26. Selene
26
Selene
T he sun is just starting to stretch over the rooftops, bathing the town in that perfect golden glow that makes everything feel softer, almost dreamlike. It’s cold, though—not biting, but crisp enough that it stings your lungs when you breathe too deep. Valkyrie’s leash is loose in my hand as she trots happily beside me, her nose dipping down to sniff every lamppost and patch of grass like it holds the secrets of the universe. Almost like she’s searching for something sparkly that she can’t yet see.
The sidewalks are quiet at this hour. A couple of shops are opening, their owners flipping signs from closed to open . A man in a puffy jacket waves as he walks by with a paper under his arm. I wave back, feeling that small-town comfort wraps around me like a blanket. Mrs. Josi waves at me from her flower shop, it’s strange how this place feels like home now. I didn’t expect that when Valkyrie and I first got here, but maybe this is just the kind of place that sneaks up on you. Or maybe it’s the people.
Or maybe I just need a moment that feels real.
We round the corner to the coffee shop, and Valkyrie perks up, her tail wagging hard enough that her butt is swaying side to side. “I know,” I mutter, smiling. “You’ll get your puppuccino, don’t worry.”
The bell above the door jingles when we step inside, and the warmth of the coffee shop envelops me instantly. It smells like heaven—coffee, cinnamon, and a sugary treat baking in the back. The line is short, just a couple of people ahead of me. I give Valkyrie a pat as we step in, but I barely have time to settle before I feel arms wrap around me tightly.
“Oh my goodness, Selene!” Aubrey’s voice is sweet, too sweet—like honey left out too long, starting to crystallize. It sticks to my skin and makes a cold knot settle in my stomach.
I stiffen automatically.
“It’s been forever !” she gushes, her grip too tight. “Look at you—absolutely glowing. That mountain air must be doing wonders for you! I swear you don’t look like the same person you were when you got here a few months ago!”
I force myself to breathe. To smile. To act like I don’t know.
She pulls back, gripping my arms like I might vanish if she lets go. Her smile stretched wide across her face, bright and warm, her hair pinned back perfectly, not a strand out of place. She’s the picture of small-town grace. Perfect makeup. Perfect clothes. Perfect lie.
“Aubrey,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see me ?” She laughs, patting my arm like I just told her the funniest joke in the world. “You’re too sweet. No, it’s good to see you . I swear, I’ve been so out of the loop lately. Things have been so…well, you know how it is.”
Do I? Or does she?
She doesn’t let go of my arm as she gestures toward the counter. “Come on, this one is on me. You must be freezing, walking around in this weather, I know you like them cold but humor me.”
I open my mouth to refuse, but she’s already pulling me toward her booth, already walking behind the counter like she owns the place.
Valkyrie nudges my leg, huffing in protest. I shoot her an apologetic glance. Trust me, I don’t want to be here either.
Once we have our drinks, she leads me to a small table near the window. She’s all smiles, all polished perfection as if we’re old friends catching up after years apart.
“So,” she starts, stirring her latte, “tell me everything . How’s life treating you? Are there any handsome men in the picture? Like my Teddy? Or is it just you and that sweet dog of yours?”
My Teddy.
The words are a dagger slipped between my ribs.
I take a sip of the too-bitter coffee and force another smile. “It’s been good. Quiet. I’ve been helping Theo with some things, and spending time with my siblings. You know, the usual.”
“Oh, Teddy,” she says with a knowing grin. “That boy’s always been such a sweetheart. I can’t believe he hasn’t swept you off your feet yet.”
She pauses as if she’s trying to decide what to say next. “You know, I’ve been thinking about Teddy a lot lately. Poor thing, losing Gabriel like that. It’s been hard on all of us, of course, me especially, but I think Teddy has it almost just as hard. Gabriel loved him like he was his own.”
She says it so easily, so genuinely , that for a split second, I almost forget.
Almost.
But I see it. A flicker in her eyes. Sadness? Nostalgia? Or something else entirely?
She doesn’t let it linger. Her mask snaps back into place like elastic, her smile warm and perfectly rehearsed.
“Speaking of Gabriel,” she continues, “did you know tomorrow would’ve been our wedding anniversary? It’ll be my first one without him”
Her voice wobbles, just enough to make it believable.
God, she’s good.
I grip my cup tighter. I don’t want to play this game. I don’t want to sit across from her and pretend I don’t know. Pretend I don’t see the blood on her hands, don’t feel it in every word she speaks.
“I’m planning to spend the day at his grave, of course,” she goes on, her fingers trailing idly around the rim of her cup. “But I was thinking…maybe it doesn’t have to be a sad day. I’d love it if you and Teddy joined me. We could invite my Morgan since they were so close. We could have a little get-together, just a small thing. Maybe bring some flowers, and share some stories. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
I hesitate, searching her face for any hint of insincerity.
Nothing.
No crack in her mask. No slip of the tongue. No tell.
It’s infuriating, really—how effortlessly she plays this role. The grieving widow. The doting friend. The kind-hearted woman who just wants to remember her husband. And the worst part? If I didn’t know what I knew, I might actually believe her.
I swallow, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I’ll have to check with Theo,” I say cautiously. “But I think he’d appreciate that.”
She beams.
Like she’s already won.
And maybe she has.
“Oh, that would mean so much to me. Gabriel would’ve loved it. He always said that anniversaries were for celebrating love, not mourning it. He was such a romantic, you know?”
She sighs wistfully, resting her chin on her hand. “Every single year, he’d come up with extravagant—over-the-top plans, but that was just Gabriel. One year, he rented out the entire rooftop of The Ivy for a private dinner under the stars. He said the restaurant wasn’t fancy enough on its own, so he had them decorate it with twinkling lights and candles everywhere. He even hired a string quartet to play our song.” She pauses, a dreamy smile softening her face. “No matter where we were we would always recreate our first dance to Unchained Melody. ”
I sip my coffee, keeping my expression neutral. On the surface, the story is beautiful. Heartfelt. The love story that would make hopeless romantics sigh dreamily into their lattes.
But I’m not a hopeless romantic.
I’m sitting across from a woman who poisons people and calls the deaths she causes accidents.
Her voice lowers, almost conspiratorial, as she leans in a little closer. “But my favorite anniversary wasn’t the grandest one. It was probably our third or fourth, I think. He woke me up early and told me to pack an overnight bag, and I had no idea where we were going. He drove us out to this tiny cabin in the woods, just a little place he’d found on some whim. It wasn’t anything fancy—no cell service, no TV—but he brought everything to make it special. There were candles, homemade playlists, and even a little picnic he packed himself. He said he wanted us to get away from everything and just…exist together.”
She laughs lightly, brushing her hair behind her ear. “It was so simple, but it was perfect. Just us, sitting by the fire and talking until we fell asleep.”
She tells the story like it’s sacred like it’s a precious memory she keeps tucked away in her heart. Maybe that’s what makes it worse.
Because either she’s lying, or she’s telling the truth.
And if it’s the truth, if she really did love Gabriel, then I don’t understand how she could’ve killed him.
How do you murder someone you claim to love?
“Gabriel always knew how to make me feel special,” Aubrey says, her eyes shining as if she might cry. But I don’t believe it. I don’t believe her. “That’s why I want to honor him tomorrow. I want to keep his memory alive, you know? It just feels…wrong to let the day go by without doing anything. My Morgan and Teddy were so close to him. It wouldn’t feel right without them there.”
Her hand moves across the table to touch mine briefly, a fleeting gesture of connection.
I see it for what it truly is.
Manipulation.
“And of course, Teddy especially. Gabriel adored him—loved him like he was his own son. I think it’ll be good for him, too. A way for all of us to heal together.”
Heal together.
She makes it sound like she isn’t the reason he’s dead.
I force a smile, my stomach twisting. “It sounds like a thoughtful way to spend the day.”
Her smile widens, pleased. “Wonderful. I’ll take care of everything, of course. You just let Teddy know, and I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
And just like that, the plan is set.
It’s almost laughable—how she thinks she’s controlling the situation when, really, she’s just given us exactly what we needed.
If we showed up at the cemetery unannounced, she would’ve been on high alert. Suspicious. But now? Now she’s expecting us. Now we have a chance to plan, to set things in motion before we get there.
It’s perfect.
“Looks like tomorrow’s going to be… interesting,” I murmur, reaching for my phone under the table.
Aubrey is still talking, but I’m already typing out a message to the group chat.
Me: Change of plans. We’re going to the cemetery.
Valkyrie nudges my leg, her tail wagging softly, and I scratch behind her ears, grounding myself.
Across from me, Aubrey sighs dramatically. “You know, Selene, love like that doesn’t come around often. Gabriel was one of a kind. Sometimes I wonder how I’ll ever move on.”
Her voice is light, but her words are heavy. A test, maybe. A way to see if I’ll bite.
I don’t.
She leans in conspiratorially, her voice dropping to a mock whisper. “And between you and me, did you hear about what happened to poor Harriet last week?”
I blink, caught off guard. “No, what happened?”
Aubrey covers her mouth with a perfectly manicured hand, feigning shock. “Poor thing was walking down Main Street with toilet paper stuck to her shoe! Can you imagine? And it wasn’t just a little piece—it was trailing behind her like a leash!” She snickers behind her hand. “The whole town’s been talking about it. Bless her heart, she didn’t even notice until she got to the bakery.”
I manage a small laugh, and she beams, clearly pleased with herself.
It’s jarring, how effortlessly she flips from grieving widow to gossiping queen bee. Like a switch being flipped.
“I swear this town. It’s never dull,” she says, taking another sip of her latte. “Well, I won’t keep you. I know you’ve got things to do. But I’m so glad we ran into each other. And don’t forget—tomorrow, Gabriel’s grave. Bring Teddy and my Morgan. It’ll mean so much to me.”
I nod, and she reaches out to squeeze my hand before standing. “Take care, Selene. Kiss that sweet dog for me!”
With that, she flits off to the back of the cafe, leaving me sitting there with my too-bitter coffee and a million thoughts swirling in my head.
As soon as Aubrey disappears into the back of the cafe, I let out a slow breath, tension bleeding from my shoulders. The air still feels charged, like she left some invisible thread wrapped around me, pulling tight. I take another sip of my coffee, but it’s gone cold, the bitterness settling deep in my stomach.
I glance down at my phone, still open to the group chat. No new messages yet, but I know that’ll change as soon as everyone sees my text.
Valkyrie rests her chin on my knee, and I stroke her fur absently.
Aubrey thinks she’s in control. She thinks she’s the one pulling the strings.
But tomorrow?
Tomorrow, we get the upper hand.
This is good. This is better . Instead of showing up unannounced and scrambling, we have an advantage. We have time. We can plan.
My phone buzzes in my hand.
Orion: We need to talk. Everyone at Selene’s. Now.
I swallow, my pulse kicking up a notch.
Another buzz.
Bennett: On my way.
Theo: Be there in 10.
The cafe is still busy, a hum of chatter and clinking cups filling the space, but I feel a sudden urgency—like if I don’t move fast enough, the moment will slip through my fingers.
As I step outside, the crisp evening air bites at my skin. The sun is lower now, casting long shadows across the sidewalk. I adjust my grip on Valkyrie’s leash, my other hand tightening around my phone.
We don’t have all the pieces yet, but we’re getting closer.
And tomorrow, at Gabriel’s grave, we’re going to find out just how deep this goes.