“We don’t know what happened to Diana,” Sara said. “She could have killed Sean, then run away. Maybe the ones left behind hid Sean’s body.”
Kate nodded. “That’s plausible. They wouldn’t want the press and the police here. The publicity would ruin them.”
“True,” Sara said. “For the rest of their lives, they’d have a murder hanging over their heads. Byon’s fledgling career would forever be tainted. Nadine might lose her viscount.”
“Poorwilla would be ridiculed even more by her beautiful, talented family,” Jack said. “She’d have to hear ‘I told you so’ for the rest of her life.”
“Hide the body, then separate,” Sara said. “Bookwise, this works. A plot always needs secrets. But are these the right secrets?”
“I think we need to ask more about Diana,” Jack said. “Every time we mention her, everyone gets quiet. Let’s—” He broke off as a loud crash came from outside.
“Somebody knocked over something,” Sara said.
Jack was up before she finished. “I’ll go look. From what I’ve seen of Bella, she’ll have someone’s hide.” He left the room.
Kate turned to her aunt. “He’s right. Bella really runs this place. There must be fifty people out there.”
“She has help for the other eleven months, but she takes over for the yearly cleanup. She’s a great believer in ‘If you want it done right, do it yourself.’”
For a moment, Kate was quiet. “I
didn’t realize how good Jack’s singing was. I’ve heard him with a bar band and at a funeral, but today was extraordinary.”
“When he was eighteen I offered to pay for him to go to Juilliard, but he refused. He had to take care of his family.”
Kate sighed. “Family.” She knew all about the enormous pressure family put on a person. “His singing with someone of Byon Lizmere’s caliber, meeting Lady Nadine—it’s been quite a day for him.”
Sara was watching her niece with the intensity of a hawk. “I think we both need to face the fact that someday Jack will discover how talented he is. The world will open up to him and he’ll become famous. I have no doubt that, someday, he’ll fall in love, marry and have kids. You and I will be left on our own.”
Kate didn’t like the visions that conjured. Jack on Broadway receiving a standing ovation. Holding roses and blowing kisses to his wife, Lady Fiona something. His beautiful little daughter would walk onto the stage and—
She looked at her aunt. Sara’s eyes were sparkling. “Are you being a bitch?”
“Oh yes,” Sara said. “I’m being so bitchy that I’m giving off red and orange flames. I’m sure I can be seen by satellite.”
“Well, stop it. Save it for Byon.”
Sara laughed. “He tires me out. I have to be on guard every second. It’s almost as bad as being at a Romance Conference. Although, Byon is much sweeter.”
“Jack’s the one who has to be on guard. Byon looks at him like he’s a two-hundred-dollar steak.”
“Bet he looked at Sean just like that.”
They looked at each other, eyes wide.
“If Sean didn’t love him back...” Kate said.
“No wrath like a woman scorned,” Sara whispered.
“Could he hide a body? He looks flabby.”
“But twenty years ago? Sure he could.”
Kate was thoughtful. “If Byon killed Sean, he had the rest of the night and all the next day to hide the body. The others were asleep and hung over. They wouldn’t notice.”
Sara nodded. “Even if they looked out the window and saw him, they’d probably yawn and say, ‘Looks like Byon is hiding a dead body.’”
Kate laughed. “That would be Nadine. Clive would worry that the murder would affect his job.”