by Kristi Rose
She let us into a cream and light blue living room immaculate to the point of being unfriendly. One wrong move, and the room looked mussed.
June gestured for me to hand over Lady M.
“I’ll start with the pouch. Don’t take her out yet. She feels safe there, and she needs to get to know you.” I slid the pouch from around my neck and over June’s.
Upon closer inspection, June looked fried. She had bags under her eyes that were heavily disguised by concealer. Her sweats and T-shirt had coffee splatters, and her nails were chewed to the quick.
“You look tired,” I said with a soft, hopefully non-threatening voice.
June sighed wearily and scratched Lady M’s head with her index finger. “It’s the coffee shop. Wearing me out. I don’t know how much longer I can keep the hours.”
Precious, not one to be intimidated by anything or anyone, sat on the couch. “I hear ya. Being a business owner is hard. Even though my office closes at five, I often talk to clients after I close for the day.”
June said, “Yeah, but at least you have a life. I can’t get good help to stay, and the teens I hire don’t understand what quality works means.” She rolled her eyes. “If one more tells me that working at a coffee shop’s fine but they hope to get a real job one day, I will lose my mind.”
Afraid of the couch, I leaned against the wall. This also gave me a better full view of June. “At least you both have steady jobs. I currently hold three different jobs, and one of my employers is my best friend.”
“You seem happy, though,” June said.
“Happier than when I was working for Toomey. Taking picture after picture of families and kids with parents that had unrealistic expectations wore on me.”
June stopped stroking Lady M and pointed that same finger at me. “Exactly. I started the coffee shop because I didn’t want to work for anyone. But I’m a slave to that shop. No nightlife. No time off. All while my childbearing years go flying by.”
Precious fidgeted with her ponytail. “I would think the coffee shop would be a great place to meet men.”
June barked out a bitter laugh. Lady M hissed.
“You know who I met at the coffee shop? Principal Josh.”
Before me was a golden opportunity, but I had to tread lightly. “You and Josh dated for a while, right? Was that before or after he went after Danika?”
June straightened, and her features tightened. “That little twit in her cute tennis skirt and stupid laugh.” A mask of rage distorted June’s face.
In a squeaky voice I could only assume was a poor imitation of Danika, June said, “Caramel Latte with skim milk please. You make the best drinks, June. If you could figure out how to skim the fat out of them, I’d be in here more often.”
Looking uncomfortable, Precious shifted on the couch. I kicked one leg out over the other and crossed it, hoping to convey the opposite of Precious. I was trying to tell June she was safe with me if she wanted to share her heart out.
I said, “Annoying, I’m sure, especially as she was making moves on your man.”
June’s eyes went large. “Right! I had Josh right where I wanted him. Then she came along.”
“And where was that?” I asked. “Where did you have Josh?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “You know. Thinking about marriage. Looking at making things between us permanent. I even had an offer to take on a partner. That way I could focus on being Mrs. Chapman, having babies, and being at all his job functions.” She held up her index finger. “Just once I want to sit with the PTC moms. Sit on the other side and have someone serve me, cater to me. Those bimbos take what they have for granted.”
Telling June that her pushing Josh toward marriage was likely the precise action that drove him to Danika wouldn’t go far. Logic had no seat on this crazy train.
Time to crank up the cray-cray. “And after Danika was another woman and then another. That must’ve pissed you off.”
Precious caught on; she was quick like. “And dating Laura, a woman with kids, would make me have all sorts of bad feelings.”
I added, “And a whole lot of ticked off when the man I was hoping to marry starts dating a woman with kids because it’s a safe bet that she’s not going to settle for casual. I mean, I have a lot of rage for Carson, and he was already dead when I found out the truth.” Or at least I thought he was.
Precious let out a long, loud hoot. “You can bet your sweet patootie I’d have it out for any man who did that to me.” She crossed her leg and let her foot swing, as if this were a conversation in all fun and not one with a potential killer.
June nodded. “Revenge is a dish that’s best served cold.”
Goosebumps rose on my arms. Yeah, if she eighty-sixed Josh, she waited until he least suspected it.
June stared at Precious. “Why haven’t you married? Aren’t you and Connor still dating?”
Connor was Precious’s on-again/off-again boyfriend. They’d been like that since ninth grade. Their relationship could be summed up by saying, they were a couple when it suited them.
Precious waved a dismissive hand. “Connor’s busy in Canada building a reputation in the front office of a hockey club. I’m here. I don’t want to be there. He doesn’t want to be here. Until that issue gets resolved, which it won’t, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing.”
June’s tone was laced with disgust. “Which is cheat on each other with anyone and everyone you can.”
Precious uncrossed her legs and straightened, a sign her patience was waning. She pointed a finger at June. “Hey, Connor and I have been nothing but honest with each other from day one. Unlike you and Josh. He never told you he was a user, and you forgot to mention you were marriage obsessed.” Precious was frustrated. Her voice rose and she stood, jamming both hands on her hips. “I mean, come on June. You want to be married? Join one of those dating sites. The purpose of those is to marry people off. Why spin your wheels on a loser? Because playing the victim here doesn’t work for me. You have plenty of options. Not taking those is all on you.”
Precious the life coach was in full action. She continued, “What I think the truth here is this. Josh was the first guy to pay you a lot of attention. Probably because when you dated other guys, they picked up on how needy you are. Josh didn’t care because he had a primary objective. To use you. And you let him.”
June went from pale to pink. Either embarrassment or fury or a little of both. By the bulge of her eyes, I was going with fury. Like a steam engine primed to explode, June lost it.
“Get out,” she screeched. She pointed a shaking finger at the door. “Get out of my house. Now, you bitch. What do you know about dating? Men fall at your feet. But for girls like Sam and I, we have to work harder. Bring more to the table.”
Now wasn’t the time to be offended, yet I was.
Speaking of tables… On the coffee table was a foot-tall statue of an angel reading a book. The diameter small enough to wrap a hand around. June swooped it up and rushed at Precious.
Lady M began to hiss loudly, her head popping out of the pocket.
As she skirted away, Precious pointed a finger at June, keeping the coffee table between them. “Hey, relax, I’m just trying to help you get to the root of your issues so you can move forward and find true love.”
June was frothing at the mouth. “Josh was my true love. He was everything.” She swung the statue wide, missing Precious by a foot.
I jumped between them, palming my stun gun. “Give me Lady M, and we’ll get out of here.”
“You think I imagined a future with Josh? That he never led me to believe it was possible? Well, I’ll show you.” She pivoted and then dashed from the room, climbing the stairs two at a time, taking Lady M with her.
I faced Precious. “Way to go.”
She looked chagrined. “I can’t stand people who are determined to play the victim. I couldn’t help myself.”
“Did you forget she might’ve killed someone? Wonder if she’ll s
ay the same thing? That she couldn’t help herself. He’d made her so mad she poisoned him with a scone or slipped something in his drink.”
The memory of the day Josh died hit me hard, like a punch to the solar plexus. I watched him finish his Unicorn Brew coffee then toss it in the trash outside the school. Moments later, he was collapsing in his office.
I bent over and slowly blew out a breath. “June killed Josh and I know how she did it.”
36
Wednesday
“Are you going to throw up?” Precious asked.
For a moment, I thought I was. I straightened, covered my mouth, gulped several times, then shook my head.
We were in a killer’s house. “We should leave,” I said, but looked up the stairs. Lady M was up there. Yeah, she was just a sugar glider, but she was Toby’s sugar glider, and I’d been charged with protecting her. Like Rachel had charged me with Cora. What kind of person would leave Lady M behind?
A dead one?
“Oh, God.” I pressed the heels of my hands to my temples. “I’m going to do something stupid.” But not without confessing my sins and hopefully triggering timely assistance.
I sent Leo a voice text: “At June’s. Came over to check on her and things went south fast. Precious with me. I think June put vape juice in Josh’s Unicorn Brew drink. She used a vape vial left behind by Levi. Send help.”
Then I tucked my phone away because I knew what he would say, and I would’t leave.
Precious grabbed my shoulders. “We need to visualize getting Lady M and getting out of here and make a plan. Quick.”
I tried to do as she said, but all I could see on a loop was Josh chugging back the remnants of his drink and tossing it. June herself told me Levi had two vials of marshmallow vape juice at How Ya Bean. She put it in the lost and found. She’d taken those vials and spiked Josh’s drink. Being a non-smoker, June wasn’t so crazy or careless that she’d actually go buy vape juice. And her hours at the coffee house made traveling out of town to buy vape juice more difficult.
And the hit and run on me? Mrs. Josh Chambers. Who wanted to be his missus more than June? Not Jenna.
I said, “Let me go up first. Wait about five minutes and come up after. We want to corner her without her knowing she’s cornered. Or if it gets hairy fast, I need you to bail.”
Precious nodded. “Visualize success.”
I moved to the stairs and called out, “June, we’re leaving. I need Lady M, and we’ll get out of your hair. Can I come up?”
Silence.
I climbed halfway up the stairs. The top opened up to a wide hallway with rooms on both sides. “June? We’re sorry we upset you.”
The landing was empty. I went up a few more stairs. “June?”
Nothing but my voice. I glanced back at Precious. She shrugged then shooed me forward.
Easy for her to say. She was downstairs.
I stepped onto the landing, stun gun in hand, and eased up to the first doorway with caution. The one on my right looked to be Mrs. River’s room.
How dysfunctional was it that June continued to live at home? I couldn’t help but wonder if that played a part in her obsession to be married. Or maybe Mrs. River’s knew June was a few coffee beans short of a cappuccino which could explain why she was quick to point the finger at me.
A few feet forward, I glanced into the door on my left. A large bathroom. No June.
I crept ahead. My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it.
Second door on my left was another bedroom. But it was a hot mess of crazy. Like June’s office. One entire wall was covered with pictures of June and Josh. I surveyed the room, no June, but two other doors. Both closed. Likely a closet and… I wasn’t sure.
A large double-pane bay window with a built-in seat brought in lots of light. Had the room not been plastered with pictures, it would have been a pleasant space. A large bed was in the center, covers disheveled. On the dresser were several containers with what looked to be homemade creams. Two flowering plants, with closed buds, sat on each end of the dresser. Being the outdoorsy type, I knew a few things about plants. It helped to avoid poodle dog bush, poison ivy, and the like. The closed buds were the tip-off. A plant from the nightshade family. I leaned forward and smelled. Nicotine plant, or nioctiana.
From behind me June said, “He used to get wicked bad rashes from the nicotine patch. I made him homeopathic salves to help.”
I turned and found June dressed in full-on wedding attire, white gown, veil, and the angel statue clutched between her hands like a bouquet.
Lady M and her pouch hung from June’s neck.
“Um.” I was at a loss for words.
In a rustle of taffeta and crinoline, she swooshed up to the dresser and picked up a jar filled with white cream.
“How’s your nose?” She undid the lid and shoved the jar inches from my nose. “What do you smell?”
Afraid to sniff the stuff, I pretended to by breathing in through my mouth.
June huffed in frustration. “I said smell it.” The jar lost inches and was now centimeters from my nose.
Afraid, I took a tepid whiff. “Eucalyptus?” I clutched my stun gun, glad I had brought the mini and hoped June wouldn’t see it.
June tossed back her head and let out the creepiest maniacal laugh I’d ever heard. In real life.
Lady M hissed, her pitch higher, a sign she was getting even more agitated.
She tossed the jar on her bed. “That’s what Josh thought, too. Eucalyptus is great for masking other scents.”
“Like nicotine?”
She snapped her fingers then pointed at me. “Bingo. The nicotine patches gave him a terrible rash. Poor, sweet, too-stupid-to-live June made a special salve just for him.”
The June I grew up with and the person dressed in head to toe white were not the same. Referring to herself in the third person had made that abundantly clear. Madness had taken over. Something in her eyes was wild and dark and vacant.
“And in that salve you added nicotine?” An educated guess on my part.
“Yep, Josh was such an addict. But desperate to pretend he wasn’t. Just like all the people with their smartphones glued to their fingers. Pretending they need it for work. Josh pretended he could get his fix from an alternative like gum or a patch.” She snort-laughed. “But he loved cigarettes because he loved blowing smoke rings. He would blow them and try to stick his—”
I clapped my hands over my ears. “Shut up! I do not want to know anything about Josh and his smoking proclivities.”
June’s laugh was bitter, her mouth twisting at an ugly angle.
I nodded over her shoulder to the wall of photos. “Is this what you were talking about downstairs. Your future with Josh?”
She spun and swept her arm the length of the wall. “Tell me I imagined that he wanted a future with me. I gave him everything he wanted.” She gestured to her body.
And he gave her nothing, I noted. Instead, he tapped into her desires and played upon them to get what he wanted. Not that his actions justified hers, by any means.
She pointed to the wall. “Go, look at them.”
I stepped closer and scanned the various images. Josh and June at the beach, Josh and June hiking. Josh and June dressed in traditional wedding garb, in swimsuits, and ski attire. From a quick glance, in nearly all the photos, Josh had been photoshopped in. On many of the others, someone, I’m guessing June, had put her head over the woman’s body and Josh’s over the man’s. A modern yet twisted way of playing paper dolls.
“Did Josh ever see this?” Because if he had and it didn’t have him running scared, then I wasn’t sure what to make of that side of humanity.
When June didn’t answer, I turned and caught the last bit of her train slipping out the door.
A second later Precious cried out, “H-h-holy crap, S-S-Sam!”
From down the hall, June screamed. “You think you can have whatever man you want, you greedy cow.”
I r
ushed from the room in time to see June take a swing at Precious, knocking her square upside the head with the angel statue.
Precious, who’d been coming up the stairs, fell sideways and crashed against the wall. Precious’s eyes were wide, blood streaming down the side of her face. Dazed from the blow, she lost her balance trying to right herself, arms wind-milling as she fell back into the empty space of the stairwell.
“No!” I screamed, my hand going out in a hopeless attempt to catch Precious as she fell. Fear and disbelief had me rooted.
June spun toward me, rage etched in the dark grooves on her face as she hurled accusations. None of them made sense.
Lady M popped up out of her pocket, emitted a loud screeching hiss that paired well with June’s crazy-ass rants. When this was over, Lady M would need her own emotional support animal.
I gave two sharp short whistles, the way Toby taught me, and Lady M scrambled up June’s chest, causing the madwoman to swat at her like a camper does a pesky mosquito and bop herself in the mouth with the statue. The scene would have been funny if I weren’t so scared.
Lady M launched herself off June’s chest toward me. I caught her with both hands, apologizing for the stun gun in my palm that was probably digging into her. She trembled in my hands. Poor thing was as frightened as I was.
Hanging from the wall was a basket of fake flowers next to a picture of hand-painted blooms. I stroked Lady M as I cooed my apologies, then stuck her in the hanging basket, nestling her in the heads of the fake hydrangeas. She burrowed lower.
June was two arm lengths away, her pitch escalating. I needed to take her out and get to Precious sooner than later.
“Hey,” I said in a deep booming voice, much like my father had done when Rachel and I were children to get our attention.
June narrowed her gaze at me, but at least she had shut her mouth.
I continued, “If Precious is hurt, I’m gonna lock you up myself. You’re a crazy person.”
June began to walk toward me, raising the angel statue, primed to strike.
For no understandable reason, a picture filled my brain of the Seahawks hiking the ball then scrambling for action.
