Jane Eyre Austen (21 page)

She finally closed the book when Susannah came in to announce dinner was ready.  He stood up and offered his elbow to Mrs. Austen and then offered his other arm to Jane.

When they were seated at the table, he was introduced to two guests who were occupying the attic rooms.  The couple was Jay and Karen Stone, an older couple visiting their niece.  They excused themselves shortly after dessert and the rest of the party remained seated.  A high school student came in and cleared the dishes and Gray could hear her working in the kitchen singing tunelessly.  Jane served coffee and they sat around the table talking together for the first time that day.

Jane asked James, “When are the Stone’s leaving?”

“Sunday.  We’ve got a wedding party coming in the following Thursday.”  James answered; he got up, when to the buffet table and pulled out Kahlua and Baileys.  “You still sore?”

“Eh, a little.  I’m going to work tomorrow, though.” She answered.  She added Kahlua to her coffee and passed it to her mother.

“Are you now?” Gray asked sarcastically.

She sputtered, “Well I assumed so.  I mean I am no longer in any danger.  Richard’s dead.”

Gray watched her carefully and Susannah scoffed, “I can’t believe it took this long for someone to kill him.”

Her mom spoke up, “I bet it was Astrid.”  Everyone looked surprised and she added, “I know, if she did it, it would be the only thing she ever did for anyone else.”

“Mom!” Jane blurted.

Her mother rolled her eyes and waved her hand, “We’ve all thought of ways to kill him.  Admit it.”

James muttered, “Push down stairs, in front of a car, I even looked in to poison, you know, just for fun.”

Jane blinked, “Wow.  You know you should write that book, fifty was to kill Richard.”

Susannah grinned and asked Jane, “How would you have done it?”

Jane shrugged, “Preferably painfully slow.  I would settle for electrocution, hanging.”  She looked over at James, “I did push him down the stairs, the bastard bounced.”

They all laughed and James spoke up, “I wonder what happened.  The detective didn’t have any information.”

Gray cleared his throat, “Suffocation.  He was drugged up after surgery, it could be accidental but it’s suspicious.”

Jane looked at him curiously and he shrugged, “I have an honest face.  The detective was very forthcoming.”

Jane’s eyebrows shot up, and she wondered how much the detective had told him.

James mused, “Suffocation, electrocution, hanging, bouncing down stairs, poison, come on people we need at least forty five more ideas.  It could make an interesting book, you know come to think of it.  Some crazy wife tries to kill her husband fifty times and he survives it all so she commits suicide.”

“Twisted James, I like it.” Jane said.

Susannah grinned, “Me too.  With Richard as your muse, I’m sure you could get very creative.”

Jane’s mother spoke up, “Of course Astrid would try the normal things first, cutting the brake lines in the car, perhaps arsenic or heavy metal poisoning.  I mean if she was patient, she could have been planning this for a long time.”

Susannah added, “True, she could set him up, tell people he has sleep apnea, and then the suffocation would seem feasible.”

Gray sighed, “Carbon monoxide’s always a good standby.  Did they have gas fireplaces?”

Everyone shook their head, and Jane spoke up, “I don’t think any of us have been to their house.”

Her mother spoke up, “Years ago your father and I went to dinner there.”  She rolled her eyes, “It’s very modern, all glass and chrome.  It looked like it was from the sixties.”  She added distastefully, “Astrid is fond of Danish Modern.” 

Jane muttered, “It’s hard to believe I have genes in common with him.”

Her mother looked over at her, “I don’t think you do dear.”

“What?” James, Susannah and Jane all asked at the same time.

“You know your father was too much of a gentleman to ever request a paternity test, but he suspected that Richard was never his child.  That’s why he wouldn’t give him his name.”  Mrs. Austen looked over to Gray, “Oh, I am sorry to air the family laundry like that.  I must admit I’ve too much to drink.”

Gray chuckled, “Please, Mrs. Austen, do not concern yourself.  It only raises my estimation of your husband and family.”

Her mother cooed, “In that case, more coffee Jane.”

“Yes mother.”  Jane got up and refilled her cup, and refreshed the others around the table.

James sat back, and hummed the tune to “Fifty ways to leave your lover.”  He looked up, “You know in the song they only name a few ways, there’s slip out the back, Jack.”  He held up one finger, he added a second, “Make a new plan, Stan.”

Susannah began to sing, “You don’t need to be coy, Roy.  Just listen to me…”

James put another finger up, “Hop on the bus, Gus.  You don’t need to discuss much, just drop of the key, Lee, and get yourself free.”  He had four fingers up and raised the fifth.

“What are you thinking James?” Jane asked.

His brows furrowed, “I could come up with a list of fifty, but the wife only tries five.”

Susannah giggled, “James, this sounds like it could be fun to write.”

He nodded; “I’ve never done dark comedy before.” he looked at Jane, “What do you think Janie?”

Jane smiled warmly, “I think you’re brilliant James, you should go for it.”

He looked troubled, “Janie, it would be close to home.  People who know us would know it’s about our family.”

Jane shrugged, “If they knew Richard, you’ll be able to write a sequel.”

Her mother spoke up, “James, if it’s something you could write passionately about, you should begin.”

“Thank you ma’am.” James said, and Gray realized the ma’am almost sounded like mom. 

Gray sipped his coffee and listened as the four of them came up with other ways to murder.

At one point Jane slapped her hand on the table and emphatically declared, “We’ve got to call Ben!”

James looked at his watch, “I haven’t talked to him at all today.  You?”

Susannah shook her head, “No, not since last night.”

Gray cleared his throat, “I talked to him this afternoon.  He and Patrick were also interviewed and he was looking into getting the surveillance videos of the parking lot.  The hospital doesn’t have any video inside, just outside the buildings.”

James grunted, “If they can figure out when Astrid left the hospital it’d be helpful.”

Susannah spoke quietly, “I’m sure the police are looking into it.”

James muttered, “It doesn’t look good for us though, does it.  I mean we are the ones most likely to want the bastard dead, and we are each other’s alibis.”

Gray said patiently, “But none of us were there last night.  Ben will prove that we weren’t at the hospital.”

James shook his head, “Ben will show that our cars weren’t there Gray.”

Jane looked at James, “We weren’t there, I’m sure doors are covered if even just for safety.”

James looked up, and he whispered, “We didn’t go either.  Ben was very clear.”

Jane nodded, “Where was Ben, does anyone know?”

Susannah spoke up, “He came by in the afternoon, got the bag that Patrick packed.  Patrick left after dinner.”

Gray spoke, “He brought the bag to my place, and left after.”

Her mother spoke up, “Invite them to dinner tomorrow night Jane.”

“Yes mother.” She answered.  She’d have to text Patrick later; she hoped that they had nothing to do with Richard’s death.  Ben was so mad yesterday, Jane was worried.  She felt Gray’s eyes and looked over.

He reached for her hand, “You don’t need to worry, Jane.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand, hoping he was right.

Jane woke up at five, padding downstairs in her jogging shorts and hoodie.  She was lacing up her shoes when she heard Gray whisper her name.

She went to the stairs and looked up, “Down here.”

He came downstairs in sweat pants and a t-shirt, his running shoes squeaking quietly on the steps.  He looked at her and smiled, “You look adorable.”

She rolled her eyes; her hair was thrown up in a messy bun, no makeup, an old grey sweatshirt that had paint stains on it, and running shorts that were bright orange. 

“I think you’re biased.” She said quietly.

“Are you feeling well enough to run?” he asked gently.

She rotated her body left and right, “I’m probably not going run five miles today.”

He grunted, “Thank God, my knees barely make it three.”

She teased, “How old are you again?”

He punched her lightly in the stomach, “Funny Jane.”

She pouted, “I’m sorry Gray.  War injury?  Sports?”  She headed toward the door, looking at her phone and pulling up her play list.

“Catcher, college, two years professional.”

She stopped and looked at him surprised.  “Wow.  That’s really impressive.”  She grinned, “And kind of hot.”

He laughed, “Damn shame I was lying then.”

She laughed and watched as he pulled his iPod out and pulled up a play list.   “So, how did you hurt your knees?” She asked softly as they made their way out to the sidewalk.

He handed her his iPod, “I’ll give you mine if you give me yours.”  She shyly handed over her phone and plugged her headphones into the iPod jack. 

She looked at him expectantly.  “Well?”

He rolled his eyes, “I played baseball in college, all four years.  I tried out for professional ball, was sent to the minors, and in the fall I was accepted in to Harvard Business School.”  He bit his cheek, “So, technically it wasn’t a complete lie.”

“Ummhmm.  Continue Mr. Poole.” She looked disbelieving.

He grinned, “Ok, basketball game, three years ago at the park.  Played with a bunch of middle school kids, tore my ACL.”

She laughed, “Nicely done.  Ok, we’ll shoot for two maybe two and a half then.”

He nodded and plugged his headphones in and hit play on her phone.  The jogged on the street, and she kept an even pace for the first half mile.  She stopped after a half mile and they stretched. 

Gray grinned when they stopped, “Nine Inch Nails, Ms. Eyre?”

She blinked innocently, “It’s a good beat.  Skrillex?”

He shrugged, “I can sing along when I run.” 

Jane burst out laughing, “Nice, Gray.”  She leaned toward him and kissed him gently on his mouth, “I’ll see you later.”  She took off down the street, her pace faster.  Gray kept up for the first mile and then slowed, letting her go.  She easily sped forward, like she had at the park that first weekend so many weeks ago.  He returned to the house running his normal pace and listening to her choice of music.  Pounding beats, the same count, almost hypnotic.

When he returned to the house he made coffee and waited on the porch out front.  He watched her run up the block, her face red, hair plastered to her cheeks.  Even her legs were pink and sweaty.  She came up the steps grinning stupidly.  She stopped on the top step and sat down, and then lay back on the porch.

“That felt so good.” She panted, her eyes closed and her hands raised above her head exposing a small amount of skin between her shorts and sweatshirt.

Gray raised an eyebrow, his mind wandering to inappropriate thoughts of making her sweaty.  It was difficult to stop from touching her.  She opened her eyes and sat up suddenly.

“What?” she asked warily.

He shook his head, innocently, “Hm?”

He looked at her, “You seem to punish yourself when you run.”

She wrinkled her nose, “No, punish is the wrong word.  I like to run until I have nothing left, and then run a mile more.  I don’t always make it, mind you.”

“Why?”

She looked surprised, “You know I’m not sure.  I like to push myself in all things, physically, creatively.”  She looked at him seriously, “Why do you keep adding to your businesses?”

He shrugged, “The challenge, I’m good at it.”  He looked at her, “It’s not about the money.”

“Obviously.” She blurted.

He looked up surprised, “Really, Ms. Eyre?”

“Gray, if it was about greed, you would have made many different choices in your business.”  She was matter of fact, knowing that purchasing the hotel was an excellent example of his spending his money rather than investing.

He grinned, “So you don’t feel that greed is my vice.”

“No sir, most certainly not.”

“And is greed a vice of yours?” he asked, teasing.

She stilled, confused, “I don’t believe so, sir.”

“And yet, you are prejudiced against my wealth, preferring I was a poor suitor instead of the man before you.”

Jane smirked; she thought carefully how to word her feelings before speaking.  He grinned at her and then laughed.