Page 43 of Light of Day (Sea Smoke Island #1)

As Luke hurried past the spiral staircase, Celine stepped out of the master suite and blocked his way. “Where are you running off to?”

“I need to check something down on the shore. If you see Judy or anyone else, call me.”

“Judy? You know, I did see Judy. She was acting very, very strange. I told her to take some time off. She hasn’t had a break in years, I think. I was starting to worry about her mental health.”

Interesting. When had Celine ever paid any attention to the staff’s mental health?

“Well, if you see her…” He tried to sidestep Celine, but she stepped in front of him again.

“You know, I think I heard some funny sounds coming from the twins’ suites.

I haven’t had a chance to check over there, and quite frankly, strange sounds aren’t my thing.

But maybe now that you’re here…I don’t know, do you think it could be your missing friend? ”

“Better check.” He headed for the opposite end of the floor, where Rufus and Ruby each had their own suites. Celine didn’t follow, for which he was grateful. He didn’t trust her.

After a quick and thorough search, he found nothing amiss in Rufus’ suite, or Ruby’s. No strange sounds. Was she making it up to delay him?

But then, very faintly, he heard something.

A banging sound. Not up here, but one floor down, barely audible from the third story.

“It’s coming from downstairs,” he told Celine when he reached the living room again.

“What?” Her eyes widened. She looked genuinely shocked. “Oh well, I suppose it could be anything, then. Never mind, don’t bother with that. It’s probably a wild goose chase.”

“Better check,” he said, striding past her.

She grabbed onto his arm as he passed. “Listen, Luke, wait. There’s something really important I want to talk to you about.”

“What?” he asked impatiently.

“I want you to know that I’ve been working very hard to get John to lighten up on you. I think I’ve made progress. He’s even talked about changing his will again. There’s no reason you should be exiled from the family in such a cruel way. It’s not fair to you.”

What the hell was she up to? He’d never trusted Celine, and she’d never had much time for him. Was he supposed to believe that she was now advocating for family unity? “I’ve always kept the door open, but I can’t talk about that now.”

He pulled away from her, but she scurried past him and blocked the door “What’s going on, Celine? Enough with the bullshit, just tell me what you want. You have two seconds.”

“I want you to think about Izzy,” she said after a short pause.

“I promise it will be to your benefit. Doesn’t she deserve a piece of…

” She waved her arm to encompass the spacious upper story with its magnificent views and pristine antiques.

He remembered the stories of how those wardrobes and hutches had been hoisted to the top floor from outside, after the windows had been removed.

Would Izzy ever care about such things? Was he robbing her of her legacy by removing himself from the Carmichael family orbit?

The master bedroom door opened and a man stepped out. He carried a medical bag and a leather-bound folder. He hesitated when he saw Luke, his glance flitting to Celine.

“How’s my father?” Luke asked.

Again, the doctor checked with Celine. She shook her head ever so slightly. “I’ll deliver a full report shortly. Perhaps a meeting with the whole family.”

That sounded bad, and also…maybe a little sketchy. Luke walked toward him and extended his hand. “I’m Luke Carmichael, the island constable, and you are…?”

“Dr. Alan Greer. I’m a neurologist.” They shook hands, assessing each other. Luke wondered if it would be rude to Google the man right in front of him.

“Celine said you’re here for a diagnostic visit.”

“Correct.” He looked again at Celine. “Is there a place I can sit and write up my notes?”

“Of course, Dr. Greer.” She escorted him to an elegant writing desk that had belonged to the first Mrs. John Carmichael and sat him down. “Do you need anything while you work?”

“Coffee, black. Thank you.”

She turned to pick up the wall-mounted telephone that connected the family quarters to the kitchen, and that was when it clicked. Telephone. Quiz. Hennessy.

She was pulling a Hennessy.

This doctor—he assumed Dr. Greer was a real doctor, just like Hennessy McPhee—intended to declare John Carmichael III to be mentally incompetent, leaving Celine in charge of the Carmichael empire.

Worse yet, Celine couldn’t possibly be working alone. Any attempt to take the reins would be met with fierce opposition from the rest of the family…unless they were also in on it.

But why?

He spun around and strode toward his father’s bedroom. He heard Celine cry out to stop him, but he ignored her. He flung open the door and found his father nearly asleep in his bed, eyes open only a slit. The carved mahogany headboard gleamed with a recent waxing, and the room smelled of lemon.

A low growl came from his father’s throat. Luke stepped back, assuming he was upset to see his renegade son. Instead, he jerked his head for Luke to come closer.

A few steps, and Luke was at his bedside. When he was right next to him, John pushed away his covers. Tucked under his arm was a shoebox filled with old audiotapes. “They keep trying to take these. I know they’re important, but I don’t always remember why.”

Stomach clenching, Luke gently took the shoebox from him. So John Carmichael really did have some form of dementia. He’d have to process that later. “I’ll take good care of these,” he told his father, whose eyelids drifted shut again.

He turned to find Celine blocking his path again. “I’m confiscating these tapes as evidence in a murder case.”

“Luke, you don’t understand. Your father has lost his mind. He really has.” Her voice lifted to a panicky pitch. “He wants to issue a public apology . Does that sound like him?”

Not really, he had to admit. “Out of my way, Celine. If you try to stop me, I’ll arrest you for interfering with a police investigation.”

“Police? Please,” she scoffed. “You’re a toy soldier. No one takes you seriously.”

The urge to drag her off to lockup was nearly irresistible. But all of this was a distraction from finding Heather.

Brushing past her, he charged back into the common area.

“One more thing. Dr. Greer!” He raised his voice to address the doctor as he hurried toward the door to the landing. “Better put what you’re doing on pause unless you want to explain it to me and the Harbortown detective downstairs. I plan to get a second opinion no matter what your report says.”

“Don’t act like you care about John!” Celine wailed after him. “You turned your back on your family!”

“Try your guilt trip on someone else,” Luke said as he pushed open the door.

“My conscience is clear, and that’s worth a lot more than all this.

” With the shoebox tucked under one arm, he waved the other one at their luxurious surroundings.

“If you want to do the right thing, you should tell me who killed Denton Simms, and where Heather is.”

“Denton? I don’t know who that is.” Her wide eyes fluttered in a damsel-in-distress manner that he found unbearably irritating.

But as he hurtled down the staircase, he realized he believed her about not knowing who Denton was. Someone else was masterminding this whole thing.