Okay. How long will it take?
Ill get right to work on it. Ill call you in a few days.
You and Caitlin will have to come in and sign the paperwork.
Okay, Ill call her and fill her in.
Good. You do that and Ill be in touch.
I left with a sense that everything was falling into place at last. Aidan and I were engaged and now the legal work for Caitlin and me was on the way. All we needed to do was find something concrete to take to the police and everything would be perfect. Well, except for my family. I hadnt thought much about them lately. I tend to avoid thinking about things that are too painful, but Mr. Taylors mention of them earlier had brought them back into my mind full force. Wed always been a fairly close family even if my Dad hadnt been around that much. And though Id tried not to think about it or let it show, I really missed them. Maybe it was time to try and mend that broken relationship, I thought. I decided I would talk to Aidan about it the first chance I got.
When I arrived home however, the thought completely slipped my mind. Once again, the curtains were drawn and candles were lit. No enticing aromas filled 274
REAP THE WHIRLWIND
the air tonight though, instead I found a trail of rose petals scattered on the floor leading to my old bedroom.
They continued to the window that opened onto the fire escape. There I found Aidan waiting, looking out over the river with his back to me. The red rose petals stood out brilliantly against the background of white snow, broken only by Aidans footprints.
Youre going to spoil me, I said and he spun around.
Thats the idea, he said with a grin. But this is a special occasion.
And why is that?
Were celebrating our engagement.
I thought we did that last night, I said with a grin.
Several times.
He answered with a grin of his own. Why dont you join me out here on the fire escape? Its time we replace the bad memories with some good ones.
I took a deep breath and climbed out with him. It was the first time I had been out here since I had jumped.
Aidan took my hand and gave it a squeeze. Then to my surprise, he went down on one knee in the snow, still holding onto my hand.
I know I asked you this last night, but I want to do it right this time, he said. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a ring box.
Oh my God, I whispered.
He opened the box and took the ring out. It was a beautiful silver ring, with an intricate gold design around it.
William Spencer Keegan, will you marry me? he said.
I felt a tear roll down my cheek. You know I will.
Yes, Ill marry you.
275
JOSH ATEROVIS
He slipped the ring onto my finger. It was a little big but it didnt matter. I noticed a matching ring on Aidans hand and I drew him up for a lingering kiss.
Lets do it now, he said in a husky voice.
What? Right now?
No, not right this minute, but before Christmas, next week.
Thats crazy, I laughed.
Why? I dont want to wait. I want to do this now.
Why not? I said, feeling exhilarated. But who will perform the ceremony?
Well, since its not legally binding it doesnt really have to be a judge or a preacher. Why dont we ask Adam if he knows anyone?
Good idea, I said with a giggle. I have an idea.
Lets not tell anyone whats going on. Lets throw a surprise wedding!
Aidan laughed. And you thought my idea was crazy?
No seriously! I read about it in a magazine once, some celebrities did that. I thought it sounded so cool at the time. We can have everything arranged, tell them were having a party and then when they show up we tell them.
What if they have other plans?
We tell them its really important to us that they come.
Aidan laughed again. I think its the craziest thing Ive ever heard, but I love it! Lets do it!
Adam will have to be in on it if were asking him to find someone to do the ceremony, I pointed out.
Well thats good. He can help us plan it. After all, Ive never planned a wedding before, let alone a gay 276
REAP THE WHIRLWIND
wedding.
Lets go back inside, I said, suddenly realizing how cold it was out here. We crawled back in and shut the window.
We went and called Adam right away. He was as excited as we were. He said he knew a gay minister nearby who led a mostly gay congregation who would be thrilled to do the wedding. And he had a ton of ideas for the wedding itself, from flowers to reception favors.
Whoa, slow down, Aidan said. We dont want to go overboard. We just want something simple and meaningful. Its just going to be a few close friends.
Simple doesnt mean it cant be special, Adam said.
We settled on a date of the following Friday evening and left the planning in Adams capable hands.
277
JOSH ATEROVIS
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
After a hectic first half of the week, the second half calmed down into routine. Not blurting out the news of the wedding turned out to be the hardest thing I had to do. Finally, Friday night rolled around and it was time for our meeting.
Killian and Asher arrived with pizza and Caitlin knocked on the door soon after. I had offered to pick her up but shed refused, saying she was borrowing a friends car. Laura arrived not too long after, wearing a disgruntled expression.
Gabes going to be late. He called me a little while ago and told me I was going to have to drive myself.
Somethings going on over at the campus.
Gabe was the only one of those that went to the school who actually lived on-campus.
Whats going on? Aidan asked.
I dont know. He was going to go see if he could find out before he came.
Should we start eating without him? Killian asked hopefully.
She shrugged. Why not? Who knows how long hell be.
We were just finishing up the pizza, with the excep-278
REAP THE WHIRLWIND
tion of a few pieces set aside for Gabe, when he finally arrived. Aidan got up to let him in and he appeared in the doorway a second later, looking pale under his dusky complexion.
Gabe! Whats wrong? Laura asked, jumping to her feet as soon as she saw him.
Blake is dead, he said in a slightly shaken voice.
Everyone seemed to freeze. Killian was the first to recover. Shes the one who found Joey, right? I nodded. Howd she die? he asked Gabe.
Im not sure. There are cops everywhere. I just heard she was dead from someone on her floor. They said her roommate found her this afternoon.
I saw Aidan glance at his watch. The news is on, he said as he started for the living room. The rest of us quickly followed him.
They were giving the weather report when we turned it on. We had to sit through commercials and the sports report before they finally mentioned what we were waiting to hear.
We have breaking news on the latest death to rock Pemberton University, the anchorwoman said. Police have confirmed that the death of a female student, whose name is being held until her family can be contacted, was most likely suicide. She was found in her room earlier today by her roommate. Early reports have indicated that drugs may have been involved. This is the second death of a college student attributed to ille-gal substance abuse in as many months. Is drug and alcohol abuse on the rise on our local campuses?
Aidan snapped off the set and we all sat in stunned silence. Laura broke the quiet. Suicide my ass, she snapped.
279
JOSH ATEROVIS
Every head swiveled to look at her.
&n
bsp; What, you dont think thats just a little too convenient? She was fine the other day when we were there.
She did seem a little scared, I pointed out.
Scared isnt suicidal.
Whoa, hold up! Killian said. You guys talked to her before she died?
Yes, Laura said shortly.
We went earlier this week, I explained. I quickly told them what we had found out from our brief conversation with her and, more importantly, about the note wed found that appeared to be the rough draft of the one Id been sent. Everyone sat for a minute, allowing this to sink in.
Okay, Gabe said. So we know that Blake knew more than she wanted to let on, but now shes dead. So where does that leave us?
We need to find out who was with her in the pool house that night, Killian said.
I noticed Asher start to say something but then he seemed to think better of it and sat back, arms crossed tightly across his chest. Tension oozed from his every pore. Laura spoke up, drawing my attention back to the matter at hand.
How do we do that? Will and Caitlin might have seen him, but how are we supposed to find him? Its like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Not really, Killian said. There were only so many people at the party. Im sure you have to know some of the people who were there. Just start asking around describing our mystery guy. He didnt appear out of thin air. Somebody there has to know who he was.
And if they dont? Aidan asked.
280
REAP THE WHIRLWIND
Somebody has to. Eventually well find this guy.
Everyone was looking pretty glum by now. This isnt over, guys! Killian exclaimed. Think of this as a challenge. Nobody said this would be easy. Lets look at what we did find out this week. Who wants to go first?
I might as well go first, Gabe said. After all, I came in with the bad news about Blake. The least I can do is give you some good news too. When I went by Davids house no one was home.
I heard his parents sent him off to rehab, Laura in-terjected.
Whatever, he wasnt there. But I went around back anyway and found that anyone could have gotten into or out of the back yard. Theres a door in the fence as big as life and its not even locked.
Great, so that means it could have been anyone, not just someone at the party, Aidan said.
That really throws open the field, I added dolefully.
Not really, Killian said thoughtfully. We all turned to face him. He thought for a moment before continu-ing. Think about it. If it was an outside person, lets call him Mr. X
Mr. X? Asher laughed.
Killian shot him a dirty look but kept on speaking without comment, How would he know Joey was going to be at this particular party? Howd he know to find him in the back yard?
He could have followed him, Aidan suggested.
Or he could have done what I did and just party hopped until he found the right party, I said.
If he party hopped, then he was still at the party; he didnt have to come in through the back yard.
I agree with Killian, Gabe said. I think it was some-281
JOSH ATEROVIS
one at the party. I think the gate was an escape route, not an entrance.
Everyone started to speak at once.
Let me explain, Gabe yelled over the din. Nothing about this feels planned. It seems like a spur of the moment crime of passion. The killer didnt check to see if anyone was in the pool house, he left the necklace, which probably fell off in some sort of struggle, and a pool isnt exactly the most reliable murder weapon.
Chances are he didnt even mean to kill Joey. I mean, what if someone had found Joey before he died? Or what if someone had just happened to look out the window and seen him bop Joey on the head?
Do we even know for sure that he was bopped on the head? Killian asked.
Oh yeah, that was the other thing I found out. The cause of death is public knowledge unless its a continuing criminal investigation. Your detective was just being a pain. Technically, Joey died of drowning, but
Gabe paused dramatically, my sources at the police station confirmed that Joey did have a pretty serious head wound which is probably what kept him from getting out of the pool once he was in it. The medical examiner said it could have been sustained when he fell into the pool if hed struck his head on the edge.
Sources at the police station? Aidan repeated.
What sources? asked Killian.
A good detective never reveals his sources, Gabe said smugly.
His cousin works at the police station; shes one of the dispatchers, Laura said.
Gabe shot her a look as I wondered if she was the personality-deficient woman Id met on my visits.
282
REAP THE WHIRLWIND
Killian picked up where Gabe had left off. So, the head wound could have been from the poolor it could have been from getting bopped in the head.
Exactly, Gabe said. While I was in the back yard I looked around a bit. They have these rocks that surround their flowerbeds, pretty good-sized rocks. I found one that looked out of place, like it might have been moved. So I took a closer look at it and theres something on it that may or may not be blood.
What did you do with it? Caitlin asked.
I picked it up with my shirt and wrapped it up in a plastic bag. Its at my house now.
Great! I said excitedly. Thats solid evidence we can take to the police!
Not so fast, Aidan said. Weve tampered with evidence by moving it. You can bet that they are going to be exceedingly pissed.
Not to mention, Caitlin added, that theyve already made it clear they dont think Joey was killed.
What are we supposed to do? Just waltz in, plunk this chunk of rock down on their desk, and tell them that they are wrong? That we, being the seasoned professionals that we are, have solved their little mystery for them? Im sure theyll be ever so grateful. Probably even give us the key to the city.
And what if its just barbecue sauce? Laura chipped in. Then wed really look like idiots.
I sighed. Youre right, youre all right. They already think Im some crack-head whos crazy with grief over the death of his best friend. Why prove them right?
Were not giving up, Aidan said. We just need to find out some more facts first. Tell everybody what we found out from Joeys dad.
283
JOSH ATEROVIS
I filled everyone in on our trip to the marina and my ensuing visit from Mr. Taylor. I think its safe to assume that Mr. Taylor didnt do it, I finished.
We dont really know that Mr. Taylor didnt do it,
Killian said, but I agree with you that it isnt all that likely. I think we can strike him off the list.
So who does that leave? Do we even have a list?
Caitlin asked.
Well, we were thinking that maybe it was an ex-girlfriend, Aidan said.
But we decided it wasnt really all that likely, Laura pointed out. After all, Shelley doesnt seem like much of a killer to me and she was the only one that was at the party.
That we know of, Aidan argued. Dont forget about the door in the back yard fence; anyone could have come or gone.
Maybe it was the boyfriend of one of the girls Joey had sex with, Gabe suggested.
Or, Caitlin said slowly, drawing out the word as if an idea was just occurring to her. Maybe Blake killed Joey. We know she slept around; maybe she fell for Joey and he hurt her. We only have her word for it that there was someone else there with her, this mystery guy. We know she had the necklace and sent it to Will. Maybe she did commit suicide, because she was so guilty over Joeys death. Maybe your visit to her sent her over the edge. You said yourself she was s
cared and acted like she knew more than she was saying.
Caitlins words chilled me. It was a solution that fit all the facts.
Thats a lot of maybes, Laura said dryly.
Actually, its a possible scenario, Killian said, but 284
REAP THE WHIRLWIND
we dont have any real proof that she had any sort of relationship with Joey. Thats just conjecture. Wed need some evidence, and in the meantime, I dont think we should overlook the possibility that her mystery man does exist. Right now, those are our best bets. Can anyone think of anything else?
Well, if Blake was telling us the truth, Laura began, or at least mostly the truth, then she didnt kill Joey. If she didnt commit suicide, which I still dont think she did, then that means someone killed her. Its a little much to believe that there are two murderers wandering around killing college students at Pemberton. I think we can assume that the same person killed both Joey and Blake.
Why would he kill Blake? Caitlin asked, obviously not happy that Laura was throwing a wrench into the cogs of her neat little theory.
He or she, Gabe said and everyone turned to look at him. What? The killer could have been a woman.
He, or she, could have thought that Blake knew who he or she was, Laura answered Caitlins question.
Maybe another visit to Blakes roommate would be a good idea, Killian said. What was her name?
Keisha, Aidan and I said at the same time, and I added, But I dont know that she would be all that helpful. They didnt get along and I dont think they talked all that much.
Still, they shared a room. She would know better than most if Blake was acting any differently since your visit, if she was suicidal. She may even know more about Blake than she thinks she does.
I nodded. Aidan and I can go see her; she knows Aidan already.
285
JOSH ATEROVIS
Great, Killian said. So what do we know? According to Blake, she was with a guy in the pool house, probably while Joey was being killed. She says the guy she was with heard voices from out by the pool. We know that Blake must have found the necklace, either before or after she found Joey, and at some point afterwards she decided that Joeys death wasnt an accident and sent the necklace to Will with the note.
aterovis_bm_reapthewhirlwind.p65 Page 24
