Beautiful Idols: Unrivaled Part 25

"He was an amazing guitarist. I wanted to pay my respects."

Aster eyeballed him from behind a pair of pink-tinted aviators it was almost too shady to wear, and tried not to judge. She'd been rude enough on the phone; maybe she should give him a break. "It would be really nice to know what this is about," she said, hoping she wasn't walking into a trap. Where Layla was concerned, it was entirely possible.

Tommy shrugged and walked in silence alongside her, the two of them approaching the gravesite where Layla watched from under the brim of a straw fedora that had seen better days.

"You came." She removed her sungla.s.ses and regarded them with an expression that was simultaneously surprised and relieved.

Tommy shrugged. Aster folded her arms across her chest and stood beside him. Better to let Layla think they stood in solidarity against her. Whatever it took to keep Layla as off balance as Aster currently felt.

"I'm glad you did." She spoke in a voice that rang far more tentative than Aster expected. "We need to find a way to work together."

Aster frowned and looked all around. Sure, the lake was pretty, and the swans looked really peaceful, but she hated funerals, graveyards, anything to do with death, dying, and decay. She could never understand the fixation some people had with the dark side, the macabre, anything ghoulish or ghostly. Halloween was her least favorite holiday. Though of course Layla sat there looking perfectly at ease. With her dark skinny jeans and black leather moto jacket, she'd managed to nail cemetery chic, if there was such a thing.

"We're competing against each other, in case you've forgotten." Aster heaved her bag higher onto her shoulder, ready to leave. Better to head back to her luxury apartment, take a long, hot bubble bath, and try to forget she'd ever allowed herself to get dragged into this mess.

"It's not about the compet.i.tion." Layla switched her focus between Aster and Tommy. "I'm talking about Madison's disappearance and how the cops are trying to pin it on us."

Aster sighed in defeat and sank onto the lawn. Tommy did the same, minus the sighing.

"Listen-" Layla leaned toward them, her tone hushed and hurried. "I'm sure we have our reasons for not trusting each other, but we need to find a way to save ourselves before the cops take us down."

Aster smirked.

Layla shrugged. Then turning her attention to Tommy, she said, "I know you pointed the finger at me."

Aster stared at Tommy in shock. It was the first she'd heard of it.

"If it wasn't for your stupid blog, none of this would've happened." He clenched his jaw, narrowed his gaze. "You are single-handedly responsible for this mess."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Layla shook her head, tossed her hat on the ground beside her. "Are you seriously that naive?"

"Well, this is off to a really nice start," Aster grumbled. "Clearly we have some major trust issues that won't be resolved anytime soon, so can we just fast-forward and get to the point?"

Layla averted her gaze, taking a moment to steady herself before saying, "Aster's right." She pinched a blade of gra.s.s between her index finger and thumb, pausing to examine it before returning her focus to them. "I'm convinced we each know more than we're telling. And if we can set the animosity aside long enough to share what really happened that night, we might uncover something that'll point the finger elsewhere."

If it involved anyone other than the three of them, it might work. But no way was Aster agreeing to that. For all she knew, Layla was working for La.r.s.en, maybe even wearing a wire.

"Fine," Layla said, when no one volunteered to take a turn. "It was my idea, so I'll start." She looked pointedly between them. "But first I want to see your phones."

"What-why?" Aster clutched her bag tighter, as though Layla might seize it.

"Because I don't want anyone taping this. I want us to speak freely, without fear of recrimination."

Layla tossed her phone in the center. Aster begrudgingly followed. And after fiddling with his for a bit, Tommy added his too.

"What?" He deflected their outraged looks. "You can't blame me for trying to protect myself."

Aster braced herself for Layla's response. Layla always defaulted to sarcasm, but this time, she somehow refrained. "Whatever. Here goes: I followed Tommy and Madison to the Vesper."

"How's that a secret?" Aster interrupted, not even trying to hide her frustration. "It was right there on your blog."

"Okay, so maybe I don't really have anything that hasn't already been doc.u.mented and widely read. But here's the thing-my blog is not the best alibi, since it was posted several hours after I left the Vesper. Several hours after Madison left Tommy. And . . ." She paused, biting down on her lip as though debating whether to share something. "Madison filed a restraining order against me, which makes me just as big a suspect as you two."

"Why would she do that?" Tommy studied Layla as though it was the first time they'd met.

"Maybe she wasn't as nice as you think," Layla snapped, glaring at Tommy before shifting her focus to the lake, where the swans appeared to glide across a mirror of water.

Tommy pulled at the gra.s.s, his expression so unreadable, it reminded Aster of Ira. The silence lingered for so long, she figured she might as well go in his place.

It took guts for Layla to admit to the restraining order. Aster was surprised Madison hadn't filed one against her as well. And while she was no closer to liking Layla as a person, she definitely agreed that Madison wasn't nearly as nice as the image she portrayed. The girl had an edge. Aster had seen it the night she'd shown up at the club. Looking back, Aster could see Madison was doing reconnaissance, setting her up. For all she knew, Ryan was in on it too. Whatever the case, like Layla, no way was she getting pinned for a crime she hadn't committed.

She tucked her hair behind her ears, cleared her throat, and said, "I don't remember anything after leaving the club."

"The amnesia defense? Always a cla.s.sic." Tommy scrutinized her as Layla quickly shushed him.

"All I know is, after the whole Madison thing I wanted to leave, but Ira insisted on serving us champagne, telling us we were better off hanging out where he could look after us, which seemed a little weird-"

"Because it is weird," Tommy snapped, his harsh reaction prompting Aster and Layla to flinch. "What the h.e.l.l was he thinking?" His lips pulled tight, as his darkened gaze moved over them.

"Oh, like you're above serving the underage?" Aster frowned, as annoyed with Tommy as she was with herself. She hadn't meant to cast suspicion on Ira. He'd been the only one on her side-the only person who'd volunteered to help. "The only reason no one turned you in is because it would shut down the club, get Ira in a load of trouble, and hurt all of our chances at winning the contest." She shook her head, still fuming inside, but forced herself to focus on the point she was determined to make, resolving not to get sidetracked. "I went home with Ryan. . . ." She took a deep breath, forced herself to look at them. Relieved to find it wasn't as bad as she'd thought. Where she'd expected judgment, she found encouragement. "And all I know is when I woke up the next morning in his ridiculously decorated cliche of a man cave, Ryan was gone."

Layla and Tommy both stared.

Aster nodded, swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I have no idea where he went. I never saw him again. I haven't told the cops. Haven't told anyone. It's too humiliating to admit. But then, the other day-" She lowered her head, needing a moment before she could divulge the worst part. "Someone delivered a video of me, doing disgusting things in Ryan's apartment."

She peeked through her long, angled bangs, trying to read their reactions. Layla looked angry, Tommy disturbed. Their lack of blame made it easier to continue.

"I just wish I could rewind my life and start over." She buried her face in her hands. It was out there now, no taking it back. Strangely, the confession didn't make her feel better, but it did make her feel lighter, maybe even more connected to Tommy and Layla, which probably wasn't such a bad thing, considering they were all in this together.

"You know-" Tommy turned to her, his tone much softer than it had been a few moments before. "Madison mentioned she'd been wanting to break it off but was afraid of how Ryan would react. When she caught him with you, she decided to take her chances and end it."

Aster was stunned by his words. Madison had always seemed so remote, not at all like a person who would share intimate stuff with someone she barely knew. "Sounds like she really opened up." She studied him closely. Just how much time had they spent together?

Tommy shrugged.

"What about that text she received?" Layla asked. "Can't the cops trace it?"

"They told me it was untraceable. Sent from a burner." He ran a hand through his hair, clenched and unclenched his jaw, clearly needing a moment to put his thoughts together. "Madison went to Night for Night," he finally said, his voice almost reduced to a whisper.

"How'd you-"

Before Layla could finish, Tommy said, "I know, because I followed her. I mean, not right away. At first I went back inside the club, but then . . . yeah, I went outside and headed in the same direction until I more or less caught up."

"Does La.r.s.en know?" Aster leaned toward him. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

Tommy made a face. "You kidding? It's bad enough I'm the last known person to have seen her. If I told him I followed her, I'd be behind bars instead of sitting here, talking to you."

"But the club was closed." Layla squinted.

"She knew the code." Tommy glanced between them.

"Did you see anything?" Aster asked, trying to keep her voice soft, encouraging, free of the excitement that was building. He seemed jumpy, paranoid, not at all like Tommy, and she didn't want to scare him off by pushing him to reveal things when he didn't feel ready.

Tommy shook his head. "I tried to follow, but the door locked behind her, and by that time I was feeling pretty embarra.s.sed for stalking her like that, so I bailed and went back to the Vesper. I was kind of keyed up, so I hung out for a while, had another beer. It wasn't until I was locking up that I discovered Madison's keys in my jacket. But when I went to move her car so it wouldn't get towed, it was gone."

"Who moved the car?" Layla asked.

Tommy shrugged.

"And the keys-you still have them?" Aster looked at him.

He dipped his head. "Yes."

"What's on them-anything of note?"

Tommy peered at Aster. "I don't know. They're just keys."

Aster fought to keep her face neutral. Why were guys so clueless when it came to girls and their things? "What I meant was, what kind of key chain are they on? How many keys are there? Are there little charms attached?"

"Does this really matter?" His blue eyes squinted against the fading rays of the sun.

"It might." Aster lifted her shoulders, rubbed her lips together. "I know it sounds like a long shot, but there could be something useful, some kind of reveal. I mean, keys are really personal, since they unlock your world."

"I hadn't thought of that." He stared into the distance as though trying to remember. Shaking his head, he said, "I'll take a look and let you know."

What Aster really wanted was for him to offer to let her take a look, since she had absolutely no faith in his detective skills when it came to deciphering girls, but she nodded instead.

"Well, I hope you hid them somewhere safe," Layla said. "If the cops discover you have them . . ." She left the threat unspoken.

"They're safe." His voice was tight, his expression guarded.

"So we know where everyone was except Ryan. Do you think Madison went to meet him?" Layla asked.

"Why would she do that after confessing she was afraid of him?" Aster felt dumb for jumping to the jerk's defense, but the question had to be asked.

"Well, she didn't actually say that, it was more implied. . . ." Tommy rubbed a hand over his jaw, looking increasingly discouraged, possibly second-guessing himself.

"Well, it makes sense considering Ryan's disappearing act. He probably used Aster as an alibi, figuring she was too wasted to notice he'd left." Layla looked at Aster and said, "No offense."

Aster shrugged. Lately, there was no shortage of offensive slurs directed her way. Layla's comment hardly qualified.

Tommy dug the heels of his boots into the earth and rested his arms on his knees. "Look, none of us have any answers. Only Madison knows where she went, and for the moment, she's not talking. I'm still not convinced it's as sinister as everyone says. I could be wrong about the car. I don't even know where she lives. Maybe she found a spare key and decided to get out of town for a bit."

Layla shook her head, completely undeterred. "Is there any way to determine what time Ryan left?"

Aster frowned. "The sheets were cold on his side, so feel free to draw your own conclusions." She sounded tired. She was tired. At first confessing felt liberating, but now it was beginning to yield just the opposite. By not telling the cops about Ryan, she could be implicated.

"And the tape?" Layla asked, almost before Aster had finished. "Is Ryan in it?"

Aster shook her head. "Nope, just me. I'm the star of the whole sleazy show."

"Is there a time and date stamp?"

Aster closed her eyes, wanting the whole thing to end. "It's not like I watched it that closely. Besides, you act like I'm going to hand it over for evidence, and there's no way that's happening. The cops don't even know I went home with Ryan, and I prefer to keep it that way."

"Unless you have to tell them," Layla coaxed.

"Not happening. You guys have no idea what this will do to my family. It's bad enough they suspect I had s.e.x outside of marriage. If they see that tape, they'll completely disown me."

"What if it could get you off the hook?" Layla was relentless, and Aster had just reached her limit.

"Look, I didn't do it-okay? My only crime is sleeping with an a.s.shole. No one sees the tape, and that's final. To be honest, I'm starting to regret my decision to tell you!"

"Aster-" Tommy grasped for her hand, trying to comfort, but Aster was too upset and jerked out of his reach.

Layla, on the other hand, had a one-track mind. She was the least nurturing person Aster had ever met. "What did you do with the video?"

"Why, so you can steal it?" Aster rolled her eyes, started to gather her things. This had gone on long enough.

"No, so no one else can. I hope you don't have it stashed in your room safe."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aster rose to her feet. She was shaky, edgy, and deeply regretting her decision to meet.

"It means you live in a hotel. Which also means you're not the only one with a key to your room."

Aster shook her head, mumbled under her breath, so annoyed she wondered why she didn't just leave. Why did she allow Layla to taunt her?

"Look, I know you and Ira share some kind of special bond. . . ."

"What the h.e.l.l are you implying?" Aster's eyes burned with anger, but what she really felt was fear. Did Layla know about the cash-stuffed envelopes Ira regularly slipped her? Just because she took them didn't mean she wasn't conflicted.

"Last I checked, you were the only one occupying one of his sw.a.n.ky penthouse apartments."

Aster sighed. Who was she kidding? She wasn't going anywhere. She sank back down beside Tommy.

"If we had to vote now, who would you finger as guilty?" Layla hunched her shoulders forward and tucked her blond hair behind her ears, revealing a pair of silver heart stud earrings that seemed wildly out of place. Aster would've expected skulls, daggers, or spikes. Must be some kind of ironic statement, she decided.

"The evidence is all pointing to Ryan, no?" Tommy looked between them. "He was probably really angry at Madison for making that scene."

"Mad enough to kill her?" Aster screwed up her face, unsure if her reluctance to believe it was because she couldn't bear to think she'd willingly gone home with a murderer. She had enough shame in her life. She didn't need to add that to the list.

"I'm not convinced she's dead." Tommy was adamant, but he had nothing to back it other than a potent combination of stubbornness and hope.

"Well, the fact that he disappeared in the middle of the night is pretty disturbing." Layla drove home the point.

"And it's not like he's not milking his role in the scandal." Aster rolled her eyes. Annoyed by the way Ryan had continually confessed his remorse, his undying love for Madison, and how he'd made Aster look like a convenient ego fluffer.

"The same could be said of you guys." Layla frowned, then looked at Tommy and said, "Is there anything she said, or did, that seemed unusual? Anything you saw that seemed out of place when you followed her?"