“Hi. I’m Marianne Zuckerman. I’m the social coordinator for the city council. I’m calling to invite you and your family to a bonfire we’ll be hosting tonight. I know it’s last minute, but with you having just moved in, it took us a while to get your number.”
Clara grinned and replied, “That sounds like fun. Don’t see why we couldn’t make it!”
“Great! I’ll keep my eye out for you.” Clara hung up and turned to Jasmine with the dumbest grin on her face. Ignoring Jasmine’s questioning look, she ran upstairs to get ready.
Clara hurriedly pulled her hair back as her mother walked through the door. Clara ran down the stairs, calling out, “Oh, mother! Some lady from the city council called and invited us to a town bonfire. Can we go?”
Her mother looked up from taking off her coat and said dryly, “Well, hi to you too.”
Clara sighed, chastened.”Hammond. Can we, please? It’ll help us get to know people.”
Her mother eyed her suspiciously and asked, “But I thought you didn’t even want to be here, Clara?”
Clara glared at her, saying through clenched teeth, “I have to make an effort, right? This is my effort.”
Her mother sighed and agreed. “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll call your father and let him know.”
Clara clapped her hands in delight and ran back up the stairs, where she banged on Rodney’s door. His grunt from within sounded muffled, like a face smashed into a pillow.
“You better get ready. We’re gonna go to a bonfire and there’s gonna be hot girls there!”she exclaimed.
Rodney’s responding grunt was all she really expected. She went back into her room and grabbed her notebook and a pen. Maybe she could watch and listen and learn something about this town.
On her way down the stairs, she almost ran into Jasmine. After a short glare at each other, Clara stepped aside to let Jasmine go first. As they headed out the door, her mother asked, “Were there any messages?”
Clara glanced at Jasmine, who didn’t seem to have heard the question, so she shook her head no. Clara ran out the door, calling over her shoulder, “I’m driving.” She jumped in the driver’s seat before anyone could stop her. Rodney just glared at her as he climbed into the back of the pickup truck. Clara turned to her mother with a grin and asked, “Where to?” As her mother gave her directions, Clara settled into the rhythm of driving.
It took only a few minutes to get to their destination. Once parked, they all piled out of the car. “Your father said he’d meet us here,” Mrs. Young said.
Clara looked at her mother closely. The years had been kind to Mrs. Young. She kept her dark blonde hair shoulder-length, with a slight curl in it. Her emerald eyes, the same color as Clara’s, sparkled in the sunset. Tall and slender, despite having had three children, she managed to still turn heads. As she watched her children spread out, she called, “Stay close, OK?”
Clara rolled her eyes over her shoulder. “Oh, Mom, we aren’t children. We’ll see you in a bit.” She turned in time to see Jasmine meet up with a girl she apparently knew and head off to find a place to sit. Clara also noticed that Rodney had joined a group of guys at the edge of the growing crowd. Clara chose a log near the fire and sat, observing everyone and everything around her. In her distraction, she didn’t notice three girls standing off to the side, watching her.
A short, slender one whispered, “Should we go talk to her?” A chubby, red-headed girl nodded, while the tall, awkward one shrugged.
The first girl sighed and walked up to Clara. She sat down and turned to her with a grin. “Hi, I’m Stacy. My father is the Government teacher.”
Clara grinned at her, saying appreciatively, “Nice to meet you, Stacy. I’m Clara.”
Stacy brushed her dark auburn hair out of her eyes and motioned for the other girls to come over.”The redhead is Tracy and the tall girl is Hannah,” Stacy said helpfully.
Clara smiled at both girls. All three were wearing jeans, but that was where the similarities ended. While Stacy wore a red tank top, Hannah had on a white shirt with a picture of a cat on it. Tracy, who sat down on Clara’s other side, wore a faded concert tee.
“We were wondering if you’d like to go out with us Friday night. We’ll eat out and see a movie. It’s a tradition that we do every week,” Tracy said.
Clara grinned. “I’d love to.”
A wobbly voice started up a song and Hannah winced.
Clara grinned and asked, “Someone you know?”
Hannah nodded, whispering, “My dad. He thinks he can sing. I didn’t catch your full name at school today.” She looked curious, but the way she asked made Clara uneasy.
“Clara Young,” she said confidently. Hannah’s grin faltered.”You’re the new sheriff’s daughter, aren’t you?” she asked. Clara nodded.
Hannah sighed and said, “Tell him congrats for me.” She stood up and walked away. Tracy looked at Clara, then at Hannah. She gave Clara a half-shrug and followed Hannah.
Clara looked at Stacy.“Did I miss something? What just happened there?” she asked in surprise.
“Her father ran for that position too. The fact that they brought in an outsider really hurt him. She hates your dad the way a daughter hates her father’s enemies. She’ll get over it. We’ll pick you up at 7 p.m. on Friday. Don’t forget!” Stacy exclaimed. Then she jumped up and followed the others.
Clara sighed and looked into the fire. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the boy whose bag she had tripped over that day. He was helping a short, slim blonde girl onto a log. Then he slowly walked away. The sadness in the girl’s brown eyes called out to Clara’s heart. Clara got up and walked over to the girl with a smile.
“Mind if I sit next to you?” she asked kindly. The girl grinned, showing pearly white teeth, and nodded her head, patting the spot next to her.
Clara sat down. “Thanks. I’m Clara. You are?”
The girl giggled. Her high cheekbones and forehead were slightly caked with makeup. Her oval face was that of a girl who could be heavier, but Clara guessed that she worked hard to look as good as she did. “I’m Samantha. We have Government together,” she said.
Clara nodded. “Not that I would remember that! Why are you so sad?” she asked.
Samantha winced and whispered, “Obvious, huh?” Clara nodded.
Samantha sighed and looked into the fire. To change the subject, Clara looked toward the guy. “So, who’s he?” she asked.
Samantha followed her gaze and giggled.”That’s my boyfriend, Andrew. He’s on the football team.”
Clara grinned. “Wow, must be nice,” she said, trying to put as much encouragement in her voice as possible.
Samantha nodded, turning a little red. Clara noticed Andrew giving Jasmine a once over.
She turned back to Samantha. “So, do you guys normally have bonfires?”
“Once a month at least. It’s fun and it keeps us out of trouble.” Clara nodded and looked over at the three girls to whom she had just spoken. “Are they nice?” she asked cautiously.
Samantha looked in their direction and smiled. She ran her fingers through her short, cropped hair. “Oh yes, very nice. They’re kind of a close-knit group, though.”
“Have you ever hung out with them?” Clara asked slowly.
Samantha shook her head, saying sadly, “No, I’ve grown up with them my whole life, but we were never that close. We played some as children, so we nod at each other in passing, but we aren’t BFFs or anything.”
Clara looked toward the group of guys her brother stood with. She sighed.”Any cute, available guys around here?” she asked hopefully.
Samantha let out a high-pitched and jingly laugh.”Yes, of course. Although I’d look at the college guys, not the high school ones,” she said with a wink.
Clara grinned and looked back at the group. “I better go find my family. It was nice talking to you,” she said with a smile. Samantha nodded and looked back at the fire as Clara walked away.
Clara
spotted her mother and headed in her direction. “Hey, Ma! Is it OK if I go out with a couple girls from school tomorrow night? Dad works with one of their dads.”
Her mother grinned, and said, “Glad to see you’re making friends. Of course you can go out.”
Clara grinned and headed off to find Stacy to confirm that she could go with them. She found her standing outside one of the porta-potties, looking bored.
“My mom gave me the go ahead. I’m all yours tomorrow night,” she said happily.
Stacy nodded with a smile and Clara headed back to her log with a grin a mile wide. This was turning out to be not such a bad day.
2.
THE THREE AMIGA’S
T he next day, Clara couldn’t wait for school to end. Of course, because of this, the day felt longer than it should have. In her excitement for the night out, she even beat Jasmine to the car after school. Little Miss Perfect didn’t know what to think. It took all Clara’s self-control to not speed on the way home. Jasmine just rolled her eyes as Clara ran upstairs to her room.
She sped through her homework, not really paying attention, just trying to get it done. While school wasn’t as important to her as it was to Jasmine, Clara did know that getting good grades would help her excel once she graduated.
Clara didn’t finish until almost six, which gave her barely an hour to get ready. She grabbed a cute, tight white top from her closet and pulled it over her head. Next, she French-braided her hair and reapplied her eyeliner and mascara. She snuck into Jasmine’s room and spritzed some perfume on her shirt. Jasmine always had the best perfume and while Clara didn’t wear it often, she wanted to make a good impression on the girls. From the bathroom, she heard the doorbell and she ran downstairs, calling out, “I got it, it’s for me.”
She opened the door to find the three girls waiting for her. Stacy wore a jean skirt and a green tank top with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Tracy wore a dark blue dress that billowed out, making her chubby frame look smaller. Hannah wore jeans like Clara, and a hot pink tube top. They all looked ready to go out.
“Clara, you look amazing! I’m starving, let’s go!” Stacy exclaimed as she grabbed Clara’s wrist and pulled her out the door.
“I’m leaving now, Manse you later!” Clara called.
Clara’s mom looked up from the table. “Be home by midnight.”
Clara sighed but nodded. Curfews sucked big time.
In the car, Stacy blasted AC/DC and asked, “You like this music?”
Clara nodded and grinned. “Of course. Who doesn’t?” she asked.
Stacy laughed. “So, what are we eating tonight?”
“Do you like seafood?” Hannah asked from the back.
Clara turned back to her. “Yes! I’m from Florida; of course I love seafood.”
Hannah nodded and looked out the window.
“The movie tonight is a surprise. We can’t tell you what it is,” Tracy said, grinning mischievously from the backseat.
Clara smiled back, feeling slightly nervous. She wanted to relax and have fun, but Hannah’s demeanor threw Clara off. Could she really be that upset about her dad not getting the job? Clara tried to shrug it off and tune into the conversation.
The girls had been friends forever, Clara quickly learned. They always picked the same teachers so that they would end up in the same classes. She also learned that Tracy had an older sister, Hannah was an only child, and Stacy had two younger brothers who were twins. Because they had lived in the community their entire lives, Clara thought they may be able to help her with the pesky bathroom situation.
“Do you guys happen to know what’s going on with that stall in the bathroom next to the library? The fourth one?” she asked innocently. She saw Hannah and Tracy exchange a look in the backseat.
“A girl was killed in that stall about four years ago. She was a senior. Her best friend found her there during school. It was never solved, so the girls keep it empty just in case new evidence is needed. Kinda silly, considering, but they’re all hoping. She was a cheerleader, so it’s really the squad who’s keeping it off limits,” Stacy said, looking unconcerned.
Clara wasn’t convinced.”I got a creepy call about it after school too. What’s up with that?” she asked.
Tracy giggled. “Probably just a prank call. Those girls are the only ones who actually care. It’s become part of being on the squad.”She snorted derisively.
“They take themselves too seriously, if you ask me,” Hannah mumbled.
After that, the topic changed quickly to normal everyday stuff. Stacy mentioned the family reunion she’d recently had to attend, and Tracy talked about having to grade papers for her dad in her spare time. Hannah mentioned another fight her parents had and Clara turned to her.
“Is it because of my dad?” she asked.
Hannah nodded. “He really expected to get that job, didn’t he?”
Hannah sighed and said, “When they posted it, he was told it was just an obligatory thing. Totally didn’t mean they were looking at anyone else but him. And then they brought in your dad to run against him. And he lost to a complete stranger. He was expecting the pay raise. My parents haven’t stopped fighting since.”
Clara frowned. “My dad didn’t mean to take anyone’s job. It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. He felt this would be the best place for my brother to learn to be a detective,” she said.
“Your brother’s a detective? Is he single?” Stacy asked, trying not to look as curious as she sounded.
“STACY!” exclaimed both Hannah and Tracy from the back.
She grinned shamelessly.”What? This town is running out of attractive, available men. It’s nice to get some fresh blood,” she said with a shrug.
Clara laughed and gasped out, “My brother would like you. He’s always looking for a girlfriend.”
Stacy looked intrigued, so Clara pulled out her phone and showed Stacy a picture. “He’s 26. Quite a bit older than I am. My mom and dad married young because my mom got pregnant. They waited to have me until they had become more stable, so Rod was the only child for a while.”
Stacy’s eyes widened as she looked back at the road.”Dude, he’s hot!” she shouted.
Tracy and Hannah burst out laughing from the back. Clara couldn’t help but join in. These girls reminded her so much of her friends back home – the way they got along, the way they talked and joked with each other.
Stacy noticed Clara’s silence and asked, “You OK?”
Clara smiled at her, hurriedly saying, “Oh, yeah, sorry. It’s just that you guys remind me so much of my friends from back home. We were really close.”
Tracy leaned forward from the back and asked, “Do you miss them terribly?” Hannah gasped and smacked her arm.
Tracy looked confused. “What?”
“Yes, I miss them. Very much,” Clara replied. She smiled reassuringly at Tracy.
“Why did your parents move during your senior year? That seems kind of unfair,” Hannah said, actually sounding bothered by it.
Clara sighed. “I’ve repeatedly asked them why. They keep saying that this was the best thing for all of us, but I know that it’s really for Rodney. Starting off as a detective in a small town like this is relatively safe,” she said.
“What I want to know is why he’s 26 and still living with his parents.” Tracy’s statement seemed innocent enough, but Clara still felt its sting.
“He feels he owes it to my parents to help them out with us because we’re so much younger than he is. I think he feels guilty that he was conceived when he was. He’s really a big teddy bear at heart,” she said.
The other girls nodded and were quiet until they got to the restaurant.
Clara hoped she hadn’t dampened the mood by being so serious. She felt reassured when Stacy turned to her and said, “Wait until you see the waiters in this place. GORG-EOUS!”
Tracy and Hannah giggled, and they tumbled out of the car. Clara followed with a relieved smile on he
r face.
The restaurant was very quaint-looking – definitely a seafood place judging by the outside décor. Rope fish nets hung from the brown paneled roof. Plastic fish were attached to the nets. Old-fashioned lamps flanked the door, casting a yellow glow at the entrance. The sign out front blinked bright and neon, announcing the name of the place, The Locker, an old naval reference.
Inside, the restaurant’s entrance contained a floor-to-ceiling fish tank with large, colorful fish in it. Behind the podium stood a young woman in a white button-up and black pants, her dark hair pulled up in a ponytail. She had dark skin and eyes that belied her Hispanic heritage, with full lips and a short stature to boot. Booths lined the walls, while the middle of the room contained tables, each of which was covered with a rope net as its tablecloth. Clara decided that it looked like a very interesting place to eat dinner.
Once they were settled at their table, Clara took a look around. She wanted to remember the details for her journal that night. Fishing nets hung on the walls, along with fishing poles and other tackle-type things that Clara didn’t recognize. It had been ages since she’d been fishing with her dad. “So, where’s the theater?” she asked.
“Across the street. The movie starts in a little over an hour. Don’t worry, the service is great here.” Stacy grinned, trying to reassure her.
Clara smiled back and glanced at the menu.”What’s good here?” she wondered out loud.
“I’d recommend the shrimp scampi. It’s our own recipe,” said a rich, deep voice from behind her.
Clara turned around to find a pair of warm, hazel eyes staring at her. The face containing those eyes was even more pleasing than the eyes alone. High cheeks, square jaw, straight nose. A Greek god in the flesh, with dark brown hair.
Stacy, noticing the look on Clara’s face, grinned and whispered, “This is the gorgeous I was talking about.”
Clara turned beet red and bowed her head. “I’ll have the scampi, thanks,” she mumbled at the table.
As the other girls ordered, she tried to control her embarrassment. Most guys didn’t affect her like that, but this didn’t seem like a normal guy. Clara couldn’t stop watching him the entire time she sat in the restaurant. There seemed to be something familiar about him, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She almost didn’t hear Stacy say it was time to leave. Stacy had to physically grab Clara and drag her out.
The Murder in Stall 4 Page 2
