Free Drowning Pool (Miss Henry Mysteries) by Melanie Jackson Page B

be very confusing. And dangerous. Feel free to ask Mr. Smythe for a guide if you go out again. We would hate to lose you down a well or in a dungeon. And the temple is really quite unstable in places. You shouldn’t visit it alone.”
    Juliet didn’t bother to repress a shiver. His tone was not the slightest bit threatening but the words were a warning whether he intended them that way or not.
    “Do you really have a dungeon?” she asked. Who the hell needed a dungeon?
    “Yes, certainly. Would you like to see it?” His slight smile seemed nasty.
    “Maybe.” No, not ever . “Would Raphael be able to reach it?”
    “Alas, no. The passages are too narrow for his wheelchair.”
    “Oh, well, maybe some other time.” Like the twelfth of Never . “As I said, I prefer animals and flowers and there is so much to see in your gardens.”
    “And you still want to visit the lilies in the poza , of course?”
    “Very much.” As long as it wasn’t with von Hayek. Her flesh was beginning to creep just being near him. It was a relief to finally reach the inhabited part of the castle and see people around , even if some of them had guns. “And the turtles too. They sound really cute.”
    “Then I shall arrange it. Perhaps Mr. James would like to see them as well. A jeep could easily accommodate his chair.”
    Which probably meant that there wasn’t anything out there that they shouldn’t see. Juliet repressed a sigh at the thought of the wasted time. Visiting the lakes would be pleasant enough and Rose would want to hear about the lilies and the turtles when they got back home, but Juliet was on a short clock.
    But then there was that well and the other lilies she had seen painted into the decaying plaster. And something about von Hayek’s words about the connecting aquifers was nibbling at the back of her brain. Hadn’t she read about a well being used as a treasure trove during some war or other?
    “I’ll ask Raphael,” Juliet said. “Wildlife isn’t his usual cup of tea, but your lakes are very special and this is a once in a lifetime chance to see them.”
    Back out in the open where air could reach her, the warm current rubbed against her like an affectionate cat, stropping her skin through the linen of her pants. Given that it was almost hot, there was no reason that she should have goose bumps on her arms, but she did—a lot of them.
     

Chapter 9
     
    The meal was another long one and the guests were grumpy for having been kept waiting. Juliet didn’t bother to try conversing with anyone. Instead she slipped bits of food to the black and white cat under the table that patted her ankles whenever he was feeling neglected. Juliet hoped that he—because it was definitely a he —did not have fleas.
    Juliet did her best to be discre et about feeding the cat her unwanted lunch, but Raphael, who was sitting across from her, noticed what she doing and also her look of surprise when the feline decided to hop into her lap and began kneading with its sharp claws.
    The cat apparently could count courses and when they were down to the dessert, some kind of dulce de leche , the cat excused itself and slipped out of the dining room. It exited down the hallway that led to the kitchens where she expected it was supposed to remain while keeping mice out of the pantry.
    Guda Stoss had been careful to avoid Juliet since their exchange the previous night, but her gaze was full of frustrated malice whenever she looked her way. Juliet, who had dealt with truly scary people, let her gaze express her contempt for the sculptor’s bad manners. Juliet, being at least temporarily above attack, didn’t mean that Guda had given up being rude to others, so it didn’t surprise Juliet when Judith and Guda ended up having hard words over the fish course. It concerned Judith’s fur. In this, Juliet was on Guda’s side but she stayed out of it. The exchange lasted through the dessert and coffee. Both women were sneering but looked