by Liz Turner
“I found things.” He said. “A search history. A word file with a few words saved on it.”
“Let me see them,” Victoria said.
Byron jumped up and bought her the laptop, Victoria quickly looked over what he was showing her.
“She used my computer for a whole day, so a lot of the search history is just random,” Byron said. “She was like me. She was on the computer almost constantly.”
“But?”
“But there’s a logical pattern that emerges when you see it laid out in a list,” Byron said.
Victoria nodded.
The first few searches were random. Red Jacket. How to accessorize a Red Jacket. Can Moles see? How to tell if a boy likes a girl. What can I do if my boyfriend likes another girl?
Victoria looked up. Whistled. “What on earth. I thought Jay was supposed to be devoted to her.”
“Me too,” Byron said. “Then again, it could be nothing. Right? Just something random she was reading.”
Victoria nodded. She kept reading. There were search entries for biology problems, searches about actors and singers, searches about kittens, funny articles… a relatively typical list of things to look at online.
Three things stood out, though.
An article entitled “10 stupid pranks to scare your enemies with.” 8th on the very poorly written list was a suggestion that the person takes the air out of their enemy’s tires.
“At the very least, it’ll aggravate them. At the very best, it might keep them from going to that meeting you want to attend to impress your crush.” The writer had said, attaching a stock photo of an angry man kicking a car’s tire.
The second and third articles were far more attractive.
An article about the FBI arresting a Wisconsin couple for tax fraud, and an article about corruption in a small town mayor’s office.
Victoria felt her heart beat faster. Why was a teenager reading these articles?
Byron nodded gravely as he saw the expression on her face. “Exactly.” He said. “There’s more too.” He opened up another file. “She wrote this. It makes no sense to me. It’s almost like she was writing in code so that no one else would catch it. But maybe you will?”
Victoria read it. “It’s a riddle of some sort.” She said. “ A code or just a silly poem?”
Byron read it aloud. “Three men go to a hotel and rent a room. They pay 10 dollars each. The manager realizes he overcharged them 5 dollars and gives it to the bellboy to take to them. The bellboy realizes you can’t split 5$ evenly between three men, so he pockets 2 dollars and gives them each a dollar. Now each of these men has 9 dollars, and the bellboy has 2 dollars. Where did the last dollar go?” He frowned. “It’s an old riddle, isn’t it? I feel like I know the answer, yet each time I read it, I’m always confused.”
“Yes. It must have some significance to her.” Victoria said.
“Maybe we’re overthinking it,” Byron said. “She’s fond of coding, perhaps she’s fond of puzzles too.”
Victoria was interrupted by a buzz from her cell phone. She picked it up and saw that it was Randolf calling. Victoria felt her stomach sink. Even before she took the call, she prayed that it wasn’t what she thought.
“You were right,” Randolf said, his voice weary. “We found something.”
Victoria closed her eyes and put a hand over her mouth.
Randolf continued. “There were no remains to be discovered. The hot springs are far too acidic, and the body has probably dissolved completely by now. However, we recovered the earrings, the bracelet, and a belt buckle.”
“This is terrible news,” Victoria said. “A lot of people were clinging on to the hope that she was alright. They are going to be heartbroken.”
“It’s terrible for more than one reason,” Randolf said. “I can’t tell if this was suicide or murder, without a body around to help me get evidence.”
Victoria nodded. “How did she get there, though?” Victoria asked. “There might be tire tracks? Or… I don’t know. Something.”
“We’ve searched, but the springs are very accessible. They’re about half a mile away from the main road by foot. The main road, as you know, has way too many cars traveling on it for us to be able to gather evidence. Our trail is cold for now.”
Victoria understood, but she couldn’t help stem the feeling of anger that was rising inside her. There had to be something she could do. The thought of how Margie had died sent shivers down her spine. She’d been a young, happy girl, with a life ahead of her. No, Victoria didn’t believe that it could be suicide, even if it might make others a little more peaceful to think so. No one, least of all a girl like Margie, who had plans for college and friends and a boyfriend, would want to die in such a horrific manner.
“The answer has to stem from the night of the festival,” Victoria said. “One of her friends must know something.”
“Believe me, we’ll be asking them questions,” Randolf said. “We don’t even know the time of death anymore, do we? It’s anywhere between midnight, when she was last sighted at the party, to 8 am, when her mother found her room empty.”
“At night, or in the dawn, someone took her to the springs and pushed her in,” Victoria said. “I hate to think about it.”
“It could be suicide,” Randolf said. “Don’t close your mind so early.”
But Victoria knew with certainty that it wasn’t. This had all the hallmarks of a foul murder.
Chapter 12
Karen woke up to the sound of Byron sobbing. She knew it had to be serious if it reached her all the way up in her room. Pulling a bathrobe over her pajamas, she came down to find Victoria cradling his head as he curled up on the sofa next to her and cried. Victoria looked tearful herself.
“What is it!” Karen asked.
“They didn’t find Margie’s body,” Victoria said. “But they found remains of what she was wearing. It’s over. We know she’s gone.”
Karen paled. “So she never ran away?”
“She fell into the hot springs,” Victoria said. “Now whether she was pushed or whether she elected to kill herself, we'll never know."
Byron sobbed even harder. “She didn’t commit suicide!” He cried. “Someone in this vile town killed her. I’m telling you, Margie wasn’t suicidal.”
“I believe you,” Victoria said. “Everyone I’ve talked to thinks she wasn’t. Randolf doesn't believe so either, and he’s done a pretty good check of her house. If she were suicidal, surely we would have found something like a search on her computer, a note, even a message to someone that she wasn’t feeling well.”
“You never know,” Karen said. “Sometimes people can just go mad. Temporary madness might have made her do it.”
“Why that night?”
“Sadness at breaking up with Jay, maybe?” Karen shrugged.
“She was happy to be done with him,” Byron said. “She and I would have started dating eventually. I know we would have. I should have done something. I should have been there. I..”
“Hush.” Victoria stroked his hair, her heart aching at the grief that was flowing through her child. “Byron, things happen sometimes, and there’s nothing we can do. Alright? It isn’t your fault. If someone killed her, then it’s entirely that person’s fault.”
“You’ve got to catch the mom,” Byron said. “You will, won’t you? You just have to!”
Victoria couldn’t answer. She said, after a long pause, “I promise I’ll try my very hardest to. I can’t promise I’ll succeed.”
“I won’t forget her,” Byron said. “I won’t forget this. I won’t ever be able to.”
No, Victoria knew. There was little doubt that Byron would always look back on this with a question and doubts in his heart about whether he could have helped unless she managed to answer that question. Unless she managed to find out who had done it.
“Ok, Byron,” Victoria said. “You can help me, by answering this. At the party that night, what happened? Tell me ever
y detail including those you want to hide from your mother. Every single detail.”
Byron nodded. “I will.”
Karen sat down and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Victoria had a brief flash of deja vu. A memory floated up of doing this with Michelle that first night when Margie had been declared missing.
“We decided to have the party on the evening of the fest because everyone’s parents would be distracted,” Byron said. “The party was held in Miller’s woods, beside the river bend by the old abandoned mill. You know the one I’m talking about?”
Victoria nodded. The old mill had been used as a teenage hideout even in her school days. It was a crumbling two-story structure of stone, unused by anyone except perhaps rats and crows. When the teens of Larch Hot Springs wanted to party, there was no better place. No matter how much noise you made, no one could possibly complain. Plus there was space to build a bonfire, and plenty of fun to be had in telling ghost stories about the mill.
“Well, the entire batch of seniors was coming,” Byron said. “We were all very excited about it. I was… especially happy, because a week ago, Margie had asked me if I was coming. I thought. I thought maybe...” He broke down a little but soon steeled himself. “I’ll be honest, I always hated Jay. I figured he was a controlling creep, and that she deserved someone better. Someone like me. I know I shouldn’t have thought that way… but I did. I still do.” He looked up at Victoria, who did not say a word, allowing him to keep speaking.
“I thought maybe she finally was going to break up with him. But when I came to the party- there they were, both of them standing under a tree, talking animatedly. He had his hand on the back of her neck. I remember that because something about the gesture seemed so… so possessive that I had to turn away. I was burning with jealousy. I went and danced with Janie for a while, and then she and I were talking about class. Eventually, I looked up to see Jay and Margie fighting. Janie and I went up to them because they both looked pretty heated up.
Margie was in a foul mood. She was saying. “It’s best this way, Jay. Can’t you understand that?”
Jay had a hand on her wrist, and he was refusing to let her go. “I can’t believe two years meant nothing to you.” He retorted.
“They meant everything to me,” Margie said. “Which is why breaking up this way is the best solution. Jay, it has to end sometime. Let’s end it as friends. Not enemies.”
“If I can’t be your boyfriend, I can’t be your friend either,” Jay said.
By this time, I wanted to step forward, and if Janie hadn’t been restraining me, I would have punched Jay already for not letting go of her. But he did, in the end. He called her a bad name and walked off to meet his other friends. I thought I saw tears in his eyes.” Byron took a deep breath. “I was so angry at him then. That’s why, when I got the chance, I beat him up later on. I really thought he was the reason Margie had run away. Now, I don’t know what to think. I hate Jay, but he isn’t a murderer. He can’t be, right? He’s just a kid my age.”
Victoria said nothing. Kids Byron’s age had been going to war since long before the internet had been invented. They still did. Kids Byron’s age were very much capable of killing.
“Anyway, Margie started crying after that, and both Janie and I did our best to cheer her up. We spoke to her for about an hour. She brightened up a little bit, and eventually even danced with me.”
“What did you talk about?” Victoria asked.
“We talked about our project,” Byron said. “Janie was very interested in it too. Margie was telling her how much she would miss Everdeen High once she went to college.” Byron sniffed. “She was telling me she hoped we’d be in the same school together, all three of us. Margie was telling us about her time interning at the Mayor’s office and how his letter of recommendation would actually help her. Then Janie announced that she’d gotten an early acceptance from BCU, and we were all excited about it. Margie was trying to convince her to switch to a forensics major. Janie was more interested in law...” Byron sighed. “It was all unnecessary stuff. We were just trying to get her mind off Jay and in truth, we didn’t have to work hard. As for Jay, he was drinking out of a flask with some of his other friends. I saw him, though I didn’t say anything about it because…”
“Because you didn’t want to cause trouble.”
“Exactly,” Byron said.
“So Margie gave you no signs of being suicidal and no indications that she wanted to run away,” Karen said.
“No,” Byron said.
“Did anything she said strike you as odd?” Victoria asked.
“I don’t think so… at least…” Byron frowned. “Well, she did say something odd about Jay.”
“What’s that?”
“That he’s a great actor,” Byron said. “I don’t know why she said that.”
“Did she talk to you about her parents? Jonas and Michelle?”
“She didn’t think of Jonas as a dad,” Byron said. “But she didn’t mention them that day. Margie did mention something about how Jonas would probably be fast asleep by the time she came home. Yes, I remember now. Janie asked her if she wasn’t worried about being caught going home late, and Margie laughed. She said that Jonas had probably popped enough pills that he wouldn’t notice if a hippo did ballet next to his bed.” Byron snickered. “Margie was funny.” The memory seemed to overwhelm him, and he buried his face in his hands.
Victoria patted his back. “I’m sorry, Byron. Really I am. But you’ll get through this. I promise. I’m right here for you if you need anything.”
“Right now,” Byron said. “I feel maybe we should go see her parents since they’ll need support. At least Michelle will.”
Victoria felt proud. Was this the same small boy who’d sleep in her lap? When had he become this smart, generous young man who was now silently trudging up the stairs?
Karen had a mix of sadness and anger on her face as she was watching him go.
Victoria gave her a hug too.
“I’m alright,” Karen said. “A bit guilty about feeling happy that Margie was out of his life, but I’m alright. Oh, it’s terrible. I wish I’d never said one bad thing about her. She was a nice girl after all.”
“It’s what you didn’t say that has me curious,” Victoria said. “You didn’t tell me about her slashing your tires.”
“Slashing my tires?” Karen looked surprised. “She didn’t slash my tires. She just let the air out of them. I caught her in the act. I was furious. But what was I supposed to do? Arrest her? I let her go.”
“You’d threatened her when you fired her, didn’t you?” Victoria said. “I found out from one of your employees. You got furious and threatened to throw her in jail if she ever stepped foot in the store again.”
Karen turned red. “Have you been spying on me?” She asked in a dangerously low voice. “I didn’t expect this from you, Victoria. I’m your own blood. How can you suspect me?”
“I’ve made the mistake of not suspecting my own blood before, and paid for it,” Victoria said.
“What does that mean?” Karen asked, getting up. She was staring at Victoria. “What does that mean?”
Victoria bit her lip. She’d never told anyone but Randolf about her father’s deeds. As far as the town was concerned, he was a hero. As far as Karen was concerned, he was a hero.
“Never mind what it means,” Victoria said. “Why didn’t you talk to anyone about what she did to your car, Karen? I know how much that Mustang means to you.”
“I didn’t feel the need to,” Karen said.
“Oh please, you tell me every single detail of your life. At least I thought you did. Why would you miss out on telling me this?”
“I just didn’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Because!” Karen thundered. “Because I was told not to, ok? I talked to someone about it, and he said that the smart thing to do would be to just… stay quiet.”
“Who have you spoken to?” V
ictoria asked, surprised.
“Mayor Calum Larch,” Karen said.
Chapter 13
Mayor Calum’s office was mahogany paneled, with a large oak desk dominating it. He sat on a leather chair that looked one step removed from a golden throne. He sat with his hands occasionally stroking the armrests, and watched Victoria, as she sat in front of him. A cross was framed on the wall behind him.
“I don’t see why you’re wasting your time on this.” He said coldly. “So I advised Karen not to do anything to Margie. So what? I’m a kind man, I believe in second chances. I only told Karen that she had the power to ruin a young girl’s life, and she should wield it carefully.”
“You didn’t mention the other line you said,” Victoria said. “Let me remind you. You also told my sister that if she didn’t wield it carefully, that if she caused problems, you’d be miserable and that she shouldn’t make you unhappy.”
“Did I say that? I have no memory of doing so.” Mayor Calum said. “I’m not sure why this is important anyway.”
“It’s important, alright,” Victoria said. “It’s one of the first questions I had about the case, remember? Why are you so interested in it?”
“I’m interested in keeping the peace in this town.” Mayor Calum said. “I wanted to make sure that the police weren’t being too lackadaisical. As it stands, they were. I’m going to make sure that Corporal Jager’s higher ups are informed about what I view as an incredible lack of effort on his part.”
“Corporal Jager did nothing,” Victoria said. “He was following procedure as he’ll be able to prove to his superiors. But you, from the first, wanted to make as much noise about Margie as possible. You’re the one that created a scene with Jonas that night. He was rude, yes, but he didn’t get aggressive until you started it, really.”
Mayor Calum banged his hand on the desk. “How dare you! I was trying to keep the peace!”
“Were you? Or were you attracting attention?”
“I’ll warn you, Victoria, you’re going out of hand. Maybe it was a bad idea to try and hire you.”
