The Minister's Maid Read Free

up and lifting the flap. "No one else is supposed to be down here, not even the staff. If you didn't leave it..." She held the sides apart so she could peer in at the single sheet of paper. Sliding it out, she stared down at the image for a moment, her mind refusing to process what it was seeing.
    Monica reached for the page, gasping as she took in the meaning. "Lock the--wait, this was inside the door, right?" Betsy nodded, still stunned. "Come on," Monica said, grabbing her hand and tugging her quickly back out into the hall. She slammed the door behind them and pulled Betsy away from her suite. "Whoever left that could still be in there...we need to call Harley." They reached the suite that Harley and Monica shared and locked themselves inside. Only then did Monica pull her cell phone out of her pocket.
    "Maybe it's just a practical joke," Betsy offered as she perched on a stool at the kitchen counter, unable to take her eyes off the page. The words sounded flat even to her own ears, and Monica took the paper from her and turned it face down on the counter.
    "Harley, it's me," she said into the phone, her hand still firmly over the page. "We have a serious problem - you need to come home right away." She paused, and Betsy could imagine the hassle her brother was giving his wife over her demand. He'd always been stubborn, and while there was definitely something between the two of them, neither seemed willing to admit it yet.
    "Want me to talk to him?" she said quietly. Monica shook her head, then looked back down at the floor. "Harlan Majors, get your ass down here right now. There's something you need to see." She disconnected the call and tossed her phone on the counter, letting out a long sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "Was he always this pigheaded?"
    Betsy met her gaze with a sympathetic look. "Worse, I'm afraid. He's always wanted to do exactly the opposite of what anyone tells him to do, which made for some interesting high school days." She grinned. "Not many people have the balls to talk to him like that though. I'll bet for you, he's on his way down."
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 2
     
     
    Right on cue, Betsy heard the front door open and slam shut. Harley came around the corner two seconds later, a scowl on his face as he glanced from one to the other, finally settling on Monica. "What the hell is going on? Why didn't you tell me Betsy was here?" He shifted to include Betsy. "Ian left a message saying Derek might be here at the ranch, is that true? Why didn't you tell me he was out?"
    Betsy shook her head, blinking back a fresh set of tears. "I was going to tell you about Derek, but you've been so busy with getting married and all - I didn't want to distract you. Then I thought I saw him tonight and sort of freaked out, so I went to Ian's but we had a fight and I came home and that's when I found this." She flipped the paper over and slid it in front of him. "Monica was with me and wanted to call you so here we are."
    Harley stared down at the image, his phone jangling from his pocket. Without taking his eyes off the page, he held the phone up to his ear and answered with a terse, "Yeah."
    Betsy couldn't stop herself from taking just one more peek at the grotesque image that would undoubtedly haunt her dreams for a long time to come. It was a picture of her, taken recently in the same French maid outfit she still had on, so whoever had gotten it either was here or had been. Whoever left it had photo-shopped her image with a noose around her neck, hanging from the barrister of the grand double staircase on the main floor. Her wrists looked like they'd been slit, and her blood pooled on the floor below.
    "We're all in my suite, Ian...come on over." Harley disconnected the call and shoved the phone down in his front pocket. Looking thoughtfully at Betsy, he reached across the counter and took one of her hands. "He sounds pretty bad, sis - what were you fighting about? Did you hit on him again?"
    "I'm sure it