Four of a Kind

by Kate Kessler

The counselor stepped into the office. “Good morning, Audrey. Do you have a minute?”

  Audrey gestured to the love seat. “Sure.”

  Micheline sat down and crossed her legs. “I wanted to talk to you about Tala. It’s probably nothing, but I know you’re good friends with Neve and I thought you might be able to tell me if it’s worth sharing with her.”

  “What is it?”

  “You know, now that I think of it, it’s probably nothing, but . . .” She pursed her lips. “You know how you get vibes from people?”

  Audrey nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Well, I feel terrible saying this, but I always felt there was something a little sneaky about Tala. Like she could be manipulative.”

  “Okay. How so?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, but whenever I talked to her I felt like she was trying to play me in some way.”

  “Maybe you were just picking up on the fact that she had a secret. There was so much about herself that Tala tried to keep protected that it may have come across as something more sinister.”

  Micheline considered this. “Yes, that may be. But it always struck me as strange how the four of them were always together—Luke, Tala, Kendra, and Lucy. The girls being friends after each dating him was one thing, but then wanting him to hang out with them was another.”

  Audrey started. “Wait. Are you saying that Lucy also dated Luke?”

  Micheline seemed surprised she hadn’t known. “Freshman year Lucy and Luke were one of the more popular couples. I suppose since she broke up with him, maybe she didn’t mind him dating her friend, but you know how girls can be about boys.”

  Yes, she did. “Why did she break up with him?”

  “Well, rumor had it that he was cheating on her, although at that age, cheating can be anything from hanging out to actual sex.”

  Luke sure did get around, Audrey thought. He was nice enough, and seemed to be good to Alisha, but she really didn’t like the idea of her soon-to-be niece getting involved with a guy who couldn’t keep it in his pants. Color her messed up, but loyalty was more important to her than the idea of the kid being a killer.

  “So Luke dated Lucy, she dumped him, then he dated Kendra, dumped her because of Tala, and then Tala broke up with him. And Tala had someone on the side as well.”

  Micheline’s eyes widened. “Really? Good God, you know, this place is worse than any teen TV show. All the machinations and backstabbing. I can’t keep up with it all.”

  Audrey regarded her with a new sense of respect. “But you hear about a lot of it.”

  She nodded. “If it goes on here, yes. But I’m going to assume Tala’s side deal was someone who doesn’t go to the school . . .” She snapped her fingers. “Kyle Granger. Now it makes sense that he jumped Luke with Josh.”

  Audrey was impressed. “How did you get there?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t feel right breaking confidence, but let’s just say that when he was a student here, Kyle and I had several conversations about the fluidity of gender and sexuality. He may be a bit of a goof-off, but he wouldn’t blink an eye at Tala being transgender.”

  “Yeah, he’s very enlightened in this area.”

  “Anyway, Luke, Lucy, Kendra, and Tala were always together. I used to call them ‘the sultan and his harem’—not out loud, of course.”

  “No.” The whole thing did seem a little odd to Audrey. She supposed the four of them could have made the friendship work, but she didn’t like having Maggie around boys she liked—she didn’t trust her not to make a move. And it didn’t matter if it was a boy she didn’t like anymore; she still wouldn’t want Maggie to be with him. Maybe Lucy had been okay with Luke being with Kendra and then Tala, but it was obvious that Kendra hadn’t been okay with it—at least not where Tala was concerned. According to Alisha, Kendra had wanted Luke back. And still did. Lucy didn’t seem to have a problem with that either.

  “They were like this little island—no one else would go near them but rarely.”

  “So it would be odd, in your opinion, for Tala to go off on her own that night and at least one of the other three not know about it.”

  Micheline appeared surprised by the question. “Yes. Is that what the three of them are saying, that they don’t know where Tala was?”

  Audrey nodded. “Apparently her breakup with Luke shook up the group dynamic.”

  “I can understand that he wouldn’t know, but Lucy and Kendra?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe that for a minute. Those girls knew one another’s schedules, locker combinations—everything. If they’re saying they don’t know where Tala was, I’d think they were lying—or that Tala lied to them.”

  Audrey looked at her for a moment, letting her words sink in. “You know, Micheline, I think you should definitely talk to Neve.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Whereas Eleanor Granger wanted to slam the door in her face when Neve came calling, Janine Villeneuve was downright hospitable that afternoon. Earlier, she’d gone by the school to talk to Micheline at Audrey’s urging, and now she needed to have a few words with Lucy, because there had been a lot of weirdness going on in their incestuous little group, and Neve was tired of it. She was getting pressure from her bosses to solve the case and wrap things up, and the Lewises wanted to bury their daughter.

  Poor people. They’d moved to Edgeport to keep Tala safe and it ended up being the place where she died.

  “Detective Graham,” Janine said in greeting. She was a tall woman with reddish hair and green eyes. Very striking. “I assume you’re here to talk to Lucy about what happened at the hospital?”

  “That’s part of it,” Neve admitted. “Is she home?”

  “Just barely. Come on in. Lucy!” And then she said, “Have a seat, Detective.”

  Neve seated herself on the sofa closest to the door. She always felt bad about going into people’s houses and not taking her shoes off, but it wasn’t as though she really could. What if she had to chase someone or leave in a hurry? At least it wasn’t raining.

  Lucy came down the stairs in yoga pants and a long T-shirt and plunked herself down in a chair opposite Neve. “Alisha started it,” she said.

  Neve tilted her head. “That’s not how I heard it.”

  The girl made a scoffing noise. “Yeah, from Alisha.”

  “And from Luke.”

  “Like they’re going to tell the truth.”

  “Linda Pelletier and Yancy Tripp both approached me about filing restraining orders against you and Kendra.”

  “Fuck off. Really?”

  “Lucy!” Her mother chastised her as she came into the room with glasses of water. “You do not speak to Detective Graham that way! I’m so sorry.” She set one of the glasses on the table in front of Neve.

  Neve nodded. She wasn’t going to drink the water, but she appreciated the gesture. Janine had always been one of the few people in the area who had known her a long time but still treated her job with deference. It was kind of nice—and weird. “Lucy, I’m here to tell you that you need to stay away from Alisha and Luke, or things will go very badly for you.”

  “I have to see her at school.”

  “I know you have classes together, and that’s fine, but don’t speak to her. Don’t even look at her. I’m going to be telling the Grangers the same thing.”

  “Alisha broke Kendra’s nose!”

  “And Kendra left some pretty deep fingernail tracks in Alisha’s neck. She needed stitches, you know.”

  “Oh, my God,” Janine said as she sat down in the chair beside her daughter. “Lucy, why didn’t you break it up?”

  “I tried to,” her daughter retorted. “Kendra was insane, and Alisha is way stronger than she looks.”

  Alisha was a Tripp—fighting was in her blood. “I know Kendra was upset about seeing them together, but she can’t attack every girl Luke dates.”

  “She hasn’t.”

  “She never got physical with Tala over him? Maybe said some mean things
?”

  Lucy shook her head. “No.”

  “What about you? Did she ever get nasty with you?”

  The girl frowned. “Why would you ask me that? She’s my best friend.”

  “Because you and Luke used to date.”

  Snort. “In grade nine. And then I found out he played seven minutes in heaven with Jennifer Stokes. Not like we were serious.”

  Neve didn’t believe her, but it didn’t matter. “Kendra never gave you a hard time about it?”

  Lucy shrugged. “Maybe she’s made a couple of digs, but not for a long time. She knows I have no interest in dating a guy our age.”

  “Your taste runs older?”

  The girl went still. Her mother noticed. “Oh, Lucy.” She sighed. “This isn’t something you’re going to talk about in front of me, is it?”

  Lucy shook her head.

  “Lucy’s not in any trouble, Janine.” Neve clarified. “And she’s certainly not under arrest, so it’s okay for you to leave us alone. I just want to talk.”

  Janine nodded, but to her daughter, she said, “You call if you need me.” That was fair enough. Neve couldn’t ask for more.

  When they were alone, she turned her attention back to Lucy—who looked so young and fragile with her hair in a ponytail and her eye makeup worn off. “Older guys like Randy Dyer?”

  Wide eyes rolled. “I knew hooking up with him was a mistake. It only happened once.”

  “When?”

  “Is that really important?”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “The night Tala disappeared.”

  “You and Kendra went to a party back Park Road?”

  “Yeah. Tala was supposed to come but she never showed. I figured her mother told her she couldn’t go.”

  “I thought you hadn’t spoken to Tala that night?”

  “No, we talked about it earlier. We knew about the party for a few days. Everyone did.”

  “And you were with Randy the entire evening?”

  “Unfortunately. More of it than I wanted. As soon as I could get away from him I went home. You know, older guys are supposed to know more, but he was a disappointment.”

  Neve wasn’t surprised. “What was Kendra doing while you were with Randy?”

  “Talking about Luke with whoever would listen. A friend of Randy’s tried to get with her, but she didn’t want any of it. She got sloppy drunk instead. I used her as an excuse to leave—said I had to get her home.”

  “Would you say she was obsessed with Luke?”

  “Uh, yeah. If by obsessed you mean never shuts the fuck up about him.” She sighed. “Look, I’m really hoping this thing with Alisha puts an end to her mooning over him, because I’m getting really tired of hearing it. He’s not that great. She should just let Lish have him and move the fuck on. Sorry.”

  Neve gave her a little smile. “Don’t worry about it. That day in class when Kendra said she’d like it if Tala died, did you believe her?”

  A frown creased the girl’s smooth brow. “No. Not really. She just wanted to shock Luke, I think. All she wanted—wants—is for him to realize they’re meant to be together.” This was delivered in a very mock-dramatic tone.

  “How upset was Kendra that things were getting serious with Luke and Tala?”

  “More than she should have been. I knew he wouldn’t be able to actually go through with it. Luke’s pretty vanilla.”

  “He certainly seems to have gotten around.”

  Lucy shrugged. “We didn’t really have anything in common. Neither did he and Kendra. At least Alisha likes some of the same stuff he does.”

  “You sound very calm. Alisha told me you were pretty upset with her at the hospital.”

  “I was upset for Kendra. I knew she’d lose it. And Alisha was supposed to be her friend. She was supposed to be Tala’s friend. You don’t go after your friend’s boyfriend—ex or otherwise.”

  “But Kendra went after yours.”

  “I told you, I didn’t care. I wasn’t in love with Luke like she was. Is.”

  And what if Alisha was in love with Luke? Neve didn’t ask. “How far do you think Kendra would be willing to go to get Luke back?”

  The girl stared at her for a second before she burst out laughing. “Seriously?”

  Neve was this close to slapping her in the head. “Yes, seriously.”

  The smile faded. “Kendra’s on antianxiety medication. She hates the sight of blood. There’s no way she could kill someone. You know, Luke’s the one who has a knife collection. Just because he got his ass kicked doesn’t mean he’s innocent.”

  A knife collection? That was interesting. “She had no trouble attacking Alisha, or seeing her blood.”

  Lucy frowned. “That was different. She was mad.”

  “Whoever killed Tala was very, very mad.”

  The frown grew. Then Lucy opened her mouth…

  “Mom!”

  LuceeVeeMD @TroothGrrl I know who you are, bitch.

  Phone clutched in her hand, Alisha stared at the message in her Twitter feed, her heart pounding. Had Lucy actually figured her out? It didn’t matter. She wasn’t afraid of either of them, and she’d proved that at the hospital when Kendra came at her.

  She’d gotten some backlash for her @TroothGrrl posts—mostly from girls at school who wanted to be in with Kendra and Lucy. For some reason the two of them were considered popular, even though they were such hot messes.

  What was interesting, however, was the number of tweets from other people urging the girls to come clean with what they knew. Some went so far as to accuse the girls of being involved in Tala’s murder, without actually coming right out and saying it point-blank.

  Others still blamed Luke, and those were the ones who really pissed her off. She had to force herself not to respond to them as TroothGrrl, or from her own account. In fact, she hadn’t tweeted much of anything as herself. Every moment she had the chance to sneak off to a public computer and post under her secret account, she did just that.

  One person stood out from the others—@HeadSick2017. They wanted to know how everyone could be so quiet. Someone had to know something. But they also talked about the murder in a way that Alisha envied—as an outsider.

  @HeadSick2017 About 30% of murders are committed by someone the victim knew.

  @HeadSick2017 Murder is the second-highest cause of death among teenagers.

  @HeadSick2017 75% of teen murderers know their victim. Almost half of those victims are friends.

  @HeadSick2017 Who killed Tala Lewis? Someone violent, angry, and impulsive. Someone who knew her well.

  @HeadSick2017 Tala probably trusted her killer. She probably went willingly with them.

  @HeadSick2017 7 transgender women were murdered in the first 6 weeks of 2017.

  Some of those tweets had been sent directly to TroothGrrl, others independently made under #JusticeForTala. It was the “violent, angry, and impulsive” that jumped out at Alisha. That sounded just like Kendra.

  HeadSick2017 also indicated that the killer might have poor reading skills and lack an ability to empathize. That they might have grown up with some sort of abuse.

  That was when she knew that HeadSick2017 was Audrey. And she was willing to bet that Audrey knew she was TroothGrrl. She wasn’t going to say anything, though. Plausible deniability and all that. She was just glad to not be alone in her quest to find the real killer. It meant a lot to her that Audrey felt the same way, though she knew that a part of her soon-to-be-aunt was concerned about Luke.

  Thank God her mother was more of an innocent-until-proven-guilty type of person. Though maybe that was just because Luke was hospitalized and not much of a threat.

  Because he was still stuck in the hospital, Alisha had promised Luke that she would bring him fried clams from Fat Frank’s after school. She was just picking up her order when someone stepped up beside her.

  “That’s a lot of food for just one person,” Kyle Granger said. “Is some of that for your murder
er boyfriend?”

  His sneer combined with the thought of what he’d done to Luke made Alisha want to ram a plastic fork into his eyeball.

  “Who it’s for is none of your business.” She picked up the paper bag and turned to leave.

  Kyle blocked her. “Better be careful. You might be next.”

  “You know, your sister warned me of the same thing, but the only people I’ve seen get violent are you, Josh, and Kendra. What is it with your family, Kyle? What is it with you?” Her voice had risen and they were attracting an audience. Alisha didn’t care.

  Kyle did. “Shut up.”

  “No. You beat up someone Tala cared about like you have the right, but when she was alive you wouldn’t be seen with her. She was good enough to screw so long as no one knew about it, right?”

  His face turned red as a few people snickered. “She was the one who didn’t want people to know about us.”

  She gave him a scathing once-over. “Gee, I wonder why?”

  “Bitch.”

  “That’s original. You know, maybe you killed her, Kyle, because you were her guilty secret. She wasn’t ashamed to be seen with Luke, was she?”

  “Aw, snap!” said someone in the line to pick up food.

  Kyle straightened. He was several inches taller than her and at least fifty pounds heavier, but Alisha had two plastic forks in her fist and was not afraid to use them.

  A hand clapped down on Kyle’s shoulder. It was Randy Dyer, of all people. “Back off, man.”

  Kyle tried to shrug him off, but Randy was older, a little bigger, and a lot stronger.

  “Seriously,” Randy continued. “Jake and Linc Tripp are her uncles. This will go badly for you in so many ways.” His words seemed to sink in, because Kyle’s body relaxed a bit, and he took a step back.

  “Whatever,” he said, finally escaping Randy’s grip. Then, to Alisha, he said, “You and Pelletier deserve each other.”

  “Yeah, I don’t take that as an insult,” Alisha told him, holding his gaze—and her forks.

  Slowly, Kyle backed away, then turned on his heel and stomped out. A faint chorus of wisecracks and jeers followed him.

  Alisha glanced up at Randy. “Thanks.” Not that she had needed his help, but she’d been raised to be polite.