Romancing the Crown: Kate & Lucas. Justine Davis
told the hospital security guard you had information on the woman the police are seeking,” Sam said. “If that’s true, I can guarantee you won’t be clamped in irons.”
Gretchen’s pasty complexion paled even further. “Irons?”
Sam saw Kate lift an eyebrow at him. She would know as well as he did that Montebellan justice was as modern as any system in the West. It was easy to guarantee that Gretchen wouldn’t be mistreated because nobody was mistreated. Sam hoped Kate wouldn’t blow his bluff.
“Better take Lieutenant Coburn’s offer,” Kate said. “It’s not immunity, but it’s the best we can do.”
Obviously Kate understood what he was doing. And why shouldn’t she? He’d always known she was an intelligent woman, he’d just never been overly concerned with her mind. He’d been occupied by…other things.
And he wanted to reach across the table and drag her to his side and make her remember every single one of them….
“I’m not the criminal here,” Gretchen muttered, sinking down in her chair. “It’s all Ursula’s fault.”
Sam rubbed his face. Yet again he tried to focus on his duty. “Go on.”
“Ursula’s the one who should be stuck in some dungeon, not me. She told me to bring the baby here. She was the one who made sure we had the birth certificate to prove who the kid is. We were supposed to get a reward from the royals. They were supposed to be so grateful that we’d been taking care of the royal heir that we’d be set for life. She had these big ideas, but she screwed it up.”
“How did she do that?” Kate prodded.
“By getting her face all over the papers, that’s how.”
“What do you mean?”
“That sketch on the front page of the newspaper. The woman who’s wanted for murder. It’s Ursula. I just about fainted when I saw it. That must have been why she didn’t show up to meet me. Didn’t she think about how she was leaving me high and dry?”
“That was very inconsiderate of her,” Kate said, not missing a beat. “But I don’t understand how you came to be taking care of the prince’s baby in the first place.”
Gretchen exhaled impatiently. “I’m a midwife. I delivered it. That was Ursula’s idea, too. She wouldn’t help with that, either. It was her own sister, and I had to do everything.”
“Her sister?” Kate asked.
“Yeah, the mother was Ursula’s kid sister, Jessica. That’s how come we got involved in the first place. The prince had knocked up Jessica and took off, so naturally she would ask her sister for help.”
Sam sensed some pieces of the puzzle move into place. At the king’s strategy session earlier that evening, Sam had learned that the prince felt the artist’s sketch of the murderer, based on a description given by a young child witness and his father, looked familiar. That must have been why. Ursula’s face would have borne some resemblance to Jessica’s. Jessica Chambers. Ursula Chambers.
He nodded in satisfaction. Now he had a name to go with the artist’s sketch that had been circulated to all the Montebellan news media. “Do you know where Ursula Chambers is now?” he asked.
“If I did, I sure wouldn’t be here,” Gretchen muttered. “I don’t know why Ursula had to kill the king’s nephew. Desmond was supposed to be helping us.”
“Are you claiming that Desmond Caruso knew about the baby?” Sam asked. “He knew about the existence of the prince’s son?”
“Oh, yeah. He knew. He was the one who paid the plane fare from Colorado to Montebello for me and baby Luke. He promised that Ursula and me would be made duchesses or countesses or something like that. The royals are filthy rich, you know. They were going to reward us.”
Another piece clicked into place. So that was the victim’s connection with the murderer, Sam thought. He’d heard rumors of Caruso’s less-than-exemplary character. The king’s nephew had been an illegitimate branch of the royal family tree, and he had always resented the limitations of his birth despite the king’s acceptance of him. It was definitely possible for the man to have been involved in a scheme to profit from the prince’s child.
But why had Ursula killed him? Had he tried to double-cross her, to cut her out of the money she had been promised? Or had the motive been more personal?
“It was Ursula’s idea to keep the prince’s baby in the first place, but I had to do all the work,” Gretchen said. “It wasn’t easy, hiding out and taking care of the child.”
“No, I imagine it wasn’t,” Kate said.
“I have my stupid brother to take care of, too, you know.”
“You must be very busy.”
“You bet I am. Gerald’s too dim-witted to manage without me. Between him and the baby, I never had a minute to myself.”
Sam doubted that. This woman was no self-sacrificing saint. With every word she uttered, she demonstrated her lack of compassion. “It was generous of you to take in the child after his mother died.”
“Damn right. I’ve had that kid since the day he was born.”
Sam frowned. “We were told Jessica Chambers died in childbirth, and that her baby died, too. What can you tell us about the birth?”
Gretchen’s eyes narrowed, her face taking on a feral look. She glanced around as if searching for an escape route.
Sam leaned forward, acting on a hunch. “Miss Hanson, how did Jessica Chambers really die?”
“She was murdered,” Gretchen burst out. “Ursula did it. She killed her own sister just like she killed the king’s nephew. I swear. She’s the one you want. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
It was an ungodly hour to be awake. No one but street cleaners and peasants was up before dawn. Instead of sneaking around these dreary old streets, she should have been safe and warm in some posh hotel room right now, dreaming of ways to spend her money.
Tucking a stray lock of her blond hair under her scarf, Ursula Chambers paused at the corner to check for police. Nothing was moving except a stray cat picking its way around some garbage cans. She hitched her carry-on bag over her shoulder, kicked the cat aside and hurried down the street.
She’d had high hopes when she’d arrived on this island. She’d had a surefire plan, too. Jessica had always had things easy—all their lives, she’d had the luck that should have been Ursula’s. So it was only fair that Jessica’s brat would be her big sister’s ticket to easy street. Ursula had planned it all out carefully. She deserved success, but then everything had fallen apart.
She was surrounded by idiots, that was the problem. Idiots and double-crossers. Desmond had been almost as attractive as she was, and he’d been one of the best lovers she’d had, but he should have known better than to betray her with that little black-haired tart. She’d seen him kissing the girl, some princess or other, and yet when she’d confronted him later he’d tried to deny it.
It hadn’t been Ursula’s fault she’d had to kill him. He’d given her no choice. One minute Desmond was smiling through his lies, the next minute she found that statue in her hand and saw blood pooling around his head.
She’d wiped off her fingerprints and put the statue she’d hit him with on the shelf. She’d ditched the blood-spattered dress she’d been wearing. She’d slipped away from Desmond’s cottage and made it off the palace grounds without anyone seeing her. She’d even gone back and burned the cottage to destroy any trace evidence.
She’d thought she was safe. Then some kid had screamed and pointed at her at the airport, and now everyone in the country could see her face when they turned on their TVs or opened their newspapers. It was a good thing she had noticed the police