Murder, She Muttered

Chapter 7

I bought my condo for a myriad of reasons: it was well protected, it was on the second floor so I could take the steps easily and the balcony was enormous. There was a small balcony off my bedroom which I rarely used and main balcony off the living room which was the size of a small condo itself.

I could sit outside in any weather with the city spread out in my view, and no walls anywhere to close me in. I tasted such freedom outside.

That's where Carolina found me.

"Your private dick upset my mother today."

"I think dicks of any kind upset your mother."

Carol laughed and flopped down next to me. "She didn't know about the will. She wants me to contest it. She said as long as you're paying for my lawyer, I should take advantage of him."

"Your mother suggested the lawyer I'm paying for, you should use to screw me over? Well, bless her heart."

"That is a special way of seeing the world."

The skin under her eyes was loose and dark. Her blouse was big on her. She needed to be better fed and better rested. She needed her life back.

"I got some good news. There's another suspect in the murder of Charles Forrester."

"That is so not funny Abs." Carol stood. "It's you. The police can't honestly think you need the money."

"It's the funny thing about rich people. We're never satisfied with what we have. We always want more."

"So you killed our father to inherit? That makes no sense. If you asked anyone, you would have been the least obvious choice for Himself to leave money to. It's not like he had a lot of warm paternal feelings going on."

"For either of us." I got up and joined her at the balcony rail. "I love this view. I love this place. I don't think I want to leave it."

"You are not going to jail." Her fists clenched. "I swear to God, Abs..."

"Chill sis." I almost laughed. "I'm not worried about that. I can afford the best lawyers, like duh. And I didn't kill him so I'm not worried. What I meant was, I don't think I want to move."

Her hands relaxed. "Why would you move?"

"I inherited the paternal manor house. My lawyer called me today. Seems I can take possession anytime."

Of all the responses Carol gave me the one I wasn't expecting. She grinned. "Let's go. Maybe we can break some of his shit while we're there."

**

I hadn't yet been charged with a crime and being a suspect meant little to inheritance laws. People could tut-tut but they had to keep their mouths shut-shut. So the D.A. squawked but I had the keys the next day and we went to the house that had never been our home.

Himself lived in one of those rich people areas forty-five minutes out of town and a million miles away from the common folk. There was a coded gate surrounding his property which we received the code with the keys.

The house was big. The house was tasteful. The house was full of furniture and art and pictures of Himself with influential people and it was empty as hell. It felt as soulless as the man who had lived there.

"I thought I'd feel different being here," Carol said. "I imagined we'd come and smash a few things and laugh and somehow put him behind s but this is so..." she shrugged.

"There's no here, here."

"That's it exactly." She shook her head. "This is a house that was never anyone's home."