Deadly Reunion (30 page)

“
Do you know that Crystal told Melodie that you were the one who attacked David?”

Steve frowned. “I’m not surprised. Crystal was afraid Melodie was falling in love with me.
Melodie and I have a rather odd relationship. She’s only ever been nice to me when others aren’t around to see. I think she’s embarrassed to admit that she actually likes me. Anyway,after I stood up to Hart, she started treating me nicer
.
I think she liked how I told that creep off. Crystal saw that Melodie was warming up to me and wasn’t happy about it. I wasn’t good enough for her sister. A Harper marrying a Mattingly? She couldn’t have that.”

Feeling slightly sorry for the other man, Kyle said,
“I didn’t know you two were an item at one time.”

“We
went on a couple of dates, but then a week later, she turned cold and started dating Larry again. I guess that’s when Crystal told her I was the dangerous dude who almost killed her ex.” Steve leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “I’m actually surprised that Melodie didn’t come running to me after that. She likes dangerous guys. After that description, I should’ve been peeling her off me.”

“
Why did you leave town?”

“Larry Baker
told me that if I didn’t leave Melodie alone he would kill me.”

“And you believed him?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then why did you come back?”

“Crystal hired me. It was nothing major,” he said waving a hand, dismissively.

“
Let me guess, she hired you to take pictures of Larry and a prostitute, didn’t she?”

“
Melodie told you that?” Steve sighed. “All right. Yes. Crystal paid quite a lot, too. It wasn’t as if I enjoyed it. Well, maybe a little. I hated Larry.” Steve looked Kyle in the eye. “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. I didn’t push Hart. Crystal was not blackmailing me. And I’ve never killed anyone. It’s not me, pretty boy. Who else do you have?”

Running his hand through his hair,
Kyle sighed. “Pretty much all of your friends. In fact, there are only a few that aren’t on our suspect list.”

“I hear Grace has been at
Melodie’s house all morning, burning up her phone, calling practically everyone who was there that night. She’s been asking about that stupid flash drive and whether they saw the slideshow. Why? What is she looking for?”

“She is just following up on some loose ends.”

“Melodie told me that you suspect Sam was murdered. Is that true?”

“Did you see the slideshow?”

“Yeah, of course I did, but I didn’t see anything that would point to who killed Crystal or him. They were just your normal everyday pictures. Certainly nothing to kill for. Has Grace found any copies, yet?”

Before arriving at Steve’s office
, Kyle had finally reached Grace, who told him about Beth’s video. “Maybe. A few,” Kyle hedged.

“Where is she right now?”

Kyle turned away.

“Come on.
I could have gone straight to the police and told them you’ve been lying to everyone if I wanted to. I came to you first because I want to work with you. I want you to trust me. I want us to be friends,” Steve implored.

“We can be friends when you’re not a suspect.”

Steve sighed. Turning back to his desk, he picked up his phone and dialed. “Melodie? . . . Wait! Don’t hang up. I just want to know if Grace is there. . . . No? . . . She’s at Beth’s?” Smiling, Steve turned towards Kyle. “Chasing a wild goose, you don’t say? I need—” Making a face Steve placed the receiver back into its cradle. “She and her sister have or had the worst manners of anyone I’ve ever known. In case you didn’t know, Grace is at Beth’s.”

“Why do you even need me?
” Kyle asked, frustrated. “You obviously can do quite well by yourself.”

“I can’t do everything. I’m persona non grata among many of the elites in town. We can be allies
, though. I help you, and you help me.”

“Fine. Tell me about the pictures.”

“It’s a waste of time.”

“I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

Steve began ticking off the pictures on his hand. “There was one of him as a kid, a couple of him playing football, a prom picture of him and Crystal, one of him outside, one of him at the lake. Like I said, absolutely none of them worth dying over. Now my turn. Let’s suppose Sam was murdered. Who do you think did it?”

“We don’t know at this point
, but,” Kyle hesitated unsure of how much information he wanted to give the other man, “one of our suspects—one out of many you understand—is Eric Collins.”

“Why
would he have killed Sam?”

“I
heard a rumor that Collins may have killed his wife. Sam may have witnessed her murder. If that’s true, then it’s possible Sam was blackmailing Eric. I’ve been told that Sam came into some money that year.” Kyle decided not to mention Eric’s alibi, since he was still trying to figure how Tom was involved. Did Eric pay off Sam and Tom to keep them both quiet?

Steve sat quietly for a moment absorbin
g this new bit of information. “The money? It came from the insurance company.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, but I can’t see Sam blackmailing Collins. Crystal would, but I doubt Sam would have. Sam was a boy scout. If Collins had killed his wife, Sam wouldn’t have been able to keep quiet.”

“M
aybe that’s why he was killed. One theory is that he wanted to tell the police what he saw.”

“Maybe,” he said, sounding unconvinced.
“All right, you said one suspect out of many. Who else do you have?”

“Actually, I should be asking you that question.
He was your friend. Did he have any enemies?”

Steve shook his head. “No.
Absolutely no one. Everyone loved him. Well, except for Hope, but she didn’t hate him. She just tolerated him.”

Kyle hated asking
, but he had to know what Steve would say. “Do you think she could have killed him?”

“I don’t think so.
I mean, she could have done it. He was pretty weak after the accident, and if the bell tower’s ledge was low enough . . . I mean, physically it’s possible that she could have pushed him over, but I can’t see it. It’s Hope. She might have mussed her hair or broken a fingernail and right before graduation pictures? No. No way. Do you have other suspects?”

“Hmm. Maybe
. But I have a question for you. Why aren’t you at Tom’s place right now?”

“Why would I be?”

Glancing down at his wristwatch, Kyle said, “Because Sheriff Bellamy is getting a search warrant and should be there by now.”

Within
seconds, Kyle found himself alone in the office.

*  *  *  *

Sitting in Beth’s basement/entertainment room, Grace watched as the sun finally disappeared behind the trees in Beth’s backyard. When she had arrived at Beth’s home, she had high hopes that she would be able to quickly start the video and fast forward to the point Beth had recorded the memorial slideshow. Believing it wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes tops, she had called her family and told them she would be home, long before the sun set. That turned out to be a hopelessly foolish prediction. It had taken thirty minutes and two phone calls to Beth just to find where she had placed the video and another forty minutes, turning all the pictures of clowns, figurines of clowns and most importantly the stuffed clown dolls around and facing the wall, before she could even think of getting started. Grace had never been afraid of clowns. Had never thought twice about clowns, but sitting in Beth’s furnished basement, completely alone, surrounded by nothing but clowns, began to unnerve her.

Once she had turned the last clown picture around and was comfortably sitting on Beth’s couch, Grace hit the fast forward button. Having fast forward through the video twice she came to the unhappy realization she was going to have to sit through all four hours.

She was halfway through when her cell phone rang.

“About time you called me back
, Kyle. I’ve been calling for the last hour,” she complained. “Where have you been?”

“Sorry. My dad needed
to talk to me about something. Any luck?”

“None
, but I have . . .” she paused in order to glance at her watch, “two hours left. So, did Steve have any information about Crystal’s murder?”

“Not really.”

“
Well, unless something turns up on this video, I think we’re stuck.”

“How’s it going?”

Groaning she said, “Dreadful. I don’t understand how my sister—my flesh and blood—could have let me walk out of the house in that getup.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” he said soothingly.

Grace cringed. “Kyle, I’m looking at myself right now. It’s far worse on camera.” Grace cringed as Beth caught Grace from behind, tripping over her dress. She fast-forwarded the tape until she was finally, mercifully, out of the frame. “I’m ‘accidentally’ destroying this tape as soon as I’m done.”

“Don’t do that. I want
to see it.”

Grace groaned at the sound of a door opening upstairs.

“What?”

“Beth’s home. I was hoping to have this done by the time she came home.” When Beth had reminded Grace of the videotape, she had offered to watch it with Grace later that night. She had suggested making it a girls’ video night. Still reeling from the last girls’ video night with Beth, Grace firmly insisted on watching it alone and immediately. Unfortunately, it looked like she was going to have company.

“
Were you aware that Crystal had filed for divorce from Tom three months ago? She and Tom went on a cruise for their anniversary. They returned three days early, and she filed for divorce as soon as she got off the ship. She stopped the divorce proceedings a month later. Right after that they began seeing a doctor about fertility issues.”

“Where
did you hear that?”

“Steve has a computer file on Crystal.
As well as, all of Crystal’s families and friends. I’m looking through it right now. You should see the file he has on Melodie. We are talking detailed. Pages and pages of information. He has a folder with over a hundred pictures of her. I think he may be a little obsessed with your friend.”

“How did you get into his computer? Kyle, he’s going to call the poli
ce if he catches you,” she said worriedly.

Kyle snorted.
“Relax. Steve and I are good friends now. He’s not going to call the police.”

“Why do you sound so
strange? What’s going on?” she demanded, suddenly suspicious.

“Nothing.
Would you stop worrying? This is weird. Crystal had been trying to keep Diana and Eric apart.”

“
Diana and I caught them arguing at the reunion. She was warning Eric to stay away from her aunt,” Grace pointed out. “Does it say anything else about them?” she asked, getting up off the couch and walking upstairs and into Beth’s kitchen. Seeing it empty, she opened the door to the garage. Empty as well. Checking the back door and walking through the hallway to the front door she found both locked.

“
Let’s see.” Grace could hear the sound of Kyle’s fingers on the keyboard. “Crystal tried to set up Collins with an English teacher at the school, but Collins didn’t want anything to do with her.”

“
I got the same feeling that day at the school. He looked like he couldn’t wait to get her out the door. Although, they did seem friendly when they went out the night after the reunion. I hope he and Diana can work it out. She was so in love with him. I felt so bad for her when he left her for her best friend.”

“
Oh, I haven’t had a chance to tell you. I got the file on Sarah Collins’ death investigation from James Simpson. Diana has an alibi.”

“
Good.”

“
It’s pretty solid, but Eric Collins, on the other hand, was the police’s most likely suspect. Unfortunately for them, someone corroborated his whereabouts at the time of his wife’s death. Guess who provided him with an alibi?”

“I have no idea.”

“Tom. The sheriff didn’t really believe him, but couldn’t come up with any other evidence.”

“What was
Eric’s motive?”

“Sarah was having an affair. They couldn’t figure out with w
ho.”

“
Interesting.” Grace looked around the kitchen. Clowns could be found in every corner. Their glass eyes shown in the light. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. “Kyle, when are you going to get here?” Feeling unsettled, Grace turned around and let out a small shriek, dropping her cell phone in the process. Heart beating fast, she bent down to retrieve the phone.

“What happened?” Kyle asked
worriedly.

“I hate this house.
I thought someone was behind me, so I turned around really fast and ran right into this big stuffed clown.” Grace looked at its huge stuffed face with one eye missing. “It’s the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen. Funny, this place wasn’t so scary when Beth was here,” she said, suddenly wishing she had taken Beth up on her offer.