As innocent as she seemed, Saffi knew what Priyal was trying to do. She wasn’t quite as clueless as Saffi had initially thought.
“See for yourself.” Saffi flashed her license in Priyal’s direction, taking care to block out most of her name and other vital information with her fingers.
Priyal relaxed at the mere sight of it. “Oh, it does!”
No matter how suspicious, most people had a strong compulsion to believe their peers. Confirmation that Saffi had been telling the truth about a single aspect of her story was usually enough to convince them that she could be trusted. It was certainly enough for Tiwari.
“I can’t believe I’ve never heard of you before,” Priyal said. “Then again, Dimple doesn’t really talk about herself. What am I saying—you probably know her much better than I do.”
Saffi gave her a bland smile. “You like working for her?”
“It’s the best job I’ve had in a while,” Priyal said without missing a beat. “The last one stole half my tips and made me work through my breaks. I couldn’t even complain because I needed the money.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Priyal said, laughing. “Thanks to Dimple, I don’t have to worry about that anymore.” She gestured at Saffi’s shirt. “She buys me coffee every day and lets me shadow her while she’s filming.”
“Maybe I should visit her on set,” Saffi mused. “So she can’t avoid me anymore.”
Tiwari brightened with what seemed to be pleasant surprise before suddenly deflating. “I wish you could, but today’s actually their last day of filming.”
Saffi tried to act disappointed, but it fell flat. There was something here. She just needed to keep the girl talking. “I’m sorry I missed it.”
“Me too,” Tiwari said. “Seeing Dimple act up close is something incredible.”
“So she’s doing well, then?”
“Better than ever—she’s glowing. And to think she almost didn’t take the role.”
“What? Why not?” Saffi asked a little too quickly.
Tiwari shuttered immediately, her whole body closing in on itself. “Um, never mind. Please just forget I said anything.”
Saffi had just witnessed her first hint of gold. “What do you mean?” she asked with false innocence.
“It’s kind of a sensitive topic.”
This was going nowhere, but Saffi knew enough to take a chance and make a wild guess. “It has to do with Irene, doesn’t it?”
“How did you—?”
Saffi had struck gold. She tried to temper her rising giddiness. “Dimple’s told me a little, but you know how she bottles things up. She probably doesn’t want me to worry, but I do anyway,” she said,attempting to replicate a level of devotion that was still foreign to her.
Tiwari’s expression softened. “She’s a good person, she really is,” she insisted. “Dimple didn’t know why they offered her the role all of a sudden. As soon as she found out, though, she tried to get out of it. But the director refused and she’s under contract, so—you know how it is. But I think it still bothers her. What if people found out…”
Holy shit.
Saffi had just found her motive.
“You mean, if people find out that Irene had the role first?” Saffi guessed. Her voice came out breathless.
Tiwari nodded solemnly.
“When did she accept the job?” Saffi asked.
Tiwari’s eyebrows furrowed, and Saffi worried she’d probed too far, but she didn’t have to worry for long. The girl was deep in thought. “I told her about it myself. The Tuesday before filming started, I think.”
“January 27th?” Saffi guessed.
