“Let me guess. Kelly busted Tabitha shoplifting?” Emerson asked.
“Of course.”
“That’s my wife, all right,” Emerson chuckled fondly, shaking his head.
* * * * *
The next morning, Kelly took Teresa out back and they strode through the rose gardens, pretending not to look at the south tower. The tower was at the rear of the castle, tucked away almost out of sight. Winthrop stood fifty feet away from them so they could have a private conversation, but he was still watching them like a hawk. A morose, disapproving hawk.
After her wedding dress expedition, Kelly had locked herself away in her room to do internet research. She’d even managed to resist the temptation of spending another night with Gabriel, which meant she’d tossed and turned all night and woken up exhausted and cranky. She was determined not to give in to his charms again, though. The man should come with a warning label; too much time with him was habit-forming, and liable to cause withdrawal symptoms.
“How’d your wedding dress shopping go yesterday?” Teresa sneered.
Kelly raised an eyebrow in annoyance. “Lovely, thanks. It’s nice to be around a mother who isn’t insulting me, even if it’s not my own mother.”
Teresa snorted. “Traitor.”
“Shouldn’t you be back home in Seattle with Chiclet-Teeth? Vlad or Brad or whatever the hell his name is? I’m sure he misses you.”
“You know his name is Chad,” Teresa said huffily, “And yes, I should. But I’m not letting you stay here and hog all the glory.I’mgoing to be the one to find the Dragonsblood.”
Kelly shook her head. “Whatever. I really don’t care which one of us finds it. Anyway, I brought you out here for a reason, and believe me, it wasn’t the pleasure of your company. Look up at the south tower, but be subtle. Don’t let Winthrop see that you’re doing it. Do you notice anything odd?”
Teresa pretended to run her hands through her hair, tipping her head back as she did so. Then she glanced at Kelly, raising an eyebrow.
“There don’t seem to be any windows on the higher levels,” she said. “The other towers all have windows.”
Kelly nodded. “Exactly. And so far, I’ve noticed that Gabriel has been keeping me away from that tower. And it’s located at the back of the castle, kind of tucked away. If they’re keeping the Bloodstone on the grounds, I think it’s in there.”
Teresa grabbed her cell phone – Gabriel had replaced her phone right after he’d broken it, true to his word – and stalked off, quickly dialing, with a look of glee on her face.
Kelly knew who she was dialing, and why.
“Teresa, wait!” she called, and hurried after her.
Teresa flashed her a smirk. “Hello, mother,” she said into the cell phone. She was nothing if not predictable.
“I figured out that the jewel is probably in the south tower. It’s tucked away in the back and all the windows are blocked off,” she said triumphantly.
Kelly could hear their mother’s shrill, sharp voice. “That’s it? Kelly already figured that out and she told me about it an hour ago. But then, she always was the smarter of you two. Maybe someday you’ll be as good as her, but I doubt it.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to keep you updated,” Teresa said, her eyes filling with tears. “Maybe if Kelly wasn’t trying to work the case by herself and shutting me out, we’d have found the jewel by now.”
“You’ve never closed a single case by yourself. It’s a good thing you’ll be respectably married soon, so you won’t have to keep working in a career you’re obviously not suited to.”
“But…I wasn’t going to quit after I got married…” But Teresa was speaking to dead air; their mother had hung up on her.
“I tried to warn you,” Kelly said, feeling a stab of sympathy as Teresa angrily wiped away tears with the back of her hand.
“You are a disgusting butt-kisser and I hate you!” Teresa shrieked, and stormed off.
Winthrop trailed after her with a heavy sigh.
Teresa spun around to face him and stamped her foot, fists clenched. She looked like a toddler trapped in adult’s body.
“Do you know what it’s like having an employer who’s a complete nightmare and who never appreciates you?” Teresa wailed.
“Yes, in fact.” Winthrop nodded glumly.
