Read Online Suspicions with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Four) by Jenn Vakey - Free Book Online

it.”
    “I can’t blame you,” said Nancy. “Brittney was so nice it was almost unbelievable. I can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt her.”
    “Other than you?” Danny asked as he walked into the room. He walked around the table-passing three open chairs-and sat down next to Rilynne. “You couldn’t stand Brittney. How many times did you try to get her fired?”
    “Shut up, Danny!” she said harshly. Her red curly hair looked almost like fire dancing around her face as she quickly swung around toward him. “I may not have been fond of her, but I never would have wished her dead. I just didn’t like her work ethic. I was always getting stuck picking up her slack. I get that she was always being called away by Mr. Lewis, but that shouldn’t have meant she was unable to take care of her responsibilities.”
    Rilynne raised her eyebrow as she felt a small surge of excitement. “Was there something going on between them, Mr. Lewis and Brittney?”
    Danny shook his head. “They got along well enough, but it was never anything like that. Brittney dealt with the aftermath of his… escapades. It takes a lot of patience to clean up after some of his stunts. She had more than most.”
    “The news didn’t-” Rilynne was stopped by the sound of a slamming door.
    “You’re not paid to sit around and socialize,” Cyndi Lewis said as she stormed into kitchen. She folded her arms tightly in front of her and pursed her lips as she looked around the table. “We have three hours until the guests begin to arrive. You-” she pointed to Lisa. “You have an hour to get this kitchen cleaned and ready for the caterers. Mr. Jones, meet the valets at the service entrance and make sure they know exactly what they’re to do. Mr. Hicks,” she turned toward Casey, “make sure the yard is respectable. Pay special attention to the terrace. Several of our guests are cigar smokers and will be spending a fair amount of time back there. Mr. Lansford, make sure my husband doesn’t cause any further disturbances this evening. I want him presentable when the guests arrive. Maids,” she paused, looking from Nancy to Rilynne. “Go clean something.”
    After issuing her orders, she abruptly turned and left the room.
    “Is she always so uptight?” Rilynne asked as she looked around the table.
    “Yes,” Cole said shortly as he stood and walked out after her.
    Rilynne pushed herself up and followed the others out of the kitchen.
    “I hate these events,” Nancy said as they walked toward the supply closet at the end of the hall. “We have to do extra cleaning the day before and then clean up the mess after. For people who are so paranoid about letting outsiders into their house, you’d think they would find some other place to do these things.”
    “How often do they have one?” Rilynne asked curiously. She waited for Nancy to step back from the door before reaching in for her caddy. She wasn’t going to mention to Nancy that her workload for the rest of the day was relatively light.
    “Every few months,” she replied, shutting the door behind them. “The end of the year is when it gets really busy. From Halloween to New Years, they have one every few weeks. In addition to all of the holidays, Mr. Lewis’ birthday and their anniversary fall in that time.”
    They went their separate ways once they reached the foyer. Rilynne watched as Nancy made her way down the hall of the east wing before she climbed the grand staircase at the center of the room. As soon as she disappeared from sight, Rilynne quickly ran to the top and started searching for anything that could have been used to strike the victim. Before she was able to get a good look around, the children came thundering down the east hall toward her. Just behind them was the exasperated looking nanny.
    “I said no running in the house,” she called after them. The eldest child, Charlie, saw Rilynne and stopped in his tracks. Lorraine, his little sister, had been