Chapter 27: The Devil Deals the Cards, Part 7

Sam bolted out of the room just minutes after Anabella left it.

He didn't want them to be seen together, or even too close. Paranoid behavior, perhaps, but it was justified, with that little bastard roaming the hallways.

If only he could kill him.

If he killed him, he'd just be replaced. By someone less intelligent, surely, but what worried him was that Blake might decide to end the family conference. Too risky.

"Hello, Rose."

She was sitting on a couch and didn't even look up from her book to answer him.

"It's strange that you're looking for me specifically. Are you sick or something?"

"Oh, I wanted to tell you something." Sam sat down next to her. Not too far, but not too close either. A respectful distance.

"Well, spit it out and get out of my sight."

"We're like cat and dog, oil and water, huh? I don't know why, but I don't care. I think we have a common enemy."

"You're talking about the detective." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. I want you to help me get rid of him."

Rose closed the book. She put it aside on the couch and looked him in the eyes for the first time since he arrived. Progress, however small it seemed. His older sister frowned. Something about that angry expression never failed to turn him on.

"I don't like that Adams guy snooping around the mansion and I don't agree with the decision to hire him. But that doesn't mean I'm going to kill him."

Sam laughed. Sincerely. Of course he'd like to bury him with his own hands, but he had gone over the reasons why it was a bad idea countless times. There was even one more reason. It would be too many deaths in too little time. Sam had been careful to link each death, so that it could be seen as a single incident. The obvious consequences. Evelyn had been murdered. Ivor, who loved her, had gone mad with tragic consequences. And Evelyn's mother had put an end to it all.

Of course, he had been doing it on the fly. It's not like he had planned it all from the beginning.

There was no way to connect detective Adams to all of that. And the news of Chris's death and his family's hadn't reached here yet.

If he killed Adams, that would be a new horror. While the murders so far had been more like a continuous beating. That's why he thought it was better to slow down a bit, despite having an ideal time limit.

He wouldn't kill him unless he was forced to. He hadn't come here for this. And if he intended to, he wouldn't have sought Rose's help. He couldn't trust her.

"Who said anything about killing him? I just want to get him out of the mansion and make sure father doesn't hire another idiot afterwards."

"Why me? Why not ask your favorites for help? You wouldn't have to convince them."

Good question. He was already prepared with excuses.

"I know you don't like me. The feeling is mutual after so long, but being a bad bitch isn't always a bad thing, sister."

How had she reacted to his words? Was it exactly what she wanted to hear, as he had thought? In any case, she didn't let it show on her face.

"Do you have a plan?" Rose asked. Lowering her voice. They were alone but that could change at any moment.

"Something like that, but I'd rather you share your thoughts first."

"You must have a lot of faith in me."

"Let's not pretend you just started thinking about it now."

Rose smirked.

"Fake a death," she said without blinking, "and reveal the truth when Adams takes the bait."

A public and definitive humiliation. Blake would definitely lose all confidence in his detective skills. He doubted very much that he would want to try his luck again.

"I like how you think."

"Not bad for a bad bitch, I guess. You're a little bastard too."

"Yeah, yeah. But will you help me?"

Rose pretended to think about it, but Sam was sure she had made a decision since they started talking about the detective. She was just playing hard to get. And so it was.

"Okay. When do we start?"

"You tell me. It's up to you to fake the corpse, I don't even know where to start. Who and when, of course."

"Who is obvious. Me. It was what I was thinking of doing from the beginning because I know I can't trust anyone."

"But you can trust me?"

"Don't let it go to your head. I know you'd screw me over without thinking twice, but not on this."

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Sam smiled. Yeah, I'd screw you without thinking twice, he thought.

"As for when and how..."

"It depends on how long it takes me. I'll let you know."

Sam nodded. He wasn't particularly patient, but he could wait. As long as he got what he wanted, he could do anything.

"See? It's not so hard to put up with me."

Rose frowned. She had been doing it from the beginning, but she found a way to frown even more.

"Don't think this is going to change anything between us. You're not even capable of apologizing."

Interesting. Did the other Sam have something to really apologize for or was she blowing things out of proportion or context? In any case, he had to decide how to react quickly without knowing a shit about it.

"Would it make any difference if I did? Especially after so long."

"How am I supposed to know? You haven't even tried."

Sam looked away. He had to be careful with this. He couldn't admit or apologize for something he didn't know about, but if he overdid it Rose might become stubborn. He needed her cooperation. It would make things easier.

"Look, you're my sister and I love you. Even though you don't make it easy sometimes. You know that, right?"

Rose snorted.

"Don't give me that crap. Come on, get out of here. I'll let you know when we can get started. Or maybe you'll know when you hear someone scream."

He thought he might have to convince her, but she didn't give a shit who might or might not be worried about her death. Convenient. And that she hadn't insisted that he be the one to play the victim. He didn't want to do that to Christina. If he did that to her shortly after sleeping with her, there probably wouldn't be a second time. Maybe he didn't have to get old. He wasn't even human. Perhaps he could dream of immortality.

Maybe, but all in due time.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone. If you need help with anything..."

"I'll call you, of course. I'm not so proud that I don't know when to ask for help."

But proud enough to take an offer of help as an attempt to insult you, he thought as he walked away.

He didn't think he could fix a problem that went back years and he didn't even know about. Sooner or later he had to kill her. Rose had had the same idea as him.

Everyone would see the fake corpse. Rose would reveal the truth as soon as Adams took the bait, humiliating him and getting him kicked out of the mansion.

And then, Sam would turn the lie into truth.

Rose would help him cover up her own death. Without knowing it. It was hilarious.

——

Rose was a bitchy and uncooperative bad bitch, but at least she had warned him. That his first warning would be the screams. Sam started running. Christina and Violet followed closely behind.

They weren't the only ones, but others soon overtook him. Adults with longer legs. He thought he'd rather be in a hurry to hide, just in case.

When he arrived, the living room doors were already open. As well as the windows, letting in the early morning sunlight. It served as a spotlight for the corpse lying on the table.

Rose. He didn't know how the hell she had done it, but it was incredibly realistic. The body. The wounds, the blood that stained the metal and napkins red. Maybe too much blood, but he doubted anyone would notice such a small detail.

Certainly if he didn't know the truth, he would never have suspected that this wasn't a corpse. Well done, he thought. I hope you've hidden yourself just as well. Don't screw up what should be the easiest part.

"Why? Why over and over again?" Violet asked quietly.

Christina couldn't say anything. Her jaw was trembling and her eyes were full of tears. He supposed that even though they didn't get along, Rose was still her sister. Besides, no normal person found it pleasant to see a corpse. Yes, he admitted that he wasn't normal. There was nothing wrong with that. Quite the contrary.

The star of the show made his appearance shortly after, with heavy footsteps and his trench coat billowing. He looked as if all this was a stage prepared for him. He couldn't suspect that was the truth. He glanced at the corpse while smoking his pipe. It was the first time he had seen him smoke, but it fit his image. Blame Sherlock Holmes and his addictions. Blame his own addiction to mystery novels, but that was another matter.

"What a shame," Adams said. His tone was so dry that anyone would realize that he actually didn't give a damn about the girl. So dry that for some reason he wasn't even trying to hide it.

The detective would have his methods, but Sam didn't understand it. Maybe he thought there was no point in pretending to care when he was in the middle of a nest of vipers like this. Maybe. But still making enemies wouldn't make his investigation easier. Because there were exceptions. There were for Evelyn, Ivor and the other Sam.

Anyway that was the least of it. Rose and Sam were about to shatter his reputation. He would never work in this mansion again, but not outside either. He would be finished.

"It's not a shame, it's fucking negligence!" a man shouted. "Is this what we pay you for?"

"Lord Wright pays me, not you."

There was no answer to that. Adams approached the fake body, avoiding stepping on the blood. Sam's heart sped up slightly. He hoped he wouldn't notice. He didn't want to have to revise his plans. He didn't want to be the one humiliated. More than ninety percent of the people he would be embarrassed in front of would be dead before the end of the month, but it was a matter of principle.

"Hey, calm down." He put his arms around Violet and Christina's shoulders, pulling them close. He made sure his voice was barely audible. "I have to tell you something. Okay?"

He pulled them away from the living room. No one noticed their absence, except perhaps Adams.

It wasn't ideal, but they would be upset enough that he had lied to them about something like this. The longer he prolonged it, the worse the reaction would be. And he desired them. Especially Christina, because he had already had her in his power. He wasn't going to let her slip away over a trifle like this.

"Rose and I were talking about this yesterday. It's a fake corpse. Yes, I should have told you before, but that bitch didn't warn me. I'm sorry."

They were relieved, but not completely relaxed. As if they thought he would lie to make them feel better when the truth would soon become evident.

"Are you sure?" asked Violet. "It seems so real..."

"Yes, I have no idea how she managed it. As I told you, she didn't bother to warn me. But I swear to you, I talked to her about this yesterday. It's just a plan."

"To get rid of the detective," Christina murmured. It wasn't a question. "But if it's so realistic, it's not surprising that even he doesn't realize it."

"He must have seen many corpses. It's not the same. The fact is that Rose is alive."

In the end, he convinced them.

They became more at ease, and the three returned to the living room. The only one who had noticed their absence was Adams. He gave him an interesting look. That's why he would have preferred to wait for Rose, but he had his priorities.

The sisters' affection was important. He wanted them to adore him, not fear him.

But Rose didn't make an appearance. Why was she dragging it out so long, damn it?

It wasn't necessary. Adams had already taken the bait. If she kept this up, the relatives would leave before she appeared. The news would spread quickly anyway, but it wouldn't have the same impact. It had to be something public. Blake wasn't here, and his decision was the most important, but still, it had to be something public.

"You seem very relaxed," Adams suddenly said, piercing him with his gaze like a sword. "I've heard you didn't get along well with Rose, but you're not even showing the instinctive aversion humans have to corpses. Horror, disgust. Whatever."

His heart raced. He tried not to show it. Not just his face, but his whole body. He interlaced his hands behind his back to hide a slight tremor.

"Are you saying Samuel is guilty?" asked one of the adults.

"The opposite, as much as it pains me," Adams replied, sighing. "He was my main suspect. What a pain in the ass."

"Then what are you getting at, Adams?" Sam took a step forward.

The detective took another drag.

"That you believe it's a fake corpse, right? That you were going to play me well. But it's not like that, boy. It's real. Rose is dead."

The Devil Deals the Cards, Part 7: END