Free The Granite Moth by Erica Wright

people. It was a start.
    Ellis approached Lars, and they shook hands more formally than seemed necessary. On the other hand, I didn’t think that they had spent much time together since Lars graduated from high school and went off to Princeton. Seeing the brothers side by side was a sort of experiment in lifestyle choices. While both men were attractive, Lars’s looks were less worn-out, more ready-for-Hollywood. The few wrinkles that lined his brow looked distinguished unlike Ellis’s heavy ones, the severest of which divided his pale eyebrows. He also had a scar that started at the corner of his lip and snaked up to his hairline. I had yet to get the scoop on that mark. He had seen the six-inch slash on my inner thigh. Maybe one day we would swap stories. Ellis caught me examining his face, and his frown deepened. Maybe not. He signaled to an officer who announced that all the poker players, “guests” he called them diplomatically, would be questioned separately.
    â€œMiss Stone?”the officer called out, checking his notes.
    I glared at the back of Ellis’s head before raising my hand. Sybil made a strangled noise beside me and moved away. Mr. Manners and the Texan turned to stare. Two hours from start to finish. My fastest blown cover to date. At least it probably wouldn’t end with my body being thrown in the Hudson. Shark food had never been my life’s ambition.
    The young officer—“Officer Reynolds, ma’am”—led me down a dimly lit corridor and into what was certainly the boss’s office volunteered for the occasion. “Out of sight” seemed to be its selling point. Officer Reynolds politely asked if I needed water, then disappeared the way he came. I had been hoping for a sneak peek of Eva’s lair and here was my chance. It made me forgive Ellis a little as I studied the huge canvas portrait of Eva and Salvatore hanging on the back wall. In it, the bride was wearing a white wedding dress with a train that disappeared outside of the frame. She beamed into the camera while her husband stared at her cheek, not quite adoring but content. It was the kind of photo one might find in a bridal catalogue, a little too staged, maybe, but the gorgeous models made up for the lack of love. At first glance, it evoked envy, but I knew better. While I wasn’t positive that Eva and the deceased card dealer were romantically involved, I would wager this month’s rent that their relationship wasn’t entirely professional. Of course, that was assuming I was able to recover my money. Maybe the others wouldn’t miss ten grand, but I sure as hell would.
    When I heard Ellis open the door behind me, I straightened up in my chair and waited for him to begin. When he didn’t, I looked behind me to see that he was also studying the picture.
    â€œHe doesn’t look like the devil,” Ellis said.
    â€œNot even if you squint? Imagine a couple of horns?”
    Ellis shook his head grimly. I was feeling rather grim myself. The photo was a little too big and life-like, flooding my systemwith abject fear. It was possible that Salvatore was in the building right this minute, stalking the restaurant’s hallways, looking for his wife. There seemed to be a pretty good chance that he had caused the distress, too, and I explained as much to Ellis.
    â€œYou think she and the boy were lovers?”
    â€œShe caressed him,” I said, not wanting to go on the record, but trusting my gut. “And said it was her fault. See what the others say.”
    Ellis raised his eyebrows at me, and I knew what he was thinking. It was a little game we played where he said he wouldn’t share information then I pulled it out of him.
    â€œWhat do you know about Eva?” he asked.
    I thought about our last encounter, Eva stomping around her family’s apartment, ignoring the threats and curses of Zanna, who never really calmed down after being handcuffed to