with those serious gray eyes, now as cool as the wintry day outside. She felt as if she were eight again, not in need of rescue from the hurricane storm this time, but caught in some child's naughtiness.
"Do I need to ask?" Gage drawled shrewdly.
Chapter 7
"I don't know what you mean," Meghan huffed. "I'm simply looking for a pair of gloves I left here before ... before Nell died."
"Try again, Bailey," he suggested without rancor. "You don't have a pair of gloves belonging to your mother."
"Don't call me ... " She sighed, sank onto the edge of the bed, and returned the crystal bird to its proper place. "Oh, all right. I'm looking for a clue."
Gage frowned at her. Christ Jesus, would the girl never cease to meddle? "I thought I made it clear you weren't to get involved in this investigation."
"This may surprise you, Tucker Gage," she said haughtily, "but I don't obey every word you say as if it were a message handed down from Sinai."
God help him. He took a deep breath and held his temper.
A conspiratorial tone crept into Meghan's voice. "There might be something here in Nell's room that can point to the identity of her killer."
Gage tried to sound stern in the face of Bailey's theatrics. "We haven't ascertained there was a killer. Nell probably fell, struck her head, and slipped into the water to drown. I'm sorry to be so blunt, Bailey, but that's likely what happened."
"Maybe," she argued, "but not with certainty. The coroner's report suggests otherwise by naming James Wade."
"How the hell did you hear that?"
She lifted one side of her clever mouth. "I have ways," she answered smugly. "And anyway, you surely don't believe Wade killed Nell."
"Why not?"
"James Wade hasn't the brains God gave a sheep."
"Unlike you, I don't jump to conclusions. I prefer to look at the evidence," Gage retorted.
"Exactly!" Bailey answered triumphantly.
Gage ignored her gloating. Since they were already here, he might as well exploit Bailey's very fine mind. "What specifically are you looking for?"
At her surprised look, he hastened to explain. "I'm not giving my approval."
He looked over his shoulder through the open door. "But since we're both here and no one else is about, we may as well ... what are you looking for?"
"If I knew that, I wouldn't have to look, now would I?" She flounced off the bed and rummaged through the night table.
"You do know that I conducted a thorough search of this room the morning after Nell disappeared?" he reminded her.
"Yes, and searched like a man, I imagine," Meg muttered, turning to the top drawer of the bureau and peering into it.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you are a man," she answered in studied patience, "and therefore you looked for items a man would think are important."
Her logic confused him. "And you intend to – to what?"
"Look for something that I know, as a woman, would have significance to Nell."
"Such as?"
"I don't know yet, Gage!" She slammed the drawer shut and moved her way down to the second and the third ones. "If I did, I shouldn't have to prevaricate about being in Nell's room."
Gage approached the giant wardrobe on the opposite wall and opened the light-colored doors to expose a wooden dowel hung with a number of feminine garments. Handkerchiefs, shawls, and other items were stacked on several shelves.
The faint scent of lavender and cedar rose from inside the cabinet, the odor still pungent after these many days. He separated the garments one at a time, although he'd done this during his initial search of Nell's room.
The girl's shoes were lined up on the floor of the wardrobe. He picked up each shoe and turned it over in his hand, examining the soles and thrusting his fingers inside them all the way to the toes. As he knew he would, he found nothing.
Bailey peered around his arm, unable to see over his shoulder. "You're examining the inside of her shoes?" She crunched her face as though such a notion was completely foreign to
"Do I need to ask?" Gage drawled shrewdly.
Chapter 7
"I don't know what you mean," Meghan huffed. "I'm simply looking for a pair of gloves I left here before ... before Nell died."
"Try again, Bailey," he suggested without rancor. "You don't have a pair of gloves belonging to your mother."
"Don't call me ... " She sighed, sank onto the edge of the bed, and returned the crystal bird to its proper place. "Oh, all right. I'm looking for a clue."
Gage frowned at her. Christ Jesus, would the girl never cease to meddle? "I thought I made it clear you weren't to get involved in this investigation."
"This may surprise you, Tucker Gage," she said haughtily, "but I don't obey every word you say as if it were a message handed down from Sinai."
God help him. He took a deep breath and held his temper.
A conspiratorial tone crept into Meghan's voice. "There might be something here in Nell's room that can point to the identity of her killer."
Gage tried to sound stern in the face of Bailey's theatrics. "We haven't ascertained there was a killer. Nell probably fell, struck her head, and slipped into the water to drown. I'm sorry to be so blunt, Bailey, but that's likely what happened."
"Maybe," she argued, "but not with certainty. The coroner's report suggests otherwise by naming James Wade."
"How the hell did you hear that?"
She lifted one side of her clever mouth. "I have ways," she answered smugly. "And anyway, you surely don't believe Wade killed Nell."
"Why not?"
"James Wade hasn't the brains God gave a sheep."
"Unlike you, I don't jump to conclusions. I prefer to look at the evidence," Gage retorted.
"Exactly!" Bailey answered triumphantly.
Gage ignored her gloating. Since they were already here, he might as well exploit Bailey's very fine mind. "What specifically are you looking for?"
At her surprised look, he hastened to explain. "I'm not giving my approval."
He looked over his shoulder through the open door. "But since we're both here and no one else is about, we may as well ... what are you looking for?"
"If I knew that, I wouldn't have to look, now would I?" She flounced off the bed and rummaged through the night table.
"You do know that I conducted a thorough search of this room the morning after Nell disappeared?" he reminded her.
"Yes, and searched like a man, I imagine," Meg muttered, turning to the top drawer of the bureau and peering into it.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you are a man," she answered in studied patience, "and therefore you looked for items a man would think are important."
Her logic confused him. "And you intend to – to what?"
"Look for something that I know, as a woman, would have significance to Nell."
"Such as?"
"I don't know yet, Gage!" She slammed the drawer shut and moved her way down to the second and the third ones. "If I did, I shouldn't have to prevaricate about being in Nell's room."
Gage approached the giant wardrobe on the opposite wall and opened the light-colored doors to expose a wooden dowel hung with a number of feminine garments. Handkerchiefs, shawls, and other items were stacked on several shelves.
The faint scent of lavender and cedar rose from inside the cabinet, the odor still pungent after these many days. He separated the garments one at a time, although he'd done this during his initial search of Nell's room.
The girl's shoes were lined up on the floor of the wardrobe. He picked up each shoe and turned it over in his hand, examining the soles and thrusting his fingers inside them all the way to the toes. As he knew he would, he found nothing.
Bailey peered around his arm, unable to see over his shoulder. "You're examining the inside of her shoes?" She crunched her face as though such a notion was completely foreign to
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