Page 86

Chapter 85

Anna

Drew’s voice is as sudden as it is direct.

‘Get out of there,’ he warns. ‘Remove yourself and Margot from the situation and don’t say anything you might regret. Give yourselves time to think it through and come up with an appropriate response.’

It’s unusually sage advice from my headstrong brother. Death has granted him some clarity, now that it’s of little use to him.

‘But Liv said she wants us both to invest,’ I remind him. ‘So what does she have on me?’

He doesn’t answer because he can’t. If I don’t know, then neither does he. But he’s right when he says I need to take charge, because Margot is as good as useless right now.

‘It’s been great to catch up, Liv,’ I say, ‘but Margot and I should probably get going. She promised to help me sort through a new delivery of gemstones.’

‘Of course,’ Liv says. ‘It’s great that we’re all so busy, isn’t it?’

She pushes back her chair and rises to her feet. Margot and I do the same.

‘Oh, while I remember,’ Liv says to me, ‘I have something I keep meaning to return.’

She opens a kitchen drawer and pulls out an object wrapped in tissue paper. She keeps it hidden in the palm of her hand before she presses it into mine. I unwrap it and immediately recognise it. And more importantly, I know what it means.

‘My wedding ring,’ exhales Drew.

It’s the one I made myself and that he wore when we pretended to be a married couple. I can’t tear my eyes away from it. I can just make out brown speckles on its surface. Dried blood, I assume. The last time I saw it was when I accidentally tore open the bag his body was wrapped in as I hoisted him up into the chest freezer. His fingers caught under the base and I heard a metallic clink, but I assumed it must be the ring hitting the freezer door. I didn’t realise it could have slipped off, otherwise I would have looked for it there and then.

‘She could only have found it if she’d been inside our garage,’ Drew continues. ‘A random ring won’t mean anything, unless she found something else in there. Me.’

I look to Margot, but she is unaware of its significance.

‘I know that, sadly, you and Drew have gone your separate ways,’ begins Liv, ‘but I thought you might want to give it back if you see him again.’

‘She said if ,’ Drew repeats. ‘Not when. If .’

It’s all the assurance I need that she knows Drew is dead.

Liv doesn’t offer any explanation as to how it came into her possession, and I don’t need to ask. Instead, she leads the way to the front door.

‘Let me know if you change your minds about investing in the studio.’ She smiles. ‘Probably best not to take too long to make a decision. I’d hate to have to involve a third party.’

And with that, Liv closes the door on me, Margot, and both of our plans for the future.