by Kate Kessler
“I’d like to hug you but my ribs are still healing. Is it okay if I hold your hand?”
Alisha nodded, a little smile curving her lips. “Sure.” She twined her fingers with his.
“And maybe I could kiss you?”
Her smile grew. “I don’t know. You’re moving pretty fast.”
Luke grinned. “I thought I was being smooth.”
She leaned closer, careful not to put her weight against his battered body. When his lips met hers, it was like someone had opened a door in her chest and released a thousand butterflies from it. It felt right, like his mouth had been made for hers.
He pulled back first, his breathing harsh and shallow. “Wow. I really wish I didn’t have broken ribs right now.”
She laughed. “Me too.”
Squeezing her fingers, he leaned back, his bright blue gaze locked with hers. “I don’t have a good track record as a boyfriend, you know that.”
Alisha shrugged. “Maybe you were just waiting for me.” She said it as a joke, but the look in his eyes when she said it made her breath catch.
“I think I was.” Then he kissed her again and nothing else mattered.
Audrey didn’t really want to drive over to Downeast to see Kendra Granger, but she could hardly turn down a grieving mother’s request. Elle was a mess and in no condition to drive, and she said that Kendra had asked for Audrey specifically. How could she refuse? Yes, she had work to do regarding Grace Ridge, and she and Jake really needed to talk about the pregnancy, but at that moment, avoiding both seemed like the best choice.
Kendra was calm when Audrey walked in. Sedated, probably. She wondered what the doctors were doing to help her. Probably trying to get her meds sorted out and make sure she took them as she ought. Hopefully they had a psychiatrist seeing her. She couldn’t believe Elle hadn’t gotten one for her before this, given the family issues.
“Dr. Harte,” she said, her voice little more than a cracked whisper. “You came.”
“Your mother said you wanted to talk to me.”
“I did. I do. Could you get me some water? The pills they gave me give me muck mouth.”
Audrey smiled slightly at the term and poured the girl a small glass of water from the pitcher beside her bed. She helped her hold it, and Kendra gulped the contents down greedily.
“Thanks.”
Perching on the side of the bed, Audrey gazed down at her. Kendra wasn’t restrained, but she wasn’t terribly concerned. She doubted the girl could lift her own head let alone attack her. She waited for her to speak.
“My brother’s dead.”
Audrey nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t suicide. Kyle wasn’t depressed—not like that.”
Audrey didn’t say anything. She just smiled.
“He didn’t kill Tala. He liked her. Really liked her.” Her face darkened. “Everyone fucking liked her.”
“Okay.”
Shadowed eyes blinked, then rolled up to look at her. From the size of her pupils, there was no denying just how stoned the kid was. “I was really out of my mind that night.”
A tremor of unease burrowed under Audrey’s ribs. “What night?”
“The night Tala died. I don’t remember anything.”
“You were at a party.”
“Was I?” She licked her lips and Audrey poured her more water. “Was I there the whole night?”
Brow wrinkling, Audrey set the glass aside. “I don’t know. Were you?”
A slight shrug. “I thought so, but Lucy…Lucy says she couldn’t find me when she first came back with Randy.”
“Did she go looking for you?”
Kendra frowned. It was obvious she was trying to remember, but it just wasn’t there. “I don’t know.” She closed her eyes.
Audrey hesitated. Silently, she counted to ten. Kendra didn’t stir. Had she fallen asleep? Slowly, she moved to leave the bed.
“Do I have blood on my hands?”
Audrey jumped. Kendra looked up at her, eyes wide open now—or at least as wide as she could open them. “I look at them and sometimes I think there’s blood.”
Jesus. “There’s nothing on your hands, Kendra.”
“Good.” And then. “I’m afraid I killed her.”
“Why would you kill her? She was your friend.”
“Sometimes I get really angry when I go off my meds. I was off them then. I’ve hurt people when I’m angry.”
Yes, Alisha could vouch for that, as could Elle. “Kendra, if you think you hurt Tala, you need to talk to the police.”
“Yeah.” She sighed—a resigned sound.
Audrey tilted her head. “Kendra, did you take the knife from your father’s collection?”
The girl thought about it. “I don’t think so. I don’t remember.”
“Did you put it in Luke’s room?”
“I don’t remember that either. If I did it, wouldn’t I remember?”
“I don’t know.” If the girl were more coherent, Audrey would probably say something about the brain sometimes trying to protect people by blocking memories, but there didn’t seem to be any point.
A tear trickled from Kendra’s eye down into her hair. “I hated her because she had Luke and she didn’t seem to care. She was fucking my brother too. She only wanted Luke because Lucy and I had both dated him, and she knew I still liked him. What kind of friend does that?”
“I think maybe Tala was insecure,” Audrey commented. “And she wanted to be like you and Lucy, her friends.”
“I hated her. I still hate her.” Another tear. “Oh, God. I killed her. Lucy was right.”
“Sshh.” Audrey calmed her before she could get too wound up. She pressed the buzzer for the nurse to come and give her something to make her sleep. She stayed with her until she knew it had taken effect. Then, and only then, did she decide it was time to go. She wasn’t going to tell Neve what Kendra had said, but she might suggest Neve interview her when she was more herself. And she made a note to check in with the psychiatrist assigned by the hospital.
Outside Kendra’s room she ran into Lucy. Wearing capris and a blouse, the girl looked summery and cool. She had a soda bottle in one hand and her phone in the other. “Oh, hey, Dr. Harte. What are you doing here?”
“Hi, Lucy. Kendra wanted to talk to me.”
The girl glanced toward the room. “About what?”
“Just talk.”
Closing the distance between them, Lucy looked hesitant. “I’m worried about her.”
“The two of you are best friends, of course you’re worried.”
A scared gaze met hers. “No. I’m really worried. Some of the things she’s been saying . . .”
“Like what?”
“Like . . .” Lucy glanced around, as though making certain they were alone. “Like she killed Tala. I told her she’d never do something like that, but…but I heard that the knife used to kill Tala belonged to Mr. Granger.”
Audrey didn’t bother to ask how she’d heard that. Gossip had a life of its own in Edgeport and the surrounding towns. “I heard that too.”
“She was in Luke’s room. She knows about his collection—everyone does.” Tears filled her eyes. “What if she really did hurt Tala? I shouldn’t have left her alone that night.”
Audrey put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “None of us are responsible for the actions of others, Lucy. You can’t claim fault for Kendra any more than she can for you.”
The girl froze. “Did she say something about me?”
“Only that you were worried about her, as any friend would be.” Audrey smiled. “Why don’t you go sit with her? Here, give me that bottle. I’ll get rid of it for you.”
Lucy handed her the soda bottle. “Thanks. Yeah, I will go hang with her for a while. You think she’ll be okay?”
She nodded. “I do.”
Audrey said good-bye and made her way to the elevator. She waited until she was walking across the parking lot to call Neve,
the soda bottle in her purse.
“Now’s not a good time,” Neve said when she picked up.
Audrey ignored her. “It’s Lucy. She killed Tala.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
No offense, but I’m going to need more than just your gut to prove Lucy killed Tala,” Neve said when she met Audrey a short time later at her house. “And why do you keep rubbing your stomach? You feeling okay?”
Audrey’s hand froze over her abdomen. She looked down like she hadn’t been aware of what she’d been doing. “Must have been something I ate. Look, it’s more than my gut. It’s professional opinion.”
“Explain.”
“First, here.” She dug through her bag and handed Neve a soda bottle. “It was Lucy’s. It’s got her prints and her DNA.”
Neve arched a brow. “Where’d you get that?”
“She gave it to me to toss out. Just take it.”
Neve did. “Okay, now tell me what made you think she’s guilty when Kendra’s the one who’s got the history of violence and mental health issues.”
“It’s simple, really. She sold Kendra out.”
Neve frowned. “Because she’s worried about her?”
“Because she implicated her. Look, a real friend would never do that. A real friend always has your back.”
“You’re speaking from experience.”
“Damn straight. Maggie and I never turned on each other. Not when it mattered.”
Neve didn’t know the whole truth about the night Clint Jones was murdered and she didn’t care to. A little while back, Audrey had helped her with a case that required spending time with a serial killer who wanted to know Audrey’s story. She told him what he wanted to know, but Neve had no idea what she said, or how much of it was real. It was none of her business. At that moment, however, she wished she knew more.
“Think about it,” Audrey said to her. “When you were a teenager, did you ever rat out your best friend?”
Neve shook her head. “No. If anything, I’d lie to protect her.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. As soon as I told Lucy I’d been talking to Kendra, she got squirrelly, like she thought maybe Kendra had implicated her. I think Lucy was covering her ass by throwing Kendra under the bus.”
“That’s harsh. What’s her motive? She didn’t seem to have a hate on for Tala, nor did she care that she was dating Luke.”
“I don’t know why she did it, but it wasn’t a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing. She had to steal that knife, and that means she had intent.”
Neve looked at her dubiously, then glanced at the bottle. “I guess I’d better run this against what we got off both knife cases and Tala’s glove.”
“You might want to do it quickly and quietly. If Lucy thinks we’ve figured her out, she might try to cover her tracks—or take someone else down with her.” Audrey chewed on her lower lip.
Neve’s gaze narrowed. “You look constipated. What’s up?”
Audrey met her gaze. “Remember when Jake slept with Maggie?”
“Like I’ll ever forget. I thought you were going to kill one of them.”
“I wanted to. That’s why Maggie did it—to force me to confront her, because she knew sleeping with the guy I liked was the worst thing she could do.”
“But if Lucy still has a thing for Luke, why go after Tala and not Kendra? Kendra dated him right after Lucy and Luke broke up.”
“Because she didn’t care that Kendra dated him. What she cared about was that Tala betrayed Kendra by dating Luke.”
“If she’s so loyal to Kendra, why turn on her?”
“Because Kendra doesn’t appreciate what she did for her? Or because she’s getting scared.”
Neve shook her head. “That sounds like a soap opera plot.”
Audrey’s shoulders sagged a bit. “Maybe it does, but I’m telling you, Neve. Lucy did it.”
“Because your gut.”
“Because I know a killer when I look one in the eyes and they look back.”
Her gaze was so direct Neve couldn’t look away. As reluctant as she was to run with Audrey’s theory, she had to admit it was as valid as any other she had pursued, plus she couldn’t deny the fact that sometimes it really did take one to know one.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll see about getting prints off this bottle and test the DNA against the glove. Hopefully it will give us something to run with.”
“And fast,” Audrey added. “If Lucy feels cornered, there’s no telling what she might do—or who she might hurt.”
Neve considered that. “Like Luke’s new girlfriend?”
Audrey’s eyes widened. “Alisha.”
Luke’s mother and her boyfriend left them with homemade pizza and enough soda to drown a small country when they went out for dinner that night. Of course Alisha didn’t mind staying with Luke until they got back. Linda acted like Alisha was the one doing them a favor.
“Does she really think we’re going to eat all of this?” Alisha asked when she took the pizza out of the oven.
Luke smiled. “I can easily eat half of that by myself.”
She shot him an envious glance. “Boys.”
She got down plates and glasses and filled both for each of them. Then she made Luke go back to the living room and carried his food in for him.
“I’m not useless,” he told her. “I can carry stuff without hurting myself.”
In her family, fussing was how they showed they cared when they couldn’t find the balls to say the words. “I know. Just let me do it.”
He seemed to understand, because he didn’t argue anymore. He just sat there and smiled at her in a way that made her insides tingle. She remembered that night in her room—his hands on her body…
“Be right back.” She practically ran back to the kitchen, face hot. She wanted to be with him again, but the thought made her nervous. He was right—they were so backward. He’d already seen her naked; the rest should be easy, shouldn’t it?
They were each into their second piece of pizza and well into their movie when Alisha got up to get them both more soda. She had just refilled both glasses when the doorbell rang. For a second, she entertained the idea of not answering, because she knew that whoever was on the other side wasn’t someone she wanted to see.
When Luke appeared in the doorway between kitchen and living room, she knew she had no choice but to check. Of all the people it could have been when she opened the door, Lucy was not the one she expected to see.
“Hi,” the girl said, with a small wave of her hand. She looked embarrassed. “I thought you’d probably be here. Can I come in?”
“What do you want?” Luke asked, suspiciously.
Lucy’s pale cheeks pinkened. “To apologize. For me, and for Ken. She’d be with me if she weren’t still in the hospital.” When neither Alisha nor Luke spoke, she added, “Look, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me. I’ll make it quick.”
Alisha glanced at Luke. He nodded. Against her better judgment, she stood back and let Lucy inside. As the redhead crossed the threshold into the house, Alisha bristled with distrust. She wanted to call Audrey, or even Neve, and that annoyed her. Seriously, she ought to be able to handle Lucy on her own.
Lucy saw the pizza and glasses on the counter. “Sorry to interrupt. Go ahead and eat.”
Alisha didn’t have much of an appetite, but she grabbed the pizza from the sideboard and followed as Luke turned to go back into the living room. Personally, she would have preferred to stay in the kitchen so Lucy didn’t think she had an invitation to stay, but the girl was pouring herself a soda, so it was obvious she didn’t care.
“What is that?”
Both Alisha and Luke glanced toward the TV as Lucy brushed past them. “The Matrix,” Luke replied.
Lucy cast a tiny smile at Alisha as she sat down. She set three glasses of soda on the coffee table. “You actually like this stuff?”
“Yeah,” Alisha admitted. “I do.” And she resen
ted the implication that she was only watching it because Luke wanted to. She wasn’t the kind of girl who did things just because she thought it would make a boy happy. And she wasn’t going to thank Lucy for bringing her a drink either. Fuck that. She shrugged.
“Okay. So, you guys heard about Kyle?” At Luke’s nod, she continued. “Ken’s wrecked over it. She can’t believe it. You know the cops think it was intentional—that he killed himself because he felt so guilty for what he did to Tala.”
Alisha didn’t speak. She was waiting for Lucy to get to the point.
“I heard that,” Luke said. “Look, Luce, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d like to get back to the movie.”
She gave him a sad look. “Wow, that’s harsh. I guess I deserve it after all that’s happened. I’m sorry about all of it, Luke. So is Kendra. She knows she acted like a nut job. It’s just that she’s so crazy about you, she can’t see straight. No offense, Lish.”
Alisha didn’t even blink. “No. Of course not.”
“Kendra’s going to have to get over it,” Luke said. “I’m sorry she’s hurt, but I’m with Alisha now, and nothing’s going to change that.”
Lucy glanced from one of them to the other. “So, you’re official now?”
Alisha turned to Luke. It needed to come from him. He nodded. “We are.”
“Well, nice for you two that something good came out of this. Meanwhile, Kendra has lost a friend, and her brother.”
And Luke, Alisha added silently. She’s lost Luke. “Is she okay?” she asked, because she couldn’t help herself. She wasn’t so cold that she didn’t have some empathy for Kendra.
“No,” Lucy responded. “She’s really not. But she’s sorry for what she did to you. We’re both sorry, for everything.”
Luke nodded. The two of them stared at Lucy, waiting to see if there was anything else. Apparently, there wasn’t. The girl laughed self-consciously. “Okay, so I know when I’m not wanted. I told Kendra I’d be back tonight, so I guess I’d better go. Don’t get up—I know where the door is.”
Alisha watched her get up and followed her with her gaze as she left the room. She listened for the front door to close, but it wasn’t until she heard Lucy’s car pull out of the driveway that she spoke. “That was weird.”
