The detective leans her body, balancing on the edge, looking directly down at him… or rather, past him, to the concrete siding of the pool. It is only now that he sees it—a small, jagged chunk missing from the edge.

“We need the technicians back out here,” the detective shouts in the wind. “I think Mara jumped or fell. Possibly she was pushed… and she hit her head before tumbling into the pool…”

By the time the detective runs back down the stairs, Matthias is on the phone with the main crime scene tech. He’s also digging through the heavy shrubbery around the pool, looking for things they might have missed.

“Detective…”

Carefully, he uses a gloved hand to lift a plastic bag that was stuffed inside the branchy middle of the bush. Carefully, he peeks inside it.

A pillowcase is stuffed inside, and a heavy splotch of blood stains the center of it.

Chapter Thirty-One

Interview 2: Suspect #3

“I was wrong about the bloody clothes in the butler’s pantry. They belonged to Delfina. She and one of her crew—she hasn’t told us which one yet, but she will eventually—hung the body from the rafters. They got wet and bloody in the process. Sorry for accusing you.”

Tinsley crossed her arms over her chest. “I told you I didn’t kill her. So, it was the workers who did it? But why? What reason could they possibly have for killing Mara? It’s not like they knew her.”

The detective smiled, lips stretching slow and wide. “I didn’t say they killed her.”

“Okay…”

“Like I said, I was wrong about the wet, bloody clothes in the maid’s quarters. But I wasn’t wrong, not completely. You did hide something, Tinsley. All I need to know now is why.”

Tinsley groaned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Each room came equipped with two standard white pillowcases and two decorative shams, as well as two sets of sheets and a fitted comforter. So it wasn’t hard to figure out which room was missing a pillowcase. You’re the only guest without two in your room…”

“Well, I guess they can just charge me for the pillowcase then,” Tinsley said. “I didn’t know that was a crime.”

“Makes sense that they would charge you for the missing pillowcase, doesn’t it? After all, you were the one paying for everything. That must have been infuriating, Tinsley. I know I’d be livid if someone stuck me with the bill for that ridiculous party, especially if I had a low-paying job like yours.”

Tinsley scoffed. “I’ll say it again for you, detective. Nice and clear. I. Didn’t. Kill. Mara.”

“The real question is—why did she try to kill you, Tinsley?” the detective asked.

Tinsley flinched at the words.

The detective lifted a hand and motioned at someone in the mirror behind her. Moments later, two detectives entered the room.