Deadly Diaries

by C. E. Waterman

  Greg must have used his siren, because he was already at the hospital, along with Mark and Robin, when she arrived.

  Mike screeched into the lot behind the ambulance, just in front of Jonathan and Edward Blake.

  When Greg met her at the emergency door, she cocked a weak smile. “You’re going to get tired of rescuing the damsel in distress.”

  He folded her in his arms, and it felt good. “Not if the damsel is you, I won’t. Now tell me what happened. You said she fell down some stairs?”

  “She was pushed.” She described the man in the mask.

  He took out his notebook and started scribbling. “He wore a ski mask in June? He would have had to bring it with him, which means he must have been planning something. Do you remember what he looked like? Was he tall or short? Could you see his arms or hands? What was his skin color? What he was wearing? I imagine you couldn’t see his hair.”

  She closed her eyes and struggled to focus. Her mind wouldn’t form the picture at first, but as she concentrated, it appeared. “I couldn’t see his hair—the mask covered it. I’m not sure how tall he was, because I didn’t see him clearly before he mowed me over. I was on the ground looking up when he ran out the door, but he seemed tall and thin. He wore a black t-shirt with black jeans. It had writing on the front, but I don’t know what it said. His arms were tanned, but he’s Caucasian.”

  “He hit you? Are you OK?”

  “I’ll have a few bruises in the morning, but nothing more serious. I’m worried about Allie. I don’t know how far she fell. It could have been anywhere on the stairs because there was no railing.”

  Edward stepped forward. He, Mike, and Jonathan were waiting nearby and must have overheard. “Are you sure you’re not injured? We’ve never had anything like this happen before.” He moved aside to let Mike and Jonathan join the group. “Mike, did you see anyone?”

  “No, but I was in the Linden looking at the furnace until I heard the sirens. I didn’t notice anyone unusual at the jobsite today, but I was pretty busy.” He turned to Greg. “You know when you said it must have been planned because of the ski mask? Not necessarily. We have a dog mascot in the construction trailer, with a black ski mask folded back on his head. I don’t remember if the mask was there when we left or not. The guys are always messing with him, so I tend to ignore it unless I find it in my chair. Maggie, do you remember?”

  She bit her lip. “We looked at the dog as we were leaving the trailer. I don’t remember it having a mask, but if it was folded back, I might not have noticed.”

  Edward touched her shoulder. “I feel terrible. I hope your sister’s OK. We occasionally have kids messing around or thieves looking for something to steal, but never any violence. What would someone want in an unfinished house in the middle of the day?”

  No one seemed able to answer his question, and the conversation died.

  Maggie left the group to fill out a police report brought in by another officer. She wrote everything she could remember about the attack but couldn’t recall anything other than what she’d told Greg. It had happened so fast. She wondered what Allie would say. Did she see him coming at her or did he surprise her from behind? Would she have recognized him without the mask? Could it have been Cameron?

  She finished her statement and signed it. An older woman in blue scrubs with Sharon on her nameplate pushed Allie out in a wheelchair. Her left leg stuck out straight, a cast covering it from mid-thigh to her ankle. Her left arm rested in a sling.

  Maggie rushed over. “Allie, are you OK? Are you in pain?”

  She grimaced. “Can you believe it? The doctor says I have to wear this stupid thing on my leg for six weeks. My muscles will be mush by then. It’ll take months to get back in shape.” She shifted in the chair, putting her good foot on the floor as if to rise.

  Sharon placed a hand on her unhurt right shoulder to restrain her. “Just relax a minute, sweetie.” Glancing at Maggie, she continued, “If you bring your car around, I’ll help you get her in.”

  Maggie remembered her car was at the jobsite. She must have looked perplexed, because Mike was the first to step up.

  “My car is right out front. I can take you. I have to go back to the jobsite anyway.”

  Maggie heaved a relieved sigh. “Thanks. That would be—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Greg interrupted. “I’ll take them.”

  She stared at him, opened her mouth to argue, and then closed it. This was not the time.

  Mike raised his eyebrows and stepped back. “Oh. OK, then.” He sketched a halfhearted wave, and left.

  What was that about? Maggie’s stomach tightened. She followed Sharon through the motion sensor doors and waited in the shade under the overhang while Greg sprinted to retrieve his car. She smiled down at Allie. “So, what else did the doctor say?”

  “He said I torqued my knee, fractured the tibia, and strained my arm. Oh, and I’ll need these pills and some crutches.” She handed over a prescription with the casual ease of someone expecting prompt service.

  Maggie stood holding the slip of paper, wanting to mention she wasn’t a personal assistant, but the tiny figure swallowed up by the large wheelchair made her pause. Allie was only eighteen, after all, and she was injured.

  Tucking the prescription into her purse, she waited in silence until Greg eased his car to the curb. She held the wheelchair steady while Greg and Sharon transferred Allie into his back seat. Sharon wheeled the chair up the ramp, and Greg held the passenger door for Maggie. “We can settle Allie at your place first. Then I can take you to pick up your car.”

  The tightness in her stomach traveled up to her throat and threatened to choke her. But seeing she had no real choice, Maggie nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak during the ride to her house.

  In her driveway, Greg helped Allie out of the car.

  Maggie put an arm around her, and Allie leaned her weight on it and hopped a couple times.

  Watching their slow progress, Greg bent and scooped Allie up in his arms. “It might be easier if we do it this way.”

  Allie laughed and smiled her flirty smile. “Wow, I’m not used to such manly behavior.”

  Maggie wanted to smack her. Instead, she dashed ahead to open the gate, swinging it wide. Was she this transparent at eighteen, in the company of a handsome older male? She hoped not. And this handsome male was off limits to Allie. Even if Maggie decided to end her engagement, Allie was much too young to chase after Greg. Once they were through the gate, Maggie secured the latch and jogged to the back door.

  He moved into the living room and set Allie on the couch, helping her adjust the ottoman, oblivious to her flirting and Maggie’s irritation.

  In the kitchen, Maggie thumped the plastic mayonnaise container onto the counter, trying to organize her thoughts. She was mad at Greg, right? Not Allie. She was just a kid. Maggie made a tuna sandwich, listening while Greg questioned Allie.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I got bored with the kitchen, so I went upstairs to look around. I checked the two smaller bedrooms. They were connected by a bathroom, you know, the kind with two doors?”

  Maggie assumed Greg nodded, because Allie went on, “Then I went into the master. I came out to yell down at Maggie that I found the room I wanted, and someone pushed me. I was already on the stairs, about halfway down. I heard him behind me, but I couldn’t avoid him. He came at me so fast and hard, there was nowhere to go. He slammed his body into me, and I fell down the stairs.”

  Poor kid, she must have been terrified. Maggie visualized the stairway, open on both sides, with no railing. A tide of emotion rose in her chest, and her hands started to shake. If she ever got a hold of the man who did this… She pulled a glass out of the cabinet and poured some iced tea, slopping some out on the counter.

  “Did you know him, or can you describe him?”

  “I didn’t know him. He was tall and thin, with a black ski mask on.”

  “Did you see his eye
s?”

  There was a pause. “No, it happened too fast. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right. Don’t worry about it. We’ll talk later, OK? Call me if you remember anything else.”

  Recognizing her cue, Maggie brought the sandwich and tea in and placed them and the remote on a side table within reach. “I’ll be back after I pick up your prescription.”

  Allie nodded and focused on the remote.

  “You have my cell number, right?”

  “It’s OK, Mags. I’m a big girl.”

  “So I’ve noticed,” Maggie mumbled as she walked away. She erupted the minute she was alone in the car with Greg. “What are you doing?”

  He stared straight ahead, starting the engine. “I’m taking you to your car.”

  “Why are you trying to control me?”

  He swiveled in his seat, and his gaze found hers. “Control you? How does giving you a ride and making sure you’re safe, control you?”

  “First, you want me to give up my house, and now you decide who I can ride home with? It’s control, mister. I’ve lived with it all my life, and I’m not having it anymore.”

  He shifted his attention to the rearview mirror and backed into the alley. “Whoa. I don’t want you to move out of your house. I said I was sorry. We can live in your house, and I’ll give up my place. It doesn’t matter to me. And today, I was trying to keep you safe. Did it occur to you Mike could be a suspect? I couldn’t let him take you anywhere.”

  Her thought process jolted to a stop. “Oh.”

  He continued to focus on the road, and a muscle in his jaw twitched.

  Her anger dissipated. “I guess it does make sense for anyone who was at the jobsite today to be a suspect, but I’ve known Mike for years. He wouldn’t hurt me. Or Allie. In fact, he thought she was cute.”

  “I imagine a lot of murderers think young girls are cute. It doesn’t stop them from killing one if she gets in the way.”

  “Do you suspect him of pushing her?”

  He slowed as his tires hit the gravel of the construction site parking area, and he drifted to a stop next to her car. “He could have. He was in the area at the time. I’ve known him a long time, too, and I don’t want him to be guilty. But I’m not willing to risk your safety on it.”

  Heat suffused her face as she unhooked her seatbelt and leaned forward to grab her purse from the floor. “I guess I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I overreacted. Again. I’m sorry.”

  No answer.

  “I realize you were just trying to protect me.” She climbed out of the car and turned to smile at him, but he stared straight ahead. If she said any more, it would just make it worse. Why did she keep reacting this way? She didn’t used to. Lately, it seemed she wanted to believe the worst. Maybe Robin was right. Maybe she was trying to push him away. But did she want to stop?

  He sat and waited for her to get in her car, still not looking at her. Once her car started, he got out and took long strides toward the construction trailer, not looking back.

  Maggie stared after him. It hadn’t occurred to her that Mike, someone she’d known for years, could have pushed Allie.

  Greg disappeared inside the trailer.

  Maggie headed for the local pharmacy.

  Who was on the jobsite at the time? Mike, of course, and Jonathan. The tile guy—what was his name…? Walter. He could have left his work on the bathroom, pursued them across the street and into the house. Then he could have waited for an opportunity to push Allie off the second floor. But why? She pictured him tiling the bathroom. He wasn’t the right build. He was too heavy.

  Mike, however, was the right build, and so was Jonathan. Maybe even Charlie. Why would any of them want to hurt Allie? The long fall could have killed her if she’d landed wrong. Was it a warning? Did someone assume Allie knew something?

  Maybe it was this guy she was dating, Cameron. Last time she saw him, he was scurrying away, tires squealing as he escaped through a busy intersection. She thought he was running scared, but maybe not. Maybe he circled back, entered the house, and slipped upstairs while they were in the kitchen. If he killed Aunt Esther, he or his friends might feel Allie knew too much. Did she? Surely, if she knew who killed Aunt Esther, she would have said so. Maggie needed to know the truth. She and Allie would have a conversation the minute she got home—right after she stopped at the pharmacy and retrieved Allie’s meds and some crutches.

  Once inside the garage, Maggie shut off the engine and hesitated, her hand on the door handle. How should she broach the subject? “Alexis Taylor! What’s the matter with you!” No, that approach had never worked with Maggie, she didn’t imagine it would work with Allie either. She plucked the pain meds off the seat and popped the trunk to retrieve the crutches. The silly things were unwieldy, but once she positioned them sideways under one arm, she closed the garage door with the other hand and proceeded through the yard.

  It appeared Allie hadn’t moved. She still lounged on the couch with her legs up, the empty plate and glass on the side table. She looked so young and pitiful, Maggie almost didn’t want to question her, but waiting might be a mistake. And she was tired of messing around. “I know the police questioned you already, but I need to know. Do you think Cameron pushed you?”

  Allie’s head jerked up. “No. He wouldn’t. He would never hurt me.”

  “What about Aunt Esther? Would he hurt her?” Maggie sat on the ottoman by Allie’s feet, careful not to touch them. The toenails were a shiny red. She stared straight into Allie’s eyes. “I want to know exactly what happened. Not the story you told the police. Start from the beginning before you left home.”

  Allie dropped her gaze and fingered the bottom of her shorts. “I left home because Dad and Cameron were driving me crazy. Dad’s never home. He travels all the time, and I end up alone with the housekeeper. He says I should go to college. Cameron wants me to run away with him. He says I could start my career with small tournaments, and then get into the bigger ones. They both pushed so hard I left home and went to Aunt Esther for advice.”

  “What did she tell you…to go to college?”

  “No.”

  “No? She said to skip college?” She must have misunderstood. Aunt Esther was a major supporter of higher education.

  Allie glanced up, tears shimmering in her eyes. “She said no one could tell me what to do because I already know what I want. She said I needed to take a little time away from both of them to hear the voice of God.”

  “And have you?”

  “No.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’m still not sure what to do. But getting away from both of them was a relief.”

  Maggie decided to make it more a conversation and less an interrogation, so she moved to the couch beside her sister. Allie leaned into the corner so she could still see Maggie’s face. It seemed like a good sign. She forced lightness into her tone. “So tell me about Cameron. What’s he like?”

  “I don’t know. He makes me feel…outrageous.”

  Maggie raised her eyebrows. “Outrageous?”

  “Yeah, you know, wild, not the same boring me.”

  Hmm, interesting. “Do you feel boring?”

  “Sometimes. I mean, look at my life. Nothing out of the ordinary happens. I go to school, or I did before summer, tennis practice, home, dinner, and bed. Every night. I didn’t start doing anything different until Cameron showed up.”

  Fearing what she would hear, but needing to know, Maggie continued, “So, what’s different? Drinking?”

  Allie looked away.

  “Allie, have you been drinking? You’re underage. How old is Cameron? Is he buying the alcohol?”

  “We got fake IDs. I don’t know where he got them, but they work.”

  Great. Now what should she do? If she acted too much like a mother, Allie wouldn’t listen anyway. But it seemed as if she should do something.

  Before she could voice her thoughts, Allie spoke again, “Cameron’s OK. But sometimes he spends money, and I don
’t know where he gets it. He doesn’t have a steady job.”

  “Have you asked him?”

  “He comes up with different ways. Sometimes he does odd jobs for people. Or his brother gives it to him.” Her gaze became fierce. “Grady’s a thief, I don’t want Cameron to spend money on me that he gets from him.”

  Not knowing what to say, Maggie waited.

  “I think he’s stealing with Grady.” Allie’s voice barely rose above a whisper. “He wanted me to leave the back door unlocked and leave the house.”

  Now they were getting somewhere. “And did you?”

  Allie shook her head.

  Maggie’s heart thudded and then nearly stopped. “Did he break in?”

  “No. I would have heard him. I was there all morning.”

  “Wouldn’t he have rung the bell when he knew you were home so you could let him in?”

  Allie stared at her feet, still propped on the ottoman.

  “He did, but I didn’t answer. Aunt Esther answered, though, after she got home.”

  “You thought it was him when you left out the window, didn’t you?”

  Tears gathered in Allie’s eyes. “I should have stayed. If I had, Aunt Esther would still be alive.”

  “Or you’d be dead, too. Don’t imagine you could have stopped him just by being there. We need to call the police. Has Cameron been trying to reach you?”

  “He did at first, but I turned my phone off. I don’t want to talk to him right now.”

  Not knowing what else to do, Maggie called Greg. When he arrived, Maggie stayed in the kitchen.

  Allie told Greg everything she’d told Maggie.

  “Can you tell me where Cameron and Grady hang out?” Greg’s voice was gentle.

  “When they’re not home, they’re usually out with friends playing pool.” She gave him the name of a few bars.