"Of course, it's true!" Bhawani snapped, no longer the docile little woman he'd seen all trip. Her eyes blazed like fire. "My sister loves symmetry in her life and stories. Don't you, Devi?"

Devi Dhungel, for once in her life, did not know how to respond to her sister other than to stare. That, and she was still letting it sink in: no one tried to kill her. No one but her own stupid self!

I could have died! What the fuck was I thinking?

Obviously, she wasn't thinking.

"The whole idea, from coming out here on the boat to the mysterious 'attack', all was pre-planned, to create a buzz for her upcoming book." Bhawani scoffed, beginning her own victory lap around the room as Hector had done earlier. "A Death Like No Other."

She circled Devi as if circling a grotesque statue at a museum, trying to understand it. "Her career was in the toilet and she wanted a comeback that was unforgettable. Her words. The publicity this would create to revive her dead career. After all, almost a decade of silence is hard to come back from so she needed something drastic. She wanted to say in interviews 'Isn't life stranger than fiction.' Isn't that right, Didi?"

"I ..." Devi looked around the room, at the gathering of baffled faces whose sleep was long gone. This was far too entertaining for them to miss it. In fact, somehow, Ryan Pecker's girl had got her hands on some bar nuts and was munching on them as if she was at the cinemas. "So I planned to jump off the boat and what, disappear for a few days?"

Bhawani shrugged. "I didn't exactly say you were sane. Who knows what you had in mind? The plan was for you to disappear off the yacht somehow, and then reappear on the day of the launch, spinning this entire tale of an unknown assailant who appeared out of nowhere and dragged you off the boat."

"It sounds absurd." Devi shook her head. "Why did I think that was a good idea?" She recalled her conversation with Bhawani that night, as they walked back to her room. Do this, do that, and Bhawani refusing to help in the madness. "And you didn't want to help me that night."

"Of course, not. As much as I hate you, I don't want you physically hurt. I'm not stupid. No one was going to believe someone hopped onto the boat in the middle of the night, in crazy weather, just to try to kill you. What for? You don't have any friends let alone enemies. We're all you've got."

"So this whole thing was a setup? No one here had anything to do with your disappearance?" Hector stared, feeling a pinch of pain for Devi. She had no friends? But how could that be? Everyone had friends, and she was famous. She was ... Obnoxious. Arrogant. Even narcissistic, but no friends?

"No." A chorus rang out around the room as all heads shook, even the new barman and the waitress; although why they felt compelled to shake their heads was a mystery.

Devi met his eyes and shook her head. "No."

"Why drag your sister into your plan if you were just going to disappear for publicity?" Hector frowned. Unbelievable. All this time, he'd been running around trying to catch the culprit so he could keep her safe, and there she was, stabbing herself and planning to jump into the sea to 'disappear', for fucking publicity?

"Is life a joke to you?" he finally cracked it, anger bubbling under his chest. How stupid could she be? "You think a stunt like this will make anyone like you? Even love you?" as he asked this, however, he came to realise one thing. He loved Devi Dhungel, and it sounded weird in his head. When did that happen?

"Life is a joke, at least mine is ..." Devi laughed manically. I'm fucking crazy! "It gave me everything I could ask for just to snatch it away. Yeah, I had money. I had people around me ... these people, in fact"—she pointed at the crowd—"I had nothing to lose ... all I really have are my fucking words. Charlie's gone. My career is gone. My chil—gone." She couldn't help but glance at Chaya.

"You had money," Don Nguyen said softly. "You have what most of us would kill for."

"What? Fame and fortune?" Devi laughed again. "They mean nothing when you don't have anyone to share it with."

Her eyes sought Hector then, and he thought he could read between the lines. She was a lonely woman.

"What about them?" he asked, trying very hard to keep moisture from his eyes.

"You heard Bhawani. I don't have anyone. And you were right. Most of them are here because they hope I'll leave them something."

"No. That's not why we're here ..." Marvin chuckled nervously. "We love you ..."

"Yeah, Thulo Mummy, we love you." Vinay made a move towards Devi as if to touch her reassuringly.

Devi pulled away. Don't touch me.

For a moment, no one spoke. Hector turned away towards the door to leave, but he changed his mind and paused. "You've wasted valuable resources and police time, Ms Dhungel ..." my time.

"I'm sorry."

He turned back. "If it was anyone else here, other than me, you'd likely go to gaol. As such, you're lucky. I have no interest in arresting you but I'm also not in the mood to be played like a fiddle anymore." When what he really wanted to say was, 'Was any of what we had, real, however, brief?' "I'll have to file a report anyway, to close the case. What would you like me to say? After all, you're a superb storyteller ..."

"I'm sorry, Hector." Devi rose from her seat, ready to approach him.

Hector held a palm up. Stop. He looked around the room and cleared his throat, addressing everyone else but her. "Considering everything that's happened tonight, I would like to apologise, to every one of you, for dragging you out here hoping to get one of you to confess. I'm sorry for wasting your time. You're all free to go."

"This is so anticlimactic!" Ryan's girl said as they got off the couch. "I really thought he would have arrested the sister ..."

Miles lent a hand to Unati and walked away. He was heard saying, "I'm not surprised. She's always been batshit crazy ..."

Bhawani stood shaking her head. "I mourned you ... for days ..."

Don wrapped his arms around her and pulled her away. "Come on. There's nothing left to say."

Chef Toby let out a loud sigh, thumping Hector's back before he left. "That was an interesting dinner party, Constable."

Last but not least, Marvin and Vinay shook their heads at Devi and walked away without a word. Well, at least Marvin did. Vinay muttered some profanities, telling Devi to fuck off for nearly sending him and his mother to gaol.

After that, it was only the two staff and Hector and Devi left in that room. Awkward crackled in the air like electricity between the two.

Hector cleared his throat. It was the only thing he could think of to break the silence. "You should be able to safely return home now. And don't worry about me. I'll say it was an accident and you can tell the city cops the same. There won't be any charges. Your case will closed."

"Hector—"

"They may get miffed, that you wasted their time, but if I was you, I'd continue to feign amnesia mostly ... just say to them this trip triggered repressed memory ..." He shifted from foot to foot.

"Hector—"

"It's getting late. I should let you go to bed ..." He interrupted again, for it was too hard to hear excuses from her. I trusted you, Devi. He stole a glance at her face. I trusted everything you said. I cared ... His cleared his constricting throat again. "I'll send your stuff back when I get home so you don't have to ..."

"Hector, please, listen."

"Is there more to say?" He met her gaze. "You made a fool of me, Ms Dhungel. The stupid, country cop, right? Was that also part of your plan? Rope-a-dummy?"

"I swear I didn't do it on purpose ..." Tears pooled in Devi's eyes. "Do you hate me now?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Ms Dhungel. I've always hated you." Hector chuckled, fighting his own tears. "Now, if there is nothing else I can do for you ..." He nodded at her and turned for the door, letting his tears finally roll down his cheeks.

"Hector!" she cried from behind him, a sound that wrenched at his foolish heart and stopped his feet at the door. "I had nothing left in my life ... I needed this. I'm sorry you got caught in my craziness."

"Don't worry, Ms Dhungel"—he bit his lips for they craved to call her Devi again. "I understand more than anyone what people can do for their careers. After all, I haven't exactly been entirely honest with you either... I used your case to batter for a promotion. We're all in it for ourselves," and even if he didn't want to, he made a confession of his own, hoping it would finally stop her trying to explain herself to him. She doesn't owe me anything ... "Good night."

He paused at the door again briefly. "I wish you luck with your launch." And with that, Hector left that dining room, more than a little deflated that night. Perhaps more than a little deflated he'd been all his life. How could he have fallen for it? Fallen for her?

She means nothing to me. She means nothing ... I'm done. I'm done ...

And there wasn't anything Devi could do to make him change his mind. Not yet anyway.