his grandmother. True, Amelia had been his step— grandmother, but given the fact she'd been in the family most of his life, and had gifted him a car, didn't that naturally presume some closeness between the two? On the other hand, it seemed as if he wasn't getting that car after all now. Something else to dig into.
Danny moved ahead of her in a loose lope.
The teen was cool and charming. Talking with the person he'd fingered to the police the night before didn't seem to prey at all on his conscience. Kate caught up to him again on the broad steps and added, "I'd like to offer my condolences to the cook, Mrs. Baxter, too. It must have been horrible for her yesterday. You don't happen to know where she lives, do you?"
"Gatehouse." Danny used his free hand to point to a cottage near the east end of the property. "Gramma let her live there so she could walk to work. She can't drive."
"But how did she get to and from the grocer's?"
"Took a cab."
Yes, Kate remembered Mrs. Baxter saying a cab was waiting before she'd left for her errands. The neat little gatehouse seemed perfect for a single woman. At least she had the impression Mrs. Baxter was widowed. Where had she gotten that idea?
Kate turned back to Danny, as he added, "When she was ready to come home she called, and Gramma told Dad to go pick her up."
So, Bill was definitely around at the time the body was found. It didn't prove he was onsite as the poison was administered, but he could have added the water to the teapot on his way back through the kitchen after receiving his chauffeuring orders.
"Did your dad help check out the car with your Uncle Thomas yesterday?"
Danny shrugged. "He wasn't much help. Tax attorneys aren't really comfortable around motor oil. Not like he was in any hurry to get back to me and Uncle Thomas, either."
Warning bells sounded in Kate's head. "I'm sure he was helpful carrying in the groceries for Mrs. Baxter."
Another shrug. "Mostly Uncle Thomas did. We hadn't realized how close to five it was, and I reminded Dad about meeting Mom for dinner. She and Gramma don't…didn't get along. Divorce didn't change anything. Mom always made it a practice to schedule something to screw things up whenever she knew Dad and I were coming here. Anyway, we unloaded the bags to the side porch, and Uncle Thomas took stuff into the kitchen. Mrs. B's screams kind of made everything come to a halt."
"I can't imagine how horrible…"
Danny twitched one shoulder, shrugging off the thought, and ushered her inside. The interior seemed much as Kate remembered, but not quite. She tried to decide on the difference and realized a lighted display case was missing from the foyer. "Wasn't a collection of porcelain here?"
"Yeah, Aunt Sophia snatched that early this morning. She had two guys and a truck in the driveway at eight. Said it was Grandpop's, and he'd always promised it to her. Dad tried to argue with her, you know, wait 'til the will is read and all, but she didn't listen. Big surprise."
"Danny…" Bill Nethercutt exited the kitchen, tray in hand. "Let's not rattle the family skeletons." He smiled at Kate. "I'm sure you know the way to the parlor."
With an inward sigh, she headed back to the room of the damned.
*
Kate broke free from the Nethercutt men as soon as niceties allowed. As her tires bounced over the cobblestone drive she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw the pantomime of their argument resume. Too bad there wasn't any way to overhear without being obvious. Both father and son required further investigation.
The converted gatehouse sat nestled under tall hemlocks and could be a model for the grandmother's cottage in Little Red Riding Hood. At Kate's knock, Mrs. Baxter opened the door, her eyes huge and watery blue behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. It took a second for the plump woman to realize who Kate was, but she quickly recovered. "Oh, yes, you were the organizing lady at Miss Amelia's." Mrs. Baxter smiled and waved her
Danny moved ahead of her in a loose lope.
The teen was cool and charming. Talking with the person he'd fingered to the police the night before didn't seem to prey at all on his conscience. Kate caught up to him again on the broad steps and added, "I'd like to offer my condolences to the cook, Mrs. Baxter, too. It must have been horrible for her yesterday. You don't happen to know where she lives, do you?"
"Gatehouse." Danny used his free hand to point to a cottage near the east end of the property. "Gramma let her live there so she could walk to work. She can't drive."
"But how did she get to and from the grocer's?"
"Took a cab."
Yes, Kate remembered Mrs. Baxter saying a cab was waiting before she'd left for her errands. The neat little gatehouse seemed perfect for a single woman. At least she had the impression Mrs. Baxter was widowed. Where had she gotten that idea?
Kate turned back to Danny, as he added, "When she was ready to come home she called, and Gramma told Dad to go pick her up."
So, Bill was definitely around at the time the body was found. It didn't prove he was onsite as the poison was administered, but he could have added the water to the teapot on his way back through the kitchen after receiving his chauffeuring orders.
"Did your dad help check out the car with your Uncle Thomas yesterday?"
Danny shrugged. "He wasn't much help. Tax attorneys aren't really comfortable around motor oil. Not like he was in any hurry to get back to me and Uncle Thomas, either."
Warning bells sounded in Kate's head. "I'm sure he was helpful carrying in the groceries for Mrs. Baxter."
Another shrug. "Mostly Uncle Thomas did. We hadn't realized how close to five it was, and I reminded Dad about meeting Mom for dinner. She and Gramma don't…didn't get along. Divorce didn't change anything. Mom always made it a practice to schedule something to screw things up whenever she knew Dad and I were coming here. Anyway, we unloaded the bags to the side porch, and Uncle Thomas took stuff into the kitchen. Mrs. B's screams kind of made everything come to a halt."
"I can't imagine how horrible…"
Danny twitched one shoulder, shrugging off the thought, and ushered her inside. The interior seemed much as Kate remembered, but not quite. She tried to decide on the difference and realized a lighted display case was missing from the foyer. "Wasn't a collection of porcelain here?"
"Yeah, Aunt Sophia snatched that early this morning. She had two guys and a truck in the driveway at eight. Said it was Grandpop's, and he'd always promised it to her. Dad tried to argue with her, you know, wait 'til the will is read and all, but she didn't listen. Big surprise."
"Danny…" Bill Nethercutt exited the kitchen, tray in hand. "Let's not rattle the family skeletons." He smiled at Kate. "I'm sure you know the way to the parlor."
With an inward sigh, she headed back to the room of the damned.
*
Kate broke free from the Nethercutt men as soon as niceties allowed. As her tires bounced over the cobblestone drive she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw the pantomime of their argument resume. Too bad there wasn't any way to overhear without being obvious. Both father and son required further investigation.
The converted gatehouse sat nestled under tall hemlocks and could be a model for the grandmother's cottage in Little Red Riding Hood. At Kate's knock, Mrs. Baxter opened the door, her eyes huge and watery blue behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. It took a second for the plump woman to realize who Kate was, but she quickly recovered. "Oh, yes, you were the organizing lady at Miss Amelia's." Mrs. Baxter smiled and waved her
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