“What makes you so sure it was in that precise—”

She answered before he could finish. “Because of that.” She indicated another point on the ground, a foot or so farther away.

It wasn’t until Gurney took a step toward it that he saw a small green disc below the grass level. It had pinhole perforations around its circumference. “A watering system?”

“His head was face down just a few inches short of it.” She stepped over to the spot and placed her foot next to the watering head. “Right there.”

Gurney was struck by the coldness, the hostility, of the gesture.

“Do you attend all the funerals here?”

“Yes and no. As the resident manager, I’m never far away. But I always maintain a discreet distance. Funerals, I believe, are for invited family and friends. Of course, in the case of the Spalter funeral, I was more present.”

“More present?”

“Well, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to sit with Mr. Spalter’s family and personal associates, so I remained a bit to the side—but I was certainly more present than at other interments.”

“Why was that?”

She looked surprised at the question. “Because of my relationship.”

“Which was what?”

“Spalter Realty is my employer.”

“The Spalters own Willow Rest?”

“I thought that was common knowledge. Willow Rest was founded by Emmerling Spalter, the grandfather of … the recently deceased. Didn’t you know that?”

“You’ll have to be patient with me. I’m new to the case, and I’m new to Long Falls.” He saw something critical in her expression, and he added with the hint of a conspiratorial tone, “You see, I was brought here for a completely fresh perspective.” He gave her a moment or two to absorb the implications of that statement, then went on. “Now let’s go back to my question about the feeling you had when you realized—noticed—what had happened.”

She hesitated, her lips tightening. “Why is that important?”

“I’ll explain in a minute. In the meantime, let me ask you another question. What did you feel when you learned that Kay Spalter had been arrested?”

“Oh, God. Disbelief. Shock. Complete shock.”

“How well did you know Kay?”

“Obviously not as well as I thought I did. Something like this makes you wonder how well you know anyone.” After a pause, her expression morphed into a kind of shrewd curiosity. “What’s this all about? These questions—what’s going on here?”