Page 13 of Little Empty Promises

“Depends on what services you need,” I said.“I’m Georgiana Germaine, the owner of Case Closed Detective Agency.I work alongside Lilia Hunter and Simone Bonet.Hunter locates missing persons, does background checks, and that sort of thing.Simone does surveillance work and assists me in homicide cases.What can I do for you?”

The woman took a seat on a chair opposite my desk and crossed one leg over the other.“My name is Claudette Carrington, and I’d like to hire you to find out who killed my sister.”

“Who’s your sister?”

“Cordelia Bennett.”

I leaned back in my chair, sizing her up and down.She was much different than Cordelia in appearance, her opposite in every way.

“Cordelia was my mother’s neighbor,” I said.“She lived across the street from her.”

“Who is your mother?”

“Darlene Germaine.”

Claudette rolled her eyes but said nothing.

“I take it the two of you have met,” I said.

“We have, this morning, right before I came to see you.She’s … I’m not sure how to put it.”

“Put it any way you like.”

“She asks a lot of questions, to say the least.”

“My mother and your sister were good friends.”

“Yes, your mother told me as much.She was the one who suggested my sister volunteer at the library.Was she not?”

Claudette’s tone was accusatory, almost like she thought my mother held some blame in her sister’s death.

“What’s your point?”I asked.

Claudette looked me in the eye and grinned.“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”

“I can be.”

“I wasn’t suggesting my sister died because your mother convinced her to volunteer.”

“Weren’t you?”

“No matter how it happened or why it happened, what’s done is done.I’m here because I need to know who did it, and I’ve been told you have a great track record for solving murders.”

I did.

An impeccable one.

I leaned back, tapping my finger on the desktop, thinking.

If I was to take her case, which I had to admit, I’d been hoping to get involved with in some way, I had questions.

“When’s the last time you spoke to your sister?”I asked.

“I fail to see how my relationship with Cordelia has any bearing on her murder.”

“I’m thorough,” I said.“I like to know everything.Even things that turn out to be irrelevant.It’s part of what makes me good at my job.”

Claudette reached inside her handbag, glancing at me as she said, “Mind if I smoke?”

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