Free Center Stage: Magnolia Steele Mystery #1 by Denise Grover Swank

it.
    “There was an incident earlier. Magnolia got into a disagreement with one of Luke Powell’s guests. Then an hour later he turned up dead. The guest,” she added as an afterthought. “Not Luke Powell.”
    I couldn’t read Emily’s expression when she turned back to me, but I assumed she wasn’t drowning in sympathy. “And Magnolia’s now a suspect.”
    “Yes,” my mother answered.
    “And you expect me to counsel her?” Her expression was no more transparent now than it had been minutes before, which was almost more unnerving than if she’d reacted with the outright hostility I’d expected.
    “If you’re willing.”
    The corner of Emily’s mouth quirked into a slight grin, one I recognized all too well. “Then you should plead guilty, Magnolia.”
    My eyes narrowed. “I didn’t do it, Emily, but then again, you never were a fan of the facts, were you?”
    Emily’s eyes became laser focused on mine. “I had all the facts I needed, Magnolia Steele.”
    “Magnolia!” my mother barked. “Emily’s here to help you. The least you could do is be nice to her.”
    “Me?” I asked in dismay. “She’s the one who—”
    But before I could continue with my rant, Detective Holden opened the kitchen door. “Oh, there you are, Ms. Steele,” he said when his gaze landed on me. “I was having trouble locating you. I thought perhaps you had left the premises.”
    Emily gave me a long, hard look, then turned to my mother and squeezed her shoulder. “If you advised my client to stay on the premises, then of course she did,” she said, taking several steps toward the detective. “She’s too intelligent to disregard a police directive.”
    I wondered how hard that had been for her to choke out. Kudos to her for making it sound convincing.
    “Do you need to question Ms. Steele?” she asked, all business.
    A sly grin spread across his face. “I’ve already taken her statement in regard to finding the body.”
    “That body was a person, Detective Holden,” she said in a tight voice. “A person with a family and friends.”
    I almost corrected her. I was pretty certain Max Goodwin didn’t have any friends, but it was fifty/fifty as to whether my observation would help my case.
    “We’re still holding the victim’s name until his family has been notified.”
    “So will you need to question Ms. Steele further?”
    His gaze drifted between the two of us before finally landing on me. “Not at the moment, but we’ll need you to stick around town. I hope you weren’t planning on heading back to New York for another stripper show.” He gave me a lewd wink.
    “What are you talking about?” my mother asked him, then turned to me. “What is he talking about, Magnolia?”
    “Don’t answer him, Magnolia,” Emily said in an icy tone. “I could file sexual harassment charges against you, Detective.”
    His grin spread. “For what? Speaking the truth? It’s out there in cyberspace for anyone to see.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I had no idea I was interviewing a celebrity. I’m really looking forward to speaking with you again.” Then he turned on his heels and left the room.
    As soon as he was gone, Emily turned to me and said in an accusatory tone, “What did you tell him in your statement?”
    “The truth.” Mostly.
    “I need the details.” She looked around us. “But not here. Somewhere private.”
    “We can go to my house,” Momma said.
    Emily paused, biting her upper lip. “No. My office.”
    “I can’t leave for another half hour or more.”
    Emily gave her a sympathetic look. “I’d like to speak with Magnolia alone, if you don’t mind.”
    Momma looked surprised, but she quickly covered it. “Of course. But she doesn’t have a car.”
    “I’ll take her to the office and then to your house.”
    “She doesn’t have a key,” Momma said. “You’ll have to let her in if I’m not home yet.”
    Emily nodded.
    She had a key to my mother’s house? Just how close were they?