by Stella Bixby
“Was there a girl involved?”
“Sort of. But I don’t exactly know how.” Why did everyone immediately go to it being a girl’s fault?
“Drugs?”
“Alex had some in his system,” I said. “How did you know?”
“There’s almost always drugs when it comes to these things.”
These things. I almost laughed. This woman knew more about crime from living in what she called the hood than I could ever learn. She’d lived a very full and exciting—if not somewhat dangerous—life.
“But he wasn’t a normal drug user,” I said. “In fact, everyone who knows him swears up and down he had never taken drugs in his life.”
“Maybe someone gave it to him.”
“Okay, but why?”
“That’s a good question.” She smiled and took another sip. “You’re smart, you’ll figure it out.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure.
“Eli played well last week,” I said changing the subject. Eli was her gorgeous Denver Bronco Quarterback son.
“He needs to run the ball more. He’s going to wear out his arm throwing so much.”
She was so proud yet so critical of Eli. But when he was around, she turned into a ball of goo. He had that effect on women.
“This boy, Alex, sounds like he would have eventually played in the NFL,” she said.
“From what I hear he was the star of the team,” I said. “But between you and me, he didn’t want to play anymore.”
“That changes everything. You can’t make a teenage boy do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
“Did Eli ever want to quit?” I asked.
“Never. Football is in his blood. Has been since he was a baby.” She beamed with pride. “You should talk to his coach. Coaches seem to know about these things.”
I thought about Nikki’s high school sweetheart. Maybe I could get some answers out of him.
We sat quietly for a moment sipping the delicious coffee and looking out the windows over a trail system in a valley that meandered between rows of houses on either side.
“Did you say you found an apartment?” Marlene asked.
“Shayla started looking. The only one I found was a studio for two thousand dollars on the bad side of town.”
“Typical. You know, I own a couple of apartment complexes, I could cut you a deal.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Just say the word.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll talk to Shayla about it.”
She smiled.
My phone lit up with the number I’d almost forgotten.
Meet me in an hour. Same place as last time. Come alone.
I looked at the time. I’d have to let Nikki know I might be late meeting her.
Ok.
18
The bartender remembered my order and handed me a beer when I approached the bar. “Trying again, huh?” he said with a bit of condescension.
“It’s not what you think,” I began, but he looked like he neither believed me nor cared. “Whatever.” I handed him the money and took my beer to a booth in the back facing the door.
I was early by five minutes, and at precisely an hour after the text, the door to the bar opened, and a man I’d only seen in photographs walked in.
Hal Junior, Alex’s brother, was dressed in khaki pants, a black button-down shirt, and a black tie.
“You’re the one who’s been texting me?”
He sat down across from me. “Did you expect someone else?”
“I didn’t expect anyone. How did you get my number?”
“I have my ways,” he said with a smug smile.
I was a bit unnerved that he’d gotten my personal cell phone number, but I could always change it after this was resolved. “What do you have to tell me?”
“This wasn’t an accident.”
“What wasn’t an accident?” I asked.
He leaned in closer. “Alex. Jordan. It was all orchestrated.”
“Why tell me, not the cops?”
“Nikki trusts you. The cops are all idiots around here.”
“Isn’t your dad a cop?” I asked.
He frowned. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” That was a box I had no interest in unpacking. “Then tell me why you think this wasn’t an accident.”
Hal looked around to make sure the bartender wasn’t listening before he leaned forward and whispered, “He had drugs in his system. My brother never did drugs.”
That was it? “I already knew that.” I shook my head.
I should have known better. Of course, this was going to be a dead end.
“But it’s proof that someone drugged him.”
“No, it’s proof that he took drugs. And even if someone drugged him, did they tie him to the snowmobile and make him crash into that tree?” I knew I was being patronizing, but I couldn’t help it. This guy was wasting my time.
“It was my dad,” he blurted out.
Now we were getting somewhere. “Your dad? As in the cop?” Even though I’d had the same thought, I didn’t want to let on. I wanted to make him work for it a little bit.
“He and Alex had a big fight that night about playing football. Alex didn’t want to play anymore.”
I nodded.
“I think he drugged Alex to try and get him to stay home so he could take out Jordan. Without Jordan, Alex would have to play.”
I almost brought up the fact that their dad would almost certainly know about the drug-testing rule. And that the cups from the party tested positive for the drug Alex had ingested.
But, the image of Alex’s dad screaming in my face kept popping into my mind. Maybe he’d had a lapse of judgment. He could have gone to the party. And the coach probably would have turned the other cheek especially with the championship game coming up.
“Let me make sure I understand. You think when your dad and Alex had their argument, your dad drugged Alex to get him to stay home?”
Hal nodded.
“Then he found Jordan, took off his clothes, and left him in a locked reservoir on the beach to die?”
“He has master keys for all the locks in the city. How else would Jordan have ended up almost naked on that beach?”
I shrugged.
“But then Alex didn’t stay home. He took the snowmobile—probably because he wasn’t in his right mind—and went on a nighttime ride.” Hal looked more irritated than worried.
“Yeah that one really backfired on my dad,” he said looking at the door as an old biker guy walked in and took a seat at the bar.
“You weren’t a football player were you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Much to my father’s disappointment. It was always Alex this and Alex that. Alex is such a team player blah, blah, blah. But Alex took all the glory for himself, and everyone knew it.”
“Okay, so any other suspects?” I asked.
“I guess the coach could have done it,” he said. “But I’m almost one hundred percent sure it was my dad.”
“Where were you the night Alex fell through the ice?” I asked.
Hal’s face turned almost purple. “I was in my dorm room.”
“And where do you go to college?”
“Mining College.”
“Not too far from the reservoir.” I leaned forward. “Do you have someone who can verify that you were in your dorm?”
Hal’s eyes darted around. “You can’t possibly think I did this?”
“You seem to have some serious jealousy issues when it comes to Alex.”
“Why? Because I had to work for everything I’ve gotten? Because I wasn’t handed scholarships and perfect grades for playing a stupid game? Because my father practically ignored me my entire life because I couldn’t throw a stupid oblong ball?”
He looked mad enough to throw the table. Thankfully, it was bolted to the floor. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“I didn’t do this. I wouldn’t hurt anyone. Especially not
my brother.”
“Maybe it was an accident. Have you ever taken drugs before? Maybe you wanted to show Alex the ropes. Give him a high after your dad got angry about him not wanting to play football.”
“I have never done drugs. I would never.” He stood. “You’re insane. I should have never met you here.”
Both of our phones buzzed. He raised an eyebrow.
I checked mine.
Come quick. Alex’s not doing well.
Hal must have gotten Nikki’s text as well. His face drained of color.
He didn’t even look back at me before practically running out of the bar.
“He may be a nerd, but at least this one showed up,” the bartender said as I made my way out. “You can do better if you ask me.”
My mind was so focused on Alex, I couldn’t even come up with a good comeback.
Cherry Anne sped as fast as her rear-wheel drive wheels would carry her on the icy roads. Thankfully, I’d practiced doing donuts in the high school parking lot growing up, so I knew how to handle a bit of slippage.
When I arrived at the hospital, Nikki stood in the hallway crying on her mother’s shoulder.
“Nikki, is he okay? What happened?”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and melted into me, her tears soaking through my coat. The smell of peppermint in her hair told me she and Luke were still together and that she had used his shampoo recently. “He’s gone.”
The slight twinge of jealousy was replaced with extreme sadness for my sorta-friend. “I’m so sorry.”
“He was doing so well.” She sobbed. “And then he crashed.”
“The doctor said it was cardiac arrest from the stress his body went through,” Nikki’s mom said, tears welling in her eyes too.
“Cardiac arrest, my ass,” Nikki said pulling away from me. “This wasn’t an accident. None of this was.”
Her mom and I stood in shock staring at Nikki.
“Someone wanted him dead.” She brushed the tears from her cheeks. “And now he is.”
No one spoke. I was trying to make sense of it all.
Someone had drugged Alex at the party. But he had willingly taken the snowmobile and crashed it. No matter which way I twisted it, I couldn’t pin this one on murder.
Marlene was right. I needed to talk to his coach.
“Nikki, if you want to say your goodbyes, you should do it now,” her dad said.
She stood up to her full height, at least two inches taller than me in her heels, wiped the tears from her eyes and walked into the room.
Hal, Elaine, and Alex’s two brothers walked out of the room like zombies. Hal Senior had his arm around Elaine as she cried into his chest.
Before Hal could order me to leave, I walked away.
I wanted to go home and hug my sister, to hug my mom and dad, to hug Shayla and Garrett and. . .
Luke was walking toward me.
He wrapped me in a hug and tears sprung to my eyes. There was the peppermint smell. They’d probably showered together. Yuck.
I let go of the hug and smiled as sincerely as I could. “Nikki’s in with him right now, but I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”
“Are you okay?”
Was I? “Yeah. I just feel bad for Nikki and their family.”
“If you need anything, you can always call me.”
“Unless you’re in another country.”
Luke frowned. “Do you want me to stay?”
My heart did a flip-flop. This was not a matter in which I should have a say. “I don’t know. It’s your call. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my hand.
“We can be friends, you know?”
I didn’t know if that was possible, but I nodded. “I know.”
“Luke, I’m so glad you’re here,” Nikki’s mom said from behind me.
Before he could stop me again, I turned and walked away with tears running off my chin. My makeup was probably completely smeared.
I ducked into a bathroom and took a look in the mirror. It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. I ran a scratchy brown paper towel under my eyes and took a breath to steady my emotions.
The door flung open slamming against the cinderblock wall.
“What were you doing in his room?” a girl’s voice snarled.
I ducked into a stall as quickly as I could and stood on the toilet seat so they wouldn’t see my legs.
“I just wanted to see him, that’s all,” another girl’s voice—scared and small—said.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know about the two of you? Of course, I knew. Alex and I had been together for years.”
The other girl whimpered.
“And then I find you in his room before he goes into a sudden cardiac arrest.” I finally placed the snarly voice—Debbie. “What did you do to him?”
“I didn’t do anything—I would never hurt Alex. I lo—”
The sound of flesh against flesh cut off her words. Debbie had just slapped the girl. I tried to peek through the crack in the door, but I couldn’t see anything.
“Don’t tell me you loved him. I loved him and look what he did to me.”
“Did you do this?” the small voice asked. “Did you kill him?”
She took another slap in the face for that one.
“Do I look like a murderer to you?” Debbie’s voice echoed off the tile and concrete. “Do I?”
My guess was she did look like a murderer at that moment. I couldn’t take it anymore. Debbie needed to be stopped.
I opened the door of the stall. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I said with as much command in my voice as I could muster.
Debbie let go of the girl’s shirt. She was the same girl I’d seen sneaking out of Alex’s room before. The one with the silver Jetta.
“We were just having a little chat,” Debbie said.
The girl took the opportunity to run out of the bathroom. I wanted to chase after her, but I needed to talk to Debbie more.
“You look like a murderer to me,” I said. “I mean, if you want an honest answer. She surely wasn’t going to give you one.”
Debbie looked like she might try and slap me, but that would be a mistake. I’d had my fair share of knock down, drag outs with my sister, Megan.
“I didn’t hurt Alex,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Then who did?” I took a step toward her so she had to look up to see my eyes. “Who gave him the drugs?”
Her eyes darted to the side. She was trying to come up with a lie. Which meant she knew something.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t me though.” She shuffled backward.
“Do you think someone really killed him?” I asked. “Or were you just mad that a girl with mousy brown hair and glasses could take your varsity football player boyfriend from you?”
“She didn’t take him from me. He was just confused,” Debbie said. “He would have come back.”
“He was starting a new life, wasn’t he? He was going to quit football, give up his scholarships, find a new girl.”
She looked down at her Ugg boots.
“Sounds like a pretty good reason to hurt someone,” I said.
“I didn’t hurt him,” she said. “But someone did.”
“Who?” I was getting close. “Was it his brother? His dad? Jordan? The coach?”
Her expression didn’t change at the mention of any of their names.
She put her hands on her hips. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Ugh. I hated mean girls.
“You’re not a cop. Just a lowly park pig.” She narrowed her eyes. “Oink.”
The only thing saving her from a slap across that ugly-pretty face was the fact that I was an adult, and I was certain she would press assault charges.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have cheerleading practice to get to.” She turned and walked out.
19
I arrived at the school just in time f
or football practice to begin. The team was warming up running drills down the field. The cheerleaders were outside practicing too. Debbie was at the top of the pyramid dressed in red and black sweats, hat, and gloves.
The coach stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Hi Brody, my name is Rylie Cooper. We met at the hospital.”
His face flashed with irritation. “Okay.”
“Your team looks a little—uh—small,” I said. There didn’t seem to be enough of them to play a game let alone the state championship.
“The captain of the team just died. His backup is in the hospital knocking at death’s door too,” Brody said without looking at me. “Would you want to be at football practice?”
“Why didn’t you cancel practice?” I asked. “I didn’t think you were going to be able to play in the championship game since you don’t have a quarterback.”
“We will be playing. Regardless of who dies.”
Harsh.
The assistant coaches were yelling at the boys to run faster, harder.
“How are you doing?” I pushed. “It’s gotta be hard losing your best players.”
His eye twitched. “Best players? Alex was our best player. But he was more than that. He was a good kid. Someone the younger kids looked up to. He had a bright future ahead of him.”
“In football?” I pushed.
He glanced at me and then back at the field. “In whatever he wanted to do.”
“You knew he didn’t want to play football anymore.”
Brody exhaled, his breath visible against the darkening sky. “Of course I knew. I was his coach.”
“What about Jordan? You insinuated he wasn’t your best player.”
“That’s because he wasn’t. Not by a long shot. He rode Alex’s coattails. But I’d kill to have him here now, especially since Alex’s not coming back.” His voice was gravelly with emotion.
“Well, it looks like someone may have killed to make sure Alex wouldn’t come back.”
His eyes narrowed. “I thought he had a heart attack.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” I shrugged. “Do you know anyone who might want to kill Alex?”
“Jordan,” he said quickly. “But we all know he couldn’t have done it.”
