He watched her leave and wished that he were going to see Morrissey alone. He would have to make that happen later in the day.
He hesitated, then went to Sean’s room and opened the door a crack. He watched Sean sleep, watched him breathe. Satisfied that his old friend was safe for the night, he almost closed the door. Then he looked across to the door to the adjoining room. They’d put Caer in there. He could hear her moving, and he found himself thinking of the strange way Bridey had looked at her earlier.
Talk about a puzzle…
But there was one thing he definitely believed about her. She was there for Sean, and she meant to see that he got well.
He closed the door silently and headed up to his room, the same one he had stayed in as a boy, whenever he came to visit. The one he thought of as home.
It was quite a household, Caer thought, unpacking her few belongings in the room that had been assigned to her.
It was perfect. There was actually a connecting door to Sean’s room, so she would easily be able to keep an eye on him. He was a proud man, and he had insisted on getting himself ready for bed, but when he had lain down and dutifully taken his pills, she had seen how exhausted he really was. He would see his own doctor in the morning, but she was ready for any questions the man might ask about Sean’s care. She had been studying the book Michael had insisted she read, and she had checked out every pill the man was taking. One, taken only at night, was a mild sedative so that he could sleep. Another was to prevent further stomach difficulties, and a third was for blood pressure, with a fourth for his heart. There were vitamins, as well, but she wasn’t worried about those, only about seeing that his prescriptions weren’t misused. She had managed to politely insist that his medications stay in her room and under her control. Kat and Clara had both been perfectly willing to trust her, and Amanda had retired to her own room to freshen up after the journey, so she hadn’t been around to object.
With her belongings all in drawers or the huge closet, she explored her small but elegant space. The room was beautiful, with an old-fashioned sleigh bed, soft beige and blue Persian carpets, and a massive dresser and matching nightstands of gleaming hardwood. There was also an entertainment center; should she feel the urge, she could watch TV on a massive screen that was as thin as a mint.
The bathroom had been stocked with everything she could imagine: a choice of soaps, shampoos, conditioners, bath salts, moisturizers and more.
She quietly opened the door between the two rooms and saw that Sean was resting easily. She stood in the muted light and watched his chest rise and fall.
She closed the door, sat on the foot of the bed and closed her eyes, envisioning the household. There was Amanda, of course. Sean—and Zach, who she was coming to know perhaps too well. And then Bridey. She had sensed a bit of danger there, in the way the woman had looked at her. She was suspicious. Well, there was nothing for Bridey to worry about. Kat…Caer had to smile at how obviously Kat doted on her father and loathed Amanda. As far as she could tell on first look, Tom and Clara were exactly what they seemed to be: honest employees who loved their employer. That left Cal and Marni. Cal, who looked honest. Marni—who honestly wasn’t pleased that Caer was here. What dangerous dynamics were at work in this house. So much hatred, and all of it barely bottled up.
She almost laughed, thinking back to the chaotic scene when they had arrived. Sean seemed certain that he could make those around him love one another. Not an easy task, maybe not even a possible one.
She sobered.
Someone was threatening Sean’s life, and the only two people she could take off her list of suspects were Bridey and Zach, and Zach only because he hadn’t been in Rhode Island when Eddie had disappeared nor in Ireland when Sean had gotten sick.
Zach Flynn was everything he purported to be, she thought. Strong, confident and, she was certain, well-versed in the investigative techniques that would help him figure out what was going on here.
And that would be to her benefit, having someone else there with the ability to investigate.
But he also seemed to be the type of man who wanted to know the truth about everything.
An unnerving thought.
Because she couldn’t afford to let him find out the truth about her.
She rose, unwilling to contemplate the matter at that moment, and suddenly thirsty. Kat had shown her around the house and told her to help herself to anything she wanted from the kitchen at any time.
As she stepped into the hallway, the quiet of the house seemed strangely deafening. The others had all gone to sleep, or at least up to their respective rooms.