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“See, this is the part I have trouble with. Mr. Hawkins says he hired you based on a recommendation from someone he knows in New York but he declined to say who. And I just can’t wrap my head around why you’d move all the way across the country to work here for the summer as a swim instructor. They have pools in New York, I’m fairly sure.”
Saoirse chewed down her reaction to his sarcasm. “They have pools in New York,” she said levelly. “But they don’t have Rawhide Ranch in New York. I feel very lucky to have spent the summer here. It’s a beautiful place full of beautiful people.”
The chief tapped his pen on his pad. “Yes, getting to those beautiful people, did you know Sutter James before you came to the Ranch?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You hadn’t heard of him, or his family?”
“No, I hadn’t.”
“How did you meet?”
“I met him when he came to clean the Ranch’s pools.”
The chief snorted. “Sutter James is a multimillionaire. He wasn’t here cleaning pools and I don’t appreciate being lied to.”
Saoirse tipped her head from side to side, cracking her neck to release her tension. She hadn’t known the extent of Sutter’s wealth and having it presented in this bald-faced way made her feel icky.
“I’m not lying. Sutter cleaned the Ranch’s pools all summer. That’s how I got to know him.”
The chief made some notes. “You didn’t come to the Ranch for the purpose of meeting him?”
“No,” Saoirse said curtly.
“You didn’t ask the staff here about him?”
Saoirse swallowed, because she had asked Carrie and some of the others about Sutter when he began paying attention to her. All she found out was that he hadn’t gone to school in the area and hadn’t ever been a guest at the Ranch.
“Yes, I asked some of the staff about him when he began talking to me.”
“I see. Did you ask about his means? His wealth?”
“No, I did not.”
“But he’s obviously a wealthy man. You didn’t wonder why such a wealthy man was showing interest in you, a swimming instructor?”
Outrage and hurt flared high in her chest again but Saoirse slammed it down with all her might.
“When I met him, he was cleaning the pool. I had no idea about his net worth and that’s not something I would have asked or cared about. I don’t judge people that way.”
The chiefhmphedand shifted in his chair. He made several more notes. “How many hours would you say you’ve spent at the James’ family house?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t counted.”
“If you had to estimate?”
“I don’t know,” Saoirse said intractably, letting a little of her irritation stiffen her spine.
“But it’s fair to say you’ve spent a lot of time there in the last two weeks. You’ve spent the night, what, nine times?”
“Something like that,” Saoirse agreed.
“And you know the layout of the house quite well, don’t you? You’re familiar with all the bedrooms?” At Saoirse’s nod, he pressed, “Have you been in Mrs. James’ bedroom?”
Saoirse chewed on the inside of her cheek, sensing a trap. If she said yes, that placed her at the “scene of the crime”. If she said no and the chief questioned Sutter or there were, God forbid, security cameras, she’d be caught in a lie.
“Yes, I’ve been in Mrs. James’ bedroom. Once, with Sutter. He loaned me one of Mrs. James’ sweatsuits to sleep in.”
