“I’ll do that,” he said.
Sidney and Trisha left the club through the tavern. Both looked at Mr. Malcolm where he sat at the bar with his back to them as they passed. He sounded as if he’d had a few too many already. Sam poured Malcolm another drink, while he spoke about the problem with kids today. They left the tavern and started on their long walk back to their homes.
§
Sam’s Tavern was down the road from the school in the opposite direction of town along the main road. By taking Cressman Road back to the development, the trip may have been a couple of minutes shorter than by traveling through town, but Cressman Road was always dark, and they would risk being hit by passing cars. They passed the motel just fifty yards from Sam’s Tavern. Sidney was surprised to see a car parked before the rooms. It was rare for anyone to rent rooms during the week. Most of their customers stayed on weekends and seldom longer than an hour or two. The high school was just across the street from the motel. There were several automatic lights on in the parking lot, but the school itself was dark and quiet.
The night was warm with a gentle breeze. It was almost full moon, so their walk to town was well lit. Once in town, there were streetlights along the main street.
“I’m sorry, Sidney,” Trisha finally spoke. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper with Denny. I didn’t want to spoil your good time with Billy.”
“You didn’t spoil anything, Trisha,” Sidney remarked. “You’re scaring me, that’s all. You just have to accept that no one here wants to consider what you’re saying.”
Trisha turned toward Sidney and walked sideways. “But you believe me, don’t you?”
“I’m forming an opinion,” Sidney replied simply as they passed the many shops closed for the night. The diner remained open until ten o’clock.
“What do you think of Dr. Randall?” Trisha asked with a tiny smile as she now faced forward.
Sidney laughed softly. “That sounds funny, huh?”
“It’s pretty amazing if you ask me,” Trisha muttered. “He’s a doctor, and he’s got the body of an all-star quarterback.” She sighed with defeat. “So why don’t I want him?”
Sidney inhaled deeply and sank into thought. “I was wondering the same thing myself,” she said softly while frowning.
“Really?” Trisha asked and looked at her with some surprise. “I thought you were interested in him.”
Sidney shrugged then forced a weak smile. “He’s really nice, though. Isn’t he?” she asked and looked at her friend for her approval.
“Don’t look at me. I’m a certifiable nutcase,” Trisha replied simply.
They didn’t talk the rest of the way home. Sidney left Trisha at her house then continued to her parents’ home. The lights were on, but she didn’t hear any sound from the inside. She entered the house and found her parents sitting at the kitchen table. Both looked at her when she entered. Her father stood and appeared concerned.
“Are you all right, baby?” he asked while putting his arms around her.
She tilted her head and looked at him with some confusion. “Of course I’m all right. I was just out on a date. I don’t see the need for you to worry.”
Her father pulled away but held onto her shoulders. “A man called for you tonight. He sounded strange. When we asked who was calling, he hung up.”
Sidney laughed softly and waved off their concerns. “That was probably someone from the hotel. I left Jim in charge,” she informed them. “He gets a little hyper when things go wrong. I’ll call him in the morning.”
Her father didn’t appear satisfied. “I just didn’t like the way it sounded. I was worried you and Trisha had upset someone,” he remarked. “I hope you two haven’t been harassing Paul Malcolm. I don’t trust that man when he’s drunk.”
“I’ll be fine, Dad. We haven’t harassed anyone, I swear,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed.” She then raised her brows with a mocking smile. “Oh, by the way. If the police come around looking for me, you haven’t seen me.”
Her parents glared their disapproval then smirked at the joke. Sidney laughed softly and headed for the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-one
Sidney was up at dawn’s first light. Unfortunately, lack of sleep was becoming a way of life for her. She was showered and taking a walk by six in the morning. The days could be rather hot, but the mornings remained cool in their slice of the country. She eventually entered the woods. Breakfast at the diner sounded like a good start to a bright, sunny day. She saw Trisha standing on the stone bridge looking toward the stream. She was a little surprised to see her up so early. Sidney walked toward her and leaned her back against the wall.
“Since we’re both up, would you like breakfast? My treat,” Sidney announced cheerfully.
Trisha appeared distant. “Did you ever feel as if it was you against the world?”
“Sometimes,” Sidney replied and studied her friend.
Trisha continued to stare off the bridge toward the stream. Sidney thought Trisha was acting a little stranger than usual this particular morning. Sidney didn’t take her eyes off her.
“It’s kind of funny,” Trisha remarked softly with a slightly morbid smile. “Before you came to town, people thought I was crazy. Now, it would appear as if I’ve placed my neck on the chopping block, so to speak.” She then straightened but didn’t look away from the stream.
“I suppose we’ve ruffled a few feathers. It’s not hard to do in this town,” Sidney replied gently.
Trisha appeared to have gotten very little sleep again last night. The circles under her eyes were darker than usual.
“Oh, I’m quite certain we struck a chord somewhere,” Trisha said with conviction in her voice. She then turned her head toward Sidney and stared at her a brief moment. Despite her calm disposition, Trisha’s eyes revealed a deep fear. “Someone called me last night while we were out. He didn’t leave his name or a message just said he’d call back. At two in the morning, he called back and said, you’re going to die, bitch.”
Sidney’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. Her heart pounded with fear while she attempted to speak. “Someone threatened to kill you?” she finally gasped.
Trisha raised her brows and nodded. She must have been in a state near shock, which was the only rational explanation for her behavior.
“Someone in this town wants me dead, so we must be onto something,” Trisha remarked.
“Yeah,” Sidney gasped. “The next bus out of town. You have to get out of here, Trisha. You can’t stay, not after that.”
Trisha snorted a laugh and smiled with a sinister look. “You must be kidding. We’re close to the killer now.”
“Closer than either of us wants to be,” Sidney scoffed with fear. “Be sensible. You have to leave town. We’ll go to my hotel in Manhattan.”
Trisha’s brows suddenly lifted with humor. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Trisha! Aren’t you scared?” Sidney demanded to know. “I sure as hell am!”
“Oh, I’m frightened all right. I’m terrified out of my insane mind, but I’m not about to give up now.” Trisha looked at Sidney and raised a suggestive brow. “We have caller ID on our phone. The phone company traced the number to a pay phone on the corner near the high school.”
Sidney’s eyes were wide with fear. “The school!”
“I have no choice but to stay, Sidney. Being scared has nothing to do with my decision,” she insisted. “Whoever killed Emily Fisher stole a piece of my sanity, but I’ll be damned if they’re going to frighten me out of my home. This is my town and my life, and they can’t have either.”
Sidney was set back by Trisha’s decision. Trisha again leaned on the bridge then pointed toward the bank.
“Then, of course, there’s that little calling card,” she announced simply.
Sidney turned and looked over the bridge toward the bank. A dead rabbit lay near the rock where they had found Miss
Fisher eight years ago. A smiling face was painted on the rock with the animal’s blood. Sidney gasped in horror and placed her hands over her mouth in an attempt to hold back her scream. Trisha turned and casually walked across the bridge heading toward town. Sidney tore her eyes away from the dead rabbit and ran to catch Trisha.
“You have to go to the police, Trisha!”
“The police?” Trisha scoffed with a slight laugh. “That fat, lazy, so-called sheriff isn’t going to do anything. I have to go to work now.”
“Work!” Sidney felt her entire body tremble as she briskly walked alongside her. “How can you possibly go to work?”
“I have to earn a living somehow,” Trisha remarked simply.
§
Sidney walked around the library basement and sifted through several magazines and newspapers for the first couple of hours. She then paced the aisles. Trisha spun away from her computer and glared at Sidney.
“I think you should take a long walk, Sidney. You’re starting to get on my last nerve,” Trisha remarked lowly.
Sidney looked at her with the same concerned look she wore all morning. “And leave you alone?”
Trisha forced a smile and nodded. “Yes, please. Go get something to eat, talk to my mom, talk to your dad, talk to a wall, just go--anywhere.”
“All right,” Sidney said with a defeated sigh. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Take your time,” Trisha muttered. “And bring me some coffee when you come back.”
Sidney left the library and walked around town for a little while then finally ended up at her father’s press. The same young man stocked some shelves and looked at her as she entered.
“Sidney, right?” he announced cheerfully.
“Yes,” she replied, humored he knew her name already. “Is my father in the back?”
“No, your father went home,” the young man announced. “He said he’d be back later to close. I think something needed to be fixed at the house.”
“Did he seem upset?” Sidney asked with some concern.
“No more than usual when he has to run home unexpectedly,” the young man replied. “I never got a chance to introduce myself. I’m Gerald.”
“Nice to meet you, Gerald,” she said and offered a tiny smile. “Anything exciting happening in the world today?”
“Found some woman hacked to death in her apartment,” he replied simply. “They’re going to do an autopsy to see what killed her. Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous? Hello? The woman was chopped up. I think you can safely assume that’s what killed her.”
Sidney grinned at Gerald then sank into thought as her expression faded. “Autopsy?” she said softly.
“Yeah, you know; when they cut a person open.” Gerald stared at her a moment. “Are you okay?”
Sidney’s mouth opened slightly as she remained in thought. She then realized he’d been talking to her and looked at the young man.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” she replied then gave him a curious look. “Do you have a plastic bag I can borrow?”
§
Sidney walked down the corridor of the hospital clutching her plastic bag and darting concerned looks at the workers. She cringed at the smell of disinfectant and the flowery fragrance to disguise it. Sidney saw Billy Randall at the other end of the hall, and her heart nearly leaped into her throat. She was glad she’d caught him on duty. She hurried toward him while he talked to one of the nurses and took in an eyeful of him. She had to admit; Billy looked good in his green scrub suit. He then saw her, smiled, and excused himself. He walked toward her while wearing a boyish grin.
“Sidney, I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said cheerfully. “What brings you all the way out here?” He then looked oddly at the plastic bag in her hand. “Ah, you brought me lunch. How sweet.”
A tiny, embarrassed smile crossed her face. “Not exactly. I need to ask you a favor.”
“Sure. What’s the favor?”
“Can you do an autopsy?”
Billy’s eyes widened as he tilted his head. “A what?”
“An autopsy,” she casually announced to lighten the mood. “It’s when they cut something--”
“I know what it is,” he remarked and shook his head with some surprise. “I just don’t know why you’re asking.”
“Can you do them?”
“Well, I’ve seen it done before, but I’m not into forensic medicine,” he explained simply.
Sidney gently bit her lower lip. “Would you be able to do an autopsy on a rabbit?” she asked and raised the bag.
Billy’s expression dropped, and his mouth fell open as he looked at the bag. “A rabbit? You want me to do an autopsy on a rabbit?” he asked in a low whisper while nervously looking around the hall, making sure no one heard.
Her smile faded, and her eyes pleaded with him. “I have to know what killed the rabbit.”
Billy stared at her then tilted his head with a concerned look. “That didn’t sound good.”
Sidney frowned. “I’m not referring to an old-fashioned pregnancy test, Billy. It’s just something that’s really important to me,” she insisted. “I’ll pay you for your time. I’m certain it’s been shot, but I couldn’t convince myself to cut it open.”
He searched her eyes then groaned lowly. “How can I refuse that face?” He looked around the hall. “But not here. Meet me down in the morgue in half an hour. It’s usually pretty dead down there.”
Sidney groaned and rolled her eyes. “Doctors should be forbidden to practice humor.”
“I thought I had a fairly good bedside manner,” he replied with a chuckle. “My humor may be a little corny, but I didn’t go through eight years of med school to do stand-up.”
“You do this for me, and I promise I’ll laugh at all your corny jokes,” she said gently.
“Huh, wait until you get my bill,” he teased.
“Thanks, Dr. Randall,” she said with a teasing grin. “I really appreciate this.”
§
Sidney waited outside the morgue and stood guard as a lookout while Billy performed his illegal autopsy. Thankfully, no one came anywhere near the hall. A short while later, the door opened, and Billy handed her the plastic bag while cringing.
“You can dispose of this,” he announced then held a bullet between his fingers. “Here’s the culprit. I don’t know my guns, but I’d guess this came from a rifle.”
She uncertainly accepted the bullet and grimaced. He laughed softly.
“It’s clean,” he teased then closed the door behind him. “So why did you want to know how a rabbit died? It’s just a wild rabbit.”
Sidney had taken considerable time to invent a lie that would satisfy him. “Someone killed this rabbit and left it on my porch. I hoped I’d be able to identify the person who did it,” she informed him. “I really appreciate the risk you took for me. How much do I owe you?”
He smiled and waved his hand. “You don’t owe me anything. I just dug the bullet out. I didn’t exactly open her up. Besides, I was hoping to impress you with my doctor like abilities,” he teased warmly. “I’ll consider us even if you promise to have dinner with me some night this week.”
She laughed softly and nodded. “You’re on. Give me a call.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Sidney returned to the library at three o’clock and hurried down the stairs to the basement archives. Trisha looked up from her computer and gave her a puzzled look.
“I was expecting my coffee a little earlier,” Trisha remarked sarcastically.
“I forgot your coffee anyway,” Sidney teased.
“So where were you all day?”
Sidney exposed the bullet between her fingers and smiled. “This is what killed the rabbit. I’m going to turn it over to the police and see if they can find the shooter. They may be able to find who threatened you.”
“Doubtful. Sheriff Drukard isn’t very useful, and that would probably match a hundred rifles in this hick town,” Trisha
remarked then sighed. “I have some bad news of my own. I’ll have to work late tonight to make up for the day I missed.”
Sidney nearly gasped with horror. “No, Trisha, you can’t work late.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she insisted. “I intend to lock the doors after the library officially closes. It’ll just be until eight o’clock.”
Sidney groaned while leaning against one of the bookcases. “I’ll stay with you and keep you company.”
“No,” Trisha snapped sternly. “I won’t get anything done with you pacing around. If you really feel the need to protect me, come back around eight o’clock. We can have a late dinner and walk home together.”
“All right,” Sidney said reluctantly with a sigh. “I’ll be back around eight.”
§
Sidney entered the municipal building just a block from the library. She walked through the empty building and approached the back office where she found Sheriff Drukard behind his desk. His feet were propped up while he slept. Sheriff Drukard was a plump man with a large, double chin, short, slicked-back hair, and a thin mustache. His beady eyes were small in comparison to his pudgy face. His mouth was open as he snored while his head tilted forward to the side, resting on his double chin.
“Sheriff,” Sidney announced in a firm voice. He didn’t rouse. “Sheriff!”
Sheriff Drukard’s feet hit the floor, and he looked around with surprise. “What? What?” He looked at Sidney and moaned softly. “What can I do for you, darling?”
First off, he could start by not calling her darling. Sheriff Drukard wasn’t very quick on his feet nor half as intelligent as he pretended to be. Thankfully, there wasn’t much crime in their sleepy little town. Sidney set the bullet on the middle of his desk and straightened proudly.
“Last night, someone called Trisha Allister’s house and threatened to kill her. This morning we found a dead rabbit as a warning to her,” she announced then indicated the bullet. “This is the bullet that killed the rabbit.”
He picked up the bullet, studied it, then set it down and looked at her. “This is the same bullet used by every hunter for miles. It could match any number of rifles. Where did you find the dead rabbit?”
The Deadliest Institution Collection Page 78
