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It had taken Travis a second cup of coffee to regain his composure. Emma had deliberately turned the conversation back to Cindy to divert his attention away from his cousin. Despite his complaints about Wendy, Emma had to admire the protection he wanted to offer the younger girl.
"Did Cindy get along with everyone here at the house?" she asked.
"For the most part, she wasn't a bad sort," Cook answered with a shrug. "The one person she seemed to have the most trouble with was Marianne."
"Didn't someone say Cindy was Marianne's assistant? Why would she put up with an attitude from someone who was there to assist her?"
"Like I said, Cindy liked to find out secrets about people. And she wasn't above using them to strengthen her position here in the household." Cook walked over with a fresh tray of Christmas cookies and picked up the tray Sophie had finished as she answered.
"Blackmail?" Travis asked, his attention returned to the matter at hand.
"Oh, not the big crime type of blackmail." Sophie picked up a different tube of colored icing and continued, "Just subtle nudges when she wanted something to go her way, or needed time off, or didn't want to do a job."
"That sounds like blackmail to me," Travis chuckled.
Emma was silent for a moment, staring down into her empty coffee cup. "But did she push too far and someone got fed up? Maybe it was an angry reaction that got her killed by someone unwilling to play along anymore?"
There was no answer to Emma's question, but it was clear the others were thinking about the possibilities. After a few moments, Travis pushed his chair back and stood.
"Come on, Emma. I think we need to ask my mother a few questions."
Holding out his hand, he waited for Emma to stand, but she hesitated. "What about her migraine?"
"I'm betting it was not all that serious. We can sneak in on her before Marianne comes up with the tea tray and find out what Mom knows about Cindy."
As Emma and Travis moved toward the doorway, Sophie hurriedly placed a few cookies she had finished on a plate and rushed over to shove it in Travis's hand with a smirk. "Here, this will make her feel better. And if she doesn't feel like eating them, I know you'll finish them."
"You know me so well, don't you?" Travis laughed and took the plate, rubbing his stomach for emphasis.
Cook laughed at his antics and then motioned for the two of them to move along. Emma smiled at their easy camaraderie. But Travis and Emma both grew serious as they neared Midge's suite. They had serious questions to ask, and hopefully, Midge would have the answers.
The house was unusually quiet for the middle of the day, which made the voices they heard as they approached their destination seem even louder than they were.
"I thought your mother was resting and didn't want to be disturbed," Emma whispered and grabbed Travis's arm as he reached for the door to knock.
"So did I."
Before they could say anything else, Midge's voice rose above the male voice with sarcasm. "And just who do think is responsible? My son? Niece? Or maybe Cook? Why stop there, Kevin? Why not accuse every one of the people I have working for me? You know, it just might be my timid gardener or my assistant. Heck, it might even be you!"
"No, it's not me, and you know how ridiculous that is to even say."
"Well, what am I supposed to think? You suggest that someone I trust, someone who is in my home daily, is stealing from me. Have they stolen more than the missing ornaments?"
"Yes, there is a large sum of cash missing as well."
Travis and Emma exchanged a quick look. This was a new development they hadn't expected. There was silence on the other side of the door, and Travis reached out to turn the doorknob. But before he could turn the nob, his mother spoke.
"Enough cash that it can hurt my family? Are we headed for ruin and destitution? I don't think so. Someone is hard up, and that leads to desperate acts. I'm sure when Emma finds the missing ornaments, we'll find the missing cash."
"Maybe."
"Kevin, we can't accuse anyone of theft with no proof. We'll have to take tighter control of the household accounts."
"Fine, if that is what you want to do. I want to change access to all the accounts. It's not just the household accounts that have been pilfered."
"Do what you think is best, Kevin. But not a word until there is proof of guilt."
"I don't agree, but I'll follow your lead. Emma might be your answer, but I have suspicions of my own that I intend to follow."
Before Travis or Emma had a chance to step back, the door whipped open, and Kevin Frost stood before them, glaring. He didn't say a word, merely pushed his way past them and stormed down the hallway toward the staircase. It was Midge's voice that drew their attention back to the room.
"Travis, haven't I told you eavesdropping is rude?" Midge softened her words with a smile and then gave a heavy sigh. "How much did you overhear?"
Travis shoved the tray of tea and cookies into Emma's hands and then rushed forward to his mother. After kissing her on the forehead, he looked at her with concern.
"Enough to know there is more going on around here than I thought. And it sounds like it's been going on for a while."
Emma cleared her throat and moved into the room, setting the tray on the table next to the chair. "Cook thought this might help you feel better."
"Feel better?"
"Yeah, Mom. The migraine you are supposed to be suffering from."
Travis grinned down at his mother, who had the grace to blush, and then plopped himself into a chair closest to the cookies.
"Oh, that never materialized. But it was sweet of Cook to think of me."
Midge grinned back at her son and then motioned for Emma to take a seat. She joined them, sitting next to Emma on the sofa. Following her son's example, she snatched a cookie from the plate. "I see Sophie has been decorating the cookies. She is so talented."
"Mom, don't try to change the subject. What was Kevin talking about? And don't stall; Marianne will be up soon. She was supposed to bring you the tea tray, and she's not going to be pleased that I beat her to the punch."
Midge put her cookie down without taking a bite and sighed.
"Kevin has been concerned for several months that funds are not where they should be. The theft of the ornaments has brought everything to a head. He is insistent there be an audit and investigation. He is so diligent about things. The promise he made to your father to look after us weighs heavy on him, and he takes it as a personal offense that someone would steal from our family."
"Then we are lucky Kevin and Dad were such trusted friends. I would much rather have him on our side than working against us. The man is more than just an accountant. Dad counted on him for just about everything."
"I know, and of course he's right. But I just can't bear to think someone in my household is stealing from me."
"And probably a murderer, too. You can't forget about that, Midge." Emma hated to be the one to say the obvious, but it needed to be said.
Midge stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, someone in my household is a murderer. But who?"