Separation—it was what Pix was afraid of, Samantha, too.
“Mom!'
“No.' Pix stood up and pul ed Samantha into her arms.
'I'm not leaving my daughter's side.' She hoped Jim's parents had been lucky at cards.
He sighed. 'Oh al right, you can stay together. Give me the gun, honey, and get some rope from the basement.
Here's a thought. Maybe we should lock them in the wine cel ar? It would be quicker.'
“Yes, and why don't we give them some of the Baccarat so they can enjoy a glass or two.' Valerie was stil bitter.
“I doubt they would wish to imbibe now, Val. Besides, Samantha is underage. No, we best leave them here. They might break one of the bottles”
Nuts, completely nuts. The words echoed in Pix's head as she waited for Valerie's return. When Jim had mentioned the wine cel ar, she'd had a thought. There was always the possibility that someone delivering something—
the handyman at work, or maybe Gert Prescott coming to clean—would see the odd procession through the huge plate-glass windows, but they couldn't court even this slim chance.
“Al right. That should do it.”
Valerie dumped enough hemp to tie up the Queen Mary at her husband's feet and took the gun firmly in her own hand.
“Good, good,' Jim said as he started to wind the coils around Pix, finishing with what she knew must be very efficient knots. After al , the man taught the art.
“Oh, by the way, my love, I almost forgot.' He gave a sharp yank to tighten the rope around Pix's wrists. It dug painful y into her skin and she winced. 'Sorry, Pix,' he said, then continued to address his wife. 'As I was saying, Samantha was very clever and got two campers to confess to some of the pranks that have been occurring. Apparently, they were angry at being here and wanted to get sent home or that's how it started anyway. It actual y is rather funny.
They were responsible for the parade! Here we thought it was Duncan al this time.”
Valerie did laugh. 'That is one on us, but it helped to tarnish his reputation. I probably didn't need to paint those sails—the mice and maybe the bird would have been enough with the parade. I ruined a perfectly good pair of pants for nothing.'
“I do wish you had consulted me before that one.' The change in Jim's voice was a grim reminder of the way he behaved when pushed to anger. 'What if it hadn't come off?
Those sails are custom-made for us.'
“If you had known, you wouldn't have been so convincing, sugar. Now I thought you were in a hurry.'
“What can I be thinking of?' He hastened to bind Samantha.
The job done, complete with handkerchiefs over their mouths, he kissed his wife good-bye and ran down the stairs, but first he took Pix's car keys from her purse, apologizing. 'We mustn't leave the car parked out front.
Sorry.”
Jim gone, Valerie had clearly had enough of the Mil ers' company and told them, 'Now remember, my parents didn't play games with yours and I'm in no mood for any games with you. I can see everything that goes on in here, so don't try anything.' She closed the door hard.
Trussed up like the proverbial Thanksgiving bird, Pix thought this virtual y impossible, nor was she planning on giving any indication like rol ing over and futilely trying to cut the rope by rubbing it on the slick paint of the desk leg.
Valerie alone was as dangerous as a wel ful of copperheads. Pix could hear her now: 'Oops, sugar, the gun just kind of went off.' Her wel manicured hands seemed able to support any number of deaths.
At least she was lying close to Samantha. Now she inched stil nearer. Her daughter had tears in her eyes and Pix could almost smel the fear coming from her body.
Every maternal nerve ached to comfort Samantha. She clenched her teeth, unclenched, and miraculously the handkerchief loosened. She tried it again. And again. Soon she was able to talk.
“Clench and unclench your jaw. I've been able to loosen the gag,' she whispered.
Samantha went through similar contortions and after a while was able to whisper back, 'What are we going to do?
Are we going to die?'
“No. Don't even think of it.' Pix wanted to distract Samantha. 'Now tel me what happened? What's in the closet?'
“Oh, Mom, there are stacks of those quilts. The ones with the blue X's— and more shelves ful of a lot of other antiques.'
“What kinds?'
“Toys mostly—plastic Mickey Mouse figurines. Also some wooden carvings of animals. Oh, and one of a figure.
It looked like John the Baptist or someone like that from the Bible.”
Mickey Mouses. Pix could hear Earl's voice explaining just how they were faked. And the folk art, folk art similar to what was at Jil 's.
Mitch and the Athertons' business partners in marketing fake antiques—deadly partners for Mitch. They had kil ed him and used one of the phony quilts to bury him in. She'd been right. The marks indicated which were real and which were copies. They'd gotten sloppy about removing them. And Samantha had opened the door.
“But what did she mean about Duncan? And Mom, she kil ed her own husband!'
“I know, darling, it's beyond belief. Poor Duncan. Al this time he's felt responsible, and real y his mother was just waiting for him to go to sleep so she could push Bernard overboard' Pix shuddered. It was getting cooler as the sun dropped steadily toward the horizon. Obviously, it hadn't been only Jim who couldn't stand the sight of Duncan.
Valerie wanted him out of their lives, too, yet didn't want public opinion against them. Hence, Duncan the incorrigible. Duncan may have attacked Samantha, perhaps pushing her harder than he intended. Pix was ready to give him the benefit of the doubt, considering his parents. But the rest had been manufactured by them out of the boy's own unhappiness and depression. What a thing to do to a child!
She wouldn't have to bother asking Jim why he did it, though. She thought of his wine cel ar, the boats, al the expensive video toys, this whole 'Mil ion Dol ar Mansion.'
He may have been partly motivated by the love of a bad woman, but the real answer was the old tried and true 'for the money.' What he had inherited and what he made from the camp had evidently not been enough. The Athertons were al set to live the good life—until the Mil ers happened along.
Pix looked around the room. Even if she could get free of her bonds, there was nothing even remotely resembling a weapon, unless you were up for a pil ow fight.
They'd have to untie them enough to walk—that is if they were going to move them, and Pix was afraid they were. Left in the house, they might be found too soon and raise the alarm.
“Mom, can you think of anything? What would Faith do?”
Pix was stung. So far as she knew, Faith had never been bound and gagged. She'd probably do exactly what Pix was doing—try to keep her circulation going. She decided to ignore her daughter's remark.
After a while, Samantha asked timidly, 'What time do you think they'l come back?'
“They said at dark. The sun set at eight-nineteen last night.' Pix did know some things. She continued to parade her expertise. 'I'd say they'l come back around nine.
They're obviously planning to leave by boat and they'l want to get a good start. This is deep water, so they don't have to consider the tide.'
“Which gives us less than three hours.'
“I'm afraid so '
“And no one to miss us. Arlene was leaving forEl sworth straight from work with Fred. They knew you wouldn't let me go. How about Granny?'
“I spoke to her this afternoon, so she wouldn't expect to hear from me again. I asked her to come over tonight, but she said she was tired and wanted an early night.'
