Deadly Reunion (8 page)

Grace smiled at Kyle, who was holding her plate out for her.
“I added some more chocolate-covered strawberries for you.”

Smiling, Grace took the plate.
“Thanks, Kyle. I don’t know how I missed those.”

Diana smiled.
“So, how long have you two worked together?”

“Since last Christmas,” Grace replied
, quickly realizing her mistake when she saw Kyle wince.

Hope smirked.
“Hmm. Strange.” She looked down at Kyle. “I thought you said that she came to work at your agency just a few months ago, Mr. Drake.”

Grace resisted the urge to kick her sister.

“We met about a year ago,” Kyle said smoothly. “I didn’t hire her until just recently, though.”

Hope sat down next to Kyle, push
ing Grace into the next chair. She leaned in and tapped Kyle on the back of the hand. “Not that I need your services, you understand, but I just was curious; how much do you charge an hour?”

“An hour?
I don't really charge by the hour.” Kyle glanced at Grace, who was rubbing her eyes. “Usually my going rate is around five hundred a day plus expenses.” He’d never hired a detective before, but vaguely recalled a fictional one quoting that price on a TV show before.

“Expenses?”
Hope smiled. “Oh . . . you mean the hotel and dinner, something like that.”

“Sure
, that would count—”

“
Five hundred dollars? That seems pretty high. Is that a normal price, Grace?” Hope asked, turning to her sister.

Realizing what Hope was implying
, Grace asked, “How in the world would I know?”

Di
ana looked at Grace curiously. “Why wouldn't you know how much your agency charges for services?”

Grace glared at her sister. “I don't really handle the agency's finances.”

“No, Ms. Holliday isn't really involved in that aspect of our work,” Kyle confirmed, wondering what the two sisters were really talking about.

Hope patted her sister on the shoulder as she stood up.
“I would certainly hope not.”

*  *  *  *

Grace carefully opened the door to her old science room. “Okay. It's safe in here.” She turned, as Kyle walked in and reached for the light. “No!” Grace shrieked. “Don't turn on the lights.”

“Why?
What are we doing in here?”

“Hiding.
We're going to stay in here, until it's all over.”

“W
e're going to stay in here all night?”

“All night?” Grace scoffed.
“Not all night. Just the next hour and half.”

“Not that I mind spending any amount of time with you anywhere, why can't we be with the others
?”

“Don't be ridiculous. Did you see how close we came to making a mistake out there?” Grace
asked, trying to slide into one of the school chairs.

“We? I di
dn't make a mistake out there. As far as I'm concerned, I am a detective. You are the one that messed up back there.”

“Fine. I made a mistake.
Happy now?” Grace asked, still trying to fit herself and her dress into the chair. “The point is we, I mean I—” Grace corrected herself before Kyle could do it for her, “am liable to make another mistake. So, we, are safer here.”

Kyle slid
into a chair next to Grace. “Why don't we just leave? I rented a car. We could leave right now. The night's still young,” he cajoled. “You could show me around. We could catch a late movie. We could—”

Grace was on the verge of agreeing when she felt her pho
ne vibrate. “Hold that thought,” she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out her phone. “It's Hope.”

“Are you going to answer it?”

Grace looked up at the ceiling. “I know I'm going to regret this,” she said, flipping open the phone. “Hello, Hope.”

“Where are you?” Hope asked
, sounding annoyed.

“I'm in the lab.
What do you want?”

“They're doing a re-vote.
I need you to come up here and vote. Now!”

“O
kay! Okay! Calm down. I'll be right there.” Grace closed the phone. “I have to go back to the gym. They’re re-voting.”

“Wow, you p
eople take your reunions seriously around here.”

“You have no idea.”
Grace stood up. “Do me a favor. Stay here. I promise, I will be right back, and then we can leave.”

CHAPTER SIX

T
he gym was
a mad house. Everyone was gathered around the stage, talking at once. Melodie was standing in the center of the stage, along with the Reunion Queen nominees, Hope, Crystal, and Chloe. Once the crowd had quieted down, Melodie explained that they did a recount, and discovered that there were more votes than people who actually graduated with the class. Apparently, Crystal had insisted on a head count vote.

“Everyone who wants to vote for Crystal
, please move to the right of the stage. Your right, people. Not mine. Everyone who wants to vote for Hope, please move to the left. Everyone who wants to vote for Chloe, please move to the front of the stage. The committee is going to walk around and do a count, so please stay where you are. Remember, only classmates can vote. Guests, please move out into the hall.”

G
race dutifully moved to the left side. Despite some grumbling, mostly about how idiotic this was, the crowd was pretty orderly. Everyone neatly lined up on each side.

From Grace's
count it was going to be close. About twenty percent of the class voted for Chloe. The other eighty percent seemed to be equally divided between Crystal and Hope.

Grace looked around to see which of her friends were voting for Hope
, and which ones were voting for Crystal. On Hope's side, she saw Beth and Mark. To her surprise, Adam and Steve were on Crystal's side. Odd, considering how much Adam lusted after Hope, and how much Steve disliked Crystal.

“Ok
ay, can I have everyone's attention?” Melodie stood in the center of the stage. “We have the new numbers. It was very close. By a win of only twenty votes, the crown goes to Crystal Lake.”

“Great, can we go back to dancing now
?” someone shouted. The crowd erupted in laughter. Everyone was clearly tired of this game, and wanted to go on to other things. Grace couldn't blame them.

Melodie
turned to Hope and gestured helplessly. Hope merely shrugged, smiled, and removed the crown from her head. She walked over to Crystal, placed the crown on her head, and whispered something in her ear. Grace watched as Crystal's face turned a deep red.

*  *  *  *

Kyle put away the microscope. Grace had been gone for over forty minutes, and since that time, he had looked at every slide he could find, reviewed the periodic table, and had even broken into the teacher's desk to see what sort of confiscated goods he could find. He was disappointed to discover it only contained a few rubber balls, one broken pair of glasses, some gum, and a worn mystery novel.

Kyle suddenly felt
a slight vibration under his feet. Tilting his head he could just make out the sound of a drum beat in the distance. The band was playing again. He glanced at his watch. Hopefully, that meant Grace would be back soon.

He was about to open the
mystery novel, when he heard movement outside, and a woman angrily say, “Let go of my arm. Come in here. I’m not going to talk to you about this out in the middle of the hallway.”

Curious, he put down the book
, quietly closed the drawer, and walked to the lab door. He opened the door in time to see the door across the hall swing shut. Concerned, he crossed the hall and stood next to the door. He could just make out a woman’s voice from the other side. It wasn’t very clear, and he had to strain to hear her. “Would you please calm down? I haven’t told anyone . . . No, I haven’t!” she shouted.

Kyle leaned closer to the door
, but couldn’t make out what the other person was saying.

“Relax, he’s just guessing.
”

There w
ere a few minutes of silence before he heard, “I have no idea. He’s just shooting in the dark . . . I don’t have any idea how he found out! I swear, I didn’t tell him anything. He just showed up asking questions . . . He’d get suspicious if I did that . . . I told him, he’s crazy . . . Yes, I said, I had no idea . . . I don’t know why he came to me. Probably, because I was the first person that found . . . Why are you suddenly doubting me? . . . So what? It’s just a picture. No one is going to realize it’s you, and even if they do, what does it prove? I promise you, I didn’t do it intentionally. I didn’t even think anything about—”

Kyle
’s head snapped back. Something had hit the door. Kyle took a few steps back. He could only make out what one person was saying, but it was clear she was making whomever she was speaking to angry. When no one left the room, Kyle crept back to the door.

“
No one is going to guess. I doubt if anyone’s paying attention . . . I didn’t go to the police then, and I’m not going to now. I would think, after all of this time, you would trust me. I never once asked anything from you, and I never will . . . I am not blackmailing you! . . . I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone . . . I’m telling you, he’s just guessing. What would I possibly get from betraying you? . . . That’s right. Do you know what he would do to me if he found out I lied to him? No way. He’d kill me if he found out. Trust me. You’re safe . . . So what? As long as we both keep our mouths shut, no one will ever know . . . Yeah, big deal! He threatened me. I’m not afraid of him. You let me worry about him . . . I know something about him that he doesn’t want people to know. He’ll keep his mouth shut, if I tell him to . . . All we need to do is keep calm. He’ll eventually go away. Come on; let’s go back to the gym. I think we both need a drink.”

Kyle stepped back and silently crept back to the lab. Leaving the door slightly open, he waited for the door across the hall to open. When several minutes passed and no one walked out, he walked back out into the hallway.
The only sound he could hear was the distant sound of drums coming from the gym.

Nervously, he opened the door,
half-expecting to find a dead body in the room. As he opened the door, he heard something scrape against the floor.

Carefully walking into the classroom, he quickly noticed that it was empty
, and there was another door on the other side of the room. The only thing out of place was a textbook, which was lying on the floor behind the door.

Kyle b
ent down and picked up the book. Laying it on the table, he walked to the opposite door and into another hallway.

*  *  *  *

Grace took the steps two at a time. All she wanted to do was to find Kyle and Hope, and go home. When she reached the upstairs, she spotted Diana walking ahead of her.

“Mrs. Collins,” she called.

Diana turned, a smile crossing her face. “Hello, again. What are you doing over here by yourself?”

“I’m looking for my
boss and Hope. You?”

“
I’ve lost Eric and Melodie. I turned a corner, looked back, and they were gone. I don’t suppose you’ve seen either one of them?”

“I thought I saw Mr. Collins a few seconds ago. I think he was heading to the administration offices and the last time I saw Melodie was in the gym. I’m sorry
, Mrs. Collins—”

Diana laughed.
“It’s Mrs. Baggins now, but please, call me Diana.”

“Baggins?” Grace asked in surprise.

“Well, until the divorce is finalized. After that I’ll be Mrs. Collins again—” she suddenly stopped, blushing furiously. “I mean, well . . . it will either be Collins again, or I may take my maiden name back. I haven’t quite decided, yet.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Diana patted Grace’s arm. “Please don’t. I’m not sorry. I’m just glad it’s over, and I’m home again. I should never have remarried. Hopefully, Eric and—” she stopped herself suddenly again.

Grace smiled knowingly, which caused the other woman to blush even more. “I
’m so happy you and Eric are . . . in a better place.”

“Me too. You know
, there was a time . . .” Diana stopped and cocked her head to one side. “I think I hear Crystal.” Her eyes lost focus as she strained to hear.

Grace looked down the hallway. She could just make out Crystal’s voice
, as well.

Without warning, Diana gasped, whirled
around, and strode down the hall. Grace followed close behind. She could just hear Eric say, “I understand your concern, but I have no intention of hurting Diana. Not ever again.”

Grace turned the corner and found Eric and Crystal facing the door
s to the library. Crystal had one hand on Eric’s shoulder, steadying herself as she kicked off her shoes. The Reunion Queen crown perched on the top of her head.

“Eric, I like you. Really, I do
, but I want you to stay away from my aunt.”

Diana stepped in front of Grace.
“Crystal!”

Eric and Crystal
spun around. Crystal looked guiltily from Eric to Diana. “Aunt Diana—”

“This doesn’t concern you
.” Diana took Eric’s hand. “Eric and I are adults and I most certainly do not need your protection. Stay out of it,” she said coolly, before turning and striding back down the hallway, pulling Eric along behind her.

Bending down, Crystal picked up her shoes, balancing them on the black binder she was still carrying.
“You just can’t save some people.” Glancing at Grace, she smiled sweetly. “Do me a favor and find your sister. I’m thinking of asking her to be one of my bridesmaids. You can have bridesmaids at a renewal, can’t you?” she asked, before turning around and entering the library. “If not a bridesmaid, then maybe I can have her give me away. I think that would be rather poetic, don’t you?”

*  *  *  *

Kyle turned down another empty hallway. There was no doubt about it. He was lost. He wished he had paid more attention to where they were going, and a little less attention to Grace. Maybe if he had, he would be with her now, dancing the rest of the night away.

Kyle sighed.
Every hallway looked the same as the other.

He
scanned the walls. There had to be something that would tell him where he was and how to get back to the gym.

Kyle
turned down another hallway and walked past two double doors labeled ‘Library’ in big gold letters. On the opposite side of the door, he noticed a framed map.

Kyle quickened his steps. Standing in front of the map he read, “’You are here’. Great, now where is the gym?”

“On th
e other side of the building.”

Kyle jumped
in surprise. Turning, he found Crystal standing in front of the library doors, high heels in one hand, and the Reunion Queen crown on top of her head.

“I see congratulations are in order.”

“Oh, this silly little thing.” Crystal reached up, and removed the crown from her head. “To tell you the truth, I'm a bit embarrassed to be wearing it,” she said, twirling it around her hand. “I mean, it’s just an honor to be nominated.” Crystal smiled, as she threw her red high heels on top of the trashcan. “I hate these things,” she said, referring to her shoes.

“Are you going to go barefoot the rest of the night?”

“Why not? I am the queen, after all,” she said, placing the crown back on her head. “Besides, I have no choice. I can’t wear them anymore. The heel’s coming off on one of them. I almost broke my ankle a few minutes ago. Luckily, I caught myself before I fell down the stairs.” Crystal took a few steps towards Kyle. “You wouldn’t want me to fall, would you?”

Kyle smiled.
“I'm a bit lost. Are you heading to the gym?”

Crystal looked Kyle up and down.
“Absolutely gorgeous,” she said, running her hand down his arm and across his chest. “You know, you remind me a lot of my husband.”

Kyle laid his hand on hers
, stopping her from further exploration of his body. “Where is your husband?”

Crystal smiled.
“Don't worry about him.” Surprising Kyle, Crystal reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss. She pulled away just as suddenly when she heard a noise behind her.

They turned to see
Hope standing a few feet behind them, holding out her phone. “Now hold still you two. Smile pretty for the camera.” Crystal took three steps away from Kyle and crossed her arms. Hope lowered the phone. “Well, well, Crys. Why am I not surprised?”

“Haven't you been humiliated enough tonight, Hope? Why are you still here?”

“Me, humiliated? Oh, you should talk. What is everyone going to say when they find out you've been cheating on your husband with a prostitute?”

“What
?” Kyle and Crystal shouted in unison.

Shocked
, Kyle said, “I'm not—”

“Shut up!”
Crystal shouted at Kyle. “This is entrapment. You set me up. Get away from me,” she said, stepping as far away from him as she could. “Hope, give me your phone. Now!” she demanded, holding out her hand.

“No
, but don't worry. I will make sure you get a copy.”