by Kate Kessler
“Yeah. I think she had to be. It was all part of eventually getting surgery.”
“So, you don’t know why they broke up?” Neve asked, drawing back the table’s attention.
Alisha stared at her. “You think Luke killed her?”
Neve shook her head. “I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to.” Alisha flushed. “He didn’t kill Tala because of her dick. He knew about it and he didn’t care.”
Jake’s eyebrows rose, but he said nothing. Audrey realized then that her fiancé was someone who wouldn’t feel the same way were he in that situation. Lucky for her she’d been born physically female, then. Then again, Audrey couldn’t say she was such an open-minded individual that it wouldn’t matter to her either. She supposed you could eventually get past it, if you loved the person enough, and you wanted to get past it.
“But he was angry that she broke up with him.”
“You don’t kill somebody because they tell you you’re through,” Alisha snapped. “Luke’s not Bailey.” And on that stunner, she shoved back her chair, got up, and stormed out of the room. A few moments later, a door slammed upstairs. She’d gone up to Jake’s old room, where she slept when she spent the night.
“Wow,” Neve said, reaching for her tea. “The kid makes a good dig.” She didn’t sound offended, but rather surprised.
Audrey was surprised too. Bailey had been Alisha’s best friend. Alisha stood by her through the entire ordeal after Bailey killed Maggie, who had been both her abuser and girlfriend, for lack of a better term. That she would use Bailey’s name to make such a callous remark spoke as to how much she thought of Luke.
Jake looked impressed. “I didn’t think she had it in her.” And then, “Sorry about that.”
Neve waved a hand. “Clearly she’s not who I should talk to if I want dirt on Luke.” She glanced at Audrey. “Shit. I just realized. Isn’t he your cousin or something?”
“Yeah, on Mum’s side. I don’t really know the kid—and I’d be the last person to get my nose out of joint if you thought he killed that girl. Do you really think he did?”
She leaned over the table, clutching her cup in both hands. “Whoever killed this girl did so with a lot of rage—the kind that’s personal.”
Audrey nodded. “Genital mutilation?”
“Fuck around,” Jake growled. “Do we really need to know?”
Last fall Jake had found the body of a biker who had been shot. Before that, he waited on the beach with Maggie’s corpse until the cops arrived. She wouldn’t have thought of him as spleeny. But then, all men seemed to get that way as soon as they knew a penis was in jeopardy.
“I can’t give details,” Neve said. “In your professional opinion, why would the parents neglect to tell me their daughter was transgender? Why didn’t anyone think it was important to give that information to the police?”
“I would imagine it’s because they were trying to be considerate of Tala. If she had been born a biological female, no one would think to mention that to you. Since Tala was a girl in every way but her physicality, her family and friends thought of her and treated her as a girl.”
Neve seemed to consider this. “It still pisses me off.”
“There are a lot of bubbas in this area who would be pissed off to discover that a girl wasn’t what they thought she was,” Jake commented. “If Tala was dating someone else, could be he wasn’t as understanding as Luke.”
It was obvious from her expression that Neve had already thought of that.
“What did her parents say?” Audrey asked.
“That they moved here for a fresh start. Tala started hormones when they lived in Bangor, and apparently was bullied incessantly, which led to a suicide attempt. Her parents thought bringing her to a new town where no one knew her history would be the best thing for her.”
“So they brought her to Edgeport?” Jake lifted his cup and shook his head. “They were so wrong.”
CHAPTER THREE
When the office administrator for Eastrock High School called Audrey the next morning asking if she could come by for a meeting with the principal, she thought maybe Alisha had gotten into trouble, but then she reminded herself that Yancy, the girl’s mother, or Jake would get calls before anyone reached out to her. She was the third emergency contact on Alisha’s list.
So she had no idea what the school wanted with her when she walked into the office at two thirty that afternoon. But she wondered if it had anything to do with Tala Lewis and the news van circling the property.
EHS had been home to some of the best and worst moments of her post–juvenile delinquent life. There had been the occasional trip to the office for fighting; she’d be expelled now for that kind of stuff, but back then it had been time in the office, detention, or a day’s suspension. She probably would have gotten in a lot more trouble if she hadn’t established herself as an overachiever. She’d understood that being considered academically superior and a hard worker was what would get her out of Edgeport—and she needed to get out of Maine. She needed to go somewhere far away where no one knew about her past. Where she could reinvent herself as whoever she wanted to be.
Kind of like Tala Lewis.
A young woman—whom Audrey didn’t recognize—smiled as she approached the front desk. “Dr. Harte?” she asked.
“Yes,” Audrey replied, a little surprised that the woman knew her. At one time she’d believed herself notorious enough that everyone up and down the shore knew who she was. When had that changed?
“I’m Tilly,” the woman said. “Have a seat. I’ll let Principal Welton know you’re here.”
Audrey walked over to the waiting area, but she didn’t sit. Instead, she looked the pictures hanging on the wall—various awards won by the school and its students, mentions of alumni in newspapers. Should she be put out that there was nothing about her that she could see? She’d had her own TV show at one time, when she lived in LA. Surely that was worth a mention? There was a grainy old photo of her younger brother, David, on stage as Danny in Grease from his senior year, but nothing about her.
Then again, she didn’t see anything about Jake or Neve up there either, so she was in good company, she supposed. Her brother had always inspired adoration in those who knew him, so it was no surprise that he was displayed so prominently.
“Dr. Harte? Please come in.”
Audrey turned. She hadn’t met Beverly Welton before this, but she’d seen her around the area—the combined towns of Edgeport, Ryme, and Eastrock, while fairly large in area, were not that big in population. Eastrock was the largest, and still everyone in it pretty much knew everyone else. The populace had been talking about the new principal, who moved to town when her predecessor had a heart attack. She was a good-looking woman—and so was her wife. There were times when Audrey questioned her own decision to remain in a place that thought lesbians were exotic. But Edgeport was where Jake was, where her family was, and she felt it was where her future was, as much as she hated to admit it.
She shook hands with the woman before following her into the office. They weren’t alone. Already there was Nurse Taylor, who was sister to Edgeport treasure Binky, and who had been at the school since Audrey went there almost two decades earlier; a man Audrey didn’t recognize; and Micheline Poirier, with whom Audrey had gone to school and who had gone on to become the school guidance counselor.
“You haven’t met Mr. Robson,” Principal Welton said. “He’s with the school board. Please, sit.”
Audrey said hello to them all and took the empty seat next to Micheline. She didn’t like being the only one in a group who didn’t know what was going on, but she put on her professional face and forced herself to wait patiently for the principal to explain.
“Dr. Harte, your background is in juvenile psychology, yes?” Welton asked, leaning her forearms on the top of her desk.
“My focus has always been on forensic juvenile psychology, but I have worked with kids who weren’t criminals.”
/> “And you have also worked with children who may have witness to or been affected by a crime?”
Audrey thought she saw where this was going. “Yes.” She didn’t elaborate.
Robson shifted in his seat. “You are no doubt aware that police found the body of Tala Lewis?”
“I am.”
“You are good friends with Detective Neve Graham, are you not?” That was from Nurse Taylor.
Audrey wasn’t certain she’d call her friendship with Neve “good” or close, but as far as friends went, Neve was one of the few she had. “Complicated” was probably a better answer, but then that applied to pretty much all of Audrey’s relationships. “Yes.”
“Then you probably know she thinks someone murdered the girl.”
Audrey arched a brow at her tone—like there was some question as to Neve’s judgment. This was beginning to feel more like testimony than a conversation. “Multiple stab wounds are usually an indication of foul play, yeah.”
The old girl’s face paled. She looked away.
Welton cleared her throat. “I’d like to employ your services as a therapist, Dr. Harte. Would you be interested in spending a few days here over the next week or two to talk to our students as they attempt to work though this tragic event?”
“I haven’t actually done much work in grief counseling,” Audrey revealed. “I’m not sure I can provide what you want.”
The principal smiled. “What we want is someone to help our students process what has happened to their classmate and their feelings about it. They may have questions as to why someone would do such a thing, and I—we—believe you are more qualified than any of us to aid in that process and answer those questions.”
And if Audrey was the one talking to the kids, the faculty wouldn’t have to answer questions that made them uncomfortable. It was a good opportunity to do her job and get to know the teens of the area. And hey, if she could help even one or two who were ignorant about gender fluidity find tolerance and understanding, she’d consider her job done.
“I can do that,” she told the small group staring at her. “But if I enter into a professional relationship with any of these students, everything they tell me is protected by doctor-patient privilege. You won’t be privy to any of it unless I think one of them is a danger to themselves or others.”
Nurse Taylor made a small noise that let Audrey know exactly what she thought of that. Principal Welton inclined her head. “Of course. Our first and foremost concern is the children.”
Audrey nodded, unsure of whether she quite believed that. She told them her hourly rate and watched as Robson and Welton exchanged glances. She was prepared to negotiate, but not much. Her time was her time. When Robson nodded, the principal smiled triumphantly. “Excellent. Let’s start with twenty hours a week for the next two weeks and see how it goes, shall we? Are you fine with submitting a bill for reimbursement?”
She said she was, and that was it. She had a therapy gig. Earlier in the year she’d gotten her license to practice in Maine and began brushing up on her clinical skills. When she worked with Angeline, a lot of her time had been spent researching and doing interviews. It was a lot easier to just sit there and ask questions when you didn’t have to offer something in return. Lately, however, she’d realized she wanted to do more. This was a good opportunity to dust off those skills.
With everything agreed upon for the time being, Audrey got up, shook hands with everyone—even crotchety old Nurse Taylor—and left the office. It was a few minutes before school let out, and a beautiful day, so she waited out front for Alisha. Final bell rang and there was nothing, and then the doors burst open and kids spilled out like bees over a hive.
When Alisha finally came out, she was with a tall, dark-haired boy Audrey recognized as Luke Pelletier. They were followed by three boys whom she didn’t recognize, but whose parents she probably knew.
“Hey, Luke,” one of them called. “Are you a faggot if your girlfriend has a dick?”
Oh, Jesus. People said teenage girls were mean, but boys were just bad.
Luke said nothing, but Alisha’s face flushed red. To Audrey’s surprise, she kept her mouth shut. Audrey didn’t like that. Alisha stood up for her friends. If she was quiet, it meant she was intimidated.
Audrey started walking toward them.
“Hey, did you kill her because she wouldn’t suck your dick, or because she wouldn’t let you suck hers?” another of the boys asked, then laughed at his own brilliance.
“Did you kill the last person who refused to suck yours?” Audrey asked.
Alisha and Luke came to a stop, the boys behind them too. They all stared at her.
“Who the fuck are you?” the boy demanded, all zits and frown.
One of his buddies elbowed him. “That’s Audrey Harte. She killed Clint Jones way back.”
Way back? Audrey arched a brow. It hadn’t been that fucking long ago. She looked each one of the boys in the eye. “And it wasn’t because he wouldn’t suck my dick.” Then, to Alisha and Luke, she said, “Let’s go.”
Luke didn’t protest. He didn’t say anything, just followed Audrey to her car. Alisha smiled at her. “Thanks for that. They’re on our bus.”
Audrey nodded. Sometimes being a murderer had its perks, but she wasn’t going to say that in front of Luke Pelletier, because if she called someone guilty based on looks alone, she’d have the kid in jail already.
“I’m surprised you didn’t drop me off first,” Alisha commented as they pulled out of the Pelletiers’ driveway.
“He’s your friend,” Audrey replied. “I guess he’s family, but I don’t know the kid. I figured he’d be more comfortable if you were along for the ride.”
Right. His comfort, that was what Audrey had been thinking about. “You could have just dropped both of us at my place. Mom would have driven him home later.”
“Your mother’s at work.”
Alisha rolled her eyes. “He just found out his girlfriend—my friend—was murdered. Boning each other isn’t exactly high on either of our lists.”
“Boning is the least of it. He’s a suspect, Lish. You think your mother would appreciate me leaving you alone with a suspected killer?”
“I’m alone with an actual killer all the time. Like, right now, for instance.”
Audrey didn’t take her eyes off the road, but Alisha saw her eyebrow twitch. “First Bailey, now me, huh? You must really like this kid, to take swings at two people who care about you.”
Her tone was so calm, so understanding that Alisha immediately regretted her remark. Uncle Jake told her once that she shouldn’t get into a pissing contest with a skunk. At the time she hadn’t understood what he meant; now she thought she might. Audrey was the last person she should mouth off to—or try to manipulate in any way. It was just going to come back and bite her on the ass.
“He’s my friend. I’ve known him since kindergarten.”
“And that makes him incapable of murder?”
“No. Who he is makes him incapable of it. He can’t even kill a spider.”
“Everyone’s capable of murder given the right circumstances.”
“No, Audrey, they’re really not.” She was getting pissed off now. “I know you and Uncle Jake—even my mom—probably think that’s some kind of defect, but there are some people in the world who are actually incapable of killing another person. They’re called normal.”
Audrey gave a snort of laughter. “Yeah, you like him all right.”
Alisha flopped back against the passenger seat and stared out the window. “You are so bent sometimes.”
“Maybe, but I’m right, aren’t I?” Audrey’s voice was softer now. “You like him. Really like him.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing, which was the wrong thing where Audrey was concerned, because it was like she could read Alisha’s mind most times. Maybe she could make sense of what Alisha was feeling.
She did like Luke, but she couldn’t li
ke him. That was the major rule of friendship—you didn’t date your friend’s ex-boyfriend. She didn’t know if death changed the rules, but it didn’t matter, because even if she did have a thing for Luke, he was still in love with Tala.
“He didn’t kill her,” she insisted.
“Okay,” Audrey agreed after a pause.
“Are you going to help Neve find out who did? You figured out about Bailey, and Tori Scott, and you helped Mackenzie find her father.”
“And got beaten up and shot, and practically caused my sister to miscarry. Not exactly incentives there, sweetie. Besides, Neve doesn’t want my help. If she does, she’ll have no problem asking for it.”
“But you have to do something.”
“I am doing something. I’m going to be spending a few days at the school in case any students need to talk about Tala and what happened.”
A flicker of hope blossomed in Alisha’s chest. “You can find out if anyone at school knows anything.”
“Even if they do, what they tell me is protected—it can’t be used in court.”
Her hope evaporated and turned into something sharp and dark. “What fucking good are you, then?”
Audrey slammed on the brakes so hard, Alisha’s seat belt snapped up against her, biting into her chest. They were stopped right in the middle of the road—not that there was any traffic at the moment.
“Okay, I know you’re upset and that you’ve lost a friend, but don’t you ever talk to me like that again, got it?”
Alisha opened her mouth to say something smart-ass, but all that came out was a sob. She burst into humiliating tears and buried her face in her hands. It was all so frustrating. Her friend was dead and no one seemed to care, and the few people who did care couldn’t seem to see past Luke.
And she felt totally shitty about all of it.
A warm hand wrapped around the fist clenched in her lap as the car began moving again. It was almost as if Audrey were giving her strength through osmosis.
“I’m sorry,” Alisha said, her voice thick with snot and tears. She grabbed a napkin out of the glove compartment to blow her nose.
