Page 50 of Puzzle for Two

After an awed moment of silence, Zach said, “Disney wants their Haunted Mansion back.”

Flint slowly shook his head. “You know how much money you’d have to spend to build a house that looks that old and decrepit?”

Once upon a time, Zach had taken an architecture course to fill a college elective requirement, and he recognized the Victorian influence of the steeply pitched gabled roof with its peaks and spires, the narrow, arched windows and all that elaborate gingerbread trim—though this fancifully cut and pierced frieze board was designed to look like cobwebs. Whatever her antecedents, this grand lady had taken a sharp turn down a dark alley. The house itself was painted indigo blue. The steps, shutters, and trim were all black. The stained-glass oriel windows were red and black and blue.

Zach said, “I’ve heard of keeping up with the Joneses, but keeping up with the Addams family? No wonder he thought she was capable of anything.”

“It can’t be healthy to bring your work home to this extent,” Flint agreed.

“Granted, I don’t know how active Zora was in the day-to-day operations of the Kaschak Corporation. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have been slinging burgers or dressing up like Dracula’s daughter at one of the Haunted Hollow theme parks.”

Flint put the Explorer into drive. “Assume nothing. Did you not notice her outfit when she showed up to spoil your romantic tête-à-tête with Beacher?”

“Not really.” The memory of the previous evening was still excruciating. From the minute Ben had popped out of the shrubbery, Zach had been trying to erase the live action play-by-play from his mental hard drive.

“Somewhere, a funeral parlor is missing their draperies. Scarlett O’Hara would be proud.”

Zach laughed. He was getting to like Flint’s irreverent sense of humor.

Flint parked on a large concrete pad just beyond a garage designed to look like a renovated carriage house, and cut the engine. He rested his arm along the back of Zach’s seat.

“I’ve been thinking. It might be better if you don’t come inside with me. Once she recognizes you, she’s liable not to hear another word we say.”

Zach protested, “But the whole idea was that I’d explain what was really going on and ask if she wanted to hire me to continue trying to—”

“Given the way things turned out, that’s liable to be a hard sell.”

Flint had a point, but Zach didnotwant to be left out of this interview. It wasn’t even about not trusting Flint because, to his surprise, he did trust Flint. At least this far.

“We don’t have to take that angle. You can introduce me as your associate. She only saw me once. She might not even recognize me.”

Flint made a soft sound of derision. “She’s not likely to have forgotten you, Zachariah. For one thing, the red hair’s kind of a giveaway.”

“I don’t have red hair!”

“Red-ishfor sure.” Astonishingly, Flint’s fingertips brushed the ends of Zach’s hair where it curled against the back of his neck. “Chestnut, then.”

Zach swallowed. Disconcertingly, he felt that featherlight touch from the roots of his red-ishhair to the soles of his feet.

He said weakly, “Yeah, but I want her to understand…”

“I know. I’ll explain the situation. But whether she believes me or not, you sitting there right in front of her is bound to be a distraction. She saw what she saw. All the contracts in the world aren’t going to change that.”

Zach opened his mouth to argue, and Flint added, “Besides, she knows her husband. She knows the contract was to keep you from coming after him at a later date. Not to protect you.”

“It would have been nice if you’d decided you didn’t want me to take part in the interview before we drove all this way. Why am I even here?”

“Maybe I like your company?”

“Seriously.”

“I know. Sorry.” Flint did seem vaguely apologetic. “Why don’t you take a look around the place? See what you can find out from talking to the servants?”

Zach blinked. He was thinking,Without permission? What if I get caught? What if I—when he recognized the look on Flint’s face for what it was: half-exasperated, half-amused resignation.

Flint knew exactly what Zach was thinking.

And Zach knew exactly what Flint was thinking:He’s not cut for this.

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