Page 24 of Little Shattered Dreams

“I’m not sure she’d be willing to talk to me after what happened last night. It seems she sees me as a suspect since she found me in Quinn’s room.”

“All right,” Simone said. “Anyone else?”

“I’d also like you to talk to Rebecca and Kelly, the ladies who work in the spa. I want to know what interactions they had with Quinn, if Quinn came in for any sessions, and if she may have said anything we need to know about.”

“On it.”

“All of us need to be on the lookout for anyone acting out of the ordinary. If someone is sneaking around or eavesdropping—well,asidefrom my mother, I want to know about it. If someone says something strange, I want to know about it.”

Hunter nodded and stood. “What are you going to do in the meantime?”

“I’m going to do the thing I least want to do,” I said.

“What’s that?”

“I believe I know,” Simone said, raising her hand and grinning. “Georgiana’s going to go get her Zen on with Karl.”

CHAPTER11

I approached Karl’s bungalow, and the front door was closed, which meant there was a good chance he was in a session. When he wasn’t, he tended to leave the door open. I found a spot on the grass where I could sit and wait—close, yet far enough away that I couldn’t hear any conversations going on inside. Though I had to admit, given the fact the windows were open, I was more than a little tempted to eavesdrop.

For all I knew, Karl could be meeting with the killer, or Karl could be the killer himself. He didn’t seem capable of such a thing, but even spiritualists had their breaking points.

After some time passed, I was surprised to see my mother walk out the front door, Karl just behind her in the doorway. She blotted her eyes with a tissue and threw her arms around Karl. They exchanged a few words. He stepped back inside, and she started walking in the direction of her bungalow. She hadn’t made it more than a few steps before she jerked her head around, waving and shouting, “Yoo-hoo, Georgiana.”

I smiled and headed in her direction.

“How’s your day going, Mom?” I asked.

She dabbed her tear-stained eyes a few more times and sighed. “I’ve just had the most enlightening conversation with Karl. It’s like the man sees right through me. I don’t believe I could hide a single thing from him even if I tried. He’s just so gosh darn good at pulling every thought and emotion right out of this old gal.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

I hoped it would be all she had to say on the matter, but when her hand moved to her hip, I knew there was more.

“He had me talking about your father in no time, about feelings I’d buried so long ago, I didn’t even know they were still there. I never thought it would be so freeing to get things out in the open. And now I feel as light as a feather, like I could get swept right up with the smallest gust of wind and whisked off to … well, I don’t even know where, but you know what I mean.”

It was dramatic, but adorable at the same time.

“That’s great, Mom.”

She narrowed her eyes and leaned in, cupping a hand over her mouth as she whispered, “So … how goes the investigation? Any inside intel you care to share with your mother?”

“Nothing yet.”

She gave me a look that said she doubted my answer. “Well, gosh, you’re no fun, are ya? It’s okay to tell me things, you know? I can keep a secret.”

Except she couldn’t.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” I asked.

“Now don’t you go trying to change the subject on me. I know you, and I know what you’re like. You’re an expert when it comes to keeping your trap shut. You here to see Karl? Maybe he can help you with that.”

As if on cue, Karl stepped outside and grinned at me. “Nice to see you, Georgiana. I was hoping you’d stop by today.”

“I know this isn’t my scheduled time, but if you’re available right now, I am too.”

He glanced at his watch. “I have plenty of time.”

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