Manor House 03 - For Whom Death Tolls Read Online Free PDF Page B

sherry in her favorite sanctuary. The glass walls overlooked the vast lawns of the Manor House grounds, affording a magnificent view of the gardens in daylight. Desmond had stocked the room with tropical plants, and their fragrance filled the air, evoking visions of exotic islands in far-off seas. At night, with the thick blackout curtains at the windows obliterating the view and the wind rustling the poplars, one could almost imagine palm trees swaying outside under velvet skies, with gentle waves lapping on a warm beach just a few yards away.
    Spending time here was like escaping to another world, and there was no one with whom Elizabeth enjoyed the retreat more than Major Monroe. After ordering Violet to bring the remainder of the sherry and another glass, she settled back to enjoy the rest of the evening.
    Earl seemed even more tense than usual when he entered the room. An energetic man, he appeared to have great difficulty in relaxing, even under normal circumstances. Elizabeth knew that he missed the wide-open plains and vast, empty skies of his home in Wyoming, and at times felt constricted by the tiny, winding lanes and neat, checkerboard fields of Sitting Marsh.
    Also, the stress of his job had to be horrendous. Having to be responsible for sending young men into life-threatening situations every day was a constant source of worry for him, and Elizabeth took great pride in her ability to smooth away the frowns that marred his pleasant face.
    There were times, however, when she failed to erase the agony that tormented him when an airplane failed to come home, or crash-landed full of holes on the base. And it happened far too often lately. By the look on Earl's face tonight, this was one of those times.
    "Sit down," she said, after he'd greeted her with atired smile. "A nice glass of sherry will help chase that unflattering scowl away."
    "Sorry, was I frowning?" He took the glass from her hand and waited until she was seated again before dropping into his favorite rocking chair. "I reckon that's becoming a permanent expression these days."
    She searched his face, trying to read his mood.
    "Bad day?"
    "No more than usual. How're George and Gracie?"
    "Driving Violet crazy. She has them penned in the scullery at night so they can't run all over the house. I'm afraid it's taking time to train them. They seem to think the library and the drawing room are the appropriate places to relieve themselves."
    "Oh, Lord. I reckon I've given you all a mess of trouble with those dogs."
    "Not at all. We adore the puppies. They've brought new life into this house. Even Martin manages to stoop down to pat them on the head when he thinks no one is looking."
    Earl looked surprised. "I didn't think anything got to that old boy."
    "Not much does," Elizabeth admitted. "There are times when I really worry about his senility, but somehow he always manages to rise above it." She paused, then voiced the question uppermost in her mind. "Have you heard any more about Kenny Morris?"
    Earl shook his head, and sipped at his sherry before putting the fragile glass down on the marble-topped table between them. "Not much, anyway. The investigating officers did find a knife stained with blood, but they have no idea who it belongs to."
    Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "He was stabbed? I thought he was strangled with the bell rope."
    "He was. The bloodstains didn't come from Morris—there wasn't a mark on him from a knife. Which meanswhoever killed him probably got cut in the fight. There were signs of a pretty violent struggle."
    Elizabeth shuddered. "How awful. Poor man. I can't help feeling sorry for his parents, too. What a dreadful shock this must be."
    "Yeah, I heard they took it pretty bad. I guess it might have been easier for them if he'd gone down in the Channel. Losing him this way is so damn senseless." He shot her a guilty glance. "Sorry, ma'am. Didn't mean to curse."
    "You curse away, Major," Elizabeth said cheerfully. "As I've told you before,