Dinner for Two, Death for One

Dirty Secret

"That's private and has nothing to do with the case! I'm saying nothing!"

I was frustrated, but Felix wasn't at all fazed by my outburst.

His eyes never left me as he added, "We also found out your mother needed 75 grand for her surgery last month, but Shawn paid off his gambling debts with that money right before the surgery could happen.

"Your mother died. That's why you broke up with him. You hated him, so you wanted to kill him! That's your motive, isn't it?"

That was sudden, so I didn't see that coming. I was frozen in my seat, not even noticing my tears crawling down my cheeks. Yes, I despised Shawn. That was 75 grand, which meant countless all-nighters.

I nearly killed myself just to earn that money, yet he took it like it was nothing.

I wanted to tear him apart and put a bullet through my head when I first found out. However, I didn't go through with it.

…

I hung my head low. When I spoke, my voice was trembling. "It's true, but that's not a reason to murder him either."

"Are you suggesting that he had other enemies?" Felix leaned forward, his gaze sharp as a falcon's.

I met his eyes and smiled. Then, I huddled closer and whispered softly, "Of course, he did. Still, that information is for your ears only. No one else."

Felix gazed at me, saying nothing. Nevertheless, he eventually agreed to my terms. He also had a condition—he wanted to check out Queenie's house, and I said yes.

…

We arrived at Cinnamon Garden a short while later. I unlocked the door like it was my own home. A wave of flowery scent greeted us after we went in. The walls were filled with photos of Queenie and me, from children to adults.

It was a warm, cozy space. Felix took a seat on the couch after inspecting it. "Now, can you talk?"

I got Felix a glass of water first before telling him my tale.

"Shawn was a regular at… special parties. Masked people in expensive clothes gathered in a mansion. People from all walks of life were involved. The games involved were filthier than you could imagine.

"I'm talking about sexual favors, bribery, swinging, and more. All sorts of dark crimes lurk there; you name it, they have it. He took me there once, and I was blindfolded.

"I was in a gown. That was the first and last time I wore a gown. I had stupidly thought it was a regular event, but the bastard locked me in a room with an old fogey.

"He told me that he'd pay me 150 grand if I pleased him. In my panic, I knocked the old bastard out and jumped out a window. A month ago, he mentioned sneaking a hidden camera into the party somehow and recording some footage.

"'I'll have enough money for 10 lifetimes with this!' he said. I think he probably tried to blackmail one of the guests and got silenced."

I laid out everything I knew. Felix scanned me sharply, judgmentally. The silence dragged on and on. Eventually, he drained the whole glass of water and headed for the door.

He stopped at the photo wall at the entrance and looked back at me. "You knew he'd die, down to the exact time, didn't you?"

His statement petrified me, but I said nothing. To my surprise, Felix smiled. He pointed at the photo wall. "It's been a year since you last took a photo with Queenie, and it just so happens that you've also known Shawn for a year."

Then, Felix threw out a weird question. "Where'd you hide Queenie?"