Wrapped snugly in Ian’s Pendleton jacket, Lily stood behind her house on Friday morning and watched as Sadie raced down the beach for the tennis ball. The golden retriever had barely snatched the ball from the sand when she changed direction and headed back to Ian, who was prepared to grab the ball and throw it again. This went on for another fifteen minutes, and while Ian claimed Sadie needed a rest, Lily suspected it was her husband who needed a time-out.
“You want to walk over to Dani’s with me?” Lily asked when Ian and Sadie made their way back to her. Sadie’s tongue hung out the side of her mouth as she panted.
Ian tossed the tennis ball up into the air and caught it. “Sure.”
Instead of going back into their house, they walked around to the front of the property and to the sidewalk, Sadie trailing beside them. They stood on the sidewalk a moment, about to cross the street, when a man parked in front of Marlow House pulled his car out into the road and turned around in front of them. Instead of crossing the street, they waited for the man to drive on.
“That must be one of the people staying with Dani.”
“Obviously not an uncle,” Ian said.
“No. Dani said it’s a couple here on their honeymoon.”
After he drove away, they crossed over to Marlow House.
“I can’t believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” Ian told Walt. The two sat in Marlow House’s library, enjoying a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll while Sadie napped at Walt’s feet.
“What are you getting Lily for Christmas?” Walt asked.
“I don’t know yet.”
Walt laughed. “You know, it is Christmas Eve tomorrow.”
“Didn’t I just say that?”
They both laughed.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Loyd asked from the open doorway.
“Certainly not, come in. Have you met Ian?” Walt asked. He and Ian looked Loyd’s way and watched as the elderly man made his way into the room, cane in hand. Sadie lifted her head and started to stand up, but Ian told her to stay. Reluctantly the dog obeyed, resting her chin back on her front paws.
“Yes, Danielle introduced us earlier. He and his wife are hosting the Christmas Eve open house they’ve graciously invited my brother and me to.” Loyd sat down in one of the empty chairs.
The men chatted for another twenty minutes, discussing nothing more personal than the weather and what Danielle might be serving for Christmas dinner, when Ian excused himself to go home, leaving Walt alone in the library with Loyd.
“I thought you would be visiting with Chris today?” Walt asked after Ian and Sadie left.
“Simon went over to see him, but I’m waiting for a delivery.”
“Delivery? Something for Christmas?” Walt asked.
Loyd shook his head. “No, just something pertaining to one of our business interests. It seems that even when you get to be my age, it’s still impossible to get away for a holiday and not be interrupted by some meddlesome paperwork. But it is the end of the year, and you know taxes and all that.”
“Both Danielle and I plan to be here most of the morning, so if you need to go somewhere, I’m sure one of us can accept your delivery.”
“Thank you for your offer, but I need to go through the papers as soon as they arrive, and get them back to my accountant.”
Walt nodded. “I understand.”
Loyd eyed Walt curiously and then said, “You and my nephew seem to get along fairly well, considering everything.”
Walt met Loyd’s inquisitive gaze. “I suspect you mean the fact I’m now dating Danielle?”
Loyd nodded. “It must be a little awkward, living under the same roof as the woman you’re dating.”
“Awkward?”
Loyd shrugged. “It’s been a lifetime since I was in your shoes—a young bachelor courting a woman—but I can’t imagine living under the same roof as my late wife when I first started seeing her. Mighty awkward.”
Walt chose not to respond. He just smiled and sipped his coffee.
“I suppose it’s more awkward for my nephew, working with a woman who obviously has her sights set on him.”
“I assume you’re referring to Heather Donovan?” Walt asked.
“Hiring someone you feel sorry for is never a good idea. And now…well…I just hope my nephew knows what he’s doing. I worry about him. And it’s also a shame, the woman’s attitude toward Danielle. Danielle seems like such a nice woman.”
“You do know Heather is a neighbor, and Danielle considers her a friend,” Walt asked.
Loyd shrugged. “All I know is what I’ve heard her say behind Danielle’s back since I’ve been here. That woman is obviously jealous of Miss Boatman.”
Ian had headed back home with Sadie, but Lily remained at Marlow House. She sat in the kitchen with Danielle, picking through the Christmas tin of candy Adam had brought over. She picked up a piece of peanut brittle and sniffed it. “Adam actually made this?”
Danielle, who had just finished cleaning up after breakfast, wiped her hands on a dishtowel and tossed it on the counter. She walked to the table.
“It was his tribute to Marie, I think.” Danielle sat down.
Lily nibbled the peanut brittle and smiled. “Hey, this is pretty good. It tastes like Marie’s.”
Danielle nodded. “I thought so.”
After Lily tried the peanut brittle, she picked up a piece of divinity. “So how come he gave you candy and didn’t bring us any?”
Danielle shrugged. “I’m special.”
Lily took a bite of the divinity and then wrinkled her nose. “No, that doesn’t taste like Marie’s.” Instead of finishing the piece, Lily set it on a napkin and then closed the tin.
“He gave it a good try.”
Lily set the closed tin on the table.
“Adam really misses Marie. I felt sorry for him when he brought the candy over. I thought he was going to cry.”
“I imagine he does. Even when Adam wasn’t my favorite person, I gave him credit for taking care of his grandmother,” Lily said. “He’s not close to the rest of his family. Which, after meeting them, is totally understandable.”
“He took his grandmother’s recipes and tried to recreate a memory. But divinity isn’t easy to make—I know, I’ve tried. Even though Adam had his grandmother’s recipe, the candy didn’t turn out right.”
“Why don’t you make it for him? As a Christmas gift. I bet he would love that,” Lily suggested.
“Didn’t you just hear me say I’ve tried making divinity before, and mine didn’t turn out much better than Adam’s—and he has Marie’s recipe.”
Lily laughed. “True. But you have Marie.”
“What do you mean?”
“Get Marie to help you make the candy. Maybe she can’t do anything physically, but she can walk you through it, share whatever tricks she had. I bet you could do it with her help.”
Danielle smiled at the thought. “Wow, I didn’t even consider that.”
“See, one Christmas gift taken care of.” Lily smiled.
“Considering tomorrow is Christmas Eve, not sure I can squeeze in divinity making, but it is a good idea.”
“Have you finished your shopping?” Lily asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Hello, ladies,” Walt said as he walked into the kitchen and to the table.
“Hey, Walt,” Lily greeted him.
Walt stopped behind Danielle’s chair, placing his hands along the edge of its backrest. He smiled at Lily. “Hello, Lily.” He looked down at Danielle, who tilted her head back in the chair and looked up at him and smiled. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.
Lily’s eyes widened. “I still don’t know if I can get used to that.”
Danielle laughed and tilted her head back upright and looked at Lily. “Why?”
Lily responded with a shrug.
Walt took a seat and told Danielle, “I was just talking to Loyd, and he’s got this idea in his head Heather has some resentment toward you.”
“He said the same thing to me!” Lily said. “I was telling Dani about it earlier.”
“He’s up to something.” Danielle glanced to the doorway leading to the hallway.
“Why is he here anyway? I saw Simon leaving right when I got here,” Lily asked. “I figured he would go with him.”
“According to Loyd, he’s waiting for some sort of postal delivery,” Walt said.
“Good luck this time of year,” Lily muttered.
“He mentioned it to me too,” Danielle said. “His accountant is overnighting something to him; that’s why he’s hanging around the house, waiting for it.”
“What are your other guests like?” Lily asked.
Danielle shrugged. “They seem nice enough, but I haven’t really talked to them much. She doesn’t come down for breakfast, and when they are up, they usually take off, I assume sightseeing. They left right before you and Ian came over.”
“I saw him drive off, but she wasn’t with him,” Lily said.
Danielle frowned at Lily. “I’m sure I saw them both leaving.”
“I didn’t think there was anyone in the car with him, but I could be wrong.”
“Maybe she decided not to go,” Danielle suggested.
Loyd made his way into the living room so he could have a view of the street. Motion from the front window caught his attention. He stood up, but then sat back down again when he saw it was just Noah Bishop returning to the house. A moment later he heard the front door open and close, and then the sound of Noah walking down the hallway.
He started to pick up a magazine off the coffee table when he noticed the postman coming up the walk. Scrambling to his feet, Loyd made his way to the entry hall before the mailman rang the bell. A moment later he hastily opened the front door and quickly snatched the envelope from the mailman. After signing for the delivery, he slammed the door shut without further fanfare. Several minutes later he was alone in his room, opening the envelope.
He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to slip the sheet of paper from the envelope, careful not to get his fingerprints on it. He set it on his bed and examined it. A smile curled on his lips. He grabbed his phone from the dresser and dialed his brother.
When Simon answered his phone, Loyd said, “It’s here—and it’s perfect. He did an excellent job. Of course, now we need to take care of him like we did Peyton.”
“Careful what you say on the phone,” Simon warned.
“Fine, but then come get me so we can go somewhere and talk. Somewhere where we won’t be overheard,” Loyd said.
“Where do you suggest?” Simon asked.
“Down to that beach parking lot. We can stay in the car.”
When Loyd ended the call, he tossed the phone on the bed and headed to the bathroom.
Several minutes later Zara slipped into Loyd’s room unnoticed. She could hear him in the bathroom—the water was running.
“Okay, just what did that mailman bring you?” Zara asked as she approached the bed and spied the recently opened eleven-by-fourteen-inch cardboard envelope sitting on the bed, along with a document.
Standing over it, she began to read. “Good forgery,” she muttered. “So nice of Chris to put you back in his will. Of course, that means he has to die for you to inherit.” Narrowing her eyes, she looked from the forged document to the closed bedroom door and back to the bed. A moment later she heard the door to the bathroom open. As quietly as she had slipped into his room, she slipped out.