Page 84 of Light of Day
“The poor duck barely knows where he is.” Celine’s lovely heart-shaped face turned sad. “If you were around more, you would know what I mean.”
What the hell was she talking about? “I just saw him the other day. He seemed fine.” At least he’d seemed okay from across the foyer.
“Good days and bad. Mostly bad, I’m sorry to say.”
Were the good days when he was having an affair? Or the bad days? Luke kept that tactless question to himself as the import of what she was saying sank in.
Dementia.
It was a shocking thought. John Carmichael had always been such a commanding presence. It hurt to think of him any other way. But now that he thought about it, hadn’t Heather mentioned something similar?Something seemed off with him,she’d said. He’s losing a few steps.
“I’m really sorry to hear that.”
She wiped away a tear. “Thank you, Luke. That means a lot.”
This changed everything. If his father and Celine were dealing with a dementia diagnosis, maybe they didn’t belong on his suspect list. All signs had pointed to John Carmichael III masterminding some plot to stop a threat to his sale. Was his father not the villain after all?
That thought gave him a real sense of relief. He’d hated thinking that his dad, as harsh as he could be, had wanted someone murdered.
On the other hand, if the killer wasn’t John Carmichael, then who? He felt sick as he sorted through options. There weren’t very many, and most of them were related to him.
As he turned to go, Celine called after him, “Where are you going?”
“Find my brothers and sister. Know where they are?”
“They don’t tell me where they’re going. I think they mentioned a party on Eagle Island?”
Someone called to her from inside the bedroom, and she hurried back inside.
He narrowed his eyes at the closed door. Celine was wrong. Barnaby might go to a party on Eagle Island, but Fiona and Carson wouldn’t be caught dead there. It would be a keg and a bonfire, not their scene at all.
On impulse, he crossed to Fiona’s suite and tapped on the door. When he got no answer, he pushed it open and walked in. He had to practically wade through the scattered piles of clothes she’d worn and discarded. Why hadn’t the maids tidied up in here? Lord knew Fiona wouldn’t bother to do it herself.
A telescope was set up in the window. He recognized it as one of his father’s, which he must have passed on to her. Without moving it, he bent to look through the eyepiece. It was focused on the ocean, but not the horizon or the lighthouse—just straight down toward the ocean.
What did that mean? Possibly nothing. Maybe the locking mechanism was loose.
Or maybe it did mean something, and that was where he should look. Nothing else was giving him any clues, so why not?
39
“Where is it?”Fiona repeated angrily. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want that drive.” She wore a wetsuit top with racing stripes and a visor to keep her long ponytail away from her face. Her skill with the kayak was obvious in the way she used the paddle to keep it from slamming into the rocks. “I know that chambermaid gave it to you, after she lied and said she hadn’t seen it.”
“If you don’t want to hurt me, why did you stick me in that cave? I could have died in there.”
“Don’t be silly. I wouldn’t have let you die.”
“Carson saw me. He came this close to shooting me.” Heather made an “inch” gesture with her chilled fingers.
“Ugh, he must have followed us. He’s a hothead with a sadistic streak. I told him to leave you to me but he has that oldest-son thing going on. Sorry, I’m not responsible for his bullshit.”
“So what was your plan, leave me indefinitely? Why?”
“I just needed you to go away for a while.” With an exasperated gesture, Fiona slapped the water with her paddle. “Just until I tied up all the loose ends.”
“What loose ends?”
“My idiot father. He’s lost his fricking mind. He’s making terrible decisions, and something had to be done. He can’t be allowed to ruin things for us, his children, the next generation.”
