Felix lived in a freaking castle!?
When had my life become a twisted fairy tale?
Granted, it was small by castle standards. A brick structure with green moss growing along the sides. And I could clearly see modern additions had been made – double paned windows, paved driveway and car park, electric lights by the front door. But it still held two large brick turrets that I could easily see Rapunzel throwing a lock of hair from.
I parked my midget car in the massive drive, near a row of green hedges, and approached a huge wooden door that screamed for an alligator-filled moat.
A modern doorbell sat beside the door and I rang it, hearing the sound echo inside. I waited a beat before the door was pulled open and I found myself face to face with dear "old" Auntie.
It took her a moment before recognition registered.
"Maddie. What a surprise," she said, looking behind me as if wondering where I'd come from. She was dressed today in a pair of slim, tailored slacks in a pale peach color that maximized her tan that, if the weather was any indication, was obviously fake. She paired the slacks with a short sleeved, white blouse, the sleeves cut on a bias that showed off the muscular curve of her upper arms. I silently wondered if the castle had a gym built in, too.
"Hi, Charlene. I was wondering if Felix is in?"
A small frown settled between her blonde brows. "Yes. But, I thought you were in Paris?"
"I was. I…" I paused, not really sure how to voice the jumble of thoughts that had been circulating through my head all day. "I need to talk to Felix."
She arched a slim eyebrow, but, ever the polite Brit, stepped back to allow me entry. "Please, come in."
I did, my crutches squeaking against the polished hardwood floor as she shut the door behind me. Inside, the modern conversion of the castle was even more apparent than the outside. In fact, the foyer looked like it could have belonged to any home in Beverly Hills – light airy rugs, sweeping staircase to the right, dark wood side table, and a crystal chandelier hanging above us.
"Felix is in the study," Charlene said, leading the way down a wide hall. "He's been on the phone with his lawyers all day. He was arrested in Paris, you know?" She paused, stopping to look at me. "Of course you know. You were there."
I felt a guilty flush creep up my neck.
"Anyway," she continued, "I flew home with him, though I'm due back in Paris tomorrow. I never miss the Hermes show. Felix is trying to get this matter cleared up to travel with me."
She stopped outside an open door to a large, dark room. "If you'd like to wait here, I'll fetch him for you," she said, flicking on a light for me.
"Sure. Thanks, Charlene."
She nodded, that frown settling between her brows again as she turned. It was clear she wasn't fond of me. But, thankfully, she was too polite to let on. Instead, she swayed those very un-doddering hips down the hall, disappearing to the right.
I took a moment to look around the room she'd left me in. A massive stone fireplace taller than I was stood at one end. Above it were a pair of weapons – a stick thingie with a spiked metal ball at the end and some kind of sword. Very medieval looking. I shuddered. The same hardwood floors continued here, broken up with area rugs in deep burgundies and forest greens. Large, masculine furnishings filled the room, two sofas in dark leather, a pair of club chairs with ornate feet, a handful of end tables and an antique writing desk in the corner. I gingerly perched on the edge of one sofa, feeling like I'd entered a museum where some docent might pop out at any second and tell me to stay behind the ropes.
"Maddie."
My head whipped around so fast I feared whiplash.
"Felix," I squeaked out.
He was wearing his trademarked white rumpled button down and khaki pants, a worn pair of sneakers on his feet. He leaned casually against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
I licked my lips, my throat suddenly dry at the sight of him.
"I, uh, need to talk to you. Your phone was off."
He frowned. "The battery died. What's going on, are you all right?" He came into the room and sat down beside me. I immediately jumped up as if he'd shocked me. I licked my lips again as I wandered over near the fireplace. "Me? Yeah, uh, I'm fine."
Again the frown. "What's going on?"
I cleared my throat, not really sure what to say now that I was here. Being careful what I said around Felix was nothing new – let the wrong thing slip out and you were libel to be front page news next to Bigfoot. But being careful he didn't stab me with my own pumps? That I was still trying to wrap my head around.
"Um, well, see, here's the thing. I uh…" I took a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell me you were dating Gisella?" I blurted out.
"Ah." He rose from the sofa, taking a step toward me.
Instinctively, I took one back.
He frowned again, this one deep enough to create little lines between his eyebrow. "We went out a couple of times. Nothing serious. I didn't think it relevant."
"Relevant? Felix, she's dead."
His face became a blank. "Yes. I know."
"Why didn't you tell me you'd been in her hotel room before? That you were at the party? Why did you keep this from me?"
"I didn't. When I got the room key, I told you I'd been seeing her."
"You told me you tricked the front desk into thinking you were seeing her."
"I never said 'tricked.'"
"You could have told me you were with her at the party."
"We had a few drinks, I walked her to her hotel room. That was it."
"And that was the last time you saw her?"
He paused. Then shook his head. "No. I saw her the night she died."
"The night she died?" I thought back to what Angelica had said about hearing a man in the next room. "Ohmigod, you're Mystery Man?"
Felix cocked his head to the side. "Who?"
"You… you were in her room the night she died. You were fighting. You slept with her, then starting fighting."
Felix looked down at the floor, the toe of his sneaker toying with an invisible spot on the rug. He said in a low voice, "Yes, we fought. She wanted me to accompany her to a party the next night. I said I didn't think we should see each other anymore. She got angry."
"Wait, you were dumping a supermodel?" I asked with a snort. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"
He looked up. "Some men are looking for more than a pair of long legs, Maddie."
I wasn't certain, but I could have sworn his eyes flickered to my own short pair currently half encased in a foam Smurf boot.
"So why sleep with her first if you knew you were going to dump her? That's low even for you."
He shook his head. "I didn't sleep with her."
"Angelica heard you. She was in the room right next door."
Again that frown settled between his brows. "I didn't sleep with her, Maddie."
I let it go, focusing on the more important part. "So, you fought, then what?"
"Then I left her."
"Alive?"
Felix took a step closer.
I backed up again and bit my lip. When had his dimples and rumpled khakis suddenly become so menacing?
He cocked his head to the side, an odd look coming over his features. "No, don't tell me."
"Tell you what?" I asked, my hands starting to sweat at my sides.
"Don't tell me that you of all people think…?"
I threw my hands up in the air. "Well, what am I supposed to think? The necklace belongs to you, you were dating the dead woman. Hell, the story about the stiletto in the jugular was printed in your paper. That's a lot of coincidence, don't you think?"
"Ironic. You talking about coincidence."
I squared my shoulders. "Tell me the truth. Did you kill her, Felix?"
He clenched his jaw, his eyes going dark as he took a step forward. "If I was a cold blooded killer," he said, his voice suddenly growing a hard edge, "do you really think I'd confess it to you?"