“What’s wrong? Realised you can’t leech anything from me?” Cardinal quips and to my horror he's actually smiling. It's terrifying. Her eyeballs look like they're trying to escape from her skull, as she sits forward and holds out her cocktail for Lily to silently take. The blonde is enjoying the drama, which is nothing new.
“She can still leech your soul.” Roo whispers for only me to hear and I can’t hold in my laugh. It’s the wrong move, because not only does her head slowly turn to me, but Cardinal’s eyes turn almost black staring at me too.
“So you’re above me now are you? Pretending to be the white knight for her and that means all the women before are just trash?” Her shoulders shake. My mouth hangs open, because it’s genuine hurt in her eyes that makes all the fight leave my body. I wasn’t a monster, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with liking sex–hell I’ve even hooked up with guys. I like the soul attention that comes with it, the connection you could dive intofor that one night and then go your separate ways. I’d always imagined my future alone. The media was wrong about me having an incredibly large amount of partners, but they weren’t wrong about how little I committed. Willow just never seemed to get that message and the one night we spent together probably hadn’t helped.
Turning back to look at Robin, she takes one small step backwards leaving my palms cold and empty. I fucking longed so badly for this women, but my past was coming back to completely screw me over.
Shoes catching on stone turns all of our attention, as both detectives step out of the house onto the patio. Merle follows behind them, looking pale, with a tightness in his jaw. Dark circles grew nearly purple under his eyes, but that wasn’t what frightened me; it was the fear tightening his features.
“Ah Miss Osbourne. We’d love to speak to you.” Starling said, with his hands in his pockets and a shadow of a smirk under his moustache.
“Oh Detectives,” Lily started to wail, “Is this all necessary?”
I almost forgot she was even here, quietly knocking back champagne, but everyone deals with grief differently.
“Unfortunately it is. Your brother's murder is a very serious matter and we still have lots of questions that need answering.”
“Murder?” She splutters and sways as she stands.
Starling steps further into the circle of guests and with a slight theatrical flourish, I think he’s weirdly enjoying this. “Yes, Murder. In the early hours of Saturday morning, we believe someone met with Mr Claythorne and an altercation took place. We found two glasses with a bottle of champagne that was part of those served at the dinner party. He didn't have any defensive wounds, so right now we’re assuming he didn't fight with the assailant because he didn't deem them as a threat. He probably didn't see the hit to the back of the head coming.”
His eyes linger on Robin for too long and my stomach drops. He's asked way too many questions involving her relationship, but he couldn't possibly think the tiny thing could murder someone? Even if she had the right weapon in her hands, she’d never hurt them, not even him. She'sgood.
I make a small move to block his line of vision to her, crossing my arms and not caring if I come off as some over stepping dickhead. “What if somebody came onto the property and attacked him?” The guy was hated enough that he had enemies, but I don't say that, not when his sister looks like she’s close to sobbing again. Her eyes constantly move between each detective and the house.
Neither answer, but Merle shifts uncomfortably next to them. “Not possible. The cameras we have on the front gates and hotel shows no one came or went all night.” He says, rubbing his palm down his shorts.
I frown. “Are there no cameras in the gardens or pool house?”
He continues to fidget and it starts to make that nervous pit grow inside me. “Those and inside the house cameras all seem to have been turned off Friday.”
Robin pushes my shoulder lightly so I have to move, but she rests a tiny hand on my forearm. She's not an idiot, she probably knows I'm trying to put space between Starling asking her questions. “Did you or Phin turn them off for the weekend?”
He grimly shakes his head. “It wasn't us. The last footage we have of inside the house and gardens is just before you all arrived. They’ve been off all weekend.” We all look at one another and I think it's starting to dawn on us what that means. Cardinal has been quiet this entire time, but I know he’s been assessing the group. DC Goldie hasn't taken his eyes from him and it could be because he's a big guy, way more muscles than any of us that you can see now he's out of the suit he turned upin. He's not as broad as Bran, but definitely looks strong enough to say, smash someone's head in.
Should I be mulling over a murder this casually? It's probably not healthy.
From the sun lounger Cardinal sits forward and rests his hands against his knees. Goldie tracks the movement and so does Willow, moving her sunglasses up to swallow his entire form unsubtly. “So you think it's one of us?” He asks with a stoic expression that gives nothing away.
“We’re not at liberty to confirm anything right now. But, Miss Osbourne, please follow us into the library.” Starling stretches his hand towards the house, directing her to step away from me.
Letting her go alone just feels wrong, but everyone starts to move; Robin and the detectives towards the house, the others rising from the loungers whilst Merle nervously flutters. Grabbing her hand before she leaves, I move too so I can see her face.
“You don't have to talk to them. I can call–well I can't call, but I can get you a lawyer if you want to wait to talk to them.” I plead with my eyes, because I have an incredibly bad feeling about this. Just like the entire weekend and the murder mystery party. If I had to get them to contact the band's legal team I would. In fact, I was quite content that I'd do a lot of things for this woman if she asked.
She shakes her head, sending dark locks over her shoulder. “No it's ok. I don't have anything to hide.” She squeezes my hand and it almost kills me to let go. “Thank you. I’ll be ok. I promise Wren.” A small smile traces her lips as she walks away into the house, my nerves suffocating themselves because I don't share her sentiment. We all wait for them to enter the house before collecting in a circle.
“What questions did they ask you?” I direct at Merle, who still fidgets with his fingers and looks back at the house. I’m startingto get worried that the weekend's events are catching up with him. That's why he and Phin went into business together; so he could run the business side of the hotel and my best friend could manage staff, events and guests because he’s incredible with people. I can see the stress eating at him, sending a wave of guilt through me that I've been too in my own head, whilst he’s gotten rip roaring drunk. They’ve already paused their issues to just get through the rest of the weekend, so I can’t see it helping that he’s left Merle to try and deal with the detectives on his own.
“They wanted to know more about where Robin was in the hotel Friday. If she knew where the office was—if she could get in there.”
Lily brings her hands to her face and leans against him. “Gosh, this is actually insane. They asked me yesterday if I had read her new book. I don’t know why—anyway I said yes, but they kept going on and on about it.”
My gut dips again.
“Why would they ask you that?” Willow frowns. Our collective gazes bounce from one another like pin balls. I retrace the events; all the introductions, the party, singing, my bruised knuckles, our mind melting kisses and reading.Reading.
We must be on the same train of thought, because Cardinal lowers his voice. “Her book. One of her victims is found dead in a swimming pool.” It surprises me that he’s read her novel, especially as I’d assumed he hadn’t known any of the guests prior to arriving. Had he read it before coming, or like me stayed up most of the night in the hotel reading? I finished the last few chapters whilst I moped around in my bedroom this morning, missing the little author but not knowing if she’d want to see me.
