Wedding Captives. Cassie Miles

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СКАЧАТЬ don’t know anything about me.” Travis wrenched away from him. Like a petulant, spoiled brat, he cradled his wrist.

      Spence turned toward Thea. Moments ago, he’d held her in his arms. He’d kissed her. That idyllic interlude seemed far gone, erased by the intrusion of real threats. Of danger. “Let’s go downstairs and tell the others. We’ll search the castle and find Jenny and then we’re out of here.”

      Thea was already on her way out the door. “Let’s go.”

      Leaving the gown in the bridal suite, they descended the narrow staircase into the kitchen.

      Lawrence sat on a high stool fiddling with some kind of hand-held electronic game. Dr. Mona had arranged fresh fruit in gleaming silver bowl and sat peeling apples and pears. “Did you find Jenny?” she enthused, then shrank into herself at Thea’s grim expression.

      “No. We didn’t.”

      While Spence outlined their discovery of the bloodstained dress and his plan to search the castle, he noticed the psychologist observing him closely with her bright black eyes. Occasionally, she nodded. Her expert opinion might be useful. “Mona, I’d like to hear what you think about all this.”

      “Blood on the wedding gown,” she said. Her small, wizened face twisted in a frown. “Highly symbolic, isn’t it? Almost archetypal.”

      “Psychobabble,” Travis said with a groan. “Can we get started with the search?”

      Ignoring him, Spence said, “What else, Mona?”

      “It’s a theatrical gesture, well-planned.” She scratched the back of her head, ruffling her short gray hair. “I’m reminded of those murder mystery weekends when several people gather to solve a fake crime.”

      “Fake?” Spence could only pray that Dr. Mona was correct. “Are you suggesting this might be an elaborate joke?”

      “I don’t know. I seriously doubt that Jenny would prepare such a complicated scenario—and why a murder mystery on the weekend of her wedding? To what purpose?”

      “What about Rosemont?” Spence asked.

      “I’ve never met Gregory Rosemont,” Mona said. “I suppose he might be enacting some unknown agenda and perhaps convinced Jenny to play along.”

      “We’re wasting time,” Reverend Joshua intoned. “Much as I hate to agree with Travis, I believe we should begin our search without further delay.”

      Spence turned toward the butler, who shut down his game and tucked it in the inside pocket of his jacket. “Lawrence, is there a floor plan of this place?”

      “Not that I am aware of.”

      As he stepped forward, Lawrence buttoned his black wool blazer. The jacket fitted so well that Spence hardly noticed the slight bulge of the shoulder holster. Lawrence had obviously taken the time to move the holster and weapon to wear it even indoors. The question arose again. Why was the so-called butler armed? “Come with me, Lawrence. I want to ask you about the lighting system.”

      “Certainly.”

      The butler followed Spence into the coatroom. Before Spence could close the door, Thea slipped through. She closed the door. “Excuse me,” she said. “I had a question for Lawrence.”

      “Yes, ma’am?” He inclined his head toward her.

      Deftly, she reached toward him, unfastened the button on his blazer and flipped it aside. “Why do you have a gun?”

      Spence winced. Subtlety had never been one of Thea’s attributes.

      “In addition to my duties as a butler,” Lawrence said, “I occasionally act as a bodyguard. I am licensed to carry a concealed weapon.”

      “Is Rosemont expecting trouble?” Spence asked.

      “He did not see fit to confide his suspicions,” Lawrence answered, dismissing the subject. “Did you have a question about the lights?”

      “They came on when we approached the outer door, but there wasn’t anybody here. Who turned them on?”

      “All the lights in the house are motion sensitive. You’ll find that’s true throughout the premises. When you enter a room, the lights will come on. Ten minutes after you leave, they automatically extinguish—unless you’ve pressed the bypass switch. The gas fireplaces work in a similar manner. Quite modern and efficient.”

      Spence wasn’t impressed. “Like the state-of-the-art phone system that doesn’t work?”

      Lawrence looked truly surprised. “The phones aren’t working? Are you sure?”

      Thea nodded. “I tried to phone the police from the bridal suite. I didn’t even get a dial tone.”

      “Well,” Lawrence balked. “All technology has a few glitches.”

      “Are there computers in the house?” Spence asked.

      “Well, of course, there are computers,” Lawrence answered disdainfully. “Mr. Rosemont made his fortune from Web sites.”

      “Is his Internet access through the phone lines?”

      “I couldn’t really say.” Lawrence scratched his head.

      Unwitting, Thea touched Spence’s arm. “What are you thinking?”

      “I’m hoping that Rosemont has installed cable or a dish for the newest satellite access. We can reach the police that way—but if he operates on phone modem, we’re out of luck.”

      “We can take a look,” Lawrence offered. “I assume you will know what you’re looking for?”

      “Yes.”

      “Very well.” Lawrence led the way back into the kitchen. “Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me.”

      Spence fell into step beside Thea. They held back from the rest of the herd. In a low voice, he said, “In the future, you might want to think twice before confronting a man with a gun.”

      “I found out what we needed to know, didn’t I?”

      “All we learned was what the butler was willing to tell us. Not much, Thea.”

      She rolled her eyes. “Were you planning to interrogate him? Please, Spence. Don’t get all macho on me. You have a good plan. Let’s just follow it—find Jenny and then get out of here.”

      Though Thea wasn’t looking forward to another ride on the gondola, she knew they had to escape and that was their only way out.

      As they walked through the arched serving area to the dining room, brilliant lights flashed to life. Twenty high-backed chairs ranged around a long table which was covered with a damask and lace table cloth. Pink roses made a lovely centerpiece. Fresh roses! They looked almost dewy, as if they’d just been picked from a garden.

      While Dr. Mona had been reminded of a murder СКАЧАТЬ