“Because he’s scum. He’ll do whatever it takes to win. I know a lot of people think that’s the way you need to operate in this business. But I don’t agree.”
The detective had scruples. I could admire that.
“Now tell me, what are you doing here?” He stared at me with a look that would send a cockroach scrambling back into its hole.
I wasn’t a cockroach, even though I felt like one right now.
I knew there was no need to make up something at this point. I was cornered.
“I’m here to keep my eye on her.” I nodded toward Emily.
Hunter followed my gaze. “That’s what I figured.”
“Because that’s the reason you’re here, isn’t it?”
“That’s none of your business.” His stare was cold on me. “I can’t make you leave this party, but you’re swimming with sharks here. You should know that.”
I rubbed my throat, suddenly feeling like I shouldn’t be here. Actually, I’d known that all along. But his words only confirmed it.
“Good to know.” My voice cracked as I said the words.
“And I’d stay away from Jono too while you’re at it.”
“Is there anyone that I should be around?”
“In this town? Not many.” He looked back as Emily left the room with an unknown man. “I’ve got to go.”
Before he could walk away, I called his name again and he paused.
“Just one thing,” I said.
Hunter stared at me, waiting for me to say something.
But instead, I reached forward and straightened his bowtie. “There. All better now.”
He narrowed his eyes, not in anger. But I was pretty sure I’d just perplexed him.
I was pretty good at doing that sometimes.
Then he walked away.
I released the breath I’d been holding. That was close. Too close.
But this night still wasn’t done. I needed to see what I could find out about Emily. But it was going to be harder now than ever.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Another thirty minutes had passed, and I’d been wandering around the fundraiser aimlessly. This was not how I was supposed to be investigating. But everyone had clustered in groups.
Everyone but me.
I needed to come up with a plan if I wanted to talk to Emily. At this point, I was on borrowed time.
I paused near the staircase and spotted her across the room. I wasn’t sure if Detective Hunter had talked to her or not, but she was back and talking to a group of friends. They each laughed as they stood in a semi-circle.
Here goes nothing.
I pretended to take a sip of my wine and made my way toward her. As soon as I approached the group, their smiles and laughter slipped, and they stared at me. I was obviously an unwelcome visitor in the space.
“This is a great event, isn’t it?” I started.
They gave me stiff nods in return. Did they sense I wasn’t one of their people? Or were they like this with all outsiders?
I had no idea. But if I had my way, I wouldn’t be talking with them either.
“By the way, I love your dress.” I turned to Emily and nodded at her Kelly-green strapless dress. It really was a head-turner. That hadn’t been a lie.
“Thanks. Who are you?” The woman’s voice was cold and direct, and her eyes assessed me as if I might be an enemy who’d sneaked over the border.
“I’m Elle. I’m new to this area.”
“You have a beautiful skin tone,” one of Emily’s friends said.
I touched my face and smiled. “Thank you. The nice part about being half Hispanic and half Caucasian is that I always look like I have a suntan.”
“I’ve always wished my skin was a little darker,” another woman said.
Mischa. I recognized the painfully thin redhead from Emily’s social media posts.
“I have to go have a fake spray tan done every couple weeks or I look like the walking dead,” Mischa continued.
That sounded miserable. Her porcelain skin was beautiful, but I guess she couldn’t see that.
I glanced around. “This place really is beautiful.”
“Yes, my father likes it,” Mischa said.
I glanced at the woman. “This is your place?”
I couldn’t even begin to imagine having this kind of wealth.
“Yes, this is our place here in Storm River. I prefer our place up in Cape Cod more, but this works in a pinch.”
Not only did she have one of these mega mansions, but she had two. Maybe even more. The facts surprisingly didn’t make me feel inferior.
“So Storm River is a really interesting place,” I started. “It seems dead during the week, but then on the weekends . . . it’s party central.”
No one said anything. Instead, they all stared. Had I just demonstrated party central by doing a brief rendition of the chicken dance? I was pretty sure I had.
Don’t start rhyming. It would be awful timing.
Doh!
I cleared my throat, feeling my nerves getting the best of me. I had to get them under control before I blew it. “So, are all of you guys from this area?”
Three of the ladies nodded, but not Emily. Instead, she tucked a hair behind her ear and her eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.
“I’m actually from New Jersey,” she finally said.
“Oh? What brought you down here?” I tried to keep my voice light and friendly. And I really hoped I didn’t break out in the chicken dance again.
“You like to ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” She glared at me.
“I was making conversation. Don’t feel like you have to answer. I’m just new in town, and I don’t know anyone. It’s . . . different for me. My father was a diplomat, and, growing up, we had gatherings like this all the time.”
The words were partially true, and I wondered if I seemed like someone with social standing if they’d accept me.
Emily stared at me for a minute before nodding. “I came down here for a waitressing job, if you must know.”
I released my breath. Maybe I’d impressed her. Just a little, at least.
“But then she ended up dating Flash Slivinski,” one of her friends piped in. “After that point, she was one of us.”
“Flash Slivinski?” I made sure I looked totally impressed. “The one and only Flash Slivinski? Isn’t he, like, the world’s best pro golfer?”
I could tell that Emily was trying not to smile, but hints of it crept up on the edges of her lips. “That’s right. But we’re no longer together. He’s out of my life now.”
“That must have been quite exciting to date a professional athlete,” I said. “I’m sure you had lots of events to go to together. You rubbed elbows with the rich and famous.”
“I did get to meet Melania Trump one time. Regardless of your political affiliation, she is gorgeous, and she was kind.”
“I can only imagine how fun that was.” I nodded but tried not to overdo it. “If I were you, that would be totally all over Instagram.”
This time Emily did smile. “Believe me, it was. In fact, I think I gained about ten thousand more followers that day.”
“So awesome.” My tone turned somber. “Hey, wasn’t Flash accused of killing some girl recently? I don’t always keep up with the news, but I thought I heard that somewhere.”
Emily’s smile disappeared. “That’s right. We’re all waiting to see what happens now.”
“Do you think he did it?” I tried to look embarrassed by covering my mouth and raising my shoulders. “I guess I shouldn’t ask that, should I? It just sounds like something from a movie.”
“It’s fine.” Emily sighed. “We talk about it all the time because none of us can believe it. And I don’t really know the answer. I did date the man, but I can’t see him being violent. That said, he’d do anything to protect his reputation.”
Now that was an interesting statement. “What is he trying to protect exactly? Did he do somethi
ng wrong?”
“When you have that kind of money and fame, you feel like you can do anything you want and get away with it,” Mischa added.
“It sounds like you do think he’s guilty.”
“I’m not saying that.” Emily laughed as if I’d totally misunderstood her. “I’m just saying that you might be surprised at what people are capable of.”
I glanced back at Emily. “I’m sure that you’re grateful that nobody pointed the finger at you too, right?”
Apparently, I’d said the wrong thing because her friends’ mouths dropped open and they stared at me in horror. I wished I had done the chicken dance again instead of saying what I had.
I swallowed hard before saying, “I mean, you know how it goes with people talking about jealous ex-girlfriends. They’re always suspect in cases like these, just like the jealous ex-boyfriends and spouses, right?”
“I’m just thankful that the police went straight to Flash on this one.” A new hardness entered Emily’s voice as she glared at me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we need to get back to talking about stuff that . . . only we talk about.”
I knew what that meant. She wanted me to go away. But had I found out any more answers just now? Not really.
That wasn’t going to be good enough.
I needed to think of a way to talk to her more. My brain raced through the possibilities, and I knew I was going to have to take drastic steps.
The 65 percent of me that was introverted said no. But the 35 percent that was extroverted said go for it.
I didn’t want to do it, but there was only one thing that I could think of.
As I turned to take a step away, my foot caught on the rug. I lunged forward, and my wine flew all over Emily’s dress.
I gasped in fake horror.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said. “My toe just got caught . . .”
Her entire body tensed with rage as her mouth dropped open. “Look what you’ve done.”
You would think I’d just ruined her whole life.
“I know just the solution to get that out of your dress,” I rushed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Before Emily could stop me, I took her arm and led her to a hallway I’d seen earlier. Just as we disappeared into the space, I glanced over my shoulder.
Detective Hunter stared at me from across the room, making no secret of the fact that he was watching my every move. The good news was that I wasn’t doing anything illegal.
I didn’t think so, at least.
I wished I could say I was surprised that he was keeping an eye on me, but I wasn’t. I’d figured the man would be suspicious of me after discovering my real identity earlier.
As soon as we entered the bathroom, I grabbed a towel and put some cold water on it. I began dabbing the hem of Emily’s dress where the stain had settled.
I felt her chilling gaze on me as I worked.
“Who are you?” Only her lips moved, while her teeth remained gritted.
Everyone seemed to see through me today. I needed to keep up my façade in front of Emily for as long as I could.
“I’m Elle. I just moved here.”
“Why are you asking questions about Flash?”
“Can’t a girl just be curious?” Tension snaked up my back as I waited for her response.
“He didn’t kill that girl he was with, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Do you have any theories about who might have?” I dabbed the wine stain again.
She let out a slow breath. “I don’t say this out loud very often, but Flash has enemies.”
“Are you one of those enemies?”
Her lips formed a perfect O in horror. “Why would you ask that?”
“I heard you argued with him on the day before Sarah Vance died.”
“Sure, we argued. That doesn’t mean I killed anyone.”
“Then tell me about these enemies of his,” I countered.
Emily let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes before looking back at me. “One night, Flash had been drinking too much. He has a tendency to talk a lot with a little alcohol in his system. He told me something that was . . . that was awful. If the wrong person found out what he did . . . it could ruin him.”
My heart pounded in my ears. Was this it? This information I’d been looking for? “What did he do that was so horrible?”
Even though we were alone, she glanced behind me before lowering her voice. “I can’t tell you. It would look bad for Flash.”
“What if I told you that the police were looking at you as a suspect?”
A moment of triumph flashed in her gaze, followed by a crash of fear. “I knew it! I saw you talking to Detective Hunter earlier. The two of you are working together, aren’t you?”
I straightened, forgetting about getting the wine out of her dress, and shrugged. Maybe it was better if I let her think that right now. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
“I had nothing to do with any of Flash’s bad choices. The only reason I’ve been talking to Flash so much lately is because he’s going to help me out with my new business venture.”
“New business venture?” I questioned.
“I’m opening a new clothing boutique. Flash is helping to finance it.”
And that was really the reason she was being so nice.
“He’s only helping you in return for your silence, isn’t he?” It made sense now. “Why should we believe that you really are innocent?”
“Because I am!” She grabbed the towel from my hand and threw it at the mirror in a fit of anger.
I released the air from my lungs before saying, “Why don’t you just tell me what happened?”
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me. “Why should I?”
“If you don’t watch out for yourself, who else will? Do you think Flash is going to defend you if somebody accuses you of murdering that girl?”
“But Flash is the one who’s been charged with the crime!”
“Some evidence has come to light that makes it look like somebody else may have been involved in Sarah Vance’s murder.”
“It wasn’t me!” Emily’s voice rose as her eyes widened.
“Tell me what happened, Emily.”
Even though there was no one else around, she stepped closer. “Fine. About three months ago, Flash was out partying and he had too much to drink. On the way home, he hit a car. Instead of stopping to see if the driver was okay, Flash took off. The driver was in ICU for three weeks and couldn’t remember anything about the accident. He’s doing okay now and all. But if the truth about what happened that night slipped out? It would ruin Flash’s whole career.”
Yes, it would. “Flash told you all of this?”
Emily nodded. “Like I said, it was only because he’d had too much to drink and he had loose lips. But when Flash realized what he’d done, he panicked. Flipped out. I told him I wouldn’t tell anyone . . . that we could come up with a mutually beneficial deal.”
“So you were really doing him a favor?” I didn’t believe the words, but I said them anyway, just to see how Emily would react and to make her think that I was on her side.
“That’s right. And that’s all I know. Please don’t tell Flash I told you that. I mean, if the man had died, it would be a different story. I would’ve had no choice but to come forward. But the man is doing okay. Flash made an anonymous donation to the man’s medical care. He tried to make things right.”
But that still didn’t mean Flash had done the right thing. I kept the thought quiet. “Thanks for opening up to me.”
Emily took a step back. “I’ll figure out how to get this wine out of my dress myself.”
That was fine with me. I’d gotten all the information from her that I needed.
I stepped out the door and back into the fundraising gala.
As the saying went, the plot had thickened.
I had gotten what I came here for. And now I really wanted to talk to someone about what I’d lear
ned. Maybe I could call Michael, tell him, and he could get a head start on doing some investigating—provided that Chloe was doing okay, of course.
I glanced around. Nobody was watching me. They were all huddled back into their friend groups—friend groups like the ones I used to have. Would I ever find my place again?
I wasn’t sure.
With that in mind, I started toward the back of the mansion. I knew from my brief perusal when I’d felt socially ostracized that there was a patio out there. I’d been remembering Michael’s advice to me: always know your exits.
I hoped there might be somewhere private I could call Michael with an update. But that might go against his other advice: I was safer in crowds.
I didn’t want to mess this up. But I thought I was done here, that I’d gotten the information I came for.
Just as I thought, a few people were out here mingling, but the majority of guests were inside. I pulled my phone from my little purse and walked to the edge of the patio, just out of sight so nobody would overhear anything I said.
I dialed Michael’s number, and he answered on the first ring. Concern laced his voice before I’d even said a word. “Elliot. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. How’s Chloe?”
“She just got her cast put on, and we’re waiting for the doctors to discharge us. Overall, she’s doing fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I know things like that can be traumatic for a kid.” I looked around. Beyond the house, all I could see were shadows and the vague outline of a guest house. I knew the river stretched in the distance, though I couldn’t see it.
I realized how isolated I was and shivered.
Maybe coming out here was a bad idea. Privacy equaled isolation, which presented opportunities for bad things to happen.
“I appreciate you asking,” Michael said. “But what’s going on there? Like I said, I’m really sorry that I wasn’t able to be there to help you.”
I told him about the conversation I’d just had with Emily.
He let out a low whistle. “This could change things. I can’t believe Flash was involved in a hit-and-run. Actually, I can.”
“If this Sarah woman somehow knew about that hit-and-run, maybe she brought it up, and maybe Flash really did kill her.”
The Art of Eavesdropping Page 15