Skeletons out of the closet

[mancalledspade]

Though he hadn't had much luck with random manhunts through the mansion before, Spade was determined that, this time, he would find the man he was looking for. Prince Paul Maraloffski couldn't have gotten far, and if what Vera had said to him was true, he should be able to clear a few things up. And if not...well, that would be part of an answer

Comments

[oilwithvinegar]

"I had never planned to kill him, I would have preferred the deal. Alexis is typically a man of his word, if I'd had his word I would have been safer, and my enemies helpless to harm me. He would have been sworn not to hurt me, and in extension would have prevented Vera's attacks on me. So, he said a week, I agreed--having said before that if he gave me only a week I'd ensure that she lived no longer--and stabbed her. I let her go then, and took the gun that Alexis had set down, in case he attacked. I had kept my word, you see, so I told Alexis to come with me--that was the bargain, that he would protect me, like a bodyguard. He refused, and said that I could kill them both."

Paul sighed, actually regretting for a moment that things turned out the way they did. "At that point, I knew that he would not keep his word--it puzzles me, whether he thought I was bluffing or whether he simply didn't understand that I meant what I said--if he gave me a week, she'd die at the end, and I wanted protection for life. Things had slipped from my control, and Alexis would be out for my blood twice as fiercely now that I'd hurt his precious Vera. He asked me to kill him, and I obliged. Preemptive self-defense, perhaps, but it is in my nature to plan ahead. I simply hadn't expected him to come back.

"I could have killed Vera then, and perhaps that would have been kinder to her, but I still intended to keep my half of the deal with Alexis, so I let her live."

Paul laughed, mirthless and quiet, and shrugged. "I need a drink. Anything else you wanted to know?"

[mancalledspade]

Spade stood. "No, unless there's anything else you wanted to say. You've been very... enlightening."

[oilwithvinegar]

"One last question, actually, if I may. I'm curious, which part of Vera's story didn't make sense?"

[mancalledspade]

"Nothing that was flat out impossible or contradictory. It's just her emotions about you made it a little...patchy, here and there, concerning your motives. No lies, from comparing your stories, but some things I didn't quite follow."

[oilwithvinegar]

"And what do you intend to do with us now?"

[mancalledspade]

"Do?" He snorted. "Nothing. As I've already observed, there aren't cops here. No courts either, that I know of. And if there were, no one's paying me to do anything about you, either of you. I wanted to know what happened, because someone bumps someone else that messily, I wanna know why. For my own peace of mind."

[oilwithvinegar]

"Sure." Paul shrugged. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, then." A smirk creased his lips, giving Spade a look-over. "If you're ever in need of anything... else."

[mancalledspade]

"Yeah. I'll let you know. See ya round."