A Christmas to Die For Read Free Page B

open. He hesitated for an instant and then stepped inside. She followed, switching on the flashlight that Grams had reminded her to bring.
    "Dusty." A little light filtered through the boards on the windows, and the beam of her flashlight danced around the room, showing a few remaining pieces of furniture, a massive stone fireplace on the end wall, and a thick layer of dust on everything.
    Tyler stood in the middle of the room, very still. His face seemed stiff, almost frozen.
    "I'm sorry if it's a disappointment. It was a good, sturdy farmhouse once, and it could be again, with some money and effort."
    "I doubt I'd find anyone interested in doing that." He walked through the dining room toward the kitchen, and she followed him, trying to think of something encouraging to say. This had to be a sad homecoming for him.
    "There's an old stone sink. You don't often see those in their original state anymore."
    He sent her the ghost of a smile. "You want to try out the pump?"
    "No, thanks. That looks beyond repair. But I can imagine some antique dealer drooling over the stone sink. Those are quite popular now."
    "I suppose I should get a dealer out to see if there's anything worth selling. I remember the house as being crowded with furniture, but there's not too much left now."
    "My grandmother could steer you to some reputable dealers. Didn't your mother take anything back with her after your grandfather died?"
    She couldn't help being curious. Anyone would be. Why had the woman let the place fall apart after her father died? Grief, maybe, but it still seemed odd. Surely she knew how valuable a good farm was in Lancaster County.
    "Not that I remember." He turned from a contemplation of the cobwebby ice box to focus on her. "You spoke of break-ins. Was anything stolen?"
    "I don't know. My grandmother might remember. Or Emma Zook, since they're such close neighbors. She's our housekeeper."
    "The Amish woman who was in the kitchen this morning? According to the lawyer who handled my grandfather's will, the Zooks leased some of the farmland from his estate. I need to get that straightened out before I put the place on the market. I should talk to them. And to your grandmother."
    Something about his intent look made her uneasy. "I doubt that she knows anything about their leases."
    "According to my mother, Fredrick Unger offered to buy the property. That would make me think your family had an interest."
    There was something—an edgy, almost antagonistic tone to his voice, that set her back up instantly. What was he driving at?
    "I'm sure my grandfather's only interest would have been to keep a valuable farm from falling to pieces. Since he died nearly five years ago, I don't imagine you'll ever know."
    "Your grandmother—"
    "My grandmother was never involved in his business interests." And she wasn't going to allow him to badger her with questions. "I can't see that it matters, since your mother obviously didn't want to sell. Maybe what you need to do is talk to the attorney."
    Her own tone was as sharp as his had been. She wasn't sure where the sudden tension had come from, but it was there between them. She could feel it, fierce and insistent.
    Tyler's frown darkened, but before he could speak, there was a noisy creak from the living room.
    "Hello? Anybody here?"
    "Be right there," she called. She'd never been quite so pleased to hear Phillip Longstreet's voice. She didn't know where Tyler had been going with his questions and his attitude, and she didn't think she wanted to.

TWO
    T yler didn't miss the relief on Rachel's face at the interruption. The speed with which she went into the living room was another giveaway. She might not know what drove him, but she'd picked up on something.
    Or else he'd been careless, pushing too hard in his drive to get this situation resolved.
    He followed her and found her greeting the newcomer with some surprise. "Phillip. What are you doing here?"
    The man raised his eyebrows as she evaded his