Player

by DeLuca, Laura

  “Joshua Hanover, please report to the principal’s office.”

  The loud speaker crackled to life as the principle’s secretary issued the summons, interrupting Josh’s thoughts. He couldn’t imagine why he would be called to the office in the middle of the afternoon. Even if they realized he had cut a few classes that morning, his punishment could have waited until the end of the day.

  Josh picked up his books, stood from his seat, and moved toward the door in a daze. An idiot in the back of the class started everyone singing a butchered rendition of “Na Na Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye”. The teacher was still trying to restore order when Josh turned the corner.

  It didn’t take long for Josh to reach the main office. The secretary who had paged him barely looked up from her keyboard when Josh walked into the room. She gestured toward the back office. Mr. Graves, the principal, was sitting in the chair normally reserved for the school troublemakers. He looked worried, and that made Josh worry. The older man kept running his hands nervously through his thinning hair. He hadn’t even noticed Josh was standing there.

  “Mr. Graves,” Josh said softly. “Did you want to see me?”

  “Joshua!” the principal replied, just a little too loudly. He cracked each one of his fingers as he spoke. “I’m so glad that you were able to get here so quickly. Why don’t you just go right ahead and step into my office?”

  Josh took a few tentative steps, but stopped when he noticed Mr. Graves wasn’t following him. “Aren’t you coming in?”

  “No, no, no,” Mr. Graves said. He was so nervous, he was practically stuttering. Josh had never seen him that way before. He was usually so strict and unwavering, an almost foreboding presence to the students. “You go ahead without me. There’s someone waiting inside to talk to you.”

  Josh was starting to feel just as uncomfortable as Mr. Graves looked. He inched his way over to the door and slowly turned the handle. The door creaked as it swung open, revealing an immaculate office. There was a desk, a few bookshelves, and diplomas hanging on the wall. There were pictures of the principal’s wife and children lined up next to his computer, and behind the desk was a high-backed swivel chair. In that chair was a rather large man wearing a gray suit, minus the jacket. Even though his back was turned to him, Josh immediately knew who it was.

  “Hello, Detective Gibula.”

  “Hello yourself, Mr. Hanover.” The detective spun around to face him. “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been fine,” Josh replied politely. “How about you?”

  “To be honest, I’m pretty damn tired,” he admitted with an exaggerated yawn. “I was up all night investigating a certain incident at the Williamstown Mall. Have you heard anything about it?”

  Before Josh could respond, the door flew open again, banging loudly against the wall. Josh’s father stormed into the room, beat-red and furious. “You don’t have to say a word, Josh. Not without an attorney.”

  Josh felt like he was going to sink into the floor. “I don’t need an attorney, Dad. I have nothing to hide!”

  “Good.” Detective Gibula smirked, revealing his coffee stained teeth. “After all, this is just a friendly conversation. So, the girl who was attacked, did you know her? Preston, her name is.”

  Josh’s father looked ready to burst a blood vessel, but he stayed silent. “I was dating her for a little while. I guess you could say we’re friends.”

  “Ah, yes. You were dating that other girl too, weren’t you. The one who committed suicide? Cavalier, right? It’s funny how all your girlfriends are turning up either dead or close to it.”

  Josh didn’t think it was funny at all and he didn’t like the accusing tone of his voice. “I tried to warn you about this from the beginning, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “Yes, I remember our previous conversation.” He pulled out a cigarette from his pack before he realized he wasn’t in his own office. He still put the end of it into his mouth, even though it wasn’t lit. “I remember it quite well. I’ve thought about it a lot since I found out this other girl was also a friend of yours. Jessica? Is that her name?”

  “Jasmine.”

  “Yes, Jasmine. Well, as I was saying, I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the day you came in to see me. And I think you might have been on to something with your suspicions about Lily Cavalier. Maybe there was some foul play involved there.”

  It hardly took a brain surgeon to figure that out. “That’s very perceptive of you, sir.”

  “I’m actually fairly certain that there’s a connection between Lily and Janine, I mean . . . Jasmine,” Detective Gibula continued. He leaned back into the swivel chair, and Josh wondered how it was able to handle his bulk. “In fact, there’s little doubt in my mind.” He was silent for a minute. Josh wasn’t sure if he expected some kind of response or perhaps a round of applause.

  “Are we finished here?” Josh’s father asked.

  “Not quite.” Detective Gibula’s phony smile couldn’t have looked more strained. “I was talking with Miss Preston’s co-workers this morning. Several of them said they saw you at the mall last night. They said the two of you were having a pretty intense conversation. You even grabbed her by the shoulders at one point. Then later, she went off with you during her break and seemed disturbed, maybe a little frightened, when she returned. Would you mind if I asked what you were talking about?”

  Josh tried to ignore his father’s burning stare and concentrated on his conversation with the policeman. “Nothing much,” Josh replied. “It’s kind of personal.”

  “Can you tell me specifically what you were talking about?”

  “I’d rather not.”

  The detective was losing his patience, and with it his insincere smile. “I’d like it very much if you would.” He wasn’t exactly threatening, but it was obvious he wanted an answer.

  “If you insist. I told her she needed to be careful.”

  “Were you threatening her?” he interrupted.

  “Josh, you don’t have to answer these questions,” his father told him.

  “He’s right, Josh,” Detective Gibula said smoothly. “You do have the right to remain silent.”

  “No. It’s fine. Dad, I know what I’m doing,” Josh exclaimed. “I wasn’t threatening her. I was warning her. I told her that Bryan and I thought Lily was murdered, and I told her she might be in danger too.”

  “Did she believe you?” He had taken out a notepad from his jacket pocket, and was writing something down. Josh didn’t like that.

  “No, she didn’t take me seriously.”

  “Why not? If you were friends, shouldn’t she have trusted you?”

  “I don’t know why she didn’t believe me. I guess she thought I was playing a trick on her.”

  “Hmmm. Why did you think she was in danger in the first place?”

  “Because I was poisoned and one of my girlfriends was murdered!” It was really difficult to keep from adding “duh” at the end of the sentence.

  “Was that the only reason? That doesn’t explain why you were so worried about Miss Preston that you felt the need to call her cell phone five times in a row and then drive all the way to the mall to bother her at work.”

  So they had already checked Jasmine’s phone records. It only made sense. It was probably a standard procedure. Besides, Josh had a good enough explanation. “I got another one of those notes, like the other ones I gave you.”

  “Do you mind if I ask where you were last night around ten-thirty?”

  Josh opened his mouth to reply, but his father beat him to it. “He was home. Sleeping.”

  Detective Gibula raised an eyebrow. “Doctor Hanover, you can’t possibly know that for certain, since your shift ended at one in the morning. I believe your wife worked through the night as well. So there isn’t anyone who can verify that Josh was home sleeping, is there?”

  “Nevertheless, that’s where he was. Now, unless you plan on making these accusations official, I think this con
versation is over.”

  “Whoa there!” Detective Gibula threw up his hands in feigned defense. “Don’t bust a gasket, Doctor. No one has made any accusations, official or otherwise. I was just asking a few questions. That’s all.” Josh’s father didn’t seem appeased. “But I guess I’ve taken up enough of your time for one day. You should be getting back to class.” The large man stood from the swivel chair, grabbed his jacket, and waddled over to the door.

  Josh had one question of his own to ask, so he stopped him just as he reached for the handle. “Detective?”

  He turned back around. “What is it, kid?”

  “Am I a suspect?”

  “What on earth would give you that idea?” Detective Gibula replied innocently. “It wasn’t anything I said, was it?”

  “Can you please just answer my question?” Josh asked in exasperation.

  The detective’s voice turned more official. “We have no official suspects at this time.” Then he flashed one last smile, which seemed genuine for the first time. “But I wouldn’t make any plans to go on any long distance trips anytime in the near future.”

  “I see,” Josh said flatly.

  “I’m sure you do. Now, you really should get back to class. I may want to ask you some more questions at a later date. Will you mind the inconvenience?”

  “We would like a little more notice if you have to speak with us again,” his father answered.

  “Certainly, Doctor Hanover. Have a nice day at school, Joshua.”

  With that closing statement Josh found himself alone with his father. He waited for the inevitable explosion. He closed his eyes in anticipation, but it never came. “Josh,” Mr. Hanover said in a hushed whisper. “You have to be honest with me here. This is serious. Did you have anything to do with what happened to this girl?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Josh was the one who finally exploded.

  “Son, I only want to help you. Andrea’s father is attorney, one of the best. I’m sure he would help us out.” His voice was so desperate it was actually pathetic. Josh was disgusted.

  “I don’t need a lawyer, Dad. I didn’t do anything. And if I did hurt those girls, I would deserve to go to prison for it!”

  “Josh, I’m only thinking about you! I want to protect you.”

  “You don’t care about me. You just want to try to buy your way out of this to save your precious reputation! It doesn’t even matter to you whether I did it or not!”

  “Josh . . . please!”

  “No, Dad, I can’t talk about this anymore. I have to get to class. I wouldn’t want to humiliate you by getting an A- or anything.” Josh didn’t wait for his shocked father to reply before storming out of the office and into the school hallway.

  Chapter 22

  The bell rang even as Josh shuffled down the hallway and soon he was swept up in a stream of students rushing to grab books between classes. He was on his way to Chemistry, looking forward to seeing his girlfriend, when he ran into Bryan. They both started talking at once, making it impossible for them to understand each other. Bryan was waving a piece of notebook paper in Josh’s face.

  “Would you shut up and listen to me!” Bryan shoved the paper under Josh’s nose. “I just found this in my locker. Go head, read it!”

  Josh grabbed the paper impatiently, but once he looked at it and recognized the scrawled handwriting, he understood Bryan’s insistence. He read the note with an ever-growing sense of dread.

  “Bryan Grant was a drunken louse.

  He found his dead sister in his house.

  Now, he and Josh decided to pry.

  They better stop or they’re sure to die.”

  Josh read it over a few times, each time feeling a fresh swell of rage. He crumbled up the note and tossed it halfway across the hallway. It bounced off the head of one of the football players who turned and glared at him. Josh almost wished he would start a fight. He could have used an excuse to burn off a little anxiety. They might be bulkier, but a football player wouldn’t be able to take down the captain of the wrestling team.

  “What are you doing?” Bryan demanded. “That’s our evidence you just tossed!”

  “It wouldn’t do us any good anyway,” Josh grumbled. “Did you hear them call me down to the principal’s office?”

  “Yeah, I did. What was that all about?”

  Josh lowered his voice so the other kids in the hallway wouldn’t be able to overhear. “Detective Gibula paid me a little visit.”

  Bryan did a double take. “Whoa,” he exclaimed. “What did he want?”

  “It looks like I’m the number one suspect.” He gave Bryan a quick summary of his encounter. “I should have known this would happen. I should have realized someone would see me with Jazz and get the wrong idea.”

  Bryan gave him a sympathetic frown. “Don’t worry about that pig. He can’t possibly have any evidence against you, because you didn’t do anything. Besides, we have our own suspects to worry about. What about that Nadine chick? Have you talked to her yet?”

  Josh shook his head. “No, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Nadine. I haven’t even seen her in days.”

  Actually, the last words he had heard from Nadine were, “I could kill you.” He found himself wondering if she could really follow through on the threat.

  “Well, maybe we can eliminate her from the suspect list,” Bryan said thoughtfully. “It must have been someone who knew we were investigating. How many people have you told anyway?”

  “Rosa, Andrea, Elena, and Jasmine,” Josh counted off on his fingers as he listed them. “But I don’t think that eliminates the others. Andrea probably told Jim, and Jim would have told Kevin. Nadine could have found out from any one of them. No, the only person we can eliminate is Jazz.”

  Bryan nodded. “I guess you’re right. Things aren’t really moving along very well, are they?”

  Josh laughed bitterly. “At least we’re doing better than the real cops.”

  “I do have one last idea.” Bryan leaned close and whispered conspiratorially. “I admit it’s not ingenious, but it’s better than sitting around doing nothing.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

  “I want you to throw a party on Saturday night,” Bryan told him. Then he flinched like he knew the idea was ridiculous.

  “A party?” Josh was dumbfounded. “Why would you want me to throw a party? No offense or anything, but I’m not really in a partying mood right now, after being accused of murder and all.”

  “I don’t expect you to have fun.” Bryan moved his lips into a half smile. “You’re going to be working.”

  “All right, assuming I could pull it off without my parents finding out and grounding me until I’m thirty, what do you expect it to accomplish?”

  “All the suspects will be in one place. Maybe the killer will try something.” Josh started to protest but Bryan interrupted. “I told you it wasn’t brilliant, but it’s something. We can watch them. See how they act around each other.”

  “How do we know any of them are going to come?” Josh asked. “Elena and Nadine aren’t exactly my biggest fans these days.”

  Bryan had to snicker. “Would Elena or Nadine miss a party? Any party? Even one they weren’t invited to?”

  Josh had to admit he was right. “No, they wouldn’t.”

  “Do you think you’ll have a problem getting any of the others to come?”

  Kevin and Jim certainly weren’t going to pass up a night of free drinks. Andrea and Rosa would probably come if he asked them too. Josh knew he was fighting a losing battle, so he was reluctant to reply. He really didn’t want a bunch of rowdy teenagers trashing his house when he was already walking on eggshells with his parents. On the other hand, maybe Bryan was on to something. Maybe the killer wouldn’t be able to resist a public performance.

  “I can get them to come,” Josh admitted.

  “Well then it’s settled,” Bryan exclaimed. “I’ll start spreading the word. Party at Josh’s house
!”

  Josh made it through Chemistry class, thanks to Rosa’s support, but afterward he had to call it quits. His head was pounding. The school nurse knew he’d been in the hospital that weekend, so she was quick to excuse him. He didn’t want to be among the herds of unfriendly faces at school, but he didn’t want to be home alone either.

  He found himself cruising aimlessly with the top down on his convertible, enjoying the feel of the cool autumn breeze against his skin. He wanted to forget everything and keep driving. He would have driven straight into another dimension if it were possible. Anything to get away from his overbearing parents, the fat, teen-hating detective, and whomever was twisted enough to go around murdering innocent girls. Without thinking, Josh found himself pulling into the hospital parking lot. He wasn’t sure what had led him to that destination, but since he was there, he decided that he wanted to see Jasmine. No, he needed to see Jasmine.

  Josh knew he would never be able to forgive himself for what had happened to her. The only thing he could do to ease his conscience was to find the person who attacked her. Josh knew she would have fought with everything she had. The scratch she had given him, though mostly healed now, was testament to that. If it were a strong guy, like a member of the wrestling team, she might not have been able to overcome him, no matter how strong she was. Or maybe she had been taken by surprise. If someone she trusted had approached her, she wouldn’t have been suspicious. Perhaps it was a friend, like Elena, who was the culprit.

  How insane. Next he would be thinking the killer was the homecoming queen in the parking lot with the crowbar. This wasn’t a teenage version of Clue. This was real life, and despite what Bryan thought, they weren’t equipped to be detectives. Josh had certainly failed at being a bodyguard. So what was the point?

  Josh crossed the narrow walkway that led to the hospital’s sliding doors. On the way to the reception area, he passed a few senior citizens being wheeled out to their waiting families, and a mother holding her newborn infant. Others were pacing nervously with untouched cups of coffee in their hands as they waited for news of their loved one’s fates. They were all a grim reminder of how fragile life was.