Murder at Longbourn

fatal dose. They pumped her stomach.”

“What’s digitalis?” Aunt Winnie and I asked at the same time.

“Poisonous plant, I guess, otherwise known as foxglove. It’s pretty common around here,” Peter replied.

“Which means anyone could have gotten it. Where is Linnet now?”

“Still at the hospital. They’re going to release her tomorrow or the next day.”

From the front seat, Aunt Winnie swiveled around and stared at Peter, aghast. “That soon? But that’s insane! The poor woman was poisoned!”

“I agree,” said Peter, “but there’s no use arguing with insurance companies. Speaking of which, would you please turn around and watch the road before the rest of us need to file claims?”

“Well, we can’t let her go home by herself,” said Aunt Winnie, once again facing front. “I’ll see if I can talk her into staying with us for a few days. She really shouldn’t be alone. After all, someone tried to kill her!”

A black car pulled up beside us. The back window rolled down and I saw a hand launch something toward our car. My scream of warning came too late, and before I knew it, I was covered with glass and a brick lay on the floor. Before I could think to get a look at the license plate, the car was gone. Aunt Winnie slammed on the brakes and pulled over. “Is anybody hurt?” she yelled.

“What the hell happened?” Randy asked, fumbling for his glasses.

Peter grabbed the front of my coat and shook the glass off. Then he brushed his hands over my arms and pulled my hands up to inspect them.

“Hey,” I said.

“I think we’re both okay,” he answered Aunt Winnie.

He reached down and grabbed the brick. In red letters the word Murderer was crudely painted on the side. Silently, he showed it to me. “What is that?” asked Aunt Winnie.

“Nothing,” said Peter.

“Don’t give me that,” she said, turning her head to the backseat. “What does it say? I can see lettering.”

Peter read it out and Aunt Winnie was silent. Without saying another word, she started the engine and pulled out onto the road.

“Aunt Winnie?” I said.

“Not now, Elizabeth. I need to think.”

Nothing more was said until we skidded to a stop in the inn’s driveway. I staggered into the reading room, tired and angry. I sank gratefully into one of the chairs and closed my eyes. Aunt Winnie went straight to the office. I heard the click of her answering machine as she played back her messages. A few minutes later, she came into the reading room and headed for the drink cart. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m having a drink. Can I get anyone else one?”

Peter and Randy put in their orders. I kept my eyes closed. Finally, I heard Aunt Winnie’s voice. “Elizabeth?”

“What?”

“Can I get you a drink?”

“No, thank you.”

“Aw, come on, Elizabeth,” said Peter, trying to inject an air of normalcy into the tension. “The hair of the dog that bit you and all that?”

“It’s more like the hair of the mastiff that mauled me,” I replied, opening my eyes. “No, I’m off the hard stuff for a while.”

“Whatever you say,” said Aunt Winnie, making the drinks. Once done, she sat down on the couch next to Randy. Taking his drink from her outstretched hand, he asked, “Did you call the police?”

She shook her head. “And say what? That someone launched a brick into my car window? What are they going to do?”

“They could at least look into it,” I said. “You should report it!”

Aunt Winnie didn’t seem to hear me. “Were there any messages?” Randy asked, his voice low.

She nodded. “A few crank calls, but mostly cancellations. It’s just as I feared. People don’t want to stay here because they think I had something to do with what happened.” Randy reached over and took her hand. She stared at the floor. Lady Catherine sauntered into the room and leaped up onto her lap. Aunt Winnie didn’t seem to notice.

“Aunt Winnie?” I asked. “Are you all right?”

At the sound of my voice, she raised her head. “I’ve made a decision,” she said slowly. She glanced at Peter. He sat up straighter in his chair. “I’m going to sell Longbourn.”

Her words were like a painful kick to my already ailing stomach. In spite of the state of my head, my reaction was swift and explosive. “What?” I yelled, jumping out of my chair. “But you can’t! This has nothing to do with you! You love this place too much to sell it!” My voice caught and I realized that over the past few days, I, too, had grown to love Longbourn. The thought of it being sold was a physical blow.

“Elizabeth, please calm down. I’ve given this a lot of thought and I think it’s for the best. Like it or not, I’m going to be forever associated with this tragedy. People are canceling their reservations and really, who can blame them? Would you want to stay at an inn where the owner is suspected of murder? While I think I could weather the cancellations, I won’t put your lives in danger. We were lucky today that no one was hurt. We might not be so lucky the next time.”

“But who are you going to sell it to?” I sputtered.

Aunt Winnie took a deep breath, but it was Peter who spoke. “To me,” he said quietly. “She’s going to sell it to me.”

I whirled around dumbfounded and stared down at him. Unflinchingly, he stared back.

The hate I had felt toward Peter that summer so long ago was nothing compared with the rage engulfing me now.

CHAPTER 24

Now comes the mystery.

—HENRY WARD BEECHER

IT’S NOT WHAT you think,” said Peter, warily holding out his hand.

“Don’t even talk to me,” I shot back. “You have no idea what I think.”

“Elizabeth,” said Aunt Winnie. “Please. Sit down and listen to me.”

“But you can’t sell this place!” I said. “All this trouble will pass and people will forget. You can’t just give up!”

“I’m not giving up, not in the way you think,” she said, but I wasn’t listening.

I turned back to Peter. “How could you do this? Your secret phone calls have been about this, haven’t they? To get this place.”

“Yes, but Elizabeth, just let me explain,” he said. “Aunt Winnie is selling me a part of the inn, kind of like a partnership. And it’s only temporary. I’ll take over, change the name …”

I blanched.

“Just so that people forget the association,” he explained quickly. “Once people have moved on and the police have arrested the killer, Aunt Winnie can buy her share back.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I said. “If you’re going to buy it back anyway, why sell it in the first place?”

“Elizabeth,” said Aunt Winnie, “Peter and his parents are offering me a way not to lose my shirt because of all of this. If I turn over control of the inn to them, people might stay here again. They’ll change the name and no one will associate this place with me anymore. The inn can continue. And then, once the police have solved this case and everyone has moved on with their lives, I can come back and take it over again. But I couldn’t live if anything happened to you because some crazies think I killed Gerald and Jackie.”

“But what are you going to do in the meantime?”

She pulled Randy’s hand into her lap and, with a small smile, said, “Travel—with Randy.” Randy returned her