The Sigma Asset 🏳️‍🌈 (bxb)║AMBYS WINNER 2022

56: Constance Lyons

I wasn't in good shape to see Sofi.

I'd slept terribly at Guillermo's apartment, finally falling into a vivid dream where I'd been playing the grand piano, the warm weight of Will's head resting against my side as a dreamy nocturne tinkled from the strings. I didn't recognize it, opening in A major and drifting into F minor, a sparse melody like little brass temple bells swaying back and forth on a breeze. I'd wanted to play more of the piece, but I'd been unable to stop myself from running my fingers through soft curls, Will pulling me down into his warmth as the ghost of the melody played on in my ears.

I'd woken up reaching for Will in the bed, and the realization that he was gone, that the Will I'd known had never really existed, had me weeping all morning, Charlotte texting Guillermo in despair at what to do with me. I'd tried to remember the melody of my Will's dream-music to distract me from the tears, but it had long floated away, not even a single note captured on the makeshift staff paper I'd made by ruling lines across the back of Guillermo's take-out menus with a Sharpie.

Charlotte gave me a ride to Este, and Ruby lifted the bright red lobby desk on its hinges, ushering me toward one of the glass-fronted meeting rooms. I glanced at Teresa's old workstation as we passed; no kawaii toys or neon trinkets lining the desk and shelves. Just Ruby's laptop and a half-drunk can of energy drink.

Sofi was sleepy-eyed and subdued, trudging into the meeting room like she was sick of my face. Ruby switched on her laptop mic and I recounted to them how I'd bumped into a starved and terrified Luke, and how I'd begged him to turn himself and Rafa in to the police. Sofi was pissed, but less so when I told her that I'd seen Lars Eriksen's photo in a yoga festival program, and his resemblance to Noah had frightened me enough to ask Charlotte for help.

Sofi scribbled away in her pink book. "You didn't need to hide this information from us. We're on your side."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Zeph, your integrity as a witness depends on your being truthful at all times, and cooperating with the police."

"That's why I wanna tell you everything I know now. Noah was the one who sent Cal to attack Will."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I don't know it, but I can guess. Noah used Will as bait to attract Cal, and then he must have told el Nube where Cal would be, so that they could kill him."

Sofi sighed into the pages of her book. "Why would Michael Jones want to kill his own security manager?"

"No, Jones didn't direct Noah to kill Cal. Noah wants to take over from Jones, so he needs Cal out of the way."

"What evidence do you have of that?"

I had no reply. I couldn't tell Sofi that I'd talked to Miles on Ruby's phone. Ruby's career in the police force would end after one week.

"Zeph, a simpler theory is that el Nube have been hunting McAllister for weeks to score points in the turf war."

Touché, Sofi.

Her theory did sound a lot less insane than mine.

"I know that Noah hurt you, and that yesterday's...incident was traumatic for you. But you're always trying to implicate Noah for everything. You can't just use the police to get revenge on him. You need evidence. And wild theories aren't helping us to find Raheem."

She held up her little pink book, like it was Exhibit A in me being a fucking idiot. But I just knew that Noah was behind it.

Wasn't he?

"I don't want revenge on Noah. I just wanna get Raheem back."

"I know you do, Zeph. Really." Sofi clicked closed the lid of Ruby's laptop. She didn't want what she was gonna say next to be recorded. "Where did you stay last night?"