Carnal Vengeance (31 page)

Philip shrugged. "I did, but until he threw it in my face, I wasn't letting myself consider how he had gotten his information."

"I was wrong not to let you know we had spent some time together down there, but I was afraid—"

"That I'd react exactly like I did," Philip completed with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No.
I'm
sorry. I should have known I could trust you." He lifted her hand to his mouth for a kiss.

She felt her stomach turn to lead and reminded herself this was for the best. Everything would work out fine in the end. But for now, she had one more lie to tell. "By the way, one of the women asked me to visit her this weekend and I decided to take her up on it."

"Oh? Which one?"

"April."

"The psychiatrist?"

"Yes. Maybe I'll come back Sunday night with a whole new outlook on life."

* * *

Holly's attitude actually began changing Friday as she and David were driving up into Maryland's Blue Ridge Mountains. Up to that point, she had purposely stopped herself from initiating any action between them, be it communication or lovemaking, in order to keep him coming after her. Once he did, of course, she found it impossible not to respond to him.

After the volatile scene in her office, she had no doubt he was captivated, at least momentarily. The problem was, he continued to withhold one nicety that could no longer go unnoticed. He had never once called her on the telephone. Oh, he always had an excuse for not calling, but Holly had finally realized he had a quirk about it.

He was about to embark on a trip of unknown length, the details of which had become vitally important to her. How could she get a vicarious thrill out of his investigation, if he didn't call her while he was on the trail? Their relationship had not progressed to the point where she could logically ask to accompany him on a business trip. His antipathy toward telephone communication was an annoying factor she hadn't counted on.

Thus she set out to make his weekend so memorable that he couldn't possibly put her out of his mind while he was gone. If she was attentive enough, entertaining enough,
good
enough, perhaps he wouldn't be able to resist giving her a call or two. Then it would be natural for her to question how his investigation was going.

She decided to follow April's advice and take the pressure off. Surprisingly, once she removed the restrictions she had placed on herself, she didn't have to consciously think about how to act. It felt right to reach over and stroke his neck while he was driving, or lean into him and whisper something outrageous in his ear while they were having dinner in the lodge's restaurant, or suggest that they order the rest of their meals from room service. Making love in the woods where he had taken her on a hike had been his idea, but she didn't let her normal inhibitions stop her from enjoying it to the fullest.

Everything about their stay in the romantic hideaway was as memorable as she had hoped it would be... until Sunday afternoon.

David had made arrangements for a late checkout, so they still had the whole day to spend any way they wanted. He was willing to miss the football game, but she assured him that she wanted to watch it with him. When the time came, he turned on the television and settled on the big bed with her cuddled in his arms.

After the usual run of commercial announcements, a serious-faced commentator came onscreen.

"As the first game of the season is about to begin here in Philadelphia, rather than the usual festive atmosphere, the mood is somber. In case you just tuned in, we have tragic news to share. Billy O'Day was brutally murdered in his hotel room last night. The police..."

"No," Holly uttered, abruptly sitting upright. "That can't be."

"What—"

"Sh-shh," she said, waving him to be quiet so that she could hear what was being reported.

"...FBI involvement in the case. Although exact details have not been released, it has been revealed that certain gruesome aspects bear a distinct similarity to the recent murder of Pennsylvania Senator Timothy Ziegler. The possibility of a serial killer stalking public figures is being considered. In the meantime, although Billy O'Day will not be on the field today, his teammates and all his fans will be thinking about him."

David eased Holly back beside him. "My god, you're ice-cold." He studied her face. "And you're white as a ghost." He suddenly remembered how intently she had listened to the comments about O'Day when they had been in the sports bar last week. "Holly, did you know him?"

"I... no... I..." Her mind scrambled to form a logical answer. The implication of what she just heard was so mind-boggling her only thought was of self-preservation. She needed time alone to think this through. Taking a slow, deep breath, she pulled herself together. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. It probably had something to do with that conversation we had last Sunday about him having to retire at such an early age."

He wanted to believe her. He really did. But she was such a poor liar. Despite all the progress they'd made that weekend, she was still not confiding anything truly personal. He could try forcing it out of her, play it tough and threatening, but he knew instinctively that would only push her away from him completely, and as much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't yet ready to let her go.

No, this one he was going to have to figure out another way. He mentally added the name Billy O'Day to his list of people Holly had a connection with. He would do a little investigating about that man's background right after he got back from his trip to Florida.

They both made an effort to restore the former mood of the weekend and they both pretended not to notice that it didn't quite work.

With David leaving for Miami early the next morning, there was no question of his staying at Holly's apartment that night. She barely managed to keep thoughts of O'Day, Ziegler, and the Little Sister Society submerged until David left her alone.

The two murders couldn't possibly be coincidental, and yet she couldn't see herself walking into the FBI and suggesting that one of the women she had met was a deranged killer. How could she say anything to anyone without revealing how she had come to that conclusion? She'd practically be handing herself over as a suspect, and as Erica had made her realize, she had no alibi for the night Ziegler was murdered.

A faint knock interrupted her analysis. Assuming it was David, returning for some reason, she opened the door... then wished she hadn't. The visitor was Bobbi Renquist, in her drab, IRS agent persona.

Looking meek and a little frightened, Bobbi asked, "May I come in please?"

Holly considered the possibility that this woman could be a murderess, but Bobbi stepped inside before Holly could think of how to turn her away. "It's very late," she said, rather than what she was thinking.

"I know. I've been waiting for you to come home all evening."

Holly cocked her head at her. "Why—Wait a minute. How did you get up here without the guard calling me?" She felt her fingers growing cold again.

Bobbi's brown-eyed gaze skittered away as she spoke. "I showed the guard my ID and he let me pass."

"Oh, that's great. So now he'll think I'm being investigated by the IRS."

"Better that than the FBI."

Holly crossed her arms protectively. "What do you mean?"

Bobbi sighed. "Please. Can we sit down? I'm here as a friend, I swear."

Holly motioned her toward the couch and sat stiffly on a chair opposite her.

"Where were you last night?" Bobbi asked quietly.

"I was in Maryland all weekend, with a friend."

"Good. I was certain it couldn't be you."

Holly knew exactly what she meant, but asked anyway. "I couldn't be what?"

Bobbi narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Why, the killer of course. Surely you heard the news about Billy O'Day."

"I heard, but I haven't decided what to do about it yet."

Bobbi gasped. "Dear god. You can't be thinking of actually
doing
something about it. You mustn't. We could all end up being investigated. Things could come out that have nothing to do with the murders. I—I could lose my job."

"Two men have been murdered. I can't just pretend that I don't know they had something in common."

"Yes, you can," Bobbi said, nervousness making her voice crack. "Rachel is on the case. She'll handle everything without any of us being implicated. All she wants us to do is make sure we have alibis, just in case the worst happens and someone makes the connection. That was one of the reasons I came to see you. But since you were with a friend, you're covered."

"And everyone else?" Holly asked warily.

Bobbi picked at something on her skirt and answered without looking up. "Rachel said everyone else is taken care of."

"But you're not so sure, are you?" Holly ventured. "Do you think Rachel killed them?"

Bobbi's head snapped up. "Rachel? Heavens no. She and I have been friends since high school. She would never do anything to jeopardize the rest of us, no matter what she says when she's... not feeling well."

Holly had to find out what the woman thought. "Then who?"

Bobbi frowned. "I shouldn't say it. Rachel said she didn't do it, and I should believe her, but it's just that she's so blinded by her."

Holly waited, sensing that Bobbi wanted to share her opinion, despite her hesitancy.

"I think it's that bitch. If she could kill her own husbands, Ziegler and O'Day would be nothing to her."

"Erica?"

"Of course, Erica. She's mean and vicious and has no conscience. For some reason, Rachel is too infatuated to see her for what she really is."

Holly's brain was frantically assimilating all the different hints Bobbi was dropping. "You mean Rachel and Erica..."

Bobbi nodded. "Please don't think badly of Rachel. We each have different ways of coping with what happened to us. Rachel happens to prefer the company of women to men. But Erica, that's a different story. She doesn't have feelings for either sex. She just does whatever will most benefit Erica."

"Are you suggesting that Erica not only killed her husbands, but also Ziegler and O'Day, and Rachel would protect her?"

"Rachel would do
anything
for Erica."

"Even murder?"

"No!" Bobbi exclaimed. "Rachel wouldn't kill someone any more than you or I, or Cheryl or April, for that matter. Except in the line of duty, of course. That's different. No. It can't be Rachel. It has to be Erica."

Methinks thou dost protest too much,
Holly thought. "Why are you telling me this?"

Bobbi got up from the couch and walked across the room. For a moment, she just stood there, with her back to Holly, then she removed her glasses, straightened her spine, and turned slowly around.

Holly had encountered Bobbi's other personality before, but seeing the change occur before her eyes was much more disturbing. It was not only the glasses and posture that had changed, Bobbi's whole demeanor became strong and aggressive.

"To warn you," she answered in a deeper, clearer voice than she'd been using before. "You're new. I was afraid you might feel obligated to report what you know, and you can't possibly understand all the repercussions that would have on the rest of us. Besides that, I think you should consider the risk you'd be taking. If Erica thought you were going to talk to someone other than Rachel, she might stop you from talking to anyone ever again."

Holly was stunned at her own naïveté. It hadn't even occurred to her that the murderer or murderess, whoever it was, could turn on her.

Roberta laughed lightly. "Finally got the picture, huh? Just keep what you know to yourself and no harm will come to you. You haven't told anyone else about us, have you?"

Holly thought about her confession to Philip the other day, and how much her parents knew, but there was no reason to put them at risk as well. "No. I haven't told anyone. But now that you mention it, there
are
other people who know about Ziegler, O'Day, and most of the other men, too. Besides the rest of the Little Sister Society and any people they may have told, Cheryl Wallace waved a list of names on national television. Who knows where that list ended up?"

Roberta laughed again. "Very good, Holly. You just came to the same conclusion that the FBI team of investigators arrived at... with Rachel's guidance. O'Day was drugged and his genitals were removed, exactly like with Ziegler. Also, just like the first time, a message was left behind with the words, 'Just Punishment for a Rapist'.

"Since Cheryl was the only person known to have a relevant motive and her alibis are airtight, the general consensus is that the perpetrator is a militant feminist who's gone off the deep end. Since none of us publicly fall into that category, there's no reason for anyone to look our way. So you see, there's no need for you to do anything about this matter yourself. No need at all."

Holly might have been more receptive if the woman offering her such assurance had been the same one that had walked in her door fifteen minutes ago, but this one, her alter ego, gave her the creeps.