“Christ, Bebe, you couldn’t wait until you were back in the city? You had to do it here, in full view of the house with your whole family watching? Honestly, you’d think a person who’s fucking her brother’s boyfriend would try to be a little more discreet.”

“You bastard,” said Bebe. “You absolute beast.”

“Was that part of the fun? Did you get off on the risk? She saw you. Jade saw you with Ned.”

Jade’s bedroom window with the view of the shed. I know what she did. Jade was talking about Bebe.

When Bebe shook her head, strands of hair stuck to her forehead. She was sweating. Afraid. And Miles wasn’t done yet.

“You know what else Jade saw? She saw Jasper, out on the lawn. You saw him, too, didn’t you? You and Ned. And Ned couldn’t have him knowing. He couldn’t take the chance that Jas would run off and tell Flynn.”

Watching Bebe was mesmerizing. Her eyes got enormous while every muscle in her face went slack. “Ned would never hurt anyone. Never.”

“What about Flynn? What would he do if he found out about you two? Oh, I’m sure he suspects—your trip up here together, the way you’re always fawning over Ned. But what would he do if he knew for sure? Flynn’s not great at controlling his temper, is he? You know how he feels about Ned, how afraid he is of losing him. He’d rip you both apart.

“You’d be finished at the company, of course,” Miles went on. “The business can’t afford a scandal, not with Attitude nipping at your heels. You and Ned would both be out so fast it would make your heads spin. I’m sure Ned doesn’t care. He’s leaving anyway. But your reputation would be obliterated, and Ned knows it. Did he tell you he’d protect you from all of that? Did he explain Jas would have to die, or did he leave that up to your imagination?”

I didn’t know what type of law Miles practiced, but I’d have bet money he had experience as a litigation attorney. He watched Bebe closely while awaiting her response. He had her trapped, and he knew it.

“So you see why I’m worried,” said Miles as he crossed one leg over the other. “In the past twenty-four hours, Jasper witnessed his best friend banging his sister and then promptly disappeared. I’d say that’s cause for concern, wouldn’t you?”

“Ned would never hurt Jasper,” Bebe repeated weakly. She looked ill.

“You’re sure about that?” I asked, taking Miles’s lead. “Your feelings for Ned might be skewing your perception of things. Right now you two are happy. You’ve got each other’s backs. But soon the sparkle will wear off, and when it does do you want me wondering whether you, Mrs. Sinclair, are involved in your brother’s disappearance, too?”

“You can’t seriously tell me you’re going to listen to him,” Bebe said. “This is a setup! You want to talk about feelings getting in the way? Miles is angry with me, and his solution is to frame Ned for murder. We’re through—not because of Ned, by the way, but because Miles is a selfish bastard who only married me for my money.”