“Good,” said Miles, and left the room.
Tim and I traded glances and he whistled, low and slow.
“That was weird,” I said.
“Can’t hurt to try. What are the odds she’ll talk?”
I shrugged. “Slim to none, but I’m dying to know what she says.”
“At least there’ll be coffee, right?”
I didn’t return Tim’s smile. I couldn’t stop thinking about Abella. I had my choice of interviews, both of which could be vital to our search for answers—but I also had time. What had Tim said? It’ll keep. With that in mind, I sent Tim back to the parlor and prepared to turn my attention to the unhappy couple.
SIXTEEN
I prefer to interview people alone—no distractions, no intrusions. There are times, though, when tackling witnesses as a group has its perks. You can learn a lot from watching people interact. Some witnesses egg each other on, and I was hoping for that from Bebe and Miles. No, I was counting on it.
I knew interviewing Jasper’s sister would be a challenge. She gave off an air of superiority that implied she did what she pleased and gave zero fucks about anyone else. On the library’s butter-soft leather couch Bebe crossed her legs and stared at me with revulsion. When Miles sat down he left a foot of space between them. The energy in the room felt lethal.
I had just closed the door when my phone buzzed in my pocket. McIntyre. Had to be. She probably had something to report about our witnesses. I was dying to check the message, but with Miles and Bebe right in front of me and Abella waiting across the hall, it would have to wait.
“I’d like to make it clear I’m here under duress.” Bebe shot a glance at Miles as she said it. Before we sat down Norton had brought us each a coffee, and while Bebe’s sat on the table untouched, Miles took slow, noisy sips while eyeing her over the rim of his cup. “I have no interest whatsoever in speaking with you about my brother.”
“Duly noted. This is all standard stuff, Mrs. Sinclair. We need to get some timeline details for his file. So.” I tapped my lip like I was thinking hard. “Yesterday. Miles and Jade arrived at the island first, but you came later. That right?”
She sighed emphatically. Bebe’s foundation, two shades too light and applied with a trowel, wasn’t looking as fresh as it once had. When she spoke, deep pleats formed at the sides of her mouth. “What an amazing display of deductive logic.” Bebe’s voice was as rough as a jazz-club singer’s, all smoke and sex. As she spoke she tucked a lock of short, shiny hair behind her ear and I thought, No dollar shampoo there. Rather than Jasper’s fine features, Bebe’s face mirrored Flynn’s, with oversized lips and a bulbous nose. One could argue Jasper had his siblings beat in the looks department, too.
“And you came here with Ned?” I said.
“He happened to be in the office picking up his check. We were both ready to go, so we went. Believe me, I would have loved to be here sooner to spend more time with Nana, but I had to work.”
I hadn’t seen Bebe so much as acknowledge Camilla, let alone engage her in conversation. “Let’s move on to last night. You had cocktails. What was that like?”
“Refreshing.”
“Try to be more specific.”
Bebe sighed again. “We did our duty and chatted with Abby. Philip served roast pork with dried prunes for dinner and pie for dessert. It was a typical night up here.”
“Your chat with Abella included throwing around the idea of her coming to work for you, yes?”
Bebe laughed, but her expression clouded. “Please. Nana was kidding. It’s never a good idea to mix business and pleasure. I’m sure Abby knows that.”
It was an absurd statement coming from a woman who was currently sleeping with an employee, but I let it go. “What about after dinner?”
“I went to bed.”
“Together?” I said, eyeing each of them in turn.
She set her jaw. “I went up first. Dealing with him is exhausting.”
Miles shrugged.
“Did Jasper seem normal to you yesterday?” I asked. “Did you see anything that seemed out of place?”
“This is a complete waste of time. I have nothing to do with Jasper’s absence.”
Absence. Another odd choice of words for a sister with a missing kid brother. She was acting like Jasper went home to watch Netflix and chill. “Where do you think he is?” I said.
“If I had to guess, I’d say he got sick of Abby and went back to the city.”
“With a serious wound? Without telling you?”
“My brother’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”
“Then why bother calling us?”
“That was Nana’s idea. She worries too much.”
“You aren’t worried about your brother?”
“No,” Bebe said, “I’m not. Are you even sure that’s real blood up there? My brother has a flare for dramatics.”
I inclined my head. “Hang on. Are you suggesting Jasper staged that accident himself?” The idea was almost as cracked as Tim’s theory about Abella’s female trouble. I glanced at Miles, who leaned back and smiled. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
“How should I know what he did?” said Bebe. “I wish you’d leave us alone to deal with this for ourselves.”
“We’re investigating Jasper’s absence as a missing persons case. But Norton called it in as a murder.”
“Again, that was Nana’s idea. Philip just does what she says.”
“Everyone else I’ve talked to seems convinced Jasper fell into some kind of harm. You don’t agree?”
“How many times do I have to say it? No, I don’t agree. It’s totally feasible he’d take off and leave us to sort out his mess. Jasper gets a kick out of tormenting us.”
“Us?”
“Me,” said Bebe. “Flynn. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Jasper’s idea of a joke. He’s probably waiting until we feel good and guilty before he shows up laughing. What a lark. Ha, ha.”
I contemplated what she was saying. Norton reported Jasper missing that morning. The nor’easter arrived the previous afternoon. The skiff was still in the boathouse. Could Tim be right? Could someone have ferried Jasper to shore before the weather got bad? Was it actually possible the man was hiding out somewhere, right as rain? Again my cell phone vibrated, another text message coming through. Again I forced myself to ignore it.