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“I might need to speak to you, formally. Is there a good time to reach you?” She glanced at Maggie. “I don’t want to interrupt her studies.”
Maggie ignored her, but I nodded. “Sure. I’ll give you a call when I check my schedule.”
“Absolutely.” She handed me a card with her contact information. “And Riley, don’t forget. I don’t want to have to make an official inquiry.”
I nodded again, ever the bobblehead. “I’ll definitely get a hold of you.” As soon as hell froze over and the devil himself dialed her number for me. Or maybe I would go in willingly. See what information she had, misdirect her investigation a little. After I asked Roman what he thought.
“Riley.” She leaned in like Maggie wasn’t listening to every word. “Be careful with Mr. Hawthorne. He might not be everything he seems.”
I smiled almost wickedly but had to keep it as mild as possible. This woman thought she knew me. She thought I wasLittle Red Riding Hoodbeing manipulated by the big bad wolf. Her opinion was in the sugarcoating of every word she said and every tilt of her head. “Oh, Detective. Don’t worry about Roman. I can handle him. He might need to be the one who worries about me.”
When Maggie and I walked outside, Professor Harrison was in the back of a police car and a forensic unit had just pulled in. Maggie leaned in close. “Ah, the glory of a good search warrant.” She grinned. “I wonder what other surprising things they’ll find in the professor’s office?”
“You sound like you already know.”
Maggie Hawthorne was a woman of a million smiles. This one was knowing, smug, and a bit joyous.
“Oh, I do, darling. Maxwell Harrison is a man of shocking proclivities. He uses his position to put young ladies in precarious positions at this college and the high school where he works with the drama students on their spring productions.” She shook her head and clucked her tongue as we piled into her waiting limousine. “Maxwell Harrison films his encounters and sells them online.”
“Why go after him now?” A lot of professors did it. Harrison wasn’t the only one.
“The scandal. Harrison is tenured and by handling this ourselves, we are controlling the spin. The Board of Trustees for the university are the ones who stormed the office this morning. Found the video camera, the drugs, souvenirs, and the account where he sells the videos on his computer.”
“How do you know all of this?” I didn’t really expect her to tell me, but I wanted her to know by the question itself and the tone with which I spoke it that I admired her knowledge, her wisdom, her ability to know details other should have but didn’t know. I also wondered just for a second if that was how Roman knew to find me there during the party.
Her smile was wan. “Being a Hawthorne comes with its advantages.”
I was sitting in a limo with a woman wearing enough Chanel and diamonds to make the royal family jealous. I was well aware of the benefits to being a Hawthorne.
“Why did you choose me for the Scorpio Society?” I whispered the last two words in case the driver, Francois, wasn’t privy to the details.
“Once upon a time…” She grinned. “Don’t all the best stories start that way? To hell with ‘Just call me Ishmail’ and ‘It was the best of times, worst of times’ bullshit. All the best told stories start with…” I nodded and sat back to wait. “Once upon a time.”
It was really an opinion call, so I didn’t argue.
“Anyway, once upon a time, a few elite members of the alumni at Stonewall saw a need. For justice. For change. For making the world the kind of place our children could thrive in. The allure of being in control seduces.” She spoke like she was talking about a lover rather than a secret society. “Your courage and your behavior intrigued me.”
Francois pulled the car up to the door of the McDonald’s near school and stepped out to open the door for Maggie. I waited until we were seated inside. “Have you ever”—I lowered my voice—“killed someone?”
Before she answered, Maggie tapped a perfectly manicured nail against her lip. “The Scorpio Society is much more than you’ve seen. Far reaching. We’re socially responsible, civically conscious, and we’re upstanding with deep pockets. We affect change when change is necessary.”
“Harrison was necessary? Lars was necessary?” I scanned our surroundings. The last thing I needed was my big mouth getting us both in trouble, but no one cared about us. There were a couple soccer moms in their workout garb, some guys wearing those bright orange vests who looked like they worked on a road crew, some old guys chewing over the day’s news and a couple toddlers playing in playland. I probably could’ve shouted that I’d killed Lars, and no one would’ve cared.
“Do you have classes this afternoon?”
I shook my head. Fridays were light on the class load, and I wanted to see Roman. After I stormed out of his office, I’d spent the night fuming and rehashing with Emma who thought I was crazy to continue seeing him. She didn’t know everything, though. And speaking of everything, I looked at Margaret. “Is Roman working today?”
Maggie tapped her nails against the table. “No. He’ll be at Hades this evening. Right now, he’s in Halbrook”—a couple towns over—“dealing with a new liquor distributor.”
It was plausible. Or maybe he was avoiding me. But he would be fighting in a few hours, and I was going to be there.
The anticipation built as the day wore on. I chatted with Emma and pretended to do homework, as I shopped for a pair of jeans in her closet, and as I dressed in her clothes for my night at the club. “Are you sure you won’t go?”
She shook her head. “All that gore is more your game than mine.”
It was true. She was more the rom-com princess type, and I was bloody action-adventure. Bloodier than action or adventure, but maybe our differences made us better friends. Even if I had to go to the fights alone.
I walked into Hades and headed for the hidden elevator that would take me to the basement where the lights dimmed, and the sweat flew. The first fight had already started, and blood scented the air.
