“I heard you found the body. What are the odds?” Her dark eyes sparkle at me. This feels like a trap.

“It was as terrible as you’d imagine,” I say. I’m about to put the copy of Killer Queen down when I catch the bookseller’s death glare. So I pull out my wallet and pay for it in quick order, then shove the book deep into my pack. And then I’m back on Reama, not even attempting subtlety at this point.

“What about you? Did you go to the ball last night?”

Reama’s shoulders stiffen. “Why do you ask?”

I give an exaggerated shrug. “I heard it was a banger.”

After a beat, Reama makes a show of checking her phone. “The keynote luncheon starts in ten, and I need to hit up the bathroom. It’s been nice chatting. Hope you enjoy the book!” She tosses the last bit over her shoulder, already on her way.

I retrieve Gabriel, the corner of his mouth smeared with chocolate, and drag him by the arm into a dead spot of traffic so we can talk. “She’s hiding something, for sure. Dipped out as soon as I brought up the party last night. And she brought up Natalie’s murder. Me finding the body. She gives me the creeps. But I…don’t know what to do next.”

Distress washes over Gabriel’s face. “Look, I cannot lose this job. My car and the gas in it are my sole responsibility, and I cannot be the senior without a car next year.”

“Do I sense a ‘but’?”

“Yes.” And he exhales deeply. “Come with me.”

We don’t bother with the secret passageway, instead weaving our way through the vendor room, out into the hotel, and upstairs.

“Wait, I can’t—” I tug Gabriel back at the top of the stairs, peering around a wall post into the lobby where the deputies are.

“Stay low,” Gabriel instructs. “And if they say something, I’ll say you’re my girlfriend. We can kill two birds with one stone. Deputy Shields may finally get the message.”

He’s off before I can protest further, and I have no choice but to follow. Crouching, I shield the right side of my face with my hand and move as quickly as possible. Gabriel flips up the partition to the reception desk, and I slip through, flattening myself down against the wall. Then I crab-walk into a cubby-sized office, where Gabriel slides into a chair in front of a sizable screen.

“So what’s the ‘but’?” I say.

Gabriel shakes the mouse to wake the screen.