Seeds of Deception by Sheila Connolly Page A

cases at home, and the cases he took on seldom if ever appeared on the news. That was his job: to keep them
off
the news. So
if
he was willing to concede that there was something going on, he’d have to break that code, at least to her and Seth. Was he really prepared to blow all this off, ignore his wife’s concerns, pretend the death of the handyman was an unfortunate random act? Did he really believe that?
    She looked at Seth, trying to read his mind, but he didn’t give anything away. She turned back to Elizabeth. “Mother, you said you needed to go food shopping if we’re going to eat. Want me and Seth to come along and help?”
    Elizabeth looked momentarily startled at the change of subject, then smiled and said, “That would be lovely, dear. You can tell me what you’d enjoy eating. Why don’t we go now?”
    â€œThat’s fine.”
Interrogation deferred
, Meg thought, but the break should give all of them time to digest what they’d heard and decide what they should do next.

10
    They finished the shopping in under an hour. Elizabeth let Seth drive to the store, directing him to an upscale market a few miles from the house. Once inside, she took a cart but rambled aimlessly up and down the aisles, picking things up and putting them down, clearly distracted. Finally Meg got frustrated and said, “Why don’t I make dinner tonight?” Before Elizabeth could protest, Meg started grabbing things she thought she could use, and added some staples like milk and eggs. Seth was pushing the cart, and he cocked his eyebrow at her with a half-smile, as if he had figured out what she was doing.
    â€œIs anybody on a diet?” Meg asked as they neared the end of the shelves. She didn’t wait for an answer but laid some cookies and a small frosted cake on the pile in the cart. She and Seth would eat them if nobody else would,but she thought they could all use a treat, and she was in no mood to bake. Elizabeth didn’t appear to notice. They cleared the checkout line quickly, and Elizabeth didn’t even make a token effort to pay—again, unlike her, Meg thought. Her mother had very clear standards regarding hospitality: a guest did not buy the groceries and make their own dinner. Therefore, Meg deduced, Elizabeth was more upset than she was willing to admit.
    When they arrived back at the house, Meg said, “Seth, can you help Mother put away the groceries? I want to have a word with Daddy. Is he upstairs, Mother?”
    Elizabeth seemed to come back from some distant place to focus on Meg. “I suppose. He was using my car and it’s in the drive, and he spends most of his time up there.”
    Meg went upstairs to his home office, which was adjacent to the master bedroom at the front of the house. When she peered in he was seated at his antique kneehole desk, with papers spread in front of him, but he was staring blankly into space. She rapped on the open door. “Daddy?”
    He jumped, startled, then turned to her with a quickly mustered smile. “Meg. What have you all been up to?”
    â€œWe were talking in the kitchen for a while, and then we went food shopping, since you were pretty much out of everything. I volunteered to cook dinner.”
    â€œSweetheart, you didn’t have to do that. I’d be happy to take you all out tonight.”
    â€œDaddy, I think that would be wasted on us right now. We’re all tired and on edge. We need to talk. And don’t you dare say, ‘about what?’ Something’s wrong.”
    â€œI agree. Enrique’s death, for one thing.”
    â€œYes, there’s that. Mother says he was a hard worker—dependable. Why is he dead?”
    â€œI’ve been wondering the same thing. The best I can figure is that he startled an intruder, who lashed out with the first weapon he could lay his hands on—a loose brick. Sadly, I’d asked him to replace a few in the patio,