Wicked (15 page)

Eve looked very thoughtful. “I still think the killer could be a writer. It was a clever pun, and a lot of writers love puns. Just look at Shakespeare's plays. He used a lot of puns.”

“You're right, Eve,” Angela said. “I'm going to have to be very careful with my next chapter. I can't let the killer turn anything I write into a pun.”

Eve was shocked. “You're going on with
Ten Little Writers
after Dean was almost killed?”

“I have to go on. The story's not ended. You don't want me to flunk, do you?”

Angela's violet eyes took on a glow, and Eve shuddered slightly. Angela was actually looking forward to writing another murder! “No, Angela. I don't want you to flunk. But we don't want another murder attempt, either.”

“But you managed to protect Dean from the killer. And now I have to rewrite the ending to his chapter. Dean has to wind up as a survivor.”

“Are you upset that you have to do a rewrite?” Eve asked. Angela actually looked annoyed because she had to rewrite Dean's chapter.

“No!” Angela was clearly shocked. “It's just that . . . it'll be difficult, that's all. It means I have to change my whole plot. But I can do it, don't worry.”

Eve glanced at Ryan. He looked thoroughly disgusted with Angela. “So who's the next victim? If Dean's a survivor, there's only three of us left.”

“Well . . . it almost has to be a guy. And there's only one guy left. You don't mind, do you, Ryan?”

“I don't mind at all. As a matter of fact, I was about to suggest it.”

“You . . . you can't!” Eve grabbed his arm. “The killer will try to murder you!”

“Exactly! And this time we'll catch him. Don't you see, Eve? It's the only way. We can't leave the mansion, and we're stuck here with no phone. There's no one to help us, so we have to catch the killer ourselves.” Ryan turned to Angela. “I want you to start writing tomorrow morning. Set my character's murder in the living room. That's a good spot to set a trap.”

“That's a wonderful idea! And it'll fit in with my plot perfectly.”

Eve shivered and held Ryan's arm tightly. She knew exactly what he was doing. Ryan was using himself as bait, and somehow she had to stop him!

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

No one slept very well that night, and when they got up, storm clouds loomed on the horizon. The air was so muggy, it carried an oppressive weight that seemed to sap their energy. Eve felt as if she'd been in a sauna far too long, and she craved a breath of cool, fresh air.

“This is horrible weather!” Angela complained. “The humidity must be a hundred percent. And that makes it feel like it's even hotter than it actually is.”

Eve laughed. “It's pretty hot. It's over ninety degrees. And it's going to get a lot hotter before this day is over.”

“How about a swim?” Ryan suggested. “We could cool off in the pool.”

A swim was a wonderful idea. They all agreed to change to their bathing suits and meet on the deck.

Eve hesitated at the foot of the stairs. She wanted to take a dip in the pool, but she had work to do. Instead of climbing the stairs with the others, she headed for the library and her workstation. She had a chapter to write, all about a horrible murder. She was writing Angela's next chapter, and the victim wasn't going to be Ryan.

* * *

Beth was clearly surprised when she passed the library door and noticed that Eve was working. “Aren't you going to swim with us, Eve?”

“I'll be there in a couple of minutes.” Eve smiled at Beth and managed to turn down the contrast on her screen before Beth could catch a glimpse of what she'd written. “I just feel like working for a while.”

“Okay. It should be all right as long as you open the French doors to the courtyard. That way, we can keep an eye on you from the pool.”

“But Angela hasn't started writing her chapter yet. And she chose Ryan for her next victim. I'm perfectly safe, Beth.”

“I know, but it'll make me feel better.” Beth gave a little laugh and walked over to hug Eve. “It's ridiculous, but I can't stop worrying.”

Eve laughed and hugged Beth back. “You're a mother hen, Beth. When you were a kid, I bet you saved every homeless kitten and puppy on your block.”

“That's true. I spent all my allowance on pet food. It used to drive my parents crazy. They never knew how many pets they'd find in the house when they came from work.”

“And you found homes for all of them?”

“Oh, yes. My parents used to call our house an animal way station. They didn't seem to mind, though. They understood how happy it made me.”

“You must have had wonderful parents. Mine would have killed me if I'd brought a pet home. It would have interfered with their perfect lives.”

“That's too bad, Eve.” Beth looked very sad. “But now that you're on your own, you can have a pet if you want to.”

“And you've got just the pet for me?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Beth walked over to the French doors and opened them. “I found a puppy a couple of days before the workshop started. She was half-starved, and my roommates are taking care of her for me. She's half German shepherd and half yellow Lab, and she's got the most beautiful eyes. She'd fit right in at your sorority house.”

Eve's sorority sisters would never allow a puppy in the house. “They won't go for it, Beth. We just re-carpeted the whole house, and they'd worry about the mess. But I'll take her. I'd like to have a dog.”

“How can you do that?” Beth looked puzzled. “Won't you have to vote on it?”

Eve shook her head, and then she said something that had been on her mind for the past few days. “I'm moving out. I'd rather have my own place.”

“You would?” Beth's eyes widened. “But I thought you were going to be the next president!”

“I was, but it's just not important to me anymore. If you can keep the puppy until I find a new place, I'd really like to adopt her.”

“Great!” Beth grinned. “You're going to love her, Eve. She's very affectionate, and she needs a good home. And she'll be great protection if you're going to live alone. And speaking of protection, don't work too long. I feel a lot safer when you're with us.”

“You do?” Eve was surprised.

“Yes. I don't know how you do it, Eve, but you always manage to keep your head in a crisis. You never panic like I do.”

If Beth only knew that her composure was just an act!

“You know what they say about that, don't you, Beth?”

“No. What?”

“If a woman manages to keep her head when everyone around her is losing theirs, she probably just doesn't understand the problem!”

* * *

Ryan smiled as he watched Eve through the open doorway. She was working fast, her fingers flying over her computer keyboard. And Eve was so engrossed in what she was writing, she didn't even notice that he was only a few feet away, watching her.

Eve was so beautiful today. Ryan felt his breath catch in his throat. She'd always been beautiful, but there had been something a little off-putting about her before the workshop. Every time he'd seen her, her long, black hair had been perfectly curled and she'd been wearing expensive clothes that looked as if they'd been especially designed for her. For the first few weeks they'd dated, Ryan had been almost afraid to touch Eve. She'd looked like a doll in a showcase, or a glamorous model on assignment, and he hadn't wanted to risk smearing her perfect makeup, or rumpling her perfect hair, or wrinkling her perfect clothing.

She was different now, and Ryan was glad. Eve was much more natural and relaxed. He could tell that appearances no longer mattered quite as much to Eve. As he watched, a lock of hair fell over her forehead and Eve brushed it back impatiently. It happened a second time, and Eve picked up a rubber band from her workstation, pulled her hair back in a casual ponytail, and secured it without even going to a mirror to see if the style was attractive on her.

Her clothes were different, too. Eve was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a tank top that was much too large for her. Ryan thought she looked great, but it was a far cry from the designer outfits she used to wear. Eve was approachable now and even her attitude had changed. She'd always been cool, and aloof, and perfectly poised, not the sort of person who'd give anyone a spontaneous hug or a friendly pat on the back. When Beth had gone into the library a couple minutes ago, he'd seen Eve hug Beth quite naturally and the two of them had laughed together. Eve had changed. She was a much friendlier person now. And Ryan loved her even more than he had before.

As he stood there and watched Eve work, Ryan thought about his own life. He'd always been a loner, just like Eve. Perhaps that was one of the things that had attracted him to her.

Ryan sighed, and a sad expression crossed his face. He'd never had a real family. He'd lived with a succession of relatives when he was growing up, but he'd never felt that he was a real part of their lives. He was poor Ryan, the kid whose parents had died in an auto accident, and they'd done their duty by taking him in.

The fantasy had started when he was in grade school, living at his uncle's house. Uncle George was a minister, and Ryan had attended the parochial school next to the church. His classmates had avoided him. No one had wanted the minster's nephew for a friend. Lonely, Ryan had invented a friend, a boy who'd been daring and mischievous, the way Ryan had wished he could be. He'd named his friend Tom and they'd held long conversations, alone in Ryan's room.

When Ryan had graduated from parochial school, his uncle had sent him away to a church-run boarding school. By that time, Ryan had outgrown the need for Tom, but he was still a very private person. Although he'd shared a room with three other boys, Ryan had kept to himself. He'd been the kid who'd always had a book in his hand, the teachers' favorite student. The other boys had tolerated him because he'd helped them study for tests, but no one had really regarded Ryan as a friend.

It was while he was in boarding school that Ryan had developed a love of history. He'd read every history book in the boarding school's library and taken pleasure in studying the campaigns of famous military men. History had become his escape, and he'd received such high grades in his history classes, he'd earned an academic scholarship to college.

In his freshman year, Ryan had enrolled in every history class he could find. He'd been a loner on campus, spending all his time between classes in the college library, and that was where he'd met several fraternity members who'd been cramming for a history test.

Ryan had helped them study, and several weeks later, he'd been asked to join the fraternity. Ryan had accepted, hoping that his frat brothers might become the family he'd never had. Life in the frat house had been good, but Ryan had never felt the closeness that the other frat brothers seemed to feel.

Last semester, Ryan had taken a seminar in the history of psychology, and that was where he'd met Eve. They'd studied together several times, and Ryan had found himself falling in love, despite the advice of his fraternity brothers. They'd warned him that Eve would break his heart, but that hadn't happened. Perhaps Eve had sensed some need in him that only she could fill. He'd sensed that about her, too. They were both struggling to be accepted, each in their own way. Ryan tried to do it by being amiable, tutoring his frat brothers whenever they asked and never saying no to any of their requests. Eve was different. She was like an Old West gunfighter, stepping out with both barrels blazing and demanding that everyone accept her exactly as she was.

Some people would say that they were both emotional cripples, but Ryan didn't think that was the case. It was a matter of building a strong base, of feeling safe enough to reach out to others. As a couple, they'd done each other a lot of good. Eve had influenced him to assert himself, to say no to something he really didn't want to do, even if it meant being rejected by the person who'd asked. And he had softened Eve. She was friendlier now, less confrontational, more willing to make compromises.

A smile flickered across Ryan's face. They were making new friends as a couple. Beth and Dean were examples. And now that they had two new friends, they'd make others. They'd have their own circle of people they truly cared about, almost like an extended family. Ryan knew it would work out just as long as they all could survive until the quarantine was lifted.

* * *

Low thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning flashed in the distance as Eve typed her final sentence. It was a good thing that she was a good speller because there was no time to run the spelling program. If the lightning struck a power line, it could knock out the whole system and she wouldn't be able to print out.

Eve pressed the button that sent her work to the printer, and then she leaned back and stretched. She'd done her best to copy Angela's style and write a truly chilling murder. If the killer thought that Angela had written the chapter, everything would work out perfectly. Since Ryan wasn't the victim in Eve's chapter, he would be safe.

Thunder growled in the darkening sky. It sounded like some sort of prehistoric monster, and Eve shivered. The storm was rolling in, the storm she'd written about in her chapter. It would be a dark and stormy night, a perfect night for a murder.

What would Angela say when she found out what Eve had done? Eve thought about it for a moment, and then she gave a short, sarcastic laugh. Angela wouldn't see the big picture, how Eve had tried to save Ryan's life. Angela had an ego that just wouldn't quit, and she'd be angry that Eve had written a chapter in her book.

Brave, but foolish. The phrase kept running through Eve's mind. Some people might say she was brave for trying to save Ryan from the killer. They could be right. Eve just wasn't sure. But others would say she was very foolish for taking Ryan's place and setting herself up as the next victim.