“We talked to him,” Jason pointed out. “He seems to be genuinely tore up about her death.”
“Just in case we should have Jared check out the family finances. Look for any insurance policies or large debt. I don’t think he did it but I want to rule him out early if we can. I’m also going to talk to her coworkers this afternoon. Maybe they might know a few of Carole’s secrets.”
Jason chuckled and shook his head. “On the contrary, you are going nowhere. Logan is already at her workplace questioning her friends and boss. You are staying here with Leann. You’re her date for these festivities, remember? Your assignment starts now.”
Zach’s second surprise of the day. He hadn’t realized just how serious Jason was about mingling with this group of former classmates. If this is where his employer wanted him to be then that’s what he’d do. He spotted Leann across the room, talking to three other females. Time to make his presence known and get to know some of these reunion-goers. One of them might be a cold-blooded killer.
Chapter Three
‡
Leann’s best friend Desiree “Dizzy” Foster looked up from the book she was reading and tossed it aside with a groan. “You’re going to wear a hole in my floors the way you’re pacing over there. Since when are you nervous about attending a barbecue? You’re acting like this is your first date.”
Pausing in the middle of the living room, Leann gave her a withering look. “You’d be nervous too if you thought that one of your classmates was a killer. Add in the fact that I’ll be going with Zach and this evening becomes a tad more difficult than it should be. Why did I say yes to Jason?”
The evening was going to be awkward as hell. She barely knew Zach and now she was supposed to pretend they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Subterfuge was not her strong suit. They’d managed at the memorial service earlier in the day, although it had felt strange for him to be so close and follow her around as she visited with her old friends. It hadn’t helped that she thought he was attractive too.
“Because it was the right thing to do,” Dizzy answered promptly. “I’ve only met him a few times but Zach seems like a nice man. You’ll have a good time and he’ll do his job. It’s all good as long as the rain stays away. And the killer too, of course.”
“Is it supposed to rain?” Leann groaned, peeking out the front window to see if her escort had arrived.
“It’s supposed to but maybe it will hold off. Did the reunion committee get a tent or one of the pavilions in case of bad weather?”
“Pavilion three. It’s near the lake.”
“Do you really think that one of the reunion attendees did that awful thing to Carole?” Dizzy asked, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. “It’s scary to think that there is a killer running loose around Tremont. I always think of this town as boring as hell.”
“It usually is, but I guess like every little town it has its moments. As to whether I believe it, I don’t know. The timing could be a complete coincidence. I’ll leave the sleuthing to Jason and Zach.” She slumped against the window frame. “Maybe it was a mistake to come back. This could be a sign that I’m supposed to stay in Florida.”
Rolling her eyes, Dizzy laughed. “Since when do you believe in signs? Besides, I don’t like hearing you talk like that. I want my best friend back in Tremont. Have you said anything to your family yet?”
Double hell no.
“I have not and I expect you to keep the secret as well. You’re the only one I’ve told that I’m thinking of moving back. They’re upset enough that I’m staying with you in town instead of staying out at the ranch. I don’t need to compound that by dropping a bombshell that I’m maybe coming home but I’m not sure. They’ll lose their minds and attack me with all the reasons I should leave Florida, and they’re not above using guilt to get their way. Jason told me today at the service that Mom was looking thin and sick these days. You know, like she could keel over any moment because I don’t live here.”
Dizzy held up her hands in surrender. “I won’t say a word. Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout. Your mother said that clubs that wore matching outfits only create sheep that blindly follow the government.”
Louis and Tamera Foster, Dizzy’s parents, were as unique and eccentric as their daughter. Now retired, they were currently spending the summer in Greece volunteering at an archeological dig.
Dizzy’s smile grew wider. “I wanted to be a Girl Scout so badly but Tami put her foot down. She hated conformity. Did I tell you they called this morning? They’re having a blast. They might get invited to work on another dig in Canada when this one is done.”
“I’m happy for them. They worked hard and they deserve to enjoy their retirement but you must miss them.”
“I see my parents a lot more than you see yours.”
Dropping the curtain as Zach pulled his SUV into the driveway, Leann retrieved her purse and checked her lipstick.
“I see what you did there,” she said, shaking a finger at her friend who only laughed in return. “I do miss them but they also make me crazy. My parents aren’t like yours. They weren’t out there encouraging me to experience life and be free from society’s expectations. Mine were the opposite and being an Anderson has an entire set of rules all its own.”
Dizzy picked up the book she’d discarded earlier. “Screw the rules. That’s what I always do.”
Words to live by, but it wasn’t always easy. Leann didn’t have time to ponder her friend’s advice because the doorbell was ringing. Zach had arrived and it was time to introduce him to all of her high school classmates.
The females were going to love him.
* * *
Leann introduced Zach to all her old friends and the females gushed and flirted as if their significant others weren’t standing less than a foot away. Sexy in a strong and silent sort of way, his sheer size commanded attention wherever he went. He was easily six-three or four with a muscular build that made him look fine indeed in the faded pair of denims he wore that molded to his powerful thighs. The navy blue t-shirt he wore showed off his perfect flat abs and just a smidgen of a tat on his left arm. It was all she could do not to reach over and lift his sleeve to take a closer look.
Look but don’t touch. That’s not what he’s here for.
“Leann, I heard you were in town!”
Jenna Marshall, Leann’s best friend from the age of ten practically ran across the room. They’d been through everything together from braces to boyfriends, although they’d lost touch in the years since graduation. Life always got in the way. Jenna looked amazing, but then she always did. Blonde and blue-eyed, she was the quintessential girl next door and everything Leann had wanted to be back in their high school days.
“Here I am,” Leann laughed, giving her friend a hug. “I was hoping I’d see you today. I missed you at the service yesterday.”
Jenna’s smile fell. “We couldn’t make it, unfortunately. One of the kids had a fever but I made a donation for the tree. I still can’t believe she’s gone.”
That last part was delivered in a whisper.
“Neither can I. I keep thinking I’m going to see her alive and well, smiling like always.” Remembering that she had a companion at her side, Leann stepped back to introduce Zach. “Jenna, this is Zach Gibson. Zach, this is Jenna Marshall. She and I were best friends back in high school.”
Jenna laughed and shook Zach’s hand. “I could tell you some stories about this girl. You’re Gigi and Aubrey’s brother, right? You work for Jason?”
“I am and I do,” Zach agreed. “Best job I’ve ever had.”
“Are you working on this case? Do you know who did this awful thing?”
Zach’s expression turned sober. “We don’t yet but we will. We’re determined to bring this person to justice, ma’am. That I promise you.”
Leann looked over Jenna’s shoulder. “Where’s Drew?”
“That’s a good question. I bet he’s wherever the ke
gs of beer are. All he’s been talking about for a week is hanging out with his old football buddies.” Jenna linked her arm with Leann’s. “I’ll introduce you, Zach, but I warn you he’ll probably press you into service on his softball team.”
“I wouldn’t mind that,” Zach laughed.
They walked out of the pavilion and toward the bonfire but didn’t make it three feet. Blocking their path was Troy Wallace, wide receiver on the football team and the guy affectionately known all those years ago as “Jenna’s stalker”. He’d had a crush on her since grade school from what Leann had been able to tell. Adulthood didn’t appear to have cooled his ardor at all if the look on his face was anything to go by. Of course, Drew had his own admiration society from high school and Nicole Quincy had been the president.
I wonder if she’s here tonight?
Leann actually felt a little sorry for Troy as he stood there, his eyes alight with happiness. Time had been kind to Troy, though. He was still in good shape and had all of his hair. The only tell-tale sign that he’d already had too much to drink was the high color in his cheeks. He must have started early.
“Hey Jenna, you look beautiful.”
Troy was standing a little too close and Jenna took a step backward to put some distance between them, but gave him a dazzling smile in welcome. She was nothing if not polite. “Thanks, Troy. You remember Leann Anderson, don’t you? She’s back in town from Florida for the reunion. And this is her date, Zach Gibson. He’s fairly new in town but he works for Jason Anderson.”
Surprisingly, Troy was able to tear his gaze from Jenna to greet Leann and Zach. “Of course, Leann Anderson. Your last name is plastered all over town. That’s hard to forget. How are you?” He shook hands with Zach. “Nice to meet you.”
Inwardly she winced at his statement but knew it was true. It was one of the reasons she’d left Tremont. She was never referred to as Leann but always as Leann Anderson…of “those” Andersons. She hadn’t done anything to earn the fame; her family had done it for her.
“Fine, thank you. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Yeah.” So much for reconnecting with old classmates. Troy’s attention was firmly back on the blonde at her side. “So…Jenna…save me a dance tomorrow night?”
Jenna’s gaze slid to the bar area on the right side of the room. “I’m not sure what Drew has planned. Can I get back to you?”
Brows pinched together, Troy gave a growl in reply. “Do you need Drew’s permission? Is he that much of an asshole? He hasn’t changed.”
Easy there. That escalated quickly.
Beside her, Zach immediately tensed as if for battle so she placed her hand on his arm to calm him. Troy was harmless. Annoying but basically a pacifist. He wouldn’t be starting any fights tonight. Not sober, anyway.
Stiffening, Leann’s friend crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. “My husband is not an asshole. I just don’t know what the plan is for tonight, but if you’re going to act like this then the answer is no. Shove off, Troy. Let’s make it another fifteen years before seeing each other again.”
Another growl but Troy stomped away, a scowl on his face and Jenna heaved a sigh of relief. “What a jerk. He hasn’t changed a bit.”
“No, he hasn’t,” Leann agreed, letting Jenna lead them toward the bonfire area. “If anything, he’s become even more angry than he was back then when all he wanted was to bask in the gloriousness of you.”
Jenna waggled her eyebrows. “I am glorious, aren’t I? I need to be worshiped more.”
“I’ll talk to Drew and the kids about that.”
“Good luck,” Jenna pouted playfully. “They don’t appreciate me.”
Leann nodded to where Troy was talking with some old buddies from the team. “He does.”
Rolling her eyes, Jenna shook her head. “I’ll pass. Maybe I’ll come back as a goddess in another life. The goddess of cooking and cleaning.”
“People always love a good cook.”
Zach was giving Troy some serious side-eye. “If he bothers you again, Jenna, please let me know. We have deputies patrolling the event and I can have him escorted off the premises.”
Jenna waved away his concern. “That’s so sweet but Troy is all talk. He’ll stay away as long as Drew’s around.”
Speaking of Drew… Jenna’s handsome former quarterback husband was sitting at a picnic table full of friends and Leann could almost remember all of their names. Cindy. Trent. Marianne. Bill. Henry. She wouldn’t relive her teenage years for all the money in the world.
Funny how being back in Tremont with all of her old friends seemed to make the intervening years dissolve away to nothingness. She had to make a concerted effort not to let anyone or anything wipe away all the progress she’d made these last fifteen years. She was more than her last name.
Two hours later after chatting and catching up with old friends, Leann needed a break. Luckily Zach found a quiet spot on the edge of the party where she could get a few moments of peace and quiet. Balancing her paper plate filled with a cheeseburger and potato chips on her lap, she carefully set her soda can on the ground next to her lawn chair. Zach had surprised her by being prepared and bringing two of those collapsible chairs that folded up into a bag and she was damn grateful to have a place to sit down.
“I don’t think I have this straight,” he said, popping a chip into his mouth. “Bitty and Carole were best friends and you and Jenna were best friends, but you traveled in the same clique.”
“It wasn’t a clique, it was just a group of friends. This isn’t West Side Story.”
The cheeseburger was juicy and delicious and Leann hummed in appreciation. It had been too long since lunch. Zach was enjoying it as well if the big bite he’d just taken was any indication.
“A group of friends is a clique,” he pointed out. “I assume you were in the popular crowd at school?”
Stiffening, she wasn’t sure if she liked his tone. He made it sound like a bad thing to be liked. “I don’t know your definition of popular. If you’re asking if I had a lot of friends, well, then I guess I did. There was a group of us that ran around together.”
He put down his burger and their gazes clashed. “Which one of your friends was Homecoming Queen? Or was it you?”
Shifting uncomfortably under his gaze, she cleared her throat. “It was Jenna.”
“Hmmm…that’s what I mean by popular but you already knew that, didn’t you? It’s funny how you want to pretend that you were a geek or an outcast of some type when you clearly were part of the privileged few at your school.”
She definitely didn’t like his tone. “Now wait a minute, I wasn’t some sort of princess. I worked hard and got good grades. I’m not sure when that became a bad thing. I wasn’t some sort of mean girl if that’s what you think. I got along with everyone.”
She wasn’t sure why his opinion of her was so important. She barely knew Zach.
“You certainly were luckier than many of your classmates.”
Zach was treading on dangerous territory and he needed to back the fuck up. He didn’t know what he was talking about.
“I am aware that I was born into a wonderful family but like everything else in this life it comes with its own set of responsibilities. It isn’t all tea parties and cotillions, for your information. I lived my life in a fishbowl, always being watched. It can get on your nerves after awhile and I was just a young girl. I didn’t always handle it well.”
He looked like he wanted to say something but instead he changed the subject back to her friends. “Let’s talk about the people you hung out with in high school. Were any of them mean girls? Did they bully some of the other kids?”
His blue gaze saw way too much without her even having to say a word out loud.
“Sometimes but it was mostly the boys giving wedgies or stuff like that. Girls were more…passive aggressive. They just wouldn’t invite someone to a party or to go shopping. That’s how females do it. They ostracize.”
Stretching out his long legs, he took the last bite of his burger. “And who was the ring leader? Who decided who got in and who didn’t?”
“This is why I hate revisiting the past,” she muttered and sighed. “I think everyone had their moments when they were being a bitch.”
“There’s always a leader of the pack, though. Who was it?”
“Carole,” she found herself answering, her thoughts shifting back to fifteen years ago. “Carole had a strong personality even then. She was a natural leader.”
“But Bitty was senior class president. How did that work out?”
It was so long ago. “Carole was ill and wasn’t able to start our senior year until about a month into the school year. Is it important?”
“Probably not,” Zach dismissed it easily. “It’s just an interesting dynamic and it’s my job to try to understand everything that’s going on here. All the relationships, whether good or bad. What about Troy Wallace? What’s his deal?”
“He’s always had a thing for Jenna and she’s never returned the feelings. End of story.”
“Did Carole turn him down as well?”
That’s where Zach was going with this? He thought Troy was a suspect?
“Not that I remember.”
There was a low rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning. Storms rolled in quickly around here and before she knew it the sky had turned black and rain was coming down, soaking her, Zach, and the remnants of their dinner. He grabbed her by the hand and they ran up to the pavilion to get shelter from the deluge along with all the other guests.
Cramped into the small space with a hundred other people, she was pressed against Zach’s solid body as they listened to the storm rage. He smelled…good and he felt…better. She shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as she was. This wasn’t a real date. Besides, she had the distinct feeling he didn’t like her much. At the very least, he didn’t approve of her.
Not that she cared. She was going to be more like Dizzy. To hell with the rules, full speed ahead.
Reunited With Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 6) Page 2
