Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Eight

  “Drinks,” Marlene declared, holding a silver tray with a jug and two cups on it. Looking at how laden Marlene was, Lila figured she used her foot to knock. Marlene made her way into the room and Lila pretended like she was thinking about her next Jenga move – which wouldn’t have necessarily been false since it was actually her turn.

  “Not that one,” Marlene said idly as she poured them drinks from the jug at the next table over. Lila looked at Marlene in bemusement, taking her hand back from the tower. Marlene had no idea about the structural integrity of this tower, yet she sounded entirely confident – as though it were obvious not to take the one Lila had almost taken. Lila met Asher’s surprised eyes, glad to see he was just as taken aback by Marlene’s suggestion.

  “Marlene,” Lila suddenly said, looking at Marlene. Marlene pleasantly looked back at Lila, setting the jug back in the middle of the tray.

  “Yes, Lila?”

  “You like games, right?”

  Marlene stopped moving entirely. “I… might.”

  Lila glanced at Asher again, who was now plainly alarmed. Lila continued.

  “Would you like to play with us?” she asked, unsure where this suggestion came from. “We bought a new game today and it looks like it’s optimised for three players instead of two.”

  Marlene’s eyes locked onto Asher before she picked up their cups and set them down in front of Lila and Asher.

  “I have some work to do,” Marlene said, her tone rather steady. “Perhaps another time-”

  “Surely you can spare some time,” Asher said, his tone rather stiff – as though he really didn’t want to play a board game with her.

  Marlene remained silent for a second. Then, she said, “Alright.”

  It looked as though Asher’s world had collapsed and Lila tried not to laugh at his aghast expression. As Lila helped pack away the Jenga tower, she glanced at Marlene, who appeared to be suppressing a snort whenever her eyes landed on a still-despondent Asher.

  “Bear with us as we set up and look at the rules,” Asher said with a sigh as he wiggled the top off the new board game he’d purchased.

  Marlene nodded, her expression once again neutral, before standing up. “I won’t be a moment,” she said as she departed, closing the library doors behind her.

  Lila helped unwrap the cards as Asher read through the instructions. Then, after just a few seconds, his eyes met hers.

  “My love, why?” he whispered.

  “Why not?” Lila shrugged, though she truthfully had no real answer behind this impulse.

  “Hope this game’s quick,” Asher murmured, looking back at the instructions.

  Marlene entered once again, carrying a cup. She poured herself a juice and sat down. Lila and Marlene were far closer in proximity than they had been for a long time and now, Lila had plenty of cause to carefully observe her whilst she continued to set up the game.

  From Lila’s knowledge, most people tended to have extraneous movements in some form – usually while speaking, idling, or performing an action. A quirk that showed individuality and even strengths in specific areas. Marlene, however… she made none at all. Her gestures while speaking were muted, if present, and her body was otherwise very still. It made previous movements that Lila noticed from Marlene stand out even more – like when Lila showed up at Asher’s house after the breakup with Holly and told Marlene that Asher had missed school and soccer practice, or when they returned from Coolisimo with Gabriel.

  It was almost like… Marlene was a blank slate. Or trying not to be noticed. Either way, now that Lila had noticed this, it was off-putting. Those slivers of expressions she did produce – just how intentional were way? Moving so little – that had to be by design. So… things that appeared to slip out – was it a mistake or calculated?

  Lila shuffled the cards with a slight frown. How was Marlene at the café? From Lila’s memory, she seemed… very efficient, yes, but she had a friendly air about her. She’d talk to her colleagues with a smile that looked genuine, and she even had an almost bubbly sway as she poured drinks, passed them to the countertop, and dinged the bell. She’d match some of her movements to the music, even – similar to what Gabriel did in the butler’s pantry when he was cooking alone. Most importantly was the impression that Marlene was an average, sweet barista.

  As Quack Queen, Marlene’s gestures were bordering on over-the-top. Even the way she’d slip on her headphones – she’d put both pinkies up and comb through her hair as some kind of pre-gaming ritual. She’d play music occasionally during her streams and bop along to them with a giggle here and there, too. When she’d talk casually, though, her hands were liable to fly off at any minute – as if her energy was continuously suppressed in her day-to-day life and it could finally be let out during her streams. When she laughed, she’d throw her body forward, as if her abs were seizing due to how funny she found the scenario to be. She also even seemed ditzy with how she spoke, but according to Asher, she was very precise with games that required such. Almost like she locked in with incredible focus.

  Here, though, she was stripped of all of that. Her manner of speaking was forever polite. Not quite monotonous, though similar phrases were frequently used. Flashes of humour would pass through her expressions here and there, but they were quickly snuffed out or never truly actualised.

  So, who really was Marlene? She’d worked for Asher’s family for quite a number of years, and her café job started at the end of last year, and her streaming was pretty new, too. So, was Marlene the Maid as she was now the ‘real’ Marlene, then?

  Cards were dealt, colours were picked, and the game began. There wasn’t much conversation at all between the three, the awkwardness making Lila heavily regret asking Marlene to play with them. Eventually, after consulting the rulebook plenty of times, the trio started to get into the swing of the game and the circumstances they found themselves in.

  In fact, Lila thought she could see that Marlene was quite enjoying herself, hints of smiles passing through her lips now and then.

  ‘I mean, she’s in the lead…’ Lila conceded as she played her next move. That was enough to make most people smile. It wasn’t like Marlene was actually a robot.

  With a dejected sigh, Lila looked back at her hand, her mind still ticking on things other than the board game.

  Not that Lila had ever had a job before, but she was pretty aware that people would change at least slightly to perform their roles. Customer service voices and all that. Elise and Isaac were more or less the same at Maccas when Lila and Asher saw them working, yet when Lila and Asher had first walked into the Maccas during the school holidays, Elise was much more of a McEmployee than Elise. Clare definitely looked a hell of a lot different as Roxy, too, though Lila couldn’t get a gauge on her work persona with all the yelling Clare did the night she caught them. Daniel as the Banker was also quite different – professional and stern, which was the opposite of his day-to-day life at home.

  Working, it seemed, required some level of acting. How good of an actress was Marlene? Again, which Marlene was the real one?

  Lila tapped her fingers on the table thoughtfully. There was a strange touch of elegance about Marlene the Maid, too – yet, surely maids weren’t required to be this elegant. That was reserved for the masters and mistresses they served, right? So, was that who Marlene was?

  Yet… thinking back to the idea that Marlene didn’t want to be noticed – invisible maids were supposed to be very good ones. At least, back in the day. So then that was part of Marlene’s role as a maid. Or was it?

  She looked down at the board, annoyed both by her thoughts and how badly she was playing. Should she speak up or concentrate on the game at hand? It was Asher’s turn, so she looked at her cards before thinking once more about Marlene.

  ‘Quack Queen must be the real Marlene since she wouldn’t have made any kind of money for ages. But… at the same time, streaming is so performative,’ Lila thought, drawing a card again.

  “You seem to be very deep in thought,” Marlene said lightly to Lila with a nod.

  Lila nearly leapt out of her seat, Marlene’s sudden intrusion into her thoughts spooking her. Marlene wasn’t a mind reader – no one was. But…

  Lila looked up into Marlene’s eyes, which seemed to reflect a fraction of knowingness mixed with mirth. Was that Marlene’s signal to Lila that she knew what Lila was thinking about after all?

  ‘That’s a bit too stupid,’ Lila chastised herself as she played her next move. Something about Marlene just always induced paranoia.

  The game continued on, with Marlene time and time again playing just the right hand and moving just the right amount of spaces to be in the lead. How? This was a brand new game, released only a few months ago – but it seemed like she’d already played this one before. She was so busy between three jobs, she hardly had time to breathe let alone play a board game elsewhere so that was impossible.

  Lila frowned as Marlene swiped what Lila had been eyeing to achieve right before her turn. ‘Well, that’s annoying,’ she observed, frantically looking back down at her hand. There was nothing else she could do but pick up a card and pass on her turn.

  Lila watched as Asher scowled at his hand, peeked at the board, and then back at his hand again. It seemed like he was having as much difficulty as she was in performing well right now. Time passed by, with Asher still having not made a move, so Lila’s mind drifted again.

  Three questions… there were three questions that Lila could ask that might get Marlene to reveal something new; something more personal. The first was about how Marlene even started working for Asher’s family. After all, Asher had said she’d been their maid for almost a decade, yet she was still quite young. Was being a rich family’s maid in this day and age really so enticing in her 20s? It wasn’t as though she was an au pair or governess – she wasn’t tutoring Asher in any way, not that he needed it. If that had been the case, Lila could understand her interest in such a job. It was also quite a left turn for someone who studied Security Studies, according to the degree on Marlene’s wall. Didn’t she want to do something in that field?

  The second question was about Marlene’s thoughts on the murders. The morphine ring and its bust hadn’t made it on the news – Lila checked every day. However, the case file on the missing analgesics that was in her Dad’s home office coincidentally went missing around the same time as when her Dad visited the café Marlene worked at. Despite all the conclusions and theories she could make about what he’d given Marlene, the case file seemed the most plausible. Therefore, she’d have some information – maybe even more than what Lila had seen since it’d been a few days since Lila had opened the file – about the morphine ring.

  ‘Hang on,’ Lila frowned, staring at her useless hand once more. ‘Who’s to say she read the case file? Did she pick it up for someone else? If we talk about it… could she slip up about that?’

  “This is quite fun,” Marlene said with a gentle smile, her lead over twenty points ahead. Asher made a noncommittal grunt, his eyes narrowed at his card.

  “Yeah,” Lila replied, her tone lacklustre. She needed to ask something – needed to get something from Marlene, otherwise this board game in which they were getting absolutely smashed by her was masochistic torture.

  Lila collected her nominated resources and laid them next to her facedown cards which concealed hidden goals for herself. She ran her finger over the last one as she continued her thoughts.

  The last question for Marlene… well, it was going to be relevant to video games. Hopefully, Marlene would reveal her Quack Queen status with that one. Then, the air on that front could be cleared and maybe Lila could even ask more personal questions – questions that would reveal who Marlene was under all these layers.

  Lila drew another card, a fluffy duck drawn in the centre. It was pretty cute-

  Actually, another question was burning in Lila’s very soul. What the fuck was up with all those ducks in Marlene’s house? It was obvious that she knew they’d been in her house but acknowledging it with her, to the point of asking about said ducks, felt so wrong.

  ‘I’m so curiouuus,’ Lila ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. ‘Simply liking ducks isn’t a good enough reason to have that many… but… talking about it would be admitting point-blank that we’re criminals.’

  Lila glanced at Asher, whose despair at the state of his gameplay had increased by tenfold. He was pretty resistant to the idea of talking to Marlene, but they really knew nothing about her. She could see why he didn’t want to get to know Marlene, yet surely knowing even a little bit more would put Asher at ease.

  Marlene played yet another powerful move and Lila sighed, drawing another card in response.

  Then, Lila inspected the board. The strategy that Marlene was employing… it was as if she could see every counter that Lila and Asher could come up with and defend against it. There wasn’t anything Lila could do at this point to win.

  ‘She… hasn’t played this before, right?’

  Lila shook her head. She was getting too distracted from both goals – talking to Marlene and winning the board game. Being frazzled like this would mean that neither would be met.

  Asher looked harried as he played his move, though Lila could see it was futile. From his expression, Lila could tell he had noticed this futility, too.

  A beat passed with no one moving, the silence weighing on Lila. With a gulp, she decided to go for it.

  “So… Marlene,” Lila began, her voice a slow drawl.

  “Yes, Lila?” Marlene asked, meeting Lila’s gaze. Something about it almost made Lila lose her nerve. She stared down at her cards.

  “I, uh, don’t know much about you,” Lila said softly. She caught sight of Marlene’s hand delicately placed on her Meeple, ready to move it along the board, in her periphery. “Yet I’m here really often. It’s, um, made me wonder…”

  Marlene moved her Meeple two spaces. “Wonder?”

  “W-Why’d you start working for Asher’s family? He said you’ve been working here for almost a decade.”

  Lila didn’t dare look at Asher, keeping her eyes instead on her cards.

  “Madam Wagner placed an ad in the paper for some maid services,” Marlene replied, removing her hand from her Meeple. “I was studying at the time and thought it’d be a good opportunity, and it has been.”

  Lila looked up, curious about this response. “Opportunity for… what?”

  Marlene leaned over to pick up a card. “To earn some money. I don’t need to pay rent, either. Being a student is very expensive, with textbooks, technology, software and the like being required for most degrees.”

  Even her phrasing was elegant.

  “I… see. So why have you stayed?”

  Now Asher seemed captivated by this conversation. Marlene smiled.

  “I like the work.”

  Lila glanced at Asher, both appearing bemused by this response. She liked folding washing, sweeping, cleaning and cooking endlessly?

  “What about your studies? Didn’t you want to do something in the field?” Lila asked, careful to avoid mentioning the field of Security Studies in particular.

  Marlene inclined her head. “When I finished my degree, I realised that working for the Wagners was very fitting for me.”

  Lila remembered her own comments to Asher about people falling into careers – like her sister and brother. Perhaps Marlene fell into this one, too.

  Marlene smiled at Lila once more. “I don’t know much about you, either, Lila. I can see that Mr Wagner is very fond of you, though.” She paused, gesturing at Asher. “It’s your turn, Mr Wagner.”

  “R-Right,” Asher uttered, staring back down at his cards.

  “Have you been friends with Mr Wagner for long?” Marlene continued, perusing her cards.

  Lila looked at Asher before turning her gaze to her cards, too. “… Well, I think we only became friends this year. Our friend circles didn’t really line up until this year, actually.”

  “I see,” Marlene replied. “Do they now?”

  Lila nodded, her eyes back on Marlene. “Surprisingly, yeah. My best friend Elise is dating Isaac, actually.”

  Marlene looked up at Lila and then at Asher, her smile warm and genuine. “I see. I’m happy to know he’s found someone. He’s been a fantastic friend for Asher over the years. Elise must be quite the girl to catch Isaac’s attention.”

  Lila smiled. “She is. She’s been my best friend for ages – I mean, we can talk for hours. She’s such a hard worker, too. She even managed to make Isaac into a hard worker.”

  Marlene laughed, the sound brightening Lila’s smile further. It wasn’t quite as intense as the Quack Queen’s laughter, yet it certainly was a welcome and even alluring echo of such.

  “That’s incredible! How on earth did she manage that?”

  “I think he felt embarrassed to be slacking next to her,” Asher piped up, surprising Lila into silence. “It also helps that they match each other’s humour, too.”

  “I always admire those who work hard in high school,” Marlene nodded. “It’s such a busy time that deciding to go out and add even more to their workload is something special.”

  “She’s… incredible,” Lila agreed. “I mean, not every kid would decide to add that onto themselves so selflessly like she does. She even tried to get a second job earlier this year.”

  Marlene’s expression changed to one of incredulity. “A second job?”

  “Yeah.” Lila took another look at the board, pausing as she took in what was going on. If Marlene was going to be first, then she needed to battle Asher for second place. She checked her hidden cards and played her move accordingly, moving her Meeple three spaces as a result. “Like I said, she’s selfless. Her Mum’s been in and out of hospital getting treated for a rare condition, which would be so stressful on Elise as it is. Yet, she’s taken it like a champ. She’s working so hard to keep herself at Forestglade College and help with her Mum’s treatments.”

  “That sounds horrible,” Marlene said sympathetically, drawing a card. “I hope her efforts are recognised at home.”

  “Yeah. Mr Thorpe, oh, that’s her Dad, he’s always been a pretty good Dad. I mean, when she tried to get her second job, he said she didn’t need to ‘cause she also needed to focus on her studies. Knowing him, he’d feel pretty guilty about the situation.”

  Marlene nodded sagely. “Most parents would, I’m sure, since their aim is to provide for their children.”

  “Yeah.” Lila’s eyes flickered to Asher. Talking to Marlene seemed so easy. Had he just not tried in the years she’d been working for his family? “I’m glad that she doesn’t have to work as hard as she did before. That way, she can spend more time with Isaac.”

  “It definitely seems like she deserves it,” Marlene said approvingly. “Rewards are best given to those who work hard for them. I’m glad she’s able to work less. I assume that means her Mum’s treatment is going well?”

  Lila paused. “The… opposite, actually.” She pursed her lips, her mind racing. She really wanted to know if Marlene had any idea about the morphine. “It turned out that her Mum was having trouble with, um, pain medication. Elise needed to work so hard to give her Mum extra money to get her more.”

  She took a deep breath, her eyes meeting Asher’s concerned ones. “I think it’s called morphine? Either way, she kept going to the hospital for it and now that the doctor she saw who gave her the medication left, it seemed like the hospital noticed how much trouble she was in. They’ve got her on a program to help her with it, but it’s not working very well.”

  Lila carefully analysed Marlene’s reaction to her statements. There was none, except pity.

  “Poor girl,” Marlene said softly. “I hope her mother takes to the program soon.”

  “I do, too. Elise’s Mum… she doesn’t deserve this. Not her sickness, and not these after-effects. Her doctor was pretty irresponsible, I think. I’m glad that they’ve picked up on it now.”

  “You said her doctor left, correct?”

  “Yeah.”

  Marlene gave a sigh of relief. “I’m glad. They sound very troublesome. Harming patients is deplorable.” Marlene placed her move, which netted her another two points. “If you had a name, you could report them to the Health Ombudsman.”

  “Health Ombudsman?” Lila had never heard of this before. She exchanged a look with Asher, who looked just as clueless.

  “They can take complaints about health professionals and act on them.”

  “Oh.” The idea that Hunter was Elise’s Mum’s doctor was purely a theory but… “What happens if the doctor was a fake doctor?”

  Marlene looked curiously back at Lila. “A fake doctor?”

  “W-Well…” Lila pursed her lips. “I just think… surely a real doctor wouldn’t prescribe so much medication to cause harm to their patients, right?”

  Marlene looked grave. “I hope not. But that’s what the Health Ombudsman is for. They do accept complaints about fake doctors, too. It’s incredibly serious.”

  Lila felt relief easing the tension in her shoulders. The idea that they could report Hunter as a fake doctor… that would ensure he wasn’t out and about, continuing to be a fake doctor and putting vulnerable patients in harm’s way.

  Asher shifted in his chair. “How do you make a report?”

  “You can call them or use their website. A very long time ago, I reported a doctor that I suspected was fake. It was a very stressful time, but they managed to find and prosecute him.”

  “Wow,” Lila replied, genuinely surprised.

  Marlene smiled again, this time tinged with sadness. “They were treating a family member of mine.”

  Marlene looked vulnerable for just a moment – enough for Lila to feel her own sympathy for her – before gesturing at Lila. “It’s your move, Lila.”

  “Oh, right.”

  She played her move, the conversation with Marlene running through her mind. Finally, she’d gotten something out of Marlene.

  “Do you know which hospital she’s being treated at?” Marlene asked as she rearranged her hand. “Since you think it might be a fake doctor, you’ll need to submit that information so they can investigate the circumstances.”

  “Yeah. The Forestglade Private Hospital.”

  “The best way to get anything done about it is to have as much detail as possible for someone like this. Do you have a name or particular specialty that you can add to the report?”

  Lila hesitated. “Not… exactly, but I think his name is Hunter. Not sure on the last name.”

  Marlene paused. “Perhaps I should ask Master Wagner to look into the matter-”

  “No!” Lila and Asher simultaneously interjected. They shared another look. Had Asher declined the suggestion for the same reason Lila had? They really had no evidence at all that Hunter was connected to Elise’s Mum. It was just a hunch. Asher’s Dad didn’t need to be involved for a hunch – especially not one that wouldn’t even raise Lila’s Dad’s eyebrows in interest, since it was based on hardly anything at all.

  “I-I mean,” Asher said nervously, “Dad’s got so much work on, you know. I don’t think we should bother him with something like this at his level, you know. If we report it to the Health Ombudsman, they’d go through someone at a lower level, right?”

  Marlene shrugged. “I’m not sure how it works on their end, but I would expect so.”

  There was silence for a few moments as they each played a turn. Then, once it was back on Marlene, she gave a heavy sigh.

  “The idea that there was a fake doctor at Master Wagner’s hospital frightens me,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t like what’s been going on recently.”

  An opening – Lila had to take it. This could answer the second question she had. “You mean the murders?”

  Marlene nodded solemnly. “They were both so young. They both went to your school too, didn’t they?”

  “Yeah,” Lila replied just as solemnly. “Until they were expelled.”

  This earned a look of surprise. “Both were expelled?”

  Lila nodded. “Before they were murdered – like, just before. It’s… kinda weird that it happened to both of them after they were expelled.”

  “What were they expelled for? Most private schools tend to be conservative about expelling their students.”

  Asher gave Marlene a dark look. “Well, Piper was expelled for stalking me.”

  This was information that Marlene was clearly aware of – Lila had seen concrete evidence of it in her room. What would she say?

  “That’s right,” Marlene replied lightly, gesturing at Asher. “It’s your turn, Mr Wagner.”

  He frowned at his cards and Lila could see from his indecisiveness that he’d be a while once more.

  “Jason, on the other hand,” Lila said, satisfied that Marlene acknowledged the fact that she knew about Piper, “he was expelled for spreading drugs around school.”

  “Drugs?” Marlene looked appalled, lowering her cards to the table. “What type of drugs?”

  “Morphine,” Asher replied, his tone moody as he looked at the board once more. Then, his moodiness seemed to abate as he eagerly played a move – one that impressed Lila, too. He was creeping up on Marlene’s lead. He looked up and said, “We saw him giving it to the rugby boys. Well, organising for it to be given to the rugby boys. He had two of his mates hand it off in the end.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “You saw this?” Marlene asked incredulously.

  “Yeah,” Asher nodded.

  “What happened to the others?”

  “The others involved in it were expelled, too,” Asher answered.

  “I see,” Marlene replied. “At least it’s fair in that sense.”

  “Yeah,” Asher said before a chuckle escaped his lips. “They were arrested at school, apparently, and one of them got hit by a bus. He’s okay, but it sounded really intense.”

  “I can imagine.” Marlene plucked a card from her hand before putting it back, taking a different card, and placing it down where it needed to be. “I just can’t help but feel sorry for Jason’s friends and family. To find out that he was dealing drugs at school and then was murdered shortly afterwards – it would be heartbreaking for his parents. I’m not a parent, but losing a son would feel like losing your entire world.”

  “Evelyn seems really nice,” Lila commented softly, her mind in two places – the move Marlene had just taken provided Lila with the perfect opportunity to earn five points. As she moved her Meeple, Lila murmured, “Nice enough to take in the girl Jason got pregnant.”

  “Sorry?” Marlene’s tone was flabbergasted, her expression doubly so. It seemed that Lila had finally been able to break through her composure.

  “Yeah,” Lila confirmed. “They weren’t dating or anything, but Alice’s parents kicked her out. They were in the same grade. She found out, like, just before he died. She was trying to organise a conversation with him but he got arrested and he said they’d talk when he got out.” She frowned at her new card before adding, “I think he went missing the same day, so she wasn’t ever able to tell him.”

  “That’s… wow,” Marlene’s hushed voice induced a pitying smile from Lila.

  “Alice was in tears over it at hockey practice. I mean, there’s so many layers to it all. She decided to keep the baby ‘cause, well, Jason’s dead. She didn’t want to kill him twice, and he wasn’t able to tell her what he wanted. I… couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if she ended up terminating the pregnancy before he was murdered.”

  “That’s such a burden to carry,” Marlene replied, her eyes darting to Lila then back down to her cards. “So, is Evelyn Jason’s mother?”

  Lila paused. Was this information that Marlene should’ve known already?

  ‘If she didn’t read the case file, if that’s what Dad gave her, then maybe not… what does her not knowing mean?’ Lila pondered with a slight exhale.

  “Yeah. Evelyn’s Jason’s Mum. I think she was the Vice CEO under Asher’s Dad, actually,” Lila said, her eyes carefully taking in Marlene’s reaction.

  “I see,” Marlene looked thoughtful. “I think he has mentioned his Vice was named Evelyn.”

  ‘It’s not exactly confidential information,’ Lila conceded reluctantly. ‘She didn’t need to get that info from Dad’s case file. Is there something I could mention that could only come from the case file? Or isn’t public knowledge, at least.’

  “Alice… ended up finding out that Evelyn was in custody at the police station,” Lila said lightly, her tone shaking subtly. She hoped Marlene didn’t notice, but she wasn’t game enough to check, instead focusing on the board to see what to do next. “She was a bit scared to talk to her parents about the pregnancy and she wanted to talk to Evelyn. See if Evelyn was nice and… to try and make a decision about keeping the baby or not. It was lucky she did since Evelyn was released soon after and Alice might not’ve found her afterwards.”

  At this point, Lila looked up again to see if that did anything for Marlene.

  “Evelyn was in custody?” Marlene looked confused by this, her hands lightly resting on her cards. “What for?”

  Asher gave Lila a sharp look – one that seemed to ask what she was doing. Of course, it wasn’t a lie that Alice had found out that Evelyn was in jail – but that was because Lila had gone snooping through her Dad’s case file and found the transcript of Evelyn’s interview in it.

  “Alice said Evelyn didn’t really know. Something like there was suspicion that Evelyn was involved in what Jason was doing,” Lila said lightly. No reaction aside from an expression of understanding.

  “It makes sense,” Marlene said, the phrase quickening Lila’s heartbeat just a tad. Did it make sense because she knew some-

  “It’s easy to suspect that a parent has some idea or even involvement in their child’s illegal activities,” Marlene continued. “Mr Wagner, it’s your turn.”

  He gave Lila one last look before appearing to focus on his next move.

  Marlene smiled softly before saying, “At least Evelyn has hope, now. I hope her time at the police station hasn’t hindered her ability to look after Alice after taking her in.”

  Lila shook her head. “Alice said that Evelyn made some smart investments, so she doesn’t need to work for now. She even took Alice shopping for some baby things a couple weeks back, despite not working at the moment.”

  “How kind. It… must bring her some comfort, knowing Jason isn’t entirely gone.” Marlene took a sip of her juice, which reminded Lila that she too had juice. All of this talking was making her thirsty, actually.

  Asher made his move, one which gave Lila pause as she sipped her juice. If he was choosing to do that, then…

  “I sure hope the police can catch the murderer soon,” Marlene said, perusing her hand and making a move that complemented Asher’s – something that Lila could use to her advantage.

  “Murderer?” Asher questioned, looking up at Marlene. Lila eyed Marlene for a moment before recommencing her strategy. If she put this card down, then-

  “Yes, Mr Wagner. Murderer.”

  “So, you think it’s all just one person, then?” Asher pressed.

  “Why wouldn’t it be? I would hate to think it’s more than one person,” Marlene reasoned, her head tilted ever-so-slightly. Again with the muted gestures.

  “Well, Jason’s murder was different,” Asher responded, placing his hand face-down on the table as he, too, took a swig of his cup.

  “While I’m not an expert on murderers, I have read a thing or two and listened to several analytical podcasts on them,” Marlene responded, her tone humble. “For one thing, even though murderers and serial killers may have a certain ‘style’ of killing, murders from the same person don’t have to be exactly the same. In fact, they rarely are. Depending on how many times someone has killed before, they can start to evolve or experiment, or even become complacent and lazy. Murderers aren’t infallible – I mean, a majority of them are caught at some point.”

  Asher eyed Lila as she took another sip of her juice. It was really refreshing – like it soothed her from her head to her toes from the fruity flavour alone, combined with the fizz from some soda water.

  “Okay, but what about the park bench?” Asher asked.

  “What about it, Mr Wagner?” Marlene replied.

  “Well, if it is the same killer, why would they pick the same park bench to put the bodies?” Asher’s tone was a touch impatient. Was he that invested in the copycat theory? “Isn’t that just asking to be caught?”

  “From what I’ve heard, murderers tend to be obsessive about something. Fixated, I should say. Either in how it feels to kill, the type of victim they choose, how to clean up the crime scene, how to dispose of the body, or in the trophies they take from the crime scene or victim. If they decide they like a particular spot to dispose of a body, it can be hard for them to shake that and choose a new one.”

  Lila had no idea that Marlene was so knowledgeable about this kind of thing. “What kind of podcasts and books do you read?” she asked incredulously, performing the move she’d thought of moments ago.

  “There’re some popular ones that I listen to whilst I’m either at work or on my way to work.”

  On… my way to work? The walk from the worker’s cottage to Asher’s place was hardly enough time to put earbuds in, let alone consume anything meaningfully. Was this another opening? One where Lila could ask about Marlene’s barista job?

  “On your way to work?” Asher’s question made Lila feel relieved. He’d caught on to the same detail she had.

  Marlene smiled, a slight blush rising on her cheeks. “Yes, Mr Wagner. I also work at a café in the local shopping district. It’s just across the way from my boyfriend’s workplace.”

  Lila nearly knocked her glass over as Asher’s surprise took the form of a profuse coughing fit.

  “B-Boyfriend?” Asher rasped, his eyes wide. He gulped down his juice as Lila asked herself – how the hell did Marlene find the time to have a boyfriend?

  It was as though Marlene the Maid’s pretence slipped away as her blush deepened. “Yes, my boyfriend. He’s… dreamy.” She gave a giggle – one that sounded involuntary and mirrored ones Lila had heard on Marlene’s Quack Queen streams. So… was Marlene’s true self more like Quack Queen?

  “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I mentioned him,” Marlene rambled, standing up to pour them all more juice. She looked flustered as she sat back down, her hands on her cheeks. “Sorry, I just got all excited. It’s pretty new.”

  “No kidding,” Asher replied, sitting back in his chair, jaw agape.

  Lila’s shock, on the other hand, quickly transformed into excitement. This – this was gold. Information about Marlene’s personal life? Now there was no way she’d let this slip.

  “Tell us more about him,” she said eagerly.

  “No, no, I’ve said too much,” Marlene said, waving her hand, her shyness clear in her expression. “Who’s turn is it?”

  “Oh, mine, sorry,” Asher said swiftly, looking down at his hand. He shook his head, though Lila couldn’t tell whether that was from the fact that Marlene had revealed a boyfriend or the state of his cards.

  Marlene placed the back of her hands on her cheeks as if to cool them down. She seemed liable to open up if Lila continued to prod just a little.

  “You can tell us,” Lila insisted, trying a friendly tone rather than a commanding one. “Relationships are always exciting.”

  Marlene met Lila’s gaze and smoothed down the sides of her hair with a nod. “I… I don’t have many people to tell and… I really do want to talk about him.”

  “Go on,” Lila smiled. “What’s he like?”

  Marlene pulled her mouth to the side, as though she was still considering whether or not she should tell Lila and Asher. Then, with a deep exhale and a shaky smile, she said, “Well… he works with antiques.”

  Antiques. Lila sat forward. Antiques. Was he the guy she mentioned on her stream? The one who gave her the ridiculously expensive duck after a trip to Nepal?

  “He’s so passionate,” Marlene continued, seemingly not noticing Lila’s change in posture. “His favourite part of antiques is the fact that each piece he finds has a history – long, varied, and endlessly fascinating. From the hands that crafted it, or even engineered the tools to craft it, to the hands that owned and cherished it before he discovered them – he takes great care in preserving that history as much as he can. He’s travelled all over the world to hunt for them, you know. It’s such a change of pace from my own mundane life, living here in Forestglade. He’s got so many stories, like the time he got robbed by a tag team of two monkeys in Singapore, or when he fell into a revered fountain in Italy!”

  She giggled again. “He always makes sure to bring me back a duck or two every time he travels. I buy some from him, too, but there’s always a bonus gift. It’s… been that way since I started being a customer of his. I actually tried to get a job at the antique store, but they couldn’t accommodate another employee, so I settled for the café across the road. That way, it’s so easy to pop in and see him during the week.”

  Two questions – Lila needed to decide, now. Quack Queen or ducks – what did she want to know more of?

  “Marlene… I hate to ask. Since… well… uh,” Asher looked panicked as he spoke, looking at Lila before swallowing. “Well… you know why. But… why the ducks? Why do you have so many?”

  Asher’s increased willingness to join in this conversation was endlessly relieving to Lila, not only because it meant she didn’t need to think of everything to ask on her own, but also because it meant he was becoming more comfortable with Marlene.

  Marlene clapped her hands together, her immediate joy after his question infectious. “They’re delightful, Mr Wagner. I already told you this.”

  The reference to that conversation, post-break-in, seemed to skyrocket Asher’s feeling of awkwardness, given how hard he flushed after she said that. “R-Right. But… you’ve got to admit… that’s a lot of ducks.”

  “They’re just so charming,” Marlene said breathlessly. “The way they waddle and quack – oh, if I could have real ducks, I’d be so happy – but, with Mr Snugglebutt, I can’t. Plus, I’d want a whole fleet of ducks, which would be incredibly messy – but imagine them following me all over the place!”

  She took a deep breath, which seemed to settle her down. “So… I collect duck statues instead. Have done since I was a little girl. They just brighten up my life. Anyway,” she flapped her hand as if to physically move the conversation along, “since I have hardly any expenses, I could keep growing my collection. Then, once I met Jamie, he helped bolster it.” Then, she pouted – an expression Lila had never seen her have before, which also happened to be incredibly endearing. “Gabriel’s banned me from getting more ducks.”

  “He has?” Asher blinked.

  “Yes!” Marlene said indignantly. “Just because I’ve given him some to look after since I’m running out of room to display them properly, he’s taken it upon himself to ban me. You’d think he’d love them too!” Then, her expression turned mischievous. “Don’t tell him, but I’m still getting more. I just have to be sneaky about it.”

  Click. A puzzle piece snapped into Lila’s jigsaw. The strange drop-off with the antique dealer named Jamie (at least, that’s who Lila figured Marlene meant) – it had to be done that way so that Gabriel couldn’t catch Marlene in the act of obtaining another duck.

  “Every so often, I open the divider between our sides of the cottage and place another duck somewhere. It’s a 50/50 whether or not he notices and brings it up. So far, I’m on day 28 without a complaint.”

  Lila tried very hard not to imagine Gabriel’s reaction to finding yet another surprise duck in his side of the cottage.

  “So, what, you work as a barista so you have extra money to buy ducks and to see your boyfriend?” Asher asked, his tone a touch nicer than appalled.

  Marlene nodded enthusiastically. “Especially as I’m part-time here. I thought about going full-time after my degree was over, but there wasn’t enough work to need that since you’re so tidy, Mr Wagner. Eventually, at the end of last year, I figured I might as well be productive with my time. It’s meant I could obtain rarer, more expensive ducks, too. Plus, it helps to bring me more social interaction.”

  Marlene then looked down at the board, jolting in apparent surprise. “I got so carried away, I didn’t realise it was my turn! My apologies.”

  Marlene hummed as she played her next move. It was a good one – but Lila thought of an even better one that she could play now that Marlene had done that. Perhaps Marlene just had a big streak of beginner’s luck. Either way, this game felt much fairer now.

  With renewed zest, Lila looked through her cards and played the move she considered after assuring herself that it was, in fact, the perfect counter to Marlene’s play.

  Lila met Asher’s eyes, identifying another reason to feel so positive – her list of questions was almost entirely answered. She just needed to work Quack Queen into the conversation somehow – just so that she could see Marlene’s reaction to it.

  “Marlene… I can’t help but wonder… between a boyfriend, a job as a barista, and as a maid, how do you have any time for hobbies?” Lila asked carefully. Hobbies could be a good umbrella topic which she could narrow down to streaming.

  Marlene laughed and responded in a good-natured tone. “Jamie asks that all the time. Especially since I’m also a streamer and help out at Coolisimo from time-to-time.”

  ‘Yes,’ Lila thought with an uncontrollable grin. “Streaming?” she asked after taking a moment to collect herself.

  “I’m known as the Quack Queen online,” Marlene replied with a subtle air of embarrassment in the way her cheeks flushed once again. “I’m sure you can guess why.”

  Lila nodded. “It’s a good name for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “… So, you enjoy video games, then?”

  “Love them,” Marlene said frankly. “I especially love any game that has some strategy to it to keep my mind ticking.”

  “You enjoy strategy games?” Given how Marlene was playing this board game, it shouldn’t have been as surprising to Lila as she said, yet somehow it was.

  “Definitely. Of course, here and there I’ll take a break from heavily strategic games, but I always come back to the Warcraft series. World of Warcraft doesn’t have as much strategy as the others, but it’s in the same world so it feels like home to me. Plus, it’s easier to stream since there’s more to talk about with the role-play and story aspects. A bit more engaging and approachable for viewers.”

  “I… see.” Lila still hadn’t really gravitated towards World of Warcraft, but with Asher’s nodding, she had no reason to disbelieve Marlene.

  “It looks like this is our last round,” Marlene said as Asher picked up the last card. “I’ll have to continue on with my work after this.”

  Lila had almost forgotten that, technically, Marlene was on shift. “No worries,” she said, watching as Asher pointed at the board, evidently counting something in his mind.

  Silence befell the group for a few moments before Lila asked, “So, do you like streaming? How’d you get into it?”

  Marlene’s smile gleamed, the genuine joy within it almost, but not quite, matching her enthusiasm about ducks. “I love it. My community is so amazing. I’d been worried about how toxic streaming could be, but I’ve managed to build one that has been so uplifting. I suppose it’d be hard to be toxic when there’re ducks all around.” She laughed before continuing, “I decided to give it a shot since I play games at night anyway. It’s less lonely, too, when people hop on. I hadn’t imagined that I’d get a following like I have, though. My Quacklings are so sweet.”

  With that last statement, Marlene’s mannerisms mirrored how she behaved on stream perfectly. It was slightly disconcerting, given her current attire, but comforting to know that Marlene also acted this way in person – that it wasn’t purely a streaming act.

  Lila was quite satisfied with how much information she’d obtained from Marlene as the last round played on. She felt far closer to Marlene – and even that she was approachable now.

  Marlene played her turn, placing her remaining hand face-down on the table before her. Lila peered at the board once more.

  ‘Hang on,’ she thought with a glimmer of glee. ‘I’m in the lead!’

  She looked at her hidden cards. She’d achieved all but one of those goals and the next move she could make – it’d be powerful enough to push her so far that it’d be almost impossible for anyone to catch up.

  Her competitive streak was in full force now. She played her move, paid her resources, and moved her Meeple, her smirk unwavering. Since Asher had drawn the last card, it was his turn next.

  He stared at the board, then at Lila.

  “My love, you don’t need to look that excited,” he chuckled. Lila’s smirk only intensified.

  “Go on,” she replied with a flourish. “Make your move.”

  He chuckled again and did so without hesitation. Since Asher still held the rulebook, he scored their total points, including hidden goals, announcing with a sigh that Lila had in fact won, with Asher being in second place.

  “Yes!” she cried, jumping to her feet. Considering how poorly she’d been going at the start against Marlene, this victory felt incredible.

  Marlene stood, dusting off her apron. “Good game,” she said pleasantly. “Congratulations, Lila. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll return to my duties.”

  The juice jug was long empty, so Marlene silently placed their used cups on the tray. She headed off to the doors when Lila suddenly stood up, one final question occurring to her.

  “Marlene,” she said, causing Marlene to turn to face her.

  “Yes, Lila?”

  “Given… all your jobs, since streaming’s basically a job too… what do you consider your ‘real’ job?” Lila asked tentatively.

  With another genuine smile – one wider than when Marlene talked about her duck collection – she replied, “Serving the Wagners, of course.”

  Marlene then bowed out of the room, turning the handle to leave with her elbow, the cups clattering as she left.

  Once the door swung shut, Lila and Asher exchanged a look.

  “Well… that was something,” Asher said, looking at the board game. “Did you want to play again?”

  Lila pursed her lips. Truthfully, she’d had enough of this particular game, what with the battle she’d had to win against Marlene.

  “Alright,” he laughed before she could express this with a shake of his head. “Let’s pack up.”

  They did so in relative silence until Lila got to Marlene’s cards that she’d placed down. She curiously looked through them, and her hidden goals, before frowning.

  “She could’ve totally won the whole game with this,” Lila said, showing Asher what she meant. “Why didn’t she?”

  Asher looked thoughtful. “Perhaps she didn’t know she could?”

  Lila shook her head. “No, not with her saying she likes strategy games and not with the way she played in the first half of this.” She tapped the table with the cards before placing them in the correct pile in the box. “… She let me win.”

  Now Asher pursed his lips. “Are you sure, my love?”

  “Dead sure.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Damn, that’s annoying.”

  “Is it? You won, didn’t you?”

  “Well, yeah, but… not on my own merit,” Lila said begrudgingly. “Being given a victory is hardly satisfying.”

  He laughed again. “I love you. Come on, let’s finish up here so we can head upstairs and relax.”

  She did as he said and he placed the board game box among the collection in the library before collecting the rest of their things. She placed her hand in his and they headed up, Lila still ruminating over her cheap win.

  Marlene was busy scrubbing the countertop – enough so she didn’t even look up at them as they passed. Neither Asher nor Lila bothered her, slipping past her and up the stairs without a word.

  Once in the safety of the rumpus room, Lila dejectedly flopped facedown onto the couch. Asher chuckled again, which was closely followed by the familiar sound of him pouring drinks for them.

  “My love, it’s just a board game,” he said gently, placing their cups down on the coffee table with a clink.

  “Yeah, but now I feel played,” Lila pouted, her voice muffled by the couch.

  She felt him sit next to her and place a tender hand on her back. His hand felt really warm. She moved her head so she could look at him, though she was hampered by the amount of hair in front of her face. He brushed it away and met her gaze with a smile as warm as his hand.

  “We did it, though,” he said encouragingly. “We talked to her. Well, you talked to her. I hardly said anything.”

  “You did ask some good questions.”

  “I just followed your lead, my love.”

  She continued to look at him, her mind running through what they’d talked about with Marlene. It’d been a productive day-

  “Shit,” she said suddenly, scrambling to sit up. “Asher, I haven’t taken the morning-after pill yet.”

  He instantly stood, heading to the kitchenette counter where he’d placed their things. He took the box out of the pharmacy bag and brought it over to Lila.

  “Thanks, my love,” Lila said, shuffling over on the couch so he could sit next to her properly. She opened the box and was surprised to see how small the pill was. It was bigger than the Pill, yet much smaller than Panadol. She’d assumed it’d be much bigger given how serious it was.

  She took the pamphlet out of the box and began reading, feeling Asher’s eyes on her as she did so.

  Once she finished reading it, she twirled the blister pack in her hands, her eyes flickering to Asher’s anxious face.

  “Are you going to take it?” he asked softly. She nodded, though an idea was in her mind – something they could do first.

  “The pamphlet says that once I take this, we have to use a barrier method for the next seven days,” she said slowly, a small grin creeping on her face. “So… I was thinking… since we’re still within 24 hours, we could… do it again.”

  He took a deep breath, averting her gaze for just a moment. His conflicted eyes returned to hers and he bit his lower lip.

  “Lila,” he whispered, “Lila, I-I told you if you say stuff like that, I have no choice but to obey.”

  “Then obey,” she whispered back, letting her thumb rest on his lower lip, exaggerating his slack-jawed expression.

  He stiffened, and she waited for his answer with a satisfied smirk, her hands drifting down his body.

  “… Yes, ma’am.”

  She liked that response a little more than she would’ve thought. He pulled her into his arms, walking them with purpose into his bedroom. Unlike their previous times, he didn’t even try to quieten her moans this time, nor his. It seemed as though hers were something he wanted to hear as loudly as she could muster, what with his reaction once she’d reached her limit.

  “Good girl,” he muttered, tightly grabbing her hips. He’d never said anything like that to her, but the feeling immediately struck her that he should call her that again and again. For Asher, she loved being good.

  Once he was done, they took a few moments to catch their breaths. Then, their eyes met.

  “I love you,” he whispered, caressing the side of her face with the back of his hand.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered back, wrapping her hand around his.

  “I’ve thought of another crime,” he said quietly, now avoiding her gaze. “One I’d like to do with you, if you want.”

  She was nothing short of intrigued. “What do you mean?”

  “I… I want to take a picture,” he murmured. “Since… we won’t be able to do exactly this for a while, and you haven’t seen what it looks like.”

  Her heart skipped a beat before quickening, her pulse reaching deep within. “P-Please,” she breathed. “I’m so curious.”

  He smiled at her, leaned across to his bedside table and grabbed his phone. He took several pictures of them both in their current states before he passed his phone to her. She looked through the photos, her heart beating faster as she took in what she was seeing. So, this is what she looked like after he ravaged her. He was absolutely right yesterday. It was so fucking hot.

  “Can you send these to me?” she found herself asking, though she hadn’t meant for it to be aloud. She didn’t really want him to know she wanted these but want them she did.

  “Of course. Did you actually think I’d let you go home without these souvenirs?”

  She coyly looked up at him, passing his phone back. “Maybe.”

  He kissed the side of her cheek before shuffling off the bed and giving her tissues. “Well, that’s just silly, my love.”

  From there, they had a calming shower before returning to the couch. Asher nudged the pill packet towards Lila, and she accepted it, downing the pill with a mouthful of juice, before sidling next to him. He wrapped his arm around her, using his free one to search for something to watch.

  After a few videos, the intercom rang, signalling that it was time for dinner. Lila had thought that Marlene would join them for dinner, given their time together in the library, but she was absent.

  As Lila ate her dinner of pork medallions, roasted broccoli and potato bake, the reason occurred to her with force.

  ‘She heard us, didn’t she?’ Lila thought, her eyes flickering to Asher. He seemed entirely content as he ate, none the wiser to her harrowing conclusion. She decided not to bring it up.

  Then, in what felt like a flash, Lila’s phone buzzed on the coffee table in Asher’s rumpus room, forcing them both to sit up and look – it was Clare, letting Lila know she was outside.

  With reluctance, they headed downstairs, Asher carrying all her things, and passed Marlene on the way out.

  “Goodnight, Lila,” Marlene said pleasantly, turning the tap in the kitchen sink off. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again very shortly.”

  “Yeah,” Lila smiled, glad that if Marlene had heard them, she didn’t make it obvious. “Goodnight to you too.”

  Marlene inclined her head before turning the tap back on.

  Lila and Asher trudged outside, stopping for a moment on the porch.

  “Where’s- oh. She parked a bit further,” Lila said, her tone bemused. Clare’s car was just a touch further down than usual, the car bathed in darkness.

  Asher greeted Clare as he placed Lila’s things in the back seat before wrapping his arms around Lila in a tight embrace.

  “Goodnight, my love,” he said gently, swaying them both. “See you tomorrow.”

  Lila reached up to kiss him before repeating the sentiment and climbing into Clare’s car, waving at Asher as she buckled her seatbelt.

  Clare began to drive off, Lila still fixated on Asher until he was well and truly out of view.

  “Another entire weekend at Asher’s,” Clare commented after a beat.

  “Yeah,” Lila smiled. Before she could add anything else, her phone buzzed in her lap and she checked what it was.

  It was a message from Asher. All she could see from her lock screen were the words, Your present. Curious, she opened it before instantly slamming her phone face down onto her lap, her face burning and breathing heavy.

  “Ah, so the nudes have commenced,” Clare said, her tone peppy and teasing. Lila steadfastly looked out the window, her embarrassment still reaching all parts of her face. Right there on her phone screen were, of course, the pictures that he’d taken of her earlier.

  “Your silence confirms everything, you know,” Clare continued in her teasing tone. Lila snapped her head to look at her sister, unsure what to retort with but with enough fire to make it up. Except-

  “What the hell happened to you?”

  Clare winced, keeping her eyes on the road. The side of her face shone purple under the streetlamp they drove under. Lila reached out to touch it and Clare jerked away, still managing to keep her hands on the wheel – hands which were scratched up and even missing a couple of her false nails.

  “Clare?”

  No response.

  “Did Alex beat-”

  “Absolutely not,” Clare said firmly, gripping her steering wheel. Then, she sighed, long and slow. “I… I got into a fight with Melody.”

  “Huh? I thought you guys didn’t work together.”

  “We still don’t but…” Clare sighed again, this time with a certain shakiness that made it seem like she was a second away from bursting into tears. “But it’s not like she’s banned from being a patron.”

  “Right…”

  “So… last night, when I was performing my set, she-”

  Whatever it was she did, Clare couldn’t say, for her tears had taken over.

  “C-Clare, let’s park.”

  Clare smoothly slowed to a halt next to one of the stately mansions on the outskirts of the Gilded Estate and pulled the handbrake up. She started wiping her eyes with her hands, their state even worse than Lila had glimpsed previously. Her efforts were wasted since more tears arrived to take the place of those she wiped away and Lila gently took both of Clare’s hands. They felt ice cold and Lila battled her first instinct to pull away.

  “Clare, what happened?”

  Clare looked up at Lila with a shuddering breath before squeezing her eyes shut, her mouth a trembling grimace. Lila moved across the centre console to try and hug Clare as best she could and Clare lightly placed her hands on Lila’s arm, not pushing her away nor pulling her closer.

  They remained like this for a minute or so, with Clare’s crying waning and starting up again as though her emotions were building and crashing like an ocean wave. Finally, Clare stopped crying altogether, though her body language still remained frail – as if one push would send her right back into tears.

  “M-Melody… while I was- well. When you’re on stage, you see the crowd the best, especially when you’re high up on the pole, right. So… Alex was on shift, doing his bartender thing when Melody showed up. I didn’t think anything of it, since her shift was after mine ‘cause I’ve got Uni work to do that I wanted to get home for, but t-then…” Lila quickly rubbed Clare’s shoulder in an effort to stem the incoming tears and it seemed to work.

  “Then she pulled Alex by the shirt and started kissing him, like, a lot. I damn near fell off the pole. He… he pushed her away, told her to get out. I mean, you saw how quiet he is usually – this though, he was shouting louder than the music. I don’t know what she said in response but she disappeared towards the changing room. Alex looked up at me, wiped his mouth and left the bar. I had to keep going until my set was over, but when it was, she was sitting in the changing room like nothing happened. I fucking lost it, Lila.”

  Her eyes shone and she groaned, putting her head in her hands. “I grabbed her hair first and socked her in the eye. From there, it was just a mess. She hit me back, of course, but that was the first time I really hit someone and meant it, you know. Nothing like when I whack you and Daniel, even as kids.”

  Clare took another deep breath and said, “Honestly, if Gabriel and Alex hadn’t come in at that moment, I might’ve killed her. They’re not supposed to, since they’re guys, but we were screaming and yelling. She… she looked too terrible to perform after that, so Gabriel sent her home. I don’t think he’s going to look at me in the same way again. I mean, that’s enough to fire me.”

  “Has he?”

  Clare shook her head. “No, but he told me not to come in next week. Cool off and all that. Mum freaked out when she saw me this morning since I’ve got some swelling and she said I should quit, but why should I quit? I was here first, and she’s been the one fucking with me. I haven’t even done anything to her until Saturday.”

  Lila remained silent, unsure what to say. Clare swallowed before shaking her head again and leaning back on her headrest.

  “If I see that bitch again, I might actually kill her. Fuck, I hate her with everything I have.”

  “Clare, you don’t really mean that.”

  Clare didn’t respond, which worried Lila. Clare wasn’t capable of something like that, surely. Except… well, ever since Melody started, Clare had really been flying off the handle. It was like Melody was intentionally pushing Clare’s buttons, but for what purpose? And… did Clare actually have a kill switch that Melody might pull if she kept it up?

  A few seconds passed when Clare softly said, “It was enough for me to tell some of my Uni friends about my job and the whole drama. I mean, I couldn’t keep it to myself and I wasn’t about to crash your weekend with Asher with this bullshit. A couple of them, my cheerleaders I guess you could say, said they wouldn’t even feel bad if I did ‘cause she’s so horrible. The rest are telling me to not even think that I might and to distance myself from the club – and maybe even Alex. Some think… that maybe when he’s rostered with Melody and I’m not there, he might be encouraging her.”

  Lila didn’t want to believe it, especially after seeing how he was with Clare. “What do you think?”

  “He’d never.”

  “Then-”

  “But she keeps throwing herself at him. What if… what if she takes it too far again and-”

  “Clare,” Lila said, her tone stern. “If he’d never, then he’d never. End of story.”

  Clare bit her lower lip, staring at her remaining nails.

  “Did you end up getting a new lock?”

  Clare nodded.

  “Did the stealing and breaking in stuff stop?”

  Clare nodded again. “I… I might get in trouble for this, but I also installed a small camera. Just in case she tries again. I mean, it just points down so it’s only my locker that’s filmed. Plus, I know it’s there and I don’t care if I record myself getting changed.”

  “Good.”

  The sisters were silent again. As much as she hated it, Lila… was starting to side with their Mum on this one. If Melody wasn’t going to get fired or quit, staying would do absolutely nothing good for Clare’s mental health, no matter how much she loved Coolisimo.

  “Do you think Gabriel will fire Melody?” Lila asked quietly.

  “Gabriel’s the biggest softie,” Clare replied, her voice pained. “I doubt he could fire anyone.”

  “Even if she’s harming his business? You’re still one of his top performers, if not the best.”

  Clare pursed her lips. “I… don’t know if he would.”

  Lila definitely needed to talk to Gabriel about this next time she saw him – or Asher, at the very least.

  Clare glanced out of her window before taking in a deep breath. “Let’s go home. I didn’t end up working on my Uni stuff.”

  “Okay, sis.”

  The rest of the drive home was taken in utter silence, aside from Clare’s music. Lila’s anger about the situation increased with each minute that passed but she definitely couldn’t let Clare know about it. It’d only make Clare madder, and everyone would be worse off for that.

  Clare parked her car in her usual spot outside their house before turning to Lila, wiping one remaining tear that Lila hadn’t noticed her produce.

  “Lila, straight upstairs again, alright? Even after what I told you, you’re so obvious.”

  “… Mum asked me the other day if I use protection, sis. I don’t need to hide away.”

  “Eugh,” Clare shivered. “Mum’s never asked me that. How’d you survive?”

  “Honestly? No idea. Dad and Daniel were there when she asked.”

  “Is Mum insane?” Clare asked incredulously, just a sliver of her usual self returning in her tone. “In front of Daniel?”

  “I’m not game enough to ask why.”

  “No wonder.” Clare shivered again. “Well, alright then. Live your life.”

  “I’ll still go straight upstairs.”

  Clare smiled at Lila. “Good choice.”

  Lila collected her things and, as she’d told Clare, headed into her room without lingering. As she closed the door behind her, she hoped that Clare would make good choices, too.

  Lila finished her nighttime routine shortly after and slid under the covers. Lila looked around as if to check whether someone was hiding in her room just for this moment. Obviously, no one was, but she surreptitiously opened her phone all the same.

  Her heart started racing once more as she looked through the photos. Asher hadn’t said anything else but, with a small, giddy grin, Lila sent, Same time next week?

  His reply was faster than any he’d sent before.

  My love, what am I going to do with you?

  She wavered, her fingers hovering above her phone’s keyboard. She’d never written it out before and, for some reason, it felt much different to saying it. Was it because there’d be a permanent record of her hopeless thoughts?

  Fuck me, of course, she finally sent, her stomach flopping in anticipation of his reply.

  Let’s see how fast we run out of forty condoms then

  She took a deep breath so she wouldn’t lose her mind.

  Bet, she sent, her hands unable to type anything else on the matter.

  Bet, he responded. Then, he sent, Goodnight, my love. See you tomorrow.

  See you tomorrow, my love. Get some sleep, okay?

  With these pictures? Not sure on that one, but I’ll try for you.

  She wasn’t sure for her either, but she kept that thought to herself.

  Good, she sent before plugging her phone in and turning to face the wall, hoping the distance would ensure she didn’t give in to the temptation to look again.