“I don’t know. I do believe it’s someone in your household. Not Kat and not Caer—Kat would die for you, and Caer wasn’t here when everything began. She didn’t even know any of us until you were taken ill.”
Sean stared at him angrily. “Bridey is dead. I guess that exonerates her.”
Zach knew the other man’s anger wasn’t directed at him. Sean just didn’t want to believe that anyone close to him could be guilty of murder.
“No, not Bridey,” Zach agreed dryly.
Sean stared at him, his eyes suddenly burning. “What about Morrissey?”
“He’s a cop.”
“So?” Sean leaned forward. “He knew everything everyone was up to. And who better to hide evidence than a cop?”
“Yes, a cop knows how to hide evidence better than anyone else. But I’m not convinced. Morrissey knew what was going on with you and Eddie and your hunt for Nigel Bridgewater’s treasure. Besides, anyone knows enough to wear gloves to avoid leaving prints, and that the sea, especially in winter, with the currents, is a great place to toss a body. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. As to the attack on Jorey…I don’t think that was planned. Stealing a knife from the kitchen when the pub was crowded and no one was watching…that was an act of improvisation, and luckily no one was badly hurt.” He shuddered, remembering how afraid he’d been that he was about to lose Caer. “Listen, I’m going to go identify Eddie, and I want you to stick with Caer and Kat—and Amanda, unless she has other plans. I was going to check out the Sea Maiden again myself today, so you three have to do that now. See if anything is amiss or if you can find anything that looks like a clue to where Eddie might have taken the treasure. No one knows her like you do, Sean.”
“No one but Eddie.” Sean sighed. “She was his love. He knew her backwards and forwards. But yeah, so do I. So do I.”
“Good. Jeremy and Rowenna are heading to Boston to talk to the man Eddie ordered the ornament from, and Aidan is checking into a few things himself. I want the rest of you to stick together. I don’t think you’ll be in any danger in a group. Oh, and eat out.”
“Now you think Clara is the murderer?” Sean asked dryly.
“I think Clara was manipulated—made to look as if she were guilty—and that means someone could try it again. Besides, I haven’t ruled anyone out yet.”
“Including Morrissey?”
“Including Morrissey. Aidan is on that one. You just make sure not to leave the others’ sides. You four stick close together.”
“Zach, I swear. I’ll keep the other three in my sight all day, every hour.”
When Zach left Sean, he found Jeremy and Rowenna ready to leave for Boston. Aidan had already headed out to find a patch of private territory far from the house and all possible suspects where he could call his contacts.
Zach decided to eat something before he left. He found Caer and Kat already in the breakfast room. Caer’s eyes met his, a wealth of sadness and resignation in them.
“Well, this sucks,” Kat said, settling into a chair with her cup of coffee. “Dad said she’s coming.”
“I take it she means Amanda?” Zach asked Caer, taking a bite of a Danish.
“She does,” Caer agreed.
“Well, just ignore her. She’ll probably go sit in the cabin in a huff anyway. I want you two to go over the Sea Maiden with Sean. Sorry,” he said, smiling at Caer, “but you’ll have to check out Eddie’s poetry another time.” His tone grew firmer. “And be careful. Make sure you have your cell phones. If anything weird happens, anything at all, call me or call Aidan.”
“What about Morrissey?” Kat asked.
“Call Aidan first,” Zach said. Did he mistrust Morrissey now? Or was he just being paranoid?
Morrissey had been decent from the beginning, a good cop.
He was being paranoid, he decided. He didn’t like the idea of going to Providence; he felt as if he should stay with them. But someone had to go. And it needed to be him.
He paused, watching the two women: Kat, the feisty little sprite who was like his sister, and Caer, beautiful, regal, strangely sad and serene.
He gave Kat a kiss on the cheek, then pulled Caer up into his arms and kissed her lips tenderly.
Kat whistled.
Caer pulled away, blushing….
“Go,” she said. “We’ll be fine. Maybe we can even convince Sean to take us out sailing. We can check out the boat and have some fun at the same time. We’ll be fine.”
He nodded, turned and left.
Everyone was dressed and ready.
Amanda even seemed excited.
“I actually think this will be fun,” she said, packing a canvas tote bag in the kitchen. “Coffee, we have to take coffee. And some whiskey.”
Caer, gathering things from the kitchen as Amanda suggested them, was startled when her cell phone rang.
She answered, thinking that it might be Zach.
But it wasn’t. It was Michael.
She smiled weakly at Amanda and stepped out of the kitchen, knowing the other woman was watching her suspiciously.
“Michael, what do you want? I can’t talk to you now.”