“When did you last see Tim?” she asked Skye.
“Couple of weeks ago, I think. I didn’t keep track of the guy.”
“Some people might have, to avoid him. Or to make up.”
“Not me.”
My intuition waved a red flag at me. She was lying. I moved so that Skye stood with her back to the trash cans and Ange and me flanking her.
“What if someone saw you and him together at theSweet Haven Motel?” Ange asked.
“What? That’s crazy. Why should I meet the scumbag at all? And believe me, Tim would rather drop dead than stay at a cheap motel. When we started dating, he took me to Seattle for a weekend. A five-star hotel, with chocolates on the pillow, a rainfall shower, and monogrammed velvet slippers.” She sighed in awe at the memory. “He told me, cheap hotels were against his religion. And anyway, whywould anyone stay at a motel in the middle of nowhere, when you can easily go home or book yourself a room in a decent hotel downtown?”
I waited for my witchy sense to flag another lie. It didn’t. I circled back to the earlier lie.
“We know that you saw him just before his death.”
She gulped. “I didn’t. Not really, anyway. He was there strutting around and chatting to another rich bloke, and I ducked away. That’s all.”
She sounded sincere. If I could trust my intuition, Skye was in the clear.
“Thank you for your honesty, and we won’t breathe a word of this to the detective,” I said to her.
“What about my job situation?”
Ange mimed zipping her lips. “No idea what you’re talking about. But if you’re strapped for cash, I might have another gig for you. Not too often or too many hours, but you might want to think about it.”
I was as confused as Skye.
“Would you be interested in doing mehndi for senior citizens? I think a few of the folks atSerenity Springswould love to be bedazzled.” Ange fizzed with excitement. “It would be so cool to add a bit of pizzazz to their life, and it’s a good way to compete with the fancy new retirement village.”
“The place outside of Cannon Hill, for the rich guys? Tim was super excited about that one.” Skye snorted. “Sure, I’d love to come out toSerenity Springsonce in a while.”
“One last question,” I said. “Did Tim ever take pictures of you? Intimate ones?”
“No. Not that he didn’t try, but I told him I don’t do that. One moment you think it’s for your boyfriend, the next thing the photos are online.”
“Or in a photo album.” That would explain the print that Nick had discovered. It was easy to pretend to delete a photo from your device and yet keep a copy as a trophy. If I thought back to Nick’s vague description of Candice in the shower, her picture could have easily been taken without her knowledge.
Skye’s phone broke into a jingle. “The boss. Sorry.” She dashed back inside. Ange and I took the exit behind the shed. It led to a service alley, and around the corner of the block. The rain had stopped and a watery sun appeared.
“What did you think of our interview?” Ange asked.
“Interesting,” I said. “Very interesting. I hope Harper and Reina will come to the same conclusion.”
“Yeah. Of course, I also hope they noticed the big flaw in our plan?”
“What big flaw?”
“We said we’d meet up with them after lunch, in about ten minutes from now. Maybe you’ve eaten, but my stomach is hollow.”
“I’m sure theBlue Innkitchen will be able to rustle up something. Or we could swing bySweet Surpriseand grab a few bites to go.”
Chapter 22
We arrived laden with soup, sandwiches, and almond-studded cantucci.
In the living room, Harper served up the food with a bemused expression. “Is our menu suddenly not up to scratch?”
