that made Bekki cringe and duck down behind the other can. Luckily, it seemed it had been a late night for the Windwards because no one came rushing out to see what was going on. Bekki daringly stood back up and began tearing into the trash bag once more. When she got it open she found that it was filled with the broken vase that the maid had knocked over, as well as little bits of torn paper.
Bekki sorted through the glass shards very carefully. She didn't want to leave her DNA behind on it. She gathered the pieces of paper from the bag and tried to figure out what they were. From what she could tell it was some sort of personal letter that had been ripped into shreds. She could tell it was personal because it was hand written without a formal greeting at the top. However, she wasn't sure what it said beyond that. She knew that she could easily and swiftly be discovered so she tucked the papers into her purse. As she started to walk away from the garbage cans, a voice startled her from the front corner of the mansion.
"What are you doing here?" Annabelle asked, her eyes gleaming with indignation.
"Oh, I," Bekki tried to think as quickly as she could. "I misplaced my cell phone when I was here last. I thought maybe someone had thrown it out. I just thought I'd check, you know how much of a hassle it can be to have to pay for a new phone," Bekki smiled as charmingly as she could. Annabelle just stared at her blankly. Of course she didn't know anything about what things cost. She probably never had to count a penny in her life.
"Okay, sure," Annabelle sighed with annoyance. "Just get out of here."
Bekki sighed inwardly with relief. Then she started to walk past Annabelle. Something that had been bothering her since the day before suddenly came to mind.
"Annabelle, you said your Aunt Kathe rine never left the living room, right?" she asked and studied the girl intently.
"What?" Annabelle replied as if she couldn't comprehend Bekki's words.
"Yesterday, while Lucy was being killed. You said your Aunt Katherine was with you the whole time in the living room," Bekki reminded her firmly.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Annabelle nodded as if she didn't really care. "She's always around somewhere."
"Did she leave to maybe go and get some snacks or drinks for the girls?" Bekki suggested with an arched eyebrow.
"Not that I recall," Annabelle replied in a classically impenetrable , vague way.
"Well , just think about it for a minute," Bekki suggested. "You and your aunt were in the living room with all of your friends and your cousins. Isn't it possible that your aunt walked away for a few minutes?"
Annabelle finally sighed with aggravat ion. “I don't know," she admitted.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Bekki asked with surprise, it was not the answer that she was expecting.
"I don't know because I wasn't there the whole time," Annabelle confessed and lowered her voice as she glanced over her shoulder. "I saw my Uncle Phillip taking off after that waitress again, and it was just so mortifying. I mean most of my friends and I are older than this girl he's trying to get into bed with. It's ridiculous!"
"You're right," Bekki encouraged her. "That is ridiculous. So what did you do? Did you follow him?"
"I did," Annabelle said. "At first I thought he was going into the dressing room, but then I spotted him ducking out the back door."
"Did you follow him outside?" Bekki asked, making a mental note that those must have been the footsteps that the maid heard approaching when she broke the vase.
"I did," Annabelle sighed, it seemed as if it made her feel better to be getting all of this off her chest. "I saw him with the waitress, underneath the window, like he could hide out in that little garden," she shuddered. "I was going to say something, but I was afraid he would cancel the party, so I just went back inside."
Bekki nodded with compassion. "It's never easy to see something like that. But when you went insi de, was your Aunt
Bekki sorted through the glass shards very carefully. She didn't want to leave her DNA behind on it. She gathered the pieces of paper from the bag and tried to figure out what they were. From what she could tell it was some sort of personal letter that had been ripped into shreds. She could tell it was personal because it was hand written without a formal greeting at the top. However, she wasn't sure what it said beyond that. She knew that she could easily and swiftly be discovered so she tucked the papers into her purse. As she started to walk away from the garbage cans, a voice startled her from the front corner of the mansion.
"What are you doing here?" Annabelle asked, her eyes gleaming with indignation.
"Oh, I," Bekki tried to think as quickly as she could. "I misplaced my cell phone when I was here last. I thought maybe someone had thrown it out. I just thought I'd check, you know how much of a hassle it can be to have to pay for a new phone," Bekki smiled as charmingly as she could. Annabelle just stared at her blankly. Of course she didn't know anything about what things cost. She probably never had to count a penny in her life.
"Okay, sure," Annabelle sighed with annoyance. "Just get out of here."
Bekki sighed inwardly with relief. Then she started to walk past Annabelle. Something that had been bothering her since the day before suddenly came to mind.
"Annabelle, you said your Aunt Kathe rine never left the living room, right?" she asked and studied the girl intently.
"What?" Annabelle replied as if she couldn't comprehend Bekki's words.
"Yesterday, while Lucy was being killed. You said your Aunt Katherine was with you the whole time in the living room," Bekki reminded her firmly.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Annabelle nodded as if she didn't really care. "She's always around somewhere."
"Did she leave to maybe go and get some snacks or drinks for the girls?" Bekki suggested with an arched eyebrow.
"Not that I recall," Annabelle replied in a classically impenetrable , vague way.
"Well , just think about it for a minute," Bekki suggested. "You and your aunt were in the living room with all of your friends and your cousins. Isn't it possible that your aunt walked away for a few minutes?"
Annabelle finally sighed with aggravat ion. “I don't know," she admitted.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Bekki asked with surprise, it was not the answer that she was expecting.
"I don't know because I wasn't there the whole time," Annabelle confessed and lowered her voice as she glanced over her shoulder. "I saw my Uncle Phillip taking off after that waitress again, and it was just so mortifying. I mean most of my friends and I are older than this girl he's trying to get into bed with. It's ridiculous!"
"You're right," Bekki encouraged her. "That is ridiculous. So what did you do? Did you follow him?"
"I did," Annabelle said. "At first I thought he was going into the dressing room, but then I spotted him ducking out the back door."
"Did you follow him outside?" Bekki asked, making a mental note that those must have been the footsteps that the maid heard approaching when she broke the vase.
"I did," Annabelle sighed, it seemed as if it made her feel better to be getting all of this off her chest. "I saw him with the waitress, underneath the window, like he could hide out in that little garden," she shuddered. "I was going to say something, but I was afraid he would cancel the party, so I just went back inside."
Bekki nodded with compassion. "It's never easy to see something like that. But when you went insi de, was your Aunt
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