and innocence about her that I was sure had stolen Harrison Davenport’s heart. Perhaps he saw in her everything he had wished was in his mother. I didn’t have to be here long to sense that Samantha Davenport floated through this mansion like an independent spirit, with the power to make herself deaf and blind whenever she thought something might shatter the soft smile of pleasure that was as necessary to her existence as oxygen.
The noise increased in the hallway. Suddenly, Mrs. Marlene came out of the kitchen and walked quickly through the dining room, a look of absolute terror on her face.
“Something’s going on? Should we go see?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “Harrison will tell us if it’s important.”
I was sure I heard a scream. Samantha ate and kept facing forward, but I detected a trembling starting in her body.
“Was that your mother-in-law?”
She didn’t answer. I turned to the dining-room doorway when I heard footsteps approaching. Dr. Davenport appeared.
“I’m afraid my father has passed,” he said.
“Oh!” Samantha cried, dropping her fork. She looked like she might topple.
Dr. Davenport came in quickly to embrace her and turned to me. “I knew his heart muscle was weakening. Diabetes can lead to heart issues. My father was not one who would pay attention to the dietary issues, and he thought exercise was a waste of time.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
Samantha was sobbing almost in silence.
He caressed her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “There’s nothing for you to do, sweetheart. Finish your dinner. I’m working on the arrangements. I’ve given my mother a sedative. She’ll remain in her room. Mrs. Cohen is attending to her.”
Samantha wiped the tears from her cheeks with her napkin and looked up at him. “What will we do?” she asked, nodding toward me.
“There’s no reason not to continue with our plans,” he said, which brought a soft smile to her lips. “The arrangements are in place, Emma. Samantha can accompany you to Dr. Bliskin’s office in the morning. I’m going back to see about my father,” he said. “The medical examiner will be here shortly.”
“Aren’t you a medical examiner?” Samantha asked.
“I’m the son. We have to have him to confirm cause of death. No worries, darling.”
“Can I show Emma your office?”
“Of course.”
He kissed her again and left.
She smiled. “Well, you heard him. There’s nothing we can do,” she said. “I feel so helpless at times like this. The best thing for us to do is stay out of everyone’s way. Harrison will have everything under control. He has that calmness, that control a heart surgeon must have, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but I’m sure he’s quite upset,” I said. “It’s his father.” I looked at my food. My appetite had collapsed.
“Oh, finish your dinner,” she said. “You heard Harrison. There’s nothing for us to do, and everything is still set. I’m sorry it happened the first night you’re here,” she added, and reached for some grapes. “Honestly,” she said, “I don’t eat this much.”
She leaned in to whisper.
“Someone might think I was pregnant.”
ELEVEN
I had been to funerals with my family, but I had never been in a house in which someone had just died, the corpse still there. Even though this was such a large house, the empty rooms and dark shadows seemed like a garden for flowers of gloom. Perhaps chased by similar feelings, Samantha moved me through the hallway quickly to her husband’s office. There was still some commotion behind us: the nurse hurrying up and down the stairs, Mrs. Marlene bringing something up on a tray, and Parker rushing in to get some orders from Dr. Davenport. In the background, we could hear an ambulance arriving, but Samantha didn’t look back to see what was happening, and from the way she was clinging to my hand, tugging me forward, it was clear she didn’t want me to, either.
Her voice was thin, on the verge of cracking, as she rushed her words as well as her steps.
“You will have the whole house to use, except Harrison’s office and my mother-in-law’s rooms, of course. She doesn’t like anyone but the maid in her bedroom. Even Harrison’s father rarely goes in there,” she said, as if nothing unusual was occurring at the moment.
When I glanced at her, I saw there were tears in her eyes, but to me they were tears of panic.
“We have a game room and an entertainment center, but I’m sure Dr. Bliskin is going to want you to take nice walks every day that it’s