Page 56 of Final Cost

“What’s that?” Detective Smith says.

“For you to call meLucien.”

A fleeting grin from Detective Smith. “I’m happy to call you, Lucien, Mr. Winter, but it’s my profound hope that the two of us never see each other again. And I’m sure it’s yours.”

“Indeed,” I say, offering my hand.

We shake. She turns to go before glancing at Tamsyn. “Is that new hardware I see on your ring finger, Ms. Scott? I never miss a sparkler.”

“It is,” Tamsyn says, beaming and holding out her hand to show off the ring.

“Earrings, too, I see. Very nice,” Detective Smith says. “Best wishes to you both.”

“Thanks,” we both say as we watch her leave. Then Tamsyn pulls a chair over to my bed and sits, reaching for my hand again.

“Alone at last,” I say.

“Right? I don’t even know where to begin,” she says.

“Neither do I.”

There’s a pause while we stare at each other, shaking our heads and trying to absorb everything that’s happened since we were last alone together. I don’t know about her, but my brain is overflowing with thoughts. I can almost feel them trickling down the sides of my face.

“So?” she finally says. “How was jail? Was the food good? Oh, and Mrs. Hooper wants me to tell you she never doubted your innocence for asingle second.”

That gets me. I choke on a surprised laugh, breaking off immediately when it makes my side hurt. “Don’t make me laugh,” I say, wincing.

“Sorry,” she says. “And I’m sorry you had to go through that. Being arrested. Spending the night in jail…”

It kills me to see her upset. As does the thought of what I would have been like to spend more than a night as a prisoner. The clanging of the bars. The desolation and utter lack of control over my own life. The stenches—of piss, sweat and, most of all, desperation. What if I’d had to stay? What would I have done if my only contact with Tamsyn had been when we put our hands up to either side of the glass? The idea makes me shudder. “Forget it. I have. It’s over now.”

“But…”

“I’m done with the past. I’m not looking back. Neither should you.”

She nods, ducking her head to discreetly wipe away her tears. “I’m sorry I had my doubts about you, Lucien. Most of me knew you’d never hurt Ravenna. But there was this one tiny little corner of my brain that was so scared that maybe you had. I’m ashamed of myself. And I’m sorry. I know that hurt you.”

There it is, my second apology in the last ten minutes. Like the first, I discover that I don’t need to hear it. Tonight is a time for fresh starts and moving forward. I’m not going to let anything stand in the way of that. Not even my wounded pride. “It’s okay. I swear. I don’t blame you. Being in Ravenna’s orbit was always like being in a fun house with those distortion mirrors. There’s no way to know what’s real and what’s not. She fucked with everyone’s mind she ever met.” I laugh bitterly. “It was her one true gift.”

“No kidding. Look what she did to Daniel.Daniel. Of all people. I never would’ve thought it washim.”

“Neither would I.” I hesitate, then decide to just spit it out. “He was right, though. About me.”

That startles her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I had my head so far up my own ass that I didn’t realize how he felt. About any of it. Maybe itwascondescending of me to act like he was part of the family when of course he never could be. I don’t know.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” She smooths the hair at my temple, her hand cool and soothing. “From everything I ever saw, you were extremely fair and generous with him. Your fortune was an accident of birth. The same with his lack of fortune. Neither one of you was to blame about that. He was just jealous and bitter. And if Ravenna was pulling him closer and pushing him away for all those years…” She breaks off, grimacing. “I can only imagine the damage she did to him. I wish we could do some kind of emotional audit. Figure out the ultimate cost of Ravenna’s gaslighting all of us.”

I make a derisive sound. “Incalculable but astronomical.”

We lapse into a thoughtful and dazed silence.

“Is it really over?” she finally says.

“Yes.”

“We’re really getting married?”

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