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Edgar whispers something to the guard next to him and then addresses the room. “Joel Foli was stabbed in the neck with the stem of a wineglass.”
Eve clutches at her chest and turns her face into me. A rumble of shock moves through the room.
“Then I guess that doesn’t narrow it down,” I say, shaking my head. “How horrible.”
Edgar narrows his eyes in my direction. “Not that I am accusing you, sir, but where were you exactly?”
“Exactly when?” I ask. “Do we have any way to know how long the man has been dead? I spoke with him an hour ago, but haven’t seen him since then.”
“You spoke with him?” Edgar asks.
I nod. “As many of you have this morning, as well. Believe me, if I’d known he was going to be murdered, I would have kept my distance to help maintain my innocence.”
The guards on either side of Edgar take a step forward, and Eve tenses beside me. I didn’t tell her what is going on, but I’m sure she has guessed by now.
“His body is still warm,” Edgar says. “The blood hasn’t congealed yet.”
A woman whimpers behind me.
“I can’t say where I was the exact moment he was killed since we don’t know when that was,” I say. “But I was talking to Number Eleven before coming to see Number Seven.”
I see Maddie’s attention snap towards me from the corner of my eye, and then everyone is looking at her.
It is to my advantage that she is naturally nervous already because it doesn’t raise any eyebrows when she bites her lip and twiddles her fingers.
I would have used Eve as my alibi except Edgar must think I killed Joel to keep him from bidding on Eve. So, they could think Eve was in on the murder. I have to find another witness, and Maddie seems like the best bet.
I can only hope she’ll play along.
“Is that true?” Edgar asks, looking at Maddie from beneath dark brows.
Maddie glances over at me and Eve and then nods quickly, eyes wide. “Yes. I spoke with him.”
Eve shifts closer to me, nudging my arm, and I don’t need to look at her to know she is upset with me for bringing Maddie into this. For whatever reason, she has a soft spot for the young girl, and I am putting her at great risk by involving her in my crime. Though, she was already in great risk. At least this way, if she backs up my story, I’ll be a lot more inclined to try and save her once Eve and I get out of here.
Ifwe get out of here.
“I was talking with Number Eleven,” one of the female bidders against the back wall says. “For the last twenty minutes, at least.”
Edgar pulls his top lip back in a snarl and looks from me to Maddie. “Are you lying to me?”
“No,” Maddie insists. “I really did talk with him. Maybe I’m confused about the timing.”
The soft-spoken man who showed me to my room and promised to take care of any of my needs the first day I arrived is nowhere to be seen as Edgar rounds on me. “What are you not saying? Where were you?” he hisses in a venomous voice.
Eve wraps her arm around my elbow, clinging to me, and I pat her hand.
“I’m telling you everything I know.”
Edgar nods to the guards behind him, and they move forward. But they’ve only taken a few steps when Eve suddenly pulls away and moves to stand in front of me, acting as a guard between me and Edgar.
“He isn’t telling you everything,” she says.
The room goes perfectly quiet, and I’m too surprised to say anything.
Is she going to reveal our secret? Is she going to tell them I was the one who killed Joel?
At this point, anything could happen, so I’m not really sure.
