Death Takes a Holiday (21 page)

Grace
lay back onto her bed and folded her hands behind her head. Unable to fathom the depths of dysfunction Meredith and her ex were capable of without some sort of guide, Grace decided to probe for more details.

“How long were you two
together?”

“Only for a few months
,” she said, handing Grace a nightgown. “He asked me to marry him just before Christmas. I was so excited to meet his family.” She snorted. “The excitement ended pretty quickly. It was over between us by New Year’s.”

“Do you still love him?”

“I did at one time,” she admitted softly. “Quite a lot actually
.
Lucas is a nitwit, but he can be very loving. Very protective, too. I know you won’t believe this, but I’ve been told by some of my ex-boyfriends that I can be very abrasive. It’s completely not true. I tend to date idiots, but I never had any problem with Lucas. We never fought. Not once while we were together. Not until the day his dad died.”

“What happened?”

“He swept me off my feet with all sorts of promises and like an idiot I believed him. I should have known better. I learned a long time ago that you can’t trust handsome men. They’ll always disappoint you.” She paused a beat. “Actually, you can’t trust anyone. Everyone lies at some point.”

“
Have you ever thought about writing greeting cards?”

“Yes,” Meredith said earnestly. “But then I decided against it. They’re just full of lies.”

Deciding to steer the conversation away from the deficiencies of the greeting card industry and back to the subject of Meredith’s and Lucas’ doomed love affair, Grace asked, “So, what went wrong between you two?”

“I met his f
ather. The hateful old man had the nerve to call me a gold digger,” Meredith said outraged. “I wasn’t after Lucas’ money and I certainly didn’t force him to steal from his family.” She shook her head. “I told Lucas that there was no way I was marrying him, not with Victor Kirby ruling the roost.”

“You told him that?”

Meredith opened the door to the bathroom and went inside. “Yep, the day his dad died,” she said, from behind the door.

Digging through her suitcase, Grace picked up her makeup kit and laid it on the nightstand next to her. Meredith’s open purse fell to the
floor. Thinking nothing of it, Grace picked up the purse. She was about to set it back on the nightstand when she noticed a check signed by Robert Kirby poking out of Meredith’s wallet.

Looking over her shoulder, she called out,
“Then why didn’t you stay with him after his father died? He certainly wasn’t
ruling the roost anymore.” She looked down at the amount written on the check. Ten thousand.

“
Because I found out that Lucas had slept with Tracy on Christmas Eve.”

Grace s
hoved the check back into the purse. She carefully laid the purse back down onto the nightstand before turning around and stretching out on her bed. “Tracy insists she was alone in the guest house.”

Meredith emerged from the bathroom wearing flannel kitty pajamas.
“She’s a liar. I saw them run out of the guest house the night of the fire completely naked. And yet, at the time, I still believed him when he said he was just rescuing her. It wasn’t until Steve Mattingly showed me proof of their affair that I finally realized the truth. I should have listened to Victor. He tried to warn me about Lucas, but I didn’t believe him.”

“
You saw them run out of the guest house?” Grace asked sitting up. “Weren’t you asleep at the time?”

“
Who could sleep in that house? It was always freezing.”

“Do you know who could have set the fire?”

“Jack, of course,” she said slowly. She picked up her purse off the nightstand and looked inside. She gave Grace an accusatory look. “Why is my purse all messed up?”

Grace tried to look innocent. “I
accidentally knocked it off the nightstand. Sorry. What about Victor Kirby?” she asked quickly, changing the subject. “Do you know who could have killed him?”

“Nope, I was upstairs packing at the time,”
Meredith said, quickly dismissing the subject with a wave of her hand.

Grace wasn’t going to let her go that easily. “
You must have an idea?”

“Not a clue
.” Meredith pulled out the check from Robert Kirby. “See, unlike you, I try not to stick my nose into things that don’t concern me. I figure I’ll live longer that way,” she said pointedly.

“I’ll k
eep that in mind,” Grace said, kicking off her shoes and socks.

Meredith
held the check up as she glared at Grace.

Sighing, Grace asked,
“What’s that?”

Meredith lifted her eyebrow. “Don’t act surprised. I know you saw it,” she said as Grace feigned confusion. “It’s not what you think.”

“I’m not su
re what to think at this point. Why would Robert Kirby give you so much money?”

“He d
idn’t want me to see Lucas.”

Grace was aghast. “So, he was paying you off. I thought you said you weren’t a gold digger.”

“I’m not,” Meredith said defensively. “I wasn’t planning to see Lucas anyway.”

“So, why did you take the money?”

“Why not?” She shoved the check back into her purse. “He was such a cheapskate. His father gave me twice that amount last year.”

“I thought you loved Lucas.”

“I did.” Meredith pressed her hand to her heart. “I was devastated when I realized Lucas had betrayed me.” She laid down on her bed. “The check his father gave me helped heal some of the pain.”

“And Robert’s check
? What’s that healing?”

“The pain of a potential eviction. Look, this is just business. Robert and I had a mutual understanding. He wanted me to stay away from
Lucas just as much as I did. Luckily for me, he was willing to pay to see that happen.”

Feeling slightly
nauseous by Meredith’s logic, Grace stood up and made her way to the bathroom.

Meredith groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“
This bed,” she said, rolling to her side and then back. “I like a nice firm, hard bed. It’s better for your spine. But you can’t find one of those now. Everyone wants these soft things nowadays. I feel like I’m being enveloped into a cocoon.”

Grace nodded politely, only half listening as Meredith continued her rant against anything soft, fluffy and basically comfortable.

She took a step toward the bathroom door and stopped. There was something wet and sticky underneath her foot. Lifting up her foot, she carefully inspected her heel. A long, thin streak of red stained the sole of her foot.

CHAPTER seventeen

Grace reluctantly opened
her eyes. Her brain registered something was wrong as she sleepily came back to awareness. A motion to her right had her bolting up.

Meredith was pulling on a bright pink robe
over her flannel pajamas and sliding her feet into slippers.

“What’s going on?” Grace asked just as she realized the train had stopped.

Meredith reached under her pillow and brought out a butcher knife. “See, Grace, I told you. I told you this was going to happen,” she said, running to the bathroom and turning the lock.

Grace
checked her watch and groaned.

Three thirty in the morning.

She quickly undressed and put on a pair of jeans and an emerald green sweater. She was just lacing up her tennis shoes when she heard a knock at the door and Kyle’s voice.

Meredith slid the bathroom door open
just wide enough for her to stick her head out. “Don’t let him in,” she hissed before sliding the door back shut and throwing the lock.

Grace ignored her.
She pulled at the edge of the dresser until there was enough room to open the door and squeeze through. She was surprised to find the lights out and the corridor dark. A pin flashlight in Kyle’s hand provided some light. “Why is it so dark out here?”

“I’m not sure,” Kyle said.

A noise caused them to glance down the corridor. Tracy stumbled out into the hallway in her nightgown. She shrugged into her robe and looked around in confusion. Spotting Grace and Kyle in the hallway, she unsteadily walked toward them. “What’s going on?”

“
Someone pulled the emergency brake,” Kyle said.

“
Why?” Grace asked.

“
I don’t know,” Kyle said. “Are you two okay?”

Nodding,
Tracy lifted a trembling hand to her head. “I don’t think I can take any more surprises.”

Kyle looked down at Grace. “What about you?”

“I’m fine.” Grace looked down the darkened corridor. “Where’s Steve?”

“I think he’s still with Wellington in the
dining car.” He grinned playfully. “Wanna go play outside in the snow?” At her nod, he added, “Grab your coat. Better put your boots on, too.”

Grace
jumped as her door slammed shut behind her and the lock turned. With a slight jerk of her head towards the door, Grace said, “I don’t think I’ll be getting my boots anytime soon.”

“I’ll go
get dressed,” Tracy said, turning toward her door. She glanced over her shoulder. “I have the feeling none of us are going to be getting any sleep tonight,” she said as she entered her room.

“
Kyle,” Sara called out in the darkness. Finding them at the end of the corridor, she said, “Mr. Wellington wants to see you and Steve.” Sara wrapped her arms around her middle and shivered.

“Isn’t Stev
e with Wellington?” Grace asked her.

Suddenly
, a scream ripped through the air. Grace and Kyle looked at each other. “Steve!” they said in unison. Kyle turned and raced down the corridor with Grace at his heels. They passed through the vestibule and into the observation car.

Steve’s screams seemed to fade away the closer they got to the end of the observation car. Puzzled, they stopped and looked around.

“Could he be in the sleeping car?” Sara asked worriedly.

“No, I
think it’s coming from outside,” Kyle said, running to the window and looking out. With the lights on, they could barely see outside.

Grace
quickly found the light switch and flipped it off just in time to see Steve run past the side of the train, screaming at the top of his lungs.

They waited to see who was chasing him but when nobody ran after him,
Grace and Sara exchanged confused looks. “What’s he running from?” Grace asked.

“I have no idea,”
Sara said, leaning closer to the window.

Kyle ran out of the car while Grace and Sara stayed
staring out into the inky blackness beyond the window. Less than a minute later they saw Kyle race past. They pressed their faces to the glass trying to spot Steve. When it sounded like Steve was on the opposite side of the train, they raced to the other side of the car and looked out.

Steve,
still screaming as though the hounds of hell were after him, struggled through the snow as Kyle quickly closed the distance between them. He was only a few feet away when Steve suddenly pivoted around and begun to run in the opposite direction. Kyle, unable to stop his momentum slid past Steve, landing on his back. Unfazed, he quickly jumped to his feet and continued the chase.

“
There are cliffs around here, I hope Kyle can catch him,” Sara said, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

“It’s okay,” Grace said confidently. “Kyle’s had practice with this sort of thing.”

Just then Kyle tackled Steve to the ground.

“Mmm. Good tackle. Excellent
form. Did Kyle play football when he was young?” Asa Wellington said from behind them.

Grace and Sara jumped at the same time.
Neither one had heard Wellington enter the car.

Grace
shook her head, vaguely recalling Kyle saying something about playing hockey.

“Do you know why Steve’
s screaming like that?” Sara asked.

Wellington
placed his hands behind his back. “I think we can safely deduce that he’s . . . scared.”

“Of what?” Grace asked.

“Obviously, something dangerous.”

“Thank you,
” Grace said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, “that’s helpful.”

Wellington nodded.
“Fear often motivates men to do rather strange things.”

They all turned as
Kyle led Steve into the observation car. Grace ran over to the light switch and turned the lights back on, surprised to see Lucas sitting in the corner grinning and Tracy standing a few feet away.

Grace turned and ran to the dining car bar. Reaching under the counter, she
grabbed the first-aid kit, a blanket and a hand towel and dashed back to the observation car.

By the time she got back, Steve was sitting in a recliner shivering violently
. “He tried to kill me.”

“Sit still,
” Kyle ordered. He bent Steve’s head forward and examined the back of his head. “He’s bleeding pretty badly.” He took the towel Grace was holding and pressed it against the wound.

Steve hissed in pain.
“He was huge,” Steve said, swiveling his head around to look at Kyle.

“What in the world is
going on here?” Felicity asked from the connecting door. Kyle and Asa did a double take. She was dressed in only the sheerest of pink negligees accessorized with a couple of pounds worth of diamonds, make-up and self-confidence.

Parker, still dressed in the same clothes he had worn earlier, peered over her shoulder. Placing both hands on her waist
, he moved her to the side before sliding into a chair next to Lucas.

Grace
ripped open the plastic surrounding the light blue blanket she had grabbed from the dining room. She briefly considered handing the blanket to Felicity, but in the end decided it would be more appreciated by Steve.

Wellington
cleared his throat. “Steve’s been attacked,” he finally answered. Valiantly and with a bit of difficulty, he tore his eyes away from Felicity and turned back to Steve. “Can you give us a description of your attacker?”

“He had to be six f
eet five. Three hundred pounds.” Steve noticed Sara looking at him with concern and straightened his
shoulders. “In fact, I think there might have been more than one of them, but I scared them both off. They won’t try that again.”

Sneering,
Lucas leaned forward. “Yes, I’m sure you’re screaming frightened them to death.”

“Steve, what happened?” Grace asked.

He turned frightened eyes up to her. “Something woke me up.”

“What was it?” Kyle asked.

“I don’t know. It sounded like something scraping along the side of the train. I figured it was just a tree branch, but I couldn’t go back to sleep.” He took a deep breath. “I decided that since I was wide awake, I might as well keep Mr. Wellington company. So, I left my room and walked towards the end of the corridor. I was just opening the door when the lights went off,” he said in a rush. “That’s when I discovered the side door was wide open. I reached over to close the door, but then I tripped.” He looked up. “Someone must have whacked me from behind because I just remember seeing stars. I tried to get away and then I remember falling . . . I could see the snow and the edge and a sharp drop off . . . I thought I was dead.” Steve licked his lips. “I just remember grabbing ahold of something and holding on until the train stopped.”

“Who pulled the emergency brake?” Kyle asked.

Steve shuddered. “I don’t know.”

Wellington
glanced at Sara who walked quickly toward the connecting door. “Do you have any idea who attacked you?” Wellington asked.

“Wh
at do you mean, who?” Lucas asked reclining his chair back. “We all know who? It’s Jack.”

Wellington
shook his head. “If my memory serves me, Jack was about five feet six and one hundred and forty five pounds.”

Steve hesitated. “I may be a little off about the guy’s height and weight.”

“Do you remember anything about him that would help us identify him?” Kyle asked.

“
No.” He gave an involuntary shudder. “It all happened so quickly.”

“What happened after the train stopped?”
Kyle asked.

“I . . . think I passed out.”
His face reddened. Embarrassed, he looked down at the floor. “Next thing I knew, I was flat on my back in the snow. I jumped up and just started running. I couldn’t stop.” He lifted a shaking hand to the back of his head.

Kyle grabbed his forearm. He pushed Steve’s sleeve up exposing several large bruises encircling his wrist. He showed Grace before lowering Steve’s sleeve.

“It’s okay, Steve. You did the right thing,” Grace said gently.

Felicity nodded.
“If he attacked you from behind, then he’s obviously a coward.”

Lucas snorted. “Give me a break.”

Wellington nodded. “She’s right. It wasn’t a fair fight. You should be proud of yourself. Your screams alerted the rest of us to the danger.”

Just then
Sara opened the door and walked up to Wellington. “I’m afraid we have a slight problem.”

“W
hat is it?”

“
Henry’s missing and . . . ,” Sara said hesitatingly looking around at everyone. “Oscar’s dead. I found his body in the snow beside the train.”

“
Maybe Oscar attacked Steve,” Parker said, “and fell when Steve fought back.”

Steve looked a
round helplessly. “Why would the chef want to kill me?”

Sara knelt by Steve’s side. “I don’t think
it was Oscar. It looks like he’s been dead for some time.”

Gasping, Felicity took a couple of steps closer to Parker.
“You were right.”

“Right about what?”
Wellington asked.

Parker
rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “I thought I heard a gunshot, earlier,”

“So did I,” Tracy said.

Sara caught Wellington’s eyes and shook her head, emphatically.

Wellington
glanced at Sara and back at Parker. “When did you hear the gunshot?”

“A
bout midnight,” Parker said.

Wellington turned to Sara.
“Could you tell how Oscar died?”

“Well, we won’t know for certain until a coroner examines him but . . . I don’t think he was shot.
It looks more like a case of blunt force trauma.” She gave her employer a worried look. “We have another problem. We’re stuck here for the time being. The coupling between the sleeping car and the observation car is damaged.”

Everyone began speaking at once. Wellington held up his hand until they all quieted
down. “Sabotage?” he asked her.

Sara shook her head. “The engineer doesn’
t think so. “He thinks it may have happened when Oscar was thrown from the train.”

“So, we’re stuck here,” Felicity whispered horrified.

“They think they can fix it,” Sara said reassuringly, “but not until the morning. Until then . . . ,” she trailed off, nerves making her voice sound strained.

Crowding closer, they all turned to look through the windows. Nothing but darkness surrounded the car. A howl came from just outside the windows, causing them to jump.

Grace turned around and reached for the light switch, bringing a small amount of relief to everyone’s stressed nerves.