Rafael
Drunk-cuddling, then leaving me on read for days? And here I thought we had something special.
I set the phone on silent and put it down, trying to hide my flustered expression.
Fuck this. I need Theo’s help, so whether or not he’s upset, I’ll have to just come out and say it.
“I want to apologize about Saturday night,” I blurt out.
“Apologize?” He shakes his head, the chair creaking softly under his movement. “Scarlett, I was way out of line.”
“No, you weren’t.” My fingers nervously trace the edge of my coffee cup. “You’re one of my best friends, and you were concerned. I should have listened to you.”
“Well—what do you mean? Did something happen?”
“No,” I blurt, perhaps a bit too quickly. Nothing happened, and nothingwillhappen, because Rafael isn’t behind these murders. “I just… I could use your help.”
“Whatever you need,” he rushes out.
Exactlywhat I hoped he’d say.
“Instead of thePassion & Pagesepisode, I want to rerecord tomorrow’sMurders & Manuscripts.”
His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Why, is there something wrong with the original?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. I decided to rewrite the script, highlight another book instead.”
“Oh?” He glances at my laptop, fingers hovering over the keyboard. “Is it written already?”
“Yes.” Though it’s probably shit, since I wrote it in two hours. “The problem is, Celeste hasn’t exactly approved. Because I didn’t tell her.”
“What?” He swivels slightly, the wheels of his chair whispering on the carpeted floor. “Why not?”
Because I know exactly what she’ll say. Not enough money to rerecord, not enough time—and besides, she’ll want to knowwhy.
“Look, I know it’s a lot to ask,” I say, hands flat against the table. “But I can’t afford her saying no. It’s really important that I rerecord the episode.”
“But—”
“You can’t ask me why.”
Theo’s mouth closes, his jaw tightening. I must be freaking him out. Hell,I’mfreakingmyselfout. But right now, I need him to trust me.
“I promise I’ll take all the responsibility. And I’ll buy you lunch. Or dinner. Or… something.”
His lips form a tight line. He knows Celeste too well to believe me. “I really wish you would tell me what’s going on. Can you promise me it’s nothing crazy or dangerous?”
“I can.”Probably.I’ll take precautions, of course.
“Okay.” He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I guess… I guess we can do it.”
Relief washes over me, so strong I’d like to squeeze him. “Thank you. Seriously.” I stand and grab a headphone set from a nearby hook, the leather padding soft and worn from use. “Let’s get to work, then. We’ll be here a while.”
He sets up the computers, and I move on to the recording station.
Step one of the plan completed. The easiest step, honestly. Step two? Catch a killer. If Rafael isn’t the murderer, everything will be fine. Tomorrow it’ll all be over. But if he is, I’ll stop him.
I’ll catch him in the act, back him into a corner.
