Nick eyed Lyra warily and then switched his attention to Vivian. “Are we missing something?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lyra said. “Just a little sisterly chat.”
Nick looked skeptical. “Uh-huh.”
“Lyra has a plan to keep Brazier Shipping in the family,” Vivian explained.
“How?” Nick asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Simon said. He popped a tiny sandwich into his mouth. “Grandchildren. That’s where you and I come in. I suspect it’s been her master plan all along.”
Lyra had just taken a sip of coffee. She tried to swallow and failed. She sputtered, spewed some coffee, grabbed her napkin, and went into a violent coughing fit.
Simon leaned over and thumped her lightly on the back. He smiled at the others. “She has an answer for everything.”
Chapter 51
Simon brought the speedster to a stop at the front entrance of the Hidden Beach Inn. He contemplated the mansion with a sense of doom.Just call me psychic.
“This is not a good idea,” he said.
Half an hour ago he had been blissfully savoring a cup of coffee and the scrambled eggs he had prepared in the cast iron skillet that Lyra claimed she had no idea how to use. It had been amusing trying to teach her how to cook eggs.
Lyra had answered the phone. The instant he saw her eyes light up with the all-too-familiar gleam of curiosity, he had known trouble was coming.
“It’s for you,” she said, holding out the phone. “Dr. Otto Tinsley. He says he’s here in Burning Cove.”
It was the perfect way to ruin what had been the start of a perfect day.
“You should not come in with me,” he said. “It would be better if I deal with Otto alone.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Lyra said. “I’ve never met a professional psychic researcher.”
“He’s a con artist, Lyra. A fraud.”
“Wouldn’t you say he’s more of a showman?”
“No. I would not say that. With a professional showman you know you’re watching a performer at work. It’s an act. Tinsley pretends to be the real deal, a prestigious researcher.”
“From what you told me he didn’t claim to have paranormal powers—he says his machine can detect them.”
“The machine is a fake. Every time he hooked me up to it onstage a green light glowed on the front of the damned thing. He told the audience it was detecting my paranormal ability.”
“Well, you do have some sort of extrasensory perception,” Lyra said.
“The green light came on because he switched it on every time we went onstage, Lyra. The act was a complete con. Heusedme.”
“Got news for you, Simon. Everyone gets used occasionally.”
“Is that right? When was the last time anyone used you?”
“Gosh, let me think,” Lyra said. “Oh, right, there was the time Marcella Adlington used me as an excuse to kill her husband and try to murder Raina.”
Simon groaned. “Why do I bother arguing with you? You’ve got an answer for everything.”
“And then there was the time you planned to use me to amuse yourself while you vacationed in Burning Cove.”
“That’s different. I wasn’t going to use you, damn it. I just wanted to share my vacation with someone.”
