I sighed. “I knew she was seeing someone, because she mentioned it a few times when we did our weekly phone catch-ups. But she always followed it up with something like, ‘it’s still pretty new, so I don’t want to jinx it by saying too much’.So I never heard the guy’s name,” I said. “Usually she shared everything about guys with me, so I was a bit annoyed, but I didn’t hassle her over it. I figured she was entitled to her secrets.”
But now I know that secret probably got her killed,I thought, mentally kicking myself for not trying to find out more from my sister when I still had the chance.
“And she never mentioned anyone else to you?” Dylan asked, curiously tilting his head. “Anyone she might’ve had a problem with back in California who could’ve traveled all the way out here just to hurt her? Maybe an ex-boyfriend?”
“No.” I shook my head. “No one back home ever had a problem with Cal. Everyone loved her.”
“That’s actually why I’m so sure it was Roman who hurt her,” Cherry said. “Because everyone who met Cal here loved her too. She was just…” She trailed off for a second, sighing wistfully. “She was the best.”
“She really was,” Ginny said softly. “She was so nice, and she would never miss a chance to help someone who needed it. It was like she had this light shining out of her all the time, as corny as that sounds.”
“Plus, she was super smart and driven.Alwaysbusy. Either studying, volunteering at the cat shelter, or hanging out with people. I don’t even know how she managed to get any sleep,” Jeremiah said, letting out a light chuckle. “Everyone was in total awe of her.”
“She was unbelievably capable, too,” Cherry added. “Like, anything she set her mind to, she'd master it. Take theater, for instance. It was just a minor for her, so not even her main focus, but she could act, sing, direct, and design sets really well anyway. She had this natural talent that just…” She paused, laughing softly. “God, she made the rest of us look like amateurs sometimes. Even us full-timers.”
Ginny nodded. “She was seriously impressive.”
“She worked so hard at everything too." Cherry dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “When the department was looking for a new senior production coordinator, there was actually talkabout nominating both of us and having us run it together as co-managers. I was so excited. It would’ve been perfect for us.”
“For sure,” Dylan said, patting her arm. “You two complemented each other so well.”
Cherry nodded. “Yeah, we did. But Cal turned it down. She told the department head that she didn't have time with everything else on her plate.” Her voice wavered slightly. “I wish she'd said yes, though. It would've been amazing to have that extra time together before…” She trailed off, pressing the napkin against her eyes again. “It just doesn't feel the same without her,” she finally said, voice choked up. “Nothing does.”
A melancholy silence settled over the table.
“The point is,” Jeremiah finally said, looking back at me. “Cal was amazing. Everyone here loved her, and no one had any reason to dislike her, let alone hate her.”
“Exactly.” Ginny nodded firmly. “Roman Valcourt is the only one who makes sense.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “I wish she told me about him,” I said. “Even just the smallest detail could’ve helped.”
“Well, what about her phone?” Cherry asked, brows puckering with curiosity. “Could you look at that for some sort of evidence of their relationship?”
“I already did that,” I replied. “Both phones, actually, because the burner one survived the fall. But there was nothing on either of them to suggest she had a boyfriend at all. So she hid it really well.”
“Damn,” Dylan muttered. “That could’ve been a smoking gun.”
“Then I’ll find another one. Ihaveto,” I said. “The question now is… will any of you help me?”
Another hush fell over the group, and the four of them once again exchanged uneasy glances.
“We want justice for Cal,” Cherry finally said. “But the Dionysus Club is so dangerous, Violet. If we get caught looking into them…”
She trailed off, letting the implication dangle in the air.
“I understand that you’re scared.” I leaned forward, voice low and even. “But I’m not asking you to put your lives on the line. If anything happens, and they find out someone is investigating them… I’ll just say it was all me. You guys didn’t know a thing.”
Silence again. I could see the battle flickering behind their eyes; the terror, the loyalty, the guilt.
“I’ll do it,” Jeremiah finally said, even though his hands were shaking a little on the table. “I’ll help.”
“Well, you can’t do it without me,” Dylan quickly added.
“Or me,” Ginny jumped in.
We all turned our gazes to Cherry, and she dipped her chin in a brief nod, eyes glistening with tears. “Of course I’ll help you, Vee,” she said softly. Her hand instantly flew to her mouth. “Oh my god. Sorry. I can’t just use your sister’s nickname for you like that. We only met four hours ago.”
I gave her a wobbly smile as my throat tightened. “It’s fine,” I murmured. “I love that name.”
