Or dead bodies.
Or the way the lights have flickered again with another booming crack of lightning and thunder that come near-simultaneously.
Bea is touching me.
She’s here.
Having a lovely time.
Nothing else matters.
34
SECRETS, SECRETS, SECRETS
Bea
I don’t wantto go back to the living room with the other guests.
But I do want to solve the murder.
Maybe not as I want to convince Simon that we need to pull a Ryker and disappear too, but I can do that after I solve a murder.
“What’s Ryker doing?” I murmur to Simon as soon as we’re out of earshot, his hand warm and solid in mine.
“Exploring the secret passages of the house, I presume.”
“Secret—” I cut myself off as I realize I just shrieked that, and lower my voice. “Secret passages?”
“Yes, his role is to spy on the evening’s festivities from the secret passages around the house. He has my phone number in the event he encounters any unexpected occupants.”
“There are secret passages?” I’m flushing hot and cold at the same time.
Secret passages.
But also, tight, enclosed spaces.
I shiver.
Simon squeezes my hand tighter and pulls me into his body. “They’re quite cramped, so I had no intention of assigning the secret passage spy role to you. Nor Daphne. I don’t wish for her to know how to navigate my home without my knowledge.”
“But Ryker can?”
“Do you truly think it likely your more reclusive brother would enjoy that?”
“Is that why you gave him that role? So he can have a break from people?”
He smiles.
My eyes get hot. “But he can still be here to tell you to?—”
“Keep your goddamn hands off my sister,” someone says in the wall.
Simon turns to a painting of Mr. Young that’s missing an eyeball, which you would only notice if you looked closely.
“Oh my god,” I say when I’m supposed to tell Ryker to back off, thatSimon is my boyfriendandhe has permission to touch me.
Which Ryker knows.
