“Mrs. Raskin will show you to your rooms,” Frank Melville said. “When you’ve freshened up, I’d like the three of you to meet me in my office.”
Melville rolled out of the way, and the trio followed Mrs. Raskin. Robin paused when she came to the hanging that showed the wolf hunt. There was something else that Robin had missed the first time she’d seen the tapestry. The lead hunter was mounted on a coal-black steed and carrying a knife with a silver blade and a handle that looked half-wolf’s claw, half-human.
“Remember what I told you about the legend of Black Oaks?”
“The werewolves and the devil worship?”
“Exactly. Look at this tapestry. It’s a copy of a tapestry that hangs in the original manor house in Sexton, England.” Robin pointed at the wolf. “It’s half-human and half-wolf. And look at the knife the hunter is holding.”
Jose looked where Robin was pointing. Then he smiled and shook his head.
“This place is really creepy.”
“My feelings exactly. Only don’t mention the legend or the Black Oaks curse to Mr. Melville. His daughter told me that he takes the curse very seriously.”
Mrs. Raskin had stopped in the hallway when Robin was showing the tapestry to Jose. When Robin turned away from the tapestry, Mrs. Raskin continued down the corridor. Robin, Ken, and Jose caught up with Mrs. Raskin when she stopped in front of the staircase and the elevator. Mrs. Raskin went into the elevator, and Ken followed her. Jose started to follow Ken, but Robin stopped him.
“There’s not enough room in the elevator for the four of us and our bags,” Robin said as she tossed her bag into the cage. “Ken, why don’t you ride up with Mrs. Raskin and the bags? Jose and I will take the stairs?”
Jose handed his bag to Ken. Mrs. Raskin pressed the button for the third floor. When she shut the gate, the elevator rose slowly, and Jose was level with it when it jerked to a stop between the second and third floors before continuing on its way. Robin turned to Jose.
“The last time I was here Mrs. Raskin said that happens frequently, and she predicted a fatal crash, which is why I chose to use the stairs. You can thank me for saving your life again.”
Jose smiled. It was the second time Robin had seen any sign of happiness. She hoped that it wouldn’t be the last.
Robin and Jose waited for the elevator on the third-floor landing. Mrs. Raskin got out and opened a door across from the elevator.
“You’ll be staying in this room, Mr. Alvarez. Why don’t you go in and I’ll tell you everything you need to know after I get Miss Lockwood and Mr. Breland settled.”
Jose entered the room, and Mrs. Raskin turned to Robin.
“I put you in the room you occupied during your first visit,” Mrs. Raskin told Robin. “Mr. Breland, you’ll have the room next to Miss Lockwood.”
Robin went inside her room and set her bag down on the bed. A thunderclap brought her to the window. The storm had created havoc during the ride to the manor house, and it looked like it was gaining in intensity. The tops of the trees at the edge of the lawn were swaying back and forth, and the wind was blowing with so much force that the rain was moving sideways. The howling sound it made still reminded her of a wolf baying. Robin scolded herself for having an overactive imagination and pulled herself away from the window.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Most people would have wondered why a person as beautiful and accomplished as Sheila Monroe would isolate herself at the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. But Sheila had her reasons. After dinner last night, Frank Melville had visited her in her room. By the time he left, Sheila knew that everything she had worked for was about to come true.
Sheila had grown up dirt-poor with two assets, her brains and her looks, and she had decided at an early age that she was going to use them to get what she wanted by any means necessary. Manipulating Frank Melville to fall in love with her had taken time, but anyone living in this mausoleum had plenty of time on their hands.
Sheila had a friend who worked in an upscale employment agency. Her friend had told her about the research assistant job at Black Oaks as soon as Nelly Melville contacted the agency. Sheila had excellent research skills, and she’d decided that a wealthy manwho had lost his wife and was confined to a wheelchair would be an easy mark; even one as obviously intelligent as Frank Melville. From experience, Sheila knew that a high IQ was no match for someone with her looks.
There was one more thing Sheila needed to have happen to make her plan work. When Justin Trent arrived at Black Oaks yesterday, Sheila was certain that everything was on track.
Frank had wanted her to join him when he went downstairs to welcome Jose Alverez to Black Oaks, but Sheila had begged off with the excuse that she wanted to change before he met with Alvarez, Lockwood, and Breland. What Sheila did not tell Frank was that there was another reason she wanted to stay on the Melvilles’ wing.
Sheila knew that Justin Trent, the son of Lawrence Trent, Frank’s old law partner, was in love with Nelly Melville, so the young attorney’s trip from Portland to the manor house was probably motivated in part by a desire to see her. But Sheila suspected that there may have been another reason Trent had traveled to Black Oaks. Justin specialized in probate law, and attorneys who practiced probate wrote wills. Frank had spent an hour alone with Trent before dinner.
Trent’s room was next to Sheila’s in the Melville wing. Before dinner, but after Trent’s meeting with Frank, Nelly had gone to Trent’s room. Sheila had overheard Trent and Nelly arguing, though she could not make out what they were saying. Sheila hoped that Nelly was worried about something Frank had told Trent during their meeting. She also wanted to know if anything they had discussed concerned her.
As soon as Nelly and Frank went downstairs to greet JoseAlvarez, Sheila went into the hall and knocked on Trent’s door. He was infatuated with Nelly and had always been impervious to Sheila’s charms, so Sheila knew she was going to have to work hard to find out what had happened when Trent and Frank had met.
“One second!” Trent yelled.
Sheila stepped back, and the door opened. Trent was wearing slacks and a white shirt.
“Hi, Justin, getting ready to meet the guest of honor.”