“I have other anonymous clients,” I said, feeling ill. “Maybe they’re all him.”
“Maybe.” Hayden put his hand on my bouncing leg. “Don’t take it too harshly.”
“How can I not? I’ve been emailing him for years! We talked about plays we liked, books we read, and… shit. I’m so stupid!”
“Hey, cut it out. You had no way of knowing. I’d rather have him sending you emails than trying to meet you in person. From what I can see, there’s nothing incriminating in his emails that we can use against him.”
“I’m going to block his address.”
“Don’t. As far as he knows, you’re not on to him. Leave it alone for now.”
I sighed and turned off my laptop. The thought of my work being displayed in Eliot’s house was unnerving. How many bills had I paid thanks to his generosity?
“Other than this, did you have fun tonight?”
I forced my anger to subside, unwilling to let Eliot sabotage my successful evening. “It was better than I thought it’d be. It helped that you were here.”
“Please, you had them enchanted before I got here.”
“Still.” I leaned my head against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I love seeing you with people.”
“I felt rusty.”
“No one could tell. I felt proud seeing you in action—not that I have the right to feel pride about that.”
“You have the right.” I kissed his cheek.
He smiled and nodded. “Good to know. How many pieces did you sell?”
“Three, and expensive ones.”
“And how much would you have sold if we’d given them a sex show?”
“Hmm, maybe four.”
He laughed. “That’s it?”
“Could be five.” I cleared my throat. “Do you still want to drive to see Amanda alone tomorrow?”
He stroked my cheek. “Yes. You’ve had enough stress lately. Let me take this one.”
He was right. I’d only been able to sleep because of pills, and I hated taking them. “Just remember to update me the moment you can.” I glanced around at the mess. “Mind helping me clean?”
“Sure, but only if you do it naked. That’s non-negotiable.”
I rolled my eyes and rose to my feet. With his eyes watching me closely, I removed my clothes.
*
The aftermath of the dinner party didn’t fade the following day. I got dozens of phone calls from guests who wanted to order new pieces or to offer me a spot in their galleries. One even insisted on publishing an article about me in a fancy art magazine, and I found myself fighting my instincts and agreeing. It was overwhelming and wonderful, making me forget about Hayden’s visit to see Amanda for a few hours. Around noon, he textedme that he’d met with her and that it had been a waste of time.“She’s crazier than a bag of cats.”
I wasn’t surprised—she had been on the wrong side of sanity even back then. It dawned on me that another lead had just died, bringing us one step closer to the uneventful conclusion of this investigation. I once again felt selfish for wishing this to be over, but I couldn’t help it, and I owed no explanations in the privacy of my own mind.
Hayden promised to give me more details later that evening, but I returned home exhausted and fell asleep before we could speak.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
