"Maybe we have the chance to prevent one," Harvey said. "Think, Nora. What do you know?"
"Next to nothing!" Nora exclaimed. "I know that Lulu abruptly hung up her phone for some reason. My theory is because she saw a person at her door. I know that Lulu's been missing ever since. I know Lulu was excited about "something big coming up in the near future," and that Tank was talking to her in the bar on Saturday night. I know it somehow relates to a secret that Tank is trying to keep, and I'm not sure if the secret is his own, or on behalf of someone else. I know that I found a keychain with the word T and I can't figure out who it belongs to. It's not Tank's and it's not Theresa's."
"Well, where did you find it?" Harvey asked.
"The potted plant outside Lulu's house."
"So it could have belonged to Lulu. She must have dropped it while opening the door that night," Harvey said. "I don't think that's a real cl--"
Nora's eyes were frighteningly wide. "Harvey," she said in a soft voice, "you're a genius."
"I'm a- well, thank you. I think."
"We have to go. Now. Something very bad is going to happen if we waste a single second more. I've been such a fool!"
"What? Why?"
"Tally Beasley. The answer was in front of me all along. The key belonged to Lulu's landlady, Tally Beasley!" Nora shook her head in disbelief. "When Ronan handed Sean the keys that night we searched Lulu's apartment, it was a single key with no keychain on it. Just a metal ring. It was Ronan that Lulu saw that night. It all fits together now. Ronan was stalking Lulu. He probably tried to enter her house, maybe he often did when he thought she was out. Only she was back a little earlier that night because James had a headache. So he enters the house, and Lulu's there! Maybe he panicked? Maybe there was a scuffle and she got injured? No- there were no bloodstains, and the room didn't look like anyone fought in it." Nora considered this.
She and Harvey were running as they spoke. They'd tried to catch Sean's attention, but he'd dismissed them--and Nora--after asking May Almand to tell Sean to meet her at Tally Beasley's, had decided to simply run for it. They reached the edge of the woods, and Harvey clicked the remote to open his car's doors. He gunned the engine as soon as they got in, and shot off down the road at a speed which would have been the envy of an F1 driver.
"So what happened?" Harvey said. "Figure it out yet?"
"Lulu ran after him," Nora said. "That's what happened. I'm sure of it. She said, 'What the hell!' on the phone in irritation, not panic. She was angry at Ronan for invading her privacy, and she chased him out into the street. My guess is, she chased him into Tally Beasley's house. Ronan's looking after it while Tally's on vacation. So what then? Did they scuffle? Did he accidentally injure her? Either way, Ronan isn't a killer. He's a stalker, yes, a voyeur. He was probably afraid and panicky when Lulu confronted him."
"So he just threw her into his basement and hoped nobody would notice?" Harvey asked.
"Something like that," Nora said. "Put yourself in his place. You're a scared young boy with an unhealthy obsession. The object of your attention suddenly catches you red-handed, entering her apartment. You run, but she chases you, and probably threatens to call the police."
Harvey nodded. "I can believe that. I'd be so panicky..."
"And then, if she fell--became unconscious--maybe you'd put her in the basement for a while," Nora said. "Just to think. Just to catch your breath. Only to realize, once she woke up, that you'd ended up inadvertently kidnapping her. Now you're facing serious jail time, and what happens then? You panic even more."
"So what then? He took her phone from her?"
"She probably dropped it when they scuffled," Nora said. "When Val started asking too many questions about her, Ronan pretended to be Lulu and texted her. I remember the text said she just needed some more time alone. Ronan was still trying to piece through his options, probably wondering if he could risk letting Lulu go, and avoid jail time."
"But... what's the use of putting that pile of used clothes in the river?" Harvey asked.
"He probably got rid of the phone last night, as soon as Val mentioned that the police could track the phone. The clothes were for a misguided scent so that the K9 unit would get confused," Nora said.
"Why?" Harvey asked. "Why not surrender to the police?"
"A kid like Ronan? The guy who's always got straight A's, never been in a fight, hardly weighs more than me?" Nora shook her head. "He wouldn't last a day in prison, and he knows it. So he's getting more and more desperate. If he hasn't killed Lulu before, he surely will now. His sanity is hanging by its last thread, Harvey."
"I disagree," Harvey said. "If everything you've said is true, I think he never was very sane."
*****
Chapter 10
Confrontation
The car screeched up to Tally Beasley's house, and to their surprise, the door was already wide open. It looked almost eerie, really. The street was deserted, since more than half the town had decided to help in the search for Lulu. The silence combined with the door gently swaying in the breeze made Nora's stomach tighten in fear.
"Val!" Nora said. "She vanished right before the search. She must have suspected Ronan."
"Come on," Harvey said, his jaw tight. "We'll get to her on time."
"No, we've got to move quietly, Harvey. If he hears us coming, there's no telling how he might react."
Harvey nodded. "You're right, maybe it makes sense to split up? You take the back door, and I'll take the front."
"No thanks. I'm not leaving you alone." Nora clutched his arm. "You need my protection, big boy."
Harvey shook his head, knowing that she was trying to use humor as a method to ease her anxiety. The two of them crept up to the house slowly, squeezing each other's hands. Because she was trying to be so silent, every noise felt like a gunshot to Nora. Her own breaths felt unnaturally loud, as did the creak of floorboards underneath her feet.
The house was deserted. They entered through the back, going directly into the kitchen, which looked messy, with piles of dishes in the sink and a fly buzzing around an open container of milk near the stove. Nora's eyes darted all over the place, trying to find something that would help.
She nudged Harvey and pointed to the chair near the open front door. A yellow handbag sat on it. "Val's bag," she whispered.
Harvey nodded, understanding perfectly. He took a minute to scan the kitchen, then handed her a large steak knife. For himself, he picked up a heavy lamp sitting by the TV. He motioned to an open door with a staircase leading downwards, and raised his eyebrow at Nora. She nodded. They were three steps down, when they began to hear voices.
"What did you do to her!" Val was saying, her voice scared.
"I just... this was all a big mistake, okay, Val? I can't..." Ronan's voice was husky, and he was taking deep gulps of air as he spoke, as though he were trying to hold himself back from sobbing. "She caught me entering her house, okay? I love her. I just... I wanted a souvenir. I thought, she's never home on Saturday nights. I know it. But I opened the door and she was just... there. She was on the phone. She chased me all the way here and I... I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it! She fell and hit her head, and I panicked, and dragged her down here. I just needed time to think, but then she woke up and started screaming at me, and I had to knock her out again." Ronan's voice was shrill, and Nora shivered. Harvey was right. Whatever sanity he'd had was now long gone. Of all the people she'd dealt with, Ronan was probably the most desperate, and most dangerous.
"Ok, it's alright. You didn't mean any of it. I understand, Ronan. I do. But now maybe it's time to step forward and--"
"How did you even find out?" Ronan asked, between sobs. "I was so careful, I didn't leave any clues behind and--"
"I remembered you had a soundproof basement to use for band practice here in your mom's house," Val said. "You told me about it last week, remember? How you like to go crazy drumming freestyle sometimes."
"Right." Ronan nodded.
"It was just a hunch... I didn't know I'd actually find her here," Val said. "Look, Ronan. You know I'm her best friend, I'll talk to her. We can all get out of this just fine. You don't need to go to jail or anything. I promise Lulu won't tell anyone if you just let her go. She can pretend it was all a big prank."
"You promise?" Ronan asked, sounding like a five year old hoping against hope.
"Yeah. You didn't kill her, she's still alive, right?"
"I couldn't bring myself to kill her," Ronan said. "I've just been giving her sleeping pills all this time while I try and figure out what to do. I was thinking of running away forever, maybe taking her with me."
"Now that's not a good idea. You know your mom would really miss you. Her mom would miss her too."
Ronan's voice was suddenly harsh and suspicious. "Wait a minute--what's that--are you recording this? You are, aren't you! You're trying to trick me! It's all a trap! Are you planning to post this on Instabook and make me the laughing stock of the town again? I hated it when she pushed me into those cans. Everyone thought I was so weak..."
"No Ronan, wait--"
"Give me your phone right now or else--"
"That's it," Harvey muttered, "we gotta intervene." He rushed down, and found himself face to face with the barrel of a gun and an open-mouthed Ronan about to pull the trigger. Val threw herself on Ronan, knocking him sideways into a pile of blankets, and the gun went off, deafening everyone for a few seconds. In the harsh silence that followed, Nora rushed forward to put her arms around a sobbing Val. A pool of blood was slowly spreading under Ronan's body. Harvey, who had spotted Lulu tied to a chair near the back, rushed to her, already pulling out his cell phone to call an ambulance.
"Oh, no. Oh. What did I do..." Val was shivering all over. "He was mental. He just... I think he snapped. I've known him for years and I never guessed..."
"It's all right. It's all right." Nora hugged her, and stroked her hair, hoping that time would help heal Val's shock.
*****
Chapter 11
Death On Social Media
A few things happened in the next few weeks that brought a lot of attention to the sleepy town of Milburn. For one, Sean was forced to fire a deputy after his carelessness led to Val's recording being leaked online.
Val had positioned her phone in her pocket such that she could take a video of Ronan while confronting him, and though it was shaky, it quickly became viral, racking up a million views in three days. Newspapers across the country were hailing Val as a hero, and Lulu, who had so far only gotten three thousand likes on her photos, suddenly found she had three hundred thousand followers.
"Funny thing is, I don't even care about it anymore," Lulu said, as she lay on a hospital bed with bright sunshine flooding the room. "I'm going to delete my account as soon as I get a new phone."
"I guess you changed more in that one week of being kidnapped than most people do in a lifetime," Val said.
Lulu nodded. "It's just so weird to me now. I mean... people online actually liked that horrible video of Ronan dying. The comments are all about how he deserved it or something, and I know I'm supposed to hate him, but I don't. My first injury was an accident. After that, he just panicked and tied me up. I kept promising him I wouldn't tell anyone if he let me go, but he just went mad, I think. He needed help. He told me he spent hours every day looking at my account," Lulu shuddered.
Val trembled a little, at the mention of his death, and Lulu put her hand over Val's. "Sorry, babe. I know you still have nightmares about it."
Nora, who was sitting next to Val, patted her gently on the back as Val shook her head.
"I'm just glad Nora and Harvey got there in time," Val said. "Ronan was priming himself up to kill us both, Lulu. I'm sure of it. I don't know why he..." She took a deep breath. "Never mind. He's gone now. It's all in the past. We've got to focus on the future."
"That's right," Lulu said. "The future holds so many promises. Like my mom marrying Dr. Grant, for one."
"You- you're okay with that?"
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, he's not my favorite man, but he's good for her, and she deserves to be happy." Lulu shrugged. "Call it kidnapping--enforced wisdom if you like--but I've come out of this with a whole new perspective. You know I even talked to my mom about going to college next year?"
"Are you serious!" Val exclaimed. "That's excellent, Lulu."
"Yeah, I guess." Lulu sighed. "I don't know. I feel like the person I was before was so fake. I was desperate for approval, you know? Each like gave me a little high, like someone out there was saying, 'You're worth something.' I want that high to come from me now." She wanted to say more, but let out a series of coughs instead.
Val stood up. "You need a drink. I'll go grab some Coke for you out of the vending machine. Lulu, I'm just so relieved you're actually alive. I love you, babe."
"Same here." Lulu gave her a watery smile. When Val left, Lulu turned to Nora, and said, "I can't say I love you, but I really do owe you. Big time. Val told me everything you did and if it wasn't for you, I don't think I'd be here right now."
Nora blushed. "It's really not an issue," she said. "I was just doing what anyone else would."
"Like breaking into my apartment?" Lulu gave her a sly grin. "Yeah, Val told me all about it. If you hadn't done that, Sean would never have taken her seriously."
"Oh, he would have... eventually," Nora said. "There's just one thing I'm not quite clear about, though."
"What's that?"
"Tank," Nora said. "Saturday night at the bar, Val said you kept hinting about something big that would happen in the near future. Also that Tank was saying something to you at the bar, and you were rolling your eyes at him. It really threw me offtrack. I even wondered whether this was all a prank to get you fame on social media for a bit. Plus Tank was talking to James about a secret..."
"You're the detective," Lulu said, raising an eyebrow. "What was your guess?"
Nora hesitated, and sighed. "I don't like saying it."
"Go ahead. I won't bite."
"I thought for a while that you and James were having an affair, and that Tank, who's loyal to Sandra, was warning you from pursuing it and ruining your friendship with Val. When Tank was talking about how he couldn't keep a secret, I knew immediately that the secret had something to do with James. Tank was trying to say that he couldn't keep James' secrets for him anymore, even though they were best friends."
Lulu laughed, "Bravo. Well done. You're almost right."
"Almost?"
"James and I do have a secret we're hiding from Val," she said. "It's just not the one you think."
"So what is it?" Nora asked.
"He's going to propose to her." Lulu grinned. "Very soon, but maybe after I'm out of the hospital. So it isn't just my mom's wedding I have to help plan, but my best friend's too."
"Ah!" Nora said.
"Yep. I dropped so many hints about it on Saturday that James got irritated and texted Tank to talk to me. Tank was trying to tell me not to let the cat out of the bag, and I was rolling my eyes because I knew he's the one who's terrible at keeping secrets, not me." Lulu winked at Nora. "Now I hope you're good at keeping secrets too, because Val's going to be back in the room anytime." Right on cue, the door opened, and Val walked in with a can of soda for Lulu.
She looked from Lulu's flushed face, to Nora's broad smile, and asked, "Anything I should know?"
"Nope," Lulu said. "I'm free again, and I'm alive, and all's right with the world."
"You're just brimming with positivity, aren't you?" Val smiled. "Where's my bitter, sarcastic best friend?"
"She's temporarily replaced with someone who appreciates all the small things that make life worth living." Lulu laughed.
"Amen." Nora smiled, standing up to leave. The best friends needed time together, and as for her, Nora wanted nothing more than to go back home and curl up with her husband and her cat. Lulu was right, it was the small things that made life worth l
iving.
The End (of Death On Social Media)
Continue for Death Of A Rock Star…
A MURDER IN MILBURN, BOOK 11:
Death Of A Rock Star
By
Nancy McGovern
Chapter 1
Nora Meets A Sultan
It wasn’t very often that Nora felt as nervous as she did right now. Catching herself as she smoothed her hair over and over, she chided herself for behaving as awkwardly as a teenager at a tea party. She was standing in the lobby of the Hotel Luxembourg, and try as she might, she couldn’t pretend that she belonged.
Fifty years ago, Hotel Luxembourg had been one of several run-down horse farms which stood on the highway connecting Milburn and Yellowstone National Park. Then, as more and more tourists began flocking to the area, an enterprising local businessman had decided to convert it into an expensive and exclusive spa. By now, the Luxembourg had become a celebrity favorite, with everyone from movie stars to politicians having holidayed there. The so-called “Hotel” was actually two distinct square buildings, one housing the reception and spa, the other, a heavily renovated farmhouse, where the guest rooms were located. The buildings looked plain from the outside, with no elaborate carvings or architectural flourishes. An unobservant passerby might well have mistaken the place for a simple farm. Only when you stepped inside could you see the money that clearly infused every pore of the place; from the Cezanne painting casually hung behind the reception desk, to the mahogany desk that expert eyes would identify as belonging to the period of Louis XV. The entire place felt like a museum, and Nora felt rather like she was liable to set off alarms if she touched a thing.
It was all very foreign to her anyway. When she’d first gotten the call that Seth Sultan himself, wanted her to cater his birthday party, she’d thought someone was playing a prank on her. Why, after all, would a legendary rock star like Seth Sultan ask for her personally?
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