Justin’s eyebrows pulled together.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Remember I told you that the teachers didn’t like the students hanging around the diner all the time?”
My eyes widened. “You think there’s a connection between the school and the diner?” I rested my chin on my steepled fingers, then spoke slowly and softly. “Heather works at the school office. Teenagers follow Heather to the diner.” My heart started to race. I looked up at Justin. “There’s gotta be a connection,” I told him.
“I think so too. But the problem is how do we find out what it is?”
I bit my lower lip, nodding slowly. “Just like I said before: we get them all to the diner and let them confess.”
He took another long sip of his coffee, then set the cup on the table and traced his finger over the rim. “But what if we’re wrong?” he asked. “What if Heather doesn’t take the bait?”
I thought for a minute. Things had to run like clockwork in order for my plan to work.
“We phone her anonymously,” I suggested. “Instead of calling from your cell, we’ll call from that payphone on the wall so no caller information will be displayed on her phone.”
Justin smiled. “And by being anonymous, we save ourselves the embarrassment if we’ve made a mistake.”
“Exactly,” I said. “But I don’t think we’re making a mistake. Whatever Angelica knew cost her her life. And it had to involve both Mr. Winslow and Michael Black. Since they’re partners, it also had to involve the diner.”
Justin leaned forward and tossed me a crooked smile. “You do plan to let your uncle know what we’re planning, right?”
I knew he’d get around to that question, but I didn’t mind. I’d already decided that my uncle’s participation was key to accomplishing this mission.
I nodded slowly. “Oh, yeah,” I said. “We need Uncle Bob’s help with this plan. I have a feeling that Michael Black and Mr. Winslow are keeping a close watch on my uncle, hoping he’ll eventually lead them to me.”
Justin’s expression deflated. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he said. “How are we going to get a message to him? Could they have tapped his phone?”
I waved away the suggestion. “They’d need police participation to find the location of a cell phone or any other phone for that matter. I doubt they have those kinds of contacts. And I never told Uncle Bob where we were.”
His worried expression didn’t change. “So what is the plan?” he asked.
“Once we call Heather, we phone Uncle Bob and tell him we’ve discovered the reason for Angelica’s murder, and that we’re on the way to Winslow’s Diner to prove it. Believe me, there’s no way he won’t get there as fast as he can.” I picked up my coffee cup and sipped the now lukewarm brew. “Uncle Bob is furious at me now. He’s also tired. I could hear it in his voice. If he had any clue where we were right now, the police would already be here questioning us.” I took another sip and nodded. “He’ll call the police as soon as he knows where to send them.”
“Okay,” Justin said. “I’ll admit, it sounds like a good plan, but just in case you’re wrong, I’m also calling 9-1-1 as soon as we see your uncle enter the parking lot.”
Before I could respond, our waitress appeared with a fresh pot of coffee. She smiled and filled our empty cups to the rim. “You two look like you’re deep into something serious here,” she said. “I’ll keep the coffee coming.”
I thanked her, then waited until she left before whispering to Justin. “I hope we haven’t been talking louder than we thought.” I glanced around the diner, noticing the curious stares of the other customers. “If someone becomes suspicious or nervous by what we’re saying, they might alert the authorities.”
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I took a long sip of coffee, hoping to wash it away.
Justin nodded. “Then let’s go over the plan one more time,” he suggested. “Then we’ll call a cab and get this over with.” He put his cup down and lowered his arms to the table. His voice low, he began laying out the steps to our plan.
“Okay,” he said. “First we phone Heather and tell her we know she’s involved in something illegal at the diner. We’ll also tell her she could be implicated in a murder if she doesn’t cooperate. Then we phone your uncle and tell him to meet us at the diner.” He raised an eyebrow. “What about Winslow and Michael Black?”
“I’m betting my life that Mr. Winslow and Michael Black will be right behind my uncle. As soon as we spot them, I’ll make sure they see me sneak back to Winslow’s private office. You stay out front and wait for the police.”
“What if his office is locked?” Justin asked.
“It won’t be,” I assured him. “He never locks his office because he’s always there.” I tried to force a confident smile. “But this time, he’ll wish he had.” I paused for a moment and blew out a long breath. “Mr. Winslow will follow me back to his office and find me going though his desk.”
Justin frowned. “I’m not sure I like this plan.”
“But it’s the only way to get a confession,” I said. “This plan has got to move like clockwork. If we’re wrong about everything, then we’re in a lot of danger.”
Justin folded his hands on the table. While his mouth spread into a half grin, worry lines still creased his forehead. “Let’s call a cab.”
****
An hour later the plan was in motion. We phoned for a cab to pick us up and deliver us at Winslow’s Diner. Heather took the bait. She insisted she wasn’t involved in any murder, but she also wasn’t about to take the fall for the diner’s illegal activity. At least we’d been right about that, I thought.
We didn’t give Uncle Bob a chance to protest. We simply told him to meet us at the diner as soon as possible and we would explain everything when he got there.
Our cab arrived within minutes of our call. Justin paid the cashier, then ushered me outside. “I guess all we can do now is pray,” he said, blowing out a long breath.
I nodded and climbed into the cab. I prayed that Mr. Winslow and Michael Black followed Uncle Bob to the diner as we’d hoped. If we were wrong and they weren’t watching Uncle Bob in hopes of locating us, then not only would Angelica’s murder go unsolved, but our entire plan would be moot, and my life would still be in danger.
Thankfully, it took the driver only a few minutes to reach our destination. I glanced around to see if Uncle Bob had arrived, but his car was nowhere in sight. I said another silent prayer that he was on his way with our murder suspects hot on his trail.
The familiar smell of greasy burgers and fries indicated that it was work as usual at the diner. Heather perched at the cashier booth near the door when we entered.
“Morning, Heather,” Justin said. “Another busy day?”
She didn’t bother to acknowledge our presence. She continued to chew on her fingernails. Her usually impeccable appearance now looked tired and haggard.
“Let’s grab a seat near the front window,” I suggested. “That way we can see when the others arrive.” I swallowed hard, hoping it all worked according to plan. I wanted this to be over. I needed it to be over.
Justin slid into an empty booth, while I sank into the side opposite him.
Lisa emerged from the kitchen, balancing a tray of food on her arm. Her eyes widened with shock when she spotted me. Once she delivered the order to the appropriate customer, she walked over to our booth.
“What is going on?” she asked.
I decided to play innocent. I had no idea how much she knew, but I wasn’t about to involve anyone else in this dangerous game. “What do you mean?” I said.
“I thought you had quit or something. Mr. Winslow called me late last night and asked me to come in and open the diner this morning. He even said I could work the entire eight-hour shift. I knew something had to be up.”
She started to say something else, but I didn’t hear her. Uncle Bob’s beat up Volkswagen cruising toward the diner had s
eized my attention. I felt the color drain from my face when I realized there was no one following him.
Had we been wrong to jump to such a conclusion? I wondered. I glanced at Justin. His handsome face had pinched into a worrisome frown, indicating that he was having the same thoughts as me.
I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat. What would I tell Uncle Bob, I wondered, that I didn’t trust his ability to handle such a complicated situation? That we took matters into our own hands, but unfortunately, our idea didn’t pan out?
Moisture pooled behind my eyes, but I blinked them away. Our plan had failed. We had no other choice now but to go to the police.
Lisa tapped me on the shoulder, jolting me back to the present. “Denise? Denise? Did you hear what I said?”
“Huh?”
“I said Mr. Winslow hasn’t been here in two days. That’s not like him.” She sighed and combed a hand through her blond hair. “What is happening?” She started to say something else when something at the window caught her attention. “Well, speak of the devil.” She rolled her eyes and pointed out the window.
I followed the length of her finger toward the red Toyota pulling into the lot. Uncle Bob had just exited his vehicle and was racing for the front door. My heart beat an uneven rhythm as I watched Harry Winslow and Michael Black bolt from the Toyota.
I glanced at Justin, trying to offer a reassuring smile. I prayed our plan would work. If it didn’t, we’d done all we could. And a murderer would go free.
Sliding across the seat, I stood up, mentally preparing myself for the next phase of our plan. I was about to walk away when Justin grabbed my hand. I turned around, noticing the love and concern in his deep blue eyes.
“Tell me you’ll be safe,” he said slowly and deliberately.
I flashed him a reassuring smile and patted my hand against my purse, feeling the comfort of my weapon. There was no need to explain. We both knew what it meant.
I was almost to the kitchen when Uncle Bob stopped me. “Denise,” he said, grabbing my arm.
I didn’t have time for this. I needed to get away. I nodded toward the booth where Justin was watching. “I need to use the bathroom,” I said, thinking fast. “Justin will fill you in until I get back.”
He released my arm, and I almost ran through the kitchen to Mr. Winslow’s private office. I didn’t bother to look behind me to see if the two assailants were on my trail. I knew they were. My own fear alerted me that they were just seconds behind me.
At the door, I held my breath and turned the knob. And said a silent prayer of thanks when it opened. I bolted behind the desk and began rifling through the contents. I had no idea what I was looking for. I just prayed I’d recognize it when I saw it.
Footsteps pounded near the door. I swallowed hard. Time was running out. I still hadn’t located anything incriminating in my search so far.
My breathing rapid, I spun around, where a credenza ran the length of the back wall. A large window extended from the top of the cabinet to the ceiling.
Please let there be something here, I silently pleaded. There was a reason behind Angelica’s murder. And it had to involve the diner. I tried to convince myself that even if I couldn’t find anything incriminating in Mr. Winslow’s office, I might still be able to finagle a confession from him. Otherwise, Justin and I were in serious trouble.
Just as I scooped up a sheath of rubber-banded papers, the office door burst open. Mr. Winslow stood in the doorway, a cynical grin etched on his pudgy face. When he pushed the door closed behind him, my heart stopped beating for a second.
“So now you know?” he said, nodding. He reached behind him and turned the lock on the door.
My free hand slid into my purse and clamped onto my gun. I wasn’t going down without a fight. “Know what?” I asked.
He nodded toward the papers I held in one hand. Keeping one eye on my employer, I glanced at the documents, using my index finger to flip through the stack. My shocked gaze bounced from the evidence in my hand to my employer.
“You’ve been selling term papers and test results to high school students?” It was more of a statement than a question, since I held the proof in my hand. I tossed the stack onto the desk, holding his gaze. “Heather was stealing them for you, wasn’t she?” Of course she was, I realized. That’s why she kept her part-time job in the school office. And that’s how she afforded her expensive lifestyle.
“Angelica found out, didn’t she? She wanted to turn the two of you in?”
He didn’t respond. He moved forward, placing his hands on the desk.
Swallowing hard, I backed myself against the credenza. My heart beat recklessly against my chest. My breathing had become so rapid, I actually thought I might faint.
“I was right, wasn’t I?” I asked. My voice cracked with a fear I’d never experienced before. “Angelica was killed because she discovered what you were doing. Then you arranged for me to find the body. It was you I heard upstairs in the house that day.”
He laughed, a chilling, ruthless sound that made my blood run cold. “You think you’re so smart,” he finally said. “I was long gone before you got there.”
“Then who..?” Another wave of fear circled my head as the realization hit me. “Michael Black was upstairs. You were both in on it all along.” Although Justin and I had arrived at this conclusion, I still found it hard to believe that Michael Black killed his fiancée.
The same questions we’d wondered about all along assaulted me from all sides. It still didn’t make sense. We’d come this close to learning the truth, but the pieces still didn’t fit.
I had to know. Even if it was the last thing I learned before I died, I had to know the truth.
“Why would Michael Black kill his fiancée?” I asked. Was his hunger for wealth worth more than his love for his future bride?
The room started to spin. I put my hand on my head, trying to make sense of this startling information. If Mr. Winslow had already left when I arrived, then it had to be Michael Black in that house that day. And he had to have been the one who moved Angelica’s body after I left.
“He didn’t,” Winslow said with a scowl. “He didn’t have the guts.”
I closed my eyes, remembering the day I had spoken to Michael Black about Angelica’s murder. Seeing him then, so sad and defeated, I hadn’t believed him capable of murdering her. I opened my eyes, meeting my boss’s evil glare. “He loved her,” I said, knowing I was right.
My thoughts drifted to Justin who was waiting inside the dining room. Would we ever have the chance to share our love for one another? I wondered. We’d already been through so much. It seemed almost cruel that fate could now intercede and end any chance we had of making a life together.
Icy cold fear buckled my knees. One hand wrapped around the gun in my purse, I placed my free hand on the cabinet to steady myself. That’s when I noticed the police car pulling into the lot. I stole a quick glance at Mr. Winslow, wondering if he’d noticed as well. His triumphant expression hadn’t changed. I issued a silent prayer of thanks to the police for entering the lot unannounced. If they’d used sirens, the confession I was still hoping for wouldn’t happen.
Don’t react! I warned myself. I couldn’t let Mr. Winslow know he’d been set up. I had to keep him talking. If this was going to work, I needed a confession of murder.
I glanced at Mr. Winslow. “Then you killed Angelica,” I said. “You killed her and tried to frame your partner for murder. Michael Black loved Angelica.”
Mr. Winslow threw his balding head back and laughed. “Yeah, he loved her so much that he tossed her dead body into the river.”
Some of the pieces were starting to fit together, but I still had a question. “Who was following me in the red Toyota?” I asked. “And why?”
His eyes hardened into tiny slits. “You were supposed to go to the police when you found the body,” he said. “You’re the reason you’re in this mess now. If you’d done as I’d wanted, none
of this would be happening.”
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “You knew about Michael Black’s first wife dying of cyanide poisoning,” I said softly. “That’s why you used the same method to kill Angelica.”
He rubbed his bald scalp, then slid his hand over his face, before cupping his fingers around his chin. “That’s right,” he admitted. “I knew there was no way my partner could get away with murder twice in one lifetime.”
My eyes widened. “Twice?” A repulsive realization clicked in my brain. “You mean Michael Black really did kill his wife ten years ago?”
So Justin and I had been right all along, I thought. The contaminated capsules had merely been a scapegoat for Michael Black’s murder of his wife. But he had no intention of offering his new bride the same fate. That’s when his partner stepped in.
“Pretty clever of him, don’t you think? I’m sure you’ve done your research. Thirty years ago, some psycho was contaminating bottles of Tylenol. Several innocent people were killed. My partner decided to try a copycat murder using the same method.” He raised an eyebrow and flashed me an evil grin. “It was extremely unfortunate that others were killed in the process.”
A dark shadow appeared in the small gap between the floor and the base of the door. My pulse raced, but I tried not to react. Someone was outside the door. I prayed it was the police.
If I was going to get a confession, it had to be now.
“So you killed Angelica and attempted to frame your partner,” I repeated for the benefit of whoever was outside the door. I swallowed hard and tried to look scared. It wasn’t hard. “Are you going to kill me too?”
His voice raised a level. “I had to kill her. She kept snooping around, sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong. Just like you’re doing now.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pistol. He started to take aim, but my reaction was quicker.
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