Page 47 of Hush Money

“Go on,” I prompt him.

“I offered to get a room for her while she waited outside. She agreed. So that’s what I did. I spoke to the manager. When I mentioned your name, he was happy to play deaf and dumb and sneak her in through the back entrance.”

“He should be,” I say grimly. “We’ve thrown more than enough business their way over the years. Every time we have an event at Ackerley, we book the inn for overflow guests. I assume you gave him a slight monetary contribution for his discretion?”

“Hush money, you mean?” A crisp nod from Winwood. “Of course, sir.”

“Did anyone else see you?”

“No, sir. Not given the late hour.”

“Well, thank God for small favors,” I mutter.

“Indeed.”

“Anything else?”

“I got Mrs. Winter upstairs. Gave her the overnight bag. Asked if she needed anything else. She replied in the negative. I took my leave. Came back here.”

Every Mrs. Winter hits my ears like nails across a chalkboard, but I know from long experience that trying to get Winwood to drop the formalities is pointless. He handles every conversation as though it’s an audition to become a four-star general. “Good man. Anything else?”

There’s a thoughtful pause before he shakes his head. “No, sir.”

I stand. He stands. I reach across the desk and shake his hand just as I notice Daniel’s arrival in my doorway.

“I appreciate your loyalty and discretion,” I tell Winwood. “I won’t forget it.” Translation: I plan to give him a fat year-end bonus.

“I appreciate that, sir.” With that, Winwood pivots as though he’s the flag bearer in a Fourth of July parade and starts to head out. Whereupon he sees Daniel and grimaces. That’s Winwood for you. He’s always got a vague haughtiness about him, as though he’s inspected you and determined that your haircut isn’t fresh or your shoes shiny enough to pass muster. No one escapes this treatment, including my second-in-command, the man who’s in charge of overseeing everything here at Ackerley.

“Daniel,” Winwood says with his usual crispness as he departs without breaking stride.

“Ted,” Daniel says, scowling after him. Then he turns to me as he sinks into the chair next to the one Winwood just vacated. “You wanted to see me?”

“I did,” I say, opening my top drawer.

“One second.” Daniel clears his throat, a sure sign that he’s about to bring up some uncomfortable subject I’d rather not be bothered with. “I want to mention something. About Winwood.”

I pause what I’m doing and look up. “What about him?”

“I’m not sure he has the know-how and discretion needed to be helpful with your current situation.” A diplomatic pause. “He’s very young. We may need someone with more experience now that things have escalated a bit.”

I frown. What did I tell you? “I don’t care how old he is. He’s been with us for years. He’s got a military background plus the training he’s received from the senior members of the security team here. I trust him to stand at his post and make sure no bad people get through. Especially Ravenna. I also trust him to handle the occasional extra task or field trip for me. Unless you know something about him that I don’t know…?”

“Not at all,” Daniel says, his expression clearing. He’s been around more than long enough to know which battles to pick with me and when to keep it moving. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Make sure nothing falls through the cracks.”

“Good.” I return to the drawer and pull out an envelope full of cash, a credit card and a phone, all of which I slide across the desk to Daniel. I also hand him Ravenna’s purse from before she disappeared, which I grabbed from the basement safe. “I need you to run these over to Ravenna at the inn.”

He blinks. Hesitates. “Of course.”

He looks less than thrilled, so I force myself to slow down and focus on staff relations for a minute. “Look. I know it’s not in your job description. If we were in the city, I’d send my personal assistant to do it. I don’t want to go myself and escalate the situation right now. I need Winwood on security. So that leaves you as the only other person I trust at Ackerley with these personal matters.”

He seems touched as he nods. Maybe he’s thinking about his father, who ran the estate for my father back in the day. Or maybe he’s thinking about the way he, Roman and I grew up together, roaming the grounds like the hooligans we were and getting into all manner of mischief and trouble. Matter of fact, there was one memorable occasion when the three of us played hide-and-seek in the greenhouse, and during my mad scramble to discover Roman’s hiding place, I knocked over a whole table of my mother’s prized orchids. Let’s just say that chaos ensued. Daniel wound up taking the fall for me because he knew that while Mom would level the wrath of God on my head, she’d let him slide.

The memory makes me smile inwardly. I’ve never forgotten our many adventures. Nor will I ever forget his loyalty.

“Understood,” Daniel says.

“Good.”

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