by Stella Bixby
“Don’t be sorry, figure out what happened,” he said. “I’m too close to the situation to see it clearly, but from what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, I have every bit of confidence that if anyone can solve these cases, you can.”
Nikki stood to the side with her mouth hanging open.
23
The only black dress I had was the one I wore when I went out on the town. Definitely not appropriate for a funeral. After I showered and did my hair and makeup the next day, I went to the mall to pick up something a bit more modest.
Of course, I had to show up at the mall just as the high school kids were getting out of class. I could hardly find parking, and once I did, I made my way through the crowd to a department store with reasonable prices. I couldn’t blow my savings on a dress. Christmas was coming as was Cherry Anne’s car payment. Plus, Marlene would charge us something to live in her building. I needed to be prepared.
I pulled four black dresses from the clearance rack and hurried to the dressing room. I only had about an hour before I had to be at the funeral if I wanted to get there when the family did and avoid Nikki’s wrath.
The first dress made me look like I was from the 1800s and the second was too short. The third was a definite contender but had more lace than I was accustomed to. As I was pulling on the fourth dress, I heard someone crying in the dressing room next to me.
I almost asked if she was okay, but then I heard another voice.
“It’s going to be okay, Deb. I know you miss him.”
My ears perked up. Could it possibly be Debbie in the stall next to mine?
I leaned up against the wall closest trying to hear.
“I don’t know why I care so much. He dumped me for that loser.” Her sobs turned to soft hiccups.
“He was your boyfriend for a long time. You were a shoo-in for prom king and queen.”
“Why couldn’t it have been Jordan? He deserved it. Alex didn’t.”
“Don’t say that,” her friend hissed. “People will start thinking you had something to do with the Jordan incident.”
I couldn’t press my ear up against the wall any harder. Was she going to confess?
I should be recording the conversation. If talking to Hal taught me anything, it was that I needed to be more prepared. I fumbled for my phone.
“Well, I didn’t,” Debbie said.
Her friend was silent. My phone slipped from my hand and crashed onto the bench.
“Is someone over there?” Debbie called out.
I froze. The last thing I needed was more park pig jokes.
“Come on out,” Debbie’s voice was sweet and cold. “I know you heard us talking.” She pounded her fist on the door as if she was going to break it down.
I stayed silent. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
Eventually, she and her friend walked away. My watch told me I was running late. Nikki was going to kill me.
I looked at myself in the mirror. The fourth dress had cap sleeves, and the hem went down to my calves. The neckline didn’t show any cleavage, but the fit accentuated my figure. The price was a bit much, even for the clearance rack. But it was the best choice.
I changed back into my jeans and hoodie and was leaving the room when I ran smack into Debbie.
Her bloodshot eyes widened with recognition. “I knew someone was in there.”
“Hello, Debbie,” I said with a smile.
“How much did you hear?” Debbie was gorgeous, but her outside appearance did not match her evil insides.
“Enough,” I said. “It sounds to me like you know more than you’re letting on. But don’t worry, the police will figure everything out. They’re very close to making an arrest.”
Debbie’s jaw dropped.
Before she could respond, I walked away.
Nikki stood next to Luke looking elegant as ever tapping her designer shoes on the concrete steps.
“It’s about time you showed up.” She yanked me by the arm into the church, Luke following behind with an I’m sorry look on his face.
We sat in the first row with the rest of the family. The church was the largest in the area with an auditorium feel. Huge photos of Alex in his football uniform, with Debbie at a school dance, and standing next to a brand new car with a big red bow on top were balanced on huge easels around a closed casket on the stage. Flowers various shades of red sat neatly around the photos and on top of the casket along with Alex’s letterman jacket and a football.
Quiet sobs and hushed voices filled the air. I turned to watch as a group of high school kids walked in and sat in the back. Debbie locked eyes with me and glared.
What was she hiding? Had she hurt Jordan? Alex?
“What’s going on with you?” Nikki asked beside me. I couldn’t help notice her fingers entwined with Luke’s, his thumb stroking hers.
“Nothing. I just hate funerals.”
“What’s to hate? The person’s already dead.” Nikki wiped a stray tear from her cheek.
“The smell,” I said without thinking.
“The smell?” Nikki looked at me like I was sprouting another head.
“All funerals smell the same. Maybe it’s the flowers or death or tears, but they smell.”
Nikki inhaled. “I don’t smell anything but your cheap perfume.”
I bit my tongue. I wasn’t even wearing perfume.
The service was the same as most funerals. I held it together until Nikki spoke about when she and Alex were kids. She had the entire church in tears before she was finished.
“That was beautiful, what you said back there,” I told her when we stood at the end of the family receiving line. “You could be a public speaker.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. “Like you would know.”
I only let her meanness go because I knew she was grieving and didn’t mean it . . . probably.
“Hey Nikki,” Brody said kissing her on the cheek.
Luke shot me a look.
“Can I chat with you for a minute?” He motioned to a more private area of the foyer.
Nikki smiled a real smile for the first time since Alex had died. “Of course.”
He led her away from us, his hand dangerously close to her butt.
“I hate that guy,” Luke muttered.
“He’s her Luke,” I said without thinking.
He looked at me with a confused expression. “Her what?”
“Uh—” I couldn’t believe I had just said that out loud. “He’s her high school sweetheart.”
Luke nodded but, thankfully, didn’t say anything else.
We watched as the two of them spoke with a familiarity that made me feel like we were watching an intimate moment. I averted my gaze.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Luke looked at me. “Nothing. Sure.” He nodded as if trying to convince himself. “How are you doing? I know you hate funerals.”
“I haven’t passed out yet.” I thought of the time I’d fainted at the funeral of a victim we’d lost in a fire.
Luke rubbed my shoulder. “It was nice of you to be here with her. Even though she’s not very nice to you.”
“She’s grieving.”
We both looked to where she was laughing along with Brody as if she were at a party, not a funeral.
“Should I be worried?” Luke asked.
24
Debbie tried to avoid Nikki and me after the funeral, but when she went to the bathroom, we took it as our opportunity to get her away from her friends.
“Hi Debbie,” Nikki said when she emerged.
She jumped about two inches off the ground before her eyes met mine. “I don’t want to talk to you. Either of you.”
“We don’t care if you don’t want to talk to us. You’re going to,” Nikki said. “You’re going to tell us exactly what happened with Alex.”
“And Jordan,” I added crossing my arms over my chest. My phone was strategically placed in my purse so it would hopefully record any possible admis
sions.
“You are insane. Both of you.” She crossed her arms over her almost see-through gauzy black dress. “I don’t know anything, and if you keep following me around trying to get me to talk or spying on me in dressing rooms, I’m going to call the police myself.”
She turned to walk away, but Nikki grabbed her arm. “You listen to me you little shit, you’re going to tell us everything. Everything.” With gritted teeth and a red face, Nikki did look a little insane.
I touched Nikki’s arm lightly, and she loosened her grip.
Debbie yanked her arm away and rubbed the spot Nikki had been holding.
“I know you know something. We’re not saying you did it,” I said. “But if you could tell us what happened, that would be good.”
“Jordan put the drugs in Alex’s drink,” she said. “There. Are you happy?”
“Did you see him do it?” Nikki asked.
“No,” Debbie said.
“Then how do you know?” Nikki asked.
Debbie’s face paled. “It’s the talk around school, you know?”
“Um, no,” I jumped in. “You’re lying. Try again.”
Debbie shook her head. “I’m not lying. Everyone is talking about it. Jordan put drugs in Alex’s drink so he would test positive and not be able to play in the championship game.”
Nikki and I stood there for a minute.
“Can I go now? Or are you going to assault me again?”
“Is everything okay over here?” Luke appeared at my side.
“Everything is fine,” I said. “Debbie was enlightening us about how Jordan put drugs in Alex’s drink.”
“Well, we can go ask him,” Luke said. “He just woke up.”
Excitement welled up inside me. “That’s great,” I said.
Debbie, however, did not look like she thought that was great. She turned on a heel and stomped away, the jewels on her handbag creating tiny reflections that followed her back to her group of friends.
25
Once Nikki had finished up with the funeral things. She, Luke, and I drove to the hospital in Luke’s truck. I sat in the back while Nikki and Luke held hands in the front. The last time I’d been in his truck, I’d sat in the front seat holding Luke’s hand.
I wrangled my thoughts back to the present. Jordan was awake. He was alive. But Alex had been too and then—
No.
I didn’t want to think about that anymore. My eyes were all cried out from the funeral, and I was still a bit light-headed.
Jordan’s parents stood in the hallway eagerly talking to the doctor. Where there was a worried frown on his mother’s face the day before, there was now a happy smile.
When we walked into the room, Jordan was sitting up eating a cup of Jello.
“Hi Jordan,” Luke said. “I’m Luke with Prairie City PD, I’m investigating your and Alex’s cases. This is Rylie, she found you on the beach. And this is Nikki, she works with Rylie and is Alex’s cousin.”
“Thank you for finding me,” he said looking at me, then turned his attention to Nikki. “Where is Alex? I figured he’d be here by now.”
Nikki’s eyes glazed over. Luke slid an arm around her.
“I’m sorry, Jordan,” Luke said. “Alex passed away.”
Jordan dropped the red Jello on the white sheets. “What? How? Why?”
“He had drugs in his system when he took his snowmobile out for a late-night ride. He crashed.” Luke sounded more like a cop than ever with how he described it.
The room was silent. Tears fell from Jordan’s eyes as he looked out the window. “I can’t believe he’s dead,” Jordan murmured then turned his attention back to us. “That’s why you’re all wearing black, huh?”
We nodded. Nikki looked down at her shoes.
“Jordan, we need to ask you a couple of questions about that night,” Luke said. “If you’re not up for it now, we can come back.”
“Jordan?” Debbie’s voice came from behind us.
Jordan’s eyes widened at the sight of her. She pushed past me and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Alex’s dead,” he said, his voice still shaky.
“I know. But I’m so glad you’re alive.” She still held onto him, but he started to push her away.
“But what about—” he started.
“I think it’s best we let you rest before you start talking about things you might not remember.” Debbie’s voice held a hint of a warning.
Luke stepped closer to the bed. Jordan reached up, unclasped her hands from behind his neck, and pulled Debbie’s arms away. “I don’t need to rest. You monster,” he spat. “You did this to me.”
Debbie’s face faltered only for the slightest moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice was innocent and abnormally high pitched.
“Yes, you do. You told me you liked me. That you wanted to be with me.” Jordan’s lip quivered.
“I did. I do,” she said. “Alex and I weren’t right for each other. But you and I? We’re perfect.”
“That night you didn’t think so,” Jordan said.
“The night you spent with Alex?” Debbie asked. “Didn’t I see the two of you drinking together?”
Jordan opened his mouth as if he might say something else but quickly closed it.
Nikki turned from the window. “We know you drugged him, Jordan.” Tears glistened in her eyes. How did she look so perfect after crying? I looked like a tomato every time I shed so much as one tear.
“I didn’t mean to hurt him.” Jordan looked at Luke. “He was my best friend. I just wanted to get my shot.”
“Your shot at quarterback or Debbie?” I asked.
“Both, I guess,” he said staring down at his trembling hands.
“But it backfired,” I said a bit more gently now. “The drugs you gave him mixed with the alcohol and his state of distress after telling his dad he was going to quit football—yes, he was going to quit—propelled him into an altered state of mind. He visited his secret girlfriend.” I glanced over at Debbie who glared back. “And told her he wanted to run away with her. When she turned him down, he left and took the snowmobile.”
I took a breath. “Would you like me to continue?”
Luke raised his eyebrows and smiled.
“As far as what happened to you,” I said to Jordan. “Stop me if I get it wrong.”
Tears fell from Jordan’s eyes.
“When Alex broke up with you, Debbie, you were mad. So mad you decided to seduce his friend.”
Neither of them disputed this.
“Jordan, you were drunk. Debbie, you may or may not have been, it’s not important.” I waved my hand as if batting the idea away. “But you took him back to the reservoir where the three of you had been earlier that evening. I’m guessing you hopped over the gate and walked, probably laughing and holding hands or something stupid like that.”
Debbie glared but not an inch of her moved.
“Now, I’m not sure why you did it. Maybe you wanted to get Alex back, maybe you found out Jordan drugged Alex, or maybe you just hated Jordan. But you got him to take off his clothes.”
Jordan nodded.
“And then you hit him with your bag,” I pointed to the sparkly purse she held in the crook of her arm. The one with a bejeweled star pattern. “And you must have hit him hard because he fell to the ground unconscious.”
Luke looked back and forth between Debbie and Jordan, probably trying to figure out if my story was true.
I took a breath. “Then, instead of calling the police, or an ambulance, you gathered up all of his things and left him there to die.”
“You can’t prove anything,” Debbie said.
“I bet his clothes are still in your car, or maybe your bedroom. And that pattern on your bag matches the exact bruising pattern on Jordan’s face.”
“And I was there,” Jordan finally said. “More or less, that’s exactly what happened.”
Luke moved toward Debbie an
d pulled handcuffs from the pocket of his slacks.
Did he carry them with him everywhere?
“Debbie, you’re under arrest.” He held the handcuffs out. “Do I need to cuff you? Or will you go willingly?”
Debbie looked toward the door where several of her classmates, teachers, and Jordan’s parents stood gaping. They must have heard everything we’d said.
“I’ll go willingly,” Debbie said bowing her head in defeat.
Luke began explaining her rights.
“Do you think I’ll be in trouble too?” Jordan asked. His mom had come in to stand by his bedside.
“Why would you be in trouble?” she asked. “It was all that girl’s fault you ended up this way.”
“He killed Alex.” Nikki’s voice was hoarse.
“I didn’t mean for him to die,” Jordan said.
“We’ll have to leave that up to the police,” I said trying to be as sympathetic as I could. “But I would guess you’d be in some sort of trouble, yes.”
Jordan’s mom stared at him, “He didn’t kill Alex. I did.”
Luke stopped talking and stared at her. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I killed Alex.” She sank into the chair next to the bed. “I went into his room that night. I just wanted to talk to him—to tell him what he’d done to you,” she said to Jordan. “He got worked up and started coding or whatever.” Tears streamed down her face. “I thought you were going to die. I didn’t realize he was so fragile. He was talking and—”
Nikki looked like she was going to wrap her hands around this woman’s neck.
“I think we should go now.” I grabbed Nikki’s arm and pulled her toward the door.
“She killed him,” Nikki said when we’d gotten down to the hospital lobby. I had texted Garrett to see if he could pick us up and take us to our cars.
Alex’s heart probably hadn’t been up to snuff. Sure she had upset him, but I didn’t think she killed him. I couldn’t, however, tell Nikki this.
“It’s pretty messed up, if you ask me,” I said.