Layla levels her gaze at me. “We need to discuss what happened last night, but first we need to set some ground rules. I know all about that agreement you both made without me, and I have to say that you’re not only reckless, but I honestly don’t know which one of you gets carried away with ridiculous notions faster. Just the same, it’s done. And whether I like it or not, we’ve each covered for one another somehow, so we’re in this situation together. November, you were right to ask that we tell you things in return for your personal information. Secrets should always be traded at equal value. Fair is fair. But don’t think for a second that the trust we’re establishing is unbreakable. If you betray us in any way, you will regret it way more than we will.”

I glance at Ash and back to Layla. I don’t doubt that for a second. “I understand.”

“And the tutoring you asked for,” she continues. “I’ll help. Ash and I have different strengths in analysis and you would benefit from learning from both of us. Besides, asking for tutoring when you need it isn’t shameful; it’s smart.”

I breathe deeply. “Please. I’ll take all the help I can get. The last thing I need is to pick a fight and then embarrass myself in class.”

“You embarrassing yourself might be unavoidable,” Layla says, and Ash chuckles. She gives him a warning look. “Your training in a few areas clearly needs work. But we can’t afford for people to think you have weaknesses, either. They will attack them. Or exploit them like some people.”

Ash makes a face like “Who? Me?” which Layla pays no attention to.

“So then where should we start? You guys know better than me who might have motives,” I say.

“Yes,” Layla agrees. “We’ll tell you what we know. But we also need to talk through the sequence of events surrounding the murder. Lots of people could potentially have motives, but only some will make sense in context.”

“Stefano’s murder happened right after you got in that fight with Matteo,” Ash says.

I nod. “Right. I was thinking about that, too. Do you think the murder is somehow connected to Matteo?”

“Yes, in a way,” Layla says. “Matteo and Stefano are from the same Family, they were roommates, and they spent most of their time together. Whatever punishment Blackwood gave Matteo because of your fight has kept him out of classes. So it’s possible that someone knew Matteo would be occupied and saw it as a good time to strike.”

“I see,” I say. “If they were always together, getting Stefano alone was an unusual opportunity?”

“Exactly,” Layla says.