I took a couple of deep, calming breaths before I got out of the Jeep. I didn’t care for Dr. Carstairs, and I wasn’t particularly thrilled to be seeing him again.

  Ted and Angus were waiting for me at the back of the Jeep.

  “You ready, babe?”

  I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  We walked around to the front porch, and I rang the bell. A tall blond woman wearing a light blue pinstriped dress and a white apron answered the door.

  “Hello. I’m Barbara, Brendan’s nanny. Right this way, please.”

  She led us to a den off the massive, high-ceilinged foyer. “Sir, you and your dog may wait here. Ms. Singer, your costume is in the bathroom—the door is there, to your right. Please put on the costume, and we’ll all go together to greet the family.”

  As I went into the bathroom, Ted sat stiffly on a tan leather chair. Angus sat as close to Ted as possible, and Barbara stood emotionless by the door. What a lively atmosphere. They were sure to have a ton of laughs while they waited for me to change. I hurriedly slipped into the silly elf costume, reminding myself all the while that I was doing this for a sick little boy and that he’d be delighted to see me.

  I came out of the bathroom, and Barbara immediately said, “This way please.”

  Brendan’s room was obviously the master suite. There was a gas fireplace at one end of the room, and an array of toys decorated the mantel. The bed was on the right side of the room, and a seating area was on the left. There wasn’t much of a play area. I didn’t know whether the Carstairs had another room designated for the playroom or if Brendan was simply too ill to need one.

  Three large windows faced out onto the bay. Brendan reclined on a love seat and looked outside. My heart clenched a little. I imagined the boy would love to have the energy to run and play in the yard.

  “Hi, Brendan,” I said softly.

  He raised his head and looked wearily in my direction. But when he saw the costume—and Angus—his face brightened. “Marcy the Elf and Angus!”

  “That’s right,” I said. “We heard you came home from the hospital yesterday, and we wanted to drop in and say hello on our way back up North. Is that okay?”

  “That’s great!”

  “This is my friend Ted,” I told Brendan.

  “Is he from the North Pole, too?”

  “I am. I’m Santa’s head of security,” said Ted. “Sometimes the South Pole elves try to get into the workshop and steal our toy ideas. I’m there to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “Whoa.” The little boy’s blue eyes widened.

  Dr. Carstairs and Melanie were sitting on a larger sofa near Brendan.

  “Hi,” I said, mainly to Melanie. “How are you?”

  “I’m great,” said Melanie. “I finished my first Christmas ornament last night, and I’ve already started another one.”

  “I can hardly wait to see,” I said.

  “However, this is Brendan’s time,” said Dr. Carstairs.

  “Of course.” Melanie lowered her eyes.

  “So, what would you like to do?” I went over and sat at Brendan’s feet. The child was covered up to his chin with a fluffy white blanket.

  “Can Angus come over and sit with us?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  Ted unleashed Angus, and I called him over. He went up to Brendan’s face and snuffled the child’s ear.

  Brendan laughed. “He’s funny.” He patted the cushion, and Angus climbed up over the child and lay down with his head on the boy’s chest.

  Angus’s tail was wagging near my face, and I made exaggerated contortions to try to escape getting a mouthful of hair. Brendan laughed until he was out of breath.

  I moved onto the floor and sat cross-legged. “Do you have a favorite book I could read you?”

  He nodded and pointed to one that was at the top of a stack. It was about a boy detective.

  “Dr. Carstairs, why don’t you show me around the grounds?” Ted asked quietly.

  “Of course.” Dr. Carstairs seemed relieved for the excuse to leave the room.

  I’d only been reading for about twenty minutes when Brendan fell asleep. Angus quickly followed suit.

  “How sweet they are,” said Melanie. She used her phone to snap a photo. “Poor Brendan is still exhausted from his latest trip to the hospital. His condition is improving, though.”

  “He and Angus are precious together. Have you ever thought about getting Brendan a dog?”

  “I have. But pets are a lot of work. And we have so much to deal with already, given Brendan’s condition.”

  “I understand. Well, anytime you’d like to schedule a playdate with Angus, just let me know.” I smiled. “So, how about that embroidery?”

  Melanie reminded me of a child herself as she proudly displayed the red-and-white gift box she’d embroidered. “What do you think?”

  “You did a beautiful job!”

  “Thank you.” She then showed me the one she’d started this morning while Barbara was giving Brendan his breakfast. It would eventually be a Christmas tree with red-and-white French knots and a silver satin-stitch garland. So far, Melanie had the outline of the tree.

  “This is terrific,” I said. “Do you know how to do the French knots?”

  “I think so. If I have any trouble, may I call on you tomorrow at the Seven-Year Stitch?”

  “Of course you may.”

  “Mrs. Carstairs, don’t you think we should put Brendan in his bed?” asked Barbara.

  “Yes.” She looked over at her son. “He looks so comfy that I hate to move him, though.”

  “I know, but Dr. Carstairs won’t like it if he returns and finds the boy like this.”

  Melanie nodded. “Marcy, can you get Angus?”

  “Sure.” I went over and spoke softly to Angus.

  The dog raised his wiry gray head and looked at me. Then he flopped it back down as if to say, Why are you bugging me? I’m taking a nap here.

  “Come on,” I said.

  Angus reluctantly got up and hopped off the love seat.

  Melanie cradled Brendan’s head and shoulders, and Barbara got his feet. They managed to get him to the bed without disturbing him at all. The child must truly have been exhausted.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll go ahead and change,” I said.

  “I’ll show you the way,” said Barbara.

  It wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t want her to feel unwanted. Angus plodded along behind us.

  “In Brendan’s room, you said Dr. Carstairs wouldn’t like Brendan being asleep on the love seat,” I said when I was sure we were out of Melanie’s range of hearing. “Why is that?”

  She lifted and dropped one slender shoulder. “Dr. Carstairs likes things a certain way—that’s all. As his employee, I must see that his requirements are met.”

  “And what about Mrs. Carstairs?”

  “She is my employer also.”

  “But you work primarily for the doctor,” I said.

  “Everyone in this house is here at the doctor’s discretion—including you.” She nodded toward the den. “Please leave the costume hanging in the bathroom, so it will be here the next time you come.”

  I felt like telling her that I was here at my own discretion and that I wouldn’t be back, but I didn’t. I merely changed my clothes and left the elf costume hanging on the hook on the back of the door.

  When I emerged from the bathroom, only Angus was awaiting me in the den. I was glad. Barbara might be the perfect employee for Dr. Carstairs, but I was ready to get away from both of them.

  I hugged Angus and stepped out into the foyer. Dr. Carstairs, Melanie, and Ted were standing there talking. I was a bit surprised that they weren’t sitting in the living room, and I decided that Ted must be every bit as ready to leave as I was.

  “Thank you for having us come to visit Brendan,” I said. “He’s a sweet boy.”

  “Thank you for coming, Marcy,” said Melanie.

  “He’s truly enamored of your dog,” said Dr. Carstairs.

  “Isn’t everybody?” Ted snapped the leash onto Angus’s collar.

  “What would you have to have for him?” the doctor continued.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “Bellamy!” cried Melanie.

  “Name your price for the dog.”

  “Angus is not for sale.” I stepped closer to Ted and Angus. “He’s family.”

  “So’s my mother,” said Dr. Carstairs. “But for a cool million, she’s yours.” He laughed. “Five hundred thousand? Anyone?”

  I managed a tight smile and hoped it didn’t look as if I were snarling at the doctor. “Again, thank you for your invitation. I hope Brendan is better soon.” I walked out the door and headed for the Jeep.

  “Well, if you reconsider about selling the dog, let me know!” Dr. Carstairs called.

  “Just keep walking,” Ted muttered under his breath. “Just keep walking.”

  “Are you talking to me or to yourself?”

  “Both.”

  * * *

  On the drive home, I asked Ted what he and Dr. Carstairs had talked about while they’d been alone.

  “At first, of course, we talked about his land. He told me where the property lines were, that he had over five acres, blah, blah, blah.”

  “But you were finally able to turn the conversation to the hospital?” I asked.

  “Of course I was. Manu doesn’t pay me the big bucks for not getting people to talk.” He winked.

  I smiled. “Man, it feels good to be out of that oppressive house! Poor Brendan. That toxic atmosphere can’t be healthy for him . . . or for Melanie, either, for that matter.”

  “The Carstairs’ home is a castle. Bellamy Carstairs is king of that castle. The hospital is a kingdom. Bellamy Carstairs is the ruler over that kingdom. That was the gist of our entire conversation.”

  I gave a low growl, forgetting that Angus was in the backseat. He poked his head over the seat to see what I was growling about. I kissed his nose and told him I wasn’t angry with him.

  “Bellamy Carstairs is an obnoxious bully. Is it possible he killed Sandra Vincent?” I asked Ted.

  He shook his head. “He’d never get his hands dirty like that. Besides, he’s a surgeon. He’d have carved her up with precision.”

  “Ted, that’s awful!”

  He chuckled. “Sorry. That guy brings out the worst in me. But, no, I don’t think he killed Sandra Vincent. Why would he? He had her in his back pocket. She’d do anything he wanted her to do.”

  “Sounds like Barbara, the nanny. It’s clear she works for him and that Melanie is just an afterthought . . . or another child Barbara has to tend to. Did Dr. Carstairs say anything about Martin Brothers Construction?”

  “As a matter of fact, he did. I asked him about his deck—I could tell it had been built recently, probably this past summer. He said Martin Brothers did the job and that I can rest assured that they won’t be doing any more work for him.”

  “Really? Did they do the deck before or after the cancer ward was completed?”

  “I don’t know, but if I’d have to make a bet, I’d say the two projects were going on at around the same time. In fact, what made Carstairs angry with the Martin brothers was that they didn’t have their best team on his deck. That crew was working at the hospital.”

  I scoffed. “And his deck is more important than a hospital cancer ward?”

  “In his world it is.”

  “So, it’s possible that the cancer ward was the last project that Martin Brothers Construction will be doing for Tallulah County General,” I said. “I wonder if the Martins know that.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  On Monday morning, Sadie dropped in to ask how everything was going with Captain Moe’s case.

  “I honestly have no idea,” I said. “I know that Riley has a private detective on the case, but Ted’s insider at the Tallulah County Police Department says that the detectives who made the arrest feel they have their killer.”

  “Of course they do. They don’t know Captain Moe like we do.”

  “Exactly. Which is why we’re trying to find other suspects to at least provide the jury with reasonable doubt.”

  “Any luck?” she asked.

  “The list of people who could’ve possibly had it in for Ms. Vincent just keeps growing, but I do have one suspect who’s standing out in my mind.” I told her about John Martin.

  “What a creep! Is he the guy you were talking with in the coffee shop the other day?”

  I nodded. “And then he was standing outside the Brew Crew, looking over here, so I waved to let him know I saw him. He gestured as if he was shooting me.”

  Sadie gasped.

  “But that’s not all,” I continued. “He asked Will whether or not Angus was aggressive.”

  “What’s Ted saying about all this?”

  “He’s warned me to be careful.” I nodded toward a police cruiser driving slowly down Main Street. “And that doesn’t surprise me. That’s the third time this morning, and I’ve only been open an hour and a half.”

  “I’m glad he’s got his patrolmen looking out for you.”

  I smiled. “He worries about me.”

  “So do I. That Martin guy sounds like a serious threat.”

  “I think he’s just trying to scare me,” I said. “Hopefully, Harvey Gordon—that’s Riley’s PI—will be able to connect him to Sandra Vincent’s murder somehow.”

  “I hope so. Keep me posted.”

  She was getting ready to leave when Tiffany, Mark, and Jackson came into the Seven-Year Stitch.

  “Hey, guys!” I said.

  Angus happily loped over to Mark, who was holding Jackson.

  “It’s good to see you again,” Sadie said. Then she lowered her voice. “If it would be okay for Jackson to have a sugar cookie, stop by MacKenzies’ Mochas and I’ll fix him up.”

  “Heck, I’d like a sugar cookie,” said Mark. “And it would be wonderful to get some goodies for the trip home.”

  Tiffany shook her head. “Go on, then.” She turned her attention to Sadie. “Please cut Mark off at two bags of food, please. It’s only a five-hour trip.”

  Sadie laughed. “All right. Be safe.”

  Tiffany and I watched the trio tramping down the street, talking animatedly. Angus went to the window and paced back and forth, hoping, no doubt, that Mark would bring him back something.

  “I imagine Sadie is telling Mark and Jackson all about the goodies she spent the morning baking,” I said.

  “And Mark is probably saying he’ll take at least one of each.”

  “Then he and Jackson will be gone a few minutes. Come on over and have a seat.”

  She followed me to the sit-and-stitch square, sat on a red club chair, and stretched her legs out on the ottoman. She closed her eyes. “I might not be able to get back up.”

  “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

  “Not particularly. I was wondering if I had everything packed, what time we should get on the road—that sort of thing.”

  “I know. It’s so hard sometimes to shut out the world and have a peaceful night’s rest.”

  She opened her eyes. “What about you?”

  “Oh, I slept fine.”

  “That’s not exactly what I meant. I know you’re upset about your friend’s murder charge. And Ted told me about that creep who was watching you on Saturday.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said. “I’m not worried about that guy.” Of course, I was, but I didn’t want to admit that to Tiffany. If she knew how scared I really was, she’d probably call her brother and talk him into taking off work to come babysit me.

  “Yes, you are worried. I can tell.”

  “Maybe a little. But if you sit here more than twenty minutes, you’ll see a police cruiser rolling slowly by.”

  She nodded. “He really does love you.”

  “And I really do love him.”

  “I know.” She gave me a slight smile. “I was prepared not to like you at all. In fact, I looked for things to dislike about you. Prissy little bohemian who runs an embroidery shop . . . Bound to be an airhead, I thought.”

  I laughed. “You might not be far off the mark there.”

  “No. You sell yourself short. Um . . . no pun intended. You’re brave and thoughtful and devoted to my brother. You make him happy. How could I not like you?”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Her smile widened. “Just know that my feelings can change in a Seattle second if you hurt him.”

  “Point taken.”

  “Somehow I think it’s a shame you didn’t have any siblings. I believe you’d make someone a good sister.”

  I laughed. “Well, Todd Calloway and Blake MacKenzie have both insinuated themselves into the role of my big brother, so I guess you’d have to ask them. And, naturally, they’d both tell you I’m a brat.”

  “What you need is a sister.”

  “Maybe I’ll have one someday,” I said.

  * * *

  I was refilling the floss bins when the bells over the door signaled an arrival. “Be right out!”

  “Take your time.”

  I didn’t recognize the female voice that had called to me and that I now heard talking softly to Angus. When I stepped out of the aisle and around the corner, I saw that it was Dani.

  “Hi, Dani.” I placed my basket of floss on the counter and gave the young woman a hug. “Where’s Nicole?”

  “She’s with my aunt today. I just wanted to stop by and thank you again for coming to Mom’s visitation Friday night. That was so sweet of you.”

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

 

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