Page 173 of Trust No One

“I worked for her for six years. I was the house manager. When I kept the house running, she never had a complaint.”

“When did her health decline?”

“Never great. She was always delicate. Fragile. And then when Mr. Hale died, she went downhill very quickly. Grief can do that.”

“Did Raine ask you to care for her mother?”

“No. She knew I had my hands full with the house and the land.”

“What do you remember about Amy?”

“She came from foster care. Worked at Hale House. I warned Raine not to hire her, but she didn’t listen. I told Raine I caught her going through drawers in her room. Frankly, she was the last person who should’ve prowled Hale House.”

“Any drug use while Amy was employed at Hale House?”

“No. I’d have called the police if I’d seen that.”

“Did Mr. Hale know Amy or her family?”

Her brow furrowed. “Why would he?”

“Amy told her foster sister that Mr. Hale was her biological father.”

She laughed. “No.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“He might have strayed, but not that low.”

Though it wasn’t likely Mr. Hale was Amy’s father, it was common knowledge he was very willing to stray. “You still oversee the property?”

“Not like I did, but I do keep an eye on it. That’s why Raine let me stay in my house.”

“And if Raine sells?”

A flicker of unease crossed her face. “I haven’t thought about that.”

“How did Mrs. Hale get outside the day she died?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “We kept her door locked from the outside.”

“Could the lock have slipped?”

“Would’ve been hard to do. The lock was secure.”

“Do you think Amy was involved?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. She wanted to be Raine. We all saw it. Maybe she thought killing Mrs. Hale was helping Raine, and she’d be rewarded. With Mrs. Hale dead, there was nothing holding Raine back.”

“Was Amy dating anyone?”

“I caught her talking on the phone to a guy a few times.”

“How do you know it was a guy?”

“You know. A girl drops her voice, twirls her hair, smiles. She always ended the call when she saw me.”

“Did you discuss your concerns with Raine?”