The Killings (An Olivia Miller Mystery Book 1) (13 page)

Olivia bristled at how forward Jason was. “Goodbye,” she said.

Jason laughed. “I could have given you a ride home, you know.”

“Three of us in that thing?” Olivia asked, and then her face hardened. “How did you know where we live? Did you go through my purse?”

Jason chuckled and shook his head. “Of course, not. I just asked around.”

Olivia didn’t like that Jason had shown up at her apartment uninvited.

“I wanted to be sure you made it home safe,” he said. “There’s been trouble around here recently.”

“Well, thanks. We made it home.” Olivia couldn’t help the scowl on her face.

Melissa stood silently listening to the back and forth banter.

“Can I come up?” Jason asked. He took a step away from his car.

“No,” Olivia said, exasperated.

“Another time?”

“Jason, we’re tired. It feels weird that you’re sitting outside my building. It’s creepy almost.”

“I think it’s kind of nice that he found you,” Melissa said.

Olivia glared at her.

“I think you should listen to your friend,” Jason said. He grinned at Olivia.

“I’m going in and going to bed.” Olivia tried to banish the annoyance from her tone. “It was considerate of you to make sure we got home.” She took Melissa’s elbow and turned her to the stairs.

“Can I have your number?” Jason asked.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to find it on your own,” Olivia told him without looking back. “Goodnight.”

Olivia unlocked the front door. Melissa pulled off her heels and the two of them trudged up the stairs to their apartment.

“He seems sweet,” Melissa said.

“He just wanted to be sure I saw that car of his. He’s showing off. He seems like a stalker,” Olivia said. “The word ‘pushy’ also comes to mind.”

“Along with the words cute and fit and wealthy,” Melissa chuckled.

“I’m just not in the mood for his antics,” Olivia said. “I’m exhausted and unsettled and I feel like I can’t think straight these days. I don’t have the energy to deal with him or to start something new.”

They reached the landing in front of their door.

“Are those stairs getting steeper?” Melissa asked as she leaned against the wall puffing while Olivia fumbled for her key. “I think you should go out with him if he calls.”

Olivia made a face as she stuck the key in the lock and turned it.

“He might be a nice distraction from all this mess that’s been happening,” Melissa said.

Olivia pushed the door open. “A nice distraction or a pain in my butt?”

Chapter 18

Olivia, Melissa, Ynes and several others of Melissa’s friends left the “T” station and walked to the South End club. It was Melissa’s birthday and the group had just left a restaurant on Boston’s Boylston Street where they had gathered for the birthday dinner. The group of friends wanted to extend the celebration and decided to head to some clubs for dancing. Melissa had been slightly subdued during dinner.

Olivia walked beside her friend and asked, “You okay? You seem sort of quiet tonight.”

“I’m okay. I feel like I might be coming down with a cold or something but I’m having fun.” Melissa put her arm through Olivia’s as they strolled along. “It’s nice to be all together just hanging out for the night.”

Olivia said, “Oh, did you text Luke to tell him where we’re headed?”

“Yeah, he said he was done in the lab and would head out in a few minutes to meet us here.”

The group entered the club and found a table that they pulled chairs up to and squished around. A waitress came by and took drink orders. A few of them sat and chatted while the rest got up to dance.

Sitting at the table, Melissa said to Olivia, “I’m feeling warm.”

Olivia touched her friend’s forehead. “I don’t think you have a fever.”

“Do you have some aspirin?”

“I changed to a smaller purse and left the aspirin at home,” Olivia told her. “You want me to go get you some? We passed a convenience store a block from here.”

“Maybe. You wouldn’t mind?” Melissa asked. “I don’t want to go home. I want to stay out with everyone. A couple of aspirins might make me feel better.”

“No worries. Sit tight. I’ll be right back.” Olivia smiled.

“I’ll go with you,” Ynes told her. “It’s getting late. I don’t want you walking around alone.”

The two girls left Melissa talking with another friend and they exited the club to run the brief errand. It only took ten minutes to get to the store and purchase the aspirin. As they headed back and approached the club, the girls heard a female voice cry out from the parking area in the rear of the building.

“What was that?” Ynes asked. She stopped and looked around for the source of the cry.

“Is someone in trouble or are they joking around?” Olivia asked, peering down the side street that led to the club’s parking lot.

A scream pierced the air. Ynes and Olivia exchanged a quick glance and took off running towards the parking lot.

“There!” Ynes pointed at a guy looming over a girl. They stood in between two parked vehicles. The guy had one hand on the young woman’s chest. His other hand held tight to the girl’s long hair yanking her head back. The man’s mouth was clamped over her lips. The girl squirmed and pushed at the tall, husky guy who was man-handling her.

Ynes yelled at him to let the girl go. Olivia shouted that she was calling the cops. She punched “911” into her phone and reported the incident as she and Ynes ran closer. The guy looked up and when he saw Ynes and Olivia, he whirled, recognition flashing over his face.

“You two!”

The girls were face to face with Adam Johnson. The girl he had been harassing clutched at her ripped blouse and took off, crying.

“You two interfering bitches,” Johnson growled, his face contorted in anger. He lunged at them.

Olivia side-stepped away from him, but her ankle twisted and she went down hard on her butt. Johnson grabbed Olivia’s hair with one hand and tried to yank her to her feet. His other meaty paw clamped around her neck. She gasped for breath and clawed at Johnson’s hand.

A second later, Johnson released his grip. By the time Olivia’s mind processed what had happened, it was done, and Johnson was doubled over clutching his gut. He dropped to his knees next to Olivia, sucking air in rasping gulps.

Ynes had struck Johnson so swiftly with her hands and feet that Olivia only registered the attack on the hulking athlete as a complete blur. Olivia sat on the concrete, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She rubbed her neck where Johnson had gripped and choked her. Ynes reached down to take Olivia’s hand to help her up.

“Don’t ask,” Ynes said.

“Really? How can I not ask? What the heck was that? How did you do that?” Olivia questioned her.

A police car flew down the street and pulled to an abrupt halt several yards away from the girls and the still gasping Johnson. One officer approached Johnson and another came up to the girls. Olivia and Ynes explained how they heard screams and found Johnson attacking a young woman who fled after they approached. They reported that Johnson wheeled on them and that he knocked Olivia to the ground and tried to choke her.

“She attacked me,” Johnson yelped, rising to his feet, pointing at Ynes, but still gripping his stomach.

The officers gave him a look of disgust. The second cop asked for Ynes,’ Olivia’s, and Johnson’s identification and the first officer took the girls off to the side and told them to wait there for a few minutes. He went to the squad car and sat in the driver’s seat.

“He must be calling in our ID info,” Ynes said. Olivia was still rubbing her neck.

After a few minutes, the first officer returned and put cuffs on Johnson who began to rant and swear. The cops told Olivia and Ynes that they could go, but that an officer would contact them again at a later time. A second squad car rocketed into the parking lot as Olivia and Ynes were heading for the sidewalk. A crowd of people had gathered to watch.

“Are you okay?” Ynes asked Olivia. They headed to the entrance to the club.

“Yeah. I’ll probably be sore tomorrow though. Especially, my butt.” She rubbed her tailbone.

“I can’t believe it was Adam Johnson,” Ynes said. “That monster.”

“Where did you learn to do whatever it was you did to Johnson?”

“I took martial arts classes in high school.”

Olivia’s eyebrows went up. “You learned to do that in high school? What kind of high school was it? A military academy?”

Ynes opened the door to the club and paused for Olivia to enter first. Pulsing music was blaring inside.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your skill when we were at the gym the other night?” Olivia asked. “I wouldn’t have been so nervous if I knew I had the Karate Kid with me.”

Ynes rolled her eyes. “It’s not that helpful against someone with a gun. Or, a knife.” She placed her hand on the small of Olivia’s back and gave her a playful nudge. “Go tell Melissa who we ran into in the parking lot. I’m going to the ladies’ room.” Before they parted ways, Ynes locked eyes with Olivia and said, “And I wouldn’t mind if you didn’t tell anyone about what I did to Johnson.”

“I don’t keep secrets from Melissa. But I won’t tell anyone else.”

Olivia delivered the aspirin to Melissa and told the group of friends about what transpired in the parking lot and who was involved, but she left out Ynes’ heroics. Olivia practically had to shout over the music. Two guys in their group of friends hurried outside to see what was going on with Johnson and the police.

Something in Olivia’s subconscious picked at her, causing some unexplained anxiety to flow through her body while she was sitting with her friends around the table.

“I can’t believe you ran into Johnson,” Melissa said. “What are the odds of that?” She swallowed two of the aspirins that Olivia had bought for her.

“How are you feeling?” Olivia asked. “Are you worse?”

“I’m achy and my throat’s sore. I hope I’m not getting the flu. I have too much work to do.”

Ynes returned to the table as Olivia placed her hand against Melissa’s forehead and then touched her cheek. “You feel warm now. You must be coming down with a fever. Maybe you should call it a night?”

Melissa groaned. Their friends who had stepped out to see what was happening with Johnson, rushed back to the table.

“The cops arrested Adam Johnson,” one friend blurted.

“People in the crowd said that the cops searched the trunk of Johnson’s car and found a bloody knife inside of a backpack,” the second friend said.

Other friends piped up with tidbits of information.

“I read in the news that Johnson’s girlfriend has a restraining order on him.”

“Yeah. I heard he’s a suspect in a murder case in Florida.”

Melissa, Olivia, and Ynes exchanged glances. Ynes leaned towards them. “Maybe the knife the cops found will tie Johnson to Christian and Gary?”

“Maybe the case is about to be solved,” Olivia said. She felt hopeful for the first time in days. She turned to Melissa and saw beads of sweat on her pale face. “You don’t look so good. We need to go home.”

“I don’t feel so good. I guess you’re right.” Melissa’s eyelids were half-closed.

“I’ll call a cab,” Ynes said. “You don’t want to take public transport home when you’re feeling sick.”

The three girls said goodnight to the other friends and Olivia took Melissa’s arm and helped her to the door. “Everybody must think I’m drunk,” Melissa moaned.

Melissa started to shiver when they stood outside in the chilly night air waiting for the cab. Olivia offered Melissa her coat but she declined. Olivia rubbed her friend’s shoulders and Melissa leaned heavily against her.

Shuffling her feet to keep warm, Ynes said, “Where’s that damn cab?”

Suddenly what had been pricking at Olivia came into her mind. “Melissa, Luke never showed up. Did he text you?” she asked.

Melissa shook her head. “I texted him again when you went to get the aspirin. He never answered.”

Olivia shot a concerned look at Ynes. “He said he was meeting us at the club. I’m calling him. Hold on to Melissa.” She punched at her cell phone’s buttons, lifted it to her ear, and waited. She shook her head. “He doesn’t answer.”

“Maybe he’s on his way.” Melissa’s voice was just above a whisper. She could barely keep her eyes open. “Maybe he’s on the “T” and doesn’t have cell phone reception.”

“Maybe.” Olivia looked at Ynes, worry etched over her face. “Maybe, not?”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Ynes said. There was a tinge of urgency to her voice.

Olivia said, “Will you go inside and get Amy? She can take Melissa home. You and I can take a cab to Luke’s.”

Ynes ran into the club and returned several minutes later with Amy. A cab pulled up to the curb. “I know you’re sick,” Ynes said to Melissa, “but Olivia and I need to take this one. Amy will call for another a cab to take you home.”

Olivia hugged Melissa and followed Ynes into the cab. They gave the driver Luke’s address and the taxi pulled into the traffic.

“We’re probably wrong,” Olivia said. “Luke’s fine.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Ynes told her.

Olivia’s heart was hammering. She pulled out her cell phone and called Luke again. “Ugh. Still no answer.” Her hand shook as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. Olivia tried to cut the tension she was feeling. “He’s probably in bed with some girl and we’ll come banging on his door.” She forced a smile.

Ynes flicked her eyes to Olivia. “Let’s hope so.”

The cab stopped at the curb, the girls paid, and leaped out. They rushed to Luke’s building, ran up the steps and pressed on the button to ring Luke’s apartment. Olivia jammed her finger against the button over and over. Tears gathered in her eyes. “He’s not answering.”

“Try another apartment,” Ynes said. “Push any button.”

Olivia pushed a different one. A voice came over the intercom. “Who is it?”

Ynes said, “We’re trying to reach our friend. Luke Smithson. He’s in ‘212.’ He isn’t answering. We’re worried about him…” She was about to go on with her explanation when the door buzzed and Olivia grabbed the handle and flung it open. They tore up the stairs and when they reached the landing, they halted. Ynes gasped.