The Deadliest Institution Collection

by Holly Copella

  “Come in,” she announced simply.

  Asher opened the bedroom door. He suddenly stopped and stared at her for a long moment without a word. He looked almost as if he’d seen a ghost. For a moment, Jacey was concerned by his silence.

  He suddenly smiled and appeared pleased. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  Jacey smiled and felt the color rush to her cheeks. “Do you think so?”

  He chuckled lowly. “I’m going to have my hands full keeping Dr. Alvord from seducing you away from me.”

  She immediately tensed and attempted not to smile. “Will you stop with Maxwell? He’s not interested in me, and he’s seeing someone.”

  “He’ll be interested tonight, I assure you,” Asher said with a sly look in his eyes. “Oh,” he injected sharply. “I almost forgot; I have the perfect jewelry to go with that dress.”

  He crossed the room to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Asher removed two velvet boxes from the drawer, carelessly dropping a folded slip of paper to the floor. Jacey approached him and studied the boxes with great interest. He opened one to reveal a diamond and ruby pendant necklace with matching earrings. He proudly handed them to her.

  “Katie had always wanted these,” he said gently with a tiny smile. “She had so much jewelry.” He handed her the earrings and assisted her with the necklace. They were truly elegant and obviously very expensive. Jacey put the earrings on and turned to face him with a smile. He then opened the second box and removed a diamond tennis bracelet.

  “And this will complete the set.”

  She stared at the brilliant, shining diamond bracelet with awe. “Might be a little much,” Jacey said with a tiny laugh.

  He placed the bracelet around her wrist and smiled deviously. “You’re going to look like royalty among peasants,” he announced cheerfully and held her hand to stare at the sparkling bracelet around her wrist. His eyes then lifted to meet hers. “You’d get more use out of these than the dresser,” he said warmly. His look turned more serious. “I think you should keep them.”

  Her mouth opened slightly with surprise at the offer. She didn’t want to take Katie’s jewelry. It didn’t seem right. “Asher, I couldn’t--”

  “But I insist,” he announced cheerfully. “They’re doing me no good, and I’m sure Katie would’ve wanted them to go to someone special to me.”

  Jacey stared into his blue eyes and couldn’t help but smile. She sometimes wondered if Asher loved her too much. And sometimes she didn’t care. She’d lost her father many years ago, and Asher was the only one who could compare.

  She nodded with a warm smile. “If it makes you happy, I’ll keep them.”

  “It would.” He released her hand and turned serious. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I have to pick up my tuxedo at the dry cleaners in the city. I’m going to be late as it is,” he informed her. “Perhaps we could meet at the institution, so I won’t have to stop back this way.”

  “Sure,” she replied. “That’s fine. Maybe I’ll have my hair done.” She was humored at herself. “I may as well go all the way.”

  “You do that,” he said with a soft laugh. “I’ll be there with my cane to fight off all the young men.” He hesitated only a moment to look over her in the dress then smiled. “I’m going to head out right away. Lock up when you leave.”

  Once Asher left the room, Jacey changed back into her everyday clothing. She noticed the stray piece of paper on the floor. She picked it up and glanced at it, hoping it wasn’t his drycleaner slip. Her head tilted and a strange feeling swept over her. It was a bill for the jewelry. A very expensive bill with yesterday’s date on it! She heard Asher’s jeep drive away. Jacey ran her fingers through her hair while staring at the jewelry receipt. Why had he lied? She uncertainly folded the receipt and stuck it in the nearby drawer. Jacey glanced at the diamond tennis bracelet around her wrist and sank into thought. Perhaps she was over thinking it. Asher was, at times, extremely generous with his wealth, and she’d turned down many offers of money in the past. It was possibly just his way of giving her something without protest. She decided to just forget about it and allow him his fun.

  †

  Jacey’s jeep pulled up to the institution a little after 6:00 P.M. for the exclusive party. Jacey hated being late, but it took longer at the hairdresser than she’d anticipated. She was also surprised at how many women in town were attending and decided to get their hair done at the last minute. She was actually lucky they had the time to take her in on such short notice. Jacey stepped out of her jeep and accepted the ticket from the young valet. The young man’s gaze swept over her in the expensive, black evening dress. He attempted to conceal his grin but failed. She felt a little self-conscious, not used to wearing dresses or high heels. She felt uneasy as she walked to the entrance of the institution. Her auburn hair was up in a French twist with a stray lock hanging just over her brow. Her make-up had been carefully applied by the beautician in town, using the ‘less is more’ technique. She was elegance from the top of her head to her black, strapless heels.

  Despite her appearance, she felt out of place. She wished Asher had been able to accompany her. She knew she’d feel secure on his arm. He had attended many formal parties with Katie, according to his stories, and she was positive he knew the ropes. Jacey looked back to the front gate where Jill and her four coconspirators protested with cardboard signs. They looked completely idiotic marching before the shut gates while security closely watched. Jacey took a deep breath as the hired butler answered the door and welcomed her inside. As she entered, Doc was waiting in the foyer with his arms outstretched.

  “Jacey,” he announced cheerfully and clasped both her hands. His eyes swept over her. “You look absolutely beautiful.” He looked past her, appeared bewildered, and then met her gaze. “Where’s Professor? I thought he’d be with you?”

  “They weren’t back yet when I got home, but a woman I know is waiting for them at my place,” Jacey informed him. “I could call and find out if they’ve returned yet.”

  Doc shook his head with a deep sigh. “Professor always finds an excuse to be late for these gatherings. He’s not much for business parties.”

  Jacey just smiled. The way she was feeling right now, she could understand.

  “Weren’t you bringing a friend?”

  “Yes, but he had to run to the cleaners for his suit,” she replied with a warm smile. “I’m sure he’ll be along shortly. I doubt he’d miss an opportunity to hobnob with intelligent people.”

  Doc nodded with a look of concern. “I hope he won’t be too late,” he informed her. “I ordered the gates locked at seven o’clock due to that wretched woman from your town. I don’t want her offending any of my guests. They’re quite important to our facility.” He then smiled proudly and held out his arm. “Allow me to escort you to the party.”

  Jacey linked onto his arm and walked toward the banquet room at the end of the hall. She was mildly surprised to see the crowd of people attending the party. Despite her appearance, she felt even more out of place than before. After a quick glance around the room, she saw Mayor Howard Norad, Dr. Talbert, Brenda Heinz, Derek Falcone, and Sheriff Monroe. It wasn’t surprising that she didn’t see the mayor’s wife attending. She was practically one of Jill’s disciples and probably refused to attend on principle alone. Seeing Sheriff Monroe made her feel a little more at ease. She was certain the sheriff was feeling just as out of place as she was feeling, if not more so. She’d never even seen the sheriff in a tie, let alone a tuxedo. Brenda looked stunning in a daring red dress with plenty of leg and cleavage showing. Jacey considered some trashy comments to describe Brenda’s dress, but quickly realized her dress was just as revealing. As she looked down, she was almost shocked at her own exposed cleavage. She didn’t realize her boobs were that big! She gave the dress a gentle tug to cover some cleavage to no avail. Timon approached them looking fine in his modern tuxedo with a glass of brandy in his hand. His mouth opened, as he looked J
acey up and down twice.

  “Well, well,” he said with a slight gasp then looked back into her eyes while attempting to behave and grinned. “You look fabulous.”

  Brian approached from the left and grinned at the attractive woman linked onto Doc’s arm. “Introduce me to your lovely guest,” he announced then finally looked at her face and realized it was Jacey. His mouth suddenly opened with surprise. “Jacey,” he gasped then grinned.

  “For just one evening, won’t you two try to behave like gentlemen,” Doc said firmly.

  Brenda was suddenly standing alongside them. She linked onto Brian’s arm and purposely brushed her cleavage against his arm. She succeeded in catching his attention.

  “Hey, Brian,” she said sweetly while flirting at him with her eyes.

  He checked her out and grinned his approval. “Brenda,” Brian announced. “You look stunning.”

  “Thanks,” she replied then eyed Jacey while raising a cocky brow. “I didn’t realize you were coming tonight, Jacey.” Her eyes strayed to the expensive, diamond tennis bracelet. It apparently caught her eye. She had a hard time looking away from it.

  As Jacey stared at Brenda, she thought of the perfect comeback. She was about ready to clobber her with her best sarcastic remark when Brenda added to her own comment.

  “Did you bring a date?” Brenda asked.

  Jacey suddenly fumbled and wasn’t sure how to respond. She hadn’t actually thought about what she would tell others about Asher attending with her. Angela and Maxwell joined them and it was no longer necessary to respond to Brenda. Angela wore a sparkling evening dress that was both elegant and subtle. She smiled in her typical, mocking manner while looking over Jacey.

  “If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I never would’ve believed it,” Angela remarked with a tiny, humored laugh. “A bit revealing though.”

  Jacey suddenly realized she had entered the bowels of hell! Brenda and Angela together spelled disaster for her! She needed to be rescued.

  Timon linked onto Jacey’s free arm and defensively raised his brows. “I like revealing.”

  Not exactly the rescue that she’d hoped, but she’d take it.

  “I might remind you two, Jacey already has a date for tonight, and he’ll be along shortly,” Doc announced firmly.

  Jacey hoped he would too. She also hoped she wouldn’t have to get into that conversation just now.

  As if on cue, Doc once again saved her. “Now run along and promote our facility,” he ordered firmly, successfully chasing away Timon and Brian with Brenda in tow. He released Jacey’s arm and patted it affectionately. “I’ll leave you in Angela’s care.” Doc then looked at Maxwell. “Maxwell, I want to introduce you to the mayor.”

  Maxwell excused himself, smiled warmly at Jacey as he passed, and followed Doc across the crowded room. When Jacey looked back at Angela, she had her arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her face while watching Timon and Brian leave.

  “They act as if they’ve never seen a woman before,” Angela muttered then eyed Jacey and raised a skeptical brow. “Should we get some drinks?”

  Angela didn’t wait for a response. She walked away from Jacey and across the room toward the bar. Jacey rolled her eyes and followed her. Derek glared at Jacey as she passed. She caught his stare and promptly ignored him. She wondered how he managed to get an invitation when so many others in town didn’t. Derek was about to be in for the surprise of his life when he discovered Asher was attending.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Professor galloped his large horse behind both girls on their horses. He appeared to be enjoying their gallop on the long, flat stretch of dirt road. Both girls slowed, finally allowing Professor to catch up. All three laughed.

  “I think you cheated,” Professor informed both girls. “You were already running on ‘go’.”

  “Monique always cheats,” Coleen informed him while casting a sly look at her blonde friend.

  “I don’t cheat,” Monique protested while patting her horse’s neck. “Storm Cloud is just very competitive.”

  “Storm Cloud cheats too,” Coleen quipped.

  “Yeah?” Monique snipped. “Well Thunder was the one leading the way that got us lost. Now Professor’s going to be late for the party. It’s already six-thirty. The party started half an hour ago.”

  “Professor isn’t complaining,” Professor muttered. “I intend to be bored out of my mind the rest of the evening anyway. Doc will give me an earful though.”

  “It won’t be much longer,” Monique promised. “It’s a short ride to the mining road. That’ll get us to Jacey’s place in half an hour if we book it.”

  “I don’t mind booking it either,” Professor teased then gave Monique a curious look. “I noticed you don’t kick your horse to make him run. Why is that?”

  Monique smiled and shrugged. “He’s a smart horse,” she announced proudly. “A gentle squeeze is all he needs. I actually think he’s ticklish.”

  “Ticklish?” Coleen scoffed. “Try vindictive. I kicked him once and he threw me.”

  “He’s not vindictive; he’s ticklish,” Monique grumbled. “At least he’s not spoiled like Thunder.”

  Before Coleen could continue the argument, Professor interrupted them. “Okay,” he announced playing peacekeeper. “You’re both very attached to your horses. I get it. Let’s not fight about it.”

  They entered the woods and rode along an old road through the wooded hillside. Monique and Coleen exchanged looks then glanced at Professor while silently questioning each other. Coleen nodded. Monique removed the folded paper from her pocket, held her horse back, and rode alongside Professor while Coleen led. She handed him the paper.

  “We found this when we were helping Dr. Talbert pack up the dead woman’s belongings,” Monique gently informed him.

  Professor studied the paper with newspaper cutouts on it then looked at both girls.

  “Is this some sort of joke?” he asked sternly.

  “No,” Monique replied. “I believe it’s called blackmail.”

  Professor looked back at the paper with his mouth hanging open. “This can’t be good,” he said under his breath then looked back at them. “Does anyone else know you’ve found this?”

  Both shook their heads.

  “We’re usually pretty sneaky,” Coleen informed him simply. “Do you think someone was blackmailing Roseanne, or the other way around?”

  Professor shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of it. I’m not very good at this sort of thing,” he informed them. “I think you should tell the police about this. It may help with their murder investigation.”

  “We thought about that,” Monique announced then sighed. “But we’re not sure how to explain where we got it.”

  “Truth is always best,” Professor said. “I don’t believe lying ever solved anything.”

  “Sometimes telling the truth can be deadly too,” Coleen muttered softly.

  Professor eyed her.

  “We even checked the cannon,” Monique announced. “But there wasn’t any money in it. She could have been blackmailing someone, and they killed her because of it.” She then removed the drawing from her back pocket and handed it to Professor. “Do you recognize this place?”

  Professor studied the crude drawing then nodded. “Sure, it’s the institution.”

  Monique then pointed to the bottom corner. “What do you make of this area?”

  He stared a moment longer then shook his head. “Looks like an addition to the basement. Maybe someone had plans for the institution before we moved in.”

  “But does this area even exist?” Monique pressed.

  “I’ve been in the basement maybe four times,” he replied simply. “I don’t know where this room is.” Professor returned the paper to Monique.

  Both girls stopped their horses and glanced across the woods with bewildered looks. Professor stopped his horse as well and attempted to see what had them befuddled.

  “Huh,�
�� Monique muttered. “We took the wrong path.” She nodded up a steep incline. “The old mining road is up there. This road takes us back to the main road. That’ll put us miles out of our way.”

  “Can you handle a steep incline?” Coleen asked Professor.

  “I can manage,” he replied.

  They approached a steep path on the hillside, which led to the old, mining road. Turning right onto the road led to Asher’s house, which was a ten to twenty minute ride. Turning to the left would take them back to Jacey’s house, which was a good thirty-minute ride at a fast gate.

  “You need to get a running start and hold onto the horse’s mane,” Monique instructed.

  “And lean forward real far,” Coleen added.

  They rode up the hill one at a time. Monique went first, sending her paint gelding into a gallop up the steep path, knocking stones and kicking dirt to the bottom. Professor watched with his mouth hanging open. Once she’d reached the top, Coleen galloped up the path on her black horse.

  “I don’t like this,” Professor muttered lowly. He leaned forward and patted the horse’s neck. “Are you ready? That’s a good horsy.”

  Once Coleen reached the top, it was his turn. He took a deep breath and raced toward the slope. The horse tackled the steep path and began to slow halfway up. The horse suddenly bolted with a spurt of energy. Professor toppled off the horse and rolled down the hill with amazing speed. Both girls screamed then yelled to him. The horse reached the top of the slope and trotted along the dirt road. Monique raced her horse down the slope, leaning back so far her head almost touched the horse’s rump. The horse skidded most of the way then jumped the last couple of feet. Monique sprang off her horse and ran to Professor, who lie motionless in a ditch with his leg pinned under a fallen tree alongside the dirt road.