“How rude!”

  “He has a point, Vi.” Scarlett conceded. “It never occurred to me that we’d put them in danger until I saw the binoculars.”

  “You don’t know for sure that’s what they were,” Violet argued.

  “It doesn’t matter if I imagined it—only that they’re safe.”

  Ruby made a soothing sound. “Now that Nate knows he’ll see to it that they are.”

  “With all my heart, I hope so.” Scarlett rubbed her face with her hands. “We should fire up the laptop and search for any pictures of the Carvers. With a bit of luck, we might be able to figure out who the killer is.”

  Ruby collected it from the counter, hesitating before she opened it. “after what Nate said, do you think we should?”

  “It can’t hurt to look, and I imagine that Nate will have similar pictures to show the children.” Scarlett reasoned.

  It was growing dark outside when they unpacked the picnic things and cleaned up. Having dissected the entire experience several times, while viewing whatever they could find on the four families, the sisters were not much better off. There were several dark-haired men who might be the murderer, yet they had no way of being sure who was short or tall without the context of Chad being with each person.

  Finally, Violet and Ruby headed to bed, leaving Scarlett to mull over the family trees she’d decided to produce. Something made her pull up a couple of pictures once more. There was something here. How had she missed the likeness?

  Head bent when the light outside the back of the house went out, and she froze for a second. Her first rational thought was to lock the back door, but just as she reached it, the knob turned.

  CHAPTER 22

  Lunging to throw all her weight against the door proved useless when the intruder pushed against it, her sock covered feet slipped along the wooden floor as if she were nothing more than an empty box.

  “Miss Finch?” A voice hissed close to her ear. “Scarlett?”

  “Who is it?” she managed through shaking teeth.

  “It is Alex from the factory. Please let me in. I mean, you no harm.”

  Although urgent, his voice wasn’t threatening, and he’d stopped pushing the door.

  “I’m sure some part of you is already inside, and I don’t remember issuing an invitation.”

  “I’m sorry to frighten you. When I saw you through the window, and you are alone, it was too great an opportunity to speak to you privately.”

  So he’d been watching the house. Was he also the person watching her around town? “I’m sure we could have worked out another way to meet. Perhaps another note?”

  Alex made a sound that could have amusement, which would indicate he appreciated the dig at him about the note she’d received that had convinced her to accompany Nate out to the factory. At the very least, it confirmed that he was the culprit. Not that she had thought otherwise.

  “It would be better for both of us for you to let me in and away from the lights.” As he spoke, a large hand felt along the wall and plunged them into darkness.

  Startled, Scarlett took a few steps back, which allowed Alex enough space to get completely inside and to shut the door behind him. Moonlight seeped in through the curtainless window as she waited to see what he would do, hoping her instincts were right and that she and her sisters were safe.

  Alex also stood quietly with his head tilted to one side in a classic listening pose. Nails clicked on the floor, and Bob appeared at her side, emitting a low rumble. Alex took a wary stance, unsure of Bob’s nature when his people were threatened. It was a stalemate.

  “What do you want?” she finally asked.

  “Your dog is usually friendlier.”

  Scarlett ran a hand along Bob’s back, and the dog sat. “He’s as shocked as me that we have a late-night visitor and that we’re all in the dark. About many things, it would seem.”

  “Dogs are sensitive to their people’s feelings, and you are also very perceptive, Ms. Finch. Which is why I have come to you and not the sheriff.”

  She liked that he didn’t say owner as so many people did. “Please take a seat, but be aware that George is also around somewhere.”

  “The cat? I wondered where he was.” Alex looked about him and carefully sat his large frame in a chair.

  Scarlett appreciated that he had the ability to decimate furniture and that he cared enough to be careful of hers. “Now, tell me why I am a better option than the sheriff or his men.”

  Alex put his hand out to the side, and Bob sniffed it before traitorously allowing the giant to scratch his head. She saw the gleam of his teeth.

  “It surprised me that the Sheriff allowed you to be so involved in finding the killer.”

  Scarlett stiffened. “He didn’t allow it. I do what I think is right.”

  “This is very noble yet dangerous. I have never met a woman like yourself.”

  Scarlett relaxed a little at the softness of his tone. Both things surprised her. “Did you stop by just to flatter me, because you could have done that during respectable hours.”

  Alex’s eyes sparkled in the semi-darkness. “I am here because I believe someone has been bribed to delay the case or try to pin the death on another person—me.”

  She didn’t let slip that Nate was already looking for the suspect the children had mentioned. “Our sheriff is too honest to allow that to happen.”

  Alex snorted. “He has men above and below him. They will not all think alike.”

  She nodded. It was something she’d wondered about but dismissed as unlikely. “The Turners might be powerful in their world, but Nate doesn’t answer to them, and I’m sure he would do something if he thought other officers weren’t being as professional.”

  “Something is delaying the process.”

  “You have to admit that you haven’t helped. And there seems to be plenty of others at Harmony Beach with other agendas. In my opinion, that’s the main reason the case has been so slow to resolve.”

  Alex stood and went to stand at the window where he could see out but couldn’t be seen. “You are right. Again. It is difficult for me to discuss personal things with a stranger. Many at the beach feel the same.”

  Scarlett didn’t doubt that but suspected it was more out of fear of losing their jobs and homes. The Carver’s would have other worries—losing prestige or their positions in the hierarchy. “Shall I tell you what I know and what I suspect?”

  He nodded. “That might be a little easier.”

  Scarlett closed her eyes, picturing the family trees and also a resemblance she’d previously overlooked. “You are Mr. Turner’s son.”

  Alex hissed out a breath that told her she’d hit the nail on the head. It gave her the ability to continue to work through everything she knew, discarding the pieces of the puzzle which now couldn’t fit.

  “You should have inherited your father’s position on the board, and you could have been the boss of the whole shebang.”

  “Shebang? I do not know this word, and how you came to this knowledge is a mystery, but I do not want to be the boss. The way the corporation is run is not fair to those who do the most work. However, how I feel does not matter. There are other reasons why I will never run this company.”

  Alex would be several years older than Lexie, and she could think of only one reason he couldn’t run the company. A reason which an old-fashioned set of rules might leave no room for any changes. “Excuse me for being indelicate, but your parents never married, am I right?”

  “Yes. I am sure you can appreciate that this matters a great deal to the corporation.”

  “Studying the workings of the corporation, I can see how that might be. Still, being accepted into the business must have been good for you?”

  “Hah! Acceptance is a broad term. In my hometown, we were very poor and mistreated because my mother had no husband. I found out who my father was only after my mother’s death when I went through her things. It took a long time to decide to contact him, and since he did not know I existed, he was as shocked as me. He sent money, and I came because I wrongly assumed I would be invited into the family. Instead, I had to pretend to be a distant relative.”

  “I’m so sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to stir up bad feelings.”

  He shrugged. “I have tried to accept my role in life, which isn’t as bad as you might think. I’m tired of being a dirty secret, yet it is better to be here with food in my belly and a place to live.”

  “But, you shut yourself away.”

  “Not always. It is easier to be alone than to be looked down on. So I keep to myself at the factory, do a good job and visit the Carver Community who treat me well. They are more of a family than my own.”

  Scarlett saw his point, but the fact was he had more of a family than Mr. Turner. “Does Lexie know she has a brother?”

  “I was sworn to secrecy. Mrs. Turner insisted on it if I was to remain in Harmony Beach.”

  “Ah, so she does know about you.” Surprised for a moment, when Scarlett recalled the tenseness between Mrs. Turner and her husband, it was apparent that the marriage wasn’t harmonious. You’ve done everything asked of you, but knowing who killed Chad, is too much to keep quiet about?” It was a guess, and maybe she couldn’t see his reaction properly, but she witnessed the change in him as he slumped in the chair—the release of a long breath as if he’d held it for far too long.

  “I didn’t see it happen,” he muttered.

  “Alex, this is no time to get cagey. Do you know or not?”

  He stood and paced the kitchen. “If they know I was the one to leak the information, I would be sent away. It’s the only home I have.”

  “It would be a lie to say no one would find out because once he’s caught, you would have to testify against him, but it is the right thing to do. For Chad and Lexie and also for you. The burden is too much for an honest and fair man, and unless I am badly mistaken, I believe that’s who you are.”

  He stopped and crouched in front of her. “This is why I am here. You want to make things right, just as I do, but it is dangerous.”

  Warring with her need to be honest and her promise to Nate, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Two children from the community saw the murder. If they refuse to help Nate, the killer might be tipped off. We have to make sure they’re safe, and we can only do that by catching him.”

  His head dipped, and when he looked up, the moonlight lit the anger on his face. “The person responsible is a miserable man. He is jealous of your friend and wants Lexie for himself. The board will not stand for either of them marrying her. Another has been chosen.”

  How Alex got his information wasn’t important. The next target was. “Then, it’s inevitable he will kill again. Sam might be his next victim, or it could be Lexie so that no other man will have her.”

  “I fear you are right. Over the last few years, I have watched her grow into a lovely woman, despite the treatment she endures.” His fists clenched. “I will not let her or the children be harmed if I can help it. I heard of the families arguing without ever being in the house. They do not see the servants as real people and sometimes talk without realizing they are there.”

  Scarlett gripped his shoulder. “What was it about?”

  “Any of the men from the other families were eligible to marry Lexie, but Chad was chosen as the eldest of the next prominent family. With him gone, his brother could be next in line.”

  “Your voice tells me that you don’t believe he is the murderer.”

  He shook his head. “Michael and Chad were close, but Lexie and Michael were not. He and Ellen were about to announce their engagement.”

  Scarlett hadn’t seen that coming. “Assuming that this is another arranged marriage, things could change?”

  “They have been promised. Despite him not belonging to one of the two most prominent families, David Johnson will be the next in line. He will take the Turner name.” Alex said this with a growl, and Bob jumped between them.

  She rubbed his back, trying to come to terms with this. “That makes no sense. The old-fashioned way of doing things must make this hard for the other families to accept.”

  “I agree, but my father always gets his way. No matter who is hurt.”

  Scarlett shifted in the chair. Out of the muddle, the family tree came front and center. “David is in danger too. Because the killer is the one person who could never get to marry Lexie due to being the lowest on the rung.”

  “Joshua Whitley.” They said the name together.

  “Ellen’s brother is a carver. He’s short with dark hair and was missing at the wedding.” Scarlett reeled off the list. “Ellen came to visit to find out what we knew.”

  Alex smiled. “You make an excellent detective.”

  Scarlett smiled back, knowing he had maneuvered her down the path to reach her conclusion, but it felt right. “We have to prove it first. I’m going to make coffee.”

  Before she could take more than a couple of steps, Alex threw her to the floor, and the kitchen window shattered simultaneously.

  CHAPTER 23

  Glass rained down on them.

  Alex moaned, and his body jerked while she could only utter an “Ooof!” as the air was brutally forced from her body as the immense weight of Alex lay across her. “What the heck are you doing?” she gasped.

  Ignoring her, Alex rolled to the side, pulling her with him, then he thrust her under the table. “Stay down.”

  Bob barked several times, and Alex issued a curt command. The dog whimpered and lay at Scarlett’s back.

  “I don’t understand.” She reached out to grip his arm, a warm stickiness on her fingers. “You’re hurt!”

  “Shush!” he hissed.

  They lay together, his back toward the door. One long arm stretched to his boot, and he pulled a knife out and held it between them. Heart beating so hard it hurt, Scarlett stared into his eyes. Although he stared back, she fancied he didn’t see her at all. Instead, he focused on listening intently to something she couldn’t hear. Not that she’d hear anything above her labored breathing and the constant pounding of her heart.

  After what seemed like an hour, he released her and rolled away to crawl to the door. She winced on his behalf, imagining glass fragments cutting through his jeans. And what about his injury? It had to be a gunshot wound. She hadn’t heard a gun, but the glass breaking and then the sound of his pain followed by the blood pointed to that conclusion.

  Light flooded the room, blinding her for a second. Alex muttered what surely must be a Russian curse before barreling out the back door.

  “Hey!” Violet yelled as it banged shut. Then she was on the floor beside Scarlett. “Are you okay? What’s been going on, and why is that man here?”

  Tears misted Scarlett’s eyes, and Violet held her close. “That was Alex. He’s been shot. Someone fired into our house deliberately.”

  “At him or you?”

  Scarlett swallowed her fear. “Right now, it doesn’t matter. I need to phone Nate.”

  “I’ll do it.” Violet insisted.

  “Okay, but stay away from any windows.”

  Violet crawled along to the house phone, and Scarlett followed her into the hallway. They sat on the floor their backs against the wall while Violet tapped impatiently on the handset. Bob wagged his tail, not understanding what was going on, and seeking reassurance. Scarlett put an arm around his neck, and he crawled onto her lap. He wasn’t a small dog, but she didn’t have the heart to push him off. Actually, she found it comforting to be in a little cocoon with Bob and Violet so close.

  Meanwhile, her sister wasn’t mincing words. “It’s Violet. Someone shot at our house, and a man’s been injured.” There was little more conversation, and when Violet rang off, she put her arm back around Scarlett’s shoulders. “Nate’s on his way.”

  Scarlett shivered. “I guess having the sheriff’s personal number is a good thing, after all.” The attempt at lightening the mood fell flat in the face of Violet’s terseness.

  “It’s his job, and I’m not about to wait for him to get here to find out what’s going on.”

  A door opened down the hall, and Ruby came out of her room, rubbing her eyes. “People are trying to sleep.” She stopped mid-way. “Why are you on the floor?”

  Violet patted the floor beside her. “Turn off your bedroom light. Scarlett’s just about to explain everything, and you should get down here too if you don’t want to get shot.”

  * * *

  Flashlights bathed the room, going backward and forward for a minute or two before Nate pushed the back door open.

  “Is everyone okay?”

  Before the women could answer, several shouts from outside caused Nate to retreat in a hurry. When he came back, the sheriff pushed a handcuffed Alex in front of him.

  “Be a little gentler,” Scarlett warned. “Alex is the one who’s been shot, and he was looking for whoever did it.”

  Nate frowned. “Are you sure?”

  Scarlett lifted her hands in exasperation. “He was here in the kitchen with me when it happened and saved my life by throwing me to the floor.” She wasn’t sure if this was true, or how he’d known it was going to happen, but was grateful that he’d been here.

  “I need to sit,” Alex said, stumbling to the table.

  The women raced to his side, and Violet held out her hand to Nate. “Keys, please. He’s about to faint, and I don’t think any of us would be able to pick him up. Besides, we need to elevate his arm and put pressure on his wound to stop more blood loss.”

  Nate complied. Ignoring Violet’s hand he unlocked the handcuffs himself. Ruby grabbed a kitchen towel and held it to the wound, and Violet brought Alex a glass of water. A deputy came to the door, and when Nate went to speak with him, Scarlett followed.

  “We searched the property and found no one else. Shall we take the big guy to the station?” Deputy Glasson asked.

  “He needs a doctor before he goes anywhere,” Scarlett said firmly.

  Nate nodded. “Sam should be here any minute.”

 

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