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“I’ll do what I can but seriously, Susan, it’s time to grow up. You’re a sixty-three-year-old woman. You want to screw everything that moves, great, but do it on your own time. It’s like you want to fuck things up. I’m tired of fixing your messes,” she bit out. “We all are. Your entire office staff is done with your shit. Get yourself together and stop being stupid.”
Susan’s shoulders had stiffened and her face was now white. With her mouth pinched and her eyes wide, suddenly, she looked her age.
Harper sighed.Shit. I shouldn’t have said anything.No that wasn’t true. She shouldn’t have said anythinghere.It all needed to be said and probably in nicer terms but well, too bad. The truth was out. If Susan wanted to get rid of her because of that,c’est la vie. She just couldn’t bring herself to care.
Chief Clark came into the room and nodded at them. “Harper, Susan. This is a bad business.”
“Chief Clark,” Harper said.
Susan merely nodded.
Jason came over and stood beside his boss. “Mandy is almost here. I need to speak to the witnesses and start working a timeline.” Just then the door opened, and Billy Lazlo entered shaking the water from his jacket in the foyer. “Jesus, Lazlo, not there,” Jason barked.
Lazlo blinked, looked around and then immediately looked sheepish. Vincent grabbed him by the sleeve and led him around the corner.
Clark said, “Susan, why don’t you and Harper head home?”
Clark didn’t realize Susan was a witness or at the very least she was in the building. Harper tried to figure out a polite way of explaining this.
“Chief,” Harper started, “Susan and I were here earlier to speak with Gina Ling. We were hoping you wouldn’t mind me staying.” There was no way to add that Jason needed to tell her everything without him losing his shit about it and she didn’t blame him one bit.
Clark frowned, his big bushy eyebrows drawing together. “There’s no need for you two to stay. Answer all of Jason’s questions and then you can go. I’ll have someone call your office and update you later this morning.”
This seemed to galvanize Susan. She straightened. “Alvin,” she jerked her head to the side and walked across the room until she was closer to the dining room. She kept her voice low. “Rainy Day Club is a big donor to my campaign fund,” Susan said. “I can’t have them feeling mistreated or as if their concerns aren’t being heard.”
“Jesus, Susan. You can’t expect me to alter an investigation because they’re donors to your re-election campaign.”
Susan’s voice dropped further, and Harper could no longer make out anything she was saying.
“Eavesdropping isn’t polite,” Flynn said in a low voice. He seemed to materialize out of nowhere and was standing to Harper’s left. He handed her a cup of tea. How the hell did he know? She raised an eyebrow at him as she accepted the cup.
He smiled at her making her heart rate tick up. So much for keeping her distance. “No, but it’s saved my ass more times than I can count.” Harper wrapped her hands around the mug as if it could warm the ice in her chest.
Beside her, Jason harrumphed loudly.
Flynn flashed a grin and this time his eyes positively sparkled.
Susan and Clark came back across the room to join them.
Clark said, “Jason, Harper is going to stay here with you. Make sure you loop her in on everything. With this tragedy, it’s more important than ever for our two departments to work closely together.”
Harper’s mouth dropped open and she promptly closed it. She sought Susan’s gaze, but the other woman’s eyes danced away. Harper’s stomach dropped.What the hell did she just promise Clark?
“Well, now that it’s all settled, I am going to head out.” Susan tried for breezy but sounded brittle. She turned and started out. “Oh,” she said as she turned back to Harper, “and make sure you take notes. I want details on what is happening.” With that, she started back toward the foyer.
“I’m afraid, Susan, that you’re going to have to go out the kitchen door,” the chief said. “This is still a crime scene. Before you go, did you hear or see anything?”
Susan’s face went blank. “No, nothing.”
A blind person could see she was lying. Harper’s stomach dropped to her toes. What the hell did Susan know? She wanted to ask her boss more questions, but she couldn’t do it in front of the chief.
Harper cleared her throat. “I think your car is out back anyway. Much faster and drier to go out that way. I’ll walk you to the car.”
“There’s no need.”
“It’s dark out there and slippery.” Harper put her tea down on a table, grabbed Susan’s arm, and walked her boss out through the kitchen. Once they got outside, she turned to Susan. “What did you see?”
“Nothing. I—”
