by Everly James
Melody leaned forward and gave her a kiss. “Well done, my Nancy Drew.”
They stepped into the cluttered office and shut the door almost completely closed behind them. Melody insisted on leaving it partially open so they could hear if anyone was coming.
“What is it we’re looking for?” Melody asked.
Ellie sat down at the desk and shook the mouse. The retina display iMac breathed its way to life. The glow of the screen lit up the diminutive office. “The finances of this place.”
There was no password on the computer, and the screen was already open on QuickBooks.
“Bingo,” Ellie whispered. She scrolled through to the profit and loss statement.
“I don’t know what you’re expecting to find,” Melody said.
“There are thirty students here who paid five grand apiece to be here. That’s one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per semester. That doesn’t include all the profits from selling at the farmers’ markets. Then Jason says we don’t have enough money for worm composting, and he doesn’t want to expand the gardens. So, where is that money going? Why won’t he invest more in projects?”
Melody nodded. “All the same questions I’ve had from the beginning.”
Ellie clicked through the list of transactions. “Look at this. Twenty-five grand a month is going to Highlands Group, LLC. What is that?”
“Let me,” Melody said, leaning down and reaching around Ellie. Their heads were touching. Ellie could feel Melody’s heart beating through her right shoulder. Melody’s hands were nimble across the keyboard as she searched the internet for what she was looking for. “Here you go. An address in Manhattan. Write it down.”
Ellie did as she was told. “You wanna go here?”
“I have a day off tomorrow. I know you don’t. I can go by myself.”
“Is that safe?”
Melody shrugged. “Broad daylight in New York City. I think I’ll be fine.”
There was the sound of a door opening down the hallway.
“Shit!” Melody hissed. “We’ve gotta go.”
Ellie fumbled with the mouse trying to get the computer to go back to sleep. She pushed the chair back in. Everything looked just as she’d left it. The address clutched in her hands, she and Melody slipped out of the office, locked the door from the inside, and shut it, slipping back upstairs. Someone was in the kitchen, but they didn’t stick around to find out who it was.
They raced as quietly as they could up the stairs, making it to their bedroom and locking the door.
Ellie and Melody collapsed on the latter’s bed.
“My heart is going to fall out of my body,” Ellie said. “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life!”
Melody laughed and put her hand up over her face. “Oh God. That was insane.”
Ellie turned her head to face Melody. She kissed her. Melody moaned. “Thanks for going down there with me.”
“Of course,” Melody replied, kissing Ellie again. Their warm tongues twisted together. Melody could smell Ellie’s scent, like sun-warmed skin and lemons from her citrus shampoo. She moved her fingers down Ellie’s neck, stopping at the low point of the v-neck on her t-shirt.
“Keep going,” Ellie whispered.
Melody sat up and Ellie joined her. Ellie fumbled with the buttons on Melody’s pajama top. It fell away, revealing her ebony breasts with nipples the gorgeous color of dark calla lilies. Ellie left Melody’s mouth and trailed kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, and down to her nipples. She took the warm nubs into her mouth and licked small, slow circles around them.
Melody groaned and slipped her hands under the edge of Ellie’s t-shirt. The fabric slipped off her head and fell onto the floor. The two women twisted together, their arms around the other’s, kissing passionately as the city around them fell silent.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Despite staying up for most of the night with Ellie, Melody was wide awake the next morning. She was even too excited to read any more of Half-Blood Prince. She was up at six, showered, and was the first one to breakfast, which she ate rapidly before heading out into the city with a small, rolled up piece of paper in one hand.
The streets of New York were bustling, as always, with foot traffic and cars alike. She took the subway into Manhattan, checking her phone every few seconds to make sure she didn’t miss the stop she was supposed to take. She finally found the right street after consulting Google Maps and asking a bodega owner for assistance.
Soon, she was standing at the base of a glittering tower complete with three doormen ready to open up the doors for her.
“Morning, ma’am,” said a short man wearing a hat.
“Thanks, same to you,” Melody replied, stepping inside the modern lobby. The white marble floors glistened, and modern, sharp-cornered furniture filled up the space. There was a front desk with a woman behind it. “Hi, sorry to disturb you. I’m here to see a representative of the Highlands Group.”
The woman looked confused. “Do you have a name?”
“Of a person who works there?” Melody asked, panicking.
“Yes. This is a residential building. I’m afraid if you’re not looking for an individual human, you’ve got the wrong location.”
Melody opened her mouth and closed it several times. She’d known the answer all along in her heart of hearts. “I’m here to see Jason Bell.”
An elevator ride later, Melody was on the uppermost floor of the towering glass and steel structure. She walked over to double doors that had heavy handles on them and hit the buzzer.
The door opened a minute later and Jason stood there. A towel was wrapped around his waist with a matching one on his head. “Melody.” He didn’t look surprised, exactly. “I thought you might be coming to see me after your little mission last night.”
Melody’s face registered surprise. “How did you—”
“Cameras. And a motion alert sensor.” He stepped aside and pointed into his apartment. “You want to come inside?”
Melody gaped at him. “Inside?”
“I figured you might want to see what it is that you’re investigating, Melody Louise Winthrop Bryant. Or should I say: princess.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ellie spent the day starting lettuce seedlings in one of the greenhouses. She was glad to be in there; it was significantly warmer inside the corrugated plastic-sided building than it was outside. She was sheltered by the wind at least.
At a quarter to five she headed inside to get ready for dinner. She was surprised to see, upon going into her room, that Melody wasn’t back yet. She put the thought aside and ate dinner without her.
When she was finished eating, she went back upstairs. Melody was lying in bed staring at the ceiling.
“Hey! What did you find out?” Ellie asked eagerly, sitting at the edge of Melody’s bed.
“Nothing,” Melody said. “I couldn’t get ahold of anyone at the business.”
Ellie furrowed her brow. “I think I should try again, then. I have a free day in a couple of days that I can use to—”
“Don’t,” Melody said. “Seriously, don’t. Just let it go, Ellie.”
Ellie was gobsmacked. “Are you serious? After all we went through the other night? Nearly getting caught out of bed?”
“It’s nothing worth investigating. Jason is running a business here, that much is obvious. I don’t think we need to know any details beyond that, do we?”
Ellie put her hand on one of Melody’s denim-covered legs. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Did you eat?”
“I ate on the way home.”
“Hm. Are you lying to me?”
“I’m not hungry, Ellie.” Melody sat up and jerked her leg away from Ellie’s touch. “I’m showering.”
“Melody, talk to me. Please.”
But Melody just grabbed her towel, bathrobe, and shower caddy and left the room without another word.
Ellie felt tears
welling up in her eyes as she took the short walk across the room to her bed and flopped onto it. A few seconds later, there was a knock at the door. “Go away.”
“It’s Constance.”
“Go away.”
Constance opened the door anyway. “What’s crawled up your ass?”
“Nothing,” Ellie replied. “What do you want?”
“No need to be snappy.” She stepped inside and handed her an embossed invitation. “Jason is throwing an end-of-semester ball. He’s trying to raise more venture capital money. Velia gave these to me to hand out.” She still had another invitation in her hand. “Where’s Melody?”
“Bathroom,” Ellie replied dully.
“Well, the ball is next weekend before we all pack up and move out of here,” Constance explained. “You’ll need a dress.”
“What are you, my fairy godmother? Get out of here.”
Constance rolled her eyes. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
Constance shut the door behind her. “It’s Melody, isn’t it?”
“No.” Ellie crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her lower lip out like a petulant child.
“I know you’re dating,” Constance said kindly.
Ellie gave her a sharp look. “How do you know that?”
“It’s obvious. You two overplayed it a little by having that fight when you got back.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“Not that I know of. Herschel, maybe.”
“He does know. But no one other than you two?”
Constance shrugged. “The people around here aren’t narcs. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It’s not gotten all the way to Jason, I would guess. You definitely would have heard something if it had.”
Ellie exhaled slowly. “We’re having a fight and I don’t even know what it’s about exactly. Just that we’re fighting and I hate it.”
Constance patted her leg kindly. “It’ll work itself out, Ellie, I know it will. Don’t be sad.” She stood up and smiled grandly. “Besides, there’s a ball to get ready for!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The last week of term ended quickly. Melody and Ellie had hardly spoken to one another. Melody left dinner early every night and was asleep or at least pretending to be asleep by the time that Ellie returned.
Ellie had gone out with Constance, who was eager to continue the fairy godmother joke, to go dress shopping at a thrift store. They only had one day left to find her a dress. She’d found a sleek, emerald green number reminiscent of Keira Knightley’s gown in Atonement.
“Hopefully the dance turns out better than the movie scenario did,” Constance quipped. She was wearing a stunning white dress that had a puff of tulle on the bottom half. She looked like Cinderella.
“Yeah,” Ellie replied bitterly. “It’s not like I have anyone to go with anyway, do I?”
“Cheer up,” Constance replied. “I’m taking you to get Joe’s Pizza after this. Then we’re getting manicures. My treat.”
Ellie pulled her dress off and started pulling on her normal clothes. “You really don’t have to do all this.”
“You should be appropriately grateful and happy. Get that? Happy. No moping. Besides, when Melody sees you in that gown, she’s going to forget why you all were in a fight, I can promise you that much.”
***
The ball was held in the grand ballroom of a hotel in the heart of Manhattan. Gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling and reflected light off the black marble floors. Eight-top tables were sprawled all across the room; enough room for two hundred people.
Ellie hitched up the bottom of her dress to keep from tripping. She was wearing her dirty Converse sneakers as a matter of principle; she absolutely despised heels. Constance was next to her.
“I’ll check the seating chart,” Constance said. She walked over to an easel with a chalkboard propped on it. “We’re at table six by the band.”
“Great, my eardrums will be blown up by the noise levels. Just what I need.”
Constance grabbed her arm and led her over to the table. “Put on a smile, Ellie, and go talk to some rich billionaire venture capitalist and earn that money for Jason.” She was being partially sarcastic.
Constance went to find champagne and Ellie sat down where her placard was. She glanced next to her and saw that Melody’s placard was right there. She looked around surreptitiously, grabbed the placard, and moved it several places to the right.
“You really don’t want to sit with me that badly?”
Ellie spun around. Melody was standing there wearing a jet-black dress covered in sequins. Her arms were adorned in elbow-length white satin gloves. Her braids were twisted up into a complicated bun that looked a bit like a crown to Ellie. Her cheeks shone with highlighter. Her lips were covered in a simple clear gloss.
Ellie felt her heart stop looking at her. “You look…you look incredible.”
Melody smiled. “It’s good to hear your voice again after the last week.”
She didn’t know what overcame her, but it was like all the disruption of the last week had never happened. Ellie took a deep breath. “Melody. I. I. Do you…do you want to dance?”
Melody beamed. “Of course I do.”
The band was playing a Glen Miller tune as they took to the dance floor. They swayed together, Melody spinning Ellie around and Ellie doing the same to Melody. The song changed to something slow.
Melody pulled Ellie close. “I’m so much taller than you tonight.”
Ellie pulled up her dress to show off her flat sneakers. “I never learned to walk in high heels.”
Melody laughed, tipping her head back. Ellie relished the sound. She had missed it. “I never read Harry Potter and you never learned to wear heels.”
“I guess we all have odd quirks.”
They danced in perfect rhythm together, staring into each other’s eyes. Melody finally spoke. “You know something?”
“What?”
“I didn’t come to the Block for farming.”
“What did you go there for?”
Melody smiled softly. “You.”
Ellie stared at her. “What?”
Melody pulled her closer. “I wanted to get to know you better. After seeing you at the farmer’s market. I mean, I was looking for something to do. And there you were, like a sign from the universe itself.”
Ellie’s eyes looked misty. “I can’t believe that.”
“Believe it. It’s true.” Melody took a long, deep breath. “I’m sorry about the other night.”
“I’m so sorry,” Ellie said. “I was too caught up in trying to catch Jason doing something awful. It’s silly. What power do we have anyway? Do we leave a Yelp review saying that he’s running a scam? He has too much power. We have…we have nothing.”
Melody was staring into Ellie’s eyes. “Come home with me.”
“What?”
“For Christmas. Come home with me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes,” Melody insisted. “Will you come?”
“I can’t afford a plane ticket to Europe!”
“I’ll pay for it. Please. I want you to meet my family.”
“You said I shouldn’t meet your mother, that she was horrible—”
Melody interrupted her. “Don’t worry about her. But I need to tell you something.”
“What?” Ellie asked.
“Ellie! May I interrupt?”
Jason appeared out of nowhere in his perfect black tuxedo and had his hand held out.
“Sure,” Ellie said uncertainly.
“Ellie, wait,” Melody said urgently. “I need to tell you something.”
Jason’s smile became fixed. “It’s a little urgent. We have a man over there incredibly interested in our cut flower operation. Nobody knows it better than Ellie. You know how these rich guys don’t like to wait.”
Ellie paused, looking from Melody to Jason, not knowing what to do. �
��It’ll just be a second, Melody. I’ll be back.”
Jason pulled her towards the edge of the ballroom, with a devilish grin on his face as he pushed open the fire exit door. “After you.”
“Where are we going? Is the VC guy out here?”
They stepped into the freezing cold alleyway. A worker was disposing of a trash bag in the leaking dumpster. Ellie picked up the bottom of her dress to keep it from getting wet.
“Nice shoes,” Jason said sarcastically.
“What do you want?” Ellie responded rather snappily.
“I need to tell you something about Melody. She’s not who she says she is.”
Ellie frowned. “What?”
“Come on. You know you’ve been suspicious. A woman comes from Europe but doesn’t really want to talk about where she’s from? A last-minute sign up?”
A look crossed Ellie’s face and Jason smiled.
“You’ve wondered. She’s opened up to you. Told you things about her childhood that don’t make sense. I can read it in your face, Ellie. You’ve long suspected that something wasn’t right.”
“I just thought…that her family was rich or something. There’s nothing super weird about that.” She crossed her arms and stared at Jason with pure fire in her eyes. “I mean, who among us doesn’t come from a rich family?”
Jason’s eyes flashed. “Right. You’ve figured out that I’m siphoning money from the Block. It’s a for-profit enterprise. There’s nothing illegal about it. I’m taking a fat paycheck and living large in New York City. But none of that matters. You leave tomorrow, right? You leave a bad review for me on Reddit. You try to spread the word. But enough people out there with a savior complex who want to save the environment, to turn the city green, will ignore it in favor of being a part of what they think is change. That’s not what matters. You want to know the woman you love’s secret. Admit it. It keeps you up at night sometimes. Something isn’t what it seems.”
Curiosity was leaving Ellie rooted to the spot. He could be lying. It was Jason after all. She didn’t trust him; that had been a long-established fact. But there was truth in his words. She had wondered. There were certain strange things that Melody had said, things that didn’t add up.