The Deadliest Institution Collection

by Holly Copella

  Nathan produced a flash drive. “Just needed one of these.” He stood and appeared more pleasant than usual. “I know it’s been a rough couple of days for you, Jacey. Why don’t you take some time off?”

  “I’d rather work,” she replied simply.

  She walked past him, moved behind her desk, and allowed the folder to fall onto the desktop. She casually flopped in her chair and scanned her desk for anything out of place.

  “I know I don’t seem the most compassionate at times, but I assure you, it’s not so,” Nathan informed her while watching her with more than a passing interest. He offered what was meant to be a sincere smile, but it came across somewhat sleazy. “Let me buy you a drink. We can talk and get through this tragedy together.”

  In her mind, he wasn’t acting like a man whose lover was just murdered. He wasn’t even acting like a man whose secretary was just murdered. His lack of remorse for Jeannette almost made Jacey ill.

  “I don’t drink, and I don’t date my boss,” she replied with limited patience. “We’ve been through this before.”

  Nathan looked surprised and possibly offended, although Jacey doubted it was sincere.

  “I wasn’t hitting on you, Jacey,” he firmly insisted. “I’m just being nice. It’s you who seems to think I’m after something.” He seemed unusually tense after her remark and shifted. “I know you keep the company of wolves. I wouldn’t dream of upsetting Asher.” Nathan then offered a charming smile. “Can’t we start over again? Or are you going to hold that one little incident against me for the rest of my life?”

  Although she was certain that he’d think twice before backing her into a corner again, she felt it best to forget the entire incident. The last thing she needed was for Asher to hear about Nathan cornering her. Asher would do a lot more than stomp on his foot. There were times she wished she’d done more than stomped on his foot, but she was wearing high heels at the time, so it almost seemed fitting.

  “Fine,” she reluctantly replied then attempted to sound pleasant. “You’re forgiven. I appreciate the offer, but I still don’t drink.”

  He seemed moderately disappointed by the rejection. “How about lunch then?” he questioned. “I could have the kitchen send something over.”

  “I had lunch with Roxy.”

  Jacey thought he seemed awfully desperate to replace his dead lover with a new one. She wondered what the hell was wrong with him but held her temper. Despite Nathan being an asshole, she currently needed her job and couldn’t risk offending him. Jacey reached for the discarded folder. Nathan casually sat on her desk and the folder, nearly catching her hand. She quickly pulled her hand back and glared at him.

  “What about dinner tonight?” he asked while grinning.

  She felt her irritation rising but attempted to keep her hostility in check.

  “I’m seeing someone, Nathan,” she casually remarked and raised her brow. “Have you forgotten?”

  “Brian said Dr. Maxwell was moving to Denver and you weren’t going with him,” Nathan announced.

  Jacey felt her cheeks redden as she developed a healthy dislike for Brian all over again.

  “Brian has a big mouth,” she muttered.

  Nathan smiled charmingly and leaned closer to her. “Don’t you see? You can have it all,” he announced in a tone that was meant to sound seductive. “I’m a wealthy man, and I’m practically living in your backyard. There’s nothing I wouldn’t deny you, if you were my girl.”

  Jacey glared at Nathan hovering over her and the cheap grin plastered on his face. There was that ‘girl’ comment again. A platinum credit card landed on the desk between them with a distinctive clatter. It had the name ‘Konrad Asher’ embossed on it. Both looked to the front of the desk. Asher casually stared at Nathan with his hands in his pockets and a tiny, irritable smirk on his face. He looked like a cobra ready to strike and the smile only made it more chilling.

  “She doesn’t need your money,” Asher hissed lowly with his eyes locked on Nathan. “She already has mine.”

  Nathan glared at Asher and attempted an uneasy smile meant to be intimidating, although it missed the mark. He stood and faced Asher, who remained standing before the desk.

  “You really need to work on your personality, Asher,” Nathan muttered. “Perhaps acquire a sense of humor.”

  An evil, twisted smile crossed Asher’s face. “Well, Nathan, now you know what to get me for my birthday.”

  Nathan smirked and returned to his office with a sense of urgency. He obviously wanted no part of the local legend. Asher kept his eyes locked on Nathan until the door shut. He then looked back at Jacey and smiled cheerfully as if nothing had happened. It was as if it were a game to Asher.

  “I think he’s warming up to me.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed,” she casually remarked and leaned forward on her desk while studying him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m a member,” he teased. “Or did you forget?”

  “That would be impossible to forget,” she replied. “You rub that salt in Nathan’s wound every time you see him.”

  “Someone has her thong in a bunch,” Asher casually remarked then dropped her car keys on the desk and collected his credit card. “Just upgrading that old jeep for the shiny new Audi SUV in the parking lot.”

  Jacey smiled and removed his car keys from her purse. She placed them in his outstretched hand. She knew better than to call him on the thong comment. She didn’t have time to play Asher’s mind games. He casually sat on the corner of her desk facing her and appeared curious.

  “Are you riding along with me to the museum tonight?” he asked.

  “Planning on getting sloppy drunk again?” she teased while leaning closer to him and searched his adorable blue eyes.

  He frowned and shook his head. “One time, and you’re still rubbing it in.”

  Jacey glared at him and raised her brow. “Once is enough,” she remarked. “You’re a special type of crazy when you’re drunk.”

  “Are we rehashing?”

  “May I remind you--?”

  “I’m sure you will,” he muttered.

  “The last and only time you got drunk, you thought you were a spy for the CIA,” she boldly announced.

  He leaned across the desk and met her gaze with a sly grin. “I was a spy for the CIA.”

  “You disassembled the T-rex display and reassembled it outside Brian’s bedroom window.”

  “He was being an ass,” Asher muttered while straightening.

  “You attached hydraulics to it and piped it roaring through his bedroom window,” Jacey remarked. “You nearly gave the guy a heart attack.”

  “Did you miss the part where he was being an ass?”

  She glared her disapproval.

  Asher attempted a smile. “All right already, ­Professor,” he scoffed. “Spare me the lecture.” He then smiled deviously. “I’ve been a good boy. Not even a suspect in the town’s most recent murder. You should be very proud.”

  Jacey stood, linked onto his arm while pulling him up from her desk, and led him to the reception office door. He eyed the open door then her.

  “Am I leaving?”

  “We’re past all that, Asher,” she remarked. “Don’t stir up more suspicion. I really can’t go through that again. You’re innocent with an ironclad alibi for a change.”

  “If it pleases you, I’ll be sure to mind my homicidal manners,” he teased.

  Chapter Fifteen

  What was once the Stony Ridge Mental Institution consisted of the main building and the west wing, which set nestled beyond the massive stone wall and tall chain-link fencing. The main building had been converted into four floors of the new museum. Despite the outside being well-lit, the main building appeared dark. Most of the activity was centered within the lower floors of the connecting west wing. The first two floors remained well-lit in the early evening hour. Although the west wing was only partially renovated, the first and second floors had been conver
ted into living quarters for the scientists working at the museum in the main structure. The first floor contained the game room, exercise room, banquet hall, and a formal lounge for entertaining and hobnobbing. The kitchen, laundry room, and dining room remained under construction, forcing the scientists to use the old kitchen in the main building just beyond the museum lobby.

  The second floor of the west wing currently had five out of ten bedroom suites completed, allowing a room for each of the scientists. The fifth and sole female scientist in their group had already moved on shortly after the infamous museum gala, leaving one empty bedroom suite. The remaining five guestrooms were slated for construction later that fall. The third and fourth floors of the west wing were all that remained of the old mental institute, which was an attraction in itself. Locals and visitors enjoyed sneaking a peek at the old asylum, which still contained the patient rooms and nurses’ station left in their original condition. More than a decade of dust and dirt had been left behind, lending a certain creepy appeal to draw in visitors.

  Within the west wing’s game room, six men sat around the large, professional card table and played a friendly game of poker. The game room contained two sets of sofas, overstuffed chairs, a massive entertainment bar, a large, flat screen television, and a pool table. Brian, Timon, and Professor, who all worked and lived at the museum, played cards with Asher, Davis, and Sheriff Monroe. Sheriff Monroe Carson was a stocky African-American man in his early forties. Despite entering middle age, he had a youthful, chubby baby face and a head of thick, black hair without a trace of gray. Most would mistake him for a man in his late twenties. The six men smoked cigars and played poker for little more than pocket change, indicated by the small pile of coins in the center of the table. Timon wore a necktie around his head in an attempt to keep the mood light or possibly distract attention away from his less than serious poker face. Brian anxiously fiddled with the cards in his hand while casting several glares at Davis.

  “I can’t believe you agreed to let Roxy work in the office, Davis,” Brian remarked, clearly annoyed. “She dumped me. Do you know how awkward that’s going to be?”

  Davis remained more interested in his cards and didn’t bother looking at Brian. “I’m not exactly happy having my only daughter working at the club either, but she wants to work and Jacey could use the help.”

  Professor puffed on his cigar and smirked at Brian. “Stop your pouting, Mr. Stud. You were the one making time with Angel,” he remarked. “When the female population treats you like a disease, you’d better know it’s your own doing.”

  “The game’s called poker, Brian,” Timon grumbled. “Shut up and pay.” It was unclear what had Timon upset with his co-worker.

  “I’m in,” Brian muttered and tossed a dime into the small pot.

  “Man, you go through women like there’s a shortage,” Sheriff Monroe remarked while talking through the cigar pinched in his teeth. He cast a dirty look at him. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Can’t keep it in his pants,” Timon casually replied.

  There was a round of chuckles, although the other men were undoubtedly jealous, considering none had a girlfriend to call their own, while being forced to watch Brian toss away one beautiful woman after another.

  Brian wasn’t amused by their mocking words. “I thought we were playing poker,” he muttered with annoyance.

  Davis folded with disgust, puffed on his cigar, and then eyed Brian. “If you’re so concerned about Roxy being in the office,” Davis remarked, “maybe you should consider begging for her forgiveness. Then she can take you back and she’ll get this crazy notion of working out of her system.”

  Brian studied his cards and avoided looking at Davis. “Women don’t take cheating on them lightly,” he muttered. “She’s not simply going to forgive me.”

  “Did you even try?” Davis remarked sternly. “You’re not above groveling, you know.”

  Davis received looks from the other men, including Asher.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Professor remarked, although he possibly hadn’t intended to say it aloud.

  All eyes were suddenly on him, but he didn’t seem to care. He shifted in his chair while glaring at Davis.

  “This is your daughter,” Professor reminded. “Can you honestly tell me you’d want her to take back a dog like Brian?”

  “You don’t understand,” Davis announced with a groan. “She probably won’t find a more suitable husband around here. Brain went to an Ivy League school. His family is one of the wealthiest families in the southwestern states.”

  He was met with odd looks from the other four men, including Brian. Asher puffed on his cigar and smirked almost to himself but withheld his comment; although it was obvious, he wanted to say something.

  “You’re right, Davis,” Professor grumbled with disgust. “We don’t understand.”

  Davis appeared embarrassed and concentrated on his cigar. “Can we just get back to poker?”

  †

  The west wing lounge was designed for entertaining and could comfortably sit thirty people on sturdy, high-end furniture. It contained its own portable bar and had large windows across the entire front wall, offering a spectacular view of the courtyard in front. If one looked just to the right though, they’d also have a fantastic view of the large cemetery. It was Doc’s intention to eventually extend the stone wall along the property line, so the cemetery wouldn’t be visible from the lounge. Jacey stood within the comfortable west wing lounge near the windows with her arms over her chest as she stared outside across the dimly lit grounds. She had a lot on her mind, which was clearly revealed by her harsh expression, and that she hadn’t spoken in a while. Maxwell stood a few feet behind her and stared at her back. His look conveyed hostility and moderate irritation with his girlfriend. Her silence apparently had gotten the better of him, forcing him to blurt out the first thing that came to his mind.

  “So you wouldn’t come out here and stay with me last night, but you had no trouble staying with Asher at his cabin,” Maxwell suddenly demanded.

  Jacey abruptly turned and glared at Maxwell with anger and annoyance. She wanted to lash out irrationally and could no longer fight the urge.

  “You weren’t coming back until after midnight, so what should it matter to you where I stayed?” she snapped hotly. “And I didn’t stay with Asher. He wasn’t even supposed to be home until the weekend. It’s not my fault he came home early, because he was worried about me.”

  Maxwell drew a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He apparently wasn’t ready for the confrontation or perhaps it was his own guilt for not returning early to be with her.

  “I’m sorry; that didn’t come out quite right,” he announced gently then groaned softly. “Things will be so much better for us once we’re living in Denver. We can finally put all this Stony Ridge business behind us. You’ll make new friends.” He offered a warm smile and took a few steps closer to her. “There’ll be plenty of socials for you to meet the other wives.”

  She stared at him and knew she eventually had to deal with the topic of moving to Denver and Maxwell’s idea of ‘happily ever after’. She felt her hostility slip away, because she knew where the conversation would eventually lead.

  “I’m never going to be the wife you want me to be,” Jacey gently informed him.

  He appeared surprised by the comment and placed his hands on her shoulders. “What are you talking about? I want you just the way you are.”

  “Then why are you trying to change me?” she suddenly prompted. “You want a housewife and socialite to charm your new friends. You want me to attend parties with pampered, rich women and their little lap dogs.” She felt her body tense as she attempted to keep from reacting irrationally and turning their breakup into a major fight. “That’s not who I am. I’m not a city girl, and I’m not into the social scene.” Her look turned almost demanding. “And what about my horses? What am I supposed to do with them if I’m living in a cit
y?”

  His look was moderately sympathetic as he caressed her shoulders. “Jacey, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he assured her. “I’m sure we’ll be able to board out a couple of your horses, but raising horses isn’t exactly paying your rent. Once I take this job, you won’t need to work, and you can spend more time riding, like you’ve always wanted.”

  She knew raising and training horses was barely earning enough to cover their expenses, but she enjoyed doing it. The job in Denver was his once in a lifetime opportunity and would successfully take away everything she enjoyed. She realized she must have been staring at him with a troublesome look, since he felt compelled to speak.

  “Don’t you want to marry me?” he asked with concern in his tone while desperately searching her eyes.

  She felt a dull ache in her heart. The first month they were dating, everything seemed almost too perfect. She actually considered giving in to temptation and giving her virginity to Maxwell. Then he started to change. Jacey wondered if it was their relationship that pushed him to strive for something more in order to support the family he thought they’d have. The more ambitious he became about his career, the more her sexual desire faded.

  “It’s probably for the best,” she announced softly.

  Maxwell stared at her with a stunned look and let his hands fall from her shoulders. “What are you saying?”

  She inhaled deeply and held her breath a moment. “I’m saying good luck with your new career, and I wish you all the best,” she replied gently. “You have your dream, but I still haven’t figured out what I want. Whatever it is, I don’t think I’ll find it in Denver.”

  Maxwell was almost too shocked to speak. “Am I supposed to choose between you and my career?” he suddenly demanded. “Is that what you want?”

  “No,” she retorted defensively. “I want you to do what’s best for you. Right now, staying here is what’s best for me.”

  Maxwell stared at her with surprise and possible hostility. “This isn’t about your horses,” he launched back and turned angry. “We both know what this is really about.”