Obsessed (9781617732393)

by Gibson, Jo

“You girls are crazy! Michael didn’t have anything to do with Liz’s murder!”

  “Maybe that’s true.” Tammy Burns had a very high voice, and Carla recognized it immediately. “But I think it’s very strange that Michael was there that night.”

  “It’s not strange.” Berto gave an exasperated sigh. “Michael used to date her, and she invited him to her party. It’s just a coincidence, that’s all.”

  “Some coincidence!” Carla winced as she recognized Winona Evans’s voice. She was the biggest gossip at Burbank High. “How about all the other coincidences, Berto? Michael used to date Deana, and Becky, and Mary Beth, and Ingrid, and even your sister, Nita. And they’re all dead, too!”

  “That’s true, but Michael didn’t kill them. Judy Lampert did. She confessed everything in her suicide note.”

  “If it was a suicide.” Tammy was so excited, her voice almost squeaked. “Phil thinks Judy was innocent. He’s sure that Michael murdered all those girls.”

  “What does Phil know? He wasn’t even working here during the murders! And he doesn’t even know Michael.”

  “That doesn’t matter.” Winona jumped in to defend Phil. “It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. Phil and Tammy and I are positive that Judy didn’t commit suicide. She was murdered, and Michael did it!”

  Berto snorted. “No way! You guys are all wet!”

  “No, we’re not. It all makes perfect sense.” Winona sounded very serious. “Michael admitted that Judy came to see him. And he also admitted that he was mad at her. What if Michael drove up to the lookout that night, and Judy followed him? He could have forced her to write that suicide note before he killed her.”

  “Oh, sure.” Berto began to laugh. “Just how is Michael supposed to have done that?”

  Tammy spoke up. “Maybe he could have held a gun to her head. That’s the way they do it in the movies.”

  “Tammy’s right.” Winona took up the story. “Michael could have dictated the whole letter, and made Judy write it down. Poor Judy! I bet she was scared to death. And then Michael murdered her, and pushed her car over the cliff so it’d look like a suicide.”

  “You’re not really serious, are you?” Berto sounded shocked. “Michael would never do anything like that!”

  “How do you know?” Tammy was obviously in the mood for an argument. “The police thought he killed all those girls, and there had to be some reason why they locked him up in that nut house.”

  Carla felt her temper rise to the surface. How dare they discuss Michael like this? She pulled open the door, and pointed her finger at Winona.

  “You’ve got a big mouth, Winona! And Tammy . . . I can’t believe you! If I hear one more word of gossip about Michael, I’ll . . . I’ll see that you’re both fired!”

  Winona didn’t look intimidated. “You can’t do that. You’re not the boss. Mr. Calloway is.”

  “Oh, can’t I?” Carla faced her squarely. “I’m the assistant manager, and Mr. Calloway just made me responsible for the hiring and firing of personnel. Just try me, and see how long you last here!”

  “Oh . . . sorry, Carla. We really didn’t mean any harm.” Tammy grabbed Winona’s hand and hauled her to the swinging door so quickly, she stumbled. “You won’t hear another word from us. I promise.”

  When the door swung shut behind the two waitresses, Berto raised his eyebrows. “Were you really going to fire them?”

  “I lied. I can’t fire them. Only Mr. Calloway can. But that whole thing made me so mad . . .”

  “Come on, Carla.” Berto led her over to a stool by the grill. “They were just talking, you know? Everybody’s talking. Winona and Tammy aren’t the only ones.”

  “Who’s talking? Tell me!”

  “Everyone. Think of it from their point of view, Carla. Liz used to go out with Michael, and now she’s dead. They can’t blame Judy. She’s dead, too. So they started thinking that maybe she wasn’t really the Cupid Killer, after all.”

  “But Judy confessed!” Carla shook her head. “We were right there when Detective Davis read the letter. Judy couldn’t stand to live with her guilty conscience, so she killed herself.”

  Berto nodded. “Maybe. But maybe not. You knew Judy better than anyone. Did she seem to be the suicidal type?”

  “Well . . . no.” Carla frowned deeply “Not really.”

  “That’s just it. It wasn’t in character for her to commit suicide. And when Detective Davis came by yesterday, asking all those questions about her . . .”

  “Hold it!” Carla interrupted him. “I was here yesterday, and I didn’t see Detective Davis.”

  “That’s because Michael took you to the printers to pick up the flyers. Detective Davis walked in, right after you left.”

  “Oh.” Carla frowned. “What sort of questions did Detective Davis ask?”

  “Well . . . he asked if Judy had ever threatened to kill herself. And then he asked us if we thought she was capable of killing all those girls.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him that Judy had never said anything about suicide to me. But I also said I thought that she was capable of murder, especially since she was so jealous of the girls Michael dated.”

  “That’s exactly what I would have said.” Carla nodded. “Did he ask anything else?”

  Berto looked very uncomfortable. “Yes. He asked me if I thought Michael was capable of murder.”

  “Michael?” Carla felt her temper rise. “But Judy cleared him!”

  “I know. But Detective Davis seemed to think that Judy might have confessed to the murders, just to get Michael off the hook. She might have done it because she loved him so much. People do crazy things when they’re in love, you know?”

  “I guess they do.” Carla sighed deeply. “What do you think, Berto? Do you actually believe that Michael is guilty of murder?”

  “How can anyone know a thing like that? But I told Detective Davis that I didn’t think Michael was guilty.”

  “That’s good!” Carla took a deep breath. “How about everyone else? What did they say?”

  Berto shrugged. “There’s no way to tell. Detective Davis talked to all of us separately. Do you want me to ask around?”

  “No. Don’t do that. There’s enough gossip as it is.”

  “Are you all right, Carla?” Berto looked concerned. “You look a little sick. I could bring you a glass of water.”

  Carla shook her head, and got up from the stool. “Thanks, but I’m okay. Go on back to work. I have to get the paychecks ready.”

  But she wasn’t okay. Carla’s legs were shaking as she walked to the office and sat down behind her desk. She was terribly worried about Michael. He’d been so relieved that he wasn’t a suspect any longer. And now Detective Davis was starting the whole thing up again.

  It took Carla much longer to get the paychecks ready than usual, but at last they were stacked in a neat pile on the corner of her desk. She was just starting to put address labels on the flyers that had to be mailed by the end of the day, when Michael stuck his head in the office door.

  “Hi, Carla.”

  “Hi, Michael.” Carla looked up with a smile. She didn’t want Michael to know she was worried.

  Michael sat down in a chair, and began to read one of the flyers she was mailing. He’d been very quiet for the past two weeks, and Carla suspected he was still in shock over what had happened to Liz. Naturally, the police had questioned him. He’d been one of the last people to see her alive.

  “This is a good flyer, Carla.”

  “Thank you.” Carla frowned slightly. Michael had seen the flyer before. He’d even helped her come up with some of the wording. It was clear that he was trying to start a conversation, and Carla put down her address labels to give him her full attention. “Is there something wrong, Michael?”

  “No. Not really. But the police asked me to come in for questioning again.”

  “Again?” Carla was shocked. This made the third time that Detec
tive Davis had asked Michael to come down to the police station. “What did they want this time?”

  Michael swallowed hard. “They said they just wanted to double check the times I put in my statement, and they told me that I wasn’t a suspect, but . . . I don’t know, Carla. I hope this whole nightmare isn’t starting up again.”

  Carla reached out to take Michael’s hand. He looked sick. “Relax, Michael. Just answer all their questions honestly, and you’ll be just fine.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do. But it doesn’t look good, Carla. Everybody at the party heard Liz ask me to come back. She even said she’d leave the gates open for me. I wish you’d gone to that party with me. Then I’d have an alibi.”

  Carla nodded, but she didn’t say what was on her mind. She wished he’d invited her, too. And not just for an alibi. She wished he’d invited her because he’d wanted to be with her instead of with Liz.

  “I guess I’d better go.” Michael gave a deep sigh, and got up from the chair. “Catch you later, Carla. I have to rehearse my duet with Linda.”

  As soon as Michael left, Carla started to paste labels on the flyers again, but her mind wasn’t on her work. She was so busy worrying about Michael, she didn’t even notice when Andy stuck his head in the door.

  “Carla? Earth calling Carla!”

  “Hi, Andy.” Carla looked up, and gestured to a chair. Andy was the perfect person to ask about whether Michael was a suspect or not. His uncle had recently been promoted to chief of detectives.

  “You need something, Carla?”

  “I need information.” Carla took a deep breath. “Is Michael a suspect in Liz Applegate’s murder?”

  Andy shrugged. “Everybody at the party’s a suspect, and Michael doesn’t have an alibi.”

  “But is Michael a prime suspect?”

  “Very good, Carla.” Andy grinned at her. “You’re learning some authentic detective jargon.”

  “And you’re learning how to beat around the bush. Is he, Andy? Yes, or no.”

  “Yes and no. You’re right, Carla. Michael’s a prime suspect, but so are five other people who went to the party. They don’t have alibis, either. And they all heard Liz say she’d leave the gates open.”

  Carla watched as Andy got up to close the door. When he sat down again, he looked very serious.

  “I’m going to tell you something, Carla, but you can’t mention it to anyone. Deal?”

  “Deal.” Carla nodded.

  “At first the police thought that they were dealing with a copycat, but now they’re not so sure.”

  “A copycat?” Carla frowned slightly. “What’s that?”

  “It’s some nut who copies another killer’s M.O. The Cupid Killer story was splashed all over the media, and they made a big deal out of the arrows.”

  “I see.” Carla nodded. “But they don’t think it’s a copycat murder anymore?”

  “No, not since they found out that Liz was Michael’s former girlfriend. You see, there’s no way for a copycat killer to know that. They think Liz was targeted, just like all the other girls.”

  “But Judy killed the other girls! She confessed in her suicide note!”

  “I know, but they think she might have been lying to take the heat off Michael.”

  Carla winced. Now she knew where Tammy and Winona had gotten their crazy theory. “But Michael didn’t kill anybody, Andy! You know he didn’t!”

  “I know that, Carla. But the police are seriously considering re-opening their investigation.”

  Carla frowned. “That’s awful! Michael was so relieved this whole thing was over, and now it’s starting up again!”

  “Hey . . . don’t get so upset.” Andy reached out to pat Carla’s shoulder. “My uncle said they were just considering it. Maybe they’ll decide not to reopen the investigation.”

  Carla was silent for a moment. This really was bad news. “I think you should tell Michael. He ought to know.”

  “Not me.” Andy shook his head. “If you think he should know, you do it. But you have to warn him not to say anything to anybody. If my uncle ever suspects I’m talking about police business, he’ll never tell me anything again.”

  “Okay . . . I’ll tell him. But not until the time is right. He’s going to be really upset.”

  “That’s why I think you should be the one to tell him. And watch your back, Carla. Now that you’re going out with Michael, you could be in danger.”

  “Me?” Carla blinked. What was Andy talking about? “I’m not going out with Michael.”

  “That’s not what I heard.” Andy picked up the pile of paychecks and rifled through them to pull out his. “Did you cash your check yet?”

  “Of course I did. I just came back from the bank.”

  “Good. Then you can pay me that five dollars you owe me. Michael said he took you out last night.”

  “Oh, no he didn’t!” Carla shook her head. “Mr. Calloway and Michael picked me up, and we went to a talent show at Sherman Oaks High School. It wasn’t a date. We just went to hear Heidi Robinson sing.”

  “Mr. Calloway was with you?” Andy looked disappointed.

  “That’s right. And he hired Heidi to perform at Covers tonight.”

  Andy sighed. “Okay. I guess it wasn’t a date if Mr. Calloway was along. But didn’t you go out afterwards?”

  “Yes, we did. We went to Hamburger Hamlet for chocolate cake.”

  “Ah ha!” Andy began to grin again. “Fork over, Carla. You owe me five bucks. If Michael took you to Hamburger Hamlet, it was a date.”

  “No, it wasn’t. All four of us went.”

  Andy looked very disappointed. “Okay, okay. Keep your money for now. Say . . . what does Heidi Robinson look like?”

  Before Carla could answer, they heard the clicking of high heels in the hallway, and a beautiful red haired girl came into the office. She gave Andy a friendly smile, and then she turned to Carla.

  “Hi, Carla. Is this where I check in?”

  “That’s right.” Carla glanced at Andy. He looked positively bowled over. “This is, Andy Miller, our chef. Andy? Meet Heidi Robinson. She’s performing tonight.”

  “Andy Miller?” Heidi’s eyes widened. “Excuse me for staring, but aren’t you the place kicker on the Burbank High football team?”

  “Oh . . . yeah. That’s me.” Andy tried to appear casual, but Carla could tell he was rattled.

  “I just love football! And I almost died, when you kicked that forty-two yard field goal last year. Do you think you’ll go pro when you graduate?”

  Andy shrugged, but he looked pleased. “Oh, I don’t know. I might play in college, but my real goal in life has nothing to do with football.”

  “What’s your real goal?”

  Heidi sat down next to Andy, and blinked her incredibly long lashes. Carla could see that Andy was dazed, and she almost giggled. Poor Andy wasn’t used to talking to gorgeous girls with sea green eyes, and perfect figures.

  “Uh . . . I’d like to go into law enforcement. I’m particularly interested in crime solving, and I’m hoping to become a detective.”

  “That’s fascinating!” Heidi batted her eyelashes again. “I think men in uniforms are so sexy.”

  Carla almost laughed out loud. Andy had told her he wanted to be an undercover detective, and undercover detectives didn’t wear uniforms. But Andy just gulped, and didn’t say a word about that.

  “Do you think you could show me where the dressing rooms are, Andy?” Heidi stood up, and smiled again. “I have to change before rehearsal.”

  Andy stood up so fast, he almost knocked Heidi off her feet. “Sure thing. I’ll do that right now.”

  “Oh, good!” Heidi took Andy’s arm and gave it a little squeeze. “And maybe you can help me pick out which outfit to wear. I brought three, but one might be just a little too lowcut in the neckline, if you know what I mean. How about if I model them for you, and let you decide.”

  “Uh . . . sure. Anything I can do to help
the new talent. Heidi’s in dressing room three, right, Carla?”

  Carla nodded, and made a supreme effort to hide her amusement. But the moment Andy had closed the office door behind them, she burst into giggles. Poor Andy. Heidi had knocked him off his feet, and then some!

  “What’s so funny?” The door opened, and Michael came in. “I heard you laughing way out in the hall.”

  “It’s Heidi. Andy was here when she came in, and she’s got him so flustered, he doesn’t know which end is up.”

  Michael grinned. “I can understand that. Heidi’s really gorgeous.”

  “Yes, she is. Let’s just hope the audience thinks so, too.” Carla knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. She wished that Michael hadn’t said that Heidi was gorgeous. But Heidi was gorgeous, and there was no reason for Michael to think otherwise. Some girls were more gorgeous than others. It was a fact of life that Carla had learned to accept.

  “Do you want to go to Club Fab tomorrow night?” Michael leaned over the desk to smile at her. “Their regular emcee is on vacation, and Mr. Calloway’s thinking about hiring the guy who’s filling in.”

  “Is Mr. Calloway coming with us?”

  “No. He caught their show last night. How about it, Carla? Do you want to go?”

  Carla’s heart pounded so hard, she was afraid Michael could hear it. Was Andy right? Was Michael actually asking her for a date? She took a deep breath, and smiled back at him. “That sounds like fun. I’d love to go to Club Fab with you.”

  “Great! I’ll tell Heidi we’re all set then.”

  “Heidi?” Carla’s spirits plummeted down to her toes. “I . . . I didn’t realize you’d already invited Heidi.”

  Michael shrugged. “I didn’t exactly invite her. She heard me tell Mr. Calloway that I was going, and she asked if she could come along.”

  “Oh. I see.” Carla did her best to smile, but it didn’t fool Michael.

  “I’m sorry, Carla. I didn’t realize you had a problem with Heidi. Do you want me to tell her that she can’t come with us?”

  “No. Of course not.” Carla thought fast. She didn’t want Michael to know that she’d actually thought he was asking her out on a date. “I don’t have any problem with Heidi. I was just . . . uh . . . concerned about Andy. I mean, it’s clear he’s interested in Heidi. And I think he was planning to ask her out tomorrow night. If she’s going with us, she’II have to refuse, and then Andy might never get the nerve to ask her out again.”