The Reunion (26 page)

“Why? She’s been nasty all night.”

“Guilt maybe? I should have stayed with her whether she wanted me to or not.” She rubbed her fingers over her forehead, choking back a sob. “Oh, God, I don’t know why. I don’t even like the bitch. All I know is I want to be with her.”

“And do what? Sit in the hospital waiting room? It’s going to take a while to set the broken bones, get a CAT scan, and stitch those head wounds. Don’t cry, honey, and don’t feel guilty.”

“At least there would be someone with her, someone who showed some interest in whether she lives or dies.” Her voice rose.

“Meghan, calm down,” Zach ordered in a quiet voice.

“I don’t want to calm down either. I’m mad as hell. I want this maniac caught. I want to know why he’s killing off our classmates. These are no spur of the moment events. This took planning.”

“There’s no need to shout. I want to know, too.”

She struggled to lower her voice. “And what if the killer is someone who doesn’t have a grudge against the Fearsome Foursome? What if he just hates everyone in the whole freaking class? Am I next? Are you? And can Ray do a damned thing about it?”

“I’m asking myself the same question,” Ray said from the doorway. He entered and took the stool next to her. “Forensics is going over the parking lot, but hasn’t found anything. And it’s too dark to get much accomplished in the garden. This killer is either very smart, or I’m a lousy cop.”

Meghan bit her lip. “Two murders and an attempted murder in less than eight hours are apt to put everyone on edge.”

“Maybe I deserve it. I haven’t got much in the line of clues, and unless I come up with something, this place is going to empty out tomorrow morning like an erupting volcano, and then the killer could be gone.”

“Ray, you look like you could use a drink,” Zach said. “Are you still on duty or can I pour you something?”

“I’m still on duty, but go ahead and hit me with whatever you’re having.” Zach served him. Ray took a long swallow. “Thanks, I’m about at the end of my rope.”

“I had another theory,” Meghan suggested, and told him about the possibility of a police or security guard impersonator. She stiffened her spine as another thought crossed her mind. “Ray, you said the killer used his knee on the victim’s backs to gain leverage. I’ve watched those reality based cop shows on TV. Isn’t that how an officer subdues a fleeing suspect so he can handcuff him?”

“Yes. That’s an effective way to maintain control. It isn’t easy to throw off a grown man who’s kneeling on your back.” He ran a hand over his face. “Ah, hell, Meghan, it couldn’t be one of my guys. There were too many people here tonight who know us on sight. A stranger in a Grandview police uniform would’ve been noticed and mentioned during questioning.”

“What about the security guards? Would they have had the same type of training?” Zach asked.

“Probably. I’ve never thought to ask. It’s worth checking out. I’ll talk to Nelson and the guards.”

Meghan tapped her finger against her lips. “Ray, suppose one of our classmates from out of town is a cop or a former cop? Or even a security guard?”

“If that’s the case, no one admitted it during questioning, at least not to my knowledge. None of my deputies mentioned it either. I’ll ask.” He finished his scotch. “By the way, I took your advice and called the police over in Muncie.” He shook his head. “Never underestimate the deductive powers of women.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean, Clara Sylvester’s death is listed as suspicious.”

“I knew it! Those dates are just too close together. And why a teacher? What was her connection to the Fearsome Foursome?”

Zach shot a quick look at Meghan. “What happened, Ray?”

“According to one of the nurses, she had given Clara her medications and was sitting with her when an emergency in another room called her away. She was gone about an hour. She peeked in on Ms. Sylvester when she returned and found her dead.”

“What’s suspicious about that?” Zach inquired.

“There was an extra pillow on the old woman’s bed, one the nurse is pretty certain wasn’t there when she left. The coroner found cloth fibers in the nasal passages and lungs during autopsy.”

“She was smothered?” Meghan said.

“That’s the conclusion.”

“Could it have been an inside job? Someone who worked there?” Zach wanted to know.

“At the moment, the officials are investigating if a staff member may have had robbery on his or her mind. However, as far as they know nothing was taken. Her watch and rings, along with ten dollars and a bunch of change were in plain sight on the nightstand. Clara also had defensive bruises on her arms. The theory is the person entered the room thinking the old gal was asleep and panicked when he realized she wasn’t.”

“And he just happened to bring a pillow with him?” Meghan wondered.

“The nurse was
pretty
sure about the pillow not being there, but stops short of swearing to it.”

“The police may be right on this,” Zach said. “The killer is so scared after she dies, he runs without taking anything. Why would our killer take out Clara Sylvester?”

“No, this was no inside job. There
has
to be a connection,” Meghan insisted.

Ray ran his hand over his face. “I have no idea why anyone would want to murder poor old Clara, nor do I understand her connection to students who graduated twenty years ago. We were related, you know.”

“You and Clara?” Meghan replied.

“Yeah, her mother and my grandmother were sisters. Made us some kind of cousins, I think. I just thought you’d like to know your hunch was right.” He set the glass back on the bar and slid from the stool. “Guess I’ll go talk to Nelson. I understand the general manager of the place is on his way in from his weekend cabin on Lake Shafer. You going to the hospital?”

Meghan nodded. “As soon as I change clothes.”

“Good idea. I’ve been in this suit a lot longer than I’d planned,” Zach added.

“I’ll stop by the ER in a little while,” Ray remarked as his phone rang. He answered, listened for a moment, and then heaved a sigh. “All right, I’ll send a couple of deputies over. Any fatalities…Well, that’s a blessing at any rate.” He hung up.

“Something wrong?” Zach asked.

“Three car accident on the highway. Several people hurt, but no fatals. I’ll send a couple of guys out to deal with it while I finish up here. It never rains, it pours.” He shook his head and left the bar.

Zach finished his drink. Meghan eyed the rejected wine. Might not be such a bad idea after all. She tilted the glass, drinking until it was empty. They walked side by side to the elevators.

“What floor?” Zach asked when they entered the car.

“I’m on the second, room two-fifteen.”

“I’m in five-oh-six.”

The elevator stopped. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

Meghan found his actions unnecessary, but endearing.
What I really want is to forget about everything and let nature take its course.
She sighed, opened her purse, and extracted the key. She unlocked the door, and Zach slipped in first to look around.

Meghan held her breath. Was someone hiding in the closet? The bathroom? The inspection took less than a minute. When he returned, he smiled, glanced at the bed, and then shrugged. Forget anxiety. Old-fashioned lust sent heat flooding her body.
Yeah, me too.

“You’re clear. I’ll be back in, say ten minutes?”

“Make it fifteen. I want to wash up.”

Zach nodded, kissed her, and left. Meghan closed the door behind him, fanning her hot face with the evening bag. Was the hospital really all that important? Another hour wouldn’t make much difference, would it? She turned to open the door and call him back. Then Suzanne’s bleeding body flashed before her eyes. Her conscience hammered at her.

“Damn,” she muttered.

Meghan peeled the dress from her body, tossed it onto the bed, and headed for the bathroom. Washing the make-up from her face and the blood from her arms, Meghan wondered if the doctors and nurses had scrubbed the blood from Suzanne.

She grabbed a pair of jeans from her suitcase and pulled them on, then yanked a canary yellow top over her head. She added socks, slipped her feet into running shoes, and debated the necessity of carrying a purse. Meghan decided against it. Instead, she added twenty bucks to the ID holder that already contained her driver’s license and a credit card.

She shoved it along with her cell phone into her back pockets, daubed lipstick on her mouth, and gazed at the stun gun still in her purse. She slipped it out and pressed the red button. Meghan flinched at the zap, but didn’t drop it. She jammed the thing into her front pocket.
Won’t forget it there.
I’ll give it to Zach when he gets here.

A knock startled her.

She glanced at her watch. Zach already? It hadn’t even been ten minutes yet.

Honestly, men
.

She’d requested the extra time to get her emotions under control. She was angry about the night’s events and frustrated at the inability to do anything at the moment about Zach’s kisses. She never thought straight when either emotion was present, often saying and doing things she regretted later. And she really wanted to pursue those kisses further.

Certain it was Zach, she gazed through the peephole and, surprised, opened the door.

****

Meghan and Zach are becoming a problem.
Both are analytical and intelligent. No wonder that bumbling sheriff allowed them to help with the investigation. He didn’t have the brains or the manpower to stop me.

But Meghan and Zach are another story. They could piece it together. The two of them already zeroed in on the past as a motive. It’s only a matter of time until the answers click in one of their heads. I’ll have to do something about them. I’ve come too far, have too much to lose, to be defeated now.

I heaved a sigh. I hadn’t counted on a seventh or an eighth victim. Maybe number six could wait until later. The road to success is often strewn with rocks. Meghan and Zach represented my boulders. I had to deal with them first. Without them, the sheriff would be clueless.

Together, they’re a team. Divide and conquer. That’s the strategy. But which one do I chose?

My decision made, I turned to my hotel highway, the stairs.

****

Zach strode out of the elevator on the fifth floor and hurried to his room. Slamming the door behind him, he jerked off his suit coat tossing it on the bed, then kicked off his shoes. His tie, shirt, and pants joined the heap. The bed sagged as he sat to remove his black socks. They hit the floor near the shoes.

He donned jeans, a light blue polo shirt, a belt, athletic socks, and a pair of Nikes. He shoved his wallet, phone, and car keys into his pockets before glancing at his watch.

Why on earth would Meghan need fifteen minutes to change clothes? He could do it in two and be back outside her door in five. Zach decided he had a lot to learn about women.

To kill time, he hung his discarded clothing in the closet, and looked at his watch again.

Swell, that took a whole minute and a half. Now what do I do?

He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, flipping though channels until finding the news. Two talking heads debated the world situation and the United States’ role in it.

He flipped to the Weather Channel. Central Indiana could expect hot and humid conditions for the remainder of the weekend with the possibility of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon.

The clock on the nightstand said only another three minutes had passed.

This is ridiculous
. He shut the tube off.
I’m going anyway. She can either let me in or I’ll wait in the hall.

He jerked the door open and jumped back in surprise.

“Zach, I’m glad you’re here. Can I come in? I have to talk to you.”

Puzzled, he stepped aside. “Sure. What’s wrong?”

Zach left the door open. Curious and unsuspecting, he faced Tom Ecklund.

Chapter Sixteen

Tom Ecklund rushed past Zach, his hair in disarray and his eyes glazed, as if he’d just gotten out of bed. His expression bordered on panicked.

“Where’s Meghan?”

“I just left her in her room. We’re going to the hospital. Tom, what’s going on?” Zach walked further into his room, leaving the door open.

“The hospital? Why?” The panic on his face changed to sheer horror.

“Suzanne Crocker was attacked a little while ago in the parking lot. She’s in bad shape. Tom, what’s going on?”

The look on the man’s face was scaring him to death. He couldn’t decide if Tom was crazy or terrified. Zach cast an uneasy glance back toward the open door.

Tom grasped his head. “Oh God, oh God, no! She’s done it again. Oh, Jesus, please help me.”

Zach strode forward, and shook his classmate by the shoulders. His voice rose. “Knock it off! What the hell are you talking about?”

Tom gulped, his gaze darting from side to side. Zach shook him again.

“Tom, sober up!”

“I’m not drunk. I was drugged. And now I’m scared. It’s Glory. She’s the killer. And I think Meghan is next on her list.”

Zach’s stomach dropped to his toes as a numbing cold swept over him. “What? What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I just have a feeling, especially now that Suzanne is dead.”

“Suzanne’s not dead yet, but she’s in critical condition.”

Amazement flashed across his face. “She’s not? Another mistake. She got away twice.” Tom grabbed Zach’s arm. “Come on! We have to make sure Meghan’s all right.”

The man’s hysteria fueled Zach’s fear for Meghan.
Oh my God! If anything happens to Meghan, I’ll die. I can’t live without her. Not after finding her again.

The two men ran from the room.

****

“Glory! What are you doing here?”

Meghan’s surprise gave way to concern. Glory was a mess. Her eyes, red and puffy, showed obvious signs of recent tears. Any make-up from the evening had long since vanished. With her washed out blue eyes and pale face, the woman resembled a ghost. Her rumpled gray sweat suit looked as if she’d slept in it. She sniffed and shifted a frightened gaze from side to side up and down the hallway.