1:55AM.

She listened to everything Seulgi had to say and then when Seulgi was finished Irene just sighed.

‘What?’ Seulgi said.

‘Nothing.’

‘We should go and do something.’

‘Listen,’ Irene said, leaning against the doorframe. Seulgi seemed not to hear her. There was a frantic mania to her that seemed almost scary. As if she had just uncovered some lost treasure from centuries past.

‘Look,’ Irene said, ‘we need to talk.’

‘What? Talk again? Talk about what?’

‘Talk about you.’

‘Did you not listen to a word I said? This vial is—’

‘Still full of morphine.’

‘Yeah. Which means someone else—’

‘Must have switched the vials.’

‘Yeah. Which means we’re looking at—’

‘Potentially more than one suspect.’

Seulgi was quiet. She set the little vials back down on the table. The look on her face was one Irene didn’t like at all, a sort of great intolerance for the way things were going. Or were about to go. ‘Why are we not going back downstairs?’ she said.

‘Because I need to ask you something.’

Seulgi ignored her. ‘We should go,’ she said. ‘If somebody else switched the vials then I think—’

‘Why are you here, Seulgi?’

‘What?’

‘Why are you here.’

Silence. Then, quietly, ‘Is that really what you wanted to ask me? Why am I here?’

‘Yes.’

‘You know why I’m here. I’m here because Mr Kim invited me here.’

‘Why did he invite you? That’s the part I want to know. The part you haven’t really revealed.’

‘So you came up here to ask me that? Really?’

Irene turned and glanced about the corridor to make sure it was clear and then she stepped into the room and closed the study door behind her. ‘I mean it,’ she said. And then, softer, in a voice she knew Seulgi recognised: ‘If there’s something you’re hiding because you’re scared of them finding out, it’s okay. You can tell me. I just need the truth.’

‘The truth. From me?’

‘From everybody in this house.’

‘And you think I’m the only one that hasn’t been truthful?’

‘No. I don’t. But I think you’re among them.’

Seulgi scoffed. Irene braced for what was coming next. Seulgi was nothing if not short tempered when confronted with a problem she had no immediate answer to or escape from and this was becoming one of those problems.

‘Please,’ Irene said. ‘I just need the truth.’

‘I’ve given you the truth.’

‘I don’t believe that.’

‘Really? Of all the people, it’s me that you don’t believe?’

Irene was silent. For a long time she thought Seulgi would not answer. That she would have to turn around and go back downstairs insecure in the knowledge that their years apart had severed the trust so neatly that even Seulgi could not confide in her anymore. But then she said, quietly, almost timid: ‘Look, it’s not what you think, alright?’

‘What?’

‘Yeah, I’ve got a reason for being here. But it’s not what you think.’

‘So you were lying to me.’

Seulgi said nothing.

‘You were lying to me.’

‘Yes, I was ing lying to you. There. Is that what you want? You happy now?’

‘No,’ Irene said.

‘What do you mean no?’

‘Why are you here?’

‘Because I was desperate, okay?’

‘Desperate.’

Seulgi shrugged. ‘A couple months ago I woke up one morning and realised I was just wasting my life away,’ she said. ‘I was spending years doing nothing and going nowhere and I was sick of it. I didn’t wanna work in a ing grocery store nine to five every day until I was sixty-five years old. That’s just not who I am. And I realised that all my time studying had gotten me nothing but debt and, well…the grocery store. Big ing success. So yeah, I got desperate.’

‘Desperate how?’

‘I did some digging online and I found Mr Kim’s company number and I got in touch with them and practically begged to have a meeting with him. Gave him my name, number, everything. Told him he bought some artwork from me a couple years back and gave him the details just in case he’d forgotten and asked if I could set up a meeting. And to my surprise he said yes. Well, his PA said yes over the phone. Not me. That was about six weeks ago. Then I get silence for four weeks. Nothing at all. Not a call, not a text, email, Zoom, Skype, whatever. Just radio silence. And then one day I come home and I get this ing invitation in the post asking me to come to some dinner at this house because Mr Kim wanted to discuss something with me. Didn’t say any more than that. Just that he had some things he’d like to discuss in person. I assumed it was about my artwork. Maybe he wanted to cut me in on a deal, or buy something else I’d painted, or maybe he just wanted to talk. Or he was sympathetic. Or , maybe he was gonna tell me my artwork was awful and he regretted buying it. I don’t know. I have no ing idea. I just got the invite.’

Irene just looked at her.

‘That’s it. I promise. That’s the whole truth. I got in contact with him a couple months ago, I ask to have a meeting with him to talk about my art, he sends me an invite, I come along today. And then you show up. And before you ask, no I don’t know if he had any idea we used to be a couple, or if he knew we were both going to be here, or whatever. Maybe it was one big coincidence. I don’t know. I can only tell you my part of it. And that’s it, the whole thing. You can stand there and fold your arms and do that ing face you always do when you’re annoyed at something and call me a liar or try and goad something more out of me or you can take it for what it is. I don’t care. But that’s everything.’

Irene was silent for a long time. Then she said, ‘Why did you lie to me?’

‘Really? That’s the part you’re pissed off about? That I kept something from you?’

‘If that’s everything, you could’ve just told me. What difference would it make?’

‘I didn’t want you to know,’ Seulgi said.

‘Why not?’

‘Because I didn’t want you getting all nosy and enquiring about my business, alright? I didn’t want you butting in, asking about how I was doing, asking if I needed money or if I was okay, like that. And please don’t try and deny that you would’ve done that because I know you would’ve. You never were much of a liar. At least not to me.’

‘You lied in an ongoing murder investigation because you didn’t want me worrying about you?’

‘God, you make it sound like I killed him or something. Or like I’m a suspect.’

‘You are a suspect.’

‘What?’

‘Everybody in this house is a suspect,’ Irene said. ‘You included. Me included. That’s just the way it works. I can’t rule you out just because we used to date and because I know you. And now that you’ve lied to me I’m putting you a little bit closer to the top of that list.’

At that Seulgi had to laugh. ‘Seriously?’ she said. ‘Do you hear yourself right now?’

‘You shouldn’t have lied.’

‘To you?’

‘To anyone. You should’ve just told the truth earlier.’

‘Well, you’ve got it now.’

‘Yeah,’ Irene said.

‘Are you gonna arrest me?’

Irene laughed. It was all she could do. She looked at Seulgi again and realised quite suddenly she wasn’t sure she knew Seulgi anymore. Not as much as she used to. Time moves on, things change. She sighed again. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to arrest you. But you should’ve told me. You should’ve just come out with it. Did you think it would make you look more suspicious or something?’

‘No. I just didn’t want you getting all in my business and stuff. I didn’t want you thinking the only reason I got in touch with Mr Kim was because I was desperate for money and I needed a way out.’

‘Well?’

‘What?’

‘Is that the reason?’

‘Yeah it’s the reason. But I didn’t want you hearing that. I know how you get. All protective and .’

‘It’s not protective.’

‘It is.’

‘It’s not,’ Irene said. ‘It’s because I care about you.’

‘Yeah. Well. We should go back downstairs.’

Irene just stood there. Whatever answer she could formulate eluded her. Downstairs they were still arguing over snakes and ladders. She made sure again that nobody was listening in on them outside and then she stepped forward and said, ‘I believe you.’

‘What?’

‘I don’t know why. Maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe this is why they say you shouldn’t date who you work with or whatever.’

‘You don’t work with me.’

‘You know what I mean. I’m sure they also say you shouldn’t date someone who’s part of a murder investigation you’re currently investigating. But for whatever reason, I believe you. I think you’re telling the truth and I think you’re innocent. Maybe it’s because I love you and I want desperately to believe you or maybe it’s because I know that you’ve got a nervous tick where you always use your left hand to brush your hair behind your ear when you’re lying and you haven’t done that once in the past ten minutes. So either you’re a much better actor than I remember or you’re telling the truth. And if you’re not, and you’re hiding something else from me, I’ll kill you.’

Seulgi giggled.

‘What?’

‘You couldn’t kill me in a video game, let alone in real life.’

‘It was metaphorical.’

‘You were gonna metaphorically kill me?’

Irene shrugged.

‘You’re such an idiot.’

‘Maybe a little. But you should’ve—’

‘Told the truth. Yeah, I know.’

‘If there’s going to be trust between us, we both need—’

‘To tell the truth. I know. So if we’re gonna do that, then answer me this – why are you here?’

‘What?’

‘Just a question,’ Seulgi said, leaning on the desk.

‘I got the invite, the same as you.’

‘Did you, though?’

‘Yes.’

‘Because I’ve been doing a little thinking of my own and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two people in this house who don’t make sense to me. Wendy, and you. I mean, everyone else has reason. He invited me because I asked to meet him. He invited Wheein and Sooyoung and Lisa because he had business with them. He invited Mr Jae for the same reason. Yeri because she’s his grandniece. But Wendy doesn’t make sense, and neither do you.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘You’re just a P.I. And then you show up and he kicks the bucket and so does one of his business associates and conveniently there are all these clues left around the house and stuff.’

‘Are you trying to say I did this?’

‘What?’ Seulgi said. ‘No. I— look, what I meant was, it almost seems like he invited you for a reason beyond just wanting to celebrate with you on a job well done or whatever. Like he had an idea that something was gonna happen and he figured who better to be here than you. Right?’

‘I guess.’

‘Well then.’

‘Well then what?’

Seulgi shrugged. ‘That’s about as far as I got.’

‘Okay,’ said Irene. Then silence. The awkwardness between them that she always hated. It indicated there was an issue – something lingering in the space. Something that should be resolved lest it become worse. So she said, gently: ‘When this is all over we should sit down and have a big talk about trust and love and things like that.’

‘Sure.’

‘Maybe even see a relationship guidance counsellor or something.’

‘Uh, if you like.’

‘I would like. I would.’

‘Okay,’ Seulgi said.

‘Okay?’

‘Okay.’

Irene sighed. The headache was not getting any better. ‘Right,’ she said. ‘Back on topic. The vials. The morphine.’

‘Yeah. I don’t even know why I came upstairs. I was just gonna grab some water and chill out and then I figured I’d come upstairs and clear my head. And voila.’ Seulgi grabbed the vials again and held them up so Irene could see them. ‘This one’s still full of morphine,’ she said.

‘Are you sure?’

‘What am I, a chemist? No, I’m not one hundred percent sure. Call it eighty percent. I mean, you can try the stuff if you like.’

‘No thanks.’

‘So if my intuition is true, it means one of two things.’

‘Go on.’

‘Either Rosie was lying and is covering for someone, or two different people unwittingly switched the vials around, without the other knowing. I don’t know which I believe more.’

‘Probably the latter.’

‘Yeah. Maybe. Which means that somebody must have sneaked in and switched them around and then somebody else must have done the exact same thing sometime later, but before Mr Kim had taken the medicine. You mentioned earlier that Rosie said he took his medicine at…’

‘Five thirty, roughly.’

‘Five thirty. Right. So, assuming all this is correct, that means two people both switched the medicines before he took them at five thirty. So we can rule out anyone who wasn’t upstairs at all in that time, right? I dunno who that is because…well, I was up here too. And so were you.’

‘Yeah.’

‘And Yeri. So I dunno who to rule out. But I guess that gives us a timeline of sorts. And then they both switch the medicines around and he takes the correct doses of each and then he shows up on the balcony at just before six, I think?’

‘Yeah.’

‘And he’s alive and well. Maybe a little woozy from the morphine or whatever – because trust me, that is strong, it’ll knock you flat if you’re not careful with it – but still alive. And decidedly not with a knife in his back. And then the power goes out again a couple minutes later, which rules out anyone who was downstairs in that time.’

‘Me and Sooyoung. And Wheein.’

‘Right. But nobody else. So anyone could’ve done it, anyone with access to the generator room up here. Which is a long list of suspects. And then someone crept into his office and stabbed him.’

‘It would be pretty hard to sneak in through his office door while he was still there.’

‘Maybe,’ Seulgi said. ‘Under normal circumstances, sure. Even in the dark you’d be able to see a silhouette or something. Or hear someone coming in. You’d probably make a sound. But if he was knocked all loopy from the morphine or whatever, maybe not. Maybe that’s why he didn’t scream when somebody stabbed in – he might not have felt it. But then there’s also the possibility whoever it was climbed in through the window.’

‘What?’

‘Well, you said earlier that somebody must’ve come in and stabbed him and then left through the window, so as not to be seen. Why couldn’t they have come in through the window instead? It would make just as much sense. Probably more, in fact. We saw how easy the window was to open from the outside, which is pretty ty house design, if you ask me, but hey, whatever. I mean, who the designs a window to open from the outside? That’s just rife for burglars. Honestly the stupidest thing I’ve seen today. Like…wow. But yeah. Point stands. So, someone could’ve climbed in through the window, which also rules out nobody, because we didn’t see anybody leave or enter. Not even Mr Jang. So, I’m stumped.’

Irene smiled.

‘What? What are you smiling at?’

‘You,’ Irene said. ‘Look at you, being all detective.’

‘Are you making fun of me?’

‘No.’

‘You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?’

‘I’m not. I think it’s kind of y.’

‘What is? Me acting smart?’

‘You taking control.’

‘Maybe I should take control more often.’

‘I wouldn’t mind.’

‘Yeah, I bet you wouldn’t.’

Irene shrugged.

For a while Seulgi was quiet. As if thinking of the right way to proceed. Then she said, ‘Did I do good?’

‘Yeah,’ Irene said with a smile. ‘You did good. Quite impressive.’

‘Quite impressive?’

‘Alright. Really impressive. Happy now?’

‘Better. And Irene.’

‘What?’

‘I’m sorry for lying to you. I shouldn’t have done that. I know what it’s like when people hide things from you and I hate it and I’m sorry. And yeah I know it made me look guilty as . Sue me.’

‘Well.’

‘I didn’t mean for that to happen. I just didn’t want you freaking out or whatever.’

‘Yeah,’ Irene said with a tired smile. ‘We should get back downstairs.’

‘What are we gonna do now? Question everyone again?’

‘Not everyone, no. But there’s one person in particular I’d like to ask a couple of things. I don’t even think she’s guilty, honestly. But after what you said I feel like I have to.’

‘Who?’

‘Wendy.’

‘You think she had something to do with this? Anything?’

‘No,’ Irene said. ‘But you were right – I don’t really know why she’s here. Maybe she’s hiding something too.’

‘Maybe.’

‘I suppose there’s only one way to find out.’