“He does, but to hear him tell it, it’s all too overwhelming, too much to handle.” She shook her head. “What can I do? I’m only his mother. Not quite as exciting as the new girl in town.” Bitterness stained her words, and all I could think of was how much Karter wanted to be in her good graces. “Briseis, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” She clasped her hands together in front of her. “Has a young woman come to the house by any chance? A woman with silver-gray hair?”

“You mean Marie?”

“Oh, I don’t know her name. The reason I ask is because a few weeks ago, while I was prepping the paperwork for the house, I had to go over and make sure everything was locked up. We’ve had some prowlers around town, and I didn’t want anyone trespassing on the property.” She lowered her voice and leaned in closer. “I saw a young woman standing out in the driveway.”

My skin pricked up. “Did she—did she say anything?”

“No. It was the strangest thing, and I’ll be honest, it scared me. She left before I had a chance to confront her. But you say you know her?”

“I mean—we just met. I don’t know her.”

“Right,” said Mrs. Redmond. “I’m so happy that we were able to get you into the house and that you’ll be taking care of it from now on. Please don’t take offense to what I’m about to say, but not everyone has good intentions. You’re new here and you’ve come into possession of a very large estate. There may be people who want to take advantage of you.”

I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.

Mrs. Redmond leaned back. “I’m sorry, Briseis. It’s the mom in me, always worrying. You know, Karter is—” She stopped short as she gazed past me to the TV. A ticker flashed across the bottom of the screen and the reporter took on a solemn tone.

“A tragedy in Rhinebeck tonight. Longtime resident Hannah Taylor was found after an exhaustive search covering most of Dutchess County, and the result was not what anyone was hoping for.” The reporter’s voice cracked as he announced the details of the woman’s death.

Mrs. Redmond shook her head and her eyes glazed over. “Oh no.” She stared at the television, her hands trembling.

“Mrs. Redmond?”

She clenched her teeth and looked down at her desk. “Hannah and I went to high school together. Graduated the same year.”

I looked at the TV again. “I’m so sorry.”

She hung her head and dabbed at her eyes. “Would you excuse me, Briseis? I need to make some calls. Hannah’s mother is probably beside herself.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Please be cautious,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.