by Jenn Cowan
“You look lovely. Josh always said you looked pretty in black.”
I snort and try not to roll my eyes. Josh always told me I looked good in any color. He was my best ego booster.
“Are you ready to go?” My dad pops his head in the room and gives me a sad smile. He’s wearing his best dark suit and tie with shiny black shoes. “I have the car warming up. It’s a frigid one out there today. Abby says they aren’t going to do a graveside service with the temperatures what they are and with no…” my dad gulps, “body. They’re going to place a headstone once the snow melts.”
I nod, completely numb to what he’s saying. A part of me still wants to believe that if they haven’t found Josh’s body then he might still be alive. No body, no funeral, which means no tombstone.
My parents leave me to my thoughts as we make our way through the snow and into the car.
I sit in the backseat watching Daysville fly by. A fresh blanket of snow covers the town and only a few cars are on the street. Everyone must be on their way to the church.
It’s Sunday and usually we have services, but today, we are only having one service, which will include Josh’s funeral. I listen to my mother ramble on about Pastor John being gracious enough to only have one service with the weather being as cold as it is. The Crafty Crew ladies and their old joints would have a hard time getting out for morning service and an afternoon service for Josh.
When we pull up to the church, my father lets us out in front of the church then goes to park the car. I’m immediately met with sad faces, hugs and condolences. Josh’s parents are in all black and standing next to an empty urn although my mother said they burned Josh’s clothes to put in there to have a piece of him. I frown at the idea. The idea that Josh isn’t in there and neither is his body, but we’re still having this ridiculous funeral.
Someone coughs next to me as I make my way up the aisle and I slide a glance in their direction. Brooklyn smiles up at me with pearly whites then pinches her nose and turns away.
I narrow my eyes at her as my face grows red then I try to catch a whiff of myself. “Do I still smell like a skunk?” I whisper to my mother.
“Only a little, dear,” she says, quietly, patting my arm.
I glare over my shoulder at Brooklyn, who only smirks. Before I have a chance to turn around and cause a scene by telling everyone in Daysville how awful Brooklyn and her daughter are, Abby’s engulfing me in her arms.
She sniffles in my ear then says, “Josh loved you so much.”
Oh, great. Now, the water works start again and I’m sobbing into her shoulder. She strokes my hair and squeezes me tighter. When she let’s go, she gives me a sad smile then turns to hug my mother.
Brian gives me a quick hug and wrinkles his nose slightly, I’m assuming getting a whiff of the skunk. He gestures to the front pew.
I take a seat and try not to stare at the bronze urn behind him. My eyes drift over to it and my stomach turns thinking about never seeing Josh again. This can’t be happening. I keep waiting to wake-up, but so far, this nightmare just keeps on going.
Pastor John takes the pulpit and begins the service.
My parents flank either side of me and put their arms around me. Abby sits next to my mom and sends me another sad smile while Brian slips an arm around her. Someone coughs behind me and I glance back.
Cat, Travis, Allison and Regina are sitting back a few rows to my left.
Cat gives me a small wave and a smile.
I return it then frown when I see her smile fall. Her phone’s in her hand and she’s staring at the screen. Her entire face is white and she looks about ready to faint. She excuses herself and slips out of the back door.
Travis watches her go with a frown on his face. When he turns back around, he meets my eyes and lifts an eyebrow.
I shrug.
Allison tugs on his hand and shakes her head then sends me a tight smile.
I return it then contemplate following Cat, but my mother squeezes my knee. I focus back on what the pastor is saying, even though I don’t want to hear about all of Josh’s accomplishments. I know all about them. I don’t want to hear how great a guy he was or how generous or kind. I know all of this.
Tears drop down my cheeks and I brush them away. Suddenly, the room starts to spin and I fear, I might be sick. I jump up from my seat and race to the bathroom. Once I dry heave, I wash my hands and stare at my reflection in the mirror.
What am I going to do? Josh is gone. My best friend is gone. We’ll never own the spa. Sally will probably sell it to some random person and I’ll spend the rest of my life working for someone else or worse, they’ll fire me and hire their own staff or buy the building and turn it into a coffee shop. My stomach turns again. There’s nothing left to expel, but it still churns loudly. This can’t be my life.
My phone buzzes in my purse and I pull it out, knocking out half of the contents with it. Once I put them all back inside, I check my phone. It’s from Cat.
“I need you. I’m at the spa.”
11
“Cat, what did you do?”
She stares at me with wide green eyes. Tears streak down her crimson cheeks. Her red hair’s hanging over her face and her entire body’s shaking. The knife drops from her hand and clatters to the floor. Blood flies off it and onto her black boots and dress. “I-I,” she clamps her mouth shut then rushes from the room and toward the bathroom.
I can hear her gagging then heaving in the bathroom. I’m torn between rushing to help her and the unconscious girl on the spa floor. I step around the body and notice the dark brown hair covering her face. Dread fills me as I know who this is. I recognize the black lacy dress and designer shoes.
Jana.
I bend down and check for a pulse.
It’s faint.
I fumble with my cell phone and call for an ambulance. Sirens sound close by. Good. There’s not much time. I grab a towel and press it to the wound. “Jana. Jana. Can you hear me?”
Nothing.
Shoot. I check her pulse again. It’s still there. Please let her live. I glance in the direction of the bathroom. Cat hasn’t come out yet. What happened?
The room is a mess. Chairs are knocked over. Pillow from the couch are on the floor. A mug is broken a few feet from where Jana’s lying like someone threw it at her. Did Jana and Cat get into a fight?
Was Cat angry enough to stab her? I push the thoughts away when someone bangs on the back door. I rush to open it and the paramedics snap into action. They have Jana loaded up and on her way to the hospital in minutes. I feel slightly better when they tell the operator at the hospital that Jana’s alive, but unresponsive.
I begin to shake and not because I left my coat in the front pew of the church with my parents. After I got Cat’s text, I didn’t tell anyone where I was going, I just came right here. Yes, I walked in freezing cold temperatures. My dad drove us so he had the keys and I wasn’t going to interrupt Josh’s funeral.
Josh’s funeral.
I groan. I left my best friend’s and the man I love’s funeral. His parents are never going to forgive me, but maybe they’ll understand, Cat needed me.
I wonder if she called her dad. I’m guessing not, since he’s not here securing the scene and demanding answers. What happened? I remember Cat getting a text in church, which made her face turn white. Did Jana coax her here? Why? Was Jana trying to hurt Cat and Cat defended herself? That must be what happened. Cat wouldn’t do this on purpose. I know as sure as I know my name.
My phone buzzes in my hand. My dad’s face lights up the screen.
“Hi, Dad,” I say, staring down at the blood on the floor of the breakroom in the spa. This spa has seen more blood in the past year then in its entire existence.
“Are you okay? Where are you? Your mother checked the bathroom.”
“I’m at the spa.”
“The spa, why?”
“Dad, I need you to get Travis and meet us here at the spa.”
“Us? Autumn, what’s going on?”
“There’s been an accident, well maybe not an accident, but something’s happened.”
“What happened?” he demands.
“Dad, lower your voice. Just get Travis and get here ASAP. Don’t tell anyone anything.” I pause then whisper, “I think Cat’s in trouble.”
“Don’t touch anything. We’ll be right there.” He hangs up.
I place my phone back in my purse and glance around the room again, hoping to spot something that will tell me what happened here. Nothing. I glance toward the bathroom. The only person with answers is in there and I need to talk to her. “Cat?” I knock on the bathroom door.
Sniffling and whimpering comes from behind the door.
“Cat, open up, please.”
The lock turns and Cat peeks her puffy face out of the door. “I didn’t do it,” she croaks.
I nod. “What happened?” I motion for her to come out. I’m careful not to touch her because she has blood on her hands, dress and boots, but I really want to pull her into a hug. Travis will kill me if I taint the evidence. Not really, but he’ll be really angry. The man’s serious about following police protocols.
“I got a text in the church,” Cat hiccups and her eyes flicker toward the breakroom. “Is she…”
“She’s at the hospital. Still alive the last I heard.”
Her eyes well up with tears. “I didn’t do it,” she says, again.
“Tell me what the text said.”
“It said…”
“Don’t answer that question,” Travis says, glaring at me. “Don’t say another word, Cat. Unless it’s to your attorney.” He gestures to my dad. “We have to process your clothes. Come with me.” He motions for her to follow him.
My dad comes over and puts an arm around me. “Do I need to represent you as well?”
I shake my head. “No. Jana was already stabbed when I got here. I only touched her wrist to check for a pulse and the towel to press it to her wound. The paramedics took it with them.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“I saw Cat get a text in church. She turned pale and left. I began feeling ill listening to the Pastor’s words… thinking about never seeing Josh again. I went to the bathroom. I got sick.”
He cringes and gives me a squeeze. “I’m sorry, honey. I know today is hard on you and now, this.” He nods toward the break room. “Then what did you do next?”
“I got a text from Cat, telling me she needed me at the spa.”
“So, you walked here.” He assesses my outfit. “In that? Why didn’t you come get me?”
I bite my lip, pondering if I should tell him about the bullying. It’s only going to make Cat look guilty. Like she was enacting revenge or finally snapped and stabbed Jana to end the torture.
“Autumn? You know something. You only chew your lip when you’re holding something back.”
I sigh and quit biting my lip. “Jana and her friends have been bullying Cat. Even Jana’s mother, Brooklyn’s in on it. They threw the tomatoes, spilled soda on Cat’s flowers from Liam then stole her phone and texted me to get me to go over to Travis’s house so they could put a skunk in my Jeep, then made sure it would spray us.”
My dad frowns. “This sounds serious. Why are they bullying you both?”
“It has to do with Cat rejecting them and I guess me and Travis.”
He quirks an eyebrow. “You and Travis?”
I shake my head. “Not like that although they blame me for Travis ending the engagement party last night. I guess the skunk was a warning. Stay away from Travis.”
He nods. “I’ve heard things about Brooklyn stirring up trouble.”
“You have?” My eyes widen with surprise.
“Yes, your mom keeps up with all the gossip in Daysville and then relays it to me. Sometimes I listen, sometimes I pretend I’m sleeping.” He winks at me.
I smirk. “So, what have you heard?”
“Brooklyn seems to be set on taking over April’s queen bee seat and she was pushing Jana to do the same in high school.”
I roll my eyes.
He chuckles. “My guess is they were using Cat.”
“Using Cat?”
“Yes, Cat’s loved by everyone and well, Jana isn’t….” He pauses then continues, “Brooklyn probably thinks befriending Cat will help Jana’s reputation, but Cat’s smart, I’m guessing she didn’t want anything to do with her, right?”
I nod.
“They feel rejected so they decide to make Cat’s life miserable.”
“It’s a pretty good theory, counselor,” I bump my dad’s shoulder. I’ve missed him. Missed running theories with each other. In high school, Dad would often run case theories by me. Never giving me anyone’s name, but enough details to help me come up with some ideas and eventually, figure out the case… together.
He grins at me then frowns. “Now, we have to figure out who’s framing Cat and why.”
“Definitely,” I respond, peeking around the corner and into the breakroom. “We need to talk to Cat and get her phone. Maybe we can figure out who sent her the text.”
A couple officers are already here and securing the scene. I nod to them then whisper to my dad, “Where are Cat and Travis? I figured they would be in the breakroom.”
“An officer took them down to the station. Travis has to take a step back from this case. Everything has to be done by the book. He can’t risk anything especially when it comes to Cat.”
“Of course. Should we head to the station?”
My dad nods, checking his phone. “Let me call your mother then we’ll go. She’s probably wondering where we are. I left with little explanation. You know how she worries especially with Josh…” his voice trails off like he forgot who he was talking to for a second. “I’ll just be a minute.” He points to the office.
I give him a smile then focus back on the scene when my phone rings. The number is blocked and I get a sickening feeling in my gut. “Hello?”
Brooklyn’s voice hisses in my ear, “I know you and that little twit did this to my daughter and you will pay. I swear, Autumn. You will pay and so will Cat.”
12
I blink then jump when my dad puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Sorry.” My dad gives me an apologetic look and gestures to my phone. “I overheard. Don’t listen to her, Autumn. She’s upset and out for blood. The sooner we solve this case, the better it will be for you and Cat. Let’s go to the station.”
I nod and give the officers a key to lock up before following my dad out to his truck. I slip into the passenger seat and lean my head against the headrest. Daysville passes by in a blur and before I know it, we’re parking in front of the police station.
“Ready?” My dad studies me.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I know Cat didn’t do this, but if she didn’t then who? Jana was popular, but she was a bully. Now, we just need to figure out who else she was terrorizing.” I push open the door, but my dad grabs my arm.
“Are you sure you’re up for this? I could take you to the church. They’re having the luncheon for Josh. Maybe you should be there.”
I nibble on my lower lip. A part of me thinks I should be to, but Cat needs me. If Josh were here, he would tell me to be with Cat. My heart aches thinking about him. I blink back the tears that are threatening to fall and force a smile. “If Josh were here, he’d be helping me with this.”
My father nods. “Alright then, but if you change your mind or feel overwhelmed, you tell me immediately and I’ll take you home or Travis will.”
I snort. “Travis isn’t going anywhere. There’s no way, he’s leaving Cat’s side.”
My father sighs. “He may not have a choice.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he’s a detective. He can’t touch this case with a hundred-foot pole. I’m sure the Captain is going to put him on leave. The poor guy’s probably acting like a caged animal right now. I know I
was when you were accused of murdering April.” He pauses and swallows.
I reach out and squeeze his hand. “It all worked out. This will too.”
He pats my hand and gives me a smile before a commotion by the front of the police station draws our attention. The door to the station hits the brick and it’s surprising it didn’t shatter. Travis stomps around back and forth, running a hand through his red hair. He’s yelling into his cell phone and waving his free hand around in the air.
My father squeezes my hand and pushes open his door. When he rounds the front of his truck, he takes my elbow to keep me from slipping on the ice as we make our way across the parking lot. “Why don’t you check on Travis, while I see if I can talk to Cat.”
I nod as he disappears inside.
Travis is still ranting into the phone. When he sees me, he mumbles something I can’t make out and hangs up.
“How are you holding up?”
He’s squeezing his cell phone so tightly, he’ll be lucky if it doesn’t crack. “Not well.”
I give him a sympathetic smile then ask, “How’s Cat?”
“I don’t know.” He sighs. “She won’t talk to me.”
“She won’t?”
“Well, I told her not to. I can’t be anywhere near this case.” He stares at me for a moment. “But you can… and your dad. I need you to solve this case, Autumn. Fast. I can’t see my baby go to jail.” Tears fill his eyes and he reaches out and takes my hands in his. “Please, Autumn. Help my little girl.”
I blink back tears and give his hands a squeeze. “Of course. Dad’s in there now, hopefully talking to her. Why don’t we get you a cup of coffee?”
He opens his mouth to respond when we hear tires screeching. They stop inches from us and Allison jumps out.
“Oh, Travis I just heard. How could Cat do such a thing? I mean first she steals Jana’s boyfriend and now, this. I can’t believe it.”
My jaw drops open and my eyes have to be bulging out of my head.
Travis’s jaw clenches and his face turns red. “What are you talking about?”
