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“I knew it would take a lot more than getting shot to take me down. I just didn’t know what,” she says. “Now I do.”

She’s sniffling, and I can’t stand to hear the heartache I created. So I do the hard thing and cut it off here. “Bye, Scarlett.”

I pick up my bag and walk out of the room. The last words I hear from her are “See you next Christmas.”

I want to believe her, but I don’t allow myself to. If there’s anything I hold out hope for more than the Bureau trusting that I’m innocent, it’s that, in a year, Scarlett will want nothing to do with me.

Chapter 33

SCARLETT

2 hours and 25 minutes until midnight

It’s not until I finally get a look at myself in the mirror in Nathan’s hotel room that I realize I look like a character straight out of a Christmas horror movie. Disheveled wig? Body glitter that’s taken on a life of its own? Oversize elf costume? Check, check, check.

“You let me go all day like this?” I ask Nathan in the mirror’s reflection.

He leans against the counter and crosses his arms. “Isn’t that the look you were going for?”

I pull my wig off. “No one is going for this look, Lambros.” I examine my lips, where glitter has streaked over their edges. Have I really been sweating this much? “There’s a chance I have glitter in my bloodstream.”

Nathan checks his watch. “We still have some time until we need to be back in the ballroom. Get cleaned up.”

I turn away from my reflection. “This can wait. We need to look into Cameron, but especially Ron. Get his napkin to the lab for testing—”

“Napkin? What napkin?”

“The one he used to wipe his mouth. We can test his DNA,” I say. “It’s in the takeout bag—”

“What the—You grabbed his used napkin?”

“Ron handled the maps, but his fingerprints weren’t on them, which is weird. Maybe there are skin cells on the surface of it, though. We can cross-compare DNA we find on the map against the DNA from the napkin.”

Nathan grabs my shoulders and turns me toward the shower. “I love this side of you, I really do, and I’m glad you’re ready to make bold moves. But you’re venturing into dangerous territory.”

“Not that bold. His napkin was abandoned in a public place,” I say. “I don’t need a warrant for that.”

“Just… relax for a second, okay? Take ten minutes to wash all that sparkle off. We’ve got a whole team working on this.”

I’m only drawing more attention to myself looking like this. I can take a quick shower.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Nathan says as he adjusts the faucets and tests the water temperature. “I’ll keep time.” He slips out of the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

It’s been a second since I’ve been still or alone. The quiet washes over me, helping clear my overcrowded head, and it’s better than any shower I could take. Almost. I pull off my baggy outfit. If I never see another elf costume in my life, it’ll be too soon.

I step into the hot spray and let the heat calm me. Resetting for a moment is good. I soap up quickly and allow my mind to drift, just for a second. The glitter looks like shiny snow as it swirls around the drain. I hum “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” while being simultaneously baffled about how passionate one song can be about weather and fireplaces.

Am I… good at this? Hating Christmas was so last year—

Wait.

So last year. December 24, 2025. Popcorn, Silver Belle, jewelry. No one’s ever who they seem.

“Lambros!” I shout.

I turn off the shower and wrap a towel around me.

Nathan bursts through the door. “What? What’s wrong?” He’s also broken character by changing out of his Santa suit and into a white tee and gray sweatpants, the beard and hat nowhere in sight.