Fixing To Die

“Yes, the authorities have to be notified,” An’gel said. “Let’s wait here until Henry Howard gets through with his calls. In the meantime, you need some more hot coffee. You’re starting to look too pale again.”

“I’ll get it for her.” Benjy reached for the cup and took it to the sideboard.

An’gel glanced across the table at Dickce and then noticed that Primrose Pace had disappeared from the room. Where was she? An’gel wondered. She had no time to ponder the question further, because Serenity Foster and Truss Wilbanks walked into the dining room then.

“Good morning,” Serenity said. “I hope we’re not too late for breakfast.” She looked around the room for a moment, and when she spotted the coffee urn on the sideboard, she made a beeline for it.

“We’re here before eight,” Wilbanks said as he glanced around the room. “As you told us to be.”

Marcelline bustled into the room, and An’gel wondered if the housekeeper had been standing at the kitchen door, watching for the two of them. She started to recite the breakfast menu but broke off when she noticed Mary Turner sitting at the table with An’gel standing by her.

She hurried over. “Miss Mary, what’s wrong? Are you sick, honey?”

Mary Turner shook her head. “No, Marcelline, I’ll be okay. Something really sad has happened, and I’m a little shaken by it. And now I have to talk to Serenity.” She looked across the table toward the sideboard, where her cousin stood sipping coffee.

“What is it?” Serenity asked as she approached the table. “Did Nathan fall down the stairs and break his leg? I warned him about snooping around during the night. He can barely see in the dark.” She laughed.

An’gel would have found the young woman’s remarks in poor taste at any time, but now they seemed particularly unfortunate.

“Mrs. Foster, I think you’d better sit down,” An’gel told her. “You, too, Mr. Wilbanks. I’m afraid Mary Turner has bad news for you.”

Serenity Foster looked taken aback but did as An’gel told her to. Wilbanks came to stand behind her chair and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Go ahead, what is it?” Serenity said, her tone harsh.

“Nathan is dead, Serenity,” Mary Turner said. “We found him, Henry Howard and I did, I mean, only a few minutes ago. He must have died in his sleep. He was still in bed.”

Serenity stared across the table at her cousin. All the color drained from her face, and An’gel thought the young woman was going to faint. Wilbanks tightened his grip on her shoulders, An’gel noticed.

“He can’t be dead,” Serenity said. “He’s too young, and he was in perfect health as far as I know. Is this some kind of sick joke you’re trying to play, Mary Turner?”

“No, it’s not a joke, Serenity.” Henry Howard spoke from the doorway. He walked into the room, his own shock still evident in his expression. “Nathan is dead. I’ve called for the doctor, well, an ambulance, that is, and I’ve called the police.”

“The police? What the hell for?” Serenity said. “Do you think he was murdered?”

“Calm down, Serenity,” Wilbanks said. When Serenity tried to rise from her chair, he kept her in place. “No one is saying he was murdered.”

“Why would you think that?” Marcelline demanded. “Why would someone want to kill that brother of yours? He probably had a weak heart, and something scared him to death.”

An’gel wished the housekeeper hadn’t used those unfortunate words.

“That’s crazy talk,” Serenity said hotly. “There aren’t any ghosts here. That’s just Mary Turner trying to scare Nathan away from this place. She’s never wanted him to have what was rightly his. Whatever happened to him, I know she did it.” She tried again to get out of her chair, and Wilbanks forced her down again.

“Take your hands off me,” she told him. “I’m not going to rip her face off, though I sure the hell would like to. I’ll wait and tell it all to the police.”

“I think you’d better take her out of here, Truss,” Henry Howard said, a steely glint in his eye. An’gel was happy to hear him finally speak up and take charge of the situation. “Why don’t y’all go out to the kitchen with Marcelline, and she can give you breakfast there if you feel up to eating anything.” He held up a hand when Serenity started to protest. “I’ll let you know as soon as the police are ready to talk to you, I promise.”

“Come on,” Wilbanks said. He stepped back to allow Serenity out of her chair. “We’ll do that.”

An’gel could almost feel the heat pouring off Marcelline. If looks could kill, she thought, Serenity Foster would be joining her brother soon if Marcelline had her way.

“Please, Marcelline,” Mary Turner said.

“All right, Miss Mary,” the housekeeper said. “For your sake.” She marched out of the dining room and didn’t look back to see whether Serenity and Wilbanks followed.

Serenity stared hard at Mary Turner. “You’re not going to get away with this.” She allowed Wilbanks to lead her from the room after that parting shot.

“We never should have let any of them in the house,” Henry Howard said in an undertone. “What a nightmare this is going to be.”