“Is that the same collection that has ticket stubs from Austin’s championship games?” he asked.
“A collection is anything you have seven of, and they’ve all been collecting items from Italy since we bought the winery near Florence.”
“Just don’t tell me someone wanted the chariot.”
She smiled at him and patted his cheek. “Robbie did. But he’s not getting it.”
“Well, I should hope not.”
They stood together in front of the window and gazed out over the pasture. “This is a beautiful ranch. I’m glad you decided to give it to Austin and Ensley.”
“He wanted to buy it, but I told him it was a gift, and if they divorced, the ranch would belong to the kids. That was okay with him.”
“You know, about every three years, we add new couples and new babies to the family. If we keep growing at this rate, we won’t have a house big enough to sleep everybody at one time.”
“We’ll heat the horse trailers.”
“Ha, ha. You’re getting a sense of humor in your old age.”
“I’m working on it.”
Meredith poured a glass of red wine and sat down in one of the two matching chairs next to the crackling fire. “You should have seen Joseph on the snowmobile. He was so excited.” She took a sip and continued, “I think he’s the most loving of all the kids, and he’s curious about everything. He reminds me a lot of James Cullen, but he’s more sociable. I hope Tavis doesn’t move too far away.”
“He has several options, but right now, Joseph and Jean believe they’re twins and don’t want to be separated. So it looks like Tavis might end up in Napa.”
“That’s fine. Tavis and Joseph can live in the guesthouse. No one stays there since Rick and Penny moved into their new home.”
“Ye mean mansion?”
“It’s a beautiful place, and it looks like it’s always been there. The architect did a phenomenal job of incorporating it into the landscape, the vineyards, and the winery’s history. I couldn’t be more pleased.”
“And ye stayed out of the process.”
A line appeared between her brows, and she studied the crystal glass in her hand. “Well, they think I did, and that’s all that matters. But the truth is, I had several conversations—off the record—with the architect and guided her in a specific direction. Just for aesthetic purposes.”
He shook his head as he poured a glass of whisky. He should have known she couldn’t stay out of it, but at least he never got a panicky call from Penny or Rick about his bride causing trouble.
Meredith opened the drawer in the table next to her chair and removed a folder. “After the year we’ve had, I decided to give you something you didn’t have or couldn’t get for yourself—answers.” She held out the folder. “You can read this now or later.”
“What’s it about?”
“Erik, the brooches, murder, intrigue, family. All sorts of things. It would make a great Netflix series.”
“That’s all the temptation I need.” He sat in the other chair next to the fire, but when he saw the single-spaced, typed, multi-page document, he closed it. “Give me the synopsis, and I’ll read this tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Whatever it is, just tell me.”
She put her feet up on the ottoman. “I’ve researched the MacKlennas and Frasers in the National Records of Scotland dozens of times, and I’ve never seen the information in that folder. I should have found it before now. My researchers definitely should have found it. But it slipped through the cracks.”
He tapped his finger on the folder. “So this is the reason ye stopped in Scotland on the way back from Florence.”
“I wanted to shop in Edinburgh for kilts for Jean and Joseph, and while I was there, I went to the Archives out of habit.” She sipped her drink. “This is complicated. If you get confused, stop me. It took me half a dozen times to reread the information and put the pieces together.”
“Stop explaining and just tell me what ye found.”
“Your Grandfather Fraser had a brother named Malcolm, who disappeared before the start of World War I and was never heard from again.”
“That’s impossible. I know the Fraser history top to bottom, and I’ve never heard of him. Are ye sure?”
“I’m positive. Malcolm was a suspect in a brutal murder. The articles I found had pictures and physical descriptions of him, and he looked familiar.” She pointed to the folder he’d set aside. “Turn to the second page and look at the photographs.”
Elliott turned to the page she indicated and studied the pictures. The man looked familiar. “I must be imagining this, but he resembles Erik.”
“No, it’s not your overactive imagination. I compared those pictures to Sophia’s sketches. This man’s forehead is higher, the nose more pronounced, the chin more pointed. They’re two different men, but it’s obvious they’re related.”
“Sophia has never seen Erik or his photograph. She could be wrong.”
“That’s true, but three years ago, she sat down with everyone who met Erik at Jarlshof and sketched a picture based on their descriptions, and that included yours. Then earlier this summer, with Ensley, Remy, and Austin’s help, she updated her sketch. The final step was incorporating Tavis’s changes. She says the final painting is as accurate as any photograph could be.”
“Okay, so my previously unknown great-uncle Malcolm, who resembled Erik the Viking, was a suspect in a murder case and disappeared?”
“That’s right, and there’s more. I found newspaper articles that described the injuries to the body of the man he’s suspecting of killing. The man was skinned alive.”
“Shit!”
“The police never found a motive for the murder, but in another article, I found a vague reference to a piece of jewelry Malcolm had wanted to buy, but the victim wouldn’t sell it.”
“Jewelry? Like a brooch?”
“Possibly.”
“Ye have this all figured out. I can see it in yer eyes. So just tell me what ye think.”
“The police
