Hanna made a face. “Well, that’s nice.”
“Sounds like Marion, to me. Let’s see.” He continued to flip pages and read snippets as he did. “Stuart spends all his time with Janette and seems afraid of Marion… The doctor’s busy out of the house quite a bit, because there’s a war on and people need him, so he can’t spend much time at Greenhill. He’s starting to worry about the entire affair and is keeping an eye out for another place he can send Stuart… Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh?” Hanna leaned close to read the book he held.
Gregory showed her the entry he’d found. “Janette asked to see him at his office in town. At this visit, Janette asks if the doctor has seen signs of abuse on those he’s examined from the house, or if he’s seen signs Marion is abusive in the years he’s been her doctor. Since he hasn’t been able to spend much time at Greenhill since Janette and Stuart’s arrival, the governess has no idea Doctor Turner and Marion are involved.”
As he spoke, Hanna read ahead. Her stomach sank as though she’d swallowed a bucket of lead. “And now, he’s panicked. Janette has decided to go to the police. If there’s an investigation, he worries they’ll discover what he’s done. Three children are dead, not to mention the high-profile Norman Pritchard murdered, and he helped cover it all up. Marion will be arrested, and so will Doctor Turner.”
Gregory turned the page. He had to lick his lips to wet them before he read on. “He told Janette he would come to Greenhill that night to investigate. And he did. He intended to try to take Marion in hand and deal with the situation. When he showed up, she was cross at him for not visiting as often as he should. He didn’t have the chance to explain before she kissed him. Janette walked in, having heard him arrive, and saw them embracing. She accused him of working in collusion with Marion and ran out of the room.”
Gillian’s eyes closed against the turmoil inside her. Hanna could see the doctor’s hands clenched tight enough together for the knuckles to whiten. “Go on.”
“Oh, Gillian,” Hanna said softly. “Marion pushed the doctor to go after Janette. He did. She wouldn’t stop when he called out to her, so he grabbed her arm to stop her. When she turned around, she was screaming that doctors were meant to help people, not let others harm them. That she was going to take Stuart and everyone in this house would pay for hurting him. So he slapped her to make her stop screaming. I think he just meant to buy silence to explain in. Except he didn’t stop hitting her until she wasn’t moving anymore.”
“He killed her,” Gillian said, tone flat and emotionless.
“Yes. When he came back to himself and realized what happened, he was sick and stunned. Marion was standing in the room, looking at what he’d done. She told him they had to take care of the body. And that the garden wouldn’t do, this time. They had to take ‘special measures’,” Hanna said.
A hush crept in to blanket the room with pensive, painful silence. Hanna’s sparrow tattoo prickled as the air at her left arm cooled to a familiar chill.Stuart.She shifted so she could lay her right hand on her arm where Stuart’s small hand would be, did he still have a body to inhabit.He loved Janette. And she died trying to protect him from a woman who should never have known him at all.
At last, Gillian gusted a breath. “Well. My father and I are going to have words about keeping family secrets from me. I’m not a child who needs to be sheltered from the truth. I’m glad my grandfather apparently got himself together later in life, but this? And before either of you say a word, I’m bloody grateful you’ve helped me uncover this. I’m not sorry I came, and I’m not sorry we’ve dug this up. Don’t even try to apologize.”
“As long as you don’t regret it,” Gregory said. “I know my grandfather probably had his own share of secrets buried in the past. I’m not sure how I’d take it if I found out he murdered someone. I–”
A knock at the door interrupted him. They turned to see Martin sticking his head into the room. “Gregory? I’m so sorry to interrupt, but you have a phone call.”
Gregory frowned. “Martin, today is your day off.”
“It is, and I was right in the middle of binging a truly trashy program, but the caller identification coughed up a name important enough for me to answer the phone. You’ll want to take this in your office,” Martin said.
Gregory stroked Hanna’s hand once, then stood. “If you two will excuse me for a bit, I’ll be back.”
“It’s a good moment for a spot of tea anyway,” Gillian said. “Hanna, will you show me where the kettle is? I could definitely use a stretch, a cuppa, and a lovely primal scream before we go on.”
* * *
“I really amsorry to interrupt you, Greg,” Martin said as they strode through the house towards the office. “It’s your day off, too, and you deserve it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Gregory said. “It was getting a little heavy in there anyway. We just found out Doctor Turner’s grandfather killed someone here.”
Martin blinked. “That’s rather shit.”
“Rather. Who’s on the line?”
“The representative for your majority shareholder,” Martin said.
Gregory picked up the pace. “I can’t imagine it’s coincidence he suddenly has time to talk after last night’s party.”
“No, I don’t imagine it is.” Martin lengthened his stride to keep up with his boss. “Greg, you haven’t said much about what happened when you met with the board last night.”
“Robert made his move. Or he tried. While I fended him off, Gran went upstairs and put Hanna in a dress. She swept in like a valkyrie in velvet to charm the board and deflate Robert’s little rebellion. The whole affair proved both Robert and most of the board are an issue. I’m about to solve it.” Gregory pushed his office door open.
Martin nodded and didn’t press for more, which Gregory appreciated. He had no intention of telling his friend the board had tried to leverage both Martin’s gender and potential sexuality as a reason to jettison Gregory as CEO. But actions had consequences, choices had repercussions, and Gregory had no place in his life for bigots.
He grabbed the phone off the desk as he slid into his chair. “This is Gregory Pierce. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Nothing to worry about,”said the man on the other end of the line.“I hear that house has plenty of real estate for you to walk across.”