well?”
“Yes,” Liam said. “He was there when I arrived in my father’s room this morning. I asked to be alone with my father until it was time to leave.”
“Did John Henry indicate where he was going while you stayed with the earl?”
Liam shook his head, pushing his hands into his pockets as if he were being reprimanded. “No.” Everyone looked at him, and Sadie expected him to expound on his answer, but he didn’t.
“But he had to have come down from the earl’s room at some point,” Sadie said, realizing as she said it that John Henry must have also been in the sitting room when he was attacked . . . in fact, his shoes had been flush to the floor as though he’d been standing. She thought about the expression on his face—shock. For an instant she pictured what it could have looked like for John Henry standing behind the curtains, in the dark, waiting for . . . something, and then the curtain was whipped back. Before John Henry could even process what was happening, the poker was shoved through his heart. Sadie shivered at the visualization and though she hoped she was wrong, it was an incredibly clear image and all the details fit—except why he would be hiding behind the curtain in the first place? Wouldn’t he have screamed? Would the poker have killed him instantly, or would his death have taken a few minutes? Sixteen sets of eyes staring at her brought her back to the present.
“No one saw him come down?” She looked specifically at Grant who was supposed to be “on hand at all times” according to Austin. But he hadn’t seen John Henry come down and he hadn’t been there when Sadie and Breanna found the body and he hadn’t heard their screams for help.
The staff either shook their heads or made no expression at all—except for Mrs. Land who continued fidgeting with her smock and staring at the floor. Why wasn’t she telling the truth? Could she have moved the body? Mrs. Land’s thin arms and sloped shoulders made that thought ludicrous. The woman might be able to lift a turkey in and out of the oven—if it was a small one. No way could she drag a grown man, let alone pull him off the wall he’d been pinned to. But she knew something, and gauging from her behavior so far, it likely wouldn’t be an easy thing to get out of her. Someone had cleaned up the bloodstain on the wall—where were the cleaning products kept? Were they accessible for anyone who needed them, or would someone need keys to a janitorial closet?
“I assume the police said they’re on their way?” Austin asked, turning toward Liam, who looked at Breanna for the answer.
“Yes,” Breanna offered from where she stood at the back of the room. She looked at her chunky watch. “They should be here any minute.”
“Then let’s do a thorough search of the house before they get here,” Austin said.
“I think we should wait for Scotland Yard,” Sadie said. “This is a crime scene.”
Austin looked at her as if he’d love nothing more than to duct tape her mouth shut. “Scotland Yard operates out of London. We deal with the Police Authority here.” He turned back to the staff. “We’ll search the estate. The police don’t need this kind of nonsense filling up their afternoon.”
Sadie tried not to glare at the man, but it was very hard. Austin called each of the staff members by name, assigning them portions of the house and grounds to search. Sadie realized that Austin must manage the estate in addition to the earl’s holdings. He was certainly comfortable with being in charge. Liam continued to hang back, hands in his pockets.
“We’ll meet back in twenty minutes,” he said as the staff began to mill about. “I’m sure John Henry is taking a break somewhere, so let’s find him.”
Sadie watched the staff leave the room. Austin had sent most of them out in pairs, but Sadie found that a far from optimal arrangement. “They aren’t going to find a man taking a smoke break,” she said to
“Yes,” Liam said. “He was there when I arrived in my father’s room this morning. I asked to be alone with my father until it was time to leave.”
“Did John Henry indicate where he was going while you stayed with the earl?”
Liam shook his head, pushing his hands into his pockets as if he were being reprimanded. “No.” Everyone looked at him, and Sadie expected him to expound on his answer, but he didn’t.
“But he had to have come down from the earl’s room at some point,” Sadie said, realizing as she said it that John Henry must have also been in the sitting room when he was attacked . . . in fact, his shoes had been flush to the floor as though he’d been standing. She thought about the expression on his face—shock. For an instant she pictured what it could have looked like for John Henry standing behind the curtains, in the dark, waiting for . . . something, and then the curtain was whipped back. Before John Henry could even process what was happening, the poker was shoved through his heart. Sadie shivered at the visualization and though she hoped she was wrong, it was an incredibly clear image and all the details fit—except why he would be hiding behind the curtain in the first place? Wouldn’t he have screamed? Would the poker have killed him instantly, or would his death have taken a few minutes? Sixteen sets of eyes staring at her brought her back to the present.
“No one saw him come down?” She looked specifically at Grant who was supposed to be “on hand at all times” according to Austin. But he hadn’t seen John Henry come down and he hadn’t been there when Sadie and Breanna found the body and he hadn’t heard their screams for help.
The staff either shook their heads or made no expression at all—except for Mrs. Land who continued fidgeting with her smock and staring at the floor. Why wasn’t she telling the truth? Could she have moved the body? Mrs. Land’s thin arms and sloped shoulders made that thought ludicrous. The woman might be able to lift a turkey in and out of the oven—if it was a small one. No way could she drag a grown man, let alone pull him off the wall he’d been pinned to. But she knew something, and gauging from her behavior so far, it likely wouldn’t be an easy thing to get out of her. Someone had cleaned up the bloodstain on the wall—where were the cleaning products kept? Were they accessible for anyone who needed them, or would someone need keys to a janitorial closet?
“I assume the police said they’re on their way?” Austin asked, turning toward Liam, who looked at Breanna for the answer.
“Yes,” Breanna offered from where she stood at the back of the room. She looked at her chunky watch. “They should be here any minute.”
“Then let’s do a thorough search of the house before they get here,” Austin said.
“I think we should wait for Scotland Yard,” Sadie said. “This is a crime scene.”
Austin looked at her as if he’d love nothing more than to duct tape her mouth shut. “Scotland Yard operates out of London. We deal with the Police Authority here.” He turned back to the staff. “We’ll search the estate. The police don’t need this kind of nonsense filling up their afternoon.”
Sadie tried not to glare at the man, but it was very hard. Austin called each of the staff members by name, assigning them portions of the house and grounds to search. Sadie realized that Austin must manage the estate in addition to the earl’s holdings. He was certainly comfortable with being in charge. Liam continued to hang back, hands in his pockets.
“We’ll meet back in twenty minutes,” he said as the staff began to mill about. “I’m sure John Henry is taking a break somewhere, so let’s find him.”
Sadie watched the staff leave the room. Austin had sent most of them out in pairs, but Sadie found that a far from optimal arrangement. “They aren’t going to find a man taking a smoke break,” she said to
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