An’gel marveled at how the girl managed to inject that one word with such venom.
“Yes, he is our ward, and your grandmother invited him.” An’gel spoke tersely. She was relieved that the girl appeared unharmed, but An’gel was annoyed with her behavior. “Tell us how the accident happened.”
Sondra responded to the tone of authority, though sullenly. “I was on my way into town, and I was coming down the driveway.”
“Way too fast,” Benjy said in an undertone, but An’gel heard him.
Sondra appeared not to have heard as she continued, “I saw these two”—she indicated Benjy and Peanut with a dismissive gesture—“and I thought they were trespassers. When I hit the brakes so I could stop and tell them to get off our property, nothing happened.” She shrugged. “I guess I panicked and drove into the tree. That was the only way to stop the car.”
An’gel exchanged another uneasy glance with Dickce. This was definitely odd. She was thankful, however, that Sondra had been close to home when the accident happened. Had she been on the highway and driving faster when she needed to stop, she could have been badly injured, if not killed.
“Let’s get you up to the house,” Dickce said briskly, taking Sondra’s arm. “We need to make sure you weren’t hurt. You may feel all right now, but later on you might not.”
To An’gel’s surprise, Sondra let Dickce lead her toward Willowbank. An’gel remained behind a moment with Benjy and Peanut.
When the others were out of earshot, Benjy said, “Don’t you think it’s weird about the brakes? A brand-new car like that, shouldn’t happen. But maybe she’s just a lousy driver.”
An’gel said, her tone grim, “I’m going to talk to Sondra’s mother. Sondra might be a bad driver. I certainly wouldn’t drive in heels like that.” She paused for a breath. “That car needs to be examined by an expert, however. If Sondra wasn’t at fault, I’m worried someone tampered with the brakes, hoping for a bad accident.”
“That’s sick.” Benjy shook his head. “Why would someone want to hurt her?” Peanut woofed, and An’gel thought how interesting it was that the dog always seemed to understand when Benjy was feeling tense or upset about something.
“Exactly what I want to know, although I’m hoping it was simply bad driving.” An’gel paused for a moment, deciding what to do. “I need to talk to Jacqueline. I’m going back to the cottage to change first, though.”
Peanut whimpered and tugged against his leash. Benjy laughed. “This guy’s got plenty of energy he needs to burn off. I’ll let him run around a bit, so we’ll be outside for a while.”
An’gel nodded then turned to head back to her cottage. Before she had gone a hundred feet, however, she heard Jacqueline call her name. Her goddaughter was running down the driveway toward her.
An’gel stopped and waited for Jacqueline to reach her. Jacqueline stared at the car for a moment while she breathed deeply. She closed her eyes, crossed herself, and mumbled a few words.
An’gel took her arm and led her closer to the vehicle.
“Oh, Maman, thank goodness,” Jacqueline said. An’gel thought that was odd, but she forbore to question it.
After a moment Jacqueline seemed to gather herself. “Thank you, Tante An’gel,” she said. “I’m okay now. Sondra drove the car home from the dealership yesterday, and everything was fine. How could this have happened?”
An’gel decided to be blunt. “Sondra was driving in very high heels. I think she might simply have lost control of the car. Benjy said she was driving too fast down the driveway.”
Jacqueline shook her head. “I know Sondra drives fast, but she’s been driving in heels since she got her license. I don’t think it was entirely her fault.”
Benjy and Peanut approached them, the dog straining at his leash to get to Jacqueline. Peanut loved meeting new people, and he wagged his tail as he sniffed at Jacqueline’s outstretched hand.
While her goddaughter greeted the dog, An’gel said, “I hate to say this, but if it wasn’t Sondra’s fault, I think it had to be deliberate. Someone tampered with the brakes. Maybe I have too suspicious a mind, but I’m worried that Sondra is being targeted.”
Jacqueline appeared startled, and she drew her hand back abruptly from stroking Peanut’s silken head. “That’s ridiculous. Why would someone try to harm my daughter?” Then she blanched and whispered, “Maman.”
“What about your mother?” An’gel said.
Jacqueline shook her head. “Nothing really, just that Maman will be upset over this.” She scratched her nose several times.
An’gel’s eyes narrowed as she regarded her goddaughter. The nose scratching was a dead giveaway. Jacqueline was lying to her, but why?
An’gel decided not to challenge her because Jacqueline was obviously upset. She focused on a practical matter instead. “I think you should have the car examined just to be sure.”
Jacqueline stared at her for a moment. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “I’ll call the dealership. The car will have to be towed in for repairs anyway.” Without taking her leave of them, she turned and hurried back toward Willowbank.
“I hope it turns out to be just an accident,” Benjy said.
“I do, too,” An’gel replied. Though I’m afraid it won’t, she added in her mind. “Well, I’d better go get dressed.” She was suddenly conscious of standing there in her gown and robe.
“Yes, ma’am,” Benjy said. “We’ll be here until the tow truck gets here.”
Back in the cottage, all thought of a nap gone now, An’gel began to dress for dinner. While she completed her toilette, she thought about Sondra’s misadventure with the car.
If Sondra were a target for either severe injury or murder, An’gel reckoned, the motive had to be money. The girl could be exasperating beyond measure, but An’gel doubted anyone would kill her out of sheer irritation.
No, money lay at the root of it, she was convinced. Sondra, upon her marriage, would be an extremely wealthy young woman. An’gel didn’t know the exact figure, but she reckoned it must be well over fifty million, if not twice that. Sondra’s father, Terence Delevan, had been a shrewd businessman who inherited a decent amount of money and turned it into a massive one.
The question was, who got the money if Sondra died? An’gel had heard the terms of the will at some point, but now she struggled to recall them. That Sondra would inherit upon marriage or her twenty-fifth birthday, whichever came first, An’gel knew. She thought the money would then go to Sondra’s offspring when Sondra died. In this case, the child Tippy, whom An’gel had yet to meet.
If Tippy inherited before she became an adult, who controlled the money? Surely Terence Delevan had considered that possibility and stipulated the terms in the will. Perhaps Sondra’s husband?
An’gel grimaced at the thought of Lance Perigord in charge of the Delevan fortune. If there were no restrictions on his handling of the money, Lance would probably be penniless in less than a year, and Tippy would be left with nothing.
No, An’gel decided as she peered into the bathroom mirror to finish with her makeup, Terence had surely made provisions. He had been too good at making money to risk letting it be squandered quickly after his death. The likeliest answer was that Sondra’s executors would be entrusted with Tippy’s inheritance. Sondra’s stepfather, Horace Mims Junior, and Terence’s closest friend, Richmond Thurston, were the chief trustees, as An’gel recalled.
A tap on her leg brought her out of her reverie. She glanced down to see Endora sitting at her feet. Endora meowed, and An’gel extended her hand to rub the cat’s head. Endora pushed against the hand and started to purr. An’gel rubbed a few moments longer, then informed Endora that she had other things to do. She felt foolish when she caught herself talking to the cat, or to Peanut for that matter, but she supposed most people with house pets must do the same.