Page 21 of What They'll Say About Us

"I'm sorry," Cassidy said. "You've had a rough day."

"I wasn't the only one. You two had to deal with Ray MacIntyre."

"He was unpleasant. But your meeting with Liam sounds worse."

"Well, Liam and Ray are on the same page with wanting this whole incident to stay in the past."

"Maybe they each have a reason for wanting the case to stay closed, because both their reactions sound like a little too much," Morgan commented. "Also, Cassidy and I ran into the twins when we got back, and they talked us into having drinks with them."

"That's interesting. What did they have to say?"

"They clearly wanted to talk to us about Paige," Cassidy said. "Their theory is that Paige was killed because of a love triangle."

"Between who? You better not say me."

"No. They mentioned that you hated Paige, but they didn't think you killed her."

"Oh, great. At least the twins don't think I'm a murderer."

Morgan smiled. "They thought that Paige's boyfriend had another girl on the side, that Paige found out and went ballistic. They also said Paige had been drinking a lot the last few weeks of her life, so much so that Ella thought it was affecting her performance in rehearsals. That created a lot of tension between Professor Hale and Paige."

"He was concerned about her performance," I said, thinking back to those rehearsals. "He was on her a lot. To be honest, it kind of made me happy that he was finally seeing her flaws. That doesn't put me in a very good light, does it?"

"Your reaction is relatable," Morgan said. "Anyway, the twins want us to make a short guest appearance on their podcast tomorrow morning at eleven. Actually, we think they really just want you, but since we're a team, they included all of us. Since they went to school with you and Paige, they think they could add some color and context. If we both share the podcast, that could generate more interest in the case. Cassidy and I thought it was a good idea, so we agreed to it. But we can still cancel if you hate the idea."

"It's not a bad idea. It gives us more content to post, and we can cross-pollinate our audience. Let's do it."

Morgan gave a nod. "Great. I also spoke to the front desk. Unfortunately, the hotel is sold out tomorrow night through the weekend with a new convention. We have to check out tomorrow as planned. You and I will need to find another place to stay. Cassidy will be heading back midday."

"I feel bad for abandoning you two," Cassidy said, a regretful look in her gaze. "I can try to help from afar."

"Don't feel bad. I want you to enjoy Finn's grand opening. And I know he'll appreciate you being there."

"Thanks for understanding. I think we should film a very short video now, tease our chat with the twins tomorrow," she added. "Are you up for it?"

"Sure, I can do that." I paused as my phone rang, my aunt's number running across the screen. I sighed. "It's my aunt. I have a feeling she's figured out I'm in town."

"You didn't tell her?" Cassidy asked in surprise.

I frowned, letting the call go to voicemail. "No. We were only going to be here for three days, and I didn't think there would be time to see her."

"I thought you liked your aunt."

"I do. It's complicated." I glanced at my phone, relieved she hadn't left a message, but then she called again.

"You better talk to her," Morgan advised. "It could be important. We'll set up. You answer your phone."

"Fine." I got to my feet and hobbled into my bedroom as I answered her call. "Aunt Vivienne, how are you?"

"Wondering why you didn't tell me you were in Chicago," she said crisply.

"I'm only here until tomorrow. I'm at a conference. It's a quick trip, and I didn't think I'd have time to meet."

"How are you leaving tomorrow if you're looking into some girl's death?"

My stomach clenched. "You saw my podcast?"

"You know I don't go online, but a lot of other people do. And I've been hearing from them all day, asking me what's going on. Why you're suddenly looking into Paige's accident? This is not good, Tessa. Why are you doing this?"