Obsessed (9781617732393)

by Gibson, Jo

  Michael looked a little worried as he nodded. “But, Jude . . . you’re really too young to drink.”

  “Oh, I know. I never do, unless Buddy and Pamela are giving a formal dinner. And then, it’s only one glass. But we don’t have to drive, and I thought maybe we needed to unwind after everything bad that’s happened.”

  “Okay,” Michael agreed. “A glass of wine would be nice, and you made your point. But I don’t want to catch you drinking when you’re out somewhere!”

  Judy grinned. He sounded concerned about her. “You won’t. I can’t drink unless I’m home.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because Buddy and Pamela have given me expensive tastes. I don’t like the taste of anything except fine, vintage wine. Anything else make me feel sick.”

  Michael laughed as he picked up a glass. “I think they did you a favor. At least you won’t be swilling beer in the backseat of somebody’s car.”

  “You’d care if I did something like that?” Judy held her breath, waiting for Michael’s answer.

  “Of course I’d care. You’re my little sis. I feel very protective toward you, Jude.”

  Judy tried not to let her disappointment show as she filled Michael’s glass. She was tired of hearing that she was his little sis or his good buddy. She wanted more than that, but she knew better than to push it. Little by little, step by step, she’d make him see that she was really the girl of his dreams.

  “That’s all you’re having?” Michael stared at Judy’s glass. She’d filled it barely to the half-way mark.

  “It’s enough. I just want a taste. You can have the rest.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Michael chuckled. “You might have to carry me home, and you’re not strong enough for that.”

  “You’d be surprised. I’ve been working out with Buddy’s weights, and I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

  Michael leered at her, just like Arte Johnson had leered at Goldie Hawn on the old Laugh In re-runs. “You want to arm wrestle, little girl?”

  “Sure.” Judy climbed in the jacuzzi across from Michael and propped her arm up on the ledge in the classic armwrestling pose. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

  Judy grinned as Michael propped his arm on the ledge and clasped hands with her. “Do you want to count, or shall I?”

  “The lady counts.” Michael chuckled again. “And the lady loses.”

  Judy tossed her head, and gave him a sultry smile. “The lady always wins, one way or the other. One . . . two . . . three . . . go!”

  “You are strong.” Michael’s eyes widened as Judy began to push his arm down. He took a deep breath and brought his arm back up again. “But I’m stronger.”

  Judy kept smiling, even though she felt more like wincing. She knew Michael was stronger than she was, but there was no way she was going to back down without a fight. She moved a little closer to him, and her breast brushed his arm. If she could just distract him, she might be able to win.

  “Foul!” Michael grinned down at her. He knew exactly what she was doing. “You’re trying to get my mind off the contest.”

  “And it’s working.” Judy giggled as his arm dipped lower.

  Michael laughed and forced his arm up again. “Not for long. I know what you’re doing now, and I refuse to let it affect me.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Judy kicked out underwater, and slid her leg around Michael’s knees.

  Michael started to laugh. “No fair. Body contact is out!”

  “That’s not in my rule book.” Judy reached out with her other leg, and tried to topple him off the molded seat. “Anything’s fair, as long as we don’t drown each other.”

  “Okay . . . if that’s the way you want to play.” Michael reached down with his free hand, and grabbed her ankle before Judy could react. Then he tugged, and Judy slid off her perch into the steaming water.

  When Judy came up, she was sputtering and laughing at the same time. Michael’s arms were around her, and she knew she’d never felt so happy in her entire life.

  “That’s better.” Michael looked very serious. “Don’t you know you’re always supposed to let me win? It’s bad for my fragile male ego if you don’t.”

  Judy managed to look contrite. “You’re right, Michael. I just forgot in the heat of the moment. But then, on the other hand . . . I think you’re . . .”

  “I’m what?” Michael looked very smug. “You were about to say I’m stronger than you are?”

  Judy pretended she was considering it. But then she moved so quickly, Michael didn’t have a chance. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down into the water, and let out a peal of laughter as he came up, sputtering. “I was about to say, on the other hand, I think you’re all wet!”

  Michael’s arms tightened around her, and Judy took a deep breath. Was he going to kiss her? At last? But then Michael shoved off with his legs and they both went tumbling into the middle of the jacuzzi.

  Judy giggled as she came up. “You sure know how to treat a girl, Mr. Warden. No wonder you’re so popular.”

  “Maybe I wish I wasn’t quite so popular.” Michael looked suddenly serious. “Can we be serious for a minute, Jude? I really need to talk to you.”

  Judy nodded, and Michael lifted her and plunked her down on the molded seat next to his. She’d hoped this pseudo-wrestling could have gone on a little longer, but Michael obviously had something on his mind. He’d said he wanted to talk to her, and she was prepared to listen. She’d do anything Michael wanted.

  “It’s about the murders, Jude. I think I’m in big trouble.”

  “You?” Judy handed him a towel and took one for herself. “What kind of trouble are you in?”

  “Detective Davis is still looking for connections. He’s missed a big one, but he’s bound to latch onto it one of these days. Have you noticed that every girl I’ve dated has been killed?”

  “Of course.” Judy matched his serious expression. “But you’ve dated almost every girl at Covers, haven’t you?”

  “Well . . . yes.”

  “Then it’s just a coincidence. I think Detective Davis is smart enough to realize that.”

  “It’s a little more than that.” Michael frowned. “Remember the arrows, Jude?”

  Judy nodded. “Of course I remember. How could I forget something like that?”

  “My arrows are missing.”

  “Your arrows?”

  “Right.” Michael sighed deeply. “I used to work at a summer camp, before Mr. Calloway opened Covers.”

  Judy nodded. “The boys’ camp at Lookout Point?”

  “Right. I was a camp counselor, and we each had to teach a couple of classes. I taught guitar and archery. I didn’t make the connection before, but after Ingrid was killed, I went out to the storage shed to look for my arrows. I had a quiver and ten arrows hanging on a hook right next to the door. They were there for four years, Jude . . . but now they’re gone.”

  “But that doesn’t mean anything!” Judy reached out to touch Michael’s shoulder. “Maybe somebody moved them. They could be in a box somewhere.”

  “That’s what I thought, at first. But I cleaned out the entire storage shed, and I couldn’t find them. It looks bad for me, Jude. If Detective Davis finds out about those missing arrows, he’s going to arrest me.”

  Judy sat in silence for a moment, and then she looked up into Michael’s worried face. “Was the storage shed locked?”

  “No. We don’t keep anything of value in there. Gardening tools, old paint, drop cloths, stuff like that. There’s absolutely nothing anyone would want to steal.”

  “Except a quiver with ten arrows.” Judy looked thoughtful. “I wish I could remember if they were missing the last time I was in there.”

  “You were in our storage shed?” Michael raised his eyebrows.

  “Sure. Your mother lets us borrow her fruit picker for our lemon tree. I go over
to the storage shed to get it every time Marta makes a lemon meringue pie. It’s this long pole with a basket on top, and you just reach up in the tree and . . .”

  “I remember it well.” Michael interrupted her. “I used to use it to get my kite out of our olive tree. When was the last time you borrowed it, Jude?”

  “Just last week. Marta makes a lemon meringue pie every time Pamela invites her bridge club to lunch. It’s their favorite dessert. I wish I’d looked around more carefully when I ran over to get your fruit picker, but, I didn’t.”

  “That’s okay, Jude. Maybe it’s not important. I asked Andy to check it out for me.” Judy looked puzzled and Michael explained. “My arrows were the standard target kind with a red circle right above the feathering. Andy’s going to ask his uncle if the arrows they found were that type.”

  Judy frowned. “Did you tell Andy about your arrows?”

  “No. It’s not that I don’t trust Andy, but I figured the fewer people who know about my missing arrows, the better.”

  “Very smart.” Judy nodded. “And actually . . . I’m not entirely sure you should trust Andy.”

  Michael turned to her in amazement. “Why not? Andy’s my friend!”

  “That’s true, but . . .” Judy began to frown. “I really shouldn’t say anything. It’s probably not important.”

  Michael slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Come on, Judy. Everything’s important, especially when I’m worried that Detective Davis might think I’m a suspect.”

  “That’s just it. We’re all suspects. Every one of us.” Judy snuggled a little closer. The combination of the warm water and Michael’s muscular body were making it difficult to concentrate.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Well . . .” Judy hesitated slightly. What harm would it do to tell him? “We all have motives, especially if you believe that the killer’s a member of our group.”

  Michael tipped her head up so he could look straight into her eyes. “Whoa! I think you’d better explain that.”

  Judy sighed, and then she began to explain. She only left out two things. She didn’t tell Michael that the theory was Carla’s brainchild, and she didn’t mention the contest. When she was through, Michael nodded.

  “Okay. That makes some sort of crazy sense. But you said everyone had a motive. What’s Andy’s motive?”

  “Maybe he’s jealous of you. After all, you’re dating the girls he wants to date. And if he thinks they’re getting too serious about you, he kills them.”

  Michael nodded. “Okay. I don’t buy it for a minute, but Detective Davis might. How about Berto?”

  “Uh . . .” Judy thought fast. She didn’t want to tell Michael about the contest. “Berto could be jealous, too. And he could be upset that the girls picked you instead of him.”

  “Carla?”

  “You didn’t ask her for a date. So she’s killing off the girls you go out with. The same motive could apply to me.”

  “You?!” Michael raised his eyebrows.

  “Sure.” Judy nodded, and forced a smile. “Detective Davis doesn’t know that we’re just buddies.”

  “Okay. How about Linda? Is her motive jealousy, too?”

  Judy nodded. “Of course. And it’s the same for Nita, and Vera. It’s a little different for Mr. Calloway, though.”

  “Mr. Calloway has a motive?” Michael looked astonished.

  “Definitely. He’s always after you to pay more attention to your career. If he thought you were getting serious about one of the girls, he might break it up by killing her.”

  That was too much for Michael. He started to laugh. “I don’t believe this, Jude! I’m the only one who’s not on the suspect list.”

  “You are on it. After all, your arrows are missing.”

  “You’re right.” Michael winced, as he pulled her a little closer. “Jude? You really don’t think that I . . . I could actually . . . I mean . . .”

  Judy reached up to touch his face. “Of course not! I’m just telling you what Detective Davis might believe, that’s all. Of course, he won’t believe it for long. You have alibis for the nights of the murders, don’t you?”

  “No, I don’t. I came straight home the night Deana was killed, but my parents were already in bed, and they didn’t hear me come in.”

  “But the night that Becky was killed, you were waiting for her at her sister’s apartment. Didn’t anyone see you there? A doorman, maybe? Or another neighbor?”

  Michael shook his head. “There’s no doorman. And no valet parking, either. I parked on the street and went straight in. There was no one in the lobby and I didn’t see another soul in the hallway. I was there, but I can’t prove it.”

  “How about the night that Mary Beth was killed? You said you were stuck in a traffic jam.”

  “I was. But I can’t prove that, either. For all Detective Davis knows, I could have heard about the traffic jam on the radio!”

  “Oh no!” Judy swallowed hard. “How about when Ingrid was killed? Did anyone see you at the carnival?”

  “No. It was so late, they weren’t taking tickets anymore. I just walked right in. I waited by the ticket booth, the way we’d agreed, but I didn’t see anyone I knew. There’s absolutely no way I can prove I wasn’t inside the House of Mirrors.”

  Judy shivered. “It doesn’t look good, does it?”

  “Not at all. That’s why I’m so worried about those missing arrows. If the markings on the arrows they found at the crime scenes match the ones on my arrows, I’m dead!”

  Judy wrapped her arms around Michael’s neck, and gave him a hug. “Don’t worry, Michael. I know what to do.”

  “What?”

  “I want you to make sure you’re never alone, not even for a single minute. That way, if the killer strikes again, you’ll have an alibi.”

  “Let’s just hope he doesn’t!”

  “Wrong.” Judy shook her head. “You’d better hope he does. If you’ve got an alibi, that’ll clear you.”

  Michael looked absolutely shocked. “Judy! You can’t mean that! You’re not thinking clearly. There’s no way you could actually hope that someone else will die!”

  “Of course I don’t hope that,” Judy back-pedaled quickly. “I just hope that the killer attempts to strike again. Even if the police fail to catch him, you’ll have an alibi, and you’ll be in the clear.”

  Michael nodded. “That’s true. I wish the police would actually catch him, though. I feel really strange about dating Nita. I can’t help but feel that I’m putting her life in danger.”

  “Dating Nita?” Judy shivered. The water was hot, but she had suddenly turned cold. “When are you dating Nita?”

  “Tomorrow night. She asked me to take her to a midnight movie after the show, and I said yes. We’re going to the drive-in. Berto’s going, too.”

  “Oh.” Judy began to feel a little better. It couldn’t be much of a date if Nita was taking her brother along.

  Michael looked suddenly thoughtful. “Say, Jude . . . you like Berto, don’t you?”

  “Sure. He’s okay.”

  “Why don’t you come along with us? We could do sort of a double date. And you could drive so you and Berto could be in the front seat. It’s going to be damn awkward, snuggling up with Nita, if her brother isn’t otherwise occupied. You know what I mean?”

  Judy nodded. She knew exactly what Michael meant. If she distracted Berto, Michael and Nita could be free to do whatever they wanted in the back seat. She bit back her angry retort, and tried to think rationally. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea. If she went along, she could keep her eye on Michael and Nita. She might even snuggle up a little with Berto, and see if she could make Michael jealous. And if she drove, she could drop Nita and Berto off first, and then she’d have Michael all to herself on the long drive home.

  “Why not?” Judy shrugged carelessly. “I’ll go. It might even be fun.”

  “Great!”

  Judy’s he
art pounded hard as Michael reached out and pulled her close for a hug. But the next words he spoke made her feel like crying.

  “You’re a real pal, Jude. And you’re saving my life. I sure wasn’t looking forward to Berto staring at us all night. You’re my absolute favorite kid sister, Jude—you know that?”

  Michael hugged her again, and Judy hugged him back. She wasn’t as depressed as she usually was when he called her a pal or a kid sister. Would tomorrow night work? Would Michael be upset if she came on to Berto? There was nothing to do but try it and see. Maybe, if he saw that another boy thought she was hot, he’d finally stop thinking of her as just a friend.

  Fourteen

  “You like this movie, Judy?” Berto leaned close to whisper in her ear.

  “No. It’s stupid,” she whispered back.

  “You don’t like spy movies?”

  “I do like spy movies. That’s the problem.” Judy turned to face Berto. “This is the worst spy movie I’ve ever seen. Six guys just opened fire on our hero with Uzis, and he outran the bullets. Can you explain that?”

  “Fast feet. Very fast feet.”

  Berto was perfectly deadpan and Judy laughed. Going out on this double date might be fun if the other couple was someone other than Michael and Nita. Actually, Nita would be okay with a different guy. But knowing that Michael was only inches away, cuddling in the backseat with another girl, was enough to make Judy grind her teeth in frustration.

  Berto leaned close again, and made a small gesture toward the back seat. “You like him, huh?”

  “Who, Michael?” Berto nodded, and Judy sighed. “Sure. I like him. Everybody likes Michael, including your sister.”

  “I know. But I wish she wouldn’t like him quite so much. And I wish she wouldn’t go out with him.”

  “Why not? Don’t you like him?”

  Berto frowned. “It’s not that—I like Michael. But I don’t like the way Nita’s treating Ramon.”

  “Ramon?”

  “Ramon Morrales. Nita’s been going steady with him for over a year. Ramon’s uncle owns a roofing company in Phoenix, and he gave Ramon a job for the summer. Ramon’s only been gone for a couple of weeks, and now Nita’s going out with Michael.”