Rachel Alexander 04 - Lady Vanishes

wife’s life a joke.”
    “His wife. ”
    I was about to give him the cheeky answer I thought he deserved when I noticed something. It was the place where the bookend had been buried, the bookend that might still have a readable print on it, the thumbprint, perhaps, of the person who tried to kill Venus with it, because of the way the thumb might have curled under the lady’s chin, but the bricks were out of place and the dirt had been disturbed. Someone had been digging at the hidey-hole, and though I couldn’t be sure from where I stood, I was pretty sure the hole would be empty.
    “That’s correct,” I said, slipping a hand into my pocket and taking a step back. “Venus was Harry’s wife.”
    “Be that as it may, it’s no longer your concern. My father wishes to terminate your services, as of today. Now that Lady’s been recovered, we no longer need you and Dashiell. If you send me a bill, I’ll send you a check for what we owe you.”
    “Your father didn’t hire me.”
    “Oh, I hope you’re not counting on Venus to save your job. That’s a laugh. Of course, we’ll never know what it was that put Harry over the edge, perhaps the grief over Marilyn’s death,” he said, shaking his head, “or merely his age, but I’m sure that, whatever caused his senility, the courts won’t have any problem overturning that will. In a short time, things will be as they should, with Dad running Harbor View.”
    “For how long?”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “How long before you find some way to get him out of the picture?”
    Nathan snorted like a bull about to charge. “I think we’ve had quite enough of your paranoid delusions for now. When the police informed us about the charges against Samuel, it didn’t take a minute to figure out who had accused him. There’s no one else here who would exhibit that kind of disloyalty to Harbor View. And now you have another scenario, more accusations? Please .”
    “How about your own disloyalty?” I asked him, taking another step back. “I see they’re already at work next door, tearing down the bar, getting ready to knock this place down next.”
    Nathan just glared at me, his cheeks jumping.
    “I thought things started when Lady vanished, no one knowing where she had gone, the kids in turmoil over her loss. But your plan to get Harry and your father to agree to sell Harbor View was well underway by then. It started with the fire at the old paper factory next door, didn’t it? Then the bar was closed down by the Board of Health. Rats, I believe. Only no one knew then who the real rats were, rats who couldn’t wait until two old men lived out their dream and died naturally, rats who wanted to hurry things along, cash in on the hot real estate market by selling Harbor View to the developer who had been after you for the land, who Harry had turned down enough times that they approached you to see if you could persuade your father to swing the decision, not knowing either of them of course, not knowing that, short of dying, these men would never give this place up for money or any other reason.
    “But you kept trying. Next there was the electrical fire in the basement, jeopardy a little closer to home. Luckily Lady was still here then. Venus said she was spectacular, a real lifesaver, barking and backing up, leading her right to where the problem was.
    “It was right after that that Samuel took Lady away. It’s so nice to see brothers getting along so well. Your father will be so proud of your teamwork.”
    “That’s quite enough. No one’s interested in your—”
    “Little theories?”
    He reached out for me, but I got out of the way, taking my hand out of my pocket then, pointing my gun at him.
    “Ah, so this time you’re not taking any chances,” he said, a big smile on his hard face.
    “There were two arguments in Harry’s office that last day. The first was Arlene, trying to find out where Marilyn’s jewelry was, assuming it should belong to her now. The second was you, Nathan, trying to convince Harry to sell. You must have been fuming when you came out of there, angrier than you’d ever been in your life, the old guy steadfast about this place, despite your attempts to scare him off, wear him down, wheedle a yes out of him. Am I doing okay so far?”
    Nathan nodded, but not to me. It was as if he were signaling someone behind me.
    “Good one,” I told him, keeping my eyes forward.
    That’s when I saw him. He got up and walked slowly