The Best Man to Trust (4 page)

Chapter Five

Tom watched the emotions wash over Meredith’s face. Dismay. Fear. Resignation. He’d seen them lurking beneath the surface as she’d dealt with the situation upstairs, but she’d done an admirable job hiding them as much as possible, keeping a cool, calm facade. That was gone now, her feelings bare and plain to see. She looked lost, as though the world had just come crashing down on her and she had no idea what to do next.

It wouldn’t have been a good look for anybody but somehow seemed especially wrong on this woman’s face. His gut clenched at the sight. He automatically stepped forward and started toward her, the need to do something, say something, to make it better rising from the pit of his stomach.

Before he could, she abruptly lifted her head and spun away toward the door. “I have to get to Ellen and Rick,” she said, her voice wobbly. “Make sure they...know what’s happening.”

He had a feeling
make sure they’re all right
was what she’d started to say. “Okay,” he agreed. “Let’s go.”

She was already brushing by him as he said it, her strides long and full of purpose. He quickly moved to follow as she pulled the door open and plunged back out into the hallway.

She headed toward the back of the house, away from the front hall and living room where they’d left the others, down another long corridor.

She plowed forward, her head bowed slightly, her movements rushed and uneven. Concern rippled through him. “Hey.”

When she didn’t react to the word, he caught her elbow to stop her progress. A split second after his hand made contact, he felt the tremor rip through her body, every inch of her tensing even more than she already was. A strong reaction, far stronger than normal for such a minor touch. He suspected he knew the reason for it, unease roiling in his gut.

Still, she did stop. He dropped his hand. “Are you okay?”

She nodded tersely, her head bent. “I’m fine. You just startled me.”

It had been more than that. He didn’t doubt it for a second. Her reaction had been too fierce, too defensive. “Maybe you could stand to take a breath. Everything’s been happening so fast. You haven’t really had a chance to process any of this.”

She mustered a smile without meeting his eyes. “And I don’t have time to now. I appreciate the thought though.”

She stood there, her head down, her body still tight with tension, as if it was still protecting itself. The sight drove a hard lump to his throat, and suddenly he had to know. It really wasn’t any of his business, but he couldn’t hold back the question.

“About what Jess said...” he said softly. “You didn’t lie about what happened with Brad, did you?”

She winced, her expression saying she would give anything not to answer the question. He was about to withdraw it when she finally gave her head a tight shake, still not meeting his eyes. “No. I didn’t.”

Anger surged from the pit of his stomach in a rush, for what had been done to her, toward the bastard she’d been married to whose face Tom couldn’t even remember. He struggled to keep the emotion off his expression and out of his voice. “I’m sorry,” he said gently, the words pathetically inadequate. He actually felt stupid saying them. “For Jess. For...everything.”

“Thanks,” she said flatly. “But that’s pretty much the least of my concerns now.”

“Understood. You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I think I have to be, don’t I?” She glanced up at him, realization dawning on her features. “What about you? She was your friend.”

Tom nodded, a combination of guilt and sorrow building in his chest at the reminder. He knew Haley was dead—murdered. He’d seen it with his own eyes, felt her cool skin with his own fingers. But it didn’t seem real. None of this seemed like it could actually be happening.

“I actually hadn’t spoken to her at all since college, at least not until today. I should have stayed in touch with her.” Heck, he should have done a better job of keeping in touch with all of them. Even Scott, the one he’d spoken to the most, was someone he’d only been in contact with a couple times a year, if that. If there was one thing this weekend had already proved, it was what a lousy job he’d done maintaining the friendships that had once been the cornerstone of his world.

“I only got a chance to catch up with her a little at the airport. And now she’s gone.” He could barely wrap his head around it. It was hard to believe that the same woman who’d been laughing and talking with them just a few hours ago was now lying dead in the upstairs hallway, gone forever.

Meredith reached out, hesitating slightly before placing her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry,” she said, genuine sympathy shining in her deep brown eyes.

“Thanks.”

With a tight nod, she pulled her hand away, its absence inexplicably making him feel colder. “Come on,” she said, sending an uneasy glance down the corridor. “We should keep moving.”

Tom followed her gaze. The hallway was empty and well-lit. He didn’t spot a single shadow. So why did it suddenly appear so impossibly long and dim somehow, every doorway seeming to contain a possible threat?

As if sensing the same thing he did, she shuddered lightly.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “Let’s go.”

She quickly took off again, regaining her earlier speed. Tom fell into step beside her. He knew she had to be concerned about her employees. But as he thought about the people they were seeking out, he realized there was a very good chance that one of them was responsible for what had happened upstairs.

He pictured them—the big, muscular handyman with the friendly grin who’d helped them with their bags and the full-figured, pleasant-faced cook who’d served dinner. He couldn’t immediately see either of them committing the gruesome act upstairs. But who else was here?

“How much do you know about your employees?” Tom asked carefully.

“Everything possible. After what happened here before, Adam—that’s my brother—conducted practically government-level background checks on them to make sure there were no skeletons in their closets or issues we needed to know about. After what happened before we weren’t taking any chances.”

“Still, there could be something that wouldn’t show up in a background check, some secret reason to lead one of them to do this.”

“I trust them absolutely,” she said firmly.

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if she’d felt the same way about the previous staff. He bit back the question, figuring he’d pushed her enough tonight.

“It looked like a kitchen knife was what was used,” he pointed out. “As far as I know, no one from the wedding party got close to the kitchen.”

“I didn’t see it that closely. And Ellen had a few knives out for the roast and the rest of dinner, didn’t she?”

Thinking back, he realized she was right. “Did you notice any of them missing after dinner?”

“No,” she admitted. “But I wasn’t keeping track of them. She shot him a glance. “What about you? You haven’t seen most of your friends in years. They could have changed. They could have motives you know nothing about.”

Tom couldn’t exactly argue with her. He suspected many of them had changed. But the idea that one of them could have changed enough to become a killer—and kill one of their own friends—was inconceivable.

Before he could answer, they arrived at a back hallway on the first floor not far from the kitchen. Probably a logical place for the household staff to be staying.

Meredith walked up to one of the doors. Raising her hand, she hesitated for a brief moment before knocking. “Ellen? It’s Meredith.”

There was no immediate response, likely not a surprise considering what time it was. The woman was probably asleep.
Unless she’s been up to something else,
he thought.

A darker thought drifted through his mind, inspiring a hint of guilt.
Unless something happened to this woman, as well
.

They waited a few moments. Tom didn’t detect any sounds from within the room. His unease growing, he shot a glance down the hallway in both directions. “Is Rick staying down here, too? I can get him.”

Meredith nodded. “Yes, he’s—”

The door of the cook’s room suddenly opened slightly, drawing their attention back to it. Seconds later, Ellen appeared in the gap. Still holding the door partway shut, she peered at them, eyes wide with concern. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Something’s happened,” Meredith said. She took a deep breath before continuing, and he could sense how difficult it was for her to say the rest. “There’s been a murder. One of the guests has been killed.”

At first the other woman simply blinked at her with a complete lack of comprehension. “Who— When—” She swallowed. “Who did it?”

“We don’t know,” Meredith admitted. “Can you come with us? I think it would be safer if everyone stuck together.”

For a moment, doubt flickered across the woman’s face, and Tom had a feeling she wanted to say no. She was probably thinking she’d be safer staying where she was. He couldn’t fault her for the idea.

He studied the cook’s face, trying to get a better read on her. He hadn’t gotten much of an impression of the woman that evening. Truth be told, while they were being served dinner, he’d been too busy watching Meredith to pay much attention to the other woman. She’d simply been a smiling presence working beside Meredith.

She wasn’t smiling now, of course. She looked appropriately shocked and scared. He just didn’t know her well enough to know whether the reaction was genuine.

“Of course,” Ellen said. “Just let me get dressed.”

“Go ahead,” Meredith said. “Let me wake Rick. He needs to know what’s happening, too.”

“What’s going on?”

The voice came out of nowhere. Tom quickly jerked his head to the side to spot the man a few yards away, standing in the open door of another room farther down the hall. It was Rick.

Tom nearly swore. The man had managed to come out into the hall without any of them noticing. Tom was going to have to do a better job staying on guard and aware of his surroundings.

“Rick,” Meredith said. “We were just coming to get you.” She quickly explained the situation as she had to Ellen. “Will you come with us to the main living room?”

“Sure,” he said, without hesitating as Ellen had.

He didn’t seem at all disturbed by the idea that there was a killer in Sutton Hall. Or maybe he figured he could take care of himself. From the look of him, Tom wasn’t sure he could disagree. A big man in his thirties, Rick was tall and clearly muscled even beneath the baggy sweatshirt and shorts he wore. When he’d helped them with the bags, he’d been friendly and all smiles. There was no trace of that now, his expression serious and attentive. Something in his steady, watchful gaze made Tom think of a soldier or a police officer. He wondered again what the man’s background was.

Ellen’s door opened, and the woman stepped out, now wearing a robe over her nightclothes.

“All right,” she said solemnly, looking at the three of them. “I’m ready.”

With a nod, Meredith turned to lead the way. Ellen followed her. Tom motioned for Rick to precede him. From the way the man eyed him, Rick wasn’t sure he wanted to. Maybe he figured it made sense for him to bring up the rear, since he worked here.

After a moment, Rick moved to follow Ellen. The tightness in his chest easing slightly, Tom fell into line behind him, casting one last glance back.

Maybe he was being overly cautious, but Tom wasn’t ready to put his back to the other man. Or to the cook, for that matter.

Meredith might trust them but, for the time being, he couldn’t afford to.

* * *

T
HE
LIVING
ROOM
doors were shut when they made it back to the front foyer. Tom wasn’t surprised. Given what was happening, he couldn’t blame the others for wanting to feel a little more secure.

Instead of heading toward the living room, Meredith crossed the foyer to the front door. Unlocking it, she pulled it open.

The wind immediately burst in, lashing at them. Standing a few feet behind her, Tom saw his earlier conclusion had been right. In fact, seeing it for himself suddenly made it seem so much worse. The snow came up to the middle of her thighs, and that was just by the door. It seemed to get higher the farther out he looked. The vehicles they’d driven up the mountain had been left in front of the building, but there was no sign of them in the snow. And more flurries continued to flood down from the sky, the air nearly as white as the piles already on the ground.

Meredith pushed the door shut, filling the hall with silence once more.

“Not getting out of here anytime soon,” Rick observed.

“No,” Meredith agreed softly. “Let’s get back to the others.”

She quickly moved to the living room, the rest of them following close behind. Reaching the door, she hesitated briefly, then knocked before opening it. Warning them someone was coming in so they weren’t surprised and scared by someone yanking the door open, Tom figured, impressed by her consideration.

Everyone in the room looked up as they entered. As the last one in, Tom pulled the door shut behind him.

“Did you reach the police?” Rachel asked, a touch of hope in her voice.

Meredith took a breath. “No,” she said calmly. There was no hint on her face or in her voice of the devastation he knew she’d felt after the call. “The phone is out. It looks like we have no way to reach anyone.”

A chorus of dismayed sounds rose from the group. “Then what are we going to do?” Scott asked. “Is there any way we can get out of here?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Meredith said again. “There’s already too much snow on the ground and it’s still coming down too hard. We do have a plow capable of being connected to one of our pickup trucks that can be used to clear the snow, but the way it’s coming down out there, we can’t even get to the garage to reach the plow.”

“Not to mention it won’t do much good with the snow still coming down the way it is,” Rick noted.

“So how long will it be until we can get out of here?” Jessica demanded.

Meredith hesitated briefly before admitting, “At least a few days.”

“A few days?”
Jessica screeched. “So what are we supposed to do, just sit here while there’s a killer running loose?”