Page 18 of One Last Night

“Go to the mainland,” Julian suggests. “Get off of this island for a while. Hell, make it an overnight trip. Go to Boston. Get your head out of all the crap.”

“I’m not going to take two days off. I’ll take the kids to the lighthouse, and we can have a picnic on the beach. Tomorrow, I’m back in the saddle.”

“Tomorrow, you’re not doing anything out of the ordinary.Iwill handle theListeriaemergency. It’s only the barrels that came from this estate. We’ll be fine.”

“Well, this estate isimportantto me, Julian. I wanted to showcase our family’s history here. We’re just anothercommercial winery to everyone. I wanted to prove that we haven’t lost sight of our legacy.”

Julian sighs again. “We’ll figure it out. I can’t snap my fingers and make this unhappen, but if you let me work on it, Icanmake it go away. Just please stop panicking.”

"Oh, sure. I'll get right on that."

Her footsteps stalk toward the stairs. I prepare to flee, but it's too late. She sees me a moment later. "Oh, good. You're up. I'm going to take the kids out today, so you can take the day off."

“Oh, of course, Victoria. I’ll wake the children and have them get ready.”

She pushes past me without a reply. I don’t blame her for her rudeness, but Julian apologizes anyway. “Sorry for her attitude, Mary. We’re in the middle of a very stressful situation.”

He doesn’t seem stressed as he says it, though. I finish my descent so I can get a look at his face. Often when people are faced with an extraordinarily stressful or traumatic circumstance, they will present a calm demeanor, but their terror will be betrayed by their eyes. This is why people pulled from horrific car accidents can often understand questions from emergency services and provide articulate answers even while severely injured or having witnessed horrible injuries.

Julian doesn’t show the same signs. His eyes aren’t wide or staring. He doesn’t appear distracted. There’s no tension in his shoulders but there’s no slackness either. He looks as though he’s woken to a normal morning.

He smiles at me, not a warm smile or a false one worn over fear but a perfunctory greeting. “You should take some time to explore the island. The beaches are an obvious choice, but the state forest is also beautiful. There’s a quaint little cottage in West Tisbury that’s been converted into a restaurant. It serves the best clams I’ve ever eaten.”

“Thank you. I’ll give it a visit.”

He nods, another perfunctory response. “Well, I hate to leave you so early, but I have some urgent business things to deal with. The work never stops.”

He heads out of the house, and I only just now realize that he’s fully dressed. I understand that executives are often up early, but in my experience, Julian begins his day at around seven and isn’t ready to leave the house until eight-thirty. Why is he up so early today?

Voices call down the stairs. Victoria is returning with the children. Nathan and Luann are dressed in comfortable casual clothing, but Victoria wears an elegant black silk dress that looks more like something she would wear to a formal dinner rather than a day outing with her grandchildren. Her eyes are wide, and her shoulders stiff as bricks. She gives me a smile that looks more like a grimace. “I’m taking the children out today. We’ll see you later, Mary.”

“Bye, Mary,” the children reply. They are bleary-eyed and clearly unhappy with being woken this early. Nathan even asks, “Why can’t we leave in a few hours? I’m tired.”

“We’re leaving now,” Victoria says crisply. “And we’re going to have fun. Wipe that look off of your face.”

Nathan rolls his eyes, and the children trudge after their grandmother out of the house.

When they are gone, I go to the kitchen and prepare my coffee and breakfast. The difference between Victoria’s reaction and Julian’s reaction is stark. Victoria is acting like a woman on the brink of scandal. Julian is acting like it’s just another day.

It could mean nothing, but the disquiet I feel only grows as I eat my breakfast. I’ve managed so far to deflect my interest in the family’s drama by burying myself in past scandals. Perhaps it’s time I involve myself in the present a little more.

When I finish eating, I put on some warm clothes and head out. I think I’ll visit the forest. The beaches are likely to be crowded, and I’d like some time alone with my thoughts.

The forest is a mile from the house and easily accessible from the main road. I pass the occasional traveler on my way, but it seems I was right to believe the forest the less popular choice of diversion.

When I am alone among the trees, I call Sean. He answers right away, a trait of his that I absolutely love. “Hello there, love. Have you decided to come visit your poor old fiancé at last?”

Heat flames my cheeks when he says that. I’ve spent two weekends here when I’d promised to spend them with Sean. I’ve been so caught up in the drama here that the thought completely slipped my mind. “I’m so sorry, Sean. I’ve been in the middle of a whirlwind here.”

“Of course you have. You’re Mary Wilcox. Whirlwinds follow you.”

“It certainly seems that way sometimes,” I reply morosely.

“Well, out with it,” he says. “If you’re caught in a whirlwind, you’re no doubt asking me to help you sort it all out.”

“Only if you can. I know you’ve been busy.”

Sean’s detective agency has become quite popular. He’s had to hire a personal assistant to manage his calls and his schedule, and he’s been talking about hiring another investigator.

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