Free Deception at Dark Hall (The Briony Martin Mystery Series) by Stacey Coverstone

name, she wouldn’t have been charged with any crime. Did she have something else to hide? Something she didn’t want the police, or anyone else, to know?
    “Shelby hasn’t contacted you in the past fifteen or so hours?” Daniel asked Sharlyn.
    “No. If she does, what should I do?”
    “Convince her to tell you where she is. Or talk her into coming to Dark Hall. I suggest you contact the police department and tell them you’re her sister. Show them you’re willing to cooperate. Shelby may not have done anything wrong, but a man died in her house. They need to question her. If she’s not guilty of a crime, she has nothing to fear.”
    “I understand. I take it you’ve been cleared of the crime?”
    “I’m not high on their list of suspects anymore. I think the ten stitches in my head helped sway them.”
    She sighed. “Thank goodness. What a terrible ordeal you’ve been through. I appreciate your both coming by to fill me in.” She abruptly stood and nodded to Lee, who indicated the visit was over.
    “Miss Dark needs to rest now,” she said. “She has a séance to prepare for tonight. Will you be attending, Mr. Collier?”
    He shook his head. “Not tonight. My head still hurts.”
    “Will I be hearing from you again soon?” Sharlyn asked him. “I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent alone recently. I do hope to see much more of you, privately.” Her skirt swished when she moved forward and planted her hands on his arms. She smoothed her expression into a sweet mask and kissed both of his cheeks, European style.
    His mild embarrassment was apparent, but from Briony’s viewpoint, the nymph had enchanted him once again. “I’ll be in touch soon,” he promised.
    Lee strode to a pull-cord near the door and yanked on it. Within moments, the butler appeared. Briony and Daniel said their goodbyes and trailed him to the front door.
    Outside, she slid onto the driver’s seat of the Coronet and started the car. He settled his weight into the passenger seat and heaved a great sigh. “Isn’t she lovely?”
    Without commenting, Briony pressed on the gas. She passed through the gate and glanced in the rearview mirror. Instead of looking smaller the further down the driveway she drove, the mansion appeared to expand into a living, breathing creature.
    A lump of fear crawled up her throat. Was Paige right? Was some kind of witchcraft being practiced there? Daniel behaved like a man under a spell. He seemed oblivious to the strange magnetic pull that had drawn him to both of the Dark women. Couldn’t he feel what she did? That something sinister hid within the depths of Dark Hall?
    She turned off of Lake Shore Drive and sped up the car, praying he’d never return to Dark Hall again. If the spasms in her stomach meant something, Daniel could very well become its next victim.
     

 
     
    CHAPTER SIX
     
    Briony parked the car at the curb in front of the Collier home. When she and Daniel entered the house, Paige met them at the front door. Her face was stretched into a mask of terror. Trembling, her voice climbed an octave higher than usual.
    “Thirty minutes ago, Sergeant Montague of the police department phoned. He wants to speak to you again, Daniel. He asked you to call this number.” With a shaking hand, she passed him a slip of paper with a phone number on it. “He would like for you to meet him at the police station, but I suggest you ask the sergeant to come here instead.”
    “Why? What’s happened? You look scared to death.”
    “I am. Something was pushed through the mail slot in the front door not ten minutes ago.” She strode to the coffee table and picked up an envelope and thrust it at him. His name was typed on the front. After reading the letter inside, his eyes bulged. “Where’s Mark? Has he seen this?”
    “Yes. He’s upstairs with the baby. She started crying right before you walked in. He’s rocking her back to sleep.”
    “Did you or he see who put this through the slot?”