SSMM Ch13

“Okey dokey,” Ava mutters, rearranging her tray to make room for the album. How to feel about having seen the contents of this album is a question that she’s determined not to deal with until the next time she sees her therapist. He will not believe her when she tells him about her experiences so far at this house. He’ll look worried and ask her about substance use. Actually, Ava could go for an edible right now, but weed just makes her horny. This place seems horny enough already.

She heads down to find the Swedes, where she knocks on Ebba’s door first. No answer. She knocks on Ingrid’s door, and Ebba opens it. Ava isn’t nosy, just observant. A shower is running, but Ebba is fully put together in her classy, restrained professional clothes. Nothing spicy is going on in this room. That’s kind of nice. Ava can only handle so much.

“Thank you,” Ebba says, with plenty of accent.

“You betcha.” Ava swishes past her and places the tray on the table, picking up the album and tucking it safely under her arm. When she turns back, Ebba can’t quite hide the look on her face. Feelings. This woman has feelings, and as she doesn’t know Ava at all, maybe they have to do with the maid costume. Ava can’t even guess what kind of feelings they are, but Ebba isn’t just sober and serious, there’s melancholy too. This woman is miserable. Maybe that’s why she’s attracted Jane’s pity.

Ava faces her. “Are you OK?”

“Yes.” It’s thoroughly disingenuous, but what’s Ava going to do? Interrogate her?

The shower stops.

“OK. Well, enjoy. I guess we’re making dinner, so hopefully we can eat soon.” Ava starts for the door but pauses at the click and a rush of steam and sweet scents. Ava glances back to see Ingrid emerge all wet, in the act of wrapping a towel around herself. It’s the quickest, most innocent flash imaginable, and Ingrid isn’t at all self-conscious. It’s almost suspicious how much Ava’s getting to see here, and she nervously moves the album from one arm to the other as Ingrid smiles at her and pads over to the coffee.

“I guess I’ll see you later,” she says, and lets herself out.

A part of her is annoyed. Maybe it makes her a bad person, but even though it gets her more attention from guys than girls, she’s very conscious of the advantages of bustiness. It’s gone to her head a little, and she tends to assume that she is the queen in this department wherever she goes. Yet here are Jane and now Ingrid, challenging her crown.

Fuming a little, she heads back to the foyer, then up to Vivien’s part of the house. She finds Vivien with Annette. They’re on opposite sides of a funky little coffee table, but holding drinks. They aren’t giggling like best friends, and neither do they look miserable like Ebba. This must be an adult conversation.

“Vivien, can I speak to you for a moment?”

They look up, taken aback. Then they exchange a look. Vivien looks intrigued.

“Sure,” she purrs, rising to her feet.

Annette puts on a sour look and leans back, crossing her legs. The stare she gives Ava is meant to be some kind of warning. Then she makes a puzzled face as she sees the borrowed maid uniform. Ava enjoys her confusion. She’s working for Annette, but it would be a stretch to say that she likes her.

Ava follows Vivien into the short hallway that leads back toward the bedroom. There’s a hint of challenge in this look of amusement, as though she’s questioning that Ava dares to initiate this way. It’s a little telling about the power dynamic that Vivien has in mind, but that was no secret anyway. Even Ava isn’t stupid enough to get in a pissing contest with someone like this. Although right here, at this moment, she would win.

She holds up the album. Vivien’s face freezes.

“I found this in one of the rooms down there. I’m just assuming it belongs somewhere safe,” Ava tells her quietly.

Vivien licks her lips and takes the album, which she rather firmly brings to her chest and holds, almost protectively. Her gaze is intense.

“I didn’t take it if that’s what you’re thinking,” Ava says, glancing over her shoulder. No, Annette is not creeping back there to listen in. “It was a room that hadn’t been made up. It was just sitting there.”

Vivien searches Ava’s face. Then she nods.

“OK,” she says thoughtfully.

“Does that mean someone was in here that shouldn’t have been?”

Vivien nods.

“Probably Cristy, right?”

Vivien’s eyes flash. “No,” she says. “It wasn’t her. I can see her from the window. It’s someone else.”

“Is there anyone else here that’s in there?” It’s a personal question, but Vivien isn’t flipping out or anything. She seems cool to talk about it. It’s none of Ava’s business, but this woman is literally trying to sleep with her.

“I mean… Aubrey.”

Huh. Ava didn’t see Aubrey’s photo in there, but there were a number of photos where the faces weren’t clear. And Aubrey does have a remarkable body; maybe for her shot, Vivien focused on some different part of her.

“Are all of your hookups in there?” Ava asks it bluntly.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but no.”

“Gonna take my picture?”

“You want me to?”

“Not really.”

“Then I wouldn’t,” Vivien replies distractedly; she’s not even paying attention. She’s thinking, no doubt wondering what’s going on. Cristy’s the only person who would know about the album, right? No. There must be rumors about it. Anyone might know. And even if Cristy’s the only one in the album, that doesn’t mean she’s the only one here that Vivien has hooked up with.

“Still,” Vivien says, taking a deep breath. “Much as I enjoy a little drama, I appreciate a little privacy. If you can find out who took it, I’ll give you a million dollars.”

“Detective Ava is on the case,” Ava replies without any hesitation at all. She has never agreed to something so quickly.

Vivien smiles, then reaches out and touches Ava’s chin.

“I wouldn’t mind taking your picture though,” she says.

Ava returns to the foyer with steam coming out of her ears. Maybe it’s the power of acting, but that look and those words were more of a turn-on than anything that she has experienced in her life. If Vivien were a man, Ava would be begging to be impregnated. She closes her eyes and lets out a little growl of frustration, then stamps her foot and tries to focus. What now?

Should she get back to helping Jane?

Or get out there and mingle, searching for clues?