relationship. There was of course the remote possibility that he really was hooking up with Piper. I wondered if the love Lord Dunphy’s grandfather had demonstrated for his grandmother was the exception in the Dunphy family line. It didn’t sound like things usually started off very well in terms of happily ever after in most of the Dunphy generations.
“Zoe. I’m sorry I didn’t see you, dear.”
Millie rolled up her mat and headed toward me.
“I didn’t want to disturb you. You’re very good.”
“I practice every day. I find that yoga helps to keep my energy pure.”
I smiled.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“I wanted to follow up with you concerning our discussion this morning,” I answered.
“Oh. What part?”
“The part where you said that Brent didn’t seem like Brent. What did you mean by that?”
Millie sat down on the bench next to me. She paused before answering. I supposed she was choosing her words carefully. “People have an energy that’s unique to them. Most don’t notice it, but to me it’s like a fingerprint or a signature. It’s part of who they are, and most of the time it’s congruent with what I know about them. I’ve found that certain types of energies seem to fit different profiles. Most of the time if someone is lying about something major such as who they are or what they do for a living, I can tell because their energy won’t be consistent with their story. I could tell the minute I met Brent that something was off. His energy was all wrong. He was acting in a way that didn’t demonstrate his true character.”
I had to pause to let that sink in. What Millie was saying was sort of out there; on the other hand, it made total sense. What if Brent wasn’t Brent? What if he was someone else pretending to be Brent Silverwood, Hollywood actor? I’d been trying to establish a reason why anyone on the premises would want to kill a man who was here researching a part in a movie, but what if Brent was really here for a completely different reason?
“If you could tell who he wasn’t can you tell who he was?” I wondered.
“It’s not like I can provide a name and address, but I could tell that the man had a secret. More than one. In fact, it seemed as if he was the sort who monitored very closely what he shared and who he shared it with. If I had to guess, he was a man who, rather than living in the spotlight, was used to living in the shadows.”
“In the shadows? Do you think he was wanted by the law?”
“Perhaps. It’s hard to say.”
That certainly gave me something to think about. If Brent wasn’t Brent, we would need to look at a completely different set of motives.
“You left the lounge last night for a short period of time. Did you see anyone else in the hallway?”
“No, I didn’t, and if you’re wondering, I didn’t kill Brent.”
“I didn’t think you did.”
Millie smiled at me. “Remember, I can tell when people are lying.”
“Okay, I did suspect you a tiny bit. It’s just that when I spoke to you this morning, you seemed so excited to have a real murder to investigate. It seemed really out of character based on what I’d observed about you so far.”
“You must have spoken to Molly.”
“Molly?”
“My other personality. She mostly stays in the shadows, but every now and then she likes to poke her head out and chat someone up.”
“You have two personalities?”
“Certainly. We all have multiple personalities. It’s just for most people, our alter egos stay tucked inside.”
I know my face must have conveyed the fact that I thought the woman was crazy with a capital C .
“Haven’t you ever acted out of character?” Millie asked.
“I guess there was a time or two in my youth when I might have had a tad too much to drink and a person who wasn’t me in the least took over my body and went a little crazy.”
“Really? Who was she?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“This person who took over
“Zoe. I’m sorry I didn’t see you, dear.”
Millie rolled up her mat and headed toward me.
“I didn’t want to disturb you. You’re very good.”
“I practice every day. I find that yoga helps to keep my energy pure.”
I smiled.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“I wanted to follow up with you concerning our discussion this morning,” I answered.
“Oh. What part?”
“The part where you said that Brent didn’t seem like Brent. What did you mean by that?”
Millie sat down on the bench next to me. She paused before answering. I supposed she was choosing her words carefully. “People have an energy that’s unique to them. Most don’t notice it, but to me it’s like a fingerprint or a signature. It’s part of who they are, and most of the time it’s congruent with what I know about them. I’ve found that certain types of energies seem to fit different profiles. Most of the time if someone is lying about something major such as who they are or what they do for a living, I can tell because their energy won’t be consistent with their story. I could tell the minute I met Brent that something was off. His energy was all wrong. He was acting in a way that didn’t demonstrate his true character.”
I had to pause to let that sink in. What Millie was saying was sort of out there; on the other hand, it made total sense. What if Brent wasn’t Brent? What if he was someone else pretending to be Brent Silverwood, Hollywood actor? I’d been trying to establish a reason why anyone on the premises would want to kill a man who was here researching a part in a movie, but what if Brent was really here for a completely different reason?
“If you could tell who he wasn’t can you tell who he was?” I wondered.
“It’s not like I can provide a name and address, but I could tell that the man had a secret. More than one. In fact, it seemed as if he was the sort who monitored very closely what he shared and who he shared it with. If I had to guess, he was a man who, rather than living in the spotlight, was used to living in the shadows.”
“In the shadows? Do you think he was wanted by the law?”
“Perhaps. It’s hard to say.”
That certainly gave me something to think about. If Brent wasn’t Brent, we would need to look at a completely different set of motives.
“You left the lounge last night for a short period of time. Did you see anyone else in the hallway?”
“No, I didn’t, and if you’re wondering, I didn’t kill Brent.”
“I didn’t think you did.”
Millie smiled at me. “Remember, I can tell when people are lying.”
“Okay, I did suspect you a tiny bit. It’s just that when I spoke to you this morning, you seemed so excited to have a real murder to investigate. It seemed really out of character based on what I’d observed about you so far.”
“You must have spoken to Molly.”
“Molly?”
“My other personality. She mostly stays in the shadows, but every now and then she likes to poke her head out and chat someone up.”
“You have two personalities?”
“Certainly. We all have multiple personalities. It’s just for most people, our alter egos stay tucked inside.”
I know my face must have conveyed the fact that I thought the woman was crazy with a capital C .
“Haven’t you ever acted out of character?” Millie asked.
“I guess there was a time or two in my youth when I might have had a tad too much to drink and a person who wasn’t me in the least took over my body and went a little crazy.”
“Really? Who was she?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“This person who took over
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