He sips from his drink before answering. “We heard the conversation with the 911 operator. Your side of it, at least. You never told them she was pushed.”
My cheeks flush as my bottom lip begins to quiver. “It wouldn’t have mattered. There’s an emergency in town. It will take time for them to get here.”
“You’re the one who insisted her death wasn’t an accident, then you tell the police that she fell,” Damien says. His clenched fist pounds against the bar top. “They’d come faster if they thought foul play was involved.”
That’s precisely why I didn’t mention it to the police.
“I…I don’t know. I was just trying to answer the operator’s questions.”
“They’re sending someone, right? That’s all that matters,” Preston says, but he doesn’t sound as impassioned as he did a few minutes ago when he was defending Constance. It’s possible he agrees with Damien but doesn’t want to admit it.
“It’s not Tippi’s job to tell the police how to run their investigation,” Constance says.
“When the police arrive, they’ll see the banister. They’ll see the library,” Ava adds, crossing her arms. “They’ll figure it out.”
“What else did the police say?” Constance asks.
“That someone would be here in ninety minutes,” I say. “And for none of us to leave.”
Profound silence fills the room. That order presents a threat to each one of us.
“Yeah. The cops will immediately assume one of us did it.” Damien gulps down the rest of his drink, turning his back to us.
“We’re the only ones here,” Preston says, his voice wary. “That’s an unsettling thought, but it’s the truth.”
Constance squirms in her seat, fighting to sit up straighter. “Maybe we’re not. Someone else could be here.” She locks eyes with me. “You need to tell them.”
“Tell them what?”
At first, I’m genuinely confused, then panic rattles through me as I realize exactly what she’s talking about.No, no, no…
Constance sighs. “About the card from Oliver.”
Tippi’s Takes Presents:
What Hitch Taught Me About Life
An exploration of life and cinema from the viral sensation
by Tippi Rathbone
Chapter Six
Suspicion(1941): Trust Your Gut
Suspicion,starring the dazzling Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, is the ideal psychological thriller. A dreamy gambler and a wealthy heiress fall in love, only for the latter to question her new husband’s motives. While many of Hitchcock’s films rely heavily on plot, most of the drama in this one occurs in the main character’s mind as she begins to wonder if she’s in danger.
Is it possible for love to outweigh darker human emotions, like greed and pride?Suspicionaims to answer that question, while also reminding us about the importance of intuition. The body and soul have a way of acknowledging things the mind wants to refute, so when in doubt, it’s best to trust your gut.
26
Before
Ava sat across fromme waving a martini glass. “Tippi, anyone home?”
Her bracelet glinted in the light of the overhead lamp, capturing my attention. I sipped my own drink, hurriedly. “Sorry. Zoned out for a minute.”
“Everything okay?” Oliver, beside me, squeezed me closer to him. “You’ve been quiet tonight.”
