Seductive Suspect

We waited in silence. Dylan continued playing on his phone while Isabel picked at her fingernails and Laura spun her wristwatch in circles. Adam stood next to me at the railing, no more than a couple of inches between us, yet I didn’t look at him. Somehow, deep in the back of my mind, Iknewsomething bad had happened. Again.

I hoped and prayed for Victor to emerge from his room, a picture of calm and poise in his immaculate suit, but it was to no avail. I pushed off the banister and descended the last two steps. “I’m going to check on him,” I said, unable to keep the quiver out of my voice. “Anyone else want to come?”

The staff quarters were on the opposite end of the foyer, closer to the entrance to the library. With the others behind me, I crossed the great hall, my footsteps echoing on the wood floor. The door to Victor’s room stood between two of the giant bronze animal statues. I took a deep breath, raised my hand, and knocked.

No answer.

I knocked again, louder this time. “Victor? Is everythingokay?”

Nothing.

I turned around, knotting my fingers together in front of me. “What now?”

“Is the door locked?” Paul asked.

I reached for the knob. It turned easily in my hand. Fear and panic churned in my stomach, sending a tremor through my arm, but I had to see what lay on the other side.

My worst suspicions were confirmed when the door swung open with an ominous creak. Clad only in a bathrobe, Victor lay face down on the floor. A raised, purple bruise had emerged near the base of his skull, his hair mussed around it. Beside him were the two pieces of a broken pool cue, the latest murder weapon.

Horror at the sight before me weakened my knees. I dropped into a squatting position and buried my face in my hands. “No,” I said weakly. “No, no, no, no…”

“Shit,” Paul said. Through my fingers, I saw him move in front of me. “How the hell did someone get in here, anyway?”

“Maybe he forgot to lock the door,” Laura said. “Or someone picked the lock. Either way, someone could have hidden in the closet and snuck up on him.”

Paul opened the second, smaller door. “Well, there’s no one in there now.”

I couldn’t stand to listen to their speculation. “Who cares? Does it even matter?” The quake in my voice sounded more apparent, and the distress I’d been bottling up for days threatened to come to a head. “Victor knew the most about this place and the people here. I thought he might have a shot at figuring this thing out and getting us all out of here, but now he’sdead.” Tears sprang to my eyes on the last word, and I attempted to choke them back.

Adam stepped toward me. “It’ll be okay.” He reached for my shoulder. “We’ll find a way to—”

“Don’t touch me!” I jumped up and backed away from him. “He was the only person I trusted, and look what happened!” My chest heaved, and I gasped for air. I felt on the verge of hysteria. The words kept rushing out of my mouth. “I can’t stand this horrible, vile place anymore and being stuck here with all of you. I didn’t want to come here to begin with, and now I’m going to be the victim of some sick maniac who thinks killing people is a game.” Frustration and rage mingled to send the tears cascading forth, but I’d long passed the point of caring. “So, whichever one of you is getting enjoyment out of watching the rest of us suffer, fine. You win. I hope you’re fucking happy!”

Without waiting for a response to my outburst, I spun around and fled to my room.

***

The lid of the toilet felt cool against my flushed, damp cheeks. I’d locked myself in the bathroom and curled up on the floor to cry for what must have been hours. I was scared for my life, afraid of everyone around me, and furious with my sister for getting me into this predicament in the first place. I wanted to go home.

I dragged myself into a sitting position against the wall, the first step in acknowledging I couldn’t stay holed up in the bathroom forever. Once my breathing resumed its normal rhythm, I stood, placing one hand on the towel bar for support. I caught a glimpse of my head in the mirror as I rose and winced. My red, puffy eyes and disheveled hair matched my mood, and I looked ridiculous in my cocktail dress. “Time to go to bed and hope tomorrow can’t possibly get worse,” I muttered to my reflection.

I changed into my pajamas and hung the dress in the closet, wondering if I’d ever get the chance to wear it again. Before climbing into bed, I decided to open the window a crack to letsome fresh air into the stuffy room. When I raised the curtain to reach the latches, I saw someone standing near the railing again.

Oh no.

Adam turned at the sound of the window opening, despite my attempt to keep it quiet. “Hey, there you are.” Light rain had plastered his hair against his forehead. He held something beneath his open jacket, and I stiffened. “Don’t get scared, it’s just me.”

I shook my head. “Go away. Please.”

Pulling his jacket aside, he revealed a small plate. “I brought you a sandwich. I figured you might want to eat something. Or at least youshouldeat something.”

“I don’t want it.”

He shrugged, disrupting the rivulets of water running down the slick fabric. “I’ll take a bite of it first if it would help.”

I wanted to laugh, but I was exhausted and frustrated with him, perhaps irrationally. “Why?” I said, my voice cracking. “Why couldn’t you have stayed with Paul today? Then you would have been together when Brittany died, and then I’d know for sure you weren’t the killer, and I’d believe more of what you say, and…” A hiccup interrupted my ramblings, and I fought back a new surge of tears.

“I know, I know.” Adam sighed, his shoulders drooping. “I’ve been kicking myself over it all day. It was stupid of me, of us, and if I could go back and change things, I would.” He wiped the raindrops from his brow. “There’s nothing I can say right now to make this any better or convince you to trust me, and I don’t blame you. I just wanted to bring you some food and see if you were okay.”