Sleeping Beauty Suspect

Lucan leaned back and sipped his beer. Flynn’s gaze was more disturbing. His jaw knotted. “How old is this guy?”

“Two years younger than me.”

That brought matching frowns.

“How old’s your stepmother?” Lucan asked.

“Ten years older than me. Ruby was my mother’s private duty nurse. Right after my mother died, Ruby’s mother was in a fatal car crash.” She tried to keep the anger from her voice. “Ruby was living with us at the time. At twenty-four she found herself saddled with a much younger half brother.”

“What happened to the father?”

“I don’t know. I got the impression her mother hadn’t married Christopher’s father.”

“So your father and your stepmother had something of an instant bond.”

Her jaw hurt from clenching her teeth. She tried to relax and nod.

Lucan was apparently satisfied, but Flynn wasn’t. “Did this guy hurt you?”

“Of course not. It was no big deal. Christopher’s like…” She almost said a puppy. “A younger brother to me.”

“Younger brothers don’t put the moves on their sisters unless they’re warped,” Flynn stated.

Whitney felt her cheeks pinken again. “Like I said, he’d been drinking. He felt sorry for me. His sister and I had had words earlier.”

Lucan straightened up. “You and your stepmother had a fight?”

“More of a loud disagreement. My father isn’t well and I wanted to know what was wrong. She told me to ask him.”

They waited. A simple answer wasn’t going to work here and she knew it.

“I dislike Ruby. We don’t have much to do with one another. I haven’t lived at the estate since I went away to college at seventeen. I have a substantial trust fund so I’m not reliant on my father or his wife for anything. I bought my own place when I graduated.”

“About this disagreement,” Lucas pestered.

“My fault entirely. I was tired, I’d had some champagne.” One glass, but that had been enough to loosen her usual control. “I said a few things I regret and then I left.” Stormed out in a fury, actually. “Christopher followed me home and walked me to the door. He kissed me. I sent him away, went inside, poured a glass of wine and started getting ready for bed.”