Page 60 of A Flower for Angus

Ralston and Edna both glared at him.

“Oh...this is Angus Sangster, a friend from Scotland.” Poppy introduced him. “He and Vince are here to help me sort things out.”

Edna stared and then finally she seemed to pale and wilt. “Let’s hope you can find some answers, Poppy. This has all been such a nightmare.” She pressed trembling fingers to her temple.

Ralston leaned down. “You really need to lie down, Edna. You’ve been on your feet too long as it is.”

“You’re right as usual, Ralston. I was just trying to figure out what bills to pay and which ones to put off in the study,” she replied wearily. “Can we talk later, Poppy?”

“Of course,” Poppy said with a nod of relief. She needed some time to absorb what she’d learned. It certainly wasn’t what she’d expected.

“Oh, one more thing, Edna. No press members are allowed in the mansion. I’m not going through that again, and they have no business in here snooping around any of us,” Poppy added firmly.

Surprisingly enough, Edna nodded her head. “I agree. It seems those we think of as friends often turn out to be the enemy, and vice versa. I have no friends in the press anymore, so that’s not an issue.”

Poppy was still suspicious of Edna’s motives, but she felt surprisingly lighter as Edna walked away. Coming here had been the right thing to do. With each small success she felt more in control of the chaos that had been her life this past year. Facing her nemesis and her subsequent mild reactions had been huge. Being the stone in the lake creating the ripples instead of the victim in the path of the ripples was invigorating.

***

“WHERE ARE OUR ROOMS, Poppy?” Angus asked, picking up the suitcases as Edna and Ralston headed towards what looked like an elevator near the stairway on the right. “Is that an elevator?”

“Yes. Julian had it put in years ago when Edna wanted the third-floor suite of rooms. She wanted to be completely away from the family parts of the home and feel like she was living alone. I’m surprised with her age that she hasn’t moved closer to the main floor. Especially with just her and Adrian in the house after I left.”

“Ye haven’t said much, Vince,” Angus remarked as they followed Poppy up the stairway on the left side of the house.

“Just taking it all in,” Vince grunted. “Something is off about that Ralston guy. Poppy, you don’t have to put me up here, I can stay in my own bungalow just fine.”

“I want you here, Vince, if you don’t mind staying. The more eyes to observe, the better I’ll feel. Investigate whatever you think needs investigating because we need to figure out what’s going on. I’d really like to know who killed Julian, or if he was murdered at all. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around Adrian doing it. He loved his father, I know that. I know the police have already been here, but the house is yours to poke around in.”

“I’ll do what I can. You said you wanted me to see if I could find out if the brakes on your car were messed with? I’ll need the name and place of the mechanic who repaired them. You can also point me in the direction of the security room. I’d like to know what the set up was and if anyone backed up the tapes from a year ago.”

“Wouldn’t the police have that?” Angus asked.

“I’ll have to find that out,” Vince replied. “They might not have collected the data if they declared it an accidental overdose due to lack of suspects from the beginning.”

“Here’s your room, Vince.” Poppy opened the door to a neatly laid out room and stepped back to let him in. “I have no idea about the sheets and such. Some of these rooms were rarely used and the sheets are probably clean. That’s all I can say without a maid to refer to. Julian’s room is right next door to yours. You can investigate all you like.”

“It’ll be fine,” Vince rumbled. “I’ve got some work to do on my computer. Don’t worry about me for dinner, I’ll take care of myself.”

She moved down the hall to the right. “This first door is your room, Angus, and the next one is mine. You can put your bag in there.” She leaned up to whisper in his ear. “I’ll meet you between the rooms.”

Angus’s eyebrows crawled off his forehead and he grinned as she shot him a furtive look and went to her own door.

Angus opened the door and stepped inside his room. It was neat and elegantly furnished with a queen-sized four poster bed sporting gender neutral quilts and pillows in a blue and cream design. The window by the right side of the bed was decorated with heavy cream drapes.

The room also sported a walk-in closet that was bare, an overstuffed chair by the marbled fireplace on the right wall, and a door on the left between the mahogany dresser and chest. The carpet in thick beige was a nice blend of modern style with the antique furniture and the desk on his left as he came into the room.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the massive painting on the wall with dogs, riders and hounds looked like real art. He wondered who the artist was. Then again, there was plenty of artwork everywhere he’d looked, from vases to paintings to figurines standing on little tables. There was still a fortune in this mansion, even if Condoloro Enterprises was going broke.

He placed his bag on the bed, strode to the door on his left, and turned the old-style metal knob. It was locked so he tapped gently with his knuckles.

A giggle was his reply as the chain was unbolted and the door opened to reveal Poppy smiling up at him. “Can I help you, sir?”

“Do ye know a lass named Poppy? I’m supposed to meet her here,” he growled as he stalked her backward.

“She’s not here, will I do?” Poppy asked, batting her eyes at him like a fem fatale. He decided he liked her in this mood.

He shook his head woefully. “I’m afraid I can’t be seen with the likes of ye. Only the lass I want will make me happy. Unless ye’ve got a big pot of haggis and tatties in there,” he teased. “I might be convinced if ye can cook.”

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