Chapter Twenty-Three
Twenty-Three
Baxter groaned. He tried to open his eyes, but pain pierced his skull and sent the room spinning around him. His shoulder throbbed, and when he moved his arm, a wave of nausea swept over him.
Nobody came.
Of course they didn’t; even if they’d heard him fall, he had told them to stay in their rooms. Had been adamant they shouldn’t move until he told them it was safe. Black spots danced at the edges of his vision.
Then he heard a noise.
A door, somewhere in the villa. Intruders? Baxter imagined masked men, armed and dangerous …
“Baxter?” Red appeared beside him, dropping to her knees and feeling for a pulse.
“I told you to stay in your room,” he said weakly.
She raised an eyebrow. “Bloody good job I didn’t. What happened?”
“Stairs,” he managed, suddenly too weak to talk. “Fell.”
“Come on, let’s get you up.” She pulled him to a sitting position, then looped his arm over her shoulders. “After three, then. One … two …”
For a slight girl, Red was surprisingly strong, and Baxter was soon sitting in the armchair at the bottom of the spiral staircase. He blinked, the black dots smaller now.
“My nan had a fall like that once.” Red gave him an appraising look. “We should get you checked out.”
“I did not ‘have a fall,’” Baxter said indignantly. “I fell.”
“Same difference.”
“The step was slippery from where Miriam was mopping last night, and then the handrail gave way.”
“Hmm.” Red was running lightly up the stairs. She bent down at the top and touched the marble. “This isn’t wet.”
“I can assure you, it was wet when I—”
“It’s greasy.” Red put her finger under her nose and sniffed tentatively. “Polish, maybe?” She reached for the handrail, testing it, then she bent down again and examined something more closely. Baxter closed his eyes, his head pounding. When he opened them, Red was standing in front of him.
“What is it?” Baxter squinted at her.
“The screws are missing from the top section of the handrail.” Red paused. “Your fall wasn’t an accident, Baxter. Someone loosened that handrail deliberately.”