Page 18 of Lone Spy

"Thank you," I say, dipping my chin, and folding my hands in my lap. Demure, nonthreatening, charmed.

"Sorry to be more of a bother, but would you mind terribly, chap, if we could just have some privacy?" Kendrick looks up at Ash and then to me, his smile an embarrassed grimace.

I give a small nod and Ash leaves us—as if he needed my permission. "Coffee?" I offer again.

"No, no, please. Thank you. I just have a few questions, just routine." His hands flap around like baby birds not sure how to land.

"Of course. It's terrible. I'm not sure what I can tell you, though; I never even spoke with the queen. From what I've read, she was dehydrated. That happened to my grandmother quite a bit as she aged."

"Well, you know, it's always good to get multiple points of view. Just due diligence really." He waves away any objection I might have with his fluttering hands.

Fine. We can play this game if he wants. "I'll admit, I don't know much about your profession. Eyewitness accounts are vital to an investigation?" I lean forward, adding a subtle eager note to my voice.Please teach me something. There is so much I don't know.

His eyes light and he nods, eager to share his knowledge. "Very. While each individual account is colored from the personal perspective, when we have a large group, the more points of view we have, the easier it is to create a clear picture."

"I see. How interesting."

"And besides," he says, now almost preening. "You have a habit of being in the room when people collapse." His expression doesn't change—still a fawn. But turns out this one’s got sharp teeth.

The night Vladimir Petrov crashed onto the dance floor—dragging me onto his seizing body—comes back to me in vivid color. The swell of power I felt at his distant gaze, at the horror I had wrought.

I also felt guilt then, too. Not now. I didn't kill Vladimir Petrov the night he "collapsed." It would have been easier if I had. Instead, I was forced to bludgeon the man to death in my home. The sickening memory of his skull cracking and the wet spatter on my skin snaps me back to the hotel balcony.

"What an awful way to put it,” I say, my brow falling, my pretty lips turning into a sad frown, my eyes growing distant.

"Ivan Petrov collapsed in your arms. Poisoned." He picks up one of the scones, pulling it onto a small plate and then reaching for the butter, his attention apparently completely on the task.

"Are you suggesting the queen was poisoned?" I ask.

He smiles down at his pastry, now cut in half, as he slathers butter over one side. "I'm just making an observation."

"Is dredging up sad memories important for your investigation?" I ask, my tone as light as his, my teeth as sharp.

He takes a bite and then waves with the rest of the scone, as if scattering away my words. "I do apologize, didn't mean to upset you. I'm sure what you witnessed last night was quite a shock."

I don't answer because he didn't ask a question. Instead, I stare into his eyes and wait for him to speak again. He stares back, takes another bite of the scone, jaw working, gaze locked on mine.

"You know, I knew Temperance,” he goes on. “It's terrible what happened to him." My expression remains totally blank. I am behind a wall and no one can see through it. "If you ever need to get him a message, you can always call on me."

He breaks eye contact to find a napkin and wipe his hands before reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a business card. "I won't take up any more of your time." He places the card next to the coffee pot—the same bone china and pink flowers as the cup. "Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything at all, Ms. Daniels."

Ash appears in the doorway again. "Our car is waiting downstairs."

"I was just leaving," Elliot says, pushing back his chair to stand. I also rise. He turns to me. "An absolute delight to meet you, Ms. Daniels. And, again, please never hesitate to reach out."

I smile but don't speak. Elliot gives Ash a curt nod and then moves past him into the suite. Ash turns to follow. I stand on the balcony, the chill air biting my cheeks and the tip of my nose. The curtains billow, blocking my view of the hotel room door, but I hear it open and then close.

Ash returns and I'm still standing in that spot. "What happened to Temperance?" I ask.

"You'll be late if we don't leave now."

"Answer me."

"Alesana will be here any second, and we can't discuss this in front of him."

I step forward, closing the space between us to a mere foot. Craning my neck to look up at him, I'm reminded again of Vladimir—he was a giant like Ash. He made me feel small. But I felled him.

The hotel room door opens and Alesana's voice reaches us: "All set?"

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