The Jig
ASHA
Revenge didn’t look the way I imagined. Instead of it being something that was alive, it kept me buried inside the house for almost a week.
I’d been drawn back to the case. The one that I helped Alec and Ori work and the one we solved right before we got married.
The start of what felt like the beginning of our fairytale.
We put away the bad guy and Ori retired how he wanted.
Alec hadn’t questioned me when I’d requested that he bring over the case files so that I could view.
Because I’d worked it I still had notes and access but there was something my mother said as she was hurling insults at me that I couldn’t shake.
And that had me turn back to my notes to see what I’d missed.
When I started to look at everything again I saw something we’d missed.
Christopher Clancy had ended his life rather than face the consequences of his actions.
There was a part of me that thought he’d been taken out because of the secret society he’d spoken on in passing.
It felt like a ritual, the way he’d staged her body and had attempted to eat her flesh.
So much of the case reminded me of Brandt down to the cannibalism but that too didn’t seem right.
There were some aspects that seemed parallel and others that seemed to have an entirely different m.o.
Contradictory. Something had bothered both of us about the case but neither of us gave much thought to it.
He’d died and his DNA matched. It was the type of case that you retired to having an excellent track record.
Part of me didn’t want to go back and open it up.
The idea of going back to my husband’s old job and opening a case that we’d supposedly solved together would’ve tarnished his reputation.
But I couldn’t let it rest. There was no sleeping so reviewing this was all I had.
Pouring over cases and thinking of the what-ifs had me cross-referencing everything I could get my hands on.
Even his questioning whether I was involved in this led me to the place I was at now.
I knocked on the door and waited almost anxiously for it to open.
I wasn’t about to wait much longer with the information I had so it was going to happen in private or I was going to make a public spectacle.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to do much because the door swung open with more enthusiasm than I expected.
“Asha! Hi! What are you doing here?”
Her eyes were bright with not a hair out of place as though she’d fixed her appearance before she opened the door. I’d already scoped out her lack of cameras and even scanned to see if there were any that were hidden. Her building had a doorman, but I could explain away all of my actions.
“Are you busy? I needed to speak with you.” I stepped forward giving her very little option to do anything but be hospitable. The desire to ask me why the hell I was intruding into her home was on the tip of her tongue but she wasn’t going to ask it. Not out here.
She faltered only briefly tucking her hair behind her ear and smoothing her hand down the linen set she wore. I’d dressed in a full yoga outfit because this wasn’t going to be a brunch date.
“No, not busy. Come on in.” Margo stepped back allowing me to walk further into her space and I didn’t feel uneasy at all even with the way she shut and locked the door.
She should be more worried about her not being able to get out than about keeping me in.
“Come on in and sit down. You’ve never been by despite how long we’ve known each other. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“No, this isn’t a personal call.”
The cheerfulness on her face dimmed just slightly and I could see how she was trying to work out what my angle was.
“You haven’t been back to teach so I can’t imagine what type of business conversation we need to have. Is that what’s going on? You’re ready to come back and you want me to help you get your job?”
The cheerfulness was back, the thought of helping me brought joy back to her face.
“I’ve already been given the pathway to return to work but you, of course know that working is the last thing I’ll ever need to do in this lifetime or the next eight.”
“Is that some kind of gauche way to flaunt that you’re rich?”
“No, that’s a blunt way of saying I’m wealthier than your bloodline could ever hope to be.” I had to smile at how she looked so bothered by my response.
“Well, I don’t know what has gotten into you. Ever since you and your husband worked on that case you’ve been really...” The way she slammed her lips I knew exactly what it was she wanted to say but she wouldn’t allow herself to let the word pass her lips.
“Say it. Uppity? Above my station? Tell me which of your micro aggressions are you going to sprinkle on this conversation today?”
“Why are you here?”
I smiled at her predictability knowing she would soon come to regret trying to rush me. It was only going to hasten her demise.
“You’re ready to get in the thick of it then? Lovely, how did you know that I’d married Ori Nakoa?”
“What?” She ran her fingers through her fresh blowout but I couldn’t tell if she was nervous or if she was confused.
I’d be more than happy to take her to school.
“You said you and your husband in reference to the case. I never told you that Ori was the man I was going to marry. In fact, I specifically kept that information away from you because you were so pressed to fuck him.” I toyed with my keys and she followed the motion, trying to come up with a lie.
“I must have heard it—”
“No one in your circles knew.”
She blew out an annoyed breath and threw her hands up. “Then it must’ve been in the papers.”
“No, you weird bitch. We never put an announcement in the paper. The entire event was locked down from the location to the guest list. Coming from the families that we do we wouldn’t want any of the riffraff making their way in.”
“Riff-raff? That’s what you think of me?”
I chuckled and stepped closer to her but she was still roughly a meter away. “You don’t want to know what I really think of you.”
“Wow, there’s no reason for you to be here then. I don’t allow people in my home—” She went to step away but I needed her to stay away from the door.
“Something about the case I worked on always bothered me.” Margo damn near froze when I brought up the case but I knew curiosity wouldn’t let her rest until she knew what I did. When she turned around, the cheerful smile was back on her face suggesting she had a new angle to approach this from.
“And what bothered you? It’s solved now, right?
You could’ve come to me earlier for help, Asha.
” Two steps to shorten the distance between us brought her closer to me than she had been before.
“Well, I wasn’t going to break the rules.
Ori was a stickler for decorum,” I watched how she got aggravated every time I mentioned him and it made me smile.
“But what was bothering me was something I should’ve seen all along.
The Clancy boy wasn’t a lone actor. He had help.
It took me almost a year to realize but it was you. ”
“What are you talking about, Asha? Is this grief speaking? Have you been drinking?” Margo attempted to laugh off my accusation but the one thing she didn’t do was deny any of it.
Deflecting and dismissing were the only tools she felt necessary to redirect my attention.
I truly hated when people insulted my intelligence.
“Margo, let me speak plainly. This isn’t conjecture. All the evidence is at my flat waiting to be turned over to the authorities. But of course, I’m not going to do that.”
“You’re not?” She looked rightfully hesitant and all I could do was smile at her, mirroring the cheerfulness she’d displayed earlier.
“No. Why would I do that? I figured that there had to be some type of scientific explanation for what you’d done.
Was it a real-life experiment that just went too far?
I’m sure that the glimpses of the mind that we’re limited to wasn’t fulfilling for someone who’s been in the field as long as you have. ”
As predicted the flattery worked, and the look of smug confidence was back on her face.
“They want us to wait to see how the criminal mind works by having these tiny little trials done or waiting until death to get our hands on their brain. What better way to see what makes someone a killer than to lock in on their motivation and exploit it? If I would’ve known you would understand I would have definitely included you on the trial.
As it is, there’s a host of students I’ve tagged that might be susceptible just like he was.
You must tell me how you figured it out so that we can prevent the same mistake from happening again.
” She walked toward me conspiratorially ready to hear where she’d messed up so that she could perfect her technique.
To hear that she had more kids earmarked to be exploited was completely unnerving.
“You did what all people who believe they’re more intelligent than others do: you talked too fucking much.”
Her brows dipped and she looked at me oddly as though she were waiting for the real reason to be spoken.
When I remained quiet she shook her head silently refuting that it was her failure that led to being discovered.
“No, it can’t be as simple as that. There is far more to it than you’re saying.
I never thought you would be the type to have a superiority complex, but surely you’re not trying to say I made a mistake.
” She looked incredulous at the idea but I wasn’t going to lie to her Not with her ending coming so soon. “What tipped you off?”
“You knew where I lived.”
“What?” Her shock couldn’t be feigned and she waited on me to elaborate, which I was more than happy to do.