“I’m here, River.”
He stands and rushes toward me, stopping when he reaches the invisible barrier between us. “Oh gods, it’s good to see you. You have no idea—”
“We don’t have much time, Riv. You need to tell me about the murder.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“I know. I plan to prove as much and I’m going to get you out of here, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t understand. Shouldn’t there be video? There’s a camera right outside my restaurant.”
I lower my chin, hating to tell him. “It’s been tampered with. Fifteen minutes are missing. It goes from empty walkway to you hunched over the victim.”
He tips his head back and curses. “Damn it. Who the fuck is messing with me?”
“Help me find out. Tell me exactly what happened.”
He sighs heavily. “After I left you, I went to the restaurant to make sure everything was handled for the after-party. I helped my staff get all the food to the tent. But a burner on one of our warmers went out, so I headed back to the restaurant to get a replacement. That’s when I stopped to talk with a… friend.”
I analyze the way he saysfriendand draw some conclusions. “Friend with benefits?”
He nods once. “One who’d left for home directly from my place that morning, along with another friend who sometimes joins us.”
“Oh!” I’m not sure why that surprises me. River’s never hidden the fact that he’s pansexual or occasionally entertains multiple partners. I just didn’t think his sex life would be relevant to this case.
“I heard a shot and a scream and ran toward the sound. There was a hole in the victim’s chest, and he was covered in blood. I yelled for help, then went to his side to put pressure on the wound. I held his hand while he died.” River’s eyes glaze with unshed tears, and I can see the memory deeply affects him. “I never even knew the human’s name.”
Hand on my heart, I say, “That must have been horrible, River, but we don’t have much time. Tell me the name of who you were with that morning. If the victim was already shot before you entered the empty walkway, you were likely still with them at the time of the murder. Maybe they can vouch for you. I’m surprised you haven’t already brought this up with Godmother.”
River balks, his eyes shifting to the side. “I can’t… reveal who it is.”
“What? I understand wanting to be discreet, but this person could prove your innocence!”
He runs a hand over his face. “The person in question would suffer greatly if it was widely known they participated in a threesome with two satyrs. I promised to keep our affair a secret, and I won’t break that confidence.”
My hands ball into fists. “This is the exception. Whoever this person is, if they cared for you at all, they’d want you to tell me their name.”
He swallows hard. “You don’t understand. Ican’tsay. I… bargained. I’mboundto keep their confidence.”
“Fuck! Can you tell me who the other participant was then? The third.”
River smiles excitedly. “Yes. It was Patrick.”
“The satyr? Patrick Fawnear?” Patrick was always the class clown in school and is a brilliant musician. I hadn’t expected he was River’s lover.
“Yes. The three of us were together all night. He can confirm that.”
“But he wasn’t with you before the murder.”
“No.”
“Can he tell me who was?”
River’s face falls. “No. He made the same bargain.”
“For fuck’s sake! Give me a clue. Work around the bargain. This person isn’t worth protecting if they left you in here!”
“You don’t understand, Sophia. Weallmade the bargain to hide our arrangement. They can’t come forward. They are also bound.”
