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“We’re not leaving.” Connie took her gun from her holster. “Let’s just do this so we can handle our business.”
“No.” Dee crossed her arms, lips poked out. “He has no right to ask this of us.”
“This is private property, Detective Quarter,” Tran said. “Unless you have a warrant, we don’t even have to allow you inside.” His bigger eye twitched. “Either you want to come in or you don’t.”
“We wanna come in.” Connie snatched Dee’s gun from her holster and put the guns in the car. “May we come in now?” She stood beside Dee again.
“Follow me and don’t touch anything.” He led them inside with his nose to the sky.
“Excuse me.” Dee stuck her pinky in the air, and Connie laughed.
As if the exterior of the mansion wasn’t to die for, the inside was an oasis of shiny marble floors and antique stone columns with a mild Vanilla aroma every time Dee turned her head.
They walked through the hallway past colorful rooms with posh furniture and decorative light fixtures.
They turned a corner, passing the winding stairwell.
“You ever get lost in this place?” Connie walked, looking at the ceiling.
“It can intimidate if you’re not used to it.” Tran’s tiny frame disappeared in his airy white slacks. “Intimidation is good in Jonathan’s eyes.”
“Is it?” Dee stopped as they passed a cracked door.
“Something wrong?” Connie turned back.
Dee peeked inside the room to see at least twenty women of various races mediating on the floor in flimsy white dresses with their hair in tight buns.
“They’re meditating,” Tran said. “It’s a huge part of our culture.”
“Your culture?” Dee stood back from the door. “Jonathan describes The Circle as a spiritual group of peace and harmony.”
“That’s right.” Tran smiled.
“Yet, no mention of a certain religion.” Dee raised an eyebrow.
“People think religion is the same as spiritual and it’s not.” Tran wiggled his fingers, showing off the sparkling gold ring. “We’re not a religious group. We just believe in living our lives free of negativity and other emotions that rot the soul.”
Connie nodded, sucking her lip. “I thought Jonathan was a Buddhist or something.”
Tran guffawed with his mouth open so wide Dee saw the cracked wisdom tooth on the right side. “We’re not Buddhists.”
“What’s your role in this?” Dee asked Tran as they continued walking.
“My role is to keep everything running so Jonathan doesn’t have to worry about such matters.” He opened the door to a caramel-toned room with a brown sectional and a white, stone fireplace. “Please come in and sit down.”
Connie and Dee sat on the sectional; the sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows introducing a tinge of brightness.
“Would you like refreshments?” Tran put his hands together. “Fresh fruit and nuts, perhaps? We grow a lot of our own fruit and vegetables.”
“No thanks.” Dee smiled, getting out her notepad.
“I’d love to see outside the property.” Connie straightened herself on the couch, bumping against Dee.
“This isn’t a field trip, Connie. I don’t mean to be rude, Tran, but we’d like to get this show on the road so we can get back.”
“I’ll be right back.” He left the room and returned with three women in thin, white dresses.
The brunette woman glided in front of the others as if she were royalty while the blonde and the redhead stood in place as if they needed permission to move.
“This is Mistress Shauna.” Tran gestured to the tall, curvy woman with loose, black crinkles flowing across her shoulders and back. “This is Emma,” He pointed to the blonde-haired woman with the slanted brown eyes. “And, this is Ana,” he introduced the pale redhead with her face covered in tiny freckles.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Shauna’s hair settled against her round face. “Detectives Quarter and Wilks, I hope you’ve enjoyed checking out our home.” Her arched eyebrows added length to her face.
“Hold on.” Dee held in a chuckle. “What the heck is going on here?”
Her thick, red lips flattened. “As Tran said, I’m Mistress Shauna.”
Dee swallowed a grin. “Why do they call you ‘Mistress’?”
“Because I’m the Head Mistress of The Circle.” Her chestnut eyes brought drama to her face. “I’m second command to Jonathan.”
“Wait, wait.” Dee laughed, covering her mouth. “Is this a joke?”
“I see nothing funny,” Shauna said, not a trace of humor. “In your world I’d be a queen.”
“Okay, queen.” Dee flicked her hand, grinning. “Whatever you say.”
“Where is Jonathan?” Connie asked.
“Jonathan’s busy.” Shauna wiggled her toes in her sandals, wearing white nail polish. “You can talk to me.”
“We don’t wanna talk to you,” Dee said. “When we called, we were told we could speak to Jonathan.”
“Well, Jonathan has more pressing matters.” Shauna hiked her narrow nose in the air. “I’m closer to him than anyone so I can answer for him.”
“We don’t get to see Jonathan then we’ll leave and come back with a warrant.” Dee sat against the ivory pillows.
“Fine.” Shauna shrugged one shoulder. “Have a nice day.”
“We’ll talk to you,” Connie said. “Dee, the case is what’s important here.”
“Fine.” Dee yanked her pencil out the pocket of her maroon slacks.
Shauna turned toward Emma and Ana, holding her hands out to them. “Ladies?”
The women took Shauna’s hands and helped her to the mahogany glider where she sat erect, batting her eyes.
“What’s this about Autumn being murdered?” she asked with a severe lack of sympathy.
Dee relayed what they knew about Autumn and her involvement in The Circle, observing Shauna.
Shauna cut her gaze to Tran who looked as annoyed as she did at the interview. “You can’t think Jonathan had anything to do with this, do you?”
“It’s our job to find out,” Connie said.
“Jonathan loves us,” Shauna protested. “Doesn’t he, ladies?”
“Yes, Mistress,” Emma and Ana said.
“Wow,” Dee whispered.
“Jonathan protects us,” Shauna said. “Unlike those in the outside world. He’d never hurt us.”
“How did you feel about Autumn?” Connie asked.
“Me?” Shauna stiffened. “She was my sister.”
“Your sister?” Connie asked.
“Not by birth.” She huffed. “We’re all sisters here.”
“Oh.” Dee grinned, chewing on her pencil. “Opposed to in the outside world?”
“Detective Quarter.” Shauna batted her long eyelashes. “I’m sure the concept of how we feel about each other here is foreign to you. That’s the problem. We love each other on a level those outside The Circle could never understand.”
“Don’t give me that crap. You can play your little games here at the compound all you want but this is a murder investigation, and I’d suggest you take it serious.”
“I’m trying to explain our ways.” Her voice remained robotic.
“Love is love, okay,” Dee said. “Either you love someone or you don’t. Obligation can’t force love.”
“Never mind.” Shauna snickered at Emma and Ana. “She’ll never understand.”
Dee examined Shauna’s pale skin. “We need to gage if you’re a suspect or not.”
“Suspect?” Shauna slouched, seeming to show concern even if it were for herself. “I did nothing to Autumn.”
“You’re the Head Mistress, meaning you’re above all these women?” Dee asked. “Are you Jonathan’s lover?”
“We’re all Jonathan’s lovers,” Emma interjected, causing Shauna to give her the side eye.
“I see.” Dee jotted Emma’s words and Shauna’s reactions to them. “So you all have romantic relationships with him?”
“We all share him sexually if that’s what you mean,” Shauna said. “But for his heart, I’m the only one who claims that prize.”
Emma and Ana grimaced.
“Jonathan’s a very attractive man,” Dee said, his electrifying, silver eyes alive in her memory from when she’d seen his website. “Don’t you all get jealous of each other?”
“Never.” Shauna scoffed. “More proof you don’t get our world. We don’t have those negative feelings because we live on a higher, spiritual plane. It’s an honor for us to have Jonathan’s attentions, we want to share him, not limit the love he provides.”
“Someone’s cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs,” Dee whispered to Connie who shook her head.
“We get the feeling that Autumn was closer to him than even you, Mistress Shauna,” Connie said. “Is that true?”
“No one is closer to him than me in that capacity.”
“Not what we heard.”
“Then you heard wrong, Detective Wilks.” Shauna let out an exasperating sigh. “This isn’t getting us anywhere.” She stood, her dress snagging on the chair. “I’ve told you everything. We had nothing to do with Autumn’s death.”
“It’s thirty-two of you, right?” Dee asked. “You can’t speak for every woman here. We want to talk to them and Jonathan.”
“We don’t have to speak to you.” Shauna mocked. “This is Broadville Port not Baltimore. You have no jurisdiction.”
“Eh, before you try to tell us about our jobs you should know what you’re talking about first,” Dee said. “In a murder investigation, jurisdiction doesn’t limit us speaking to anyone who has something to do with this.”
Shauna stuck her chin out, jaws flexing. “We’re done here.”
“Fine.” Dee stood, putting the pad and pencil in her pocket. “But, tell Jonathan we’ll be back soon and we expect him to speak to us. If not we’ll come back with a warrant and not only talk to everyone here...” She looked at Tran, Emma, and Ana. “But, we’ll search this entire place.”
Shauna crossed her arms. “We don’t want cops snooping around here.”
“Then Jonathan needs to speak to us.” Dee handed Shauna her card. “Have a good day.”