Page 39 of Not This Way

“No.”

“So how come she was at the nursery then? Who else would’ve attacked her?”

“Might’ve been a customer. Doesn’t mean I killed her.”

“No. No, it doesn’t, you’re right.” Rachel paused, and she felt like a lioness with the scent of prey. She could detect some scent on the breeze. A big heap of bullshit.

“You did know her,” she tried. And then she lied. “We have security footage of you two together in the parking lot.”

He looked at her. “Not possible,” he retorted. “Those cameras are for show.”

She pointed at him. “Interesting. Someone who hadn’t been with the woman might’ve said it wasn’t possiblebecause it didn’t happen.” She allowed iron to creep into her words again.

He stared at her, mouth agape. “I… just…” He stammered a bit more.

Then he hung his head. “Fine. Fine!”

She felt her pulse quicken.

He raised his head under the lights above. “Yeah. Okay. Fine. I admit it. I met her a couple times. But it was all consensual.”

“You slept with her?”

“That’s what you do with hookers, isn’t it?”

“Hang on, what?”

He blinked. “You don’t know? Really. She’s a whore. A prostitute. Look.” He reached for his phone, which was on the table between them, and hastily unlocked the device and maneuvered to a website. “Low-End Escorts,” he said simply. “See?”

He turned the screen toward her. A photo of a figure in black lingerie, smiling at the camera with a too-white, photo-edited smile.

It was hard to tell at first. But the beauty mark on the cheek matched. The facial symmetry matched. It was the same woman.

Rachel stared at the name.Candy.

She leaned back frowning, crossing her arms. “So you hired a rent girl and she showed up at the nursery where you were working?”

“I wasn’t the only one who had fun with her!” he retorted. “We all chipped in.”

“The boss too?”

“Yeah. Was his idea!”

Rachel sighed. “You seemed to find that website really quick.”

He mumbled something and shrugged.

Now her mind was racing. He’d connected himself with the victim. But the woman didn’t match the initial assumption. A prostitute? Certainly not another heiress…

So who was the killer targeting?

And was Mark Adelman telling the truth?

She looked at him.

He could detect the suspicion in her gaze judging by his next comment. “I can show you! I wasn’t the one who drove off with her!”

“How’s that?”

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