Snow woke up, relieved to see she was surrounded by friends. “It worked! Did the FBI leave?” she asked, sitting up immediately.
“Yes, they left. Let’s hope they closed the case,” Madame Perrault said, sitting beside her.
“I don’t want to spoil the fun, but I think we have to continue pretending Snow is dead,” Report Man explained seriously. “Someone may inquire about her—reporters, bloggers, gossipers. We probably have to host a fake funeral.”
“You’re right. We need to hide her, too,” Madame Perrault agreed. “This is our secret now.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less. I can’t work at the Salon anymore, can I?” Snow said disappointedly.
“You can’t, I’m afraid. Too many people visit here every day, and we can’t even let the other staff know,” Ali said. He glanced at Bob, unsure if he could be trusted.
“I won’t say anything,” Bob pledged immediately. He then looked at Snow, confusion clouding his eyes. “But I’m still wondering: how? Why? Snow White poisoned the Ambassador? You’re so kind and sweet to everyone.”
“Because of love,” Snow gazed at Madame Perrault admiringly.
“We’re in love with each other. She’s the reason I want to divorce,” Madame Perrault said, looking at Snow with adoration.
“I knew it!” Lady News clapped and cheered. “Just look at how caring you are for each other! It’s enviable.” The men, though less adept at reading romantic cues, were nonetheless happy for the couple.
“I wanted to help her break free from her miserable marriage, but I didn’t know how. So I went to the temple to pray to Athena. The High Priestess gave me a pack of Alkaline powder and a bottle of Wolfsbane juice and told me mixing them would poison a man to death. She said the Goddess permitted it. That’s why I got the courage to do it,” Snow continued her explanation.
“The Gods answered. Thank Athena,” Madame Perrault prayed to the sky, then gave Snow a tender kiss on her forehead.
“Well, I think it’s really too late now, isn’t it? We all should go,” Ali said to the group.
“Yeah, we should go,” Trevor said awkwardly.
“We should go to room clear this and take shower.”Madame Perrault looked at vomit stain on her and Snow’s clothes.
“Me too,” Ali said, examining his own stained jacket. “And Bob and I need to clear up and close the party hall.”
“See all you guys at the Halloween party then,” Lady News called out cheerfully.
The group dispersed. Madame Perrault and Snow White walked hand-in-hand toward the elevator hall. Ali and Bob headed back to the party hall. Lady News strode toward the parking lot.
“I’ll call a taxi. Want a lift?” Report Man opened the riding app on his phone and asked Trevor.
“Sure,” Trevor said, then turned to Spion. “How about you? Report Man and I live in the Lower East Side. Where do you live?”
“I live far out. I’ll ask Ali if I can crash in the staff lounge,” Spion replied.
“Bye then.” Trevor said, walking toward the garage with Report Man.
Spion watched them for a moment, then turned and headed toward the party hall, looking for Ali.
A bright champagne-colored ladybug car passed Trevor and Report Man. Lady News waved goodbye from the window.
“The taxi will be here in ten minutes,” Report Man checked his phone.
“It’s really been a tough night,” Trevor sighed.
“Indeed.”
“At least we solved it—solved the case, saved Snow.”
“Yeah, but somehow, I still feel a little doubt.”
“Like what?”
“The High Priestess. The Gods stopped answering any prayers since the Industrial Revolution. Why now?”
“Maybe the High Priestess just wanted to help, acting in the Goddess’s name.”
“That goes against everything she stands for as High Priestess. So either the Gods truly started interfering, or someone, a mortal, made her do it.”
Trevor considered Report Man’s words. He realized there was another doubt nagging at him: Who is Gossip News? It couldn’t be Agent Scully, as he first suspected, since she had no reason to assist Snow’s elaborate stunt, nor could she have sent him the second, crucial message. He pulled out his phone, typing a message to Gossip News: “Thank you for the help.” He tapped send, but the message failed. The receiver account doesn’t exist.