Christy Barritt - Squeaky Clean 08 - Foul Play (18 page)

CHAPTER 26

“I’m going to do a stake out here tonight,” I told
Paulette. “You okay with that?”

“What will that prove?”

I shrugged. “Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. I don’t really know. If something is happening here after hours, I want to know what.”

Paulette nodded. “If that’s what you
need to do.”

Now more than I
ever, I had to solve this case so I could begin to mend fences with Chad. Maybe I could only handle one job at a time and this whole being a private eye on the side wouldn’t work. This play had been more work than I anticipated and it had eaten into my time. Chad had worked several night jobs because I had play practice. Normally, we would have split the time between us.

Maybe I’d been
egocentric and self-absorbed this whole time. It wasn’t beyond me to act that way, although I’d thought I’d conquered those weaknesses.

“You going with us to
the Slug House?” Jerome asked.

I shook my head. “Not tonight. I have some other things I need to do.”

“Have it your way.”

I
lingered, pretending to study my script. When the last cast member was out the door, I gave up on the façade and stretched.

“You sure you’re going to be okay?” Paulette asked.

I nodded. “I should be fine. Maybe I’ll finally get some answers.”

“Just be careful.”

When she left and I was truly alone, a sense of foreboding gripped me. I might as well have been left alone in a creepy old haunted house. That’s what the school felt like at the moment.

“Rose, I don’t believe in ghosts. I don’t believe you’re haunting this place. But
something’s going on,” I whispered, staring at the stage.

I walked over to the orchestra pit. I pictured the man
lying there dead.

Then I pictured Rose.

Three people had died here. Three people.

All, by initial impressions at least,
had seemed accidental. But they weren’t.

I wasn’t sure what being here
tonight would prove. But at least I could check things out without fear of being caught.

I decided to start in the dressing rooms. I hit Jerome’s first.

The police had taken the tools I’d found on his floor and were checking them to see if they were matches. I had no doubt they were. Really, anyone could have left them in his dressing room, though. The rooms weren’t locked, so it would be easy for someone to frame him.

I wandered around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Out of curiosity, I went down into the orchestra pit next. I moved aside some of the chairs and music stands there. I stood in the spot where I’d found the man and looked up at the stage.

Why had his body been left here? What were his connections with the crimes?

I had more questions than answers.

I had more suspicions than I had confirmations.

For every theory, I had a doubt as to its accuracy.

That left me feeling like I was going around in circles.

I climbed out of the pit.

That’s when I heard a door close in the distance.

Someone else was here, I realized.

The questions were who and why.

***

I realized I was standing out in the open where anyone could spot me. I ducked low and hurried toward the wall. I hit the light switch and the
auditorium went dark.

The dark both concealed me and terrified me.

I lingered by the wall, waiting for another telltale sign.

My heartbeat was the only thing I could hear. It drummed at a hard steady rhythm.

Who else was here? Just what were their reasons? To wreak more havoc? Or were they plotting something more deadly like another murder?

I heard another door
squeal open. I glanced at the entrance at the back of the auditorium and saw one of the doors there was cracked open. The hallway outside had a purple emergency light that illuminated a dark figure as it slipped inside.

My
senses tingled as the shadow lingered by the door.

If the
intruder turned on the lights, I’d be spotted. I couldn’t let that happen.

As if on cue, the lights
above me flickered. Quickly, I hit the switch above me and flipped them off.

The process repeated itself several times unti
l finally the intruder gave up. Did he or she think it was an electrical short? Maybe they didn’t know I was here.

Someone
came down the aisle. The person didn’t sound especially heavy, but I supposed they could just be walking softly. What were they up to?

I was about to find out.

I couldn’t exactly be unarmed, though. I felt beside me and grabbed an old microphone stand. The base was heavy and weighted. Maybe that would work in my favor.

I gripped it, just in case I
needed a weapon.

The figure, best I could tell, started toward the stage but paused. Did this person suspect I was here? That I was watching?

I pressed myself harder into the wall. I would have ducked, but I feared the motion would only confirm my presence. Instead, I froze. I still gripped the microphone stand, just in case.

I sensed the footsteps starting again, coming closer.

Alarm raced through me.

Was I about to come face to face with a killer?

My pulse quickened.

I had to
take a risk and see who this person was.

Before I could second guess myself, I flipped the light switch. As the overheads flooded on, I
gripped my microphone stand, ready for a fight.

“Wait!” someone screeched.

I blinked at the figure standing there. “Bennie?”

“Gabby?”

We stared each other down.

“What are you doing here?” I sta
rted, lowering my makeshift weapon.

“I forgot my wallet. I didn’t think I would get in, but the
outside door was unlocked.”

Again? Why was that door
continually unlocked? There was something wrong about that. Majorly wrong.

“Don’t you have a key?” I asked.

“No, Paulette didn’t give me one. With everything that’s been happening around here lately, I wasn’t sure I wanted the responsibility, to be honest.” She eyed me. “Your turn. Why are you here?”

I swallowed hard, wanting to pour out the truth—that I was investigating. But Paulette really wanted me to keep this quiet. “Paulette gave me permission to stay after hours. She’s worried about the play and thought it would be a good idea for someone to be around. She
hasn’t found a suitable security guard yet.”

It was the truth
… only not completely.

Bennie’s eyes narrowed before widening.
“So, you’re, like, on a stake out?”

I shrugged, trying to appear like I had no idea what I was doing. “I guess.”

“Can I help?” She said it like a little kid asking if they could go to Disney World.

I searched my brain for an excuse as to why she couldn’t possibly help me. I came up with nothing. “Sure. The more the merrier.”

My words lacked conviction but she didn’t seem to notice.

“This is going to be so fun. A stakeout. I feel so … detective-y.”
She giggled. “But before I forget, let me grab my wallet. You’ll leave the lights on this time, right?”

I nodded. “Now that I know it’s you.”

Her eyes widened again. “That’s right. I could have totally been a bad guy. What happens if the bad guy does come tonight, Gabby?”

“We call the police. That’s it. We don’t rush in and try to be hero
es. We don’t try to tackle him or her ourselves. We’re merely observers.”

She nodded crisply. “Observers. Got it. I’m going to
get my wallet.”

I watched her disappear. Great. This wasn’t what I had planned. I liked the girl well enough, but I wasn’t sure if she’d be in the way or not. The last thing I
wanted was to stay awake into the wee hours of the morning, all for nothing. Or, even worse, to have Bennie ruin it.

It
didn’t matter anymore. I’d told her she could stay, so now I was stuck with her.

She appeared a moment later, waving a bright blue wallet in the air. A huge grin stretched across her face. “Found it. Now, how do we start?”

“I’m no expert on this, but we mostly just chill. We stay quiet and low key and listen for anything suspicious.”

“You think we’ll find something?”

I shrugged. “Who knows? It appears that whatever is happening is in some way connected with this school or this play. I’d like to walk the halls, see if we hear anything.”

“Y
ou really think we will?”

I shrugged again. “I have no idea
. I understand if you don’t want to stick around. This could be boring.”

“Not at all. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

I offered a smile, though it took everything in me to muster it. “Let’s go then.”

We walked down the eerily silent hallways. It just wasn’t the same here without the students darting to and from class.
Without teachers fussing. Without custodians cleaning up barf and trying to trip students with their “Wet Floor” signs—which I’d always thought were more dangerous than the wet floors themselves.

We wandered down the main hallway, past the offices, past the various corridors.
Except for the buzz of the lights, the school was eerily quiet, reminding me somewhat of a graveyard at midnight. Mentally, I pictured an impending storm in the distance, as well. What was a creepy graveyard without lightning and thunder?

Something fluttered behind me before swooping by my ear. Bennie and I both screamed and ducked.

As we rose, we saw a … bird. The little guy flew away, toward a window where he landed on the sill and stared at us.

I let out a weak laugh. “Just a feathered friend. Wonder how he got in here.”

“He’s probably more scared than we are.”

Just then,
something groaned in the distance.

“What was that?” Bennie asked.

“I have no idea. Let’s check it out.”

We walked toward the opposite end of the building, and
I paused by the gym. “That’s strange.”

“What?” Bennie asked.

I walked toward the outside door. Using only one finger, I pushed on it. A gust of wind pulled it the rest of the way open. “This door isn’t latched.”

“That’s
not reassuring.”

“I’ll tell Paulette to look into it. Maybe the latch is broken.” Even as I said the words, I wondered if there was more to it.

“Since that mystery is solved, I’m going to run to the bathroom, Gabby. I’ll be right back.”

I
watched as she disappeared through the doorway, and I wondered if this whole evening would be a bust.

As soon as the thought entered my mind, m
ovement at the end of the hallway caught my eye.

Someone
was
in here!

“Stop where you are!” I shouted.

The intruder—who wore all black—froze. Then, in an instant, he darted into the gym.

I took off after him.

CHAPTER
27

I shoved through the double doors leading into
the room that gave nightmares to unathletic students everywhere and paused.

Where had he gone?

I saw no movement. But I couldn’t stand here all night and let the man get away. I inched along the wall, past the pull up bars and the banners proclaiming state championship titles. Bleachers lined the opposite wall and on either side of me were basketball hoops.

My eyes were wide,
watching for anything suspicious. At the center of the wall, I paused again. There were only so many places someone could hide in here. There was an office that the coaches used, a weight room, a small room where the wrestlers practiced, and … the locker rooms.

A shadow moved in that direction.

I sprinted toward it.

As soon as I burst through the doorway, I froze. I sucked in a quick breath as the darkness surrounded me.

There were too many nooks and hideouts here. Rows of ugly blue lockers. Splintered wooden benches. A bathroom. Shower stalls. Any one of those places could be a trap. Someone could be waiting for me and I’d be walking right into his or her lair.

I’d always hated this place. Hated changing in front of other girls who’d turned their nose
s up at me. Hated wasting my time playing dodge ball and tinikling, a Filipino dance using bamboo sticks.

I hated being in here now just as much.

I inched forward, remaining on guard, anticipating the heart-pounding fear of someone jumping out in front of me.

What are you going to do when you catch him, Gabby? Tackle him?

I silenced my inner voice. But the truth was that I had no idea. At least maybe I’d catch a glimpse of him. That would be something.

I reached the end of the first row and peered around the bank of lockers.

Darkness stared back. I had no idea what I was plunging myself into. No idea what kind of danger awaited around the corner.

Was catching the person behind this really worth it? This could be the only way I found any answers. Maybe I was being foolhardy. But I didn’t want to turn back now.

I edged toward the end of the row, reaching the second aisle where students used to change clothes. I was going to have to cross the great divide, losing the security of having something at my back.

I held my breath, counted to three, and then
rushed into the abyss.

Just as I did, I saw the man. He darted from around the corner
directly in front of me. I reached for him, my fingers connecting with his hat. I jerked it off and spotted a bald head. But not before he rammed himself into the lockers. The entire row crashed toward me.

I threw myself out of the way. As I did, the man darted into the darkness.

The lockers bounced off my head and shoulders and pinned my leg. My face knotted with discomfort, then pain. I was going to have a few bruises, but I’d take bruises over broken bones

My heart raced. The man was gone. There was no way to catch him now.

At least I’d caught a glimpse of him. I now knew there was a bald man involved in this somehow. That man was probably the same one I’d chased through the parking lot.

I pulled my foot out from under the
wall that smelled like a shrine to dirty socks, grateful that a bench had prevented the lockers from trapping me completely. As I drug myself to my feet, I rubbed my shoulder and the back of my head. That could have been really ugly.

I did a mental check of myself, and I was pretty sure I was okay.

I hobbled out of the gym and down the hallway, wondering if my ego or leg hurt more. I kept my eyes open for anything else suspicious. I figured that guy was long gone now. He’d seen his opportunity to get away and done just that.

I had to make sure Bennie was okay. What if something happened to her? If the man had snatched her? What if I found her, just like I’d found Scarlet?

I reached the bathroom and stuck my head inside. “Bennie?”

Silence answered.

Strange.

I stepped inside, looked under each stall. There was no one in here. Where had she gone?

I went back into the hallway and called her name again.

Still no answer.

Just where was she? An even worse thought occurred—what if that man had grabbed her?

I quickened my steps, looking in every classroom, every office, anywhere I could think of.

She was nowhere.

The only place I hadn’t checked
was the gated corridors.

I hurried toward them. Sure enough, one of the padlocks was undone.

I slipped between the metal and the wall. The hallway appeared clear. But what lurked behind the closed doors, in the places unseen?

I ran into the first classroom.

No one was there.

I pushed into the next one. The shop classroom.

A figure there caught my eye. “Bennie?”

I
rushed toward the woman in the corner. She stood, hunched as if in pain. “Gabby?”

“
Bennie! What’s going on? What happened?”

She shook her head
, a dazed looked in her eyes. “I don’t know. One minute I was looking for you, the next minute something hit my head. I woke up here.”

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, still looking uncertain. “I think so.”

As she pulled her hand away from her head, I saw the blood covering her fingers.
Alarm spread through me. “We should get you to the hospital.”

“I’ll be fine. Really. It’s just a little cut. No big deal.”

I held on to her arm. “Regardless, this stakeout is over. Come on, let’s get you home.”

When we stepped into the parking lot, I spotted a car parked on the street in front of the school. It was a Mercedes.

Roberto had a Mercedes, I remembered. It was all he was keeping in the divorce.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the car was his.

***

The next morning,
Chad and I worked silently on a dining room. A hot water heater on the other side of an adjoining wall had burst and caused extensive water damage. No, this wasn’t a crime scene but this job encompassed the new “restoration” portion of our business.

The two of us had
barely said a word to each other since we started the job.

Last night, after I’d gotten Bennie home, I’d
gone to the police station and dropped off the hat that I’d snatched from the intruder. Maybe there’d be some DNA on it. I’d take anything I could get, at this point.

When
ever I wasn’t being haunted by what happened at the school, Chad’s words had haunted me. The last thing I wanted was to let down people who were depending on me. I had responsibilities. That meant that if I went to Africa with Garrett, I’d essentially have to sign my portion of the business over to Chad. It just wouldn’t be fair to him if I took a sabbatical. He had big visions for the company, and maybe I was still used to being a one-woman show.

After we’d torn out the floorboards and some drywall, we set up an air scrub to pull the m
oisture from the room. We also set up a portable heater to help dry the space out. Thankfully, none of the soffits had been damaged; otherwise, it would have been a huge job. We’d enclosed the room, just in case there was any dangerous mold. We tried to contain the damages to one area.

Our
work here was done for a few days until the wood could dry out.

We slid
through the plastic covering at the doorway, gave the homeowners an update, and then stepped outside. Chad started walking to his car without saying anything.

“Shouldn’t we talk?” I called to him.
The wind hit my face, bringing with it a smattering of icy rain.

He paused, his back toward me. I c
ould see his muscles tighten and release. He wasn’t happy with me.

“I almost think you want us to fail because you’re too stubborn to give the b
usiness up,” he muttered, still not facing me.

I blanched, feeling like I’d been slapped. “What are you
talking about?”

“You ran off the two employees we had—”

“Honestly, Chad. That was hardly my fault. And could you please look at me so I don’t have to talk to your backside?”

H
e turned, his jaw clenched. “Even still, you just don’t seem committed. Getting a new business off the ground takes blood and sweat and effort. I don’t see it in you.”

“I was doing just fine on my
own before we joined forces!” The words slipped out.

“Maybe people are right. Maybe friends shouldn’t work together.”
His gaze was smoldering.

I blinked rapidly, hoping I’d misunderstood him. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that we should both take some time to cool down and really think about whether our goals match up, Gabby.”

His words caused unease to wage in my heart. “
What about our commitments for this week?”

“We still do them. But we reevaluate. Gabby,
I have a wife, and soon I’m going to have a baby. I can’t afford not to take this seriously anymore. I can’t keep on living like I’m this single surfer without a care in the world.”

I nodded
, the weight on my shoulders pressing harder. “I understand.”

“Please don’t mention any of this to Sierra. I
don’t want to stress her out, especially with her pregnancy and all.”

“I won’t.”

He stared at me a moment before bobbing his head up and down slowly. “I’ll see you at the next crime scene?”

“I’ll be there.”

But as soon as I climbed into the car, all I wanted to do was disappear and cry