Page 28 of Whispers of Sin
The typical questions didn’t seem to faze Adeline, so Brook sought for more of a reaction.
“That’s not my understanding, Ms. Murphy.” Brook noticed when Adeline pulled her fingers into the palm of her right hand. Now they were getting somewhere. “Bella caught you staring into her bedroom a few times. It made her uncomfortable enough to pull the blinds and mention it to others.”
Adeline didn’t flinch, but she also didn’t respond right away. Brook had gotten quite used to power struggles when she’d worked at the Bureau, and she’d been drawn into one on occasion since then. Maybe the deliberate pause before reacting was due to the woman’s profession. After all, Adeline dealt with children all day long.
“Given how close our cottages are in this neighborhood, uncomfortable situations like that were—and are—bound to happen.” Adeline waved a hand in the direction of the cottage where Bella used to live. “My bathroom faces that direction, which just so happens to be the next-door neighbor’s bedroom. I’ve since had the type of thick glass installed that can’t be seen through so as not to incur those awkward moments.”
“What about Piper Zimmer?”
“You mean the woman who was murdered last week?”
“Yes,” Brook replied, not appreciating that Adeline was making this so much harder than necessary. “Did you know Piper Zimmer?”
“Not personally.”
“Maxwell Vanderbilt?”
“Again, it’s a small town.”
Brook had taken note of Adeline’s collected responses, trying to gauge if there was more beneath the surface. In life, there were simply some people who were...unpleasant. Adeline Murphy was one of those people, and Brook could see in no way how a child might have fun in her class.
Five more minutes of questions that received one-word answers brought their interview to a close. Brook had discovered nothing new to add to the investigation other than Adeline Murphy was very good at evading questions. She never truly gave a genuine answer. When the conversation finally ended, Brook stood and intentionally made a request.
“I appreciate you taking the time out of your evening to speak with me, Ms. Murphy,” Brook said as she secured the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Would it be possible to use your bathroom before I leave?”
“Go right ahead.” Adeline gestured toward the hallway. “It’s the second door on the left.”
Brook nodded her appreciation and began to walk in that direction. Given that she’d never removed her coat, the bulk of the material became rather stifling as she advanced down the hallway. There was something else that had been bothering her, and she hadn’t been able to figure it out until she reached her destination.
There wasn’t one photograph in the house.
Not of Adeline, not of her family, and not of any friends.
All that hung from the walls were numerous paintings in various frames. Some of those frames were wood, others were metal.
After Brook entered the small, immaculate bathroom, she flipped the light switch and then closed the door behind her. She’d wanted a moment to process the lack of information she’d just received, while hoping to craft another question or two before leaving Adeline’s residence.
Brook went through the motions of washing her hands before using the hand towel that was on a circular holder next to the sink. The bathroom walls had been painted a very light green, and the hand towel was only one shade darker that matched the shower curtain and rug.
Once she’d made sure that the hand towel was smoothed out the way it had been before she’d dried her hands, she quietly stepped over to the shower curtain. She pulled it back as silently as possible, noticing the window that faced Bella’s old residence.
Sure enough, the window had been replaced with obscure glass.
Brook stepped back and gently made sure the shower curtain fell back into its proper place. She then picked up her purse and opened the bathroom door.
Not a sound could be heard through the entire house.
At least, not the way it was with the Airbnb being located right on the bay. The gusts of winds off the water were strong enough to garner a few moans from the foundation, but Adeline’s home was far enough away from the water that the silence was almost deafening.
Adeline wasn’t waiting at the end of the hall just inside the living room. Maybe she’d taken her empty mug into the kitchen. Either way, Brook didn’t want to arouse her suspicion. Brook took a step in the direction of the living room when her gaze was drawn into the room straight across from the bathroom.
It was Adeline’s bedroom.
Two bedside lamps had been turned on, so the room was bathed in a soft, golden hue. The bed was immaculately made, and there wasn’t one piece of clothing on the floor. As a matter of fact, nothing stood out apart from the large painting that hung directly above the bedframe.
One that just so happened to have been painted by Lauren Kim.
Chapter Fourteen