by J A Whiting
“He told us he graduated from MIT and worked at a start-up for a while.”
“Yeah, he’s wicked smart. He knows everything about computers, online security, all that stuff.”
“He got laid off?” Olivia asked. She wanted to see if Kayla knew that Eric had been fired from his position at LearnApp.
“He didn’t care about getting laid off. He’s working on his own project.”
“What is it that he’s working on?”
Kayla pulled a few dollars from her jeans. “I have no idea. I don’t understand software or hardware or whatever he’s doing. You want a coffee from the machine?”
“No thanks.”
Kayla got up and went to the vending machine, fed in her dollar bills, punched in some numbers, and returned with a paper cup of steaming coffee.
“What’s Eric’s last name?” Olivia asked.
“Daniels.”
“Huh,” Olivia said. “That’s weird.”
“What?”
“I met a guy the other night. He said he had worked with an Eric Daniels. At a start-up in Kendall. LearnApp”
“Yeah. That’s where Eric worked. What’s weird then?” Kayla sipped her coffee.
“The guy said this Eric got fired. That he lost his temper all the time. Couldn’t get along with anyone. One day, he ranted about a co-worker to the CEO and security had to escort him out.”
“That can’t be the Eric I know.” Kayla smiled. “Eric’s not like that.”
“Eric’s not like what?” A man’s voice asked.
Olivia’s head whipped around. Eric was standing in the doorway of the waiting room. Kayla looked up, her eyes bright when she saw him there. “Hey. You got here fast.” She stood and went over to hug him.
As Eric patted Kayla’s back, he gave Olivia a cold stare that sent a chill along her spine.
Olivia assumed Eric had overheard the things she was telling Kayla that the guy had said about him and she wanted to deflect Eric’s attention away from her. She stood up. “Time for the little girls’ room.”
“I’ll go with you.” Kayla handed her coffee cup to Eric. “Be right back.”
The girls walked down the corridor looking for the restroom.
Olivia didn’t like the way Eric always seemed to be hanging around Kayla, like she needed a bodyguard. Kayla didn’t know that Eric got fired from his job, not laid off. He must have wanted to save face in front of her. Olivia wondered if that guy who said he’d worked with Eric was exaggerating about Eric’s behavior. And maybe Eric really did get laid off? “Does Eric live in Cambridge?”
“Yeah, off Mass Ave somewhere.”
“You’ve never been to his place?”
“No. That’s funny, huh? I never realized that. We always go somewhere.”
“You two hang out a lot?”
“Yeah. After work we might go for a drink. Go to the movies. We spend a lot of time together. He’s like my brother.”
“He doesn’t look at you like he’s your brother,” Olivia said.
Kayla let out a chuckle. “What do you mean? It’s not like that. Not at all.”
Olivia wasn’t so sure about that. She had the distinct impression that Eric didn’t think of Kayla as a sister. “Well, he sure doesn’t like me.”
“Oh, he’s just protective of me. Don’t let him bother you.”
They found the bathroom and then returned to the waiting room. Eric was sitting slouched in one of the chairs staring at his cell phone.
Olivia didn’t like the vibe Eric was giving off, so she picked up her coat and put it on. “I think I’ll head home. Melissa went home sick earlier and I’d like to check on her. Maybe I can call the hospital in the morning about Luke.”
“I’ll text you,” Kayla said, “when he gets out of surgery and after I speak with the nurse or the doctor. I can give you an update. Give me your number. I’ll give you mine.” Kayla took out her phone.
Olivia reached in her coat pocket. It was empty. She stuck her hands in the other pockets searching for her phone. “Where’s my phone? Oh, no, I hope it’s not lost. I just got it fixed.”
Eric bent and reached under the chair next to him. “This it?” He held it out to Olivia. His expression was still angry or cold. Olivia couldn’t read it.
“Yeah. Thanks. It must have fallen out of my pocket when I took off my coat.”
The girls exchanged numbers.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” Kayla said.
“Thanks. I’ll see you later.” Olivia couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. Why is Eric so damn antagonistic towards me? She headed out of the hospital entrance and hailed a cab. She gave her address and leaned her head against the back seat. Her eyes nearly slammed shut, and she had to fight to keep them open during the drive to her home. All Olivia wanted was to crawl into her bed and fall asleep.
Chapter 21
Olivia entered the apartment and looked in on Melissa. Her friend was sleeping soundly and Olivia didn’t want to wake her, so she went to her own room, stripped her clothes off and let them drop on the floor. She pulled on her pajamas and climbed under the covers. She was asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow.
It seemed like she slept for only a few minutes when she heard Melissa in the bathroom. Light was streaming in through her window. Olivia checked the clock on her night stand. Ten in the morning.
“Liv? You awake?’ Melissa came into the room and sat on Olivia’s bed. She had dark circles under her eyes.
Olivia sat up. “You okay? How do you feel?”
“Wiped. I went to bed as soon as I came home last night. What time did you get back? Did you find Luke?”
Olivia had forgotten that Melissa didn’t know anything about the events of last night. “It’s a long story. Are you up for it?”
Melissa stretched out on the bed next to Olivia and put her head on the pillow. “Maybe. Tell me what happened.”
“Wait.” Olivia reached for her phone and checked for messages. Kayla had sent a text a few hours ago saying Luke was out of surgery and that he would be in the hospital for about four days. He would be okay. Olivia breathed another sigh of relief.
“What’s up?” Melissa asked.
“A lot.” Olivia proceeded to relay what had happened from the time she left Melissa outside the club until she finally returned home in the early morning hours.
Melissa propped her head up with her hand. “I thought it was over. I thought it was probably that stupid football player Adam Johnson who killed the guys. God. It must have been awful to find Luke like that. Thank heavens he’ll be all right.”
“It was surreal finding Luke. I couldn’t believe it happened again. I was so hopeful that Adam Johnson was the killer. My heart almost stopped when I saw Kayla next to Luke holding a knife. I was terrified,” Olivia said. “I thought she stabbed him. I thought she would attack us. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“You were brave not to run away.”
“I’m not brave. I just knew we had to help Luke, and anyway, Ynes was with me. I started babbling at Kayla, asking her questions. Turns out, I believe her answers, but Ynes thinks Kayla is guilty.”
“Will they ever figure this out? Are they going to find the killer or is it just going to go on and on?”
“How many guys will be attacked before it stops?” Olivia asked. “I’m feeling low, Mel. Sort of hopeless. Why can’t this…this evil, be stopped?”
Melissa’s eyes closed, as she mumbled, “The eternal optimist isn’t allowed to lose hope.”
Olivia pulled the blanket up around her shoulders. “I feel like the bad guys keep winning. How can we stop them?”
Melissa was drifting off to sleep. “Don’t give up, Liv.”
Olivia pressed her hand against Melissa’s cheek. “Your fever is back. Did you take anything when you got up?”
Melissa didn’t answer. Her breathing was that of someone who had fallen into a deep sleep. Olivia adjusted the blanket over Melissa
and then slid out of the bed. She needed a shower and some breakfast before she headed off to her tutoring session, but she hoped a short run would lift her spirits and clear her head.
***
Olivia started jogging down her street when a text message came in letting her know that her tutoring pupil wouldn’t be in today so the session was cancelled. Since her day was now free of obligations, she decided to take advantage of the time and do a long run. She headed in the direction of Cambridge so that she could jog along the Charles River. The sun was sparkling and even though the day was cold, she knew her inner temperature would adjust and she’d be comfortable once she had been moving for a while.
Images of Christian and Gary and Luke popped into Olivia’s head and she tried to brush them away by focusing her thoughts on other things. She pictured her home in Ogunquit, the beach, the rocky cliffs at the ocean’s edge, and summer days spent swimming and kayaking.
When she reached Harvard Square, Olivia turned right onto JFK Street and jogged to Memorial Drive and the grassy area that lined the river. Her lungs were aching from the chilly air and her muscles were burning from her recent lack of exercise so she slowed to a brisk walk and followed the path along the water.
As she walked along, her thoughts drifted to Kayla and her unrequited love for Christian and it tugged at Olivia’s heart. Her phone buzzed and Olivia removed it to read the text. It was from Jason, the guy she met at the formal dance. She sighed at his request to get together and then pushed the phone back in her pocket. Jason had first contacted Olivia several days ago, and she nicely but firmly explained that it wasn’t a good time for her to start a relationship right now. Since then, Jason had sent her a bouquet of flowers and numerous texts asking her to meet up. Olivia replied to Jason’s first messages, telling him he was a nice guy but that she couldn’t get involved. She had been ignoring his more recent texts and wondered when Jason would finally stop nagging at her. Walking around alone at night, she always looked over her shoulder worried that Jason might pop up somewhere. A prickle of apprehension skittered through her body and after a few moments, the sensation gave way to annoyance.
Olivia was angry and bothered that Jason couldn’t let go of the idea of getting together and she was annoyed with herself for feeling on edge and vulnerable. His unwanted attention gave her the feeling that he was stalking her. She started jogging again trying to shake off her negative emotions and she trained her focus on the scenery and the people around her.
The river reflected the clear, bright blue of the sky, couples walked hand and hand along the riverbank, parents pushed strollers, and some guys were tossing a football around. The football reminded her of Ynes’ friend Eva and the illegal activities of Adam Johnson. Selling drugs out of the gym, threatening Gary, stalking Eva. Disgust flooded Olivia’s body as she thought about people’s desires and the actions some took when they couldn’t get what they wanted from someone.
An idea formed in Olivia’s mind and the surprise of it caused her to stop short on the jogging path. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before. The runner behind her almost collided into her back.
“Sorry!” she called as the runner side-stepped her and ran past.
Olivia took off running up a side street and turned right onto Mass Ave moving as quickly as she could, heading to Kendall Square. Why didn’t I ask this before?
***
A block from the Cream and Roses Cafe, Olivia slowed to a walk to bring her breathing back to normal. Up ahead, she caught sight of a blonde with short hair bobbing amongst the crowd of people on the sidewalk.
Olivia quickened her pace to catch up and called out, “Kayla!”
Kayla turned, surprised to see Olivia. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
They walked side by side.
“I was out for a jog. I needed a long run after last night.”
“A long jog wouldn’t be my first choice after a night like last night. Thank God Luke will recover.”
“You’re working now?”
“Yeah. I thought about calling in sick. I only slept a few hours after getting home from the hospital, but I need the money.”
Olivia asked, “Do you have a minute before you go in?” They were standing in front of the café.
“Um, I guess. I need to go in soon. I really only have a minute. What’s up?” Her blue eyes stared at Olivia.
“I was thinking.” Olivia shuffled her feet, and looked down at the sidewalk for a second trying to think of how to word things properly. She looked back up at Kayla.
“What is it?” Kayla asked.
“Did Eric know you were going to Christian’s party the night of the murders?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“What was he doing that night?”
It dawned on Kayla what Olivia might be hinting at and her facial muscles tightened. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m just wondering if…”
Kayla’s eyes narrowed and she cut Olivia off. “Are you accusing Eric of the murders? Really? How could you think that? Why would you think that?” Kayla’s voice got louder and passers-by shot her a look.
Kayla whirled away from Olivia and took a step towards the café’s entrance.
“Kayla. Wait.”
Kayla stopped and turned back to Olivia, moving in close. She kept her voice low. “How did you come up with this ridiculous idea? Just because Eric doesn’t like you and Melissa?”
“No. I didn’t say I think he’s the killer. I’m just wondering where he was that night. He’s so protective of you. I wondered if he tailed you to Christian’s to be sure you’d be okay. You must have told him that you hadn’t been invited to the party. He was probably worried how things would go. I thought maybe he might have hung around outside to be sure you didn’t leave upset.”
Kayla’s body relaxed as her anger started to dissipate.
Olivia went on, “If he was there, outside, I thought you could ask him if he saw anything unusual. Maybe if he thinks back on it, something, somebody, might stand out. Could you ask him if he was there? If he did go there watching out for you, he probably kept it to himself. Maybe he thinks you’d be mad that he followed you there, so he’s keeping quiet about it. He could’ve seen something that might be helpful.”
“I guess it’s not that wild of an idea,” Kayla said. “But he wasn’t there. He went to a department party at MIT that night. He wanted to see some friends from out of town who were going to be there.”
“Oh.” Olivia’s shoulders slumped. “Well. It was worth a shot. I’d hoped he was outside. I’d hoped he’d seen something.”
“I have to get in to work.” Kayla turned, but said over her shoulder, “Sorry I got mad.” She opened the door and disappeared into the busy café.
Olivia was shivering from standing in the cold covered in sweat. She considered going into the café to warm up before heading home, but decided against it. She didn’t know if Eric was inside working and she sure didn’t want to see him. She rubbed her arms and legs and then turned to start her jog back to Somerville, cursing herself for not bringing along some cash or her subway card.
Chapter 22
Olivia carried a gift bag filled with homemade cookies and some fancy chocolates as she walked down the hospital corridor looking for Luke’s room. When she found the number she wanted, she hesitated, a bit nervous about seeing Luke and talking about what happened to him. She took a deep breath, put a smile on her face, and entered the room.
“Hey,” she said.
Luke was lying in the hospital bed, the head of the frame elevated so that he was almost in a sitting position. Bandages were visible at his neck and on his hands, and Olivia’s breath caught in her throat remembering Luke prone in the hallway of his building covered in blood.
“Hey,” Luke said. His voice was strong and he had good color in his face. He smiled at Olivia, his eyes bright.
Olivia gave him a gentle hug.
“I’m okay,” he chuckled. “You
won’t break me.”
Olivia’s eyes misted over and she touched his hand. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She blinked to clear the emotion from her eyes. “I baked you some cookies and there are chocolates too.” She handed him the gift bag. “Melissa would have come, but she has the flu.”
A young man with dark brown eyes and sandy blonde hair sat on the opposite side of Luke’s bed. He cleared his throat. “You going to introduce me?” he teased his friend.
“Olivia, this is my friend, Rob. We know each other from MIT. Rob, this is Olivia, my hero.”
Olivia shook her head and blushed. “No, I’m not.” Rob and Olivia shook hands across Luke’s bed, and then she sat down in the chair that was pulled close to the head of his bed.
“I heard all about your heroics.” Rob smiled.
“Hardly. Our friend, Ynes, was there too. And, Kayla. Everyone played a part in helping.” Olivia looked at Luke. “You are one tough guy. You’re the one who survived the attack.”
“Must be my solid musculature,” Luke joked, and then his face turned serious. “Thank you. You saved my life.”
Olivia shook her head. “I think Kayla is the one to thank. I think she must have interrupted the attack. We just called ‘911.’”
Luke said, “Rob and I were just talking about how I could have avoided all this. I was supposed to go to the MIT department party with him the night Christian and Gary were killed.”
“Yeah,” Rob said. “But he bailed on me to go to Christian’s. Guess he learned his lesson never to bail on me.”
Olivia smiled. She liked the easy banter between the guys and thought it was probably just what Luke needed to lift his spirits. “Oh. Kayla’s Eric was at that party. He should have taken Kayla to it. Then she would have avoided the mess of that night too.”
“Eric, the rude weasel?” Luke asked.
Olivia smiled. “Yeah, him.”
“Who’s this?” Rob asked.
“Eric Daniels,” Olivia told him. “He graduated last year.”
Rob said, “I know who he is. I didn’t see him at the party. He wasn’t a very social guy. Never took part in anything the department put on.”
