Page 56 of Thicker than Water

“Good. I won’t warn you again.”

And with a self-satisfied swoosh of his robes, he departs, leaving the door to my suite wide open.

I kneel down beside the girl, searching for a pulse.

But I already know it’s gone. I turn her over and shut her eyes. Then I pull her dress down.

It’s more dignity than I’ll get, if Tudor decides to stake me.

“Xia!” I shout.

“Yes, Celine?” says Xia, entering the suite. “I just saw Tudor, is he back from-”

She stops when she sees the girl on the ground. I pull out a driver’s license from the pocket of her dress.

“Xia, could you tell Lily to find the closest relatives of this girl. Ensure they’re adequately compensated. Anonymously. Make sure it’s untraceable. She’ll know how.”

“I…of course…” Xia whispers, taking the wallet in a shaking hand.

“I’ll take care of the body.”

Once it’s done, I return to my suite. I’m not interested in drinking this evening, although I know I should.

I just want to be alone.

I sit down at the piano, and start to play a familiar piece.

I never played the piano when I was alive. Pianos were rare, impossibly expensive for a poor family like our’s. But we loved singing. Not the stuffy church hymns. The songs you could sing in a group, around a fire with drinks in every hand.

Part of me wishes I could remember them. Part of me is glad that I can’t.

And there’s something else I can’t remember. A detail I’m shocked could have slipped my mind.

Her name.

What was hername?

The chime of the elevator shakes me from my reverie. The doors open and Renata steps into my suite, her face even more anxious than usual. She doesn’t say anything, just walks over to me, her shoes dipping into the plush carpet.

“I’dlike to be alone,” I tell her, without looking up from my music. I have to keep playing. If I stop playing, I might fall apart.

“I’m not leaving you alone,” she says. “I heard what happened. Xia told me.”

“I don’t need your company.”

“Are you sure about that? You look like you’re brooding.”

“I’m not brooding.”

She sighs deeply. “Celine, maybe it’s a good thing to stay away from Cedric for a while…”

“I’mgoingto stay away from him. Tudor made sure of that.”

“Yes, but Tudor shouldn’t have done that! It’s horrible, I’m sorry you had to see it. I know that that must have been awful for you, given your history with him…”

I stop playing. I rise from the bench, turning toward her.

“Who told you about that?” I demand.