“Ah. You want to return the wallet yourself so you have an excuse to see Luke,” Anne said knowingly. “Good thinking! But be sure to brush your hair before you go. Oh, and have you given those eyebrow tattoos I told you about any more thought?”
“Goodbye, Mom! I’ll be back shortly.”
***
Liana arrived at the leisure center a few minutes later. She jumped out of her car and made it halfway to the door. Then she turned around, went back to her car and combed her hair. She also put a little lipstick on before going off in search of Luke.
There was no one at the front desk when Liana walked inside. It wasn’t surprising. So many different fitness classes were offered at the leisure center that staffing was frequently an issue. That meant Liana had to find the yoga class herself.
“Why does this place have to be so big?” she whispered to herself as she began her search. “Yoga...yoga...where would the yoga class be?”
Liana made her way past the rock climbing wall. She walked past a large, empty dance studio that had mirrors on the walls. And then she passed by a bunch of stationary bikes. The yoga class was nowhere to be found.
“Excuse me?” Liana called out to the first person she saw. “Can you tell me where the - Lily!” she exclaimed in surprise when the young woman turned around. “I didn’t know that was you! How are you doing?”
“Not good,” Lily replied, hopping off of her stationary bike. She wiped her brow with a towel and walked over, red-faced and out of breath. “I keep worrying that Ray is going to show up here,” she confided, looking miserable. “I was tempted to stay home, actually.”
“Oh?”
Liana secretly wondered if Lily wasn’t being a tiny bit overdramatic. Was Ray really so awful that he had to be avoided at all costs? Liana remembered being Lily’s age. Everything had seemed like a huge deal, no matter how insignificant it actually was.
“I was going to stop by the coffee shop after my workout. But since you’re here, do you want to grab a smoothie?” Lily asked, nodding toward the juice bar. “I could really go for a vanilla protein shake right about now.”
“I’m actually here to return Luke’s wallet to him,” Liana explained, holding it up. “He’s at a yoga class, apparently. I haven’t been able to find where it’s being held.”
“Ah. It’s upstairs,” Lily said. “I’ll show you in a minute...right after I get my protein shake.”
Liana followed Lily over to the juice bar. She ordered a chocolate and banana smoothie, because why not? It looked and smelled delicious. Liana was relieved the juice bar didn’t serve coffee - otherwise she might have some stiff competition on her hands.
“Mmm, that hits the spot,” Lily murmured appreciatively after taking a slurp of her vanilla protein shake. “This is my post-workout ritual,” she explained. “Chester said I shouldn’t reward myself with food because it encourages a dangerous dynamic. But I think he was wrong.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Mmhmm. He was a little hypocritical when it came to that, come to think of it. Chester drank post-workout shakes, too,” Lily recalled. “But his weren’t yummy vanilla protein ones. They were gross concoctions with spinach and raw eggs in them.”
“That sounds nasty. Do you miss working with Chester?” Liana asked as they began to walk.
“Yes and no,” Lily admitted. “It was good to have someone pushing me. But like I told you before, sometimes he could be pretty brutal. I’m still sorry about what happened to him, though. Nobody deserves to be murdered.”
“Yeah, for sure.” Liana’s mind was racing. She took a deep breath. “Lily, the other day I asked you about Chester’s girlfriend, Delia. You told me you overheard them arguing about money once, right?”
Lily nodded. “Between you and me, I don’t think Delia is a very nice person.”
“Neither do I,” Liana confided. Then she asked, “How angry was she?”
Lily furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“Was Delia angry enough to harm Chester, do you think? Say, with poison, for example?”
The young woman let out a gasp. “You think Delia murdered Chester?”
“I don’t know,” Liana admitted. “But it’s a possibility I’m certainly considering. What’s your take on it? I never had a chance to see Chester and Delia together. You did. What is your gut telling you?”
Lily opened her mouth to reply. Then, instead of answering, she gasped. “Crap!”
“What’s the matter?”
Wordlessly, Lily pointed.
Ray had just walked into the leisure center, and it was clear from his purposeful stride that he had already spotted them. He marched over, his gaze focused on the object of his affection. In fact, he acted like Liana wasn’t even there at all.
“Just listen,” Ray said, holding up a hand to shush Lily before she even had a chance to get a word out. “All I’m asking for is a chance. One date, Lily. Let me take you out on one date. You owe me that much.”
“I owe you?” Lily repeated, her eyes flashing with anger. “I don’t owe you anything, Ray!”
Liana took a step closer to Lily. She stayed silent, but she was fully prepared to intervene if necessary. She didn’t like the way Ray was acting, and she sure didn’t like what he was saying. He was being aggressive and acting entitled. Liana wasn’t about to let him get away with it...but so far, Lily seemed to be handling the situation like a champ.
“You don’t owe me?” Ray scoffed. “Ha! After everything I’ve done for you...everything I’ve sacrificed…” He began to get agitated then, pacing with his hands clasped behind his back and his head down.
The encounter seemed to be spiraling out of control.
“Ray, why don’t you go for a walk?” Liana suggested. “Go cool off. Everything will be okay.”
“Everything will not be okay!” Ray shouted furiously, his words echoing throughout the room. “Chester did this!” he screamed, spraying tiny droplets of saliva everywhere. “Chester turned you against me!”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Lily demanded.
“Chester spent every single training session trying to humiliate me in front of you!” Ray complained. “Nothing I did was ever good enough for that jerk. He was always criticizing me, always belittling me. He was constantly harassing me about my eating habits and telling me I used my asthma as an excuse to be a lazy slob.”
“Well, yeah...but that was just how Chester was,” Lily reminded him. “He didn’t sugarcoat the things he said. We had to be thick-skinned and try not to take his insults personally. Chester was rude to everyone. You know that, Ray.”
“You let him get in your head!” Ray bellowed. “You believed him! He turned you against me! If it wasn’t for the mean things Chester said about me, you would want to date me. He ruined my chances with you! He ruined everything!”
“Uh, no.” Lily sighed. “Ray, I tried to let you down gently, but you don’t seem to be getting the hint. I’m going to spell it out for you. I am not interested in you romantically. I never have been and I never will be. It’s nothing to do with Chester. I’m just don’t think of you in that way.”
“You’re lying!” Ray yelled, tugging at his hair. “Liar!”
He stomped over to the nearest piece of gym equipment and kicked it hard.
Stunned, Lily looked at Liana. “He’s losing his mind,” she whispered fearfully.
Liana was every bit as shocked as Lily. She didn’t know what she was witnessing, but it wasn’t good. The young man seemed to be having some sort of emotional breakdown. Her protective instincts taking over, Liana stepped in front of Lily to shield her from Ray’s tirade. Then she addressed him in her calmest, most soothing voice.
“I think we all need to take a deep breath and take a step back. Ray, I can see you’re having a bad day. I don’t think you should drive home in the state you’re in. Is there someone I can call to come pick you up?” Liana asked. “A parent or sibling, maybe?”
The young man ignored her. He was completely focused on Lily. “I thought you were different than other girls,” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “I thought you were special, Lily. But you’re not. You’re nothing more than a shallow, mean -”
Lily shut Ray up when she threw what was left of her vanilla protein shake at him. She had impressive aim, too. The thick liquid splashed against Ray’s forehead and dripped down his face in a slimy, goopy mess.
It probably wasn’t the smartest or most mature thing to do. But Liana couldn’t fault Lily for it. She understood the young woman’s frustration. Unfortunately, wearing the protein shake really set Ray off. If he had been upset before, he was livid now.
“I should have dumped the rat poison in your shakes!” he exploded. “I killed for you, Lily! I literally killed for you! And you don’t appreciate it. You don’t deserve me!” he raged, taking a swing at the young woman. Thankfully, he missed by a mile.
“Whoa. Stop!” Liana urged. Then she thought about what Ray had said. Her jaw dropped in disbelief. “You’re the one who poisoned Chester?” she gasped, hardly able to believe it. “All because he insulted you?”
All the blood drained from Ray’s chubby, flushed face. Clearly he hadn’t meant to confess to murder. In his blind rage, the truth had simply slipped out. And now there was no going back. As the severity of what he had done hit him, Ray began to visibly panic.
His eyes started to dart around as though he was frantically searching for a way out.
Liana backed away, pulling Lily along with her. Ray was unpredictable, like a caged bear that had been poked with a stick. She was afraid he might lash out again.
But Ray didn’t react with violence. Instead, he turned and fled.
Seconds after Ray bolted from the leisure center, Luke ran into the room clad in workout clothes. “What’s going on?” he demanded, slightly winded. “I heard shouting from all the way upstairs. Is everyone okay?”
“Ray killed Chester!” Liana blurted out. “And he’s getting away!”
She looked out the window.
Ray was running through the parking lot, albeit not very gracefully. In another minute or two, he would likely reach his car and speed away. Then there was no telling where he would go or whether he would be caught.
Luke turned and immediately ran out the door in pursuit of Ray. Liana and Lily followed. All three of them were intent on catching the cold-blooded killer.
Thanks to his long legs, Luke was able to cover a large distance in a short time. Liana didn’t have height on her side, but her determination spurred her on. Lily, however, had been dedicating herself to her fitness routine for some time. It had paid off.
Though Lily was considerably heavier than Liana and much shorter than Luke, she was quick on her feet. She ran with ease, gracefully dodging puddles of melted snow and parked vehicles. In the blink of an eye, she caught up to Ray.
The young woman, fueled by adrenaline, lunged at the heavyset killer. Her size worked in her favor. She managed to knock him right over. Ray fell forward, landing hard on his elbows and knees. Lily did her best to pin him.
Though Ray was overweight and out of shape, he was strong. He was also angry, not to mention panicked. That was a dangerous combination...lethal, even. With a ferocious roar, he managed to throw Lily off his back.
There was no telling what would have happened next, had Ray gotten his way. Would he have attacked Lily, taking all his frustration out on her? It was quite possible. But thankfully, Liana and Luke got there in the knick of time.
They both piled onto Ray, pinning him to the ground.
They had, quite literally, caught a killer.
Chapter 20
Liana’s heart skipped a beat when her doorbell rang. She lunged for her favorite perfume and spritzed a bit on the inside of her wrists. Then she took one final look in the mirror and smoothed down her hair.
This was it.
It was time for her date with Luke. And this time she knew without a doubt that it was a date.
“No pressure, right?” Liana whispered to herself nervously.
She didn’t know what Luke had planned, but the anticipation was driving her crazy. She had been absentminded at work all day long because she had been looking forward to seeing Luke so much. She closed her eyes and hoped the evening would go well.
The doorbell rang a second time.
“Oops!” Liana gasped, realizing she had been dawdling. She raced to answer it.
When she opened the door, she was greeted by a lovely sight.
Luke stood there wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt, his jacket slung casually over his shoulder. He was even wearing a tie, and it looked darn good on him. And best of all, he was holding a bouquet of beautiful red roses.
“Hi!” Liana greeted him, all smiles. “Are those for me?”
“Well I was going to give them to your cat, but I suppose you can have them,” Luke joked.
“It was a silly question, wasn’t it?” Liana blushed. She took the bouquet from Luke and inhaled deeply. “Mmm, they smell amazing,” she murmured appreciatively.
“I was going to bring you dandelions. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong time of year to go picking weeds. And for some strange reason, the florist doesn’t sell bouquets of dandelions,” Luke informed her with his signature deadpan humor.
“Aww, well I suppose these beautiful roses will have to do,” Liana winked. “Thank you. I should put these in water before we go. Come on in,” she said, opening the door wider and ushering Luke inside.
“There’s something in your mailbox,” he observed, pausing in the doorway. “Should I grab it?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Luke opened up the mailbox and retrieved its contents. He glanced at the item he was holding and a strange expression came over his face. That wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. Liana’s heart immediately sank.
“What is it?” she asked, a sense of dread coming over her.
“It’s probably none of my business, but are you going on a singles cruise?” Luke asked.
Liana gasped and snatched the mail out of his hand. She looked down and saw a travel brochure for a singles cruise. It was offered by the cruise line her parents liked to travel with. Immediately, she put two and two together.
“My mom must have sent away for this,” she explained, her cheeks flushing. “She wanted to me to meet...well, never mind. I am most definitely not going on a cruise!” she assured Luke as she tore up the travel brochure. She couldn’t race to the garbage to toss it out fast enough.
“You’ve got a nice place here,” Luke said, looking around as he stepped into the living room.
“Oh yeah, you haven’t been inside my house before, have you?” Liana called back as she searched through her kitchen cupboards for a vase. “I moved in a while back.”
“I like it.”
“Thanks. Though I can’t seem to decide how to arrange the furniture in my living room,” Liana admitted as she filled a vase with water. “I must move it around three or four times a week on average...sometimes more.”
Liana immediately cringed and wished she could take back what she had said. Why had she told Luke that? Sometimes she had a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease.
Now he was going to think she was neurotic.
Maybe she was, but that wasn’t the point.
The point was, he didn’t need to know she was neurotic...not yet, anyway.
“I think your furniture looks great the way it is,” Luke said.
“You do?”
Liana joined him in the living room, still carrying the vase of roses. She stood next to the coffee table. Then she tilted her head to the side and looked at her decor as though she was seeing it for the very first time. In fact, she tried her best to see it through Luke’s eyes.
“Are you sure something isn’t missing?” Liana asked uncertainly.
“Like what?” he asked.
“I don’t know. That’s the problem,�
�� she tried to explain. “I’ve never been able to put my finger on it. All I know is it feels incomplete somehow. That’s why I keep arranging and rearranging. It’s a wonder my floor isn’t scuffed up from dragging the sofa across it so many times.”
Luke looked at the sofa thoughtfully. Then he walked over and sat down on it.
“It’s comfortable,” he said after a moment. “It does what a sofa is supposed to do, no?”
Liana remained where she was, staring at the sofa thoughtfully.
Suddenly it didn’t look so out of place to her after all. Maybe Luke’s reassurances had helped put her own doubts to rest. Or maybe she simply liked the way the sofa looked better when Luke was sitting on it.
She set the roses down on the coffee table. Then she sat down next to Luke.
He leaned forward and picked up the newspaper that was sitting on the coffee table. A photo of Ray was on the front page with a large, attention-grabbing headline plastered across the top. The young man had been arrested and charged with murder.
Luke sighed and shook his head. “I still can’t believe Ray killed someone for making him look bad in front of the girl he liked. Talk about misguided.”
Liana nodded in agreement. “It was a crazy,desperate, sick thing to do. But now that we know the truth, I’m surprised I didn’t piece it together right away. Ray worked out with Chester several times a week. It was easy for him to slip rat poison into Chester’s post-workout drinks.”
“Chester was so used to over-exercising that he didn’t realize anything was amiss. He felt sick, but he pushed through it.” Luke looked amazed. “Chester was too determined for his own good.”
“I guess moderation is key...says the girl who can easily down two pots of coffee in a day.”
Luke grinned. “To be fair, you make the best coffee in town.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Do you think Ray intended to kill Chester? Or was he just hoping to make Chester ill?”
“It’s anyone’s guess,” Liana shrugged. “I heard Chester collapsed in the locker room after a workout. Ray snuck him out of the leisure center and put him in the backseat of his car. I don’t know if he intended to take Chester to the hospital or what. All I know is he panicked and drove around aimlessly until it was too late.”
Strawberry Shortcake to Die For (A Liana Campbell Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 14
