“What about Andrew?” he asked.
“Do you think he’s violent? Like, would he ever hurt someone?” Clara asked.
Anthony thought for all of two seconds before responding, “Maybe. The kid has a temper. When it flares, it’s hard to stop him.”
“Well, I think he’s dating my sister and it scares me. I’m afraid he’s going to hurt her if she doesn’t do what he says. She’s very young and impressionable,” Clara said quickly before he could stop her.
Anthony nodded. “I can see the worry.”
“What do you think?” she asked, biting her lip.
Anthony sighed. “I think trying to tell your sister how to live her life will push her away. Letting her see him for what he really is will be the only way to convince her to do what she needs to do.”
“And what is he really?” Clara held her breath, fearing the answer. What if Anthony knew his brother’s true nature?
“He’s a very confused young man. You’ve probably already heard about this, but Samantha is pregnant with his child. And she’s keeping it, at least to deliver it. She may give it up for adoption. But he isn’t happy right now,” Anthony said sadly.
“I already knew that. I was there the day she told him. It was the same day she was attacked,” Clara whispered.
Anthony looked at her, confused. “How were you there?”
“I was walking by. I heard them argue, saw him leave her on the church steps. Her heart was broken; she needed a shoulder to cry on. Your brother won’t be the man she needs,” Clara said, looking at Anthony with defiance.
Anthony ran a hand through his hair. “Samantha doesn’t know what she wants. She’s still just a child.”
Clara sat back. “Anthony, she’s my age. Am I just a child as well?”
He looked at her and shook his head. “You’re different, Clara. There’s something about you that’s wiser than your years. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s part of what attracts me to you.” He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. That kiss took her breath away. He brought his hand up and ran it through her hair, pulling her head back gently so he could kiss her neck. She shuddered under his touch and pulled away.
“I can’t stay right now. I have to find my sister. I’ll call you, OK?”
He nodded sadly and watched her leave.
Downstairs, Alex stopped her and pulled her aside. “Whatever it is that you think you’re doing, you need to be careful.”
“What do you mean?” Clara asked as innocently as possible.
“Anthony doesn’t know anything about Andrew. He has no idea what Andrew is capable of,” Alex growled.
“And you do?”Clara asked.
Alex nodded. “Yes. I’ve seen it. He’s not normal.”
“Then why haven’t you said anything?” Clara asked.
“Because I have no physical proof, plus I have a family to protect. Natalie is the first one I’ve been able to save. I couldn’t protect the others,” Alex sobbed.
“Others?” Clara asked.
“My other girlfriends. Betty and a few others. Andrew made them disappear,” Alex said.
“How?”Clara asked.
“I don’t know. They’d stop calling, then I’d find out from their families that they just took off. I’m assuming they’re all dead, like Betty is,” he concluded.
“So why didn’t he make Betty disappear too?” Clara asked.
“She was a message.” Alex looked sad and beaten down. “To me. Andrew was showing me what he could do. He was tired of chasing down my girls.”
Clara hugged herself. “But why is he doing this? Does he not want you to be happy or something?”
“He wanted me to go to college with him. Play football with him. It was only when I told him that I wasn’t going to college that he left Natalie alone. By then, Anthony was back anyway. I guess Andrew figured they could go to school together once he graduated,” Alex said with a shrug.
“And you got all four of those girls pregnant?” Clara said in amazement.
Alex shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. “No, not all. Just the first one. After that, Andrew made them disappear before it could ever happen. I thought that if I dated someone closer to home, it would be harder for him to get to her.”
Clara looked at Alex in confusion. “Did you even love Betty? Or just the idea of the family she wanted to build with you?”
Alex took a step back, hurt appearing on his face. “I loved her, more than any girl I’ve ever been with. The others … I had no intention of marrying any of them. The first one got pregnant by accident; we were going to give up the baby for adoption. But with Betty, I had a life, a future right there in front of me. She wanted to marry me before she got pregnant. We were gonna get hitched right after high school and go to college together. Pregnancy or no pregnancy, we were gonna do it together. And I’m pretty sure Andrew took that from me.”
“He’s really that obsessed with football?” Clara asked in unbelief.
Alex shook his head. “He just thinks he should get whatever he wants, and he knows he can make people do things. He had this idea that him and me going to college to play ball together was a great and awesome idea. He wanted it, so he was going to make it happen, regardless of what stood in his way. You should get your sister away from him if you can. If it’s safe.”
Clara took a step back. “And Anthony knows nothing?”
“Anthony was older, so he wasn’t in school with Andrew as much. He didn’t see the things Andrew did to other people. He’s cruel,” Alex said.
“Is he dangerous? Will he hurt my sister?”Clara asked.
“If she doesn’t do what he wants, he may. Although it’s more likely he’ll come after you,” Alex said pointedly.
“Me? Why?” Clara gasped.
“You’re the one looking into Betty’s murder when no one else would. You’re the one who could get him caught.”
Clara’s mind raced. She could get him caught … with the right bait. She grinned up at Alex. “Thank you for the warning. I may know of a way to stop him.” She turned and walked out of the house, thinking fast. This would be an all-hands plan. She’d need all the help she could get on this. But first, she’d have to find out how it went with her sister.
14.
CLARA’S PLAN
C lara came home to the sound of an argument. She ran upstairs to find her sister and her friends screaming at each other in Jasmine’s room. Jasmine looked like she’d been crying, her face red and blotchy, her hair a mess of tangles. Hannah stood silently, glaring at Jasmine with thinly veiled anger. Stacy was yelling over Jasmine, her anger not contained at all. “You don’t understand. He’s not who you think he is.”
“I don’t care what you think! You can’t tell me how to live my life!” Jasmine screamed back.
Stacy looked like she was about to smack Jasmine.
Clara stepped between them.”Stacy, stop. We can’t force her. She’ll never accept it if we do. She needs to see it for herself.”
Stacy looked confused and a little hurt. “How are we going to do that?”
Clara looked at Jasmine. “Do you trust me?”
Jasmine nodded. “Yes.” She only hesitated slightly, much to Clara’s relief.
“OK, call him. Invite him over. Besides the fact that he’s a murder, he’s also a cheater. He was still seeing Samantha when he started seeing you. And cheaters never change,” Clara declared confidently.
Jasmine crossed her arms. “He was tired of her. He told me he was gonna leave her and he did. He’s all mine now.”
“We’ll see about that. Just call him and invite him over. Dad took Mom to dinner out of town, so we have the house to ourselves tonight.”
“And Rodney?”Jasmine asked.
“He’s working.” Clara walked out of Jasmine’s room and into her own, the girls following behind her. Once the door was closed, Clara pulled out her phone and shot Rodney a quick text. She looked at the other girls. “OK, R
odney should be on his way. We don’t have long, so we better hurry.” She yanked open her closet and started going through her clothes.
“What are you going to do?” Hannah asked.
Clara pulled out a short black skirt. “Jasmine thinks he loves her and so she’ll do anything for him. I know better. He can’t love anything; he doesn’t have the capability. So, I’m going to prove it to her. AND get him to confess at the same time.” She slipped on the skirt, adjusted her tube top, and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. “Go get Jasmine.” Hannah left the room and was back in two seconds with Jasmine.
She took one look at Clara and shook her head.”He won’t fall for it. He’ll call you a slut.”
Clara shrugged. “Why don’t you hide in my closet and find out?” The four girls piled into the closet and closed the door as the doorbell rang. Clara ran downstairs, nervous sweat beading on her forehead. She squared her shoulders and opened the front door. Andrew stood there with a grin on his face, obviously expecting her little sister.
He took in Clara’s attire and cocked his head to one side.”Got a hot date?”
She popped out one hip and laughed. “Oh, don’t I wish. But no, it’s just little old me tonight. Jasmine stepped out for a minute. She told me to tell you that she’d be back soon. Why don’t you come in and get comfy?”
Andrew walked past her into the house, sauntering in like he owned the place. He looked around appreciatively. “Really like what you’ve done here. It looks good.”
Clara sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. “Thanks, my mother is a great decorator.”
He sat down and turned to her.”She also makes beautiful daughters.”
Clara grinned and tried to look shy.”You’re just saying that. Jasmine is the real beauty. I can’t compete with her.”
Andrew leaned in closer. “I don’t know about that. You’re one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. And my brother seems to think so too.”
Clara leaned in closer, their noses almost touching.”Really? I don’t believe you.”
He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her hard. She wanted to gag but stopped herself. She had to do this, for Jasmine. His hand slid up her thigh, to the hem of her skirt.
Before he could pull it up, she grabbed his hand. “My bedroom. We don’t want to get caught.”
He nodded and jumped up, pulling her with him. They raced up the stairs, their breaths short.
In the room, it was all she could do to keep him from getting naked. He pulled her on top of him and tried to slide his hand up her skirt. Again, she stopped him. “What about Jasmine? Don’t you care about her?”
He shook his head. “She does what I tell her to do, which is how I like my girls. Obedient.”
She pulled back. “I’m not obedient. I do whatever I want.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her again. “I know. That’s why I like you.”
“But you just said…”she started.
He cut her off with another kiss.”Girls like your sister are good for sleeping with. Girls like you are good for a lot more.” He flipped her over onto her back and pressed his hips into hers.
She looked up at him coyly.”I think you and I are very much alike.”
“Oh yeah? How’s that?” He was grinding his hips against hers now, trying to get her to let him pull her skirt up.
She continued to talk, hoping to distract him.”Yes, we both get what we want. I know you’re a man of action. I’ve seen it, here in this house. I think you made Betty disappear to get what you wanted.”
He stopped moving and looked down at her. “What?”
She smiled. “She was in your way, so you got rid of her. It was really well done. I mean, I would’ve hidden the body better, but that’s just me.”
He sat up, staring at her.
“What? You mean Jasmine didn’t tell you the real reason why we moved here?’
He shook his head. “She said it was because your dad got a job here.”
Clara grinned. Now she had him. She just had to hold him. “I killed my ex. He was abusive and stalking me and I was tired of it. So, I made him go away permanently. It looked like self-defense, but we both know that can be faked.” She leaned in again, close enough to kiss him. “I know it was you and I admire you for it.” His breath was coming in faster now. He grabbed her head and pulled her toward him.
“Oh yeah. Did you like it? Did you like what you saw?” he asked breathlessly.
She nodded. “It made me hot, knowing there was someone else out there like me. Someone who could do what I did.”
He kissed her again, sliding his tongue in and out of her mouth. His breath was hot on her face. “What part did you like the most?”
“The part where you held her head underwater. Was it hard, keeping her there?” she asked innocently.
He started grinding his hips against hers again, faster this time. “She struggled so hard to breathe. She kept crying and even tried to talk as I held her head underwater. She’d been so easy to lure there, thinking that I wanted to make amends, that I wanted us to be one big happy family. Too easy, in my opinion. She tried to make me feel guilty about the baby. But I didn’t care about that bastard inside her. She was going to ruin my dream. Sadly, in the end it didn’t even matter. Alex ruined that dream anyway.”
Clara fought to keep her legs straight, trying to concentrate on his words. “So why didn’t you stop Alex?” She looked over at the clock on the nightstand, wondering where Rodney was and what was taking him so long to get there. She could keep Andrew at bay for only so long. He was bigger than she was, and his desire would soon override any common sense he had.
In the closet, Hannah rested a hand on Jasmine’s shoulder. Tears were coursing down Jasmine’s cheeks as she peeked out at her sister and Andrew. Her shoulders shook with her silent sobs. Stacy took her hand, squeezing it tightly. Above Jasmine’s head, she glanced over at Tracy, who held up her phone with a grin, showing it recording everything that was being said. Stacy nodded in satisfaction, knowing that Andrew couldn’t deny this.
On the bed, Andrew was reaching a hand farther up Clara’s skirt. She felt her heart rate speed up as fear crept into her chest. She didn’t know if she could stop him from getting what he wanted. She whispered, “Tell me more,” in desperation.
He grunted. “What more is there to tell?”
“Were there others? I mean, you were so good with Betty, you had to have practiced.”
He stopped moving and looked down into her eyes.”Yes, there were others. Alex had other girlfriends. Out-of-town ones who could never be connected to me.” He propped himself up on an elbow. “I think he suspected me, that he’d always suspected me. He dated girls out of town for a long time, keeping them from me. Or so he thought. Then, when they stopped calling him, he turned to Betty. Can’t blame him; she was one good-looking girl. I considered it, doing her before I killed her. But there wasn’t enough time.” He kissed Clara hard this time, sucking on her bottom lip.
Through his mouth, she whispered, “Why did you not kill Natalie? How did she survive?”
He snorted. “By the time Natalie was in the picture, Alex had made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t going to college and wasn’t going to play football. But it didn’t matter then because Anthony was home and he was going to college. We could go to college and play together.”
Clara ran her fingers through his hair, hoping to keep him talking. “Why was playing ball with your brothers so important to you?” He looked at her sharply. She smiled slightly. “I mean, I just want to understand why you killed those girls. I killed because I was tired of being harassed. Why did you kill them?”
He ran a finger along her neck, making her shiver. “Because playing together with my brothers has always been my dream, ever since I was little. We were a great team; we played well together. I just didn’t realize Alex wasn’t interested in it the way I was. But Anthony, we have the potential to play together. He can make me l
ook good on the field, rocket me to stardom.”Andrew looked at her intensely. “And no one stands in the way of what I want.”
She laughed. “So, it’s all about making it to the pros? Living your dream?”
He squeezed her tightly, pressing her to the bed. “My dream is worth everything. And anyone who stands in my way will pay.” He started moving again, his hands sliding up her skirt. Clara tried to grab his hands, but he was faster than she was, pulling her skirt up while holding her down with his body. She knew she couldn’t stop him now; not even talking about his kills would distract him. She closed her eyes, praying that the girls would jump out or that Rodney would walk in.
Just as Andrew’s hand slipped up farther than she could stand, her bedroom door flew open. Rodney stood there like an avenging angel, rage in his eyes.
“Get the hell off my sister, you creep,” he cried. Rodney grabbed Andrew by the back of his shirt and yanked him off Clara. Andrew spun around, ready to swing, but Rodney caught his fist in his hand and yanked it back. Andrew went down on his knees, crying out in pain. The girls tumbled out of the closet, rushing to Clara, who was still lying on the bed in shock.
Hannah pulled her up. “Are you OK?”
Clara nodded. “I feel so violated. I need a shower.” She pulled her skirt down and glared at Andrew. He looked at her with rage and fear in his eyes.
“What is this? What are they doing here? You tricked me.” His nostrils flared and he tried to break Rodney’s hold. Rodney slammed his knee into his back, forcing Andrew back down.
“And you fell for it so easily. Do you really think every girl wants to be with you? That you’re that desirable? And that I’m anything like you in any way?”Clara asked.
Andrew grinned up at her. “You’re like me. A dog with a bone. You just keep going until you get what you want.”
She frowned.
“See, you know I’m right. You just happened to chase after me.”
Before Clara could respond, a shrieking cry came from behind her. She turned to see Jasmine, face red and blotchy from crying, fly at Andrew as he lay on the floor. She scratched at his face and hit him repeatedly until Clara and Stacy could pull her off.
The Murder in Stall 4 Page 9
