Page 80 of The Bride Wore White

Harley scowled. “What exactly do you think you understand?”

“You and Maud intended to punish the Dovers and make them pay for what was done to Maud all those years ago. You both wanted to see Clara Dover locked up in an asylum, and you both wanted to force the family to give you what you considered your share of Dover Industries. But things went wrong last night, because Clara is dead. She won’t be spending the rest of her life in an asylum. The only thing you can hope for now is that she did put you into her will. If I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

“Get out of here,” Harley screamed.

“The only question left is, who murdered Clara Dover last night?”

“I didn’t kill her,” Harley roared. “Why would I do that? I was having too much fun playing games with her, making her believe she was getting visits from her precious Gilbert. I wanted her to get committed, too. She deserved to know what I went through all those years, first in that fucking school and then in an asylum.”

Jack looked at Prudence. She got the message. She was already on her feet. She headed for the door, aware that Jack was following her. A shiver went through her when she realized he was covering her to make sure she made it safely outside.

Neither of them spoke until they were in the car.

“I believe Maud,” Prudence said. “I think she did want Clara Dover to live and be sent away to an asylum.”

“I agree,” Jack said. He started the car, put it in gear, and drove toward the main road. “And that’s probably what Harley Flood wanted, too. But he is a very volatile man. He’s capable of long-range planning, but he can’t control his temper.”

“Do you think he is insane?”

“Not in the medical sense of the word. But he has an explosive temper and very little impulse control.”

“Which describes most of the other men in the Dover family,” Prudence said. “The exception being Rollins. I have a feeling that if it hadn’t been for the Dover money and social status, Copeland and Gilbert would probably have wound up in prison. Sounds like the only reason Harley didn’t get arrested for the murder of his roommate when he was a teen was because Clara Dover was able to make him disappear into an asylum.”

“I think it’s time to examine the crime scene.”

“Which crime scene?”

“House of Shadows.”

Chapter 37

The house was no longer smoldering, but it had collapsed in on itself and was now in ruins.Just like Cordell Bonner’s lab,Jack thought. He forced himself to push the memories back into the hellhole where they belonged.

“What do you want to bet my insurance policy contains a clause that says the company doesn’t have to pay off if the fire was caused by arson,” he said.

Prudence glanced at him. “When did you become a betting man?”

They were standing in the driveway, studying what was left of the big house. The water that had been poured on the blaze had soaked what little the fire had not destroyed.

“Once in a while I’ll bet on a sure thing,” he said. “Trust me, the policy will exclude arson.”

“You’re probably right,” Prudence said. “So why didn’t you take Dover up on his offer to reimburse you for damages?”

“Because he was trying to buy me off. That irritated me.”

“I understand,” she said.

“I never did like this house.”

“You mentioned that. Do you want my advice?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Depends on the advice.”

“I think you should look at the positive side of this situation.”

“There’s a positive side?”

“Yes.” She waved a hand at the ruins. “Think of this as giving you a clean slate. A fresh start. I know you didn’t like the house, but you do like the property. The view is amazing. You’ve got a beach you can walk every day. There’s plenty of privacy, but you’re close enough to Burning Cove to take advantage of the library, the restaurants, the theater, and the shops. This is the California coast. Land of the future. Property values will only go up.”

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