First to Die (18 page)

I liked my job and I wasn't ready to leave. I had already thought about taking the P.I. route but couldn't pull myself away. "You're acting like I'm already fired."

"No, I just think you need a plan B," she said, tapping her finger on her temple.

"We'll plan it tomorrow. Where the hell are we going?" I changed the subject.

"It's a surprise." She knew that I didn't like surprises.

She parked on a side street off of Lennox Avenue. "The Orchard Lounge?" I asked.

"Yes, Ma’am," she said, jerking in excitement.

I could hear the music blaring from two blocks away. Ivy was lagging behind, talking on her cell and paying no attention to the questionable surroundings. I slowed down and waited for her until she caught up and she pushed me forward. "Get going." She waved me on.

"What is wrong with you?"

"This is going to be so much fun," she said, digging her nails in my arm.

"Please remind me why I agreed to this." She was far too excited for a few drinks and bad pickup lines. We entered the dark, pulsating room and found a place at the bar.

The bartender put napkins down and said, "The gentleman at the end of the bar would like to buy you a drink." Ivy ordered a Lemon Drop. I hesitated and passed on the offer. I leaned back and glanced into the darkness, but couldn’t see who it was.

“She’ll have what I’m having.” Ivy dug her elbow into my side.

“I’m not taking a drink from a stranger.”

“I’m not.” A deep voice whispered in my ear, and a familiar tingle ran up my spine. "You look beautiful," Jason said, as I melted into him. "Are you finally giving in?"

"No, I just need a hug."

"I have plenty of those."

"I'm glad you're here," I said, looking at his piercing eyes. "Don't get any ideas."

Ivy was already out on the floor, dancing with some strange-looking guy. I didn't want to think like a cop tonight. I was out on a thirty-day pass from the asylum and I wanted to enjoy it. The rapid, pounding beat slowed to a dance floor love song and Jason grabbed my hand. "Come on." Jason pulled me out to the middle of the floor. "See how easy this is." He was working his charm on me.

"Yes," I said. He pulled me close, and I rested my head on his chest.

Ivy weaved in and out between couples that didn't know each other’s names and pinched my side, whispering in my ear. "Oh, aren’t you glad I conned you into coming out tonight." She drifted off into the crowd.

I looked to my left and tightened my hold on Jason. "Ward is here." I started to shake.

Jason turned me around. "Don't worry about it," he told me and pulled me closer. "It's not worth it. Pretend he's not here."

"I can't. He already saw us and I don't think I can walk out of here without saying something to him."

"Yes, you can." He squeezed tighter.

If I didn't say what was on my mind it would eat me alive. "I'll play nice."

"Sam. Please. If he smarts off, I will hurt him."

"I promise I won’t cause a scene and Ward won’t, either. Not with you here."

The song ended. We could have either stood in the middle of the dance floor like fools or walked off and faced the dragon in the room. Jason pulled my hand toward the other side of the bar. I'd been led around a lot lately and I was getting tired of it. I wasn't mad at Jason, but I couldn't ignore talking to Ward. I managed to pull my hand free and headed straight for him. He saw me coming with Jason towering behind me and stood his ground. I put my hand out to shake his hand. "Congratulations," I said, but he didn't accept my hand.

"I did it for your own good." He looked at me with a straight face, never raising his voice.

"My own good?" I shook my head. "What would you know about that?"

"I know a lot more than you think." He leaned up against the bar and raised his eyebrow at me, looking over my shoulder at Jason.

"I know you're hiding something." Jason inched his way in between us.

"Maybe you do have some brains." He saluted me with his finger for getting something right.

"Why did you do it?" I pressed him for the answer.

"You couldn't leave well enough alone. I simply removed you from the situation." He took a swig of his beer and shook the bottle around. It was just about gone and so was he. He was going to leave.

"What is this ‘well enough’ shit?" I’d had enough of it. Jason pushed me back another step.

"Take your thirty days and be happy I did it. You're lucky it’s not longer." He drank the rest of his beer, hit it on the bar like a gavel, and walked out. Case dismissed.

I was at a loss. I looked at Jason. "What the hell is his problem?" I ran my fingers through my unruly hair and pulled it back from my face.

"Don't let him bother you," he said.

I scanned the bar looking for my ride, and she was nowhere to be found. "Have you seen Ivy?" I was ready to leave.

"No, she's a big girl," he said, grinning at me.

I felt the vibration of my cell and grabbed out of my purse. Three missed calls and a text message. All from Ivy.

On my way home
.

Have fun.

Luv u.

She’d left me. It was a conspiracy. Jason snuck up from behind me and squeezed my waist. I jumped out of my borrowed, expensive shoes that I wasn't giving back as payment for ditching me. "Shit."

"What?" he yelled over the music.

"She left me here." I grabbed on to his shirt for leverage and pulled him toward me. "I'm sorry, but you’re stuck with me."

"That was my plan." He grinned. "I'll have you home early." He winked at me. "I'm leaving early tomorrow for Chicago."

"That's right." I turned my bottom lip down. Neville was on vacation, and now Jason was deserting me. I felt my body turning to mush from the alchohol.

"Conference, filling in for Hayes."

"I know." I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why isn’t Hayes going?”

“Said he had something he needed to take care of.”

“I’ve been hearing a lot of that lately,” I said.

"When are you getting back again?"

"Sunday for dinner, remember?" He flashed his gorgeous smile at me.

It usually only takes me a one drink to get drunk. I wasn't sure if I fit into the lightweight or cheap date category. Tonight, I stopped counting after three. I guess you could say I was trashed. Jason finally cut me off after I ate all the cherries from the bar caddy and knocked over my last drink.

"Okay, sweet thing." He wrapped his arm around my back and slid his hand underneath my arm to balance my weight. My 34-B was cupped in his hand. I didn't care. "Time to go." I don't think my feet touched the ground until they landed on the front porch. He already had my keys and was unlocking the door. "I'll take you to bed."

I managed to slur the words, "The hell you will," before he lifted me into his arms and carried me up the stairs.

Chapter 27

I
squinted my eyes in the harsh light and pulled the covers over my pounding head. I was afraid to move. I felt the soft sheets slide across my body without effort. I was naked. My heart pounded and I felt the nausea churning around in my stomach. Bits and pieces of last night trickled in my scattered, pounding head. I moved my hand over to the other side of the bed. Empty. Did he stay? What the hell did I do? I could blame it on the alcohol. Everyone knows that I can't drink. The panic drifted away, but the poison from the night before that I willingly drank was teaching me a lesson.

I rolled over and looked at the clock. I had no doubt that the bright, red numbers matched my eyes. I’d slept the entire day away. I hung one leg over the side of the bed to stop the spins. It didn't work. Who makes that shit up, anyway?

I spied a note sitting on the nightstand. I picked it up and tried to focus. It was from Jason.

No, I didn't ravage your naked body.

I held your hair while you hugged the toilet.

I cleaned the bathroom.

I cleaned your shoes.

Your dress is hanging in the laundry room.

Coffee pot is ready when you get your drunk ass out of bed.

My lips turned up and my stomach turned sour. I crawled my way out of my cocoon and wobbled across the floor. I stopped at the big, long mirror.

“Dreadful,” I hissed at myself.
You know better
. I swayed down the hall, bumping into the walls a few times and tripping down the steps. I had nowhere to go and the silence I had begged for was maddening. My clutch was sitting open on the counter and the contents were scattered all over. Last night had to have been a mess. I checked my phone—Ivy had been calling all day and Jason had slipped a few in between. Traitors. All of them. I'd deal with it after I got control of myself. I pressed the button for my liquid nourishment and waited for the aroma to trigger my senses.

It took a half a pot before I could feel the first effects and manage to walk a straight line. My head was still pounding against the walls, and the investigation pushed its way back to front and center. My stomach was tightening and it wasn’t letting up. I had no choice but to listen to it. I had to keep going. I didn't need my gun or badge to work a case. They'd be none the wiser. I was suspended, but I wasn't dead and I wasn't going to let Ward or anyone else stop me.

I grabbed my cell from the counter and dialed Hayes. I wanted answers. The call went directly to his voicemail. My voice was silent. He’d see my number and with any luck, he’d call me back. I dialed Ivy. Her high-pitched recording popped my eardrum like a needle hitting a balloon. I glanced up at the clock and it was almost five. She’d be going on the air any minute. I sent Jason a text so he knew I was back among the living.

I gathered my mess from the counter, the dress from the laundry room and headed back upstairs to put the evidence of the past back where it belonged. I tucked the black, silky garment into its hiding place, and pulled the red box from the shelf. Its weight traveled through my arms and pushed on my chest. I cradled it like a baby and laid it on the soft comfort of my bed. I sat for a few minutes, wondering how this box could have so much control over me. Keepsakes, so I would never forget. I took a deep breath, ran my hand across the soft velvet, opened the lid, and dumped it out.

I swept my hand over the mound of rubble and scanned each little trinket. I pulled my dad’s watch from the dump site and slid it on my wrist. A thin, gold band rested against a little pearl earring. I felt my eyes glaze over. There was only one. It was always just one earring. My hands started to shake as I held it. I thought of Stephanie Mason and Jennifer Edwards missing an earring. I put it back in the box.

I shuffled through the pictures and stopped at one of my mom and a beautiful blonde, standing in front of what looked like the Harper house. I turned it over.
Ann and Louise
was written on the back. I started to put it back in the pile when I noticed someone standing off to the side in the front window. A faint shadow. Was it Randall? I squinted and held it closer. I got up and went to the window for better light. I looked at it again and my heart fluttered. It was the same guy from Hayes’ picture. I felt the pressure building again and moved back to my digging.

I picked up the old, clunky skeleton key that I had found in my dad’s office after he died. It was big and heavy, dark and tarnished from the years. There was engraving along the base of the big ornate bow. I rubbed it, but nothing came off. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil from my nightstand to lift the print. I ran the pencil back and forth and watched the letters penetrate the paper. I jerked back when I saw it.
121
. My street address. My thoughts scanned the house for its keeper. I couldn’t pull it from my memory. I’d never seen it before. Mrs. Schultz would know what it was for.

I jumped off the bed, slid into a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, my worn-out boots and dialed her number. Her soft voice answered on the second ring. “Hi, Mrs. Schultz, it’s Sam.” I sucked a big gulp of air and held my breath.

“Hi, Sam, it’s so nice to hear your voice,” she said.

“Are you busy right now?”

“I was just going out for my walk. What do you need, sweetie?”

“I was going to pop over and talk to you about something, but I can wait until you get back.”

“Don’t be silly,” she laughed. “I’ll stop over on my way. I’ll just make a left instead of a right.”

“That’s perfect.” I wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead. “Thank you.”

I squeezed the key in my hand and paced the floor, waiting for Mrs. Schultz to arrive. I walked to the window and pushed the shutter up to watch for her. I could see her tiny silhouette weaving through the trees. She shuffled her feet against the blacktop, stopped and twirled around. What on earth was she doing? I cupped my hand over my mouth to conceal my laughter and opened the front door.

“Hi, sweetie.” She smiled and walked to the kitchen. “How’s our favorite girl?”

“I saw your snazzy little dance move.” I smiled. “Not bad.”

“Did I look like a crazy old bird out there?” She slapped her hands to her thighs. “I’m practicing for next week’s Senior Center Variety Show.” Her laugh brightened my mood.