NANCY QUICKLY RAN BACK outside. She was going to head for the rose garden, but stopped short just outside the door.
Nila was kneeling on the path, both hands grasping her head. Frightened sobs racked her body. Alongside her on the path were the shattered remnants of a brick. When Nancy looked up, she saw a gap in the masonry of a parapet surrounding the roof, three stories above. That had to be where the brick had fallen from.
The rear door of the house opened, and Karen and Philip ran outside to see what had happened. When they saw Nila on her knees, they stopped short, unsure how to react. Nancy noticed that neither of them offered to help.
Eleanor ran out behind her niece and nephew, followed by Bess, who went straight to Nancy’s side. Above them, a second story window flew open, and a frightened and concerned Cecilia leaned out.
Nancy went to Nila and knelt beside her. “Are you all right?” Nancy asked, helping her to her feet.
“Yes, I—I think so,” Nila stammered. “That brick—it came out of nowhere! I was just so—so stunned. It couldn’t have missed me by more than a foot!”
“And it’s a good thing it did,” Nancy said soberly, kicking the remnants of the brick around with her toe. “If it had hit you, it could have killed you.”
“We really ought to have Father hire a mason to check that brickwork,” Karen said to Philip as they stood there, looking up toward the balcony around the roof. “Ever since he got sick, the house has been falling apart.”
Nancy was shocked by their insensitivity. But was their blatant indifference evidence of something more sinister? Bess’s voice interrupted Nancy’s thoughts.
“Here, let me help you inside,” Bess offered, slipping a supporting arm around Nila and guiding her past Karen and Philip. They and Eleanor followed Bess and Nila inside.
Cecilia stared down at Nancy from the open window. “Why do you keep coming around here?” she asked bluntly. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble already?” Without waiting for Nancy to answer, Cecilia drew back inside and lowered the window.
Left alone, Nancy stared up at the window and the roof above it. All at once the bushes behind her parted. Out stepped Jack, holding a length of rope in one hand and a golf club in the other. He held her eyes locked in a steely stare as he slowly approached her.
Nancy stumbled backward, startled. Jack stopped and lowered his hands. Then, suddenly, a trace of a smile played on his lips. “Did you think I was going to kill you?” he asked.
“It crossed my mind, to be honest,” Nancy admitted.
“You’ve certainly given me a motive, for all the trouble you’ve caused between Karen and me.”
“You’re the one who caused the trouble, Jack,” Nancy said, holding her ground. “I didn’t gamble away Karen’s money. And it hadn’t been my intention to tell her, but she asked me pointblank what I’d learned about you. Should I have kept the truth from her?”
“Her own brother didn’t seem to have a problem with it,” Jack growled.
“I’m not Philip,” Nancy countered.
“No kidding,” Jack said. Then he sighed, and his broad shoulders sagged. “I know,” he said. “You’re right. I’m not a perfect person, okay? But I do love Karen. I just wanted the restaurant to be a big success. I thought if I could make one big win, I could expand, open some new outlets, really make a splash. I can’t help it if things didn’t pan out. I was unlucky.”
Nancy shook her head. “A lot of times, we make our own luck, Jack,” she said. “And you were playing a loser’s game.”
He gritted his teeth, blinking hard. “I suppose you’re going to tell Karen it’s my fault that the old man’s cutting us out of his will, too,” he said under his breath.
“No. I’m not even going to get into that with her,” Nancy assured him. “Karen can draw her own conclusions.” Then something occurred to her. “Who told you Mr. Pierce was changing his will?” she asked.
“We all know about it,” he said cryptically. “Family secrets don’t stay secret for long—at least not around here.”
“I see,” Nancy said. “Well, that certainly gives you all a motive to kill Nila.”
“Nobody’s trying to kill Nila,” he insisted. “And this rope proves it! I just found it in the bushes a minute ago.”
He handed Nancy the rope. She could see that it was looped and knotted at one end, so that a brick would have fit just inside the loop. “You say you found this in the bushes?” she asked him warily.
“That’s right. The way I see it, Nila had it all rigged. All she had to do was pull, then step back while the brick fell from the roof. Then she screams, tosses the rope in the bushes, and waits for everyone to show up.” Jack flashed a nasty smile at her. “But then, you’re so quick, you’ve probably figured all that out for yourself already.”
Nancy narrowed her eyes. “And how did you happen to come by and find the rope she’d hidden in the bushes, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Not at all,” Jack responded. “I’d been hitting plastic golf balls and lost one of them by the wall of the house. So I went behind the bushes to look for it. The rope nearly hit me on the head when she tossed it in.” He showed her the golf ball in his palm.
“I see,” Nancy said noncommittally. “Are you sure she threw the rope into the bushes? It couldn’t have fallen from the roof?”
“Hmmm, I suppose it could have,” Jack admitted. “But if someone was really trying to kill her, why not just throw the brick? Why bother with the rope?”
“Why indeed?” Nancy agreed. “Unless the person wanted to make it look like Nila was faking the whole thing.”
Jack shrugged. “You’re the detective,” he said, his cold blue eyes fastened on her. “But I’ll tell you one thing—I didn’t try to kill her. I couldn’t have gotten down here that fast from the roof, anyway.”
Nancy fingered the rope in her hands. “Unless you had the rope all rigged beforehand and just yanked on it when she walked by,” she pointed out, silencing him effectively. She walked toward the front of the house, leaving him there steaming.
After placing the rope in the trunk of her car, Nancy headed back inside, thinking about Jack and the rest of Charles Pierce’s family. With all those riches, they’d still managed to make themselves miserable. She hoped that, if they did inherit the old man’s money, they’d handle it more wisely than they’d handled their previous fortunes.
• • •
Supper that night was a gloomy affair in the Pierce household. Nancy couldn’t help thinking back to the engagement party, when the house had seemed so joyful. What a contrast! Too bad Bess hadn’t gotten to see it then.
Charles Pierce didn’t even come downstairs to join them. Eventually Jarvis the butler came in to say that Mr. Pierce was feeling tired after his long session with Mr. Bishop that afternoon and was going to have dinner in his room.
Turning to Nancy and Bess, Jarvis told them that Mr. Pierce had requested that they stay the night, and “conduct their business” first thing in the morning, before breakfast.
Nancy looked at Bess, whose eyes were bright with eager anticipation. “All right,” Nancy told Jarvis. “We’ll call our parents, but I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
“Yes!” Bess whispered under her breath.
“Mr. Pierce wishes to see all of you at breakfast,” Jarvis told the family members before departing. “There is something he’d like to announce.”
With that, he headed for the kitchen, leaving a heavy feeling of dread behind. Ominous, Nancy thought. Even dangerous. Everyone was sneaking silent glances at everyone else. Nila tried making a few casual remarks about the weather, but nobody replied. Not even Philip.
As soon as the meal was over, Nila said she wanted to check on Charles. The mood did not improve after she left. The rest of them sat around for another half hour, quietly eating dessert. Then Eleanor and Cecilia excused themselves, saying they were tired and wanted to get to bed early.
When they had gone, Philip turned to the others, and to Nancy’s surprise, smiled mischievously. “Well,” he said, “I think it’s time we had a frank little talk.”
Karen raised her eyebrows. “What’s there to talk about, Phil?” she asked. “It’s over. The ice queen has won. Nila’s going to get all Dad’s money, and we’re all going to have to get regular jobs and work for a living like everyone else. I suppose there are worse fates. In fact,” she concluded, looking meaningfully at her husband, “it might be just the thing for some of us.”
“Hey, don’t start on that again,” Jack warned her.
“Oh, stop it, the two of you!” Philip broke in. “No fighting in front of our guests. Besides, we family members have to stick together if we’re going to salvage anything out of this. First of all, I think it’s time to start mending fences with our new stepmother-to-be.”
“Ugh,” Karen said, making a face. “I’ll never be able to be nice to her,” she said.
“Well, try at least,” Philip insisted.
“I don’t know why you’re all acting so blasé,” Jack said bitterly.
“Look, Jack, nothing terrible’s going to happen,” Philip assured him, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Nila may hate us, but Dad certainly isn’t going to let her cut us off completely. I’ll be able to stay here and collect an allowance, and you can go on working for the company, at least for a while. As long as Dad’s around, we won’t be totally rejected.”
“And how long do you think that’s going to be, you idiot!” Jack shouted, slamming his fist on the table and rising to his feet. “As soon as that will’s official, I wouldn’t give you two cents for your father’s life!”
Jack was clearly furious, and Nancy had to wonder if he had a point.
“Just what are you suggesting, Jack?” Karen asked.
“You know exactly what I mean,” he retorted. “And don’t pretend it hasn’t occurred to you, too. Once she’s in the will, she doesn’t need him anymore. In fact, it will be better for her if he’s out of the way. You’re all acting so naive!” Throwing down his napkin, Jack stormed out of the dining room.
“Jack, wait!” Karen called, and quickly ran after him. “Let’s not fight anymore.”
Philip shook his head. “They’ve been at it for the past couple of hours,” he said with a crooked smile. “Ah, married bliss.”
“I’m afraid I had something to do with them fighting,” Nancy said.
Philip shrugged. “It had to happen sooner or later,” he said. “It’s better this way. Maybe now Jack will face up to things and stop being such a jerk to Karen. Who knows, it may be the best thing that ever happened to that marriage.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that,” Nancy said. “I was feeling kind of guilty.”
“Aw, cheer up,” he said, patting her shoulder affectionately. “Say, how would you two girls like to hear some really hot new CDs? The sound system I’ve got set up downstairs is totally awesome. Anyway, I think we could use a little distraction from all the gloom and doom around here. A little dancing might be just the thing.”
“Sounds great to me,” Nancy said. “Bess?”
“Great idea, Philip,” Bess said, finishing her dish of sorbet and getting up. “Lead the way.”
He guided them out through the kitchen and down the back stairs to the basement level, where an enormous space had been created for Philip’s personal use. “Make yourselves at home down here,” he told Nancy and Bess. “I’ve got to go up to my room and get the CDs. I was listening to them last night in bed.”
Nancy and Bess used the time to call home and explore. There were billiard and Ping-Pong tables, and a parquet dance floor, complete with lighting effects available at the push of a button. They were just beginning to wonder what happened to Philip when he showed up, carrying a handful of disks. “Wait till you hear the sound quality down here,” he said enthusiastically.
Nancy marveled at how easily he shrugged off the evening’s worries. Maybe Philip had the right idea, she thought, as he twirled her onto the dance floor. Maybe if she stopped concentrating so hard on the case, some answers might just come to her. She let herself give in to the steady pulse of the music.
As they danced, with Bess playing with the high-tech equalizer controls, Nancy again felt a strong attraction for Philip Pierce.
“Tell me something,” he said to Nancy as they took a break while Bess removed the CD from the deck. “Would you have gone out with me if you’d known I’d be flat broke in a week?”
Nancy took his hand, looking him straight in the eye. “I didn’t go out with you because you were rich,” she said.
“Ah. You wanted to investigate me,” he remembered.
Nancy shook her head. “That’s not why, either.”
“I’d better open the window,” Philip said as he released her. “It’s getting warm in here.”
He reached up and opened the basement window. As soon as he did, they heard an unmistakable sound. A scream. Nila’s scream! Then another and another and another . . .
The basement door flew open and Cecilia was standing there. “Come quickly!” she told them. “I think something’s happened to Uncle Charles!”