Death Takes a Holiday (32 page)

Everyone turned to look at Grace
. “Why don’t we ask Lucas?”

“That’s okay,
sweetie pie. I know,” Steve said, striding toward Meredith. “You were pretty upset the day Victor died.”

“Steve,” Grace said in a cautioning voice.

“You knew he was about to disinherit your meal ticket,” Steve continued, “so you had to act quickly, but you weren’t quick enough. You didn’t know that Victor had called his lawyer.”

Shaking his head, Kyle
slid off the bar stool. He reached for Steve’s arm and pulled him back.

Meredith laughed. “My meal ticket?
Please, I didn’t need his money. I was doing just fine on my own. Besides, someday I’m going to be a famous comedienne. HBO will be knocking on my door. You’ll see,” she predicted with a snarl.

Grac
e did a double take. “Comedienne? Really?”

Felicity nodded. “I’ve seen her perform. She’s really funny.”

“Really?” Grace asked again in disbelief.

Meredith balled her fists on her hips.
“What’s so surprising about that?”

Grace was flabbergasted. Politeness forced her to close her mouth. “Nothing, I guess
.” She looked back at Kyle who gave her an encouraging look.

“Go on,” he whispered in her ear.

Grace shook her head and looked at Lucas. “
You know who killed . . . .” She glanced over at Meredith. “How long have you been a comedienne?”

She felt Kyle wrap his hand around her arm and pull her closer. “Focus.”

“Right. Of course.” Grace turned back to Lucas. “That’s when . . . I’m sorry. I’ve lost my train of thought.”

“That’s all right, Ms. Holliday,” Wellington said with a smile. He turned to Lucas and held out his hand. “I believe you have Henry’s keys
and the gun that was used to kill him.”

Taking a deep breath
, Lucas reached around his back. Seconds later, he was pointing a gun at Wellington’s head. “Don’t move,” Lucas ordered.

“
Lucas, don’t make things worse for yourself,” Wellington said calmly.

“
Things can’t possibly get any worse.” Lucas backed up until he was beside Grace. He grabbed her arm while Kyle grabbed her other arm. A brief tug of war erupted between the two men. Unfortunately, the one with the gun won. Lucas pressed the gun into her ribs as he dragged her through the connecting door.

Out of the corner of her eye, Grace noticed S
ara pull her gun out of her purse and begin to rise. Sara froze when Meredith stepped in front of her. Hands on her hips, Meredith walked up to Lucas. “Put down the gun, Lucas.”

Lucas shook his head sadly. “Sorry, Merry. I can’t do that.
I really did love you.”

“Then put down the gun,”
Meredith said. “You’re only going to get yourself killed.”

“Listen to her, my boy,” Wellington said.

“Yes, Lucas, listen to her,” Grace said quickly, exchanging a worried glance with Kyle.

Lucas shook his head. Using
Grace as a shield, he opened the door behind him. With his attention divided, Meredith pulled Grace out of Lucas arms and pushed her to the side.

Grace hit the floor with a grunt
. She looked up in time to see Lucas disappear through the door with Sara and Steve right behind him.

“He is such an idiot.”
Shaking her head in disbelief, Meredith followed at a more leisurely pace.

Before Grace had time to react,
Kyle was kneeling next to her and dragging her to her knees. With one hand at the back of her head and another at her waist, he pulled her close.

Bringing both of his hands to her head. He cupped her face gently before pulling
back slightly. “Are you all right?” he asked hoarsely.

She encircled her arms around his neck. “I’m fine.”

He smiled in relief before pulling her into another hug and kissing the top of her head. Just as Grace was getting comfortable, the sound of something slamming against the door caused Kyle to pull back. He quickly jumped to his feet and raced out of the car.

Grace looked over at Wellington who was shaking his head in disappointment. “I learned many years ago
, running is rarely necessary, especially when the criminal has nowhere to go.”

Felicity turned excited eyes to Parker. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

She pointed to the
observation car. “What are you waiting for? Go out and get him.”

Parker threw her a disbelieving look. “
Increase my pay and we’ll talk.”

Felicity gave him a dirty look.

Grace opened her mouth to say something when the sound of a gunshot rang through the air. She sprang to her feet and rushed into the observation car. Her mouth falling open, she came to an abrupt halt in the center of the car.

It was a mess.
Several windows were cracked from top to bottom and one chair that had been bolted to the floor was pushed over on its side.

Deciding she could take in the destruction some other time, s
he ran toward the sleeping car. She dashed through the vestibule, opened the second door and launched herself forward.

She was pulled back suddenly by a strong arm. She looked over her shoulder to see Kyle behind her. A trickle of blood ran down the side of his mouth. “What happened?”

“He’s like a moose,” he complained.

“I heard a shot.”

“Lucas’ gun went off in the struggle.” He grinned ruefully. “Don’t worry. It missed us by a mile.”

Meredith
stood next to him shaking her head.

Kyle
nodded to the end of the corridor where Steve and Sara were standing on opposite sides of Henry’s door. “Lucas locked himself in.”

“I hear glass breaking,” Sara called out.

“Surely, he’s not thinking of climbing out,” Grace said. “He’s crazy, if he does that.”

“That’s Lucas
for you,” Meredith said wryly.

Steve suddenly jumped in front of the door and kicked. He jumped out of the way, while Sara, gun drawn
, dove into the room. Kyle ran down the corridor to join them.

“I don’t hear anything,” Grace said
, cautiously walking toward the door. She jumped back as a mattress was tossed into the corridor. A box spring followed a few seconds later. She heard Steve yell out, “He’s not hiding. He must have gone out the window.” She hesitantly poked her head in, but moved back as Steve and Sara burst through the door and ran toward the observation car.

Grace stuck her head back in and screamed. Kyle was
half in and half out of the window. She rushed forward and grabbed him by the belt. “What are you doing?” she asked, pulling him back in.

“What does i
t look like? I’m following him.” Kyle laid his hand on the windowsill and leaned forward.

Her heart lurched in her chest.
“Kyle, wait!”

Kyle started to
pull himself out, but quickly pushed himself back, throwing himself and Grace to the floor. They lay in a tangled heap on the carpet.

Grace looked up in time to see the walls of a tunnel flash by
. A sickening bang followed by a screeching noise echoed through the car. “What was that?” Grace asked.

Kyle quickly rolled off of her and rose to his knees.
“We must have hit something.”

She propped herself onto her elbows and glared up at him. “Have you lost your mind? What were you going to do on top of the train?”

Kyle grinned. “Catch the bad guy.”

Suddenly
, the train began to slow. A few seconds later they were at a dead stop. “Oh, not again,” Grace complained. Kyle rose to his feet. Grabbing her by the hand, he pulled her up and dashed toward the door, dragging her along with him.

They were almost out
the door when Steve ran back in.

“Did you see him?” Steve asked between gulps of air. “He was on top of the
observation car a few seconds ago, heading back this way.”

“How much room do you think he has between the top of the car and the tunnel?” Grace asked.

Steve shook his head. “We think he’s back inside. The side door between the observation car and the sleeping car was torn off by the tunnel.”

The train began to slowly move
down the tracks once again. They steadied themselves as it picked up speed. A few seconds later they passed through the tunnel.

“
Hurry, before we lose him!” Steve said, running toward the observation car. Kyle dropped her hand to chase after him.

Grace
wasn’t far behind when she saw Kyle’s room door open. Before she had time to react, a strong hand pulled her into the room and pushed her onto the bed.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Grace propped herself onto her elbows. “Meredith’s right. You are a nitwit.”

CHAPTER TWENTYSIX

Lucas Kirby paced
the length of the room. Considering it was only a ten-foot box, it didn’t take him long to pivot back around and begin again.

“Lucas, stop that!
You’re making me dizzy,” Grace said, over Kyle’s attempts to break down the door.

“I swear, I’ve got a gun
! You break down that door and I’m going to kill her,” Lucas shouted. He gave her an apologetic look before whispering, “I promise you, I’m not going to hurt you.” He took two steps to the door. “I mean it. She’s dead,” he shouted to the door. Turning back around, he walked over to the bed. “I know this looks bad, but you’ve got to believe me, I didn’t kill anyone.”

She r
eached down and picked up Abry who was sound asleep next to the bed. Obviously, overwhelmed with fright over Grace’s predicament. “I know that.”

Taken aback, he looked at her warily. “How do you know that?”

“You’re the only one who couldn’t have,” she said, petting the bunny. “You were with Kyle and me when Robert was murdered and I’m pretty sure you were with us when Henry died, too.”

His expression turned dark. “
If you knew that, why didn’t you say something?”

“I was getting there,” she said defensively. “
I was just laying the groundwork. Setting the scene.”

“Oh, that’s great.”
He pivoted back around. “I’m going to go to the chair because you like to grandstand.”

“Hey, I didn’t tell you to pull a gun and try to make a run for it.
I also wasn’t the one who told you to get rid of the bodies. Why did you do that, Lucas?”

Lucas ran a hand through his ha
ir. “Someone was setting Merry and me up.”

“
Her, too?”

Lucas nodded. “
After I left you all in the dining room arguing about Oscar, I decided to stop by Merry’s room and leave her a note, but when I got there, I found her door wide open and Henry’s body lying on the floor and my gun,” he said, pulling the gun out of his pocket and holding it up for her to see, “next to him.” He fidgeted with the gun. His fingers nervously running along the barrel.

“Lucas, I’ve had enough scares tonight, would you put that away before it goes off.”

Lucas laid the gun on the dresser and resumed his pacing. “I knew she was innocent and that someone was trying to make her look guilty, so I stuffed the body under the bed, straightened the room up and went to find her.”

“
Is that when you came back into the dining car?”

He nodded. “When
Merry wouldn’t talk to me, I went back to my room and that’s when I found Oscar’s body with the nursery rhyme book and my busted snowboard lying next to him. I didn’t kill him, but I knew I was in trouble.” He took a deep breath. “I waited ‘till everyone was asleep and then dragged Oscar’s body to the vestibule. Unfortunately, Mattingly found us. I swear, I wasn’t trying to kill him. He tripped over Oscar’s body and hit his head against the wall. I pulled the emergency brake and grabbed his hand just as he started to fall out.”

“I’m actually surprised you did that considering you were threatening to kill him earlier.”

“I told you,” he said harshly, “I was just trying to scare him. I’m not a murderer.”

“Do you have any idea who was trying to frame you and Mer
edith?”

“
Whoever killed Robert.” He banged on the door. “I know you’re trying to pick the lock,” he shouted. “You do it again and she’s going to pay. Tell Wellington, I want a helicopter and . . .” He glanced over at Grace for help.

“Money,” she said quickly. “They always ask for money.”

“Money,” he shouted. “Lots of it.”

“Would you just let Kyle in?”

“No.”

“If you don’t, he’s liable to do something reckless,” she said looking up at the ceiling.

“He seems like a bright guy. I’m sure he won’t do anything stupid.”

Grace
lay back against the pillow and tried to relax. She shifted the bunny to her side. Lucas was right, Kyle wouldn’t—a scraping sound on the roof caused her to jump from the bed.

Lucas jumped in front of her. “Where are you going?”

“Get out of my way.”

“Just
listen—”

Another scrap
e along the roof and she pushed past him. She pulled the chair away from the door, turned the lock and opened the door partway. She was relieved to see Kyle’s worried face staring back at her.

“You know, I have a gun
,” Lucas’ said from behind her. “You’re the hostage.”

Thinking quickly, she grabbed the front of Kyle’s s
weater and pulled him through. She slammed the door shut before Steve and Sara could push their way in. “Congratulations, you have another hostage.”

Kyle pulled her into a hug. “Are you all right?”

She quickly assured him that she was before informing him that Lucas wasn’t armed.

Still holding her,
Kyle pulled back to look at her face. “Really? Well, that’s good to know.” He neatly stepped around her and made a grab for Lucas. Before Grace could say anything,
Kyle threw Lucas against the bathroom door. “How would you like to take another ride on top of the train?”

Grace
clutched Kyle’s arm and pulled. When that had no effect, she slid between the two men and pushed Kyle back. “Don’t hurt him. We need him.”

“What for?” Kyle asked.

“To catch the murderer.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed. Still holding onto Lucas
’ shirt, he took a hesitant step back and looked at Grace. “I thought we decided that he killed everyone?”

“No,” she explained patiently, “we decided that he was the one who hid the bodies. Someone else killed Robert and the other two.”

Kyle looked at her doubtfully before disappointedly dropping his hands and backing up a step.

Grace
turned back around and faced Lucas. “You must have some idea who could have killed your brother. And don’t say Jack,” she said, holding up a warning finger.

“How should I know?
” Lucas said, rubbing the back of his head. “You’re the one with all the answers.”

“Unfortunately, no
, I’m not. I’m missing one big piece of the puzzle, but I’m betting you can help me.”

Lucas
looked at her hopefully. “How?”

“Tell me who killed your father,
” Grace said.

“M
y father’s death doesn’t matter,” Lucas said tiredly.

“How do you know that?”
Grace asked.

“I just do,” he said
, pushing past her and dropping into the chair.

“Because the person who killed Victor
could not have possibly killed Robert?” Grace asked. “That is what you alluded to earlier today in Tracy’s room, isn’t it?”

Rubbing a hand across his face, Lucas grimaced. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. Rob
bie killed our father. I figured it out when I watched him pocket the inhaler that we found next to Father’s body and switch it with another.”

Grace took a breath and released it. She had figured as much, but wanted Lucas to confirm it for her.
“Did you confront Robert about the murder?”

Lucas nodded. “He begged me not to say anything. So, I didn’t.”

“Why did he kill Victor?” Kyle asked.

Lucas made a face.
“He hated Father and wanted to be in control for once. As soon as Father cut me out of his will, Robbie swooped in and took him out.” Leaning his head back against the chair, he stared helplessly up at the ceiling. “Unless we find Jack alive on this train, no one’s going to believe that I didn’t kill those people.”

“Don’t give up hope
just yet,” Grace said, starting to pace. “We know that Robert set the guest house on fire. We also know that he killed Victor. Now we just need to figure out who killed Robert.”

Kyle
picked the gun up off of the dresser. He pivoted around and climbed onto the twin bed. Still holding the gun, he laid down on his side next to Abry and propped his head up with his empty hand.

“It has to be Jack,” Lucas said once again.

Grace turned to look at Lucas. “Have you seen him?”

Lucas s
hook his head. “I’ve searched everywhere. I can’t find him.” He lifted his head. “I just don’t get it. He had to have killed Robbie. He arranged for us all to be here; he hated Robbie; threatened to destroy him; then there are the nursery rhymes. He’s obsessed with nursery rhymes.”

“I know. He showed me his tattoos.”

Lucas frowned. “You’re kidding me. Let me guess, Jack Horner in a corner eating a Christmas Pie.” Lucas looked up at her helplessly. “He has to be the killer.”

“No, I think someone just wanted us to believe that,” Grace said slowly. “They worked awfully hard on
making everyone believe that Jack was responsible for these murders. So did you at the beginning.”

“That’s because I thought he was responsible.”

“But then the killer changed gears and started trying to frame you and Meredith,” Grace said.

“
Why did you suddenly decide to plant evidence in Steve’s room?” Kyle asked. “You could have just thrown it off the train or planted it in Jack’s room.”

Lucas looked ashamed. “I was getting desperate.
No one could find Jack and I was afraid that if they found Henry’s body, someone might accuse Merry of killing him. I thought if I planted the evidence somewhere else, it could confuse things.”

“Good job,” Kyle said wryly
, running a hand through Abry’s fur.

“
Why us?” Lucas asked. “That’s what I don’t get. If you’re right and they went after Jack first, why suddenly change gears and go after me and Merry.”

Grace sat
down next to Kyle on the bed. “For the same reason you tried to frame Steve. No one could find Jack and every second that passed made our murderer more nervous. The frame only worked as long as Jack on this train. So, why hasn’t anyone found him?”

“Maybe the killer found him and killed him when they killed
the others,” Lucas said. “His body is probably behind us on the mountain somewhere.”

“
But why would the killer kill him? Jack’s the scapegoat. He or she needed Jack alive for the frame to work.” She tilted her head to the side. “You know, no one has actually seen the man since the train left the station,” she said slowly.

“That’s not true,” Lucas said. “Tracy and Felicity both saw him last night.”

Grace quickly related her conversation with Felicity earlier in the day. “He could have made that call from anywhere. When did Tracy see him?”

“Before Robbie died. He pushed her down, remember?”

Grace shook her head. “She said she thought it was Jack. She was pushed from behind. She may have just assumed it was him. Just like we’ve assumed Jack was here on the train—at least right up until the train stopped.”

“What are you saying?” Lucas asked
, lifting his head up.

“
What if Jack jumped off the train at the station?” She turned to Kyle. “Do you remember what Felicity said right before Robert died? Jack wanted to meet her at midnight in the dining room. Not car,
room
. For all we know, he may be at the hotel waiting for her right now.”

Kyle
carefully examined her theory in his mind, looking for any holes or inconsistencies. “But Oscar saw him right after Robert’s murder?”

“
Did he? Oscar was only interested in money,” Grace said dismissively. “I think the killer knew that and made him an offer. They then cooked up that story about Jack.”

“So why kill Oscar?” Kyle asked.

“Once Oscar served his purpose, the killer got rid of him, but by then there was a problem, Jack still hadn’t made an appearance, so—”

“He or she
decided to frame Lucas instead. It worked, too.” Kyle grinned. “Here everyone’s been worried about Jack all this time and he’s probably safe and sound at the hotel.”

Lucas dropped his head back and groaned. “That’s perfect. That’s just great,” he said
, standing up and walking to the window.

“Hey, you know,” Kyle said pointing at Lucas, “there’s really only one person on this train that hates you enough to frame you.”

Lucas looked over his shoulder. “Who?”

“Meredith
,” Kyle said. “She doesn’t really seem to like you very much and not to mention there’s the whole bribing her to stay away from you thing.”

Lucas looked like someone just punched him
in the gut. “What?”

Grace tried as gently as possible to explain what Kyle meant.
“According to her, it didn’t really make a difference. She was going to leave you anyway.” Grace bit her lip, not really sure if what she said helped.

“Well, I guess that exp
lains where the money was going,” Lucas said.