Death Takes a Holiday (28 page)

“Thank you, I’m honored.” He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her in a loose hug. “I’m glad to hear you believe me about Wellington.”

“I didn’t say that.” She looked at him with a mixture of pity and amusement. If what he was saying was true about Wellington then the only thing that separated Kyle from Wellington was age. “Kyle, think about it, if you are right . . .” Grace looked over at Wellington who was now drumming his fingers against the bar. It appeared that everyone else in the room was still talking as he quietly stood up front. A small smile played around his lips. She turned back to Kyle. “Don’t you see that you are exactly like him?”

Surprised, Kyle scoffed. “I am nothing like him.”

“Really?” she asked. “What happened a few months ago at the reunion?”

“What?”

“You were running around my reunion telling everyone who would listen how you were a private investigator. And not just any private investigator. You had people convinced that the President kept your number on speed dial.”

“Uh uh,” Kyle said, “
you can’t blame that on me. You’re the one who started it.”

“I did not
,” she shot back quickly. “Beth started it.”

“Good, then we’re in agreement, i
t wasn’t my fault.” He looked at her gently. “Would you have rather I called you out in front of all your friends? I played along with the lie because I thought I was helping you.”

Grace
leaned back against the observation car door and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You didn’t have to play along . . . so well.”

“Are you upset because I lied or because I was good at it?”

She pointed a finger at his chest. “See? Right there. That’s what I’m talking about. The reunion has been over with for months now and you haven’t dropped the act. You are still telling everyone in town how you are the best detective the world has ever seen and that you can solve all their problems for just a small fee.”

“It’s no longer small. Steve’s upped our prices.”

Grace sighed heavily. “You’re not listening to me.”

“I always listen to you
, Grace.” Smiling, Kyle ran his hands up and down her arms.

“If you’re right about him then you’re just a few
steps from turning into another Asa Wellington. Think about that. Do you want to be just like him? Head of a multinational agency—” Grace snapped her mouth shut, quickly deciding that was probably not the best argument she could make against the man.

Kyle’s face turned reflective. “No,” he said slowly, “you’re wrong. I’m not like him.” He looked
toward Wellington who was leaning back against the bar, surrounded on either side by Sara and Steve who were hanging on his every word. Their heads reflexively nodded up and down as he spoke. Steve looked up at the older man with a sort of wonderment and respect. “At least not . . . yet.”

Dismayed,
Grace groaned as she quickly realized where his mind was going with this. “No, Kyle.”

“I don’t know why I’ve been so disgusted with him,” He said, with some bemusement. “You know, he’s built a world empire with what appears to be very little effort.”

Grace lifted a hand to her suddenly pounding head. The nervous twitch she had developed since meeting Kyle had miraculously disappeared a few months before, but seemed to now be on the verge of reappearing. She pressed her fingers to the corner of her eye in irritation. She could practically see the dollar signs flashing in his eyes.

“You’re absolutely right, Grace. I shouldn’t be fighting him. I should be learning from him.”

“That’s not exactly what I was going for, Kyle.”

His face lighting up, he looked back at the older man. “They’ve made movies about him
,” he said in awe. He grasped the door handle with one hand and her wrist with another.

She pulled back.
“Where are you going?”

“
Dining car.” He grinned playfully. “Might as well start my apprenticeship now.”

Grace reached out and caught his sleeve between her fingers. “Hang on.
” She took his hand in hers and pulled him in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going?”

Grace led him through the observation car and into the other vestibule. “Back to my room,” she said, opening the door to the sleeping car. “I want to see—” She stopped speaking when she noticed movement a few doors away. She pointed to the third door down the corridor. “Did you see that?”

“
What?”

“I think I just saw someone go in
to Sara’s room.”

Kyle
walked up to Sara’s door and pressed his ear against it. They stood silently at the door until Kyle leaned back and dropped to one knee. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out his tools and went to work on the lock. A few seconds later, he carefully pushed open the door.

It was empty.

Kyle crept to the bathroom. He carefully opened the door and looked around. “No one’s here.”

“I know I saw someone go in here.”

“Who?”

“I couldn’t tell.
All I saw was an elbow disappearing into her room.”

He walked over to the window and looked out. “I don’t think anyone went out this way.” He swiveled around when they heard a sound coming from the closet. Grace grabbed his arm when he reached for the door. Standing up on her toes, she whispered into his ear. “
I forgot to tell you something. Meredith told me that Lucas carries a gun with him everywhere he goes.”

“So?
” he asked softly. “He’s in the dining car.”

“She also told me that it
’s missing.”

His head whipped around.
“And you’re just now remembering that? Why didn’t you say something before we barged in here?”

Grace shrugged helplessly. “It just didn’t occur to me before now.”

Making a face, Kyle led Grace into the corridor and down the hall before turning around and facing Sara’s door. “All right,” Kyle said in his most authoritative voice. “Come out with your hands up. I’ve got you covered.”

Grace screwed up her face.

“That’s what they say in the movies,” he mouthed at her silently.

Grace could hear the creak of the closet door and Parker’s vo
ice calling out, “Don’t shoot.”

“See
, it worked,” Kyle said to Grace before disappearing into the room. Grace raced down the corridor and entered the room just as Kyle was pushing Parker toward the wall. “Hands against the wall and spread ‘em.”

Parker
quickly placed his palms against the wall. When several seconds went by and neither Grace nor Kyle made any move to search him, he looked over his shoulder. “Now what?”

Closing the door, Grace walked
over to Kyle and nudged him forward. Kyle glanced at her and the other man and back again before reluctantly placing his hands on Parker’s back. He tentatively patted Parker down.

“Does he have
a gun?” Grace asked when Kyle stepped away from him.

Kyle sh
ook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean
, you don’t think so?” Grace asked. “You just patted him down.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Kyle said. “
It’s the first time I’ve ever had to do something like that.”

“Y
ou did a good job.” Parker slowly dropped his arms to his sides and turned back around. “Very professional.”

“Thank you
,” Kyle said appreciatively. “I’ve only been on the receiving end before.”

“You’ve been
arrested before?” Parker asked with some surprise. “What for?”

“
Oh a little bit of this and that,” Kyle said. “Mainly breaking and entering.”

“W
hat did you steal?”

Kyle shook his head. “Nothing. I just like breaking into places
and then escaping. What about you?”

“Pennsylvania. Theft.
Completely bogus.”

“Mine
, too,” Kyle said quickly.

“I hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation,” Grace said, “but can you tell us what you’re doing in here?”

“I thought this was my room. They all look alike.”

“Nice try,” Grace said with a smirk. “
How did you get in?”

Sighing,
Parker held out a key in the palm of his hand. “I lifted Sara’s key out of her pocket.”

“Handy talent
,” Kyle said. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

“Felicity
insisted that I learn how for a plot point in one of her novels.” He shrugged casually. “She likes to have me act out her character's actions. She wants her stories about a Duchess who solves crimes between bedding every man within a five foot radius to be as real as possible.”

“And is this scene sup
posed to be in one of her books?” Grace asked, indicating the room with a slight wave of her hand.

“Actually yes.
In fact, most everyone here is in her new book.” He looked at Kyle. “Her last two scenes, in particular, feature you.”

“Really?”
Kyle asked. “What kind of scenes are they?”

“One is the obligatory love scene
.”

“Oh,” Kyle said enthusiastically.

“And in the next one she finds you with your head cut off.”

“Oh,” he said a little less enthusiastically.

“What about me?” Grace asked.

“You turn out to be the killer.
You go insane when you realize he’s left you for Felicia.”

“
Dude, way to ruin the ending,” Kyle said, shaking his head softly.

“I thought she was going to write a true crime story about
Victor’s death?” Grace asked.

“Felicity has all sorts of stories. She can never work on just one at a time.”

“So, what were you supposed to do once you got into Sara’s room?” Grace asked.

“
Nothing,” Parker said, reaching for the door.

“Don’t give me that
,” Grace said. “Why are you searching Sara’s room?”

Kyle wrapped his hand around Parker’s arm and led him to the chair while Parker continued to vehemently deny any wrongdoing.

Grace nodded. “You can either talk to us or you can talk to Sara?”

Sinking down into the leather chair,
Parker said, “Felicity has gotten it into her head that she’s going to solve these murders. She sent me back here to search Sara’s room for clues.”

“What sort of clues?”

“I have no idea. She thinks Sara may have killed Robert and left some evidence behind in her room.”

“Why does Felicity suspect Sara?”
Grace asked.

“Well, let’s just say she isn’t as innocent as she appears.
Felicity believes that Sara’s behind everything that has happened since we left the station yesterday morning. Robert’s murder, Jack and Henry’s disappearance, Steve’s attack, Oscar’s murder, the train getting delayed last night . . .” A noise out in the corridor, caused Parker to stop speaking. He nervously glanced to the door.

“
What about the other things?” Grace asked. “The glass in the fish, the death threats . . .” She stopped when he shook his head slightly and looked down at the floor. “You keep doing that whenever anyone mentions those death threats. Why do I get the feeling you aren’t very concerned about those threats Felicity’s been receiving?”

Parker stared at them for a few seconds. Coming to some sort of
decision, he stood up and walked to the door. He opened it just enough to stick his head out and look both ways. He turned back around and closed the door behind him. “I will deny everything if you repeat what I tell you.”

Smiling, Kyle sat at the end of the bed and got comfortable. “This better be good.”

“I sent her the letters.”

Grace sat down
next to Kyle. “I didn’t realize you disliked her so much.”

“Di
slike her?” Parker asked, surprised. “Where did you ever get an idea like that?”

“Oh, I stand corrected,” she said. “Obviously,
you’re madly in love with her. What? Are you angling to be her eighth—”

“Sixth,” Kyle corrected with a smile.

“Thank you,” Grace said, “Sixth husband?”

Parker’s face reddened
. “Despite what others think, she and I are not romantically involved and I have no intention of being her next late husband. They all have a nasty tendency to die shortly after the wedding.” He held up his hands. “All perfectly natural deaths . . . Well,” he said on reflection, “not Victor’s, but the others were natural. She just has really bad luck and horrible taste in men.” His expression softened. “She’s not as bad as she appears. She’s actually very sweet and I care for her a great deal,” he admitted quietly.

“If you care for her so much
, why would you send her death threats?” Grace asked.