Page 72 of All the Right Words
‘Thanks, yes,’ Harper said.
‘So then you broke up with Olivia after my reading? I’ve got that right?’
‘Yes.’
‘And then you saw Gina reject some pineapple?’
‘Yes.’ She said, starting to feel a bit silly. ‘But she looked shifty, Brenda. It was weird.’
Brenda nodded. ‘I think that’s the key to cracking the whole case. Without it, I don’t know that there would be one. Just making sure I get the timeline in order.’ She stood back and looked at her messy notes. ‘So, it’s over with both of them, romantically. But you just need some answers.’
Harper nodded. ‘I know it sounds-’
Brenda held a hand up. ‘No, this part you don’t need to explain. After Sam left me, I needed to know what had happened. Even if it changed nothing. The truth is all you have left when you feel like a prize fool.’
Harper smiled gratefully. ‘That’s about the size of it.’
Brenda rubbed her chin thoughtfully. ‘OK. Well, my professional opinion is that your hypothesis has merit.’
‘It does?’ Harper asked. ‘I’m not just losing my marbles?’
Brenda shook her head. ‘It all adds up. But to be sure, I’ll need to interrogate the suspects.’
Harper raised her eyebrows. ‘I beg your pardon?’
Brenda rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not going to beat anyone with a phone book or anything. Calm down. I don’t even know where I’d find one now. Which is annoying because I still liked having one about. Sometimes those algorithms aren’t as effective as the old noodle-’
Harper snapped her fingers at Brenda. ‘Brenda, stay with me. Interrogate?’
‘Oh. Yes. If you want to know for sure, I will need to go full Poirot. Or Miss Marple. Maybe Perry Mason. Will you let me do it?’ she asked excitedly.
Harper had nervously agreed, which was how they’d decided to turn an artwork meeting into a knock-offLine of Duty. Harper had hoped they could put Olivia under the spotlight too, but she’d cried off with an excuse that Harper didn’t buy for a second. Olivia had been avoiding her since the dreadful breakup dinner
But on the upside, there were benefits to tackling them individually. Because Gina had always struck her as pretty upfront. And Harper had seen Olivia lie a bit too smoothly back when Michael Phelps had been carted off. Gina was the egg to crack.
Brenda went in hot from the off. ‘Well, I’d like to have a little chat about your boss. And what the hell she’s been playing at with my agent. And howyou’reinvolved.’
‘Umm. What do you mean?’ Gina asked with such a poor attempt at casualness that Harper nearly laughed.
Brenda stood from her seat and began to pace back and forth, silent. If Harper was being honest, it was a bit much, but she had to let her do her thing.
‘So, here’s the details. Your boss attempted to…’ Brenda paused and smirked at Harper. ‘…Romancemy agent, Harper Blake. I’m sure you’re aware of that fact?’
Gina’s eyes flicked to Harper and back to Brenda. ‘Yup. So what?’
‘I’m just confirming your knowledge of that.’
‘OK, you confirmed it. What the hell is this?’ Gina asked, getting mad. It made Harper slightly nervous. But that was another bonus to Brenda handling this. She had never been scared of Gina. Even now, she was only smirking at Gina’s anger. ‘Because several things made Harper suspicious about Olivia’s behaviour. But one thing, in particular, caused her to have some serious questions about the nature ofyourinvolvement.’
‘I wasn’t involved. At all. What are you talking about?’ Gina asked. Her left eye had developed a mild twitch.
‘No? What about the sizzling-hot sexual encounter that occurred mere feet from here?’ Brenda asked.
Gina was aghast. ‘Shhhh!’ She looked through the glass wall of the conference room and didn’t see anyone close enough to hear. Satisfied, she looked at Harper. ‘Harper, what in the fuck isshedoing?’
Harper felt a twinge of doubt. Gina might still be innocent. Harper might have made this whole thing up and invited a lunatic to back her up. Well, she was in it now. The toothpaste wasn’t going back in the tube. ‘That’s whatIwant to know, Gina. You see, I have a theory about something. But I don’t expect you to admit it just like that. So I told Brenda she could have at you.’
‘What theory? Wait,have at me?’ Gina said, looking quite frightened now. Harper had never seen that emotion before in Gina. It was rather pleasing.
