“If I were them, I’d have left too. One more event could have meant one more murder.”
Brad turned from the counter with a cup in his hand. He’d caught my eye before I could turn away and walked toward us. “I suspect we’ll hear about it after he reaches our table.” I pushed my face into a pleasant expression.
“Hey, Brad.” Ginger smiled at the former dweeb turned doable. “You on your way back to California?”
“Nope, though I should leave soon. A back burner deal is heating up.” He pulled out a chair and sat. “Mind if I join you?”
“Sure, Brad,” I said. “Grab a chair.” Ginger raised her eyebrows but Brad didn’t catch the unintended sarcasm. Or if he did, he ignored my comment.
“Mom wanted me to spend this week with her. You know, because I don’t get home often. I put in a lot of hours at work. Necessary, you know.”
Ginger tilted her head. “I believe it. You and your fast track action.” She shook a finger at him. “No time for the people you left behind.”
I watched red wash into Brad’s neck. For a moment he resembled the vulnerable Brad I remembered.
“You sound like my mom.”
“So do you have a girlfriend?” God bless Ginger. She has more tenacity than a bulldog has teeth. But I couldn’t figure out why she pursued this update.
He laughed, his capped teeth gleaming. “Now you really sound like my mom.” His phone pealed. “Saved by the chime.” Checking the number, his smile faded.
He held up his cell. “Company call. Nice talking with you. I’ve got to go.” He hurried from the shop.
Ginger grinned. “I just had to know. Some things never change. Brad may be gorgeous now, but he’s still a dweeb at heart.”
I chewed my bottom lip, my thoughts unclear about the mixed signals I got from Brad. Was Cam right about Brad’s trustworthiness, or was my erstwhile boyfriend jealous? Erstwhile because I hadn’t heard from him since he saw Travis kiss me after the game.
She placed her hand over mine. “What’s wrong?”
Forcing a smile, I shrugged. “Nothing important.” Nothing except how I’d feel if Cam decided to drop me. I knew my heart would hurt, but didn’t know if I should take a chance on him or cut my losses before I passed the “too late” line. Dang. Cam had gotten under my skin but good.
Coffee and pastry claimed our attention. Besides Cam, I wondered about the arguments I’d overheard Nicole holding with someone. Had she been angry with her father, or had she been speaking with another?
“Maggie, did you tell Dirk about the arguments you overheard?” Great minds and all that. Though I couldn’t read Katie’s and Ginger’s minds the way they did each other, I loved that the three of us were close enough to think alike. Or possibly we were friends because we had similar thought patterns. Either way worked for me.
“Yes, I did, but you know what the political structure is like in this town.” The mayor’s daughter would be canonized never cauterized.
“And did you let Tom Jenkins in on the conversations?”
“Yep. I got the feeling the only reason I’m not behind bars is they want an airtight case before making an arrest. The mayor avoids embarrassment like a dieter shuns carbs.”
“Well, if the cops don’t act on the lead, you know what’ll happen, right?”
“I get jail time.”
“Nope.” She smiled. “The Triple Threat Trio will get on the case.”
Somehow I didn’t feel reassured.
Chapter Eleven
My hand curled around the phone I’d moved away from my ear in disbelief. Returning the handset to my hearing organ, I repeated what Katie had just announced. “Travis argued with Nicole the morning she died? Are you serious?”
“As Ginger’s bank account.” Katie’s irreverent way of telling me she had serious information. Ginger’s inheritance from her grandparents had not been paltry, and her investors had significantly increased the original amount. “How did you find out?”
“I have my ways.”
Katie excelled in coercion mode. I almost felt sorry for Dirk. But no doubt she’d gotten the information from the grapevine, not Dirk.
“Yeah, Travis and Nicole made the mistake of arguing over coffee at Java the Hutt. Stupid, right? Like no one would notice in there?” I could picture Katie rubbing her hands together with glee. For years, Nicole, Travis too, had been on her list of people she wanted to kick out of the gene pool.
“Really. Where’d you hear this?”
“Where else? The grapevine. What, did you think Dirk would share information? Not that I haven’t been working on him.”
“Uh, huh. Katie, I don’t want you getting in trouble with Dirk over me.”
“Oh, that’s not how I get in trouble with Dirk. Hang on a sec.”
I heard the sound of a cap hitting a solid surface, then water pouring into a glass. After a short silence, Katie came back on the line.
“That’s better. Hot in here. I needed a quick sip.”
“I thought Dirk would’ve broken you of that drink-everything-in-sight habit by now.” Another thought hit me. “He’s not listening to us, is he?”
“No, he’s not here.”
I heard the sound of a glass hitting the table.
“Wait a minute. I know what’s happening. You’ve got it bad, Katie.”
A long silence was broken with a snort. “Yep. My mouth goes dry just thinking about the man.”
The last had sounded like a grumble, but I knew better. Even with a bad haircut, Dirk had women craning their necks for a second look when he passed. I couldn’t imagine sleeping with the guy. Not that I would, given Katie’s a friend. And, hands down, I preferred Cam. Even though he hadn’t answered my calls.
“Anyway, the reason I phoned is to tell you about Travis and Nicole’s argument.”
“Did anyone hear their words?”
“They kept their voices down, but everyone in the place knew the two were pissed off with each other. So, of course they tried to overhear the prom queen and king.”
Her intonation told me the two appellations weren’t meant as favorable.
“So, tell me already.”
“Nicole said something about investments and promises. Travis said he’d never guaranteed a return.”
That fit in with the arguments I’d overheard at the reunion breakfast and the dinner. Nicole had been involved in something up to her still firm chinny-chin-chin. Along with Travis and his investment expertise. So how did Clarice fit into the picture? Because this new information made me realize Clarice’s unexpected bank balance meant her murder could tie in with Nicole’s. Travis had hit Granville Falls in time to be responsible for either or both killings. Well, so had other former classmates, but none with such clear connections.
“Maggie? You there?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t sound, um, I don’t know. So hot.”
“I’m fine.” I drew in a deep breath. “Really. Does Dirk know?”
“Yep. Don’t worry. He hasn’t found the key yet, but it lies with our classmates.”
I caught my breath. Intellectually I understood someone I knew had killed both women. Accepting that knowledge was something else. “And you know this, how?”
“I have my ways.”
Glad I wouldn’t be on the receiving end of her devious interrogation technique, I planned a get together with her and Ginger. I planned on calling Cam after work until he answered or driving to his house and knocking until he opened the door. We’d both been acting like children. Enough avoidance.
With no Nicole badmouthing me, my Monday afternoon schedule had filled. I hung up and left for the spa.
Standing beside Dolores, I watched my last client noodle-walk out the door. “So how are you doing?”
She shook her head. “I’d spoken with Nicole that morning. She sounded fine.” Dolores swallowed. “We were headed for the outlet mall this weekend.” Her voice rose on the last words.
I
drew her into a hug. “I’m so sorry for you.”
She clung to me, her body shaking. That’s when I finally understood at a gut level that two people my age, from my high school class, had died violently. I’d been so worried about my innocence I hadn’t spared a thought for the losses suffered by Clarice and Nicole’s friends and family. And I’d thought my rich clients were self-absorbed. I felt lower than dirt. The dirt that’s buried deep, not the top soil.
Dolores backed away, wiping her tears with the heels of her hands. “Don’t pay attention to me. I shouldn’t have blubbered all over you, especially after the way Nicole treated you.”
What could I say? Don’t worry about it?
Nicole and I would never have been best buds, but this reunion had done one good thing. It’d made me realize even the rich and surgically augmented beautiful have problems. Someday I’d forgive Nicole, but I’d never forget her ill treatment of me. The two were not incompatible.
“Dolores, are you sure you want me here? I’m the number one suspect on the gossip loop, right?”
Her tear-filled gaze met mine. “You stay. I’m not going to lose two friends over this. There’s no way in hell you killed either N-nicole or Clarice.”
She always hiccupped right before sounding full-blown sobs. I enfolded Dolores in a hug until she stopped crying then cleaned up my massage space. I threw my laundry bag filled with sheets, blankets and face rest covers into the back of my car. Turning to reenter the Lotus Spa’s back door for my handbag and a sack of CDs, I ran into a solid wall of muscle.
Travis.
I scrambled in my haste, backing away with no dignity and less grace. He grabbed my arms, holding on until I steadied.
“Maggie. We need to talk.” His face held no smile, and his eyes were dark, unreadable. This man—my long ago former boyfriend—looked like a stranger.
“I don’t think so.” My voice sounded like a squeaky gate. I cleared my throat. “I mean I’m on my way out. I really don’t have time right now.”
“Please give me a minute. Believe me, Maggie. I’ve heard what people are saying. We fought, yeah, but I didn’t kill Nicole. Hell, I didn’t kill Clarice, either.”
I stepped back, whether in disbelief of gossip or in self-defense, I couldn’t say. No one had given me the low-down on Travis, and now I wondered why not. Travis stood expectantly, but I didn’t second his declaration of innocence.
“Then why didn’t you leave yesterday with the rest of the class who live elsewhere?”
His Adam’s apple moved and he stared at me. “I, uh, agreed to help the cops with their investigation.”
Meaning they’d “suggested” he stay in town. He reached for me again, grabbing my arms before I could move.
“I swear, Maggie, I’m not a murderer.” His voice turned bitter. “Other stuff, yeah, but I didn’t kill anyone.”
“Other stuff? What have you done?”
He shook his head. “You don’t want to know.”
“Oh, I think I do. You can’t expect me to believe your word, can you?”
Travis hung his head. “I guess not. But Maggie, I’m sorry about what happened senior year. You believe me about that, right? I mean, once you decided to stay home and give up the scholarship, we’d have broken up anyway.”
My body shook. I couldn’t believe he’d apologize then emotionally bodyslam me. “My mother had a fatal illness, and you know my dad left before I hit kindergarten. Would you have left your sick mother alone and gone off for a good time?”
His expression crumbled. Travis rubbed his neck. “I’m sorry, Maggie. I didn’t think.”
“Were you considering backstabbing Nicole instead this time, or did the knife get buried in her back by accident?”
His face turned white. He shook his head. “I didn’t. I swear I didn’t.”
I studied his expression. The truth in his eyes told me what I needed to know. Or else I thought his expression looked innocent. Over the last fifteen years, Travis could have perfected the art of lying with a straight face. I just didn’t know.
My heart told me Travis didn’t kill anyone. My brain proclaimed him a liar. He was a cheat, if I’d correctly understood what he’d inferred earlier. But a murderer?
I believed—hoped—his essential goodness, the spirit that had originally drawn me in, remained. Buried maybe, but still there.
My heart won the discussion. I saw the moment he understood I believed in his innocence. He grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers.
“So will you give me a chance, Maggie? Can we at least be friends again?”
I looked down and realized a fact I’d never noticed in our years together as a couple. My short fingers barely fit around his larger ones. His nails were buffed while mine were ragged, even after the manicure I’d gotten last week.
“Our hands don’t fit, Travis. They never did.”
His brow wrinkled.
“What I mean, Travis, is that we don’t belong together. Not in high school, not now, not in the future.” My heart grew lighter with the words. “You are a special memory for me. Let’s keep it that way.”
He opened his mouth and I thought he might try arguing the point until a small smile crept across his face. “Special memory, huh?”
“Yeah.”
We exchanged a long look.
“At least let me kiss you goodbye.” Travis bent his head and covered my lips with his. I hadn’t felt the old spark for him after the basketball game, and it hadn’t lit me up today, either.
A door creaking open caught my attention. I broke the kiss and turned. Cam stood at the spa’s back entrance, Dolores at his shoulder.
Travis coughed. “I, um, Maggie and I were just saying goodbye.”
Cam’s jaw tightened. “Looked like hello to me.”
Chapter Twelve
Travis took off before I realized he’d left my side. My attention had remained on Cam. Cam and his big brown eyes filled with accusation.
“Are you getting back together with that douche bag?”
His tight expression made my breath stutter. “N-no.” I inhaled. “You heard. Travis said good-bye.”
“That clinch looked too hot for a kiss-off. And that flash suit wants his hands on you.”
Flash suit? He must mean Brad. As if gorgeous clothes decorating a well-developed body made up for his personality.
The door clicked closed with Dolores inside. Her disappearance reminded me that Cam had been out of sight and contact since the game.
“Oh, and you have the right to say something about it, why?” I almost stamped my foot to discharge my sudden anger. Instead, my hands clenched. “After stomping off mad yesterday? Not answering your phone or returning my messages?”
He crowded my space. My fists hit my hips. Good thing, given my need to slug the man. I kept my hands where they couldn’t get into trouble. “Well? Got any answers, big boy?”
He pulled me into an embrace so tight I panicked for a moment. I struggled to pull back, breathe, anything that would help me find control. Cam loosened his hold and lifted my chin.
“Here’s my answer.” He lowered his head and laid on a kiss that sent shivers down my body. Way too soon, he pulled back. “Got any more questions?”
Katie had warned me about men who used kisses to avoid answering. I finally understood what she’d meant about pulling up the big girl panties and pursuing replies. My underwear wanted off and to hell with the conversation. With a sigh, I leaned back in his arms.
“Yes, I do. Why didn’t you return my calls? No, wait. What I want to know is how you could think I’d be interested in Travis? Do you think I’d share a special night with you then dump you? What the hell is going through that blond-haired head of yours?”
He leaned forward. I flattened my palms against his chest. “Nuh uh. You won’t sidetrack me with a kiss. Answers or nothing.”
His forehead leaned against mine. “I got ticked off yesterday, and we had a heavy work load today. I found you as soon
as I could.”
“Without calling first and wearing a scowl.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t expect to see you making out with numb nuts in the parking lot. We had a fight just yesterday, for cripes sake. Then there you are, in a clinch with jerk face.”
His jealousy flattered my ego on one hand and exasperated the hell of me on the other. The annoying hand had become the upper one. I stepped back. “So it’s all right for you to act like a child, reacting before you know the facts.” I inhaled through my nose, battling my rising temper.
“I’m not a kid. Six years younger than you. So what?”
“Closer to seven, but that’s not the point.” I shook my head. “You act so young sometimes, like pouting instead of talking with me.” I decided I wouldn’t mention my own recent detours into childish behavior.
“I wasn’t pouting.” He grasped my upper arms. “Okay, I’ll own up. I saw green, okay? I wanted to pound the guy for kissing my woman.” He pulled me closer.
“Why won’t you admit I’m your man? Because age doesn’t mean diddly, not now, not ever. Only this matters.”
His voice held a hint of desperation, and I wondered how I’d misread his protectiveness for envy. My maturity looked more in question than his.
His lips covered mine with light pressure. He nipped and soothed and nibbled his way around my jaw. Cam’s fingertips caressed my cheekbones and over my forehead. The closer he got to my ear, the harder I found standing.
“So what do you say?” He followed up his whisper with teeth tugging on my ear lobe.
“Say?” With difficulty, I pulled at my big girl pants again. “I say this isn’t the best place for this conversation.”
His hands, rubbing my back in small circles, stilled. “You were back here with a man who could have killed two of your classmates. Alone. Now you’re saying the employee parking lot isn’t the place for a conversation?”
My lips tightened into a straight line. I tried to push away, but Cam held me tight. “Idiot. My nipples could cut glass and you’ve got an erection the size of Texas.” I slapped my palm against his chest. “I meant we should move to a more private location, but now I don’t think so.”
Death Rub Page 10
