Part 39 (2/2)
He arched a brow.
”Well, there's the place you have in New York and the horse farm up near Loch Ness. You even have an interest in a breeding facility in Kentucky.”
Bruce stared at her levelly. ”All that,” he murmured, ”and you didn't even ask to see my palm.”
He started to make a move, but she placed her fingers on his hand.
”We, too, have access to the Internet, Laird MacNiall.”
”Ah,” Bruce murmured, wondering why the couple made him feel as if he should be wearing full body armor. There really was no call for him to be rude. Robert wanted to see if they could help. It was on the wrong side of good sense as far as he was concerned, but they certainly appeared respectable enough. The woman was hardly dressed in black with a veil, nor did she carry a crystal ball. There was no reason to be so instantly hostile.
He wasn't so sure he liked the scrutiny they had put on his life though. And he didn't like the idea that Toni had called Harrison Investigations in the first place. Despite the fact that he believed her conviction that she'd never heard the story about the great MacNiall before, he was sure there was a logical explanation. There was surely even a logical explanation for her knowledge of the crypts. And it was pure luck and circ.u.mstance that she had come upon the remains of Annalise after the rainstorm.
After all, it was luck and circ.u.mstance that he had caught the husband and wife team of killers, all those years ago.
”The castle is your ancestral home,” Darcy Stone mused, ”but it does seem as if you've spent years running away from it.”
That was it, his cue to leave. He rose.
”It's been a pleasure,” he said, ”but you will have to excuse me. I have some business in town. I'll see you both Sat.u.r.day, then. Robert, keep me informed.”
He shook Matt Stone's hand and strode out of the cafe, suddenly wis.h.i.+ng to h.e.l.l that he was in New York right then, on the streets somewhere, watching a flood of living, breathing, pierced tongued, green haired teens and young adults walk by in a hurry to get their next tattoos.
Beyond the cafe, he paused. It felt as if he had shed a heavy overcoat, just being in the air again. He glanced around, considering a drop-in at Jonathan's constabulary, then a visit to Daniel Darrow. He eschewed both ideas, staring up at the statue of his ancestor. Marble, some steel and G.o.d knows what else went into a statue.
”Get out of my life!” he told the statue.
”So, the old laird is in your life,” a soft voice said.
He spun around, d.a.m.ning himself for not moving more quickly. Darcy Stone had followed him out.
”Mrs. Stone, if you'll forgive me--”
”Please, just give me a moment of your time.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. ”A moment, then.”
”First, Toni Fraser didn't ask that we come.”
”Why did you?”
She wasn't ready to answer that one. ”There is a presence in your castle.”
”There are a lot of presences. Americans,” he said.
She smiled. ”Laird MacNiall, you made one of the most brilliant cases and arrests in the crime annals. And then you left the force. Why?”
He lifted his hands. ”Because the work absorbed my life. I put off my wedding. My fiancee became terribly ill and died soon after that case was solved. I decided that I had put a little bit too much time into man's inhumanity to man. Not that it's really any of your business, but then, you seem to know everything else about me.”
”Might that be only part of the reason?” she asked.
”I don't know what you're talking about.”
”I think you do. I think you had a few moments during that case when you saw too clearly what the killers were doing. Maybe you even got into their skin--into their hearts and minds--far more than you wanted.”
”Murder is ugly, Mrs. Stone.”
”That's why it should be stopped, whenever possible. Why killers should be taken away from the public, locked up,” she said.
”Is that all, Mrs. Stone?”
”No. I just wanted to say that if you want to talk, if there's anything I can do.. .well, I would really love to help you.”
He wanted to tell her that he didn't need her help but he refrained. ”I'll keep that in mind.”
”I really would love to come back to your castle.”
”I'll consider it,” he told her. ”Is that it?”
She shook her head. ”Just one more thing.”
”Aye?”
”You.. .you have real capabilities, I believe. If you'd let yourself use them.”
”I'll keep that in mind, as well, Mrs. Stone. Now.. .if you'll excuse me?”
And he made a point of getting into his car.
*18*
Gina was in the kitchen with David and Kevin when Toni came down. The three of them were studiously poring over a doc.u.ment.
”Toni,” Gina said. ”Want to take a look at this? I've written up a new rental agreement. Well, it's not exactly a rental agreement, since MacNiall will apparently be staying on his own property. And, of course, there's no telling how long he'll be willing to play his ancestor with our presentation. Anyway, I'm asking him for a six-month run. If we keep doing as well as we've been doing, we'll be able to pay him for the facility--and even give him a cut for his partic.i.p.ation--and come out with enough to look into going home and getting new work, or looking for another property.”
Toni poured herself a cup of coffee, then leaned against the counter and said, ”Gina, I'm sure you've written up a good agreement. But what we have to do now is get it to an attorney--and past Laird MacNiall.”
Gina chewed on a thumbnail, reading over her own doc.u.ment. ”I hope he'll go for this. Otherwise, we're just living day to day.”
”Actually, we all just live day to day, no matter what,” Kevin said.
”Sage, very sage,” Toni told him. ”Where is everyone else?”
”Bruce went somewhere in the car this morning, but he came back and went riding,” David told her. ”Thayer muttered something and went out. Ryan is upstairs-- he wants to drive into town and buy some kind of polish for his swords. Eban is.. .well, he's being Eban, out doing whatever he does.”
Gina glanced at her watch. ”We should get going. We always spend more time in the village then we intend. Toni, want to come with us?”
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