Page 115 of A Murder is Going Down

‘What about him?’

‘Did you two ever get together?’

I grin; I can’t help myself. ‘Why? Were youinvested?’

‘You’re not going to tell me?’

‘That’s my business.’

Marianne laughs. ‘That’sthe thing you keep to yourself, huh. But what about Michael and Elena – weren’t they scared you would talk? How could they let you just walk away?’

‘I’m standing right here in front of you. They didn’tkillme. They’re not bad people.’’

There’s a long pause. Marianne seems to be working herself up to something. ‘I don’t think I believe you,’ she says.

‘Which part?’

‘Any of it. If this was a true story, you could never write it all down in a novel and take the risk that someone would find out what really happened.’

‘I could have changed some of the details.’

‘I would have heard about it if it was a real case.’

‘I showed you that news article about Felix’s death.’ I bring it up on my phone again.

‘Please,’ she scoffs. ‘Photoshop. AI. That proves nothing more than that you have a Midjourney subscription and too much time on your hands.’

She’s not wrong. ‘What are you saying, then?’ I ask.

‘I think this story is entirely a work of fiction. I think you came up with this plan to trap me in here with you and dress it up as a true story in order to sell me a manuscript I’ve already rejected.’ Marianne’s face is pink with satisfaction.

‘Ah,’ I say. I hold up my hands, the way any sensible bank robber does when the cops arrive.

‘Am I wrong on any particular point?’ she demands.

There’s no reason to go on like this any longer.

‘You got me,’ I say. ‘I thought it was the only way you might take an interest in my book.’

‘Knew it.’ Marianne, despite it all, looks pleased with herself.

‘Did it work?’ I ask.

Marianne is wearing the kind of smile Bond villains get on their face when they think they’ve finally nailed that pesky 007 agent down. ‘It was an … unexpected pitch,’ she says. ‘But I’m notnotinterested. I’d need to read the manuscript, of course.’

‘Of course.’

‘Also, you need to get me out of this lift immediately.’

‘Obviously.’

‘Who’s Yusef, by the way?’

‘Just a friend.’

‘A lift-tampering friend?’

‘He’s good with electrics. We were never in any danger. He got the phone jammer too. I don’t think I want to know how.’