over yours. I cleaned it up. You can thank me later.” She spoke lightly, but she was hugely relieved that Patrick was better.
She gave Patrick water from the tap. “Only tap water. I’m going to grab some food from the pantry.”
“I can’t eat.”
“You need to eat something. I’m going to look for chicken broth. In a can.”
“What have you learned?”
“First, I need to know who you spoke with when we weren’t together yesterday. You tipped someone off. That’s why they drugged your water.”
“I used to be a damn good cop, Lucy. I didn’t tip anyone off.”
“You act like a cop investigating a murder. Wouldn’t that be tip-off enough for the killer?”
Patrick still looked ill, and Lucy wanted him to rest. “I spoke to the sheriff,” she said. “The blizzard won’t be letting up soon. He can’t get the coroner here, but he’s working on sending two deputies. There’s no guarantee they’ll be here today.”
“So Steve did talk to the sheriff. Good.” He sipped some of the water Lucy had given him. “I spoke to Kyle and Alan after we moved Vanessa’s body to the root cellar. They were both a little unnerved. Neither seemed to be hiding anything. Kyle was very worried about his wife.”
“She was sitting up with Trevor most of the night in the library. She said she couldn’t sleep.” Lucy remembered the water by the door. “There was a puddle of water on the floor after I woke you up. In fact—it was after I went to the library. I was in there about fifteen minutes.”
“If it was my water that was drugged, they would have had to have done it before that. I took a leak and drank half the bottle after you woke me.”
“Where did you get the bottle?”
“It was in the bathroom when I—” He hesitated. “I’m not sure. I don’t remember it being there when we checked in Thursday night, but it was there last night when I went to bed. I didn’t think about it.”
“When were you out of your room yesterday?”
“All day. We left about nine-thirty to go skiing, came back at four, found Vanessa at five-thirty—I went to my room to change after we moved her body, between seven and seven ten or so. Then back at eleven.”
“Can you remember if the bottle was there when you changed?”
Patrick closed his eyes, thinking. “No, it wasn’t there.”
“You’re certain.”
“Yes. I brushed my teeth and used a glass for water. When I came back at night and brushed again before bed, the glass was gone.”
“Mom would be so proud of you.”
“What for?”
“You probably flossed, too.”
Patrick threw a pillow at her, then groaned. “I feel like I’ve just been beaten up.”
She sat on the edge of the bed. “You’ll be fine.” Thank God . “We were together most of the evening, except when you went to talk to Steve.”
“Steve and I were talking about how his great-grandfather bought this land and built and lived in the cottage. The kid was really upset, but I felt it had less to do with Marsh’s death and more to do with his physical health.”
“Did you see either Grace or Beth?”
“I didn’t see Grace after Kyle collapsed in the kitchen. Beth was talking to Trevor and Angie later in the evening, but I didn’t talk to her alone.”
Lucy straightened her back as something occurred to her. “Kyle said he was dizzy.”
“Yes. Altitude sickness.”
“I doubt it. He broke a glass, remember? It was juice. Steve was drinking orange juice from a carton yesterday.”
“You think the juice went bad? Or—” Realization dawned on Patrick. “You think they were drugged.”
“I read a letter Steve’s father left him in his will. It was written two years ago, when Steve was eighteen, and Leo said there was plenty of money to support this property, even during the lean years. That was his exact quote. I think Steve believes his dad lied to him.”
“In a will?”
“Exactly, I don’t believe he lied. I think there was money. Beth was a bank manager
She gave Patrick water from the tap. “Only tap water. I’m going to grab some food from the pantry.”
“I can’t eat.”
“You need to eat something. I’m going to look for chicken broth. In a can.”
“What have you learned?”
“First, I need to know who you spoke with when we weren’t together yesterday. You tipped someone off. That’s why they drugged your water.”
“I used to be a damn good cop, Lucy. I didn’t tip anyone off.”
“You act like a cop investigating a murder. Wouldn’t that be tip-off enough for the killer?”
Patrick still looked ill, and Lucy wanted him to rest. “I spoke to the sheriff,” she said. “The blizzard won’t be letting up soon. He can’t get the coroner here, but he’s working on sending two deputies. There’s no guarantee they’ll be here today.”
“So Steve did talk to the sheriff. Good.” He sipped some of the water Lucy had given him. “I spoke to Kyle and Alan after we moved Vanessa’s body to the root cellar. They were both a little unnerved. Neither seemed to be hiding anything. Kyle was very worried about his wife.”
“She was sitting up with Trevor most of the night in the library. She said she couldn’t sleep.” Lucy remembered the water by the door. “There was a puddle of water on the floor after I woke you up. In fact—it was after I went to the library. I was in there about fifteen minutes.”
“If it was my water that was drugged, they would have had to have done it before that. I took a leak and drank half the bottle after you woke me.”
“Where did you get the bottle?”
“It was in the bathroom when I—” He hesitated. “I’m not sure. I don’t remember it being there when we checked in Thursday night, but it was there last night when I went to bed. I didn’t think about it.”
“When were you out of your room yesterday?”
“All day. We left about nine-thirty to go skiing, came back at four, found Vanessa at five-thirty—I went to my room to change after we moved her body, between seven and seven ten or so. Then back at eleven.”
“Can you remember if the bottle was there when you changed?”
Patrick closed his eyes, thinking. “No, it wasn’t there.”
“You’re certain.”
“Yes. I brushed my teeth and used a glass for water. When I came back at night and brushed again before bed, the glass was gone.”
“Mom would be so proud of you.”
“What for?”
“You probably flossed, too.”
Patrick threw a pillow at her, then groaned. “I feel like I’ve just been beaten up.”
She sat on the edge of the bed. “You’ll be fine.” Thank God . “We were together most of the evening, except when you went to talk to Steve.”
“Steve and I were talking about how his great-grandfather bought this land and built and lived in the cottage. The kid was really upset, but I felt it had less to do with Marsh’s death and more to do with his physical health.”
“Did you see either Grace or Beth?”
“I didn’t see Grace after Kyle collapsed in the kitchen. Beth was talking to Trevor and Angie later in the evening, but I didn’t talk to her alone.”
Lucy straightened her back as something occurred to her. “Kyle said he was dizzy.”
“Yes. Altitude sickness.”
“I doubt it. He broke a glass, remember? It was juice. Steve was drinking orange juice from a carton yesterday.”
“You think the juice went bad? Or—” Realization dawned on Patrick. “You think they were drugged.”
“I read a letter Steve’s father left him in his will. It was written two years ago, when Steve was eighteen, and Leo said there was plenty of money to support this property, even during the lean years. That was his exact quote. I think Steve believes his dad lied to him.”
“In a will?”
“Exactly, I don’t believe he lied. I think there was money. Beth was a bank manager
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