THE SUBJECT OF MALICE

by Cynthia Kuhn

  Simone continued. “She told me you saw her sneaking out of Flynn’s room in the morning. Did you tell Becks?”

  “No.”

  She nodded her approval. “Better that she tells him herself. Or maybe not tell him at all. I don’t think he could handle any sort of infidelity.”

  “He already knows about Flynn. Not this weekend, but—”

  With a gasp, Simone jumped to her feet. “Oh no. I have to go to him. How does he know?”

  “When Selene lost her ring, I showed him a picture from the book, thinking it might be useful to post it online somewhere or at least show it around, so people knew what they were looking for. He took it to mean—”

  “Flynn’s desk? Oh Lila, how could you? He’ll be heartbroken. He’s not as strong as you and I are.”

  “I didn’t know. I was just trying to help—”

  But she was already gone, in a flurry of white silk.

  On my way back to the barn, I started to get that conflicted feeling I had much of the time Simone spoke to me, which was an authentic desire to believe her competing with hard-won knowledge that most of the things she said were likely to be partially or completely untrue. Sometimes I forgot who she’d shown herself to be and trusted her again. Which usually didn’t turn out very well. She had a tendency to shift behaviors right when I’d let down my guard.

  Part of me was surprised that Simone had complained about her sister, to me of all people. The other part of me wondered why. Was it due to the vast quantity of champagne she had apparently imbibed? Or was she desperate to unburden herself by telling someone—anyone—as she’d admitted? Or was she spinning lies for her own mysterious purposes? It was hard to know which side of the truth-o-meter she was on tonight.

  But this conversation had felt authentic. I couldn’t explain what was different about it. I believed her, though, I realized with shock.

  Wrapped in my musings, I was halfway down the path before Lex darted toward me from the shadows.

  I ignored the hand he held out to me and kept going.

  Wait. I just hung out on purpose with Simone Freakin’ Raleigh but didn’t want to come within ten feet of my actual boyfriend. Everything was upside down.

  “Lila, please.” His voice broke, softening my resolve. I stopped moving while he caught up to me. “It wasn’t what it looked like. Helena just returned from her job in London.”

  “That’s her name? Helena?”

  “Yes. And it’s true that I hugged her, and she kissed me on the lips—”

  “I saw that part,” I said coldly. “Don’t need the recap.”

  “—but she just did it out of habit.”

  “Out of habit?”

  “Some people are kissers.” He threw his hands up, exasperated, which irritated me further. He did not get to be the exasperated one here.

  “Wow.”

  “Lila, we’re separated. We haven’t gotten divorced, but we aren’t together. I’m with you.”

  “You didn’t even mention her. Not once in all that time.”

  “Because Helena and I weren’t together when we started seeing each other. And you and I were so off and on again...it never felt like the right time. I may have been afraid of what you’d say. I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. We can sort it out right now.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  I hadn’t told him about the time my first love broke my heart by cheating on me. He’d walked out of a party with someone else in front of me—I still had nightmares about that moment where I couldn’t speak or stop him. Tonight had brought up all of those complex feelings of rage, shame, and grief.

  “It was innocent. I swear. I would never do anything to hurt you. Never, Lila. She planted one on me before I knew what was happening and then you bumped into us.” He stared into my eyes, pleading. “We can go talk to her right now. She’s still here.”

  “Why is she at the hotel in the first place?”

  “She went looking for me at the station—”

  “Why?”

  “I told you. She just got back to the states and wanted to see me.”

  When I didn’t reply, he hurriedly added, “We’re still friends. But as I said, we’re separated.”

  “Does she know that you’re separated, Lex? Because it doesn’t sound to me like she does.”

  “Come talk to her. She’ll corroborate what I’m saying.”

  “Corroborate? This isn’t one of your cases.”

  “I know. But Helena felt bad after I told her that you’d seen us and thought we were together.”

  “Oh, Helena felt bad. Well, then. By all means, let’s make her feel better.”

  “You know that I feel terrible too.”

  “Be that as it may—”

  “Lila, I love you. Don’t throw this away.”

  “You...wait, did you just say that you love me?” Suddenly I didn’t care so much about Helena.

  “I did.”

  “You really do?”

  He nodded, his blue eyes never moving from mine. “I do.”

  I paused and took stock of my feelings. It didn’t take long. For better or for worse, I trusted this man. I believed what he was saying about Helena. And I wasn’t going to let a misunderstanding ruin the first time he told me he loved me.

  “That’s good, Lex, because I love you too,” I whispered. “Though this is a heck of a time to have told me. Couldn’t you have waited until we weren’t in the middle of a fight?”

  “No. I couldn’t wait any longer. It needed to be said. And we never seem to do anything the normal way, Lila. Haven’t you noticed that yet?” He took my hand.

  “I have indeed. No more secrets, though. I mean it.”

  “No more secrets. I promise.”

  Some kissing followed. It seemed important to commemorate the exchange of such feelings with solid action.

  Which was followed by some talking.

  And a bit more kissing.

  By the time he pulled out a tube of lip balm to replenish moisture balance, we were back on track, relationship-wise.

  Or maybe even a little bit ahead. He’d told me all about Helena and their youthful but short-lived marriage. I’d shared a few things too.

  As we walked back to the barn, I recounted the conversation with Simone.

  He listened carefully.

  “Do you think Selene may be dangerous, Lex? Do you think she killed Flynn?”

  “She has been doing some strange things. No question about that. But why would she kill him?”

  “Maybe she fell in love with him, told him she wanted more from the relationship, and he refused. Judging from dinner tonight—”

  “What happened?”

  “I’ll fill you in on that later, but the point I’m trying to make is that I don’t think she’s someone who can handle rejection well.”

  Lex nodded. “Do we know for sure that it was in fact a relationship between Selene and Flynn, not just a one-night stand?”

  “I don’t know, but the picture of the ring on his desk is what set Beckett off. She convinced him they’d had a short fling that had been over for a long time.” I paused. “I didn’t mention the sleepover on Friday night. It doesn’t seem like something I should report to him, you know?”

  “Hmmm. I still think he has more motive than anyone else.” Lex pulled out his phone. “I think we need to bring him in. But first...we’re good, right? You and me?”

  “Yes, Detective. I’d even say better than good.”

  He made arrangements while we continued down the path, and I had an idea. As he continued his conversation, I pointed to the hotel. He nodded to indicate that he understood and I sprinted—well, hobbled since the platform shoes were getting more uncomfortable by the second—to the registration desk.

  “Hello! May
I help you?” A round-faced man greeted me cheerfully. He had a mop of red curls and was dressed in a bright green tunic and hose instead of the somber hotel attire I’d seen on everyone else at the desk. Didn’t know if he was channeling a character in the spirit of the Gala or if it was how he dressed all the time.

  “Hello—”

  “Mickey,” he interjected, pointing to his nametag.

  “Mickey. Do you have a lost-and-found?”

  He reached under the counter and felt around, then pulled out a box triumphantly. “What are you looking for?”

  “A ring.” I pulled up the photo on my cell and showed it to him. He gave it a long stare, as if he were memorizing the shape, then set down the phone.

  “Let’s see what we have.” As he scrabbled through the box and removed the items, I was somewhat surprised to see what emerged.

  A necklace made of plastic teeth.

  A threadbare wash cloth.

  A canvas sneaker with frayed laces.

  A polka-dotted raccoon toy with one eye.

  A flashlight that did not turn on when Mickey clicked the button.

  A half-roll of breath mints.

  A key chain with a unicorn on it, devoid of keys.

  And a plastic purple octopus.

  “Oh, I know who that one belongs to,” I said, making a grab for the octopus. I’d give it to Nate later.

  “Alas, no ring.” Mickey said sadly. “You’re, like, the twentieth person to ask me to look for that tonight.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’d already looked?” We could have saved ourselves some time.

  “I hoped we would find the ring inside. You see, this box is enchanted. Sometimes you look inside twice and don’t see something, but then the third time—poof!—it’s there.” He eyed the interior, as if trying to discern the mechanism that made that happen.

  “Maybe someone turns the found item in before you check. You know, in between your shifts.”

  He stared at me. It was obvious that it was first time he’d considered the possibility that something other than enchantment was responsible for the appearance of objects in the box.

  Though he didn’t entertain the theory for long.

  “Nah. It’s magic.” Mickey snatched the box from me and tucked it carefully back in its spot, giving it a little pat.

  “Thank you for your help.”

  “Sure thing. Always happy to look inside the enchanted box. I’ve seen a lot of things you wouldn’t believe working at this desk.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Trust me.”

  Well, that just got weird.

  Chapter 19

  The sounds of a commotion drew me to the front of the lobby. Through the glass wall, I could see that a large crowd had filled up the hotel parking lot. News trucks aimed bright spotlights at the proceedings and reporters were busily talking into their microphones. There was a line of police officers spanning the front of the building, facing the crowd.

  I cupped my hands and pressed my face closer to the glass in order to see better. People held signs with quotes from Flynn’s books. They were singing one of the songs from the first film. A pile of flowers and candles had been deposited near the door. Clearly, the fans had arrived to express their grief. I hoped that things remained calm and never entered any sort of hysteria threshold.

  I scurried back down to the barn, where most people had reclaimed their seats, eager to continue with the Gala. I hoped Lex would join us on the terrace later when the dancing started. Too bad he’d missed the square dance, which had been more fun than I’d expected. Nate was an enthusiastic partner and had made me laugh. Then again, he always made me laugh.

  On the way into the event hall, I swerved into the women’s lounge, which was empty. Having touched some of the lost and found objects, I wanted to give my hands a good scrub. The confrontation with Lex—while upsetting at first—had cleared the air, and I felt lighter than I had in a very long time. I hummed a little.

  While I was drying my hands on a paper towel, the door swung open a crack. Candace was talking on the phone and pushing open the door as she moved very slowly. “No, no. That’s not true. Not at all. Seriously? Who told you that?” She listened, then made a sound of frustration. “An email? Robert, ignore it. I’m telling you, that woman is insane. I’ll explain everything to you when I get home.” There was a pause. “Love you too. See you Sunday.”

  She clicked off and came in the rest of the way, shoving her phone into her bag as she approached. When she lifted her head and saw me, she released a little scream.

  I apologized.

  “No need.” She put her hand on her chest. “Just give me a sec.”

  After she’d slowed her breathing, she smiled at me. “Sorry about that. And, while I’ve got you—sorry as well about all that unpleasantness at dinner.”

  “It’s fine. Hope that everything has been sorted out with the Raleighs.”

  She rolled her eyes. “The saga continues. As it always does with them. But I hope it didn’t ruin your evening.”

  “Not at all. And congratulations on the new position at the press. Editor, right?”

  “Yes.” She smiled broadly. “Richmond made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Like he does.”

  “That’s great news.” I wondered if Simone could approach Candace as a single author. If her chapters were as good as she thought they were. Maybe I’d mention it.

  “Thank you, Lila. See you back at the table in a few.” She moved into one of the stalls and locked the door.

  I went outside, where I spied Calista on the other side of the barn, waving. It took a while to cross over through the crowd, but when I finally reached her, she clutched my hand. “Did anyone find the ring?”

  “I don’t know. They didn’t announce anything yet.”

  “Hey, at least we all tried. But now...it’s awards time. Are you ready for this?”

  “Cal, I don’t even think the awards are happening.”

  “We’ll see. Why don’t you go back and save our chairs, and I’ll bring you some wine.”

  I returned to our dinner table, which was populated with the same individuals from before. Beckett, I was surprised to note, was seated next to Selene, who had her arm draped over his shoulder. She must have convinced him to give her another chance. It was hard to believe that was the same man who had been crying just over an hour ago. He looked perfectly content.

  They were already deep in conversation, so I sat down quietly.

  “I respect you, Beckett.” Candace had beaten me back while I fought my way through the crowd over to Calista. “You’re an excellent colleague, and I know you care about your reputation.”

  He smiled humbly.

  “So I have to ask: has Selene told you about her adventures this weekend?”

  “Her award nomination?” Beckett smiled expectantly at Candace, eager to celebrate his fiancée’s latest accomplishments. “Yes. Very proud of her.”

  “It’s not your place,” Selene murmured, but Candace’s lips were already moving.

  “No. I mean her adventures with Flynn.” She rested her fists on the table.

  Beckett’s smile faded slowly. My heart hurt for him. He turned to his fiancée and shook his head. “Is it true, Selene? This weekend too?”

  “It’s not true,” Selene said. “As I told you, that was over a long time ago. The photo Lila showed you doesn’t mean anything.”

  He shot a glance at me. I felt terrible. Even if the photo wasn’t evidence of anything untoward, I knew it had upset him.

  I also knew that I’d seen Selene walking out of Flynn’s room yesterday. Which would upset him far more.

  And that shark seemed to be circling.

  Selene went on. “You know how the ring is so heavy it hurts my finger?”

  “You do mention that.”

  �
�Well, a few of us were in Flynn’s office for a meeting, and I needed a break. Then I forgot to take the ring with me. It was only out of my sight for a little while. But someone obviously took a picture of his desk before I came back to get it.”

  Beckett’s face turned hopeful. “That’s all it was, then?”

  “Yes, my love.” She squeezed his hand. “I swear.”

  “Then how do you explain this?” Candace turned her right hand up and uncurled her fingers to reveal Selene’s ring.

  “Where did you get that?” Selene snatched for it.

  “In Flynn’s bedroom,” Candace smirked. “Here at the hotel.”

  “What?” Beckett jumped to his feet. “Here?”

  Selene jumped to hers too, protesting loudly that it wasn’t what it looked like. They both yelled and waved their hands and didn’t seem to be getting very far.

  “I fell asleep in his suite,” she screamed. “We didn’t do anything.”

  “You did too. You lie!” Candace raised her voice as well.

  Selene whipped her head around. “Will you just shut up, you nasty cow?”

  “I will not. Flynn told me everything.” Candace focused a laser beam of hostility in Selene’s direction and began ticking items off on her fingers. “He told me that you’d been having an affair for years. He told me that he was in love with you. And,” she finished triumphantly, “he told me that your engagement to Beckett was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.”

  “What were you doing in Flynn’s bedroom?” Selene demanded. “Care to explain that?”

  “We’re friends,” Candace said. “He wanted a place to talk quietly. You know how many people follow him all the time. After he told me everything, I found the ring next to the bed on the floor.”

  “Years? You’ve been having an affair for years?” Beckett glared at Selene. “That’s not what you told me earlier.”

  “I’m telling you, it’s not true,” she wailed. “Becks, sweetie, let’s go somewhere quiet and talk this out.”

  “No need. We’re done.” Beckett stormed away.

  Selene stared daggers at Candace. “Why do you hate me so much?”

  Candace threw up her hands. “It’s not about hating you, though I will admit that I do find it difficult to like you. I’m calling out the fact that you ruined your sister’s chances for publication and you ruined Beckett’s life. And Flynn’s life. And what’s worse, you don’t even care.”