“Aren’t you?” I ask. “My gran used to say, If you want to know where someone’s going, don’t watch their mouths, watch their feet. I never understood that until now. She also said, The proof is in the pudding.”
“The proof’s in the…what?”
“It means I won’t trust your words anymore. I won’t.”
“Molly, I made a mistake is all. I made a stupid fucking mistake in asking you to go back into that suite and do my dirty work for me. Please. I won’t let you go down for this. They can’t get away with it.”
Her voice is raw and real, but can I trust what I hear?
“Giselle, you’re at the hotel now? You’re in your room?”
“Yeah. A princess locked in the tower. Molly, you have to let me help you. I’m going to speak out, okay? I’ll tell the police it was my gun and I told you to get it. I’ll even tell them that Rodney and Charles were running a cartel. I’m going to get you cleared, I promise. Molly, you’re the only true friend I’ve ever had.”
I feel the rush of tears break over the banks of my eyes. I hope it’s true, I really do. I hope she’s a good egg caught in a rotten basket. It’s time to put her to the test.
“Giselle, you need to listen to me. You need to listen very, very carefully, okay?”
“Okay,” she says, through sniffles.
“Can you get to the Cayman Islands?”
“Yeah. I have open tickets. I can go anytime.”
“Do you still have your passport?”
“Yes.”
“Do not contact Rodney. Do you understand?”
“But shouldn’t I let him know that—”
“He doesn’t care a jot about you, Giselle. Can’t you see that? He’ll take you down, too, at the first chance. You’re just another pawn in his game.”
I hear her struggle to draw in breath. “Oh, Molly, I wish I were more like you. I’m not. I’m not at all. You’re strong. You’re honest. You’re good. I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I can be alone.”
“You’ve always been alone, Giselle. Poor company is worse than none.”
“Let me guess. Your gran told you that?”
“She did,” I say. “And she’s right.”
“How could I have ever fallen for a man so…”
“Vile?” I offer.
“Yes,” she says. “So vile.”
“Vile and evil are composed of the same letters. One begets the other.”
“Rodney and Charles,” she says.
“Vile and evil,” I reply. “Giselle, we don’t have much time. I need you to do as I say. And it has to be fast.”
“Okay,” she says. “Whatever you ask, Molly.”
“I want you to pack your basic necessities into a single bag. I want you to carry your passport and whatever money you have right next to your heart. And I want you to run. Not out the front doors of the hotel, but out the back ones. Right now. Do you hear me?”
“But what about you? I can’t just let you—”
“If you are a friend, you will do this for me. I’m not alone anymore. I have real friends, true ones. I’m going to be fine. I’m asking you to do as I say. Go now, Giselle. Run.”
She keeps talking, but I don’t listen because I’ve said everything I need to say. I know it’s rude, and if this weren’t an extraordinary situation, I certainly wouldn’t behave in this curt and clipped manner. I hang up on her without another word.
When I look up from my phone, there’s a coffee-shop employee standing by my table. She’s shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. I recognize this behavior. It’s what I do when I’m waiting for my turn to speak.
“Was that you?” she asks. She points to the TV screen.
How am I supposed to answer?
Honesty is the best policy.
“That was me. Yes.”
There’s a pause as she takes this in.
“Oh, I should add that I didn’t do it. Murder Mr. Black, I mean. I’m not a killer. You have nothing at all to worry about.” I take a sip from my mug.
The coffee-shop employee stiffens and sidles away from my table. She turns her back on me only once she’s safely behind the counter. I watch as she rushes to the kitchen, where she is no doubt talking to her supervisor, who will soon come out and look at me with wide eyes. I will recognize the expression instantly. I will know that it means fear because I’m getting better at this—understanding the subtle cues, the body language that expresses emotional states.