A Groom wirh a View

character for the boys—young men—who are here.“
    “My thoughts exactly. First, they don’t look like hoodlums who would find vandalism amusing.
    They’re all a bit on the nerdy side. And secondly, while they might want to do something nasty to Dwayne, they’re all so extraordinarily deferential to Jack Thatcher that I don’t think they’d consider wrecking the bed and the plumbing on his property. Not a good way to impress a big-deal executive.“
    “I agree. But a couple of them were in and out of the house while the football game was going on. They had opportunity, if not motive,“ Jane said.
    “But so did nearly everyone,“ Shelley pointed out. “The ladies at the shower were knocking back the champagne and running back and forth to their bathrooms.“
    “You think a woman might have done it?“
    “I don’t see why not. It didn’t take any special strength or height. It could have even been the aunts, for that matter.“
    “Or Jack Thatcher. Or even Uncle Joe,“ Jane said. “But what was the point? Just to show dislike or contempt?“
    “Maybe it was meant as a warning. Stop doing whatever you’re doing, Dwayne, or something worse will happen to you.“
    “But what’s he doing besides marrying Livvy?”
    Shelley said, “That might be enough. Or it could be something else. We really don’t know anything about him except that he’s sort of low-rent and is very nasty to anyone close at hand when he’s mad.“
    “I guess about the only person it couldn’t have been was Jack Thatcher.“
    “Why’s that?“
    “Because all he had to do to stop the wedding was tell Livvy it was off,“ Jane said.
    “You’re probably right. And I can’t see how Livvy and Dwayne getting married would mean anything to the aunts. So who’s left?“
    “Bridesmaids and Uncle Joe.“
    “I vote for Uncle Joe,“ Shelley said.
    “Why? What would his motive be?“
    “I don’t know. But I’ll think of something.”
    They heard the front door open and footsteps approaching. “Mel? Is that you?“ Jane called out.
    Mel stepped into the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator. “Anything to eat?“
    “Mr. Willis left us dinners,“ Jane said. “Pick whichever plate you like. Where have you been?“
    “Just snooping around the grounds,“ he said, taking the foil off a plate and gazing at the food with disapproval. “Girly-girly stuff. Prissy chicken salad and tiny sandwiches. Is there anything substantial around? I’m starving.“
    “There probably is, but we don’t dare touch it or we may mess up Mr. Willis’s meal plans,“ Jane said. “There’s a McDonald’s a couple miles away.“
    “No, I want real food. A steak and a big baked potato,“ he said, pouring himself a soft drink and sitting down at the table with them. “Want to go somewhere and see if we can find such a thing?“ “Any other time, I’d snap up that offer,“ Jane said. “But right now all I want to do is stay here and veg out while there’s the chance. Did you know Uncle Joe is the illegitimate half-brother of Jack Thatcher and his sisters?“
    “You’re kidding!“ Mel said. “Come to think of it, there is a vague look of an older Jack Thatcher about him. They have the same eyes and hairline.“
    “Don’t you think that’s significant?“ Jane asked.
    “In what way?“
    “I’m not sure. It’s just odd. They don’t seem to have any affection for him. The aunts will hardly speak to him, in fact. But he gets to live here and even go to the rehearsal dinner.“
    “Every family’s got its own rules,“ Mel said mildly. “This setup isn’t half as weird or creepy as a lot I’ve come across. I had an aunt who invited two of her ex-husbands to her fourth wedding. And they came and had a wonderful time.“
    “Has anybody mentioned the treasure to you?“ Jane asked.
    Mel arched an eyebrow and smiled slightly. “The Treasure? Is it a hidden treasure?“
    “As a matter of fact, it is,“ Jane said, suspecting rightly that he was having a joke at her expense. “If it exists at all.“
    “Okay,“ Mel said, leaning back in his chair. “Lay it on me.“
    “We’ve heard bits of this from several people, but mainly from Eden—“
    “The glamorous bridesmaid?“
    “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice the glamour,“ Jane said. “Anyhow, according to the aunts, old Oliver Wendell Thatcher was supposed to have a lot more money than showed up when he died. He must have left tons, but they figure there