“It wasn’t the recipe,” Daphne said.
They all looked at her.
She reached into her purse and took out one of the photos of Ramona that Tom had taken. She set it on the bedside table. Reaching back into her purse, she removed a photocopy of the newspaper picture of Patricia displaying her corn bread.
“Tom was an artist with his camera,” Daphne said. “He looked through the lens with an artist’s eye. If you compare the picture of Patricia Webster with one of Ramona, you can see a certain family resemblance in the profile. I have a hunch that Tom noticed the similarities at some point and started to wonder.”
“That’s it.” Abe snapped his fingers. “You’re right and you’re brilliant. And if Lomax had already started to doubt Ramona, the corn bread recipe might have been enough to make him really curious.”
“So he started following her when she left the island,” Jack said. “He located the condo she was renting and took those pictures of Ramona and Travis together as well as the shot of Ramona and Patricia having coffee. He knew then that he had been conned, but it was too late. He had already told her about the briefcase and what it contained. By the time he put it all together, Ramona and the briefcase were long gone.”
“He wasn’t planning to try to blackmail Webster?” Abe said.
“Maybe, but I don’t think so,” Jack said. “I think Tom Lomax made the mistake of confiding his secret to his so-called granddaughter. She took the briefcase out of the wall. Later, after he realized that he couldn’t trust Ramona, Lomax went back to room two-oh-nine—probably intending to move the briefcase to a safer location. But by then it was gone.”
“That’s when Tom called me,” Madeline said. She pushed herself higher on the pillow stack, sucking in a sharp little breath when fresh pain lanced her thigh. Jack frowned and started to lunge for the call button. She shook her head. “I’m okay.”
Jack did not look convinced, but he subsided back into his chair.
“Tom told me that he had to talk to me in person,” she continued. “I arrived just as Travis was staging Tom’s death to look like an accident or an interrupted burglary.”
“Travis heard your car in the driveway,” Abe said. “He hid upstairs. And then he concluded that he might as well take the opportunity to get rid of you, too. He had already gotten rid of your grandmother. But he couldn’t be sure how much you knew about what was in the briefcase, especially since it was obvious that Tom had contacted you. He tried to take you out at the same time.”
“But he didn’t get the opportunity because I had already called the cops,” Madeline said. “And then I made the call to my new hotel security agency.”
“After that, the bad guys never stood a chance,” Daphne declared.
“We at Rayner Risk Management pride ourselves on providing first-class service,” Abe assured her.#p#分页标题#e#
“We’re sure it was Ramona who searched my condo in Denver?” Daphne asked.
Jack nodded. “Travis admitted that he sent Ramona there to try to get a handle on how much you knew about the events of eighteen years ago. Ramona didn’t find anything in your condo, but she took your computer just to be on the safe side.”
“So, what with one thing and another, I’m out a computer,” Daphne said.
“You’ll want to replace it,” Abe said. “I could help you select a new one.”
“Thank you,” Daphne said.
Abe grinned. “Like I said, we’re a full-service agency.”
Daphne winked at Madeline and then turned a glowing smile on Abe. “What do you say you and I go get a latte? I hear they actually have a Starbucks in Seattle.”
“No kidding?” Abe pushed himself up off the windowsill. “Very progressive town.”
They went out into the hall, leaving Madeline alone with Jack. He got up and moved to stand beside the bed. He loomed over her and took one of her hands in his. The strength in his fingers felt good, she thought. It was the kind of strength you could rely on for a lifetime.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“I’m okay.” She smiled. “I know things have been a little hectic lately, but you haven’t changed your mind, have you? We’re still getting married, right?”
“Hasn’t anyone told you that once I make up my mind to do something, I’m like a freight train?”
“I believe that particular personality characteristic has been mentioned once or twice. As I understand it, anyone who happens to be standing in your path has two choices—get out of the way or get on board.”