A Murder Among Friends

by Ramona Richards

  Lily smiled. “Yes. But it’s not out of fear. I’m going back to work.” She reached over and took Scott’s hand, and he nodded, a mild look of resignation on his face. “Scott, too.”

  Dan grinned. “So you two have put it back together?” Lily blushed, and Dan laughed. “It’s about time.”

  Scott’s mouth gaped, then he grinned. “You oaf. Stop spying!”

  Dan’s next smile bore a great resemblance to a certain Lewis Carroll cat.

  Maggie turned to Laura. “I hate to see you leave, Laura, but I understand. You and Frank are not under any suspicion, so I see no reason for you to stay, unless you want to. And you’ll be welcome back anytime, if you want to return.”

  “Thank you,” Laura said.

  Patrick tapped his fork on his plate. “Honestly, I have no idea why we didn’t all run for the hills the minute someone took a potshot at Maggie.”

  Dan poked him. “’Cause we’re writers, which means we’re dumb and curious. We wanted to see how it turned out.” He nodded at Maggie. “Any news on that front?”

  “Actually, yes,” she replied. “Tyler will be here in a few more minutes to talk to a couple of us. There’s enough information at this point that I think he’s close to an arrest.”

  Dan sat a bit straighter. “I should be taking notes for my next book. Who’s on the grill tonight?”

  Maggie looked at her sister. “Lily and Scott, to start with.”

  Lily’s green eyes narrowed in confusion. “What?”

  Maggie reached for her hand. “You don’t mind staying for a while after dinner, do you?”

  Her sister looked at Scott, who scooted his chair away from the table and got up, plate in hand. “Do what you want,” he muttered as he walked toward the bar.

  Maggie looked from her sister to Scott. “It’ll only take a few moments.”

  “I don’t care. I’m not staying.”

  Everyone at the table looked at one another, unsure of what to say.

  Dan cleared his throat. “Scott, I have never seen anyone as able to drop tension into a room with a ladle before. It seems to be your specialty.”

  Scott dropped his plate on the bar with a rattle. He turned to speak to Dan, but his reply was drowned out by the knock on the door. Maggie went to let Tyler in, as Scott motioned for his wife to join him outside. With a glance toward Maggie and Tyler, she did, and they stepped out on the deck.

  “Man,” said Dan. “I hope they have a great makeup—”

  “Dan!” Tonya slapped his arm.

  He grimaced, rubbing his injury. “What did I say this time?”

  Tyler took one look around the room. “Did I interrupt something?” he asked Maggie.

  “No. We were just finishing up. Do you want some coffee?”

  “Yes, thanks.” Tyler kept watching Lily and Scott through the glass, as did everyone in the room.

  Maggie winced. The door was closed, but their words could be heard loud and clear.

  “Why do you agree with everything she says?” Scott demanded.

  “What is going on with you?” Lily responded. “She just asked us to stay and talk to Tyler. It’s not like we don’t know the man.”

  “Oh, just us? I suppose we have special information about Aaron’s murder now. What do you think you could tell him? You were dead drunk!”

  “What has gotten into you? Why don’t you want me talking to him?”

  “Because I don’t like the idea of you talking about us to strangers.”

  “Is this about the manuscripts?”

  Scott stopped, staring at her. “What do you think it’s about?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t be dumb, Lily.”

  “And don’t you talk to me that way.”

  “Fine,” he said. “Do what you want. You do anyway.” He turned and ran down the steps and away from the lodge.

  Lily watched him go, then turned to come back into the room, only to find everyone staring at her. She spread her arms wide. “Well, now you know what life in the Jonas household is like.”

  Dan walked over and took her hand. “And you married him because…”

  She sighed loudly. “Because he has such a sparkling personality?”

  Everyone laughed, and the mood in the room lightened. Maggie watched as Fletcher eased out the door to follow Scott. She felt relieved. For their plan to work, Scott really needed to be in the room.

  The others took their plates to the kitchen, and—assured that Tyler didn’t need to speak with them today—headed out. She could still sense the fear that some of them felt…and she didn’t blame them. She certainly wouldn’t be walking alone until this was over.

  Tyler and Lily were getting coffee when the phone rang. They looked at her, but she waved toward her office. “The machine will get it.” And it did. She heard the clicks and double beeps from down the hall.

  Tyler and Lily headed back to the center of the room, with Lily cozying up to the fireplace. Maggie covered up the food, refrigerating what was necessary.

  The phone rang again.

  She stared at it, annoyed, and let the machine pick it up.

  Maggie poured her own coffee. She felt good. The evening was going as planned, and if Fletcher could persuade Scott to come back with him, maybe they would get to the bottom of this tonight. She wanted it over, no matter what. She picked up her cup, ready to join her sister by the fire and get this thing started.

  The phone rang.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Judson looked the disheveled Lee over, head to toe. “You’re going to need a new suit, kid. And a wrist brace.”

  Lee grinned. “We got him. It worked.”

  Judson nodded. “That it did. Not like you planned, but work it did.” Judson held out his hand and the younger man shook it gratefully.

  Lee squared his shoulders. “So?”

  Judson’s eyebrows lifted. “So?”

  “Does this mean I’m your new partner permanently?”

  “Don’t get cocky, kid.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  Judson paused. “You may regret it,” he said, then turned and walked away.

  Lee punched the air with his fist. “Yes!” he whispered, as he followed his partner out of the squad room.

  Scott left at a furious pace, and he was almost to his cabin before Fletcher caught up with him. “I thought this thing between you and Lily was settled,” he said, moving around in front of Scott. “She talked to me about Aaron and said she was going to work it out with you.”

  Scott held up his hand at Fletcher. “Look, I’m grateful to you for talking to Lily, for getting her to open up to me. I mean that.” Scott crossed his arms. “I love that woman more than I ever thought I could love anyone. That she conspired with Aaron to destroy my work hurts. A lot. I won’t deny that. And I was wrong to hit her.”

  Fletcher matched Scott’s angry pace back and forth in front of the cabin. “Then why the fight just now? Why do you want to keep her from talking to Tyler?”

  Scott’s temper flared completely. He came at Fletcher, stopping only inches from him, thrusting his finger in Fletcher’s face. “Because I know what you want with her! Don’t try to con me. I know you’re not here because you want to keep my marriage together.” Scott turned and stomped several feet away, looking more like an enraged teenager than a man about to lose his wife. “Man, I can’t believe I’m talking about this to you! Because I know you want to convince her I killed Aaron! But I didn’t, MacAllister. I never touched the man!” He resumed pacing.

  Fletcher stood still. “Why would we think that?”

  Scott stopped and faced Fletcher. “Don’t insult me, okay? Just don’t. I know Lily talked to you about the manuscripts. You know I wasn’t in the cabin when he got killed. You know I had a fight with him just outside the lodge that night.”

  “What was it about?”

  “What do you think? He was stealing my work!”

  “Which gives you mo
tive for revenge, if not murder. Not to mention what you’d already done to him by sleeping with his wife.”

  Scott froze. “What did you say?”

  Fletcher met Scott’s gaze solidly. “I know about Korie. And the baby.”

  Scott ran both hands through his hair, then cursed under his breath and walked away.

  Fletcher followed him. “Does Lily know?”

  Scott stopped, rubbing his hand over his mouth. “No. Not unless you’ve told her.”

  Fletcher shook his head.

  Scott exhaled in frustration. “Man, what a mistake that was! Korie is…” His hand waved wildly as he tried to find a word.

  “I know,” Fletcher said.

  Scott bent and picked up a handful of rocks, slinging one after the other into the woods, a physical outlet for his irritation at himself as well as Korie. “I can’t believe I was so stupid.” Light from the windows of his cabin shed an amber glow over the frost-covered ground. The leaves were thicker here, blown into mounds that were now soggy from the fall rains. Their footsteps were muffled.

  “I didn’t know what to do,” Scott said, his voice sounding clogged. He cleared his throat. “I was so angry. I guess I took some of it out on Lily. I’m sure Aaron did. My wife was just caught in the middle.”

  “What did Aaron say that night?”

  “That I deserved anything that I got.” Scott took a deep breath. “He stole my work for revenge—he wanted to make me hurt the way he had. He was never going to publish it—just make it unpublishable.” He shook his head. “I guess the bad part was that I thought he was right about getting revenge.” He sighed again, some of the last fight leaving him. He tossed the last rock straight in front of him, just to be rid of it. It landed about four feet from the side of the house with a thud that reverberated through the trees.

  Fletcher froze. “What was that?”

  Scott looked at him. “What was what?”

  “That sound. What was that?”

  Scott shrugged. “Oh, that’s an old well. The reason this cabin is larger than the others is that it’s really old. Was here when Aaron bought the place. He was supposed to fill the well in when we got city water, but he just covered it over with tin. Sounds like that anytime someone drops something on it, or steps on it.”

  Fletcher stared at him. “Like thunder.”

  Scott looked confused. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”

  Fletcher looked up at the cabin. “Is that the bedroom window?”

  Scott nodded, and Fletcher paced off the distance to the well, Scott tagging along. Stopping a couple of feet away, Fletcher bent and found the edge of the well, trying not to step too close to it. He frantically dug leaves away from the edges. The leaves were cold and damp, sticking together in muddy clumps. He pulled handfuls away from one side of the concrete edge of the well, then around the corner.

  Scott watched, his eyes wide. “Fletcher, what are you looking for?”

  “The missing information.”

  “What?”

  He pulled back more leaves, then was still. There, in the ground, was a boot print, with a grid-patterned sole. He frowned, trying to remember where he’d seen this pattern before, just recently…

  In front of the fireplace.

  A cold spot of fear clutched Fletcher’s chest, and he heard the words in his head, which he thought had referred to Aaron.

  “I’m a fan, y’know? It’s why I took the job.”

  “Oh, no,” he whispered, as he turned and bolted in the direction of the lodge. As he ran, Fletcher MacAllister found himself doing something he’d refused to do for almost ten years.

  He prayed.

  Maggie intended to just turn off the ringer, but she saw that the number was Tyler’s office. She glanced up at Lily and Tyler again, then snatched up the portable phone. “Hello?”

  “Maggie?”

  “Hi, Peg, what’s up?”

  There was a pause. “Is Tyler there yet?”

  The edge in Peg’s voice made the hair on Maggie’s neck twitch. “Yes, he is. Peg, what’s wrong?”

  “He’s turned off his radio again. I need to speak with him. Now.”

  “I’m going. Peg, talk to me.” Maggie started down the hallway.

  “Hurry, Maggie. We got a call from the LAPD. They found a fingerprint inside the last envelope from Lily’s stalker. They’ve been trying to track her down all day.”

  Maggie almost leaped. “So they know who it is? Tell me, you have to tell me!”

  “He was in the system, a trespassing charge from breaking into a movie set down in Tennessee.”

  Trespassing. Tennessee. Realization hit Maggie square between the shoulder blades as she broke into a run, screaming, “Lily! Get down! Get down! Now!”

  Lily and Tyler turned toward her, startled, just as the back door burst open and Fletcher and Scott headed for Lily. Scared, the young actress backed up a few steps, putting her in a clear line of fire from outside.

  The bullet shattered the window, blasting glass throughout the room. There was no time to react. The bullet struck Lily in the shoulder, and she dropped to the ground. Maggie screamed, throwing herself at her sister. Fletcher and Scott reversed direction and headed for the door, followed by Tyler, who grabbed his radio off his belt, snapped it on then barked sharp orders for help, for officers and an ambulance.

  Maggie slid down on her knees next to Lily, who was curled on the floor, clutching at her shoulder. Maggie stripped off her sweater and pressed it to the wound. Lily moaned and tried to open her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” Maggie said through her sobs. “I’m so sorry.” She pressed the wound with one hand and slipped the other under Lily’s head, holding her close.

  “So am I,” whispered Lily. “This hurts!”

  “I know,” Maggie answered. “Don’t try to move. Tyler called for an ambulance.”

  “At least you were knocked out.”

  “Don’t you try to make me laugh. I’ll never forgive you.”

  Lily managed a weak smile. “At least it won’t be so hard to act if I get shot in the movies.” She moaned, her legs drawing up a bit tighter.

  “Shut up.”

  “You think they have good drugs in that ambulance?”

  “I know they do. Good ones. No booze, but some really good drugs.”

  Lily smiled briefly, then closed her eyes, clutching at one of Maggie’s hands. “Don’t leave me.”

  “Never.”

  “I’m gonna tell the world about you.”

  “Don’t you dare.”

  Lily squeezed her hand tighter, and Maggie watched another wave of pain cross her sister’s face. She kissed her cheek. “I love you, little sister.”

  “I love you, too, Mitten.”

  Fletcher hit the bottom of the steps first and sprinted to the right, while Tyler bounded straight ahead and Scott veered to the left. A few yards out, however, Fletcher stopped for a moment, his detective’s mind taking over. He looked around, his eyes checking every shadow for movement, his ears trying to pick up on anything that wasn’t Tyler’s frantic crashing or Scott’s angry shouts.

  He looked back up at the lodge, fighting the urge to check on the women. He knew Maggie would take care of Lily the best anyone could until the ambulance arrived. Emotions aside, he wasn’t needed. The lights of the room seemed to blaze out over the backyard, casting much harsher shadows than the gentle silver of the full moon overhead. On a hunch, he moved quickly back into those shadows, slipping in under the deck, a few feet from the downstairs entrance. He thought he heard the door to the deck open, but he waited silently, clenching and unclenching his fists to keep himself still.

  His instincts didn’t fail him. A few moments later, with the noises Tyler and Scott were making beginning to fade and the sound of sirens still in the distance, a man walked easily around the corner of the house and under the deck. He paused at the door and pulled a set of keys from his pocket.

  “Hello, Tim,” Fletcher said.

 
Tim Miller jumped, flattening himself against the wall. One hand clutched at his chest as he recovered. He peered into the shadows as the openings between slats of the deck cast diagonal lines of golden light across his face. “Mr. MacAllister,” he said, breathlessly. “Man, what are you doing down here?”

  “Waiting on you.”

  Tim didn’t respond. He stood quietly, catching his breath. He squared his shoulders. “Do you have a gun?”

  “I do,” Fletcher said, keeping his voice even.

  “I don’t,” Tim said. “Would you shoot me anyway?”

  “If you run, yes.”

  Tim nodded. “So it’s over.”

  “Yes. Where’s the rifle, Tim?”

  Tim pointed out toward the woods. “It’s up in a tree about seventy yards out. Strapped to the trunk. It’d be hard to find, but I’ll show you if the dogs don’t.”

  “That makes you a pretty good shot.”

  He nodded, a bit of pride in his voice. “The army. I was real good for a while. I’ve been slacking off, though. Not enough practice.”

  “I have to admit that I’m grateful for that.”

  Tim shrugged. “I hadn’t planned on killing Miss Maggie. Just keeping her quiet for a bit.”

  “Why?”

  “She was in my room. She saw the letters. She had to know. She just hadn’t figured it out yet.”

  Fletcher was struck by the image of Maggie on the deck, turning suddenly to tell him something. Something she forgot forever. “She didn’t know.”

  Tim was silent. Instead, he stuck both hands in his pockets. Fletcher stiffened and jerked his gun from its holster. Tim saw the move and raised his hands quickly. “No, sir! Don’t. I really don’t have anything.” Tim jerked his head toward the sounds of the sirens, which were grinding to a halt in front of the house. “I couldn’t run now, anyway. It would be dumb, right?”

  “Just keep your hands where I can see them.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “So why shoot Lily?”

  Silence reigned between the two men. Then Tim cleared his throat. “It was okay, y’know? As long as she was here with Mr. Jonas and all. It didn’t matter. I liked watching them, y’know? Together? It was like I could still be with her. It was okay in my head.”