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

looking over her shoulder at the nanny and didn’t notice he stopped until she ran into him, knocking them both over.
    “Are you all right?” Rilynne asked as she reached down to help them up. Charlie looked up at her curiously as she pulled him to his feet. His resemblance to his father was striking. The only hint of his mother she saw were the bright green eyes sitting below his shaggy brown hair. He nodded up at her, but didn’t speak.
    “I’m so sorry,” the nanny said as she reached down to pick up the little girl, who was sprawled out on the floor with a large grin on her face. The day seemed to have taken a toll on the young nanny. Her blonde hair, which appeared to have been originally pulled neatly back, was disheveled and hanging loosely around her face. She had a look of utter exhaustion in her pale green eyes. “You must be Naomi, the new maid. I’m Sydney. These two troublemakers are Charlie and Lorraine. Children, what do you say?”
    “It’s very nice to meet you,” they said in tandem. Charlie’s eyes were still fixed on Rilynne. Unlike his tiny stature, his eyes seemed to belong to a much older man. Whereas his sister was just looking up at her, he was studying her. It was the same way she examined a suspect when she interrogated them.
    He didn’t take his eyes off of her until Sydney reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Your mother is expecting you,” she said as she took them both firmly by the hand. “You know she has a party tonight, so you need to say your goodnights now.”
    She smiled kindly at Rilynne before leading the children toward their mother’s room on the north wing. Not wanting to raise suspicion by being seen lingering at the top of the stairs, Rilynne picked up her caddy and followed them down the hall.
    Though she had the eight guest bedrooms on the north wing to clean, it didn’t take her long at all to work her way through them. Like the majority of the restrooms, it looked as if no one had stepped foot in them since they were last cleaned. Mrs. Lewis had noted that the bedding was only to be changed at the beginning of the month, so all Rilynne needed to do was dust the furniture and vacuum. If she hadn’t spent a good deal of time rummaging through the rooms in search of the item used to strike the victim, it would have taken her almost no time at all to get the rooms finished.
    “Hey.” Danny rushed up behind her when she made her way back to the top of the stairs. She couldn’t help but notice a flicker of excitement in his eyes. “The party is about to start, so we have the rest of the night off. It would be a shame to waste such a beautiful night like tonight. Why don’t we go for a walk and I can show you around?”
    “I…” she hesitated, feeling a sudden twinge of conflict. While a one-on-one with Danny could provide her with some valuable information, she was unlikely to have another chance to search the manor while everyone else was distracted. “I would really love to, but I still have work I need to finish. Spending all of that time cleaning off the paint today left me a little behind. I want to catch up before Mrs. Lewis notices. Rain check?”
    She could see the disappointment on his face, though he tried to hide it. “Sure. If you need any help, let me know.”
    She smiled warmly at him. “Thanks.” She watched him walk down the stairs and through the entrance to the west wing before she found the closest supply closet and dropped off her caddy. Unfortunately, she had only made it a few steps down the east hall before she spotted Nancy heading her way.
    “It’s almost show time,” she said, hurrying toward her. “The balcony is the safest place to stand. Mrs. Lewis can’t see us up there.”
    Rilynne wanted to ask what she was talking about, but instead just followed her back out of the hall and onto the balcony. The moment she stepped out onto it, she realized what she had meant. The balcony reached out above the front