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“Do you mind if I ask where you were last night around ten-thirty?”

Josh opened his mouth to reply, but his father beat him to it. “He was home. Sleeping.”

Detective Gibula raised an eyebrow. “Doctor Hanover, you can’t possibly know that for certain, since your shift ended at one in the morning. I believe your wife worked through the night as well. So there isn’t anyone who can verify that Josh was home sleeping, is there?”

“Nevertheless, that’s where he was. Now, unless you plan on making these accusations official, I think this conversation is over.”

“Whoa there!” Detective Gibula threw up his hands in feigned defense. “Don’t bust a gasket, Doctor. No one has made any accusations, official or otherwise. I was just asking a few questions. That’s all.” Josh’s father didn’t seem appeased. “But I guess I’ve taken up enough of your time for one day. You should be getting back to class.” The large man stood from the swivel chair, grabbed his jacket, and waddled over to the door.

Josh had one question of his own to ask, so he stopped him just as he reached for the handle. “Detective?”

He turned back around. “What is it, kid?”

“Am I a suspect?”

“What on earth would give you that idea?” Detective Gibula replied innocently. “It wasn’t anything I said, was it?”

“Can you please just answer my question?” Josh asked in exasperation.

The detective’s voice turned more official. “We have no official suspects at this time.” Then he flashed one last smile, which seemed genuine for the first time. “But I wouldn’t make any plans to go on any long distance trips anytime in the near future.”

“I see,” Josh said flatly.

“I’m sure you do. Now, you really should get back to class. I may want to ask you some more questions at a later date. Will you mind the inconvenience?”

“We would like a little more notice if you have to speak with us again,” his father answered.

“Certainly, Doctor Hanover. Have a nice day at school, Joshua.”

With that closing statement Josh found himself alone with his father. He waited for the inevitable explosion. He closed his eyes in anticipation, but it never came. “Josh,” Mr. Hanover said in a hushed whisper. “You have to be honest with me here. This is serious. Did you have anything to do with what happened to this girl?”

“Are you kidding me?” Josh was the one who finally exploded.

“Son, I only want to help you. Andrea’s father is attorney, one of the best. I’m sure he would help us out.” His voice was so desperate it was actually pathetic. Josh was disgusted.

“I don’t need a lawyer, Dad.  I didn’t do anything. And if I did hurt those girls, I would deserve to go to prison for it!”

“Josh, I’m only thinking about you! I want to protect you.”

“You don’t care about me. You just want to try to buy your way out of this to save your precious reputation! It doesn’t even matter to you whether I did it or not!”

“Josh . . . please!”

“No, Dad, I can’t talk about this anymore. I have to get to class. I wouldn’t want to humiliate you by getting an A- or anything.” Josh didn’t wait for his shocked father to reply before storming out of the office and into the school hallway.

The bell rang even as Josh shuffled down the hallway and soon he was swept up in a stream of students rushing to grab books between classes. He was on his way to Chemistry, looking forward to seeing his girlfriend, when he ran into Bryan. They both started talking at once, making it impossible for them to understand each other. Bryan was waving a piece of notebook paper in Josh’s face.

“Would you shut up and listen to me!” Bryan shoved the paper under Josh’s nose. “I just found this in my locker. Go head, read it!”

Josh grabbed the paper impatiently, but once he looked at it and recognized the scrawled handwriting, he understood Bryan’s insistence. He read the note with an ever-growing sense of dread.

“Bryan Grant was a drunken louse.

He found his dead sister in his house.

Now, he and Josh decided to pry.

They better stop or they’re sure to die.”

Josh read it over a few times, each time feeling a fresh swell of rage. He crumbled up the note and tossed it halfway across the hallway. It bounced off the head of one of the football players who turned and glared at him. Josh almost wished he would start a fight. He could have used an excuse to burn off a little anxiety. They might be bulkier, but a football player wouldn’t be able to take down the captain of the wrestling team.

“What are you doing?” Bryan demanded. “That’s our evidence you just tossed!”

“It wouldn’t do us any good anyway,” Josh grumbled. “Did you hear them call me down to the principal’s office?”

“Yeah, I did. What was that all about?”

Josh lowered his voice so the other kids in the hallway wouldn’t be able to overhear. “Detective Gibula paid me a little visit.”

Bryan did a double take. “Whoa,” he exclaimed. “What did he want?”

“It looks like I’m the number one suspect.” He gave Bryan a quick summary of his encounter. “I should have known this would happen. I should have realized someone would see me with Jazz and get the wrong idea.”

Bryan gave him a sympathetic frown. “Don’t worry about that pig. He can’t possibly have any evidence against you, because you didn’t do anything. Besides, we have our own suspects to worry about. What about that Nadine chick? Have you talked to her yet?”

Josh shook his head. “No, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Nadine. I haven’t even seen her in days.”

Actually, the last words he had heard from Nadine were, “I could kill you.” He found himself wondering if she could really follow through on the threat.

“Well, maybe we can eliminate her from the suspect list,” Bryan said thoughtfully. “It must have been someone who knew we were investigating. How many people have you told anyway?”

“Rosa, Andrea, Elena, and Jasmine,” Josh counted off on his fingers as he listed them. “But I don’t think that eliminates the others. Andrea probably told Jim, and Jim would have told Kevin. Nadine could have found out from any one of them. No, the only person we can eliminate is Jazz.”

Bryan nodded. “I guess you’re right. Things aren’t really moving along very well, are they?”

Josh laughed bitterly. “At least we’re doing better than the real cops.”

“I do have one last idea.” Bryan leaned close and whispered conspiratorially. “I admit it’s not ingenious, but it’s better than sitting around doing nothing.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I want you to throw a party on Saturday night,” Bryan told him. Then he flinched like he knew the idea was ridiculous.

“A party?” Josh was dumbfounded. “Why would you want me to throw a party? No offense or anything, but I’m not really in a partying mood right now, after being accused of murder and all.”

“I don’t expect you to have fun.” Bryan moved his lips into a half smile. “You’re going to be working.”

“All right, assuming I could pull it off without my parents finding out and grounding me until I’m thirty, what do you expect it to accomplish?”

“All the suspects will be in one place. Maybe the killer will try something.” Josh started to protest but Bryan interrupted. “I told you it wasn’t brilliant, but it’s something. We can watch them. See how they act around each other.”

“How do we know any of them are going to come?” Josh asked. “Elena and Nadine aren’t exactly my biggest fans these days.”

Bryan had to snicker. “Would Elena or Nadine miss a party? Any party? Even one they weren’t invited to?”

Josh had to admit he was right. “No, they wouldn’t.”

“Do you think you’ll have a problem getting any of the others to come?”

Kevin and Jim certainly weren’t going to pass up a night of free drinks. Andrea and Rosa would probably come if he asked them too. Josh knew he was fighting a losing battle, so he was reluctant to reply. He really didn’t want a bunch of rowdy teenagers trashing his house when he was already walking on eggshells with his parents. On the other hand, maybe Bryan was on to something. Maybe the killer wouldn’t be able to resist a public performance.

“I can get them to come,” Josh admitted.

“Well then it’s settled,” Bryan exclaimed. “I’ll start spreading the word. Party at Josh’s house!”

Josh made it through Chemistry class, thanks to Rosa’s support, but afterward he had to call it quits. His head was pounding. The school nurse knew he’d been in the hospital that weekend, so she was quick to excuse him. He didn’t want to be among the herds of unfriendly faces at school, but he didn’t want to be home alone either.

He found himself cruising aimlessly with the top down on his convertible, enjoying the feel of the cool autumn breeze against his skin. He wanted to forget everything and keep driving. He would have driven straight into another dimension if it were possible. Anything to get away from his overbearing parents, the fat, teen-hating detective, and whomever was twisted enough to go around murdering innocent girls. Without thinking, Josh found himself pulling into the hospital parking lot. He wasn’t sure what had led him to that destination, but since he was there, he decided that he wanted to see Jasmine. No, he needed to see Jasmine.

Josh knew he would never be able to forgive himself for what had happened to her.  The only thing he could do to ease his conscience was to find the person who attacked her. Josh knew she would have fought with everything she had. The scratch she had given him, though mostly healed now, was testament to that. If it were a strong guy, like a member of the wrestling team, she might not have been able to overcome him, no matter how strong she was. Or maybe she had been taken by surprise. If someone she trusted had approached her, she wouldn’t have been suspicious. Perhaps it was a friend, like Elena, who was the culprit.

How insane. Next he would be thinking the killer was the homecoming queen in the parking lot with the crowbar. This wasn’t a teenage version of Clue. This was real life, and despite what Bryan thought, they weren’t equipped to be detectives. Josh had certainly failed at being a bodyguard. So what was the point?

Josh crossed the narrow walkway that led to the hospital’s sliding doors. On the way to the reception area, he passed a few senior citizens being wheeled out to their waiting families, and a mother holding her newborn infant. Others were pacing nervously with untouched cups of coffee in their hands as they waited for news of their loved one’s fates. They were all a grim reminder of how fragile life was.

The volunteer working the counter was a good friend of Josh’s mother. She recognized him immediately and welcomed him with the warmest smile he had seen in days. He had to smile back despite his glum mood.

         “Hi Josh,” she gushed cheerfully. “Your parents actually went home for a few hours. I hope nothing’s wrong. Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“I wasn’t looking for my parents,” Josh told her. They were actually the last people on earth he wanted to run into. “I came to see a friend of mine. Do you think you can give me her room number? Her name is Jasmine Preston.”

“Sure, just give me a few seconds to pull up her name.” Her fingers clicked against the keyboard as she typed. When the information came up, her smile slowly vanished. “I’m sorry, Josh, but you won’t be able to see her. Jasmine Preston is in critical condition. Only family members are allowed in her room.”

“Couldn’t you make an exception for me?” Josh asked, flashing his most charming smile. “I’m her boyfriend.”

“Don’t you mean ex-boyfriend?”

Josh spun around to face the accusation. A couple in their late forties stood glaring at him. It was the woman who had spoken, and her voice was hoarse and croaked. She was an older version of Jasmine, minus the black clothes and makeup. Her husband was only barely supporting her weight. She looked half-drugged and exhausted.

“Why are you here?” Mr. Preston demanded. “Haven’t you hurt our daughter enough?”

Josh was shocked, though maybe he shouldn’t have been. After all, Detective Gibula probably told them he was a suspect. “You don’t really think I had anything to do with this, do you?”

“Don’t try to act innocent!” Mrs. Preston sobbed. “We know what you’ve done, you filthy piece of trash. You won’t get away with it!”

“I swear to you,” Josh said softly. “I didn’t do this. I would never hurt Jasmine.”

“Don’t you dare try to defend yourself to us!” Jasmine’s father bellowed. “Your rich parents won’t be able to buy their way out of this. It’s only a matter of time before they throw you in prison. I only hope they do it before you hurt anyone else!”

Josh couldn’t stand the pain on their faces. He wasn’t going to add to it by arguing with them. In a way, they were right. Jasmine was hurt because of him. Did it matter whether he was the one who struck the blow?

“I think you should go, Josh,” the receptionist whispered. She looked nervously from one frazzled face to the other. “Don’t worry about what they said. They’re just upset and looking for someone to blame. They’ll regret it later. I’ve known you since you were a baby, and I know you would never hurt anyone.”