PAULINE
The girl closed the door. The soft click echoed in the silence of my chambers. She stood there with her back pressed against the wood like she wanted to disappear into it.
Good. She should be nervous.
I tilted my head as I faced her fully. My smile stayed in place.
"I got a call a few hours ago." The words came out conversational. Light even. "What I was told by that person, it didn't make me proud of you. Not like I was the night before."
She swallowed. The movement of her throat was visible even from across the room. "Oh." Her voice came out small. Uncertain. "Was it somehow discovered that it was not an accident?"
"I was careful," she added quickly. "I swear."
The swear made something twist in my chest. But I pushed it down.
"You were not proactive enough to confirm if the girl was actively dead."
