Eye of the Storm

SIXTEEN



On Thursday night, while Gerard went armed with Nora’s cookies and gourmet coffee to the town hall meeting, Megan answered a call from Kirstie to meet with her at the lodge. The timing was strange, but Kirstie’s voice also sounded strange. Fearing another blackout, Megan drove the long way around in case she needed to drive Kirstie back down the hill.

She entered the same door she and Gerard had entered last Friday night. This time the lights were all on, the chandeliers gleaming on the burnished tables and woodwork, reflecting from the leaded glass windows. The marble floor had been cleaned of blood, but if Megan blinked she could see the stain of it surrounding Barry’s head.

“Up here,” Kirstie called from the top of the stairs. “I’ve been studying the banister.”

Kirstie took the carpeted stairway to join her friend. “Are you okay?”

“Not really.” Kirstie stepped over to the railing above the place on the floor where Megan and Gerard had found Barry. “This banister? Sheriff Moritz should have noticed that it’s not the least bit loose. And though Barry was a tall man, unless he intentionally climbed over this railing and jumped, he couldn’t have accidentally fallen.”

Megan grasped the banister and shook it for Kirstie’s benefit, but she’d gone over this whole thing in her mind since finding him. “What if he did jump?”

“Barry? I don’t think so. A man who’s trying to poison his wife—and possibly his daughter—for a large sum of money is not going to commit suicide.”

“Then you believe someone could have murdered him?”

Kirstie gazed down at the marble floor, and her face softened. “No. I can’t think that either. Uncle Lawson wouldn’t have done it even if he’d had the strength. And Gerard had a set of my keys, but he wouldn’t have had a reason to kill a complete stranger.”

“The only other person with a set—”

“Is Nora.” Kirstie’s facial features twisted with sorrow and pain. “I can’t believe it of her. Not Nora. She’s no killer.”

“Of course not.”

“But I found Eaton’s ring the other day in Nora’s attic, and I recalled seeing it before. Remember two years ago when Nora broke her leg? I moved in with her for a while to take care of her until she could get around on her own. I was cleaning in her bedroom when I accidentally knocked over a jewelry case, and the ring fell out.”

“He probably didn’t wear his ring when he went hunting.”

“He never took it off. He told me that when we went out on our first date. It was a gift from his father, and since his father’s death he never removed that ring. Did you know Eaton was a mean drunk?”

“I knew about his reputation.”

The sound of footsteps reached them from below. “I thought I saw lights,” Nora Thompson called up to them. “And so I took a stroll.” She started up the stairs, and when her gaze caught her best friend’s she didn’t look away. “I stepped inside and looked around, checked out the kitchen. You know I used to play chef here part-time?”

“I remember,” Kirstie said softly.

“I heard voices and came out to chat.” She reached the top of the stairs and turned to look down them. “Sound carries well in this huge area.”

“I know. Nora, I’m—”

“I had Alec attempt to purchase this building and the new area Lawson had in his plans. I told Alec the property values were only going up on this side of the creek, and we should invest while we had a chance. I wanted him to get into the game. Unfortunately, Alec’s never enjoyed the investment game the way I have.”

“Nora—”

“Lawson wasn’t interested in selling.” Nora stepped over to the piano and ran her fingers along the polished rim. “Our sins find us out, even when they aren’t really sins.”

“What happened?” Megan asked.

“Honey, are you sure you can’t convince that man of yours to build elsewhere?”

“I thought you wanted the rehab center here.”

“Not right here, Megan.”

“Why?”

“Kirstie, you were right about Eaton. I wished so many times that I’d listened to you, but you know I’m not the best at paying attention. He was a bully. He came home drunk one night and pushed a little harder than ever before, hit me once too often. I honestly didn’t mean to kill him, but the bottle didn’t break. I broke his skull.”

Kirstie gasped. “Oh, Nora.”

“I’d have called the sheriff if it had been Moritz, but it wasn’t. It was Sandoll, and he and Eaton were the best of buddies. I could have pled self-defense, but no one knew Eaton was doing what he was to me at home.”

“Alec?” Megan asked.

Nora shook her head. “Eaton was on his best behavior when his son was home. He was good about hitting me where it didn’t show.” She sat down on the piano bench and leaned forward. “I knew what Barry was doing, Kirstie. I went to him and threatened to tell you about his philandering ways if he didn’t help me make Eaton disappear. I was that desperate.” She looked up at Kirstie with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“What did he do with Eaton’s body?” Kirstie asked.

Nora reached into the pocket of her slacks and pulled out a lethal-looking .380 semi-automatic.





People were chowing down on Nora’s cookies during a break. Gerard couldn’t have asked for a better crowd. He shot a glance toward Alec across the table, and Alec caught his eye for just a moment. They nodded to each other.

“Nora Thompson is going to owe us a bundle for this” came a quiet voice from behind the coffee urn. “Vance is making more and more sense.”

Gerard looked up to see surprise register on Alec’s face.

“She’ll make it up to us,” came another voice. “She always does. Just vote and keep your mouth shut.”

The voices grew softer as the men walked away.

Gerard met Alec’s gaze again. “I thought your mother was in favor of the rehab center.”

“So did I.”

“Then doesn’t she realize the manufacturing plant needs the rehab center in order to work?”

Alec shrugged. “Maybe if you sold the Barnes place to her at a decent price, she’ll see to it you get the zoning you want in a different place.”

“I’m not denying a man his dying wish. If she has the money, she can build her own resort.”

“You don’t know my mom very well.”

Gerard had come to know that Nora Thompson usually got what she wanted. So what was it she wanted?

Something didn’t feel right. Badly as Gerard wanted to stay and fight this battle, he couldn’t get Megan’s latest message from his mind. She was meeting with Kirstie at the lodge right now. The lodge Nora wanted badly enough to undermine his plans with the town.

He grabbed his notes and left.





Kirstie stared at the gun in Nora’s hand. “Honey, what on earth are you doing with that thing?”

Nora pushed the bench backward and stood up. “I’d have thought you would recognize this. It was Barry’s.”

“What?”

“After Barry took care of Eaton’s body so easily, I knew what he was capable of. So when word spread that Lawson was given such a short time to live, I wondered if Barry might pull something. And he did. Soon after, you started having your blackouts. I called him and had him meet me here one day, and I told him I knew what he was up to and that if anything happened to you I was going to tell the police about Eaton and have Barry investigated. That was when I told him he had to move out.”

“You’re the one who did that?”

“I thought he was putting something in your food, dropping something in your drinks, and if he left, it would stop. But it didn’t stop. It kept getting worse. Last Friday I called another meeting.” She held up the gun. “He brought this with him and pulled it on me.” She let the gun dangle between her fingers and held it out to Kirstie. “The idiot must have forgotten I’ve been practicing martial arts for years.”

“Self-defense.” Kirstie took the weapon. “Again.”

“Kirstie, you’re my best friend. I’ve done all I could to protect myself, but Barry told me a few years ago he’d buried Eaton’s body here on the grounds. They were pouring concrete for the sunroom and they didn’t complete the job because Lawson got sick. My husband’s body is buried beneath a very thin layer of concrete, so the moment someone starts to excavate, the body will be found, and I’ll be arrested.”

“Barry thought you would hide his dirty little secrets because he helped you hide your accident?” Kirstie shook her head. “He didn’t know you at all. Honey, Alec’s a grown man now. You don’t have to protect him, and this town loves you. Come clean with Moritz. Clear the air.”

“I’m guilty of obstructing justice, and I could be found guilty of two murders.”

“Have a little faith, Nora. People in this town know you, and we all know you’re not a killer. Let it go. Get out from under all this.”

“And the first thing you can do,” came Gerard Vance’s voice from below, “is call off your committee and make the right zone change.”





At the sound of Gerard’s voice, Megan realized she hadn’t been running from Corpus Christi at all. The truth fell over her as if the sun had burst forth over the room. What had frightened her so badly was the thought that someday Gerard could be killed.

Losing Joni had not only undermined her confidence in herself, but the loss broke her heart. Period. She was afraid to love Gerard and lose him.

Megan took the gun from Kirstie, slid back the clip to check it for ammo and found it empty. She slid the pistol into her pocket and turned to greet Gerard.

Kirstie put her arm around Nora and led her down the stairs. “We need to find you a good attorney.”

“I know two of them. Maybe more would be better.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and call Moritz, get the jump on everything, turn yourself in?”

“Attorneys first, Kirs. You know I like to do things a certain way.”

“You know I love my tigress of a best friend.”

“Well, I guess you can be pretty certain that I love you too.”