ROSE ON THE LAKE 18+

🌹CHAPTER EIGHT🌹

Your love is magic, a bewitchment, a spell.
But how much you love me, I never can tell.
You're a beckoning force, a magnetic soul.
I can't turn away, because you make me whole.

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Being a detective was never an easy job. Sometimes, one had to be the bearer of bad news, other times one had to play psychologist in order to understand the mindset of psychopaths. One also had to be an analytical thinker, picking up on people's reactions, facial expressions and always ask the right questions no matter how crude. But nothing was more difficult that trying to get answers from a frightened witness. That's the problem detective Harper and his partner detective Myles were battling with at this very moment.

They'd chosen a day when the masters of the house were not home to bully their servants into silence. The housekeeper had been welcoming and had made arrangements for them to interview the staff one after another. So far, they'd spoken to the stable hands, gardeners, cleaning and laundry maids as well as the kitchen staff. Remarkably, all the answers they got either confirmed their suspicions or threw more light on something new. Just like the gardener who said...

"I normally spend my time in the gardens and as an external staff, I'm only allowed into the mansion during my breaks. But I noticed that Mr. Garwood was never really that caring towards his wife. It's not uncommon with some married couples so I didn't think much of it, untill she started visiting the gardens regularly, but only when she thought I wasn't around to see her crying."

"Did she ever spend some alone time with anyone other than her husband?"

"Yes she did. I constantly saw her with Mr. Nathan, the Master's PA. I thought it suspicious because the Master was never around when he came searching for her"

Harper took note. "Who else?"

"And then there was Master Rush. They normally just talked. The last time I saw them talking was the day Mr. Garwood traveled to the Bahamas. Mrs. Garwood was covered in bruises. I heard her say she'd been raped by someone called Hugo, but I know no one by that name so I assumed I didn't hear well."

To all the external staff, none of them could say whether or not Garwood brutalized his wife, but that was the rumour that came from the internal staff.
The stable hand had some interesting information to share. He swore he'd once caught his boss in one of the stalls, balls deep in a crying laundry maid. Myles had chuckled at the boy's choice of words.

The laundry maids weren't exactly sure if their master was rough with his wife but claimed he was rough with them. One of them, a girl called Melody, walked with a limp and spotted freshly imprinted bruises around her neck and arms. Harper focused on her but she refused to give any information. He had to assure and reassure her that no harm will come to her and that he'll keep her protected before she opened up.

"I was changing the sheets as I normally do when the master walked in. I noticed him staring at me lasciviously and I told him I'll come back to continue.." she told them.

Dillan had blocked her exit, saying "Not so fast, kitten." He held up her chin to better look at her. "You look so much like her. Younger, but so similar in so many ways" he said, his eyes roaming her body.

"Same hair length and color" he grabbed her hair harshly and she let out a yelp of pain.

"Same curves" his nails dug into her ass, drawing her closer as his other hand viciously kneaded her breast.

She slapped off his hand and pushed at his chest.

It didn't faze him. "Now let's see if you also taste the same." He brought his cold lips hard on hers, kissing her roughly. She bit on his lower lip, drawing blood.
It hurt. A lot. Holding her at arm's length, "and feisty too. Someone's gotta curb that temper of yours."