jobs over this,” he said softly as Brent watched them intently.
“I know you think that,” she said.
If Wes heard the ambiguous language, he ignored it. “Good.”
Brent sighed. “I’m going to miss this place.”
“You’re still selling?” Nadine followed his eyes around the lovely room, seeing it as if for the first time. The house was Dot writ large, her personality in architecture. It would be a shame to lose it.
“Yeah, you should see the property tax. Even with the inheritance, I can’t justify the cost.” He shook his hand above his head to indicate how high it was. It was high. “I wish we could keep it how it is, but that’s life.”
Nadine didn’t have an answer because it’s not like she had a few extra millions lying around for real estate investments, and she assumed the same went for Wes. Brent was right. That was indeed life.
“Now for the boring part,” said Brent. “The cleaners will be in tomorrow. I know you didn’t find exactly what you wanted, but something might come up when we clear the place out.”
Nadine was confident there wasn’t a page or box or room left unturned. “Tell us if you do. We searched everywhere but Dot’s bedroom.”
“Why not there?”
Nadine looked at him in confusion. “You said not to. It was off-limits.”
“Did I?” Brent shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t recall that. I was ina bit of a fog after her death.” Erma came in and jumped on the couch next to Brent. He turned his attention to her. “We need to find some new homes for you and your sisters,” he said.
Nadine felt Wes stiffen. “You’re not taking them?” he asked.
“My partner is allergic.” Brent scratched Erma’s head. “I’ll find them suitable homes.”
Wes’s eyebrows came down. “They’re good cats.”
“I know,” Brent reassured him. “I’ll make sure they’re happy. Anyway, want to go check that bedroom? We can do it together before I head out.”
Wes and Nadine didn’t run down the hall, but they far outpaced Brent.
“Go ahead,” he called.
