Hawk got to his feet and stared at Alistair. 'What century are you living in?
You can't keep the Guard out of something like this! This is murder we're
talking about, not who put some chambermaid up the stick. Our best bet is to get
the hell out of here, send for the Guard, and then block off all the exits till
they get here. Let them find the killer; they're experts.'
'I'm afraid it's not that simple,' said Jamie, rising to his feet. 'I've already
raised the final wards. I did it just now, so that we could get on with the
reading of the will. I never thought… The wards can't be lowered for another
twenty-four hours. That's the way they're designed. I'm sorry; there's nothing I
can do. None of us can leave the Tower.'
David Brook stepped forward, staring disbelievingly at Jamie. 'Are you saying
that we're all trapped in here with a killer? That whatever happens, there's no
way out?'
'Yes,' said Jamie. 'I'm afraid so.' He stopped abruptly and looked at Hawk, who
was frowning down at the body. 'What is it, Richard?'
'I was just wondering why the killer took the time to strip the body naked.
Presumably the killer didn't want us to be able to identify the victim. Which
suggests that at least one of us would have recognized him. That explains the
burned face, as well.'
There was a short pause, broken by Fisher. 'Something else to think about. That
body had been wedged quite a way up the chimney, going by the traces I found.
Whoever the killer is, he must be pretty strong. It can't have been easy,
stuffing a limp dead body feet first up a chimney.'
Holly moaned quietly, and several of the others looked quite disturbed by
Fisher's remark.
'The man must have been mad,' said David. 'Madmen are supposed to be incredibly
strong, aren't they?'
Alistair cleared his throat meaningfully. 'Thank you for sharing your thoughts
with us, Isobel, but I really feel you and the other ladies should withdraw.
This is not a subject suitable for your tender ears.'
'No!' said Hawk quickly. 'I don't want anyone going off on their own. Unless
they like the idea of being an easy target. Until we know what the hell's going
on here, we'd do better to stick together. There's safety in numbers.'
Jamie looked at him strangely. 'You sound almost as though you've had experience
with this sort of thing before, Richard.'
Being called Richard brought Hawk up short, as he remembered who he was supposed
to be. He shrugged, thinking quickly. 'There was a murder at one of the inns
Isobel and I stayed at on our way here. I did a lot of thinking about it
afterwards, and all the sensible things I should have done. But you're the
MacNeil, Jamie, and this is your home. You're in charge. I wasn't trying to
usurp your authority.'
'Don't be daft,' said Jamie. 'This is all new to me. If you've got any ideas on
what we ought to be doing, speak out.'
'Well, to start with I think we should get back to the drawing room. I don't
think we ought to move the body, and we can't hope to discuss this mess sensibly
while it's lying right there in front of us.'
'Are you saying we should just leave the body here?' said Robbie Brennan.
'Why not?' said Alistair. 'It's not going anywhere.'
'At least cover him,' said Katrina unsteadily. 'Give the poor man some dignity.'
'And just what are we supposed to cover him with?' asked Marc. 'I'm afraid I
didn't think to bring a shroud with me to breakfast.'
'Maybe someone could fetch a cloak from the main hall,' said David.
'No!' said Holly quickly. 'You heard Richard; it's not safe for anyone to go off
on their own.'
'We can't just leave the man like this!' said Katrina shrilly, with a
stubbornness that bordered on hysteria. 'He's got to be covered decently!'
Fisher grabbed one end of the magnificent white tablecloth and gave it a good
hard jerk. Food, china, cutlery, and flowers went flying in all directions. The
candelabra collapsed, and rivers of spilled wine cascaded over the sides of the
table as she kept pulling. The last of the tablecloth finally came free, and
Fisher draped it roughly over the dead man. Jamie stared speechlessly at the
mess she'd made, and then looked at her. She smiled back at him.
'Can we get the hell out of here now?' she said pointedly. 'This place makes me
nervous. Besides, I need a good stiff drink, and the good brandies are back in
the drawing room.'
Hawk fought to keep the smile off his lips. He should have known Fisher wouldn't
be able to keep up the demure young lady pose for long. He supposed he should be
grateful that at least she hadn't hit anyone yet. He coughed loudly to draw
everyone's attention back to him.
'If we're going to move, let's move. If nothing else, I think we'll be safer in
the drawing room. It's a lot easier to defend than this place. There are too
many doors here for my liking.'
Alistair nodded approvingly. 'Good thinking, lad. The drawing room's only got
one door, and we can barricade that if necessary.'
Katrina's hand rose unsteadily to her mouth, and her eyes widened. 'You mean the
murderer might try and attack us?'
'It's possible,' said Hawk. 'We don't know what we're dealing with yet.'
'I think you're all worrying needlessly,' said Marc. 'This is one man we're
talking about, not an army. If worst comes to worst, there are more than enough
of us here to overpower him.'
'It might not be that simple,' said Jamie slowly. 'There's only one man who
could have done something like this. The freak. He's got out, after all these
years, and he wants revenge. Revenge on the Family that walled him up alive.'
Silence fell across the dining room as they all looked at each other, the
tension almost crackling on the air. Hawk silently cursed the young MacNeil.
He'd already worked out that the freak was most likely the murderer, but he'd
wanted the others safely back in the drawing room before he told them. The last
thing he needed was a panic here. He tried his cough again, and everyone's eyes
shot to him.
'There'll be time to discuss all this later,' he said firmly. 'Right now, I want
everyone concentrating on getting back to the drawing room safely.'
'What gives you the right to give everyone orders?' said Marc. 'Why should we
listen to you?'
'Because he's talking sense,' said Jamie. 'All right, Richard, let's take a look
out in the corridor and make sure it's clear.'
The two of them moved over to the main door, eased it open a crack, then took
turns peering out down the corridor. Nothing moved in the clear morning light,
and the few shadows were comfortingly small. Jamie looked at Hawk.
'How do you want to do this, Richard?'
