Dead With The Wind

CHAPTER 29

Benjy wished Lance had stayed at home. He didn’t mind looking after Tippy. She was a cute kid and pretty well behaved as long as you kept her entertained.

That Lance, however. Benjy shook his head as he made his way down to the cottage to retrieve Peanut and Endora. Lance was a bigger kid in some ways than the four-year-old. Benjy felt sorry for him, though, because the guy was so dumb. He figured it wouldn’t be long before Tippy could outsmart Lance. She seemed like a pretty bright kid.

He walked faster. He was anxious to get back to the house and make sure Tippy was okay. He was hoping Lance wouldn’t let something slip about Sondra. He’d almost taken Lance aside before he left to tell him not to talk about Sondra, but then he realized it might not do any good. He would just have to hope Sondra’s name didn’t come up until he was back with them and able to divert Tippy’s attention.

Peanut bounded out the moment Benjy opened the door, woofing happily. Benjy squatted to hug the Labradoodle, and Endora jumped on his shoulder.

“Okay, kids,” he said as he stood. “Let’s do our business, because I have to get back.” Peanut barked, and Benjy grinned at the dog. “Don’t worry, you’re going with me. Come on now, let’s get going.”

Endora rode on his shoulder as he headed back toward Willowbank. She had a litter box in the cottage, so it was Peanut who really needed to do his business. Benjy thought the expression was funny. He’d picked it up from the sisters, who never said pee or poop when it came to the animals’ bodily functions. Benjy had learned to be careful about using such words around them. He wouldn’t offend them for anything, because they had been so good to him.

Peanut hiked his leg against one of the largest trees Benjy had ever seen. Benjy heard voices coming from somewhere nearby. He glanced around but didn’t see anyone. Whoever it was must be on the other side of the tree. Peanut finished, and Benjy was about to lead the dog on toward the house.

Then he caught a couple of words and stayed where he was.

“. . . big trouble. You gotta get me out of this, or else I’m going to blow my brains out.”

Benjy recognized Horace’s voice. Man, he sure sounded upset.

Another man spoke, but Benjy wasn’t sure who he was.

“I told you, I can’t right now. You’ve got to sit tight a little longer. And stop that stupid talk about killing yourself. Everything’s going to be fine, I promise you. I’ll have the money, just tell the creditors you’re getting a loan.”

The more the guy talked, the more familiar his voice sounded. Benjy struggled to place it, and then he remembered. It was that lawyer guy. What was his name?

The men moved away, headed toward the house, or so Benjy judged by the sound of their footsteps. He had a hand on Peanut’s head, and the Labradoodle remained quiet. Benjy didn’t want to embarrass the men, or himself, by letting them know he’d overheard their conversation. He also wondered whether what they were talking about had anything to do with what was going on with the family.

As soon as he thought the men were out of sight, Benjy emerged from behind the tree with Peanut beside him and Endora still on his shoulder. The first chance he got, he would tell the sisters about what he’d heard.

First, though, he needed to check on Tippy and Lance. Once they were in the house, he raced up the stairs, Endora in his arms now. Peanut ran ahead of him. There was no sign of the men, and Benjy was thankful for that.

The door of Tippy’s bedroom was shut, and Peanut stood in front of it, whining. “Shhh,” Benjy told him, and the dog quieted. Benjy opened the door, and Peanut slipped in. Benjy stepped inside as Tippy squealed happily at the sight of Peanut. Lance looked up from his seated position on the floor and frowned.

“We’re having a fashion show,” he explained. “Don’t let the dog knock stuff over.”

“Okay,” Benjy said. He surveyed the scene Lance had put together. A folded towel formed a runway, and at the end away from Lance stood a dollhouse with four dolls in standing position leaned against it. Each of the dolls wore a brightly colored dress, and they all had shoes on their tiny feet.

Tippy introduced Lance to Peanut and Endora. The cat hopped from Benjy’s shoulder onto the bed, where she preened and licked at her shoulders.

“How pretty,” Lance said. “I never saw a cat that color before.”

Benjy thought about explaining Endora’s breed to Lance but thought the conversation might get too complicated. Tippy’s next remark put it out of his mind completely.

With her arm around Peanut’s neck, Tippy looked up at Benjy and announced in a solemn tone, “My mommy is in heaven.”

Oh, crap, I knew I shouldn’t have left her alone with this guy. “Really. Who told you that?” Benjy glared at Lance, but the man was oblivious as usual.

“Wance did,” Tippy said. “He said my mommy is in heaven, but I can’t see her until I go there. That’s going to be a wong, wong time, isn’t it, Wance?”

“Yes, it is,” Lance said as he smiled at the little girl. “You have to stay here with me and be my friend. Your mommy will be fine in heaven. My daddy is there, too, and he’ll look after her.”

“That’s good,” Tippy said. “Mommy wikes having a man to wook after her.”

Benjy grimaced at that statement. Tippy was way too young to be aware of that kind of thing.

“Yes, I know,” Lance said. “I thought I was going to be the man who would look after her, and she was going to look after me, too.” He shook his head. “But I think she was going to change her mind about that before she went to heaven.”

Tippy looked concerned. “But Mommy wuvved you, she told me she did. I told her I wuv you, too.”

“Thank you, sweetie,” Lance said. “I love you, too.” He cut a sideways glance at Benjy. “I was going to be Tippy’s father.”

“You can still be my daddy, Wance.” Tippy let go of Peanut to lean over and give Lance a kiss on the cheek.

Benjy thought it was about time to change the subject. He felt increasingly uncomfortable. He believed that Lance really did love Tippy. He was like a big kid himself, but with Sondra gone, Lance really had no role in Tippy’s life other than as a family friend.

“Tell me about your fashion show,” Benjy said.

“Wance can do that,” Tippy said. “I have to potty.” She walked around Lance and headed for the door.

Benjy followed her into the hallway and watched until she closed the bathroom door behind her. He kept an eye toward the bathroom, but he wanted to question Lance.

“You said you thought Sondra had changed her mind and was interested in another man,” he said. “Do you have any idea who it was?”

“No,” Lance said. “Sondra wouldn’t tell me. I think he was a lot older than her, though.” He frowned. “I don’t know why she’d want to marry an old guy. We really could have had a lot of fun together.”

Benjy kept his eye on the bathroom door. He decided to risk a question. “Aren’t you gay?”

Lance didn’t appear offended at the question. “What does that have to do with anything? Sondra knew, and it didn’t bother her. She told me she didn’t like, well, you know, having sex.” He blushed.

Benjy couldn’t resist rolling his eyes at that, but he was glad Lance couldn’t see him doing it. “So you were going to marry her, and the two of you were just going to have fun together?”

“Sondra wanted to get married so she could have her money from her daddy,” Lance said. “And she promised to take me to New York so I could be discovered and be a famous model. But I wasn’t supposed to tell anybody.” He frowned, as if considering that.

The bathroom door opened, and Tippy emerged. She trotted back to Benjy and slipped past him into the room. Benjy sighed and closed the door. He leaned against it for a moment, thinking. He had a lot to tell Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce, but for now he was going watch the big kid give the little kid a fashion show.

Dickce awoke to the noise of sirens sounding from somewhere close by. She also awoke with a cat curled up on the spare pillow next to her. “Endora, what on earth is going on?” Dickce sat up on the side of the bed and tried to gain her bearings. She had been sound asleep and felt groggy.

The sirens persisted, and now they sounded like they were right outside her window. Slowly she got up from the bed and went to peer out the window overlooking the rear of the house. She blinked in surprise at the sight of an ambulance and a police car pulled up in front of the servants’ quarters. Her heart sank. She was afraid Jackson had collapsed, the strain of Mireille’s loss too much for him to bear.

Now completely awake, she slipped on her shoes and opened the bedroom door. She cast a glance back at the cat. Endora seemed perfectly content to remain where she was, so Dickce left her in the room. Benjy was already on the stairs, his head and shoulders disappearing as she reached the top of the flight.

She called out to him, and he stopped to look back. Dickce hurried down a few steps until she was two above him. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“No, ma’am,” he said. “I was on my way to find out.”

“What about Tippy?” she asked. “Perhaps I should stay with her and let you go on.”

“It’s okay,” Benjy said. “Lance is with her.”

“Lance?” Dickce cast a doubtful glance up the stairs in the direction of Tippy’s room.

“She’ll be fine with him,” Benjy said. “He’s really good with her. Come on, let’s go find out what the sirens are all about.”

Dickce followed him down, but at a slower pace. By the time she reached the foot of the stairs, Benjy was entering the kitchen. Dickce wondered where An’gel was. Probably smack-dab in the middle of the action. She hurried to the kitchen.

Dickce was thrilled to see Jackson when she walked out the back door. He stood with Benjy a few feet away. They were watching the scene unfold at the servants’ quarters, but from a safe distance. Dickce joined them.

The ambulance and the police car blocked the view of the far end of the building. Dickce thought Estelle’s apartment was on that end. Jackson’s, she remembered, was the one closest to the house.

“What’s going on, Jackson?” Dickce asked.

Jackson turned to her with a frown. “I’m not rightly sure, Miss Dickce. Miss An’gel went over to Estelle’s a little while ago, and the next thing I know, sirens are screaming, and they come tearing around the side of the house.” He nodded in the direction of the ambulance and the police car.

“Is An’gel still over there?” Dickce wished her sister would turn up.

“I believe so,” Jackson said.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Benjy said. “Look, here she comes.”

An’gel, escorted by Officer Sanford, was indeed walking toward the house. Dickce hurried forward to meet them. She wanted to assure herself that An’gel was all right.

An’gel looked okay, Dickce decided when she was five feet away. But she was holding on to the young policeman’s arm like a lifeline.

“Sister, what happened?” Dickce said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” An’gel said. “A bit shaken up, but I’ll do.” She released her grip on Sanford’s arm. “Thank you, young man. I’ll go on to the house with my sister. When you need me, you can find me in the kitchen.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sanford ducked his head, then turned and walked back to the action.

Dickce took her sister’s arm and led her toward the house.

“Tell me what happened,” she said. “Is something wrong with Estelle?”

“There sure is,” An’gel said grimly. “She’s dead.”

“Oh dear,” Dickce said. “Did she have a heart attack?”

“No,” An’gel replied. “She was poisoned, and I believe I saw her killer.”