Girls' Night Out_A Novel

by Liz Fenton

  “Here, come, sit down,” Ben said, leading her back over to the bed. “Maria told me the police are on their way. The lawyer I hired is also here and is anxious to talk with you. I filled him in on the phone, and he’s read and heard the news coverage, but he obviously wants to interview you directly. Want to get changed and I’ll bring him up?”

  Natalie barely heard him; the night she’d thought she lost was now downloading into her head in bursts, the pieces tying together to tell the story of Ashley’s final moments, the feeling of desperation she’d experienced that night leaping into her chest, almost knocking her over.

  Trying to convince Ashley to sell the company.

  Ashley refusing.

  A heated argument.

  A cenote far below.

  Jagged rocks lining the bottom.

  “Did you hear me?” Ben asked, rubbing his jaw. “The police are coming. I presume they have your test results. I hope so anyway. And the lawyer is here. You should probably meet with him first, and we can come up with a game plan.”

  Natalie massaged the back of her neck. “No, wait until the police arrive; then bring the lawyer up with them.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “It’s okay.” Natalie gripped his arm, a mixture of relief and panic swirling inside of her.

  Ashley had stood there, soaking wet. Water running down her legs. I’m sorry . . . but I can’t sell . . .

  Natalie scowled. My life is . . . over if we don’t . . . ? She had felt her chest burn with rage. She was going to lose everything. She had stepped closer to Ashley.

  What’s wrong with you? Ashley had asked, her eyes registering fear.

  “Why is it okay?” Ben stepped closer and studied her face. “What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  In so many ways, she had.

  “I know what happened to Ashley.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  THE NIGHT

  ASHLEY

  Ashley was stunned as she stared at Natalie, her emotions fighting one another. Her heart ached for Natalie—she didn’t want her to lose everything, but Ashley also didn’t want to give up everything. Did that make her a terrible person? She fought to focus, her eyelids becoming heavy from the drug. “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?” Ashley finally asked.

  “Probably for the same reason you didn’t tell me about how Jason treats you.” Natalie’s eyes were vacant. She’d lost her again. “It’s hard to say out loud, isn’t it—even to your best friend?”

  Ashley crumbled inside. How had both of their lives turned upside down without the other one noticing? What did that say about them? That their friendship would disintegrate so easily when pressure was applied?

  “Ashley, you really need to come back to the water before the balché wears off,” Marco called out.

  Marco—what a presence he’d been. What a source of conflict between her and her friends. She didn’t respond. She tried to crystallize her thoughts. She needed to help Natalie. Figure out how they could both get what they wanted. “Can I loan you money?” Ashley asked. She had some stashed away that Jason didn’t know about. Savings. Just in case.

  “It’s more than you have. Ben says we have nothing left.” Natalie squeezed her lips into a tight line.

  “What happened?”

  “He lost it. He fucking lost it all.”

  “What? How could he—”

  “No, it’s my fault too. I knew some of what was going on, but I thought he was going to fix it with his last investment.”

  “So then let me help. I’m sure my money can get you started . . . get you guys on solid ground, and then we can go from there?” Something caught her eye above Natalie’s head. A pod of gold and black butterflies danced above her. She pointed. “Do you see that?”

  Natalie looked up and shook her head. “Come on, Ashley, it’s not just about writing me a check. But even if you had enough money, then what? I’m back at work, miserable. I need my family back. I want out.” Her voice shook. “I can’t do this anymore. Can’t you see that? It’s literally breaking me.”

  Ashley pictured them signing the company over to Revlon. Part of Revlon’s proposed deal was they’d want to keep only Ashley and Natalie on as consultants for six months and give severances to everyone else. After that, they planned to fold BloMe into their company. Ashley pictured herself clearing out her office, putting her things in a cardboard box. Driving home. Sitting in her living room on her stiff sofa and looking around. What would she do with herself? She shivered at the thought of volunteering with Natalie and a bunch of bored housewives who had nothing better to do. She was proud of her career—of their success. She loved talking about it with people. She wouldn’t have an answer when someone asked her, “So you sold. Now what?” She’d shrivel up. She knew she could never give Natalie what she wanted. “I’m sorry,” Ashley said quietly. “I will give you every extra penny I have to help you out of your financial troubles. You can even borrow against the company if you need to. I’ll make sure you don’t lose your house.”

  Natalie clenched and unclenched her hands. “You are more selfish than I ever realized.”

  Ashley felt like she’d been slapped. Jason had said almost the same thing when they’d argued right before she came here. When Jason accused her of it, it hadn’t had an impact. But Natalie’s words held weight.

  “You asked me earlier why I haven’t told you about all this. The real answer is because I knew you wouldn’t give a shit,” Natalie said.

  “It’s not that I don’t give a—” Ashley struggled to speak. She glanced down toward the water. There was a beam of light shooting up to the sky. Had that been there before? It was so beautiful. So inviting.

  “Bullshit! I just told you I could lose everything, and you stood there all pious and offered me money. Like that was the only option.” Natalie’s nostrils were flaring.

  “I want to help you. I’m not trying to be selfish. I’m trying to compromise. And I’m offering a viable solution.”

  “You aren’t getting it. You’re never going to get it! I. Want. Out. I. Need. Out.” She screamed, her veins visibly straining against the skin of her neck. She teetered again.

  Ashley tried to reach for her, but she moved to the side, more rocks sliding over the edge. “Come on, Nat, please move away from there.”

  “No,” she said. “How does it feel to hear that word? No.” Natalie’s face was slightly veiled in the darkness, but Ashley could hear the desperation in her voice.

  Marco climbed out of the cenote. “Listen, you’ve both had a lot to drink. This isn’t going to get settled tonight, even with the balché. And Ashley is right; you should both move away from there.”

  Natalie stepped to the other side of Ashley and moved toward her. Now Ashley was the one closer to the edge. How had that happened?

  “This is never going to get settled, Marco.” Natalie looked at him, then turned back to Ashley. “Because if you won’t sell, we can’t sell, which leaves me, well, fucked.”

  “You’re not fucked. We can work this out. There has to be a solution we can both live with,” Ashley said, pushing to be more alert. But she was so tired. Her eyelids fluttered. She wanted to see where that beam of light led. She looked back at Nat and finally felt the courage to say what she realized at that very moment had been sitting in her heart all along. “Nat, don’t leave me. I need you. I need BloMe.”

  Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “Are you serious? I tell you I’m going to lose my house, everything, and you make it about you?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Why am I not surprised?”

  Ashley looked down. She had failed miserably tonight. On this trip. All of her good intentions stomped into the ground. Lauren’s face when she’d pleaded with her to reconcile earlier had said it all: it’s too late. And now, here, with Natalie, failing once more. How could she make her understand that all the material things she was terrified to lose were just things? They were replaceable
. But their partnership, the things they could accomplish together? Their friendship? That was priceless. And she wouldn’t just let her throw it away.

  Marco picked up his flashlight and turned it on. “Come on, you guys.”

  “Please,” Ashley pleaded, feeling her throat burn. “I need you. I need this company. Now more than ever. Why can’t you see that?”

  “You don’t need my friendship. What you want is my fucking devotion, which I’ve given you for years. And you know what? You don’t deserve my friendship. You use people, Ash.”

  Ashley’s heart sank. “Is that what you really think of me?”

  “I don’t even think you realize you do it anymore. But it stops right now, right here. We are selling this company. You are going to do something for me, for once! You are going to put my needs above yours!”

  Ashley’s limbs felt so tired. How could she make Natalie understand that their company was important? If they let it slip away, they’d have nothing. She wasn’t just doing this for herself; she was protecting the company for both of them. For their legacy. Her mouth felt thick, the words she knew Natalie needed to hear not coming to her. So she shook her head. “No.”

  Natalie’s cheeks were flushed a dark red under the moonlight. She jabbed her finger at Ashley. “I am so done.” She thrust out her chest. “I am done letting you control my choices. Letting you control me. Manipulate me. Doing the right thing all the time. That ends tonight. I wish I had never met you!” Natalie’s lip curled. She took another step toward her, her face within inches of Ashley—she could see the whites of her eyes. Ashley glanced over her shoulder; she was too close to the edge of the cenote, Natalie now blocking her exit.

  Ashley’s heart pounded hard as she looked into Natalie’s eyes. It was as if something had broken inside Natalie. As if Ashley had been the one to shatter it.

  “Tell me, Ashley, why did you really say you wanted to try another life?” Natalie asked. “Because keeping the company sounds exactly like the life you have now.”

  Ashley looked at Marco. Thinking again about their conversation. About leaving. If she didn’t sell BloMe, Natalie was going to hate her. They’d never be the friends they once were. And Jason? Would they be able to settle things amicably? Without the girls hating her? She really didn’t know. There would be no guarantees when she arrived back home.

  “What? You didn’t really mean you’d sell? Was it another lie?” Natalie asked. “You were just baiting me to get me to take the drug.”

  “No, I wasn’t, I swear.” Ashley stepped backward, rocks sliding over the cenote. She glanced over her shoulder. She hadn’t realized she was this close to the edge.

  “Ashley, tell her the truth that’s in your heart,” Marco said, stepping toward her.

  “There’s no truth in there—she’s just a liar,” Natalie shouted. She pointed at Ashley and moved closer to her. “Aren’t you, Ashley? Just admit it.”

  Ashley stared into Natalie’s eyes, which burned with fury. There were only inches between Ashley and Natalie and Marco; they were blocking her in. The only way out—down to the cenote or pushing through them. Her heart thumped hard. She felt like a caged animal.

  “I’m not lying,” Ashley said, but she wasn’t sure if she’d spoken the words aloud or if they were only in her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think what she could say to convince Natalie she wasn’t a fraud. In a flash, she felt movement, then heard her name. She flinched as she opened her eyes, the solid ground underneath her slipping away quickly. She heard herself screaming. A shrill sound that echoed in her own ears and through the night.

  She saw Natalie reach for her. So did Marco, his strong arms shooting out from his sides like bullets, just missing Ashley’s fingers. But it was too late—she was already plunging into the darkness.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  FOUR DAYS AFTER

  NATALIE

  Officer Garcia stepped onto the veranda, Officer Lopez in tow. Natalie studied their faces—looking for signs of what the drug test might have revealed. But as usual, she could not read them. She closed her eyes briefly, the smell of the hotel’s signature chilaquiles wafting up from the restaurant below. When she opened her eyes, Jesús Campo, the small and wiry attorney with a shiny bald head and a long nose, whom she’d met only a few minutes before, gave her a look. He hadn’t hidden his frustration that she would not tell him what she’d remembered about the night prior to the officers’ arrival. He wanted to properly vet the information. Barring that, he had strongly recommended against speaking to them and told Natalie he could not protect her and could not guarantee she wouldn’t be arrested if she incriminated herself in any way.

  But Natalie had been waiting for this—for the memory of what happened to Ashley to come back. She wanted to tell Lauren and Jason first, privately. There wasn’t time, though—the officers were here; they wanted answers. So she’d tell Lauren and Jason afterward, when she could sit with them as long as they needed. Natalie greeted Officer Lopez and Officer Garcia and introduced Ben and Jesús Campo to them. She didn’t miss Officer Lopez’s raised eyebrow, clearly surprised she’d hired an attorney. They exchanged pleasantries in Spanish.

  “May we reveal the results of the drug testing in front of everyone here?” Officer Garcia asked after they all settled into the wooden deck chairs.

  “Yes,” Natalie murmured, already knowing what the results were going to be. She’d finally remembered. The memories unsettling as they became clear in her mind. As the missing pieces of the night finally came together, she was hit hard with feelings of extreme regret and a deep sadness. She’d run to the bathroom and dry heaved, wondering if subconsciously she was also trying to purge the thoughts she’d just regained. She noticed Jesús grimace slightly at her assent, probably wondering how Arthur knew this crazy American woman with no regard for the importance of lawyers.

  Officer Garcia cleared his throat and flipped open his notepad. “There were large traces of Xanax in your system, also balché. Mixed with the alcohol, we have concluded that those two drugs could have caused you to black out.”

  Natalie let out the breath she’d been holding and met Ben’s eyes. Even though she’d felt strongly that she knew how the Xanax got into her system, there was still that chance she’d been wrong.

  “So the question is, who drugged you—and why?”

  “I can tell you that,” Natalie said.

  “You remember?” Officer Garcia straightened in his chair.

  “I do,” Natalie said, scooting to the edge of her seat. “It’s still foggy—kind of like a bad dream that you remember in pieces.” Officer Lopez and Officer Garcia nodded as if they understood. “But I’m certain I know what happened.”

  “Start at the beginning,” Officer Garcia said. “May I record this?” He tapped his smartphone and looked at Jesús, who frowned.

  “Yes,” Natalie said anyway.

  Ben looked at her, his eyes asking again, Are you sure about this? Earlier, he’d tried to talk her out of it, worried the officers would twist her words or trap her in some way. Telling her it was crazy she didn’t want to protect herself, that she had asked for a lawyer and now she wasn’t taking advantage of his help. He’d stood outside the shower, his back against the wall, pleading with her. But she’d told him he would have to trust her—that she knew what she was doing. That having a lawyer talking for her and telling her what she could and couldn’t answer or say would frustrate the police. And probably make her appear even more guilty. She’d let the lawyer sit in on the meeting, but she needed to tell her own story. As the lukewarm water washed away the soap she’d lathered on her body, she’d hoped she was right.

  Officer Garcia started recording.

  “After we left La Cantina, we went to Marco’s apartment. That’s where we decided to go to the cenote. Well, they decided, and I didn’t want Ashley to go there alone with him.” Natalie recalled how Marco had massaged Ashley’s shoulders as he spoke of the healing properties o
f this particular cenote, Ashley listening intently. “We drove to Cenote Calavera in his car.”

  “What time was it?”

  “I’m not sure. I can remember chunks of what happened, but I’m not sure of the time frames.”

  “So Marco drove you to the cenote,” Officer Garcia prompted.

  Natalie closed her eyes, she could see Ashley floating on her back in the black water. “It was Marco’s idea—he convinced Ashley that if she swam in the cenote, it would cleanse her soul. He’d been feeding her head with this spiritual bullshit all week. She’d totally bought into it.”

  “Why did she feel like she needed to cleanse her soul?”

  “I think she just wanted to clear her mind. She’d had that huge fight with Lauren at Chichén Itzá. None of us had gotten along great during the week. We had some big things going on at work, and she wanted clarity.” Natalie glanced at Ben.

  “Okay, so she wanted to clear her mind. What happened next?” Officer Garcia asked.

  Natalie thought about the way Ashley had kicked off her sandals and climbed down the ladder and dropped into the water. How she’d tilted her head up and drunk from the glass bottle Marco handed her. It was so dark, Natalie had to shine her flashlight to see them nearly fifteen feet below. She could still feel the anger that had welled inside her as they swam. “Marco gave her something called balché.”

  “What is balché?” Ben asked.

  “It’s an ancient drug. A very mild hallucinogenic,” Officer Garcia said.

  “I refused to take it at first,” Natalie said. “Anyway, after she drank it, I told her she should get out, that it was late—we should go back to the hotel.”

  “And then what happened?”

  “I stumbled a little bit from being drunk. I was by the cenote. Ashley climbed out to check on me—told me to move away from the edge. Then we got into a heated discussion.”

  “What about?” Garcia asked.