Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
Mr. Froble raised both palms in the air as if to say he couldn’t even begin to fathom what he’d just witnessed: two distraught sisters who’d once been upstanding members, even leaders, of the Aubergine community, carted away once again in handcuffs.
Once we were alone in the office, Savilla threw her arms around me again, and the nerves I’d been feeling about her finding out we were sisters finally disappeared completely.
“I always wanted a sister,” she squealed, squeezing me tight. “And we’re almost, like, twins, which is twice as good.”
Except we didn’t share the same mother or the same birthdate.
I supposed we could be Irish twins—of a sort.
Regardless, the thing that mattered was that Savilla seemed ecstatic rather than resentful about sharing her role as an heiress, even though I had no idea what exactly that might mean in coming days.
If only there was some kind of book for dummies, a kind of Heiress’s Guide to Death & Diamonds.
“We have so much catching up to do. Oh. My. God. I have chills.” She held out her arm to prove the fact. “It’s like I knew without knowing. I’m, what’s it called, precious?”
“Prescient,” I corrected.
“See! You can even finish my sentences.” Savilla studied me with slack-jawed amazement, even though I was pretty sure that any kid studying for the SAT could’ve figured out that one.
“You can move into the west wing of the house and you can run the stables, because that’s totally your thing.
I could also use some help with the accounts because I do not do math. ”
Savilla giggled as if bleeding money from an estate like The Rose was the best joke ever.
“Every night we can eat dinner together and watch movies—the classics are my favorite. Clueless, Mean Girls, Ten Things I Hate About You.” She inhaled and thought of another benefit to our new relationship status, waving her hands in excitement as she spoke.
“Aunt DeeDee can come too. Can I call her Aunt DeeDee now, since we’re, like, totally family?
” Not waiting for an answer, Savilla spun around in a full circle.
“This is the best thing since that time I met the Jonas Brothers in Cancún and one of them asked me to marry him. I had to turn him down because our auras didn’t align, but it was a thrilling week. ”
When her words ran out, she looked at me expectantly. I wasn’t quite sure which thing I should address first: moving into the Rose Palace, the fact that none of those movies were classics, the Jonas proposal, or the auras?
“I think I might be a little overwhelmed,” I said, lifting my thumb and pointer finger to show her that I was freaking out inside. “How about we take some time to digest the news and then we can figure out details?”
“Of course, yes, you’re right. I’m being too much.
So, so, so sorry.” Savilla stopped beaming and her perfectly tailored eyebrows dipped into a concerned V.
“I get like that when I’m excited, and my words get all jumbled too.
Why don’t you take a minute and then we’ll go grab coffee and work out the details? ”
It wasn’t what I had meant by a request for time to process, but que sera.
“Sounds good,” I said, wondering how, after the news of my inheritance, I was ever going to focus on figuring out Brett’s email password or who might’ve actually killed him. Savilla was right. It was all too much.
Savilla threw her arms around me one more time and yanked me close. “I’m going to be the best sister ever. Just you wait.”
“Half-sister,” I corrected without thinking.
“Silly girl. I don’t care about demantics.”
Oof. That was a tough one.
“Semantics?” I dared to correct.
“Details or semantics, neither matter in family affairs,” Savilla said. “Family is what you make it, and I make you my full-hearted sister.”
I knew how Punnett squares tracked genotypes, and none of what she was saying made scientific sense. Savilla’s kindness was endearing though.
“Look, I appreciate your generous… welcome, but this weekend has been a lot. I have no idea what comes next for me, much less how to figure out who…”
Savilla’s ears perked up as she finished my sentence. “… who killed Brett?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “I wasn’t sure if you actually believed there was a murderer with what you told your mom and stepmom.”
Savilla waved a hand. “I didn’t want to upset them until we know something for sure. They can be… fragile.”
That description did not add up with what I’d seen of Glenda and Katie. Erratic, perhaps. Unstable, even. But not fragile. Perhaps this was the demantics of which Savilla spoke.
“Glenda said that Brett was like a son to your father. Did he help him get his start? Produce the music video? Get him on the reality show?”
“Yep, they were close. Daddy started Petal Productions, his last madcap attempt to make us rich and thrust Brett into the spotlight.” Savilla nodded as if she could hardly believe the truth herself.
“But I had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t even here when they filmed the music video or the home visit.
” Concern crossed her features. “Did you think I had something to do with Brett’s death? ”
“No,” I said, because I didn’t. Not really. I didn’t want to think badly of Savilla, but despite my personal desires, she had made her way onto my suspect list—even if it was in such a low spot that I hadn’t even named her to Charlie.
“Good. Because I was as shocked as you,” Savilla said. She bit at her lip, thinking. “I hate to say it because he’s always seemed like a good guy, but Joe had the most beef with Brett. And he seems strangely close to Presley, don’t you think?”
I did think that.
“How did your chat with him go last night?” she asked, stretching as if working out the tension of the last hour.
“Okay. Something’s definitely happening between him and Presley, which means something likely happened between him and Brett—even beyond Brett sabotaging his college experience and ultimately his career.”
I considered mentioning Lacy’s dilemma but thought better of it. I had about eleven hours to help her figure out Brett’s password, and perhaps Savilla could help me solve that when the time came, but for now, I’d let it rest.
Savilla grabbed her purse and put an arm through mine. “It would be good to actually locate the Rose Diamond,” she commented, almost as an afterthought.
I looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“The diamond, the one Brett was supposed to inherit,” she explained. “It’s been missing since the 2023 pageant.”
That was an important detail.
“Honestly, at first I thought Brett had somehow stolen it, but he never seemed to have a huge influx of cash. Then I thought Daddy had sold it to keep the estate afloat, but now… I’m not sure.”
There was a lot there to unpack, but Mr. Froble’s assistant came to the door, opened it, and politely gestured that we should leave.
“Coffee?” Savilla suggested again, as we exited the building onto Main Street.
I glanced at my watch, considering the best use of my time. I was pretty sure that Savilla knew things that I didn’t even know I needed to know.
“Sure,” I agreed, sending Lacy a quick text. She didn’t respond immediately like she normally did, and I only hoped she wasn’t pacing the mansion anxiously.
Savilla grinned at me as she took my arm. “We’ll never be apart ever, ever again,” she breathed, studying my face like she was memorizing every detail.
My chest tightened, and I reminded myself that I had a new sister, not a new limb. It would be fine. Besides, maybe Savilla knew something she would now share with me, her blood relation, her own kin. Something that could help solve Brett’s murder.