In fact, I'm certain someone did and paid a deadly price. This is going to shatter Cardinal, because once we can confirm it, I know the second body in the pool house will be his sister, Aya.
Chapter twenty-seven
Wren
WHATEVERmadness we stumbled upon when stepping foot into Nightingale house only really started to get to me as I looked down upon the third corpse of the week.
I had watched Mum in the hospital bed take her last breath and never wanted to see someone pass again. Seeing someone I hated dead was one thing, seeing a friend was another. But underneath a tarp, discarded to the side like she meant nothing, like she wasn’t someone’s daughter, or sister, Aya lays there rotting.
The stench as I entered the pool house is unbearable, but I have people relying on me to do this and I would never let Robin down again. She needed me to do this. Pulling my t-shirt over my nose, I walk around the swimming pool to the human-size wrapped parcels and peel back the material from over them. She was right about everything and it may have been the worst time to be amazed at how she’d figured this out. It connected the pieces of what happened Friday night, my mind reeling.
Looking over Aya, I lay the tarp back into place and get the hell out of the pool house, sliding the door closed and marveling athow it hadn’t even been locked. Someone had just rolled down the shutters and none of us had asked any further questions. In fact Cardinal had assumed the place was shut when we’d hunted for Robin.
The entire week we’d had our lives dictated by two detectives who were terrible at their job. Were they even officers? We’d all seen the flashing police lights, Roo had seen a man in a white lab suit walking around the side of the house. We couldn’t have all hallucinated the same scene, so how could they explain an evidence team appearing at the hotel, yet his body was still on the property?
Striding up the patio steps, I halt at the back of the bifold doors and listen for any noises or movement inside. Once I’m certain it’s clear, I dive inside, adamant about getting back into the library as quickly as possible. My nerves are on edge until I get back to her. Passing through the doors, I get caught in the loose drapes floating down between the door frame and let out a couple of hushed curses. The fucking thing has caught me off guard all week and honestly, watching grown men fight with a curtain every day was a little pathetic. Flailing my arms, I keep a fast pace as quietly as I possibly can, slowing into the lobby and continuing right on into the library, acting like I had simply been walking harmlessly back in from another room.
Cardinal and Willow are here, so with a simple nod from myself, Robin breaks the news and quickly lays out her plan.
Cardinal throws the fire guard across the room. I don't blame him; if he wanted to smash all the windows and set fire to the place I’d hold the match.
STARLING and Merle are the first to enter, carrying pillows and blankets, whilst the girls trail in after them, empty-handed. Like she has done this entire stay, Lily takes in how close I’m standing to Robin and practically sneers, flipping her goldhair over her shoulder and takes herself over to where Willow grips the armchair. She looks tense, her olive skin ashen in complexion and she tears at her bottom lip with her teeth. Her worry unnerves me, especially when I’ve always considered her a master of playing off all emotions. It feels wrong thinking about it now, but even during sex she was unattached, never giving me depth or sharing anything of meaning. I was held at arm’s length, which had suited me fine. Probably why I was so confused when she declared we’d been dating. Nothing we had felt for each other was endearing, but seeing this crack in her mask makes me regret not trying to at least be friends.
Goldie comes in last and closes the door.
“Where’s Phin and Bran?” I frown, crossing my arms with unease over their absence. Goldie mumbles that the latter was to stay in his room until he could be detained at the station.
Lily swipes at the air and sighs like she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, from the plush armchair. “Phin is just so exhausted, bless him. You know how delicate he can be. I decided to let him sleep more so he’ll feel better later.”
“Can I go check on him?”
“What part of he’s asleep do you not understand?” She bites, maybe a little more angry because I’m the one asking. “I don’t want anyone to disturb him. I’m his sister, I think I am more than capable of knowing what he needs.”
“Fucking hell, okay!” I raise my hands to signal I’m backing down, but I swear I see her eyes twitch.
I’ve positioned myself closest to Robin and had hoped to sit him between us, so now my nerves are shot. We sit at a table in the middle of the room, the girls in the chairs beside the dark fireplace. Cardinal stands behind Willow’s chair with his arms folded, but his stance is wide and ready for action. As expected he's been in denial over the death of his sister, then anger, but what now worries me is how his face is like stone. Emotionless,and in subtle movements, he turns his body towards Goldie, who stands flat against the thick doorframe. Merle doesn't seem to know where to sit, so he leans against the first row of shelves and fiddles with the book spines. He’s completely checked out of running the hotel and maintaining his guests, I think he just wants it all to be over so he can kick us out, probably Phoenix too and look into dissolving the business.
“I’m his brother, I should be able to see Bran and I’m going with you when you take him to the station.” At least he seems to care about him.
Starling sighs. “As we’ve discussed, he will remain in his room till the team arrives and we can transport him.”
“What about your car? You arrived in one, didn’t you?” I ask, feeling bolder now we’re on the cusp of our release. I just want to lay it all out there and walk out of the hotel. I don’t even care if we get to the village and there are reporters waiting to descend on us. Theo knew where Bran and myself were this weekend, he’d be practically climbing the gates if he could.
“No, we left it in the village before walking up when they closed the bridge.” he replies, looking at me like I have a screw loose.
“Convenient.” I flex, not backing down. We didn’t cover how Robin would start this whole thing. In any good detective novel, they gather everyone in the room and the killer is revealed. We’re not law enforcement though and she doesn’t have the power to make anyone listen, but I have complete faith that she can do this. Taking her hand, I give it a reassuring squeeze, before playfully tapping her bum to get her to move forward into the empty space in between us all. She has her circle; now she needs to go full Detective Featherton on these fuckers.
Shoulders rolling, she takes a composing breath before she holds up the crimson envelope she found, waving it in front of her, which gets Starling’s attention. From the corner of my eye, Isee Cardinal slip closer to the door, Goldie none the wiser as his full attention is on what’s in her hands.
“Detective Starling, I found my secret, finally. I think it helps explain everything that's happened.”
He places his hands in his pockets. “Oh really? Care to enlighten us?”
I swear my admiration for this woman grows by the second, because she simply gets to it, no hesitation.
“Sure. For a guy who is incredibly organized in all aspects of his life, it was strange to be invited to a last-minute party, hosted by him here. Corbin never involved himself much with his siblings, but I think he’d planned this for months. He sent the invitations out at the last minute to unnerve everyone, that way we’d let curiosity win and show up. I wouldn’t have come if I had time to chicken out, even if it was my best friend’s hotel opening.” She looks behind her to give Merle a sad smile, that thread of friendship is gone. “When we got here, you told everyone Corbin was working, but there’s no signal here and you haven’t set the wi-fi up, so you were just covering for him. What was he doing instead, finally threatening you with the closure of the hotel if you didn’t pay up?” she asks, to which Merle nods and gives her a watery smile.
“Gosh, Phoenix always said you were so clever. Yes, when he got here, he told me to announce he was working so he wasn’t disturbed, but he really wanted to hand my ass to me. Said he was telling his brother if I didn’t first. There was no way I could pay any of the money I owed him, not if the hotel didn’t open.”
