Belle's Palace lay sleeping in the heat of the afternoon sun. The only
movement came from the breezes blowing through the windows and ruffling the
curtains. All was peaceful and quiet. Even the birds in the hedges seemed
drowsy.
Sam Marston had slipped right into the routine of the household but Elliott Marston found the stillness a trifle confining. Tiptoeing up the stairs and along the hall to get to their room was one thing, but conducting business in a whisper was just a bit much, in his opinion.
"What do you think I'm runnin' here? A day school for wayward orphans?" Belle retorted when he complained. "These gals work hard and they need their sleep. So you just hush up, Mr. Big Important Sheep Rancher."
"It's not that I don't appreciate the reasons." Marston commented as he followed his wife to the kitchen and the back door. "It's just that it's so hard to remember all the time."
Sam pulled on her gloves and smiled. "I know."
"And I don't want you taking any risks out there. If you think you might be followed, then you stay at the hotel." He crossed his arms and frowned. "I'm going to miss you until you get back."
The disgruntled look on his face was so perilously close to a pout that she almost laughed. "I will be careful." She reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss. "Now you just stay indoors and out of trouble while I'm gone, sir."
He pulled open the door and checked the back alley. The hackney cab was waiting. Sam climbed in and pulled the shades down in both windows so no one could see. The driver clucked to his horse and the cab lurched forward. Marston watched it turn into the street and disappear from view.
With a deep sigh, he shut the door. Being apart for even a few hours was fretful but he knew that it was vital that the boys be sent back to the ranch without delay. Ted and Barney would take care of them on the way and make sure they didn't come to any harm. He wondered briefly who would protect the ranch from the boys.
Moving as quietly as he could, he slipped up the back stairs and along the hall to his room. Belle had tried to talk him into staying in the basement storage area but he had rejected that idea immediately. He preferred a front room with a window so he could watch who came to the house.
He rounded the corner and almost ran into Belle. "There you are! Been looking for you." She crooked her finger at him. "You wanted to talk to Ches Watters' gal? Well, she's awake now."
Lilly was waiting for him in the small back parlor. She lounged on a sofa in a pink velvet dressing gown that had seen better days and had been designed for a woman built on less robust lines. A stale aroma of attar of roses hung in the air. The sound of the door closing behind Belle caused her to wince and look accusingly at him as he sat down.
Marston eyed her for a moment. Awake wasn't the word he would have used. Perhaps conscious would have been more accurate. Although just barely.
"You the fella wants to know about Ches Watters?" She drank her tea with little sips, blinking at the afternoon sun coming though the curtains.
"Yes. I understand you were with him the night before he died." Marston leaned forward in his chair. "What did you talk about?"
She laughed, a surprisingly girlish sound. "Weren't talkin' he had on his mind. If you gets my drift." She winked at him.
"Uh, yes, I realize that. But you told Belle what Watters said when he found out Sam Flanagan had left." Marston waited, then prodded her again. "Apparently he was upset."
"Yeah, he was. Got real mad when Belle told him that he was probably bein' protected by guards." She frowned in concentration. "Said he was gonna get that boy - what's his name now? The oldest one - Liam, that's it. Said that Liam would know where the old man was."
Marston frowned. "Did he say anything about associates or partners who were looking for Flanagan too?"
"Mister, I told you what I know. I don't stick my nose in a man's business. Only thing was I liked those boys and that Liam was cute." She smiled and gave Marston a sidelong glance under half-closed lids. "Not as good-lookin' as you, though." She set the teacup down on the side table, then stood up and gathered her dressing gown more tightly around her figure. Then she smiled again and launched herself at him.
Marston had a confused impression of a pink whirlwind a bare second before she landed in his lap. The force of her assault knocked him back into the depths of the chair. She was completely awake now. He spluttered for air as her arms circled his neck and squeezed hard.
"I'm.not.interested!" He tried to unclench her hands. "Let.go!"
"Now, honey, don't be that way. We got plenty of time before I gotta go to work." A wet kiss missed its target and landed on his ear. "So let's go upstairs and have fun. And for you I'll even take my clothes off." She took careful aim and tried to kiss him again.
His groping hands managed to catch hold of the chair arms. With a heave, he pulled himself forward until his feet gained a purchase on the floor. Lilly clung with all her strength the entire time. With a grunt he reached up and succeeded in prying her grip loose. She kicked her legs in the air as she flailed around, grasping at him wildly. He stood up and she landed on the floor with a loud thud.
"Now that's not friendly!" She huffed up at him with a hurt look. "Wouldn't have cost you nothing. It's free anytime before supper. House rules."
He sucked in a lungful of air and let it out again. "Thank you. But all I want is information about Ches Watters."
"I told you all I know." She got to her feet, rejecting with scorn his offer of assistance. "Now I gotta go. I'm hungry." Pulling her disordered dressing gown around her, she made for the door.
"I know Watters wanted Flanagan to kill a man." He was talking to her back. "If you remember anything else -"
"Well I won't! Ches was a good customer. Never asked for credit." Lilly paused on the threshold and looked back with a frown. "He was some mad that night. Cursin' and carryin' on real bad. I felt sorry for the old man. And even sorrier for the man Ches wanted dead." She padded across the hall in her bare feet and began to climb the stairs.
Marston followed her to the foot of the great staircase. "If you could remember the name of that man, it would be very helpful."
"Actually, come to think of it, I do." Lilly's voice floated down from the landing. "Ches wanted the old man to kill some guy named Elliott Marston."
Sam Marston had slipped right into the routine of the household but Elliott Marston found the stillness a trifle confining. Tiptoeing up the stairs and along the hall to get to their room was one thing, but conducting business in a whisper was just a bit much, in his opinion.
"What do you think I'm runnin' here? A day school for wayward orphans?" Belle retorted when he complained. "These gals work hard and they need their sleep. So you just hush up, Mr. Big Important Sheep Rancher."
"It's not that I don't appreciate the reasons." Marston commented as he followed his wife to the kitchen and the back door. "It's just that it's so hard to remember all the time."
Sam pulled on her gloves and smiled. "I know."
"And I don't want you taking any risks out there. If you think you might be followed, then you stay at the hotel." He crossed his arms and frowned. "I'm going to miss you until you get back."
The disgruntled look on his face was so perilously close to a pout that she almost laughed. "I will be careful." She reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss. "Now you just stay indoors and out of trouble while I'm gone, sir."
He pulled open the door and checked the back alley. The hackney cab was waiting. Sam climbed in and pulled the shades down in both windows so no one could see. The driver clucked to his horse and the cab lurched forward. Marston watched it turn into the street and disappear from view.
With a deep sigh, he shut the door. Being apart for even a few hours was fretful but he knew that it was vital that the boys be sent back to the ranch without delay. Ted and Barney would take care of them on the way and make sure they didn't come to any harm. He wondered briefly who would protect the ranch from the boys.
Moving as quietly as he could, he slipped up the back stairs and along the hall to his room. Belle had tried to talk him into staying in the basement storage area but he had rejected that idea immediately. He preferred a front room with a window so he could watch who came to the house.
He rounded the corner and almost ran into Belle. "There you are! Been looking for you." She crooked her finger at him. "You wanted to talk to Ches Watters' gal? Well, she's awake now."
Lilly was waiting for him in the small back parlor. She lounged on a sofa in a pink velvet dressing gown that had seen better days and had been designed for a woman built on less robust lines. A stale aroma of attar of roses hung in the air. The sound of the door closing behind Belle caused her to wince and look accusingly at him as he sat down.
Marston eyed her for a moment. Awake wasn't the word he would have used. Perhaps conscious would have been more accurate. Although just barely.
"You the fella wants to know about Ches Watters?" She drank her tea with little sips, blinking at the afternoon sun coming though the curtains.
"Yes. I understand you were with him the night before he died." Marston leaned forward in his chair. "What did you talk about?"
She laughed, a surprisingly girlish sound. "Weren't talkin' he had on his mind. If you gets my drift." She winked at him.
"Uh, yes, I realize that. But you told Belle what Watters said when he found out Sam Flanagan had left." Marston waited, then prodded her again. "Apparently he was upset."
"Yeah, he was. Got real mad when Belle told him that he was probably bein' protected by guards." She frowned in concentration. "Said he was gonna get that boy - what's his name now? The oldest one - Liam, that's it. Said that Liam would know where the old man was."
Marston frowned. "Did he say anything about associates or partners who were looking for Flanagan too?"
"Mister, I told you what I know. I don't stick my nose in a man's business. Only thing was I liked those boys and that Liam was cute." She smiled and gave Marston a sidelong glance under half-closed lids. "Not as good-lookin' as you, though." She set the teacup down on the side table, then stood up and gathered her dressing gown more tightly around her figure. Then she smiled again and launched herself at him.
Marston had a confused impression of a pink whirlwind a bare second before she landed in his lap. The force of her assault knocked him back into the depths of the chair. She was completely awake now. He spluttered for air as her arms circled his neck and squeezed hard.
"I'm.not.interested!" He tried to unclench her hands. "Let.go!"
"Now, honey, don't be that way. We got plenty of time before I gotta go to work." A wet kiss missed its target and landed on his ear. "So let's go upstairs and have fun. And for you I'll even take my clothes off." She took careful aim and tried to kiss him again.
His groping hands managed to catch hold of the chair arms. With a heave, he pulled himself forward until his feet gained a purchase on the floor. Lilly clung with all her strength the entire time. With a grunt he reached up and succeeded in prying her grip loose. She kicked her legs in the air as she flailed around, grasping at him wildly. He stood up and she landed on the floor with a loud thud.
"Now that's not friendly!" She huffed up at him with a hurt look. "Wouldn't have cost you nothing. It's free anytime before supper. House rules."
He sucked in a lungful of air and let it out again. "Thank you. But all I want is information about Ches Watters."
"I told you all I know." She got to her feet, rejecting with scorn his offer of assistance. "Now I gotta go. I'm hungry." Pulling her disordered dressing gown around her, she made for the door.
"I know Watters wanted Flanagan to kill a man." He was talking to her back. "If you remember anything else -"
"Well I won't! Ches was a good customer. Never asked for credit." Lilly paused on the threshold and looked back with a frown. "He was some mad that night. Cursin' and carryin' on real bad. I felt sorry for the old man. And even sorrier for the man Ches wanted dead." She padded across the hall in her bare feet and began to climb the stairs.
Marston followed her to the foot of the great staircase. "If you could remember the name of that man, it would be very helpful."
"Actually, come to think of it, I do." Lilly's voice floated down from the landing. "Ches wanted the old man to kill some guy named Elliott Marston."