This time she was certain that she heard someone. “I’m here!” she shouted again, hitting the door a second time and realizing that each time she hit it, she made a dent in the sheet metal. She cringed, feeling bad about the damage she was inflicting, and yet she lifted her hand again to hit it just as the door opened.
Her own strength caused her to stumble through the door, poker in hand as she tried to regain her balance. Unfortunately she was unable to counteract the laws of physics working against her and she tripped over the bottom seal of the door, falling hard onto the tiled floor of the hallway outside the pantry door. Pain shot through her hip and shoulder, causing her to cry out as she rolled onto her back, her eyes clenched in reaction to the pain radiating through the left side of her body. After a couple of seconds she opened her eyes to look up into the glowering face of Austin Melcalfe.
~ ~ ~
Sadie scrambled backward until she met up with the wall, then placed one hand on it to help her to her feet, the muscles of her body screaming in protest. The other hand, the one holding the poker, she held out in order to keep Austin at bay.
Austin lifted his eyebrows. “Was that you making that incessant banging noise? You’ve managed to awaken the entire household and it’s not even seven.”
“You!” Sadie said, her mind racing. “You locked me in there, didn’t you?”
Austin’s eyebrows rose. “What?” he questioned, then looked back at the door of the vegetable pantry which was now closed. “Why on earth would I lock you in the cooler?”
“You’re the only one who was in the kitchen. I went to get a green pepper out of the pantry and someone locked me inside.”
Austin was silent, then looked at the poker. “And found a poker to defend yourself with?”
Sadie looked at the poker as well, remembering that it was a murder weapon and that John Henry was still in the cooler. Suddenly Manny appeared behind Austin’s shoulder. “Lord Melcalfe, I . . .” he said, taking in the scene that Sadie admitted didn’t look very good. “Mrs. Hoffmiller?”
“Manny,” Sadie said, gratefully. “Call the police. Someone locked me in the vegetable pantry and I—”
“I believe you said I was responsible for locking you in the pantry,” Austin cut in, his voice calm, although his face showed his irritation. “Someone implies that it could have been anyone with access to the kitchen, which, as you’ve proven, can be accessed by anyone.” He held up a pen. “I did find this in the latch of the door—but I certainly didn’t put it there.”
Aha, he was already working on a defense. Could a pen really be responsible for locking her in there? She looked at the handle long enough to see that it could work—the pen would keep the handle from being lifted. Sadie glared at Austin but then looked at Manny again. “I found John Henry.”
Both Manny and Austin showed surprise and looked immediately at the cooler door. Austin moved toward it. “Don’t open it!” Sadie barked, causing him to pause and look at her as though she were completely deranged. “Fingerprints,” she said, only realizing once the word was spoken that if she truly believed Austin was the one who locked her in, it would only be his prints on the handle anyway. She looked at Manny again, pleading with her eyes for him to do what she asked. “Please call the police; tell them we’ve found the body.” She looked down at the poker she was still holding. “And the murder weapon. Ask them to send a real detective this time.”
Austin was shaking his head. “I’ll not have another false report called in,” he said. “And my fingerprints are already on the door because I just opened it.” He was too fast with his explanation for Sadie to stop him. He took one step inside the walk-in, then startled and pulled back, paused, leaned in again, and then quickly stepped out and shut the door, looking at it for a few seconds. Then he turned to face Sadie, his wide eyes part of his well-acted surprise. He swallowed hard and turned toward the security guard.
“Manny,” he said in a dry voice. “Call the police. Tell them to hurry.”
Manny hesitated.
“Do it now,” Austin said sharply. Manny nodded and disappeared around the wall separating the hallway from the kitchen. Sadie hoped he wasn’t going to go far, she didn’t want to be alone with Austin again.
“Are you sure that’s John Henry?” he asked in a quiet voice.
Sadie was not at all impressed with his act. “I can’t help but assume that body is the same one that went missing from the sitting room yesterday. Unless of course you killed someone else.”
Austin watched her for a few moments, his expression hardening. “I had nothing to do with this.” His voice strengthening with every word as his offense returned to its usual levels. “How dare you make such accusations.”
He sounded rather convincing, but Sadie would not be swayed. She opened her mouth to tell him exactly why he’d moved to
suspect number one when hurried footsteps startled her. Moments later, Breanna, Liam, and another security guard appeared behind Austin. Even if she felt badly for the reminder that she’d woken everyone up, Sadie was relieved to see familiar faces.
“Mom,” Breanna said, looking quite worried. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine now,” Sadie said, smiling as much as she could so Breanna would stop looking so scared. “I was locked in the vegetable pantry,” Sadie explained for the second time. “With John Henry.”
Breanna gasped loudly and put a hand to her mouth. She was holding her robe together at the neck with her other hand and her fist tightened around the fabric. Liam and the other security guard looked equally shocked.
“With John Henry?” Breanna repeated, lowering her hand from her mouth and looking at the poker in Sadie’s hand.
“And she believes I did it,” Austin glowered.
Liam looked at Austin in surprise, while Breanna continued to stare at her mother, tears rising in her eyes.
“I’m okay, Bre,” Sadie said, taking a couple steps forward so she could put her hand on Breanna’s shoulder.
“Because I let you out,” Austin added. Sadie glared at him just in case he hadn’t figured out that she really didn’t like him at all.
Sadie turned to look at Liam and Manny. “He came down to the kitchen just before six o’clock,” Sadie said, wondering how much she dared say and then decided she’d lay it all out there. “He was looking for a kitchen maid.”
Austin clenched his mouth shut and his neck and face began to turn red. Sadie hurried to continue, making eye contact with Breanna who was still visibly shaken. “The one who ran out yesterday,” Sadie said. “He asked all kinds of questions about her and then left. Five minutes later I go into the pantry for a green pepper, find the poker, and the door is locked tight when I try to get out. He used that pen to jam it.” She pointed at the pen still in Austin’s hand.
“But, uh, why would Austin lock you in?” Liam asked, looking at Breanna. He seemed as worried about her as he did the situation.
“That’s a good question,” Sadie said. “Ask him. He told the police yesterday that Breanna and I couldn’t be trusted, he knew all kinds of details before anyone else did, and he was hanging out in the kitchen looking for Lacy.” And he’d been looking at the family pedigree while Liam was looking for the family Bible. Maybe the two things weren’t related, but Liam had said the earl didn’t seem to trust Austin too much either. An uncomfortable wiggling in her stomach told her she was saying too much and needed to save the rest for the police. However, she couldn’t help but make one last plea for her position. “Didn’t I tell you he was suspicious?”
Breanna nodded, but it was careful, as if she didn’t fully believe Sadie either. She looked at Liam, which Sadie found even more annoying. Was no one on her side?
“You are jumping to false conclusions,” Austin spat back. “And I knew the details because Grant told them to me.”
“And Lacy?” Sadie accused. “Are you going to deny that you were looking for her this morning?”
They all fell silent, Austin looking equal parts angry and stunned. Sadie wondered if anyone had ever talked to him like this in his life. “You know nothing about me,” he finally said.
“I know enough,” she said, raising her chin. “I know that you’re part of whatever conspiracy is going on here. And I promise you that I am going to figure it out and show you for who you really are.”
Austin’s nostrils flared, but she had the satisfaction of catching a glimmer of fear cross his face in the process.
Liam stepped forward and took Sadie’s arm, pulling her back from where she’d been slowly moving toward Austin. “Sadie,” he said, trying to sound authoritative. “I think you should go to your room. I’ll have the inspector come up and talk with you as soon as he arrives.”
“No,” Sadie said, pulling her arm away and shaking her head. “I’m tired of being told what to do.” And she was tired of being sent to her room every time something important happened.
“Not that you ever listen to what anyone tells you,” Austin retorted.
“And it’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Sadie spat, wanting very much to slap the man. “If I had done as you said and not come down here, I’d have never found John Henry at all.”
“Which brings us back to the part about why I would want you to find him if, as you say, I killed him and hid the body. I would know that locking you in the pantry would ensure you’d find him, right?”
“Stop,” Liam said, his neck red with suppressed frustration. “Just stop all of this right now.”
“She’s a raving lunatic,” Austin said, glaring at Sadie and ignoring Liam altogether.
“And you’re a deceptive man up to his ears in motive and opportunity, trying to hide behind the skirts of his mother’s family name,” Sadie countered.
“How dare you speak to me like this,” Austin spat. His face turned even darker red and the volume of his voice raised with each word he spoke. “I want you out of my kitchen, out of my house, and out of my country immediately!”
~ ~ ~
Your house?” Sadie repeated, feeling completely justified by his loss of composure. “Since when was this your house?”
“I have been managing this house for—”
“Yeah, yeah—blah, blah, blah,” Sadie cut in, rolling her eyes. “I’ve been managing the kitchen for an hour, does that make it my kitchen?”
“Stop it,” Liam said, putting his hands up and closing his eyes as if he couldn’t stand it. “Both of you.” They both stopped but continued glaring at one another. Liam opened his eyes, took a breath, and licked his lips. “Austin, were you in the kitchen this morning?” He didn’t make eye contact with Austin when he spoke but his voice sounded a little stronger than it had yesterday. Maybe he’d realized that as the heir, he should be the one in charge.
“Yes,” Austin said. “But I’ve no reason to lock her in the pantry. She was mixing up eggs in a bowl when I left.”
“Why were you here at all?” Liam asked, looking at his cousin.
“Why was she?” Austin returned.
Liam looked at Sadie who answered before she was asked. “Making breakfast,” she said. “Obviously.” She glared at Austin again. “And I told you why Austin was here,” she continued, feeling very smug as the conversation circled back to Austin. “Mrs. Land told me Lacy always did breakfast. Austin didn’t know she’d run off yesterday so he came to see her at a time he thought she’d be here. Conveniently it was also a time that no one else would be around.”
She waited for Austin to refute it, but he said nothing, simply held Sadie’s eyes as his jaw clenched and his face continued to redden. Sadie was sure that if they had been alone, she’d be in big trouble.
“Why were you here to see this girl?” Liam asked. “What is she to you?” Sadie knew he was wondering the same thing Sadie was—did Austin’s relationship with this girl have anything to do with the lack of trust his father felt toward him before he had the stroke?
Whether Austin was thrown off by the question or just being stubborn, he refused to answer, which was an answer all its own in Sadie’s opinion. After waiting several seconds, Liam took a breath. “Okay,” he said. “Never mind. Austin, please go upstairs and wait for the police to arrive.”
“What?” Sadie asked, whipping her head back to look at Liam. “You can’t let him go!”
“Sadie,” Liam said with a kind of pleading frustration. “He’s going to go upstairs, that’s all.”
“He could run off or something,” Sadie said. “How do you know he won’t?”
“Because I’m a man of my word, Mrs. Hoffmiller,” Austin said. “And Liam knows that. I’ve done nothing to warrant your accusations and you will feel very foolish when you come to that same conclusion.” He then walked past her and out of the kitchen by way of the dish room.
Liam turned to Manny. “Please have someone keep an eye on him.”
Manny nodded and moved to the side of the room, lifting his walkie-talkie but talking too softly to be overheard.
“I’m not going to my room,” Sadie said, trying not to sound like a six-year-old as she turned to face Liam. She was still holding the poker and wished she could put it down somewhere. “I’m in the middle of making breakfast. Everyone needs to eat something and I’ve already got all the preparations underway.”
“Someone else can take over,” Liam said. “You’ve had a horrible shock and you need to—”
“No one else can take over, Liam,” Sadie interrupted. “That’s why I’m here in the first place. Lacy ran off and Mrs. Land was sent away, which leaves only upstairs maids and footmen—and none of them know anything about cooking. I’m not going to my room, so you can stop trying to make me.”
Liam took another deep breath. “Okay, fine,” he said, then turned to Breanna. “Will you stay with her?”
Sadie looked at Breanna to see her staring at Liam. Breanna opened her mouth, then looked at Sadie, then back at Liam again. Sadie couldn’t tell if Breanna just didn’t understand what Liam was saying—or perhaps Liam taking charge of the situation had thrown her off. “I need to talk to you first, Liam,” she said, an edge in her voice that surprised Sadie.
Liam swallowed, looking nervous, but he nodded. “Um, okay.” He looked toward the security officer who had been hanging back and ran a hand through his disheveled hair as he shifted his weight. “Can, um, one of you guys make sure Mrs. Hoffmiller is safe as well as stand guard over this cooler until the police arrive?”