charged forward as the intruder raced away from him. The man had been smart, forcing Luke to make a choice between catching him and helping Carol.
There was no choice.
Luke lunged for the railing and leaned over, grabbing Carol beneath the arms and hauling her up and over. He fell back with her to the gallery floor, holding her in his arms. She buried her face against his chest, shaking uncontrollably, tears hot and wet against his skin.
Below them, the assailant raced across the foyer and out the front door, disappearing into the night.
* * *
L UKE CROUCHED DOWN in front of the couch where Carol was sitting, wrapped in a heavy terry-cloth robe, her face almost as white as the wall behind her.
“Are you sure I can’t get you something? Aspirin? A drink?”
She shook her head but didn’t say anything.
He sighed heavily and sat beside her. “I can call a doctor. Maybe you’d like something stronger, to take off the edge. Something to help you sleep.”
She shook her head more forcefully this time. “No. No drugs. I don’t want to go to sleep. Not here.” Her eyes turned pleading. “Please,” she whispered, “take me somewhere else. Anywhere. Somewhere safe.”
His heart felt as if it was breaking as he looked at her mournful face. “I will. In a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay.” She sank back against the cushions.
The house blazed with light now and was full of security guards and police officers, as well as the cook and two of the maids. They were the only live-in servants and had been roused from their rooms on the other side of the mansion by Cornell and his men. But they hadn’t seen or heard anything that might help with the investigation. So, now they were busily laying out an assortment of refreshments for their unexpected visitors.
Cornell spoke in the corner of the family room to the guards’ supervisor, who looked angry enough to kill someone. He’d already lambasted the entire staff for allowing the intruder inside, but now that they knew how the intruder had gotten in, Luke almost felt sorry for the guards. Almost.
The intruder had ambushed the guard at the front door and left him bound and gagged in the bushes, hog-tied with no hope of getting himself freed. He’d done the same thing to two other guards, leaving the front totally clear for him to sneak on in. Which just proved Luke’s original theory, that the mansion required a security alarm, a high-tech one that was tamper-proof, or as close as possible to one.
When Cornell finished with the supervisor, he hurried to Luke. He glanced uncertainly at Carol, before motioning for Luke to step away with him.
As soon as Luke started to get up from the couch, Carol started to get up to follow him. He glanced at Cornell, shook his head, then sat back down.
“You might as well say whatever you need to say in front of her,” Luke said.
Cornell dragged the coffee table closer and sat on it facing them. “Okay, here’s where we stand. Other than your basic description of a white man, at least six feet tall, a hundred ninety pounds, wearing dark clothes, I’ve got nothing to go on. And since the grass out front is so thick, I don’t even have a shoe print. I need another angle to figure out who this guy is. What I need to know is why he was here.” He looked at Carol. “Mrs. Ashton, it seems likely the intruder was after you, since he went to the master bedroom. But if he was going to kill you, he could have just tossed you over the banister instead of making sure you were clutching the top rail before he took off.”
“Or he knew if he hurt her I’d kill him,” Luke said. “He may have been trying to kill her but had to change his plan to make sure he survived the night.”
“If that’s the case, then perhaps he went into the master bedroom looking for something besides Mrs. Ashton. Can we go up there together? See if something is missing?”
“All right,” she said, her voice soft but steady.
She moved like a wraith
There was no choice.
Luke lunged for the railing and leaned over, grabbing Carol beneath the arms and hauling her up and over. He fell back with her to the gallery floor, holding her in his arms. She buried her face against his chest, shaking uncontrollably, tears hot and wet against his skin.
Below them, the assailant raced across the foyer and out the front door, disappearing into the night.
* * *
L UKE CROUCHED DOWN in front of the couch where Carol was sitting, wrapped in a heavy terry-cloth robe, her face almost as white as the wall behind her.
“Are you sure I can’t get you something? Aspirin? A drink?”
She shook her head but didn’t say anything.
He sighed heavily and sat beside her. “I can call a doctor. Maybe you’d like something stronger, to take off the edge. Something to help you sleep.”
She shook her head more forcefully this time. “No. No drugs. I don’t want to go to sleep. Not here.” Her eyes turned pleading. “Please,” she whispered, “take me somewhere else. Anywhere. Somewhere safe.”
His heart felt as if it was breaking as he looked at her mournful face. “I will. In a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay.” She sank back against the cushions.
The house blazed with light now and was full of security guards and police officers, as well as the cook and two of the maids. They were the only live-in servants and had been roused from their rooms on the other side of the mansion by Cornell and his men. But they hadn’t seen or heard anything that might help with the investigation. So, now they were busily laying out an assortment of refreshments for their unexpected visitors.
Cornell spoke in the corner of the family room to the guards’ supervisor, who looked angry enough to kill someone. He’d already lambasted the entire staff for allowing the intruder inside, but now that they knew how the intruder had gotten in, Luke almost felt sorry for the guards. Almost.
The intruder had ambushed the guard at the front door and left him bound and gagged in the bushes, hog-tied with no hope of getting himself freed. He’d done the same thing to two other guards, leaving the front totally clear for him to sneak on in. Which just proved Luke’s original theory, that the mansion required a security alarm, a high-tech one that was tamper-proof, or as close as possible to one.
When Cornell finished with the supervisor, he hurried to Luke. He glanced uncertainly at Carol, before motioning for Luke to step away with him.
As soon as Luke started to get up from the couch, Carol started to get up to follow him. He glanced at Cornell, shook his head, then sat back down.
“You might as well say whatever you need to say in front of her,” Luke said.
Cornell dragged the coffee table closer and sat on it facing them. “Okay, here’s where we stand. Other than your basic description of a white man, at least six feet tall, a hundred ninety pounds, wearing dark clothes, I’ve got nothing to go on. And since the grass out front is so thick, I don’t even have a shoe print. I need another angle to figure out who this guy is. What I need to know is why he was here.” He looked at Carol. “Mrs. Ashton, it seems likely the intruder was after you, since he went to the master bedroom. But if he was going to kill you, he could have just tossed you over the banister instead of making sure you were clutching the top rail before he took off.”
“Or he knew if he hurt her I’d kill him,” Luke said. “He may have been trying to kill her but had to change his plan to make sure he survived the night.”
“If that’s the case, then perhaps he went into the master bedroom looking for something besides Mrs. Ashton. Can we go up there together? See if something is missing?”
“All right,” she said, her voice soft but steady.
She moved like a wraith
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