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“Explain.”
She gave an exasperated sigh. “When the house was redone about twenty years ago, the owners had master switches installed. They are in the upstairs hallway. They control all the lights in certain sections of the house and not only the lights but the power to the outlets and such as well. I guess they didn’t want to have to go to each individual room and turn everything off.”
“Someone is turning off the master switches?”
She nodded. “It’s happened a few times now. Those stairs are very steep and dangerous to go down in the dark. That poor girl,” she sniffed. “I feel quite sure she must have fallen. I think your medical examiner must have made a mistake. The light in the foyer isn’t great. I am sure when she can see better, she will tell you of her error.”
Jason let that slide. “You said the lights were turned off. When did the power actually go out then? Was the power out when she fell or were the lights just turned off?” he asked.
"The power was off. I believe it must have happened sometime after midnight.”
He took a sip of coffee and put his mug back down on the table. “How can you be sure there were no outside guests left in the building?”
She blinked. Her mouth worked and she pursed her lips, as if there was something on the tip of her tongue that she desperately wanted to say. Harper leaned forward, tension a live wire under her skin.
The other woman reached out and picked up her mug, taking a sip of coffee. She was stalling and everyone in the room knew it. Finally, she put the mug down again. “In my job, I must be discreet. If our members choose to have guests, that’s up to them. We rarely have overnight unregistered guests, but it does happen.”
“Was anyone here besides Susan Duggan?” Jason asked.
Harper knew his frustration. He was trying to get at the facts and this woman was stalling. Only she wasn’t. She was doing her job as she saw it.
“Mrs. Carruthers.” Flynn’s voice cut through the dimness. “You need to tell them the truth.” She looked over at him and her lips turned into a flat line. She was not pleased that he’d butted in, but it was more than that. There was an undercurrent between them. Something more to this than just the security guy telling her to cooperate. Whatever it was, the older lady resented the hell out of it. Her nostrils flared and Harper was pretty sure she heard the woman’s teeth grind together.
Just then Gina appeared at the doorway. She ran a hand over Flynn’s chest as she passed him. It was a sign of ownership. Were they lovers? That thought did not sit well. Not at all. Harper did not share. Ever.
Gina was beautiful even with the early hour. Perfectly put together. Harper instantly felt like a slob in her jeans and brown sweater. Gina was wearing tights with a short black mini skirt, a pair of black knee-high boots, and a black sweater that was a match for all her other black apparel. How long had it taken her to put together that look this early in the morning? On the other hand, maybe she’d put it together last night.
“Gina, sorry to disturb you,” Jason said and rose from his chair.
“It’s fine,” she said in a throaty voice, and she touched his arm.
Flicking her long dark hair over her shoulder, she took a seat on the sofa, angling so her long legs were out in front of her and Jason’s view of them was not blocked by the coffee table. Jason immediately obliged the display by taking a long look.
Harper wanted to roll her eyes. When she’d spoken to the woman earlier, her voice wasn’t anything like that. She certainly knew how to work a crowd, of men, at least.
Mrs. Carruthers said nothing, but she met Harper’s gaze and Harper knew instantly she was trying not to roll her eyes as well. She hadn’t understood the older woman until just that moment. Now it was all clear. Mrs. Carruthers was fighting for her livelihood and Gina was the interloper. But was that enough to kill for? Harper had the distinct impression that the answer to that was probably yes. But how did killing Calli help Carruthers get rid of Gina? She wasn’t sure it did.
“Gina,” Jason began, “do you have contact information for Calli? We need to reach out to her family.”
“Of course,” she said as she pulled her cell phone out of some pocket hidden in her skirt. Funny, Harper hadn’t thought there was enough material in the skirt to make a pocket. It barely covered her ass.
Will wonders never cease?
What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she getting so catty? She took a sip of tea and tried to reset her thinking. She needed to do better. For Astrid. And now for Calli. How were those two young women connected and what the hell did it have to do with Everlasting Manor?
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Flynn leaned against the wall and watched the show. Gina was superb. She was playing Jason like a fiddle. The smoky voice, the subtle eye contact, caressing her own legs to draw his attention toward them. She was a pro.
He froze for a second. That was it. She was apro.Gina was an escort, or at least a former escort and now she was the madam for the Lock and Key Society. She was coming up in the world. What kind of a deal did she make with Archer? Was he paying her a salary? Probably, but if he had to guess, she was also raking in some kind of commission. Some percentage of what the girls and quite possibly boys, made.
Flynn’s stomach curdled. He tried not to be judgmental. That was bullshit. He was very judgmental. He had to be. It was his job. He was brought in to be judge, jury and, on occasion, executioner for those who broke the rules.
If there was one thing he hated, it was the sex trade. Too often it led to human trafficking and he’d seen the outcome of that firsthand. Siobhan. He hadn’t thought of her in a long time, but her life and death had changed him. Marked him. And now his animosity toward Gina blossomed. She was part of a growing problem, and he would like nothing more than to shut her down.
Mrs. Carruthers stood. “If you’re finished with me, I’ll go get things organized. The members will want their breakfasts.”
Jason nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Gina. “What time did you go up to your room?”
