Chapter 817 INTERVIEW (XXII)

Chapter 817 INTERVIEW (XXII)　　"EVEN though I'm thankful towards him, I don't have any deep particular feelings towards the man. I only think of him as my employer. That might be callous and unfeeling but I'm just being real. And last I heard, that's not a sin. Surely, the detective won't persecute me just because of my outlook in life?"

The way the woman answered it was very natural. She didn't pause, she didn't stutter, there wasn't even any particular reaction on her face. At one glance, anyone would think that this was truly what the other really felt. But Luo Yan had a different thought.

There's something really odd about how Mrs. Gilmore's reaction. He couldn't put his finger on what it was. Heck, he couldn't even explain it properly. So, he just continued asking the other.

"Don't you feel worried? After all, your employer just died. Your source of income was now jeopardized."

"I have saved a lot throughout the years. I could use it to open a small restaurant and live comfortably enough with my son," the other said in the same almost emotionless tone.

"I don't think your son would feel the same way," Luo Yan said. "From what I've seen, he seemed to be pretty close to Mr. Harcourt."

"Of course, he would feel sad. Cian grew up without a father. Mr. Harcourt was the first adult man who treated him so kindly. So, my son subconsciously thought of him as a father figure. Which was not very conducive, if you ask me. After all, at the end of the day, he's the master and we're only his servants."

Luo Yan raised his brow at that. "So, you disapproved of the kindness Mr. Harcourt had showed to your son?"

"Not disapproved, I just thought it unnecessary."

"Then, do you know why he was so kind to Cian?"

"It's nothing really deep. I think the old man was simply lonely. He was living far away from his children. So, Cian probably reminded him of them. That's why he couldn't help but be kind to my son."

If you thought about it, Mrs. Gilmore was indeed making quite a good point. But still, Luo Yan still couldn't let go of that weird feeling. 

"What's your opinion about Mr. Harcourt's children?" 

"Nothing. I don't know them enough to make an opinion."

Luo Yan continued to ask and the other continued to answer in that emotionless way of hers. And in a very perfect manner too. As if she already had an answer ready to every question he threw at him.

No, wait- that's it! He finally found what so weird about this Mrs. Gilmore! It's because she was answering as if she was reading some kind of script. The only way this was possible was if she thought of every possible question that he would ask and thought of answer to these questions. 

She probably did it while Luo Yan was interviewing the others. She probably even memorized these answers. There wasn't really any problem with her doing that. But it's definitely suspicious. Those who usually did this kind of thing were smart criminals who was able to get around the law and escape any kind of prosecution.

But there's also the possibility that she just wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be suspected because she truly didn't do anything. So, which one was she of the two? Honestly, he couldn't really tell.

He stared at the woman in front of him. He wondered what kind of question would strip the other's calm mask. He's convinced that if he managed to do that, he might be in for more surprise. 

The way to do that was probably to ask something very, well, controversial and unexpected. Of course, he still had to do it in a gentlemanly manner. He's the gentleman detective after all.

"I heard an interesting rumor. I hope Mrs. Gilmore won't be offended if ask you this question," he started.

"Of course. As the detective, it's your job to question us about things that might be related to the case. Therefore, it's also our job to cooperate with you."

"Thank you for your understanding." Luo Yan gave the other an apologetic smile, as if he truly felt bad asking this question, and asked, "I heard a rumor that you and Mr. Harcourt were in that kind of relationship. And that it's the reason why he'd been so kind to your son. Even making him the butler even though he's obviously not qualified for the job. So, was it true, Mrs. Gilmore?"

The woman's face turned a bright shade of red the moment Luo Yan asked her that question. And because of her pale skin, she looked even more like a cooked shrimp. But that was not a shy blush. What she was feeling was definitely humiliation. 

"How absurd! Whoever you heard this… this slander from was obviously lying! There's no way that anyone would think that Mr. Harcourt and I have that kind of relationship. Was it one of his children? It's one of them, right?"

"Why do you say that? It could be one of the servants."

"That's impossible. You can call all of them now and none of them will tell you that Mr. Harcourt and I have even been inappropriate towards each other. We're not even seen much together, so how could a rumor like that appear?"

Luo Yan smiled inwardly. The mask had finally come undone. She finally said something that was not on her 'script'. And the way she said it, like she was saying 'no, there couldn't be any rumors because we made sure that we wouldn't be seen together'.

Interesting. Maybe his hunch wasn't so ridiculous after all.

Even though he was smiling inside, he showed an apologetic expression on the outside. "It's Saunders actually," he said, lying through his teeth.

This time, an even more ludicrous expression appeared on Mrs. Gilmore's face. "Impossible!"

She said it in a way as if she was even more certain about this than the rumor. 

"He mentioned it to me in passing during the ride from the train station to the manor."

Mrs. Gilmore's became even uglier. And once again, Luo Yan smiled inside.