months. Maybe years. Not your doing but it did start after your arrival. You’re good luck. If I keep improving at this rate, I’ll be dancing within the month.”
“I hope so, sir. Sir, that brings me to the bad news. But first a confession. I didn’t come out here just to unmask a thief.”
“Ah?” There was a sparkle in his eye.
“Yes sir. Sergeant Peters believes someone is poisoning you slowly. He wanted me to find out who. If it’s being done at all.”
“And? You’ve found something?” He seemed troubled now.
“No sir. Nothing like that.”
That pleased him.
“On the other hand, there’s no negative evidence. And one has to wonder about your recovery. It pleases me but I’m suspicious by nature.’
“And this is your bad news?”
“No sir. That’s nastier. More pervasive, if you will.”
“Go on. I’m not one to slay the bearer of ill tidings or to ignore them because they aren’t what I want to hear.”
“Let me preface this by saying I’d like to read your will.”
He frowned. “Peters asked for a copy. Was that your doing?”
“Yes.”
“Go on.”
“I’m afraid it may be written so as to encourage villainy.” I was starting to sound pompous. But it was hard to be one of the boys with General Stantnor. “If the number of heirs decreases, does the take for the survivors increase?”
He gave me the fish-eye.
“I gather half goes to Jennifer and the rest to everyone else. Sixteen people originally. After this morning, only eight. Meaning the take for survivors has doubled.”
He looked at me hard. I thought he might throw me out, earlier protests to the contrary. “Support your suspicions, Mr. Garrett.”
“I don’t think the four men who left you could have. One, maybe. Two at the most. But people aren’t built to walk away from so much money. Four?”
“I can see that. Maybe. What else?”
“Whoever put the arrow into Hawkes set it up ahead of time. The deer was too long dead to be a fresh kill. The sniper rode away on a horse. Would a peasant who has to poach have a horse? And the horseman headed this way after the ambuscade. Though that’s circumstantial. I lost the trail part way here.”
He was quiet for a long time. His color deserted him. I pitied him then.
“On a more personal level, two attempts have been made on my life since I’ve been here. I don’t know by who.”
He looked at me but didn’t say anything.
“Unearthing that wasn’t part of my brief. But I thought you should know what I think is happening. Should I pursue it?”
“Yes!” He paused. “It doesn’t add up. Theft that’s almost petty. Someone possibly trying to poison me. Someone trying to kill everyone else.”
“That’s true. I can’t make it add up.”
“I don’t want to believe you, Mr. Garrett. I know those men better than that . . . Two attempts on your life?”
I told him about them.
He nodded. “I don’t suppose you . . . No. I believe you. Get Dellwood.”
I rose. “A question first, General?”
“Go ahead.”
“Could an outsider be responsible? Do you have enemies vicious enough to try to set your house against itself?”
“I have enemies. A man my age, who’s been what I’ve been? Of course I have enemies. But I don’t think any of them would try for the pain in something like this . . . There’d still have to be an inside man, wouldn’t there?”
I nodded, opened the door. Dellwood was in the hall a decorous distance away. “The boss wants you.”
16
I’ll say this for that old man: He took the bull by the horns. I didn’t think he was doing the smart thing, but it was his house, his life, his sanity, and his choice to take the risk.
He had Dellwood bring everybody in and get them seated. He had me stand beside him, facing them. They looked at him and me and wondered while Peters and Chain looked for Snake. Kaid tossed logs on the bonfire. I sweated.
Nobody said a word.
Then Jennifer tried. She barely got
“I hope so, sir. Sir, that brings me to the bad news. But first a confession. I didn’t come out here just to unmask a thief.”
“Ah?” There was a sparkle in his eye.
“Yes sir. Sergeant Peters believes someone is poisoning you slowly. He wanted me to find out who. If it’s being done at all.”
“And? You’ve found something?” He seemed troubled now.
“No sir. Nothing like that.”
That pleased him.
“On the other hand, there’s no negative evidence. And one has to wonder about your recovery. It pleases me but I’m suspicious by nature.’
“And this is your bad news?”
“No sir. That’s nastier. More pervasive, if you will.”
“Go on. I’m not one to slay the bearer of ill tidings or to ignore them because they aren’t what I want to hear.”
“Let me preface this by saying I’d like to read your will.”
He frowned. “Peters asked for a copy. Was that your doing?”
“Yes.”
“Go on.”
“I’m afraid it may be written so as to encourage villainy.” I was starting to sound pompous. But it was hard to be one of the boys with General Stantnor. “If the number of heirs decreases, does the take for the survivors increase?”
He gave me the fish-eye.
“I gather half goes to Jennifer and the rest to everyone else. Sixteen people originally. After this morning, only eight. Meaning the take for survivors has doubled.”
He looked at me hard. I thought he might throw me out, earlier protests to the contrary. “Support your suspicions, Mr. Garrett.”
“I don’t think the four men who left you could have. One, maybe. Two at the most. But people aren’t built to walk away from so much money. Four?”
“I can see that. Maybe. What else?”
“Whoever put the arrow into Hawkes set it up ahead of time. The deer was too long dead to be a fresh kill. The sniper rode away on a horse. Would a peasant who has to poach have a horse? And the horseman headed this way after the ambuscade. Though that’s circumstantial. I lost the trail part way here.”
He was quiet for a long time. His color deserted him. I pitied him then.
“On a more personal level, two attempts have been made on my life since I’ve been here. I don’t know by who.”
He looked at me but didn’t say anything.
“Unearthing that wasn’t part of my brief. But I thought you should know what I think is happening. Should I pursue it?”
“Yes!” He paused. “It doesn’t add up. Theft that’s almost petty. Someone possibly trying to poison me. Someone trying to kill everyone else.”
“That’s true. I can’t make it add up.”
“I don’t want to believe you, Mr. Garrett. I know those men better than that . . . Two attempts on your life?”
I told him about them.
He nodded. “I don’t suppose you . . . No. I believe you. Get Dellwood.”
I rose. “A question first, General?”
“Go ahead.”
“Could an outsider be responsible? Do you have enemies vicious enough to try to set your house against itself?”
“I have enemies. A man my age, who’s been what I’ve been? Of course I have enemies. But I don’t think any of them would try for the pain in something like this . . . There’d still have to be an inside man, wouldn’t there?”
I nodded, opened the door. Dellwood was in the hall a decorous distance away. “The boss wants you.”
16
I’ll say this for that old man: He took the bull by the horns. I didn’t think he was doing the smart thing, but it was his house, his life, his sanity, and his choice to take the risk.
He had Dellwood bring everybody in and get them seated. He had me stand beside him, facing them. They looked at him and me and wondered while Peters and Chain looked for Snake. Kaid tossed logs on the bonfire. I sweated.
Nobody said a word.
Then Jennifer tried. She barely got
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