Tori waved her hands. “I wish I’d only known how bad it was and had let Ava go before the situation escalated into her death. I’ve assured all of my staff that I’m backing them one hundred percent, but the truth of the matter is, someone killed Ava. I believe the killer was someone who had access to the drawing room and was familiar with the layout of this place. The sooner the authorities can figure out who murdered Ava, the sooner life at Montgomery Hall can return to normal.”
The howling wind began to die down and Mercedes cast a hopeful glance out the window. “Maybe the storm is almost over.”
“Not yet, I’m afraid. We may be on the backside of it now.” A bolt of lightning flashed from the sky and struck an oak tree in the backyard.
Crack. The limb peeled off and fell to the ground with a loud thud. “We better step away from the windows,” Tori said. “Let’s continue on to the cigar room.”
Tori waited until Mercedes and Carlita were in the hall before pulling her office door shut and locking it. “As I said, William and I spent most of our evenings in this wing of the house. The only access is through the hall where we first came in.”
She pointed to a second door. “William installed a small filter room, to air out his cigar room. Before he installed the filters, the cigar odor lingered for days.”
Tori smiled sadly. “What I wouldn’t give to smell his stinky old cigar just one more time.”
“I’m sorry.” Carlita’s throat clogged and she touched Tori’s arm. “I know exactly what you mean,” she whispered.
“Stop or else you’ll have us all bawling.” Mercedes slid past her mother and walked into the room, her eyes falling on the billiard table. She crossed the room and ran her hand along the top rail. “This is the billiard room.” She turned to Tori. “Your office is the conservatory. You live in the Clue house.”
Tori lifted a brow. “What clue house?”
“Your house is the Clue house. Haven’t you ever seen the game Clue, or watched the old 80’s movie Clue? It’s about a bunch of people, trapped inside a mansion during a storm and they start dying! We’re living the movie,” Mercedes shrieked. “I’ve got to go get my gun before the killer tries to take one of us out.” She hurried to the door.
“You brought a gun with you?” Carlita gasped.
“Of course.” Mercedes grabbed the knob. “There’s a killer on the loose and we’re in the Clue house. People die. There are going to be more before it’s all over and I’m not going down without a fight.”
Carlita blocked her daughter’s exit. “Mercedes, that’s absurd. This is not a movie, nor is it a board game. Your very vivid imagination is working overtime. Maybe the storm has you distraught. This is not your home. You can’t walk around brandishing a gun.”
“Let her get her gun,” Tori said. “William used to walk around carrying one of his collectibles all the time. If Mercedes feels safer with her weapon, then by all means, go get it. Maybe we’ll all be safer. She’s right. There is a killer on the loose.”
“Better yet, let’s head upstairs and we’ll stop by Mercedes’ room. You’ve already seen the kitchen, the butler pantry, the dining room, my library and of course, you’re familiar with the drawing room.” Tori glanced out the window. “When the storm blows over, we’ll head outside to the pool house, where Ava was found and then continue upstairs to the employees’ private quarters.”
“Can we stop to get my gun first?” Mercedes asked.
“Of course, but I would ask that you keep it secured, so you don’t accidentally discharge it inside the house.”
“I’ll leave it in my carry purse,” Mercedes promised. “I don’t mean to be paranoid, but there are too many coincidences and I’m more than a little freaked out.”
The women retraced their steps, exiting Montgomery Hall’s private wing and returning to the main hall. They found Byron and Lucien near the front entrance.
Tori paused. “Are there any updates on the hurricane?”
Lucien nodded. “We believe the worst of it has passed. As soon as the storm lets up, Olsen is going to take the four-wheeler to the front of the property to check the water level under the bridge.”
“Perfect. I’m taking Mercedes and Carlita on a tour of Montgomery Hall. When the weather clears, we’re going to take a look at the pool house and then a quick tour of the employee quarters.”
Byron fumbled inside his pocket and pulled out a folded note. “You received a phone call from a Ms. Cobb earlier. I forgot to give this message to you.”
“Elvira,” Carlita mumbled.
“Or Dernice,” Mercedes said. “I wonder what they’re up to.”
Tori unfolded the note. “I gave their number to Detective Wilson. He told me he was going to call EC Security Services because he had a few more questions for them.”
“I’m assuming the detectives talked to them last night,” Carlita said.
“Yes, they did, but Ms. Cobb gave the detectives the impression that they’d arrived at Montgomery Hall shortly before the party started. The fact of the matter was they toured the grounds and the property the day before yesterday. They were setting up their security staging.”
Carlita crossed her arms. “Iris mentioned that to me, as well. Did their access include the drawing room where the murder weapon was kept?”
“Yes, of course,” Tori nodded. “The security company had access to all of the public areas of the lower level, except for my office and William’s cigar room.”
Chapter 13
“That adds a whole lot
