“It’s not your fault,” Bryan said. “There’s no way you could have known what he was going to do.”
“He’s right,” Elena agreed. “This is on Kevin. Nobody else. He made his choice, and he’s going to pay for it.” The edge was back in her voice and Josh knew she was through being a victim. This was the Elena that Josh knew and respected, even if he didn’t always like her.
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said. “We’ll take care of Kevin as soon as we end this lame excuse for a party. Let’s go downstairs and tell whoever’s left to clear out.”
“Wait, Josh. Bryan. Can I talk to you guys for a minute?” Elena asked.
The others obliged, and went downstairs to start cleaning up. Josh felt awkward, and Bryan seemed petrified. He sat down in Josh’s desk chair, and for the first time, Josh noticed his one arm was hanging limply at his side. He grimaced as he rubbed his shoulder. He must have gotten hurt when they were trying to break into the room. Of the three of them, no one had tried harder to get to Elena. He wondered if she even realized how much he cared about her.
If she didn’t pick up on his feelings, Elena at least noticed that Bryan was injured. She stood from the bed; still holding her blouse closed, and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Is your arm all right?”
Bryan grimaced. “It’s just a bruise.” He was blushing brighter than Josh had ever seen. “Nothing to worry about. Was there something you wanted to tell us?”
“I just wanted to, you know, say thank you—to both of you, for saving me tonight. I don’t know why you bothered. I’ve never been very nice to you, Bryan. And Josh, you and I have a less than perfect history. By the way, I’m sorry about what I did downstairs. I hope Rosa didn’t get angry.”
Josh waved his hand. “Forget it. No big deal. I’ve done a few stupid things myself when I’ve been hammered.”
Elena frowned. “I sobered up right away when Kevin brought me up here.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Bryan asked her.
She touched her bruised face. “There’s nothing he did to me that won’t heal,” she assured him. “But if you hadn’t come in when you did, Kevin definitely would have . . . he would have hurt me a lot worse.” She took Bryan’s hand in her own. She seemed to have forgotten that Josh was in the room. “Thank you so much for coming to my rescue.”
Bryan’s face was scarlet, and he had to clear his throat before he could speak. “No problem.” His voice cracked a little and didn’t sound nearly as cool as he had intended.
“Are you sure your arm is all right?” Elena persisted. “Can you bend it?”
“It’s fine.”
“Then bend it.”
It was an order and one that Bryan obeyed without a second thought. When he did, he grimaced again, and let the arm fall back down to his side. Elena was wearing her professional candy striper face. After some consideration she said, “I don’t think it’s broken, but you might have dislocated your shoulder. You’ll have to get x-rays to be sure. Josh, will you drive us to the hospital?”
He had been wondering if he was invisible. “Sure,” he told her.
“Great. Go start the car. We’ll be down in a minute.”
Josh had to fight the urge to salute as he walked out the door. Despite everything, he was amused at Elena’s less than subtle way of requesting some time alone with Bryan. When he saw the hopelessly love struck look on Bryan’s face, he realized that something good might have come from this train wreck of a party after all.
Chapter 27
The four days following Josh’s party were uneventful. Bryan wasn’t in school on Monday because of his shoulder. Elena was right. He had dislocated it and he was in a lot of pain. Josh stayed home both Tuesday and Wednesday due to a severe migraine made worse by the fact that he was too nervous to take any medication. He probably would have been able to handle school if he really wanted to, but he needed a break from all the drama.
They were at a standstill in their investigation. They had no real clues to go on. They just kept spinning the same useless information around, trying to make something out of nothing. After what happened at the party, Kevin was still their number one suspect, but they had no proof he was responsible for Lily’s death or Jasmine’s accident. The only real clue they had was Elena’s earring, yet they both found it hard to believe she could be the culprit. Josh was ready to give up.
Detective Gibula still had Josh high on his list of suspects. Lately, Josh noticed a tall black man lurking around. Sometimes he was talking on his cell outside the school or sitting in his car across the street from Josh’s house. He wasn’t even trying to be inconspicuous. Josh had no doubts about who sent him. On the bright side, the detective was at least considering other scenarios.
Elena had gone to the police about Kevin’s assault. All the witnesses had to make official statements to the cops about what happened at Josh’s party. Kevin had been arrested, but his father posted bail so was free until the trial. At least Elena didn’t have to deal with seeing him in school. He’d been suspended for his conduct and would most likely be expelled. No one had seen him since Friday, but Josh wouldn’t have been surprised if he wasn’t the only one being followed.
Of course, since the police were involved, Josh’s parents found out about the party. He was now “double grounded”, but at least they hadn’t hassled him about the broken door after he explained the circumstances. He had even managed to schmooze his mom into making an exception for the homecoming dance since he had to take photos for the yearbook. Being editor looked good on college applications, and Josh’s parents couldn’t wait to ship him off and get him out of their hair.
Thinking about the homecoming dance reminded him that it was only one day away, and Josh was a nervous wreck. He knew the killer had something big planned, but he had no idea how to keep the girls safe. He said as much to Bryan as he unloaded an armful of books into his locker.
“Well then.” Bryan fiddled with the sling on his arm. “We’ll just have to keep our guard up and keep an eye on the girls as much as possible.”
“But we can’t watch all three of them every second of the day.” Josh clenched his fists in frustration. “Man, I hate sitting around waiting for something to happen. We’re just pawns in some sick twisted game. It’s seriously jacked up.”
“You don’t have to tell me. No one wants to catch this killer more than I do. But what else can we do?” He shrugged, and then flinched because it wasn’t a smart thing to do when his shoulder was dislocated. “We have to be patient.”
“Yeah, let’s just patiently sit around doing nothing and wait for another body to show up.” Josh slammed his locker closed. He watched as his fellow classmates walked by, laughing, happily living normal lives. He had to wonder if his life would ever get back to normal again.
“Bryan! Josh!”
Elena came running up behind them, startling Josh from his thoughts. When she turned around to greet them, she had a huge smile on her face, despite the dark bruise under her eye. She skipped over to Bryan and threw her arms around him.
“What’s going on?” Bryan hugged her back with his good arm, but looked no less surprised than Josh by the exuberant greeting.
“You aren’t going to believe it!” Elena exclaimed breathlessly. “It’s so wonderful, I can hardly believe it!”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Josh told her, even though he couldn’t think of anything that could possibly end his foul mood. “We can use some good news for a change.”
“It’s Jazz!” She ran over to Josh and gave him an awkward hug. “She’s awake!”
“Are you serious? She’s out of the coma?” That really was good news—almost too good to believe.
Elena nodded. “One of the nurses from the hospital called and told me this morning. She knows we’re friends, so she bent the rules a little. I’m just so relieved that she’s going to be all right. You can’t imagine how happy I am right now!”
“Thank Go
d.” Finally, a little of the guilt Josh felt was lifted. If Jasmine had died, he would never have been able to forgive himself for leaving her alone that day. “Have you seen her yet? How’s she doing?”
“I’m going to visit her after school today,” Elena told him. “She really isn’t supposed to have visitors, but I know my way around the hospital. I can sneak in pretty easily during the shift change. Being a candy striper has its advantages.”
“What about us?” Bryan asked. “Is there any chance you can sneak us in with you?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Elena looked uneasy. “Jasmine’s parents wouldn’t be very happy about Josh being there. They think he’s the one who hurt her. If they catch me there with him, I could lose my position at the hospital.”
“Elena,” Josh pleaded, and tried really hard not to be annoyed that she was talking about him like he wasn’t even there. “I need to talk to Jazz. Maybe she can tell us something that will help us figure out who did this. She might be the only person who can clear my name.”
Elena was still unsure. “She may not have seen her attacker,” she argued. Then she shuddered as she touched the bruise under her eye. “Besides, I thought we’d already figured out it was Kevin.”
“Kevin might be a total ass, but we can’t be sure he’s the killer,” Josh told her. “His cousin gave him an alibi for the weekend Lily was killed, and I don’t think he would lie to the cops just to keep Kevin out of trouble.”
“Elena, please,” Bryan begged. “I need to get answers. I need to get justice for my sister!”
“And I have to tell Jazz how sorry I am,” Josh added. “This is really my fault, at least partially. If I had tried a little harder to make her listen, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
Elena’s eyes softened. “All right. I’ll try to get us all in.”
Getting into Jasmine’s hospital room was hardly Josh’s first challenge. Before he even attempted it, he had to get rid of the undercover agent who was following him. Luckily, he had a plan. Bryan and Josh made a big play of having an argument right near the large bay windows in the living room. Bryan stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Then Josh went up to his room and blasted his music at full volume, making sure to pace in front of the window for a while so the cop would see him up there. Once he was sure the officer was content in the notion that he was pouting in his room, Josh set out to meet Elena and Bryan.
Since he didn’t want to go and see Jazz empty handed, he grabbed a CD he had planned to give her on their one month anniversary. With the gift in his pocket, Josh left the music blaring in his room. He snuck out the back door, making sure to duck down as he passed by the front windows. He had a little trouble scaling the high privacy fence into Andrea’s yard, but he managed to pull it off with a little extra effort.
A few more fences and a pair of ripped jeans later, he was five blocks away. His friends were waiting for him with the engine running on the corner of Bates Avenue as planned. Luckily, most of the adults in the upper class neighborhood were still working in the early afternoon so his yard hopping went completely unnoticed, and the plainclothes cop had no idea he ever left the house. He might get caught later if one of his neighbors had a security camera set up, but that was a chance he had to take.
Josh climbed into the backseat of Elena’s Volvo, and the three of them drove in tense silence. Josh kept looking over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. His heart was pounding, but he realized as they pulled up to the hospital that it had nothing to do with the cops. He was terrified of seeing Jasmine.
He didn’t know how he could face her. What could he possibly say to make things right? Still, it was too late to turn back. Josh followed Elena up to Jasmine’s room, trying to be inconspicuous and praying his parents wouldn’t turn the corner at any minute. When they arrived at their destination, Elena gave the closed door a tentative knock. There was no answer, so she pushed it opened and peeked inside. Seeing the coast was clear, she gestured for Josh and Bryan to follow.
Jasmine’s room was a rainbow of bright colors. There were balloons, pink flowers, and cuddly stuffed animals everywhere. It was a strange contrast to the lingering smells of human waste and disinfectant that all hospitals seemed to have. While the decorations did take away some of the gloominess, Josh knew Jasmine would hate all that fluff. Black roses might have been acceptable and maybe a few posters of heavy metal bands, but Josh was surprised that Jasmine hadn’t ripped the heads of the teddy bears the second she opened her eyes. It didn’t take Josh long to figure out why that hadn’t happened.
When Josh first saw Jasmine, he didn’t even recognize her. He thought for a minute that they might have gotten the wrong room. She was leaning back against a bunch of pillows, her eyes glued to the television screen where Sponge Bob was chasing jellyfish with his fat starfish friend whose name Josh couldn’t remember. Though she was gazing at the screen, she seemed to be looking beyond it. Her eyes were empty of any emotion, leaving her with a terrifying blank stare.
“Oh, God,” Elena whispered beside him, her voice cracking a little. “Nobody told me she was like this.”
Jasmine had always been fair skinned, and she enhanced the effect with makeup, but she had never looked quite so peaked. It was like someone had drained all the blood from her face, leaving an empty shell. Her long nails were chipped and broken, but still had some remnants of her signature black polish. Her head was shaved in one section and wrapped with white bandages, and what was left of her strawberry blonde curls were flattened against her pillow. She was wearing a blue hospital gown, and Josh realized it was the first time he had ever seen her in any color other than black. He had a ridiculous urge to find her leather jacket and slip it over her shoulders, just so she would resemble the Jazz he remembered. He had the sinking feeling that the Jasmine he knew was gone forever.
“Oh, Jazz.” Elena sobbed. “Jazz.”
Bryan remained silent, but wrapped his good arm around Elena in a show of support. Josh realized he was on his own. He slowly made his way to Jasmine’s bedside, and pulled up one of the padded chairs so he could sit beside her. She didn’t acknowledge him. Her eyes never strayed from the television.
“Hey, Jazz.” Josh put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s me. Josh. Do you . . . ummm . . . remember me?”
She still didn’t speak, but for the first time, he saw a slight sensory response. She met his eyes with what appeared to be curiosity. It gave him hope, but that hope was short lived. Jasmine’s face brightened with a smile as she studied him, but it was a grin filled with the innocence and curiosity of a child. Coupled with her age and her disheveled appearance, it was more disturbing than endearing. This wasn’t the face of the goth who would still be furious at him over his infidelities.
“Hello,” she said. Her voice sounded strained and hoarse from disuse.
“Hi,” Josh replied.
Jasmine giggled, and pointed to the television. “I like Sponge Bob,” she told him. “He’s funny.”
“Oh yeah?”
Josh could only stare at her, at a loss for words while she looked at him expectedly. Josh gave Elena a pleading glance. She immediately understood his predicament, dried her damp eyes, and came over to help him deal with the situation. Bryan lingered in the doorway with the unspoken agreement to keep watch and make sure they weren’t spotted by the hospital staff or Jasmine’s parents.
“Hi, honey. How are you today? Do you need anything?” Elena still sniffled a little, but she knelt down next to Jazz and stroked her hand. It was obvious she had experience dealing with this sort of situation. Jasmine took to her right away, though she didn’t seem to recognize her childhood friend.
“Wow, you’re really pretty!” Jasmine exclaimed, despite the bruises that marred Elena’s delicate features.
“Thanks. You’re very pretty too.” She tried her best to smile cheerfully.
“Not like you.” Jasmine seemed a little disheartened, as though she knew s
he didn’t look her best. “What’s your name, pretty lady?”
“Jazz, its Elena.” She was fighting back tears again, but somehow managed to maintain her composure. “Don’t you recognize me? We’ve been friends for years.”
“I like you, pretty Elllennnna.” She rolled the name around on her tongue like it was a foreign language. Then she patted Josh on his as if he was a dog. “I like you too. You’re pretty for a boy. I’m glad you came to see me. Did you bring me a present?”
“I brought you something,” Josh said, excited to feel like he finally did something right.
“Goody!” Jasmine clapped. “I love presents. My mommy and daddy bring me presents all the time!”
He pulled out the CD he had bought for her. Even though CDs were pretty much prehistoric ever since MP3 players had hit the scene, Jasmine had an extensive collection of pagan themed music that was her pride and joy. There was one British group in particular that she loved beyond all reason, and their albums were hard to find in the states. Luckily, Josh was good on the internet and he had scored a signed copy in an online auction.
Josh placed the silver wrapped package in her fragile hands. It was hard to imagine how this childlike girl, who tore open the paper with squeals of glee, was the same violent shrew that had clawed his cheek just a few weeks ago. However, the smile changed to a frown almost as soon as the paper slipped off the package. She stared down in distaste at the image of the full moon, surrounded in all four corners by ghastly faces that resembled Hollywood vampires and ghouls.
“What’s this?” she asked. “It isn’t very pretty.”
“It’s the Inkubus Sukkubus CD you wanted. You told me they were your favorite group. Look.” Josh gestured to the chicken scratch on the paper insert. “It’s even signed by all the band members.”
“I don’t like it.” She cried out and Josh saw a little bit of the old Jasmine emerge when she flung his gift across her hospital room. “I like pretty things!” She crossed her arms over her chest, and a few tears rolled down her pallid cheeks. “I don’t like you anymore,” she told Josh, and rolled over in her bed. “I want you to go away.”
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