I know it’s a bold and direct first attempt, but I figure she's almost done with her side of the floor. I don’t have much time.
She stiffens instantly. Her spine goes straight as she turns to me. “Mrs. Stepanov was… different,” she says shortly, before turning her back on me.
She’s making it very clear that she wants to end the conversation, but I’m not sure I’ll get the opportunity to talk to another member of staff any time soon. Not without listening ears or watching eyes, at least.
“Different how?”
“I don’t talk about her.”
“Why is that?”
She turns to me with one raised eyebrow. “Because I don’t like to gossip about my employers.”
Ouch.
“I… Shoot, I’m sorry. I’m just curious. I want to know who I’m working for,” I say. Then I realize that sometimes, the best stories are the ones that have an element of honesty in them.
“I’ll level with you, Vinita,” I continue. “I was nervous taking this job. I’ve heard things about An—Mr. Stepanov. I just don’t know what to believe anymore.”
She stares at me for a long time. I fear I’ve already alienated her. Then she sighs. “You’re young. And he can be a charming man. He has never been anything other than cordial and polite to me.”
I nod, hoping Vinita’s words will give me some strength. I want to prove Chris and Freya wrong. I want to prove my own worst fears wrong.
“But I keep to myself, sweetheart,” she continues gently. “I keep my head down and do my work. Which is why I’ve lasted seven years. You want to do the same? You want to put food on the table and go home at the end of the day? Then I advise you to do what I do.”
She comes forward and takes the mop from my hand. Then she starts gathering up her things and placing them on the industrial-sized cleaning trolley.
“Vinita, whatever you tell me, I’m not going to repeat to anyone,” I say, making one last ditch attempt to get something useful out of her.
She stops at the kitchen door and turns back to me with a pinched look on her face. “Have you ever heard the expression, ‘There’s no smoke without fire’?”
“Yes.”
“There you go then. Look hard enough and you might find flames.”
She nods and disappears down the hall, leaving me to ponder the expression. The nausea from this morning twists in my stomach, back with a vengeance.
As soon as she’s gone, I spin around and throw up right into the sparkling sink.