George stood before us, and the first thing that caught my attention were the bruises on his face. They marred his features, like dark shadows etched across a canvas of determination. It was clear he wasn't in the best of moods, and the tension in the parking lot seemed to thicken in his presence. His jaw was set firmly, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
His eyes held a hint of weariness beneath their steely gaze. They spoke of a person who had weathered storms and emerged on the other side, albeit not without scars.
Though George's demeanor was far from welcoming, his presence was undeniable. There was an intensity about him, a sense that he had a story to tell, and he wasn't about to let anyone stand in his way.
As we exchanged glances and prepared to speak with him, I couldn't help but wonder about the circumstances that had led to those bruises on his face. George was a complex figure, and unraveling the mystery surrounding him would be no easy task.
"You brought the kid?" he asked Kitsune.
I was ready to tell him I wasn't a kid when Kitsune placed a hand over my own and gave it a gentle squeeze. My eyes widened at the feel of it only because I knew he wasn't the type to indulge in physicality if he could help it. In fact, for the most part, he went out of his way to avoid it altogether. This was a big deal, and one I knew he wouldn't have done unless it was important to him I remain silent.
So, I did.
I bit my lip and looked back at George.
"I trust her," Kitsune said, releasing his hold on my hand. I tried to ignore the flare of disappointment. "And you should too. You know she saw you that night with Victoria. When you argued."
George shifted his gaze to me, not bothering to hide how surprised he looked.
"She hasn't said anything to anyone except for me," Kitsune continued. "I hear you haven't done yourself any favors. No one besides Agatha knows who Scheffeld is to you."
George said nothing but tension rolled off of him in waves. I could tell that George was trying to keep his emotions in check, but his body language betrayed him. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his eyes flickered with a cold, hard anger.
He looked away from us, staring off into the distance as if he were lost in thought. I could sense his struggle, his desire to keep his secrets close, but also his need to unburden himself to someone he trusted. Whether he would choose to confide in us, I couldn't be sure.
"What happened?" Kitsune asked.
George pressed his lips together.
"I'll remind you that you called me," he continued. "Now, if you'd like me to leave –"
"All right, all right." George rolled his eyes. "Always such a hardass, Kitsune. What happened to the affable PI who didn't care because caring was too much effort?"
Kitsune said nothing.
George glanced at me again, curiosity tainting his dark eyes.
"Well?" Kitsune pushed.
"I saw Victoria that night," he admitted. "The night she died. I didn't like that she was here, and I didn't know about it. I might have said some things I didn't mean. I just, I expected her to ask me for money again."
"And did she?" Kitsune asked.
George shook his head. "In fact, she said she was here to pay me back," he said. "'Course, I didn't believe her. She was always saying stuff like that. What made this time any different? But she said she had a sponsorship at the art festival, and she thought it was going to be her big break. She was sure of it."
"Your sister was talented," Kitsune said. "What made you dismiss her claims?"
"Do you know how hard it is to even get a sponsorship?" George asked. "You know who heads up that committee. Adrian Lancaster isn't someone who just hands these things out. Not unless it benefits him in some way. And she expected me to believe she had one?"
"It's the truth," I said before I could stop myself.
"Yeah, I know that now," George snapped.
"How do you know that?" There was an edge to Kitsune's voice, a warning, though I wasn't sure what it was for.
"I spoke to Lancaster myself," George said. "Didn't even phase him. Admitted it straight out of the gate. He wasn't even trying to hide it."
"Why would he have to?"
"Oh, come on, Kitsune," George said, dropping his arms to his sides. "You and I both know the Lancasters practically run this town. Stuff doesn't happen here unless it gets their approval. Even Ollie knew that. He warned you about it. And after all this time, you still aren't listening."
Kitsune stiffened beside me.
It took everything in me not to ask who Ollie was. Somehow, I knew it was the man in the photograph, the one with the big smile on his face.
"Why is it that the second Ollie starts investigating the Lancasters' parents' murders, he winds up –"
"That's enough," Kitsune said. His voice was becoming less aloof and more animated, something I hadn't thought was possible.
"No," George said. "No, it's not. Because my sister is dead now, and I know, deep down, Lancaster had something to do with it. Just like I'm sure you know Lancaster had something to do with Ollie and Lynn –"
The anger in George's voice was palpable as he spoke those last words, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. The weight of the situation was becoming more and more apparent with each passing moment, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility to help in any way that I could.
"Don't."
It was barely audible, but I shuddered nonetheless.
A line had been crossed.
Names spoken into the void. Memories stirred up.
I had no idea what was going on, but I knew Kitsune was furious. And there was something inside of me that felt compelled to tamper the emotion before it got the better of either one of them. Because, at the end of the day, they were both friends. Even if Kitsune sucked at being a friend because he had this self-imposed isolation and even if George was too arrogant for his own good, they had always respected each other.
I didn't want that to change.
"Why must you continue to deny it?" George asked.
"Richmond."
"It's the truth," he said. "Don't you see that? What happened to them could happen again because we never found out who did it. I don't want the same thing to happen here. With Victoria. I'm the one who pushed her away. I'm the one who told her to leave. And now look. She's dead. What might have happened if I had just listened to her without making any assumptions, hmm? What then? Maybe she'd still be alive."
"You can't know that," I murmured.
George glared. "What the hell do you know about it, little girl?" he snapped.
Kitsune took a protective step in front of me, blocking me from George's glare. "Don't talk to her that way," he said firmly, and though his voice was low, there was a warning in his words.
I could feel the tension mounting between them, and I knew that something had to be done to diffuse the situation before it escalated any further. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, placing a hand on Kitsune's shoulder.
"Hey, maybe we should take a break," I suggested. "This is clearly a sensitive topic, and I think we could all benefit from some time to process everything that's been said."
Kitsune glanced back at me, his expression softening at my touch. "You're right," he said. "Let's take a moment to regroup."
I could see the relief in George's eyes, though he tried to hide it behind a scowl. "Fine," he said. "But we're not done talking about this."
Kitsune nodded. "Agreed," he said. "But for now, let's take a step back and clear our heads. We'll meet back here in ten minutes." He glanced at George. "You should ice your face before your eye swells shut."
George flared his nostrils but said nothing as he made his way back into the bar.
"You think it's a good idea?" I asked. "Letting him go back in? We never found out what happened to him."
"I know Richmond well enough to know what happened to him," Kitsune said. "He came here to drown his guilt, and when the alcohol couldn't numb it, he ran his mouth and got into a fight."
"Sounds like a pattern you're familiar with," I murmured.
"Yes." A nod. "He isn't the only detective to use it."
"Is that something I have to worry about with you?" I glanced up at him, hoping for some kind of answer.
Finally, he shook his head. "I opt to avoid everyone and retreat into myself," he said, sliding his hands in his pockets.
"Like that's a healthy reaction," I quipped.
"I know it's not, but I don't care. It works for me, just like this works for him."
I wanted to ask him about Ollie and Lynn. I wanted to know what happened to them. But I knew that now was not the time. Kitsune was already tense enough, and I didn't want to push him further. Instead, I took a deep breath and looked around at our surroundings. The bar was dimly lit, and the smell of cigarettes and alcohol filled the air. It was the kind of place where you could disappear and forget about your problems for a night. But for George, it seemed like the opposite was true. He had come here to face his problems head-on, and it had only made things worse.
The cool night air coated my bare arms, and I took a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs. It was quiet out here, and I could feel the weight of the situation settling on me once again.
"So what do we do now?" I asked.
"We wait," Kitsune said simply. "He needs time to cool down and process everything. And I need time to think about how to handle this situation."
"Do you really think Adrian had something to do with Victoria's death?" I asked, the words spilling out before I could even think about them. "That he and Victoria were together?"
Kitsune looked at me, his expression unreadable. "It's a possibility," he said at last. "The Lancasters are involved in a lot of shady business in this town, though nothing proven, of course. It wouldn't surprise me if they had a hand in this as well."
"But how do we prove it?" I asked.
"That's the million-dollar question," Kitsune said. "But we'll figure it out. We owe it to Victoria to try."
"So," I said, deciding to speak my thoughts out loud. "We talk to George about his fight with Victoria. About why he hid his relationship with her from everyone. And we find out if Adrian and Victoria spent time together outside of their professional relationship?"
Kitsune nodded. "We also need to verify that Victoria wasn't lying to Richmond about needing money," he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The two have always had a complex relationship," Kitsune explained. "She was a free spirit, and he was not. It annoyed him to no end that she wouldn't settle down and be more responsible. She had a habit of overextending herself and needing help out of tight spots, and sometimes, she didn't always turn to the right people for that help."
"You're saying she could have lied to George about not needing help?" I asked.
Kitsune shrugged. "I can't speculate," he said. "At this point, anything is possible."
And that was the problem.
We didn't need anything to be possible, we needed only one thing could be possible. Until then, we dangled between that fine line of solving the case to simply just guessing.