The Deadliest Institution Collection

by Holly Copella

  “Don’t fuck with me,” he snarled softly. “Tell me where it is or I’ll snap your neck.”

  Jeannette hesitated and carefully considered her response. “It’s in an envelope in the bottom drawer near the back,” she gasped softly.

  The man thrust her onto her knees, keeping a firm grasp on her wrist, and opened the bottom drawer. He routed around the back of the drawer, found a thick envelope, and felt the contents through the outside. He released her wrist, grabbed her by the hair, and forced her to look up at him. He wore a black mask, so his identity remained hidden. He pulled a hunting knife and held it to her face. She let out a frightened scream.

  “Next time, you won’t be so lucky.”

  He released her hair and punched her on the side of the head. She fell to the floor and was unable to move, dazed by the hard hit. It had only been a matter of minutes before Jeanette was able to open her eyes and look around the room. She slowly pulled herself to her feet and held her head with some disorientation. The man was gone, but it wasn’t much comfort.

  Chapter Three

  On the beautiful, sunny Monday morning, the small airport, which was only an hour from Stony Ridge, was alive with travelers being dropped off for their flights. A man and woman walked together toward the terminal entrance and paused outside the automatic doors to say their farewells. Jacey McMurray was an attractive woman in her early twenties. She wore a business casual black skirt and jacket with matching pumps. Her long auburn hair was pulled neatly back into a French twist of sorts. Stray locks of hair seemed to fall haphazard from the twist. Jacey was the fresh-faced girl next door, who seemed almost as out of place with her purse as she was in her uncomfortable pumps. Dr. Maxwell Alvord, on the other hand, looked at home in his expensive suit. He was a moderately handsome man in his early thirties with short dark hair and a clean-shaven face. He carried a soft, leather briefcase containing his laptop and business papers. As they faced each other, the tension between them was obvious.

  “I have meetings all afternoon and then that dinner this evening, so I won’t be back until after midnight,” Maxwell reminded her.

  Jacey nodded mechanically and refrained from fidgeting, although she felt herself shifting from foot to foot. Of course, that could be because her feet already hurt.

  “So Brian will pick you up tonight?”

  Maxwell nodded. He studied her expression, inhaled deeply, and appeared equally uncomfortable. “I know this is all happening rather fast,” he announced as he gently took her hand in his and caressed it. “I love you, Jacey. This job in Denver is an amazing opportunity. You’ll see.”

  She tensed slightly while staring into his eyes. Jacey wasn’t certain how to respond to this ‘amazing opportunity’ that he kept referring. He fidgeted and looked at his watch, indicating he had to check-in. She didn’t want to send him off with an argument. She gently squeezed his hand and forced a smile.

  “I know it’s important to you, Maxwell,” she replied. “We can discuss it tomorrow.”

  He seemed reluctant to release her hand and refused to take his eyes off her. “I meant what I said last night,” he announced. “I want to marry you, Jacey.” He tensed slightly. “You never really gave me an answer.”

  Her entire body stiffened as she stared into his eyes. “You didn’t exactly ask,” she replied while fidgeting. “We have a lot to discuss. This is a lot to take in on such short notice. I need time to think about everything that’s happened.” She gently pulled her hand from his and patted his chest. “Go to Denver and impress your new boss. We’ll talk about our future tomorrow after I get out of work.”

  Maxwell offered a warm smile and nodded. “I’ll call you tonight before my dinner party.”

  “Call me at work,” she replied. “I have a lot to do after work, and I won’t be near the phone.”

  He nodded. Maxwell gently touched her face and kissed her briefly but passionately on the lips. She returned the kiss and again fidgeted before smiling.

  “Have a safe trip,” she announced warmly.

  He returned the smile then entered the terminal. Jacey waited a moment then felt her smile fade into a frown.

  “Damn it,” she cursed softly then headed toward her parked jeep.

  †

  Later that morning, the Stony Ridge Country Club was alive with golfers and carts at nearly every tee. Men and women dressed in their finest golf attire seemed more interested in conducting business and gossiping about fellow golfers than the actual sport. The outdoor pool was mostly empty for the early hour, although it would be packed later in the day with children of club members. A few members dined on coffee and pastries on the patio overlooking the lush grounds while awaiting spa appointments, golf tee times, and various lessons. The interior of the club was more impressive than the outside with rich, detailed woodwork, marble floors, and stained glass windows.

  Jacey entered a large reception office through a set of antique looking doors with frosted glass. The reception office was more of a small lobby. It contained two secretary’s desks belonging to Jeannette and herself. Both were positioned outside the office doors on either side of the reception area. The office to the right belonged to Davis Lowe, the country club president, and the one to the left belonged to Nathan Stanley, the vice president. Jacey glanced at her watch and tossed her purse on top of the desk with disgust. She anticipated being late and had notified her boss, Davis, to the fact, but she didn’t intend to be two hours late. At least her boss didn’t mind. He knew she was dropping Maxwell off at the airport for his business trip to Denver.

  Fortunately for her, Maxwell knew Davis from years ago when he worked in the city. Maxwell used his influence with Davis to get her the coveted position as his executive secretary. Although Jacey had been working full-time with her position at the library and writing articles for the local newspaper, she couldn’t refuse the salary associated with the new position at the country club. It wasn’t her dream job, but it provided greater financial freedom. She collapsed into her chair and stuffed her purse into the bottom drawer. Her first order of business was to see what messages were left from the weekend before the phone started ringing, which was due to happen shortly. She picked up the few notes left on her desk from that morning.

  The first note was gut wrenching. Davis’ chicken scratch across the paper read, ‘Jeannette called in sick’. Jacey groaned and allowed her head to hit the desk. The message should have included the word ‘again’. Jeannette was out more than she was in. Her recently deceased husband, Doyle, had left her enough money that she really didn’t need to work, which reflected in the amount of time she’d spent out of the office. It wouldn’t be a big deal if it didn’t double the amount of work Jacey then had to do. Manning the two phones would be enough to keep her busy most of the morning. As both phones rang almost simultaneously right on cue, Jacey dreamed of riding her horse through a quiet pasture. It seemed a farfetched dream while trapped in her office hell.

  Chapter Four

  The Garden Room was the less formal restaurant within the country club. The room was large and airy with white, wooden furniture and, much to its name, contained a lot of plants and flowers. It also had seating outside on the terrace overlooking the massive country club garden. The Garden Room was a favorite for elegant tea parties, sweet sixteen parties, and general meetings for many of the club wives. Some fondly referred to it as ‘the hen house’. It was now nearing one o’clock and the favorite lunch spot was moderately busy for a Monday. As Jacey sat uncomfortably at the round table with her two lunch dates, she was reminded of how much she didn’t belong in the snooty dining area. Most of the women having lunch or tea, as they liked to call it, were dressed in their flowery best. All that was missing were the large hats. Jacey rarely ate within the club restaurants but had little choice when she had lunch dates. Fortunately for her, her lunch dates always treated, which was good since she probably couldn’t even afford a cup of tea at the country club.

  The two men
at the table with Jacey were almost as out of place in the room as she was. Professor Ted Fuller was a tall, lanky man in his early to mid-thirties with dark hair and wire-rimmed glasses. A studious looking man, he fidgeted a great deal in the chair that seemed too short for his long legs. His counterpart was a robust man with wild, curly black hair and shifty eyes that took in everything happening within the room. Dr. Timon Bennett was easily in his mid-thirties, although mentally, he was a big kid. It was almost hard to believe both were renowned scientists. She’d met both men a little over three months ago, along with Maxwell, their colleague. They’d come to town with a few other scientists on a mission to convert the old Stony Ridge Mental Institution into a museum. After several major setbacks and a scandal or two, the old mental institute was finally shaping into a fine museum. How their relationship got to where it was today was a whole other story.

  “It’s been brutal with Jeanette out sick today,” Jacey announced with a weary sigh.

  Her friends were sympathetic to her bad morning, although it was possible they knew more than they led on.

  “As much as she calls out,” Professor began, “you’d think her boss would have let her go by now.”

  “Maybe he would, if he wasn’t sleeping with her,” Jacey remarked matter-of-fact.

  Both men seemed surprised by the comment.

  “Really? Jeannette and Nathan?” Professor questioned in a pitch higher than usual. He gently cleared his throat and resumed his more masculine tone while attempting to sound less like a busybody. “I never would have suspected.”

  “Well, it’s just a rumor,” Jacey replied and sipped her tea. “I probably shouldn’t spread gossip, but it’s difficult not to in this place.” She eyed several older women around the room then lowered her voice. “It’s like a gossip freeway.”

  Timon was unusually quiet. Normally, he would have added his two cents by now.

  “Huh?” Timon finally remarked, so as not to disappoint. “I wish I’d known she was of easy virtue sooner. I would’ve asked her out.” He casually leaned back in his chair and glanced around the room, noting the old women staring down at him. He then spoke louder than necessary. “For the most part, this town is overflowing with old busybodies and virgins.”

  Professor glared disapprovingly at Timon.

  Timon chuckled at the look he was given then glanced at Jacey. “No offense to the virgin at the table,” he teased.

  Professor placed his hand over his eyes and groaned softly while shaking his head.

  Jacey felt her cheeks redden slightly. “None taken,” she muttered.

  Telling the guys her sexual status was possibly the biggest mistake of her life. Timon enjoyed teasing her relentlessly about it. Although, she did tend to take cheap shots at him when opportunity presented itself as well.

  “Besides,” Jacey replied, swiftly changing the subject, “I doubt you could afford Jeannette. She doesn’t even have to work. Her late husband was Doyle Cobbler, the board member who’d died three months ago.”

  Both men stared at Jacey with shared looks of surprise. She knew what they were thinking before either even spoke. The age difference was staggering.

  “Wasn’t he an old man?” Professor nearly gasped.

  “Yeah, like, really old,” Timon proclaimed, catching the attention of every white haired woman in the lounge.

  Professor kicked Timon under the table, causing him to yelp and jump.

  “Sorry,” Timon gasped softly.

  “He was in his late sixties,” Jacey replied simply. “Almost forty years her senior.”

  “Didn’t I hear something about that being a murder suicide?” Professor asked.

  “That’s what the homicide detective called it,” Jacey replied then sighed. “It’s hard to believe Doyle was fooling around with his secretary. I guess when he wouldn’t leave his wife; she killed him and then took her own life.”

  “I vaguely remember that. Didn’t they find her dead in the hot tub in the men’s spa?” Professor asked with a curious tilt of his head.

  “Yeah, she took a bunch of pills and drank half a bottle of vodka,” Jacey replied. “They didn’t find either of them until after midnight.” Jacey grimaced slightly. “Apparently, after several hours, the heat and moisture really did a number on the bodies.”

  Professor and Timon grimaced.

  “Did you know that happened the same night as the museum gala?” Jacey asked.

  “Must’ve been a full moon,” Timon muttered then looked back at Jacey. “Bet he left his wife a fortune, huh? With his share of the country club and all, she’d be set for life.”

  “Actually, when an investor dies, their portion of the club reverts back to the surviving investors,” Jacey informed them. “She didn’t get any part of the club.”

  “Explaining why she moved on to investor number two,” Professor replied while hiding his sly grin.

  “Well, there had been a rumor that she was having an affair even before her husband’s death,” Jacey remarked while raising her brows in suggestion.

  “Maybe she and her lover offed her husband,” Timon teased and released a throaty chuckle. “This town is like Peyton Place. Stranger things have happened.”

  “Yeah,” Professor muttered while shifting in his tiny chair, “and we were up close and personal with more town scandals than I’d care to remember.”

  “Speaking of scandals, lies, and false allegations,” Timon teased cheerfully while looking at Jacey, “when’s Asher coming home?”

  Professor again groaned softly at Timon’s idea of a joke, although his friend didn’t seem to notice or just didn’t care who he embarrassed.

  “Poker night just isn’t the same without the rich guy with no luck,” Timon continued.

  Jacey shifted in her chair. “Four days, six hours, and counting.” She held back her laugh. It wasn’t as if she were counting down the minutes until her friend’s return, but she couldn’t deny she missed him terribly. “I never knew house sitting plants could be so exhausting. And now that my mom and Russell left on yet another trip, I have to look after the farm, my horses, and Asher’s jungle sized garden.”

  “You know, you could always ask Maxwell to help,” Timon remarked.

  She fidgeted and became uncomfortable by the suggestion. She was well aware that both men watched her. Maxwell may have been their colleague, but they knew something wasn’t right. They were both just too polite to bring it up.

  “Maxwell still has trust issues with horses and even more with Asher,” Jacey finally replied, although she knew they knew what was going on in her relationship with Maxwell. Denial was a game they were playing for the sake of peace where all were concerned. “I wouldn’t bother asking.”

  There was an awkward silence and it seemed as if none of the three intended to address the issue once again.

  “Things still not better with Maxwell?” Professor finally asked, breaking the rules of the ‘don’t ask’ game.

  She hesitated and considered her answer carefully. “I’m afraid he’s reverting back to his old scientist ways,” Jacey informed him then cast looks at both men. “No offense to the other scientists present.”

  “None taken,” Professor replied.

  “You don’t act all stuffy and pompous,” Jacey remarked then hesitated. “Neither did Maxwell when we first met, and it’s only been three months. I don’t know what’s up with him.”

  “Missing the city life,” Timon casually replied. “Doc doesn’t exactly pay well. But, it’s still better then dealing with those high society types.”

  “You’re standing in the middle of snob central,” Professor interjected while glaring at his odd friend. “What are you talking about?”

  “Yeah, but this is small-town snob central,” Timon bluntly informed him. “These snobs are like the white trash of the elite society.”

  Jacey laughed and stood. Both men stood also.

  “I really need to get back to work,” Jacey informed them. “I cam
e in late and took an executive lunch on top of that. It doesn’t bode well with the powers that be.” She then proceeded to hug both men. They eagerly returned the embrace. “Thanks for lunch, guys.”

  “Anytime,” Professor replied then studied her a moment, leaving an awkward silence. “Are you unhappy here, Jacey?”

  She shrugged, attempted a smile, and refrained from being honest with them. “It’s a job,” she replied then hesitated. “Nathan’s been in a mood lately. I’m just tired.”

  “Once the museum is complete,” Professor announced, “we’ll probably need someone full-time in the office. I know Doc would hire you, if he knew you were interested.”

  “Yeah, and we’d save a fortune on membership dues hanging out at this dive,” Timon remarked.

  Jacey stared at them with surprise. “You mean you’d give up your membership if I didn’t work here?”

  Professor shrugged and smiled timidly. “It’s not really us,” he remarked.

  “We just come for the scenery,” Timon teased and grinned his true meaning.

  “You’re wonderful friends, and I appreciate the offer,” she replied while holding back her laugh. “When the day comes, we can discuss my relocation. For now, I should probably get back to work while I still have a job.” She groaned softly. “I probably missed a hundred phone calls already.”

  “We should probably get going anyway,” Professor informed her.

  Both men grinned and simultaneously placed cigars in their mouths.

  “We have massages scheduled with Ingrid and Ursula,” Timon announced cheerfully through the cigar clenched in his teeth. “I love a butch Amazon woman.”

  Jacey hid her smile to their boyish grins. She was lucky to have them as friends.

  Chapter Five

  Jacey entered the reception area to the sound of her phone ringing with its usual sense of urgency. She hurried toward her desk, snatched the phone from its cradle, and immediately heard a click. She groaned softly and slammed down the phone. Nathan’s office door opened. Three men dressed in expensive suits exited the office while laughing like old friends, despite that they barely tolerated one another. It was the club’s worst kept secret.