The Tattered Thread

CHAPTER NINE

  “Chloe Brice is a friend of yours, correct?” Connery asked Elaine after writing down a few things based on her assessment of Tasia.

  “Yes, we’ve been friends for years. We went to high school together. She was the one who told me about the domestic’s position that had opened up here. I started working for the Kastenmeiers at the end of May.”

  “Tell us about the first day you arrived,” Slye said.

  “What do you want to know?”

  Slye shrugged. “Whatever you’d care to elaborate on. What was your first impression of the house?”

  “Damn, it’s big! I mean, I was expected to keep it clean, and the prospect of that overwhelmed me.”

  Connery smiled. “I can understand why its size would concern you,” he said as he glanced over at the stenciled, fabric-covered walls and tasseled draperies to the left, and the elegant, overmantel mirror on the right. “Dusting alone could be an all-day job.”

  “You’d better believe it,” she said, appreciating his effort to see how difficult her duties were around here.

  “How did you meet Zach Cutteridge?”

  “Chloe introduced us.”

  He nodded. “Tell us about it.”