Dying for Devil's Food

by Jenn McKinlay

  She shook her head. Nope, nope, nope. She wasn’t going to think about that stuff anymore. She was done with high school and all of the bad memories that came with it. Now she would focus only on the good.

  Mel passed through the sitting area. It was empty. Wait. She saw a foot sticking out from the lounge chair. She circled around it. Cassidy Havers-­Griffin was sprawled on the lounger, looking like she was taking a power nap with a cupcake in one hand and her lipstick in the other. Mel froze. If Cassidy woke up and saw her, she had no doubt that the woman would start up again, and Mel was not going to be involved in another scene. No way, no how.

  She took one step back. Cassidy didn’t move. She took another. No response. And another. She took two more steps back. She was almost at the door. Freedom beckoned. She could still escape.

  Mel turned around and slammed right into Brittany Nilsson. The tiny woman caught Mel in her surprisingly strong arms when Mel pitched backwards. Brittany looked her up and down.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Mel said. She saw Lianne Marsten standing behind Brittany. “Hi.”

  “Hi, Mel,” Lianne said. “Great cupcakes.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You really outdid yourself,” Brittany said. She plowed past Mel and strode into the lounge area. Mel cringed, hoping that Cassidy didn’t wake up from all of the noise. Brittany wasn’t known for her quiet voice.

  “Hey, Cassidy’s here,” Brittany said. “Did you know she was here?”

  “I just saw her when I came in,” Mel said. “I think she’s taking a power nap.”

  “I don’t think that’s allowed,” Lianne said. “The resort people will want her to get a room if she’s sleeping.”

  “Hey, Cassidy, wake up,” Brittany said. Cassidy didn’t respond. “So rude.”

  Brittany strode up to her and reached out to tap her on the shoulder. “Cassidy, wake up.”

  “I think she had a bit too much to drink,” Mel said. She gestured to the empty drink glass on the floor beside her.

  “You think?” Lianne asked. “She got busted for a DUI six months ago. Danny had to take her car away when she refused to quit drinking. He was worried that her drunk driving would get someone killed. Of course, it would destroy his career, too.”

  “Honestly, the woman is the homecoming queen of our class—­and married to the homecoming king,” Brittany said. She tossed her chin-­length black hair to get it out of her face. “You’d think she’d show some self-­respect.”

  “I’m just going to go . . .” Mel said. She didn’t want to be there when they roused the bear.

  “Cassidy!” Brittany clapped her hands in Cassidy’s face. Sharp, cracking noises that made Mel jump. Still there was no response. No jump start. Nothing.

  Mel frowned. Even a drunk could be roused a little. This seemed like it was more than an alcoholic stupor.

  “Cassidy.” Brittany patted her face, and then snatched her hand back and looked at Lianne. “She feels weird.”

  “Weird how?” Lianne asked.

  “Cold, like, really cold,” Brittany said. She reached down and shook Cassidy by the shoulder. Both the cupcake and the lipstick slipped from Cassidy’s hands and fell onto the carpet at her feet. Brittany jumped back. In a voice that could have raised the departed, she shrieked, “She’s dead! Cassidy Havers is dead!”

  Five

  “No.” Mel shook her head. “That’s not possible. I just saw her outside.”

  Lianne hurried around the couch. She put her ear to Cassidy’s chest. She then put her fingers on Cassidy’s neck where her pulse would be. “She’s not breathing. There’s no pulse or heartbeat. Brittany’s right. She’s dead.”

  Mel felt as if her tongue suddenly swelled in her mouth. This was not happening. No, no, no, no, no. She had to get out of here. She had to call her uncle Stan. She had to find Joe. She turned and ran for the door, digging her phone out of her purse as she went.

  Joe was standing just outside the ladies’ room waiting for her. Something like sheer panic must have shown on her face because he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into a bracing hug. It was just like the hugs her late father used to give her and was one of the many reasons she loved her man.

  “What happened? Are you all right?” he asked. He released her and studied her face.

  “Nope, not all right. Cassidy is dead,” Mel said. “I went into the bathroom and I thought she was passed out but then Brittany and Lianne came in and tried to wake her. Oh my god, I mean I couldn’t stand her but I certainly wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

  “Are you sure she’s dead?” he asked.

  “Positive.”

  Joe took the phone out of Mel’s hand and put it back in her purse. He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out his own phone, thumbing the display and holding it up to his ear.

  “Stan, it’s Joe,” he said. “We have a situation. I’m at Mel’s high school reunion at the resort and one of her classmates was just discovered dead.”

  There was a pause and Mel tried to hear what her uncle Stan, who was a detective in the Scottsdale PD and a longtime friend of Joe’s, was saying. She could only hear bluster but not any words coming out of the phone.

  “Well, yeah, it was Mel who found her,” Joe said. He reached down and took Mel’s hand in his and squeezed. The volume on the other end of the phone increased but Mel still couldn’t understand what Stan was saying. Probably for the best.

  “Yeah, we’ll be here,” Joe said. “Thank you.”

  Mel studied his face. It looked grim. “What’s happening?”

  “Uncle Stan is on his way and he alerted dispatch to send over any cars they have in the area. In the meantime, we need to keep everyone out of the bathroom,” Joe said. “Whether she died of natural causes or not, the scene is to stay as untouched as possible.”

  “You!” Brittany came rocketing out of the bathroom. She saw Mel and pointed a stubby finger at her. “You were in there with her. What happened? Did she call you Melephant one too many times and you killed her?”

  “No!” Mel cried. “I would never.”

  “I’m going to have a look,” Joe said. He moved toward the door but Brittany held up her arm, blocking the entrance.

  “Step aside, please,” he said. “I’m a county prosecutor and as such I’m an officer of the court.”

  “Yeah, and you’re also her fiancé,” Lianne said. She moved so that she flanked Brittany and together they made an impenetrable wall of women. “So, no, we’ll just wait for the police.”

  “Are either of you a medical professional?” Joe asked. “Because she might need—­”

  “I’m an ER nurse,” Lianne said. She shook her head. “There’s nothing that can be done. Cassidy is dead.”

  “What?” Jillian Kemper, who was standing nearby, whipped her head in their direction. “What did you say?”

  “Cass—­” Lianne began but Joe cut her off.

  “No!” he said.

  “What? Like they’re not going to find out the minute the police get here?” Lianne asked. She turned back to Jillian. “Cass—­”

  “Is unconscious,” Mel cut in. “Can you go find Danny?”

  “Oh.” Jillian made drinking motion with her hand. “I gotcha. It’s sad when the pretty ones end up drinkers. Sloshed is never a good look, you know what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Mel said. She made a shooing motion with her hands and Jillian frowned at her. Then she spun on one pointy heel and sauntered off into the crowd.

  “What did you do that for?” Brittany asked. “She’s going to send Danny over and he’ll be upset to find out she’s worse than unconscious.”

  “I’m pretty sure we can’t avoid the upset part, but better he hears it from us than as a rumor circulating through the crowd,” Mel said. She rubbed h
er forehead. She felt as if she was living a nightmare. She turned to Joe. “Any idea how long until Stan gets here?”

  “He was at your mom’s so it should be pretty quick,” he said.

  “My mom’s?” Mel asked. Her uncle Stan had been dating her mother for the past few months. While she was happy for them both, it was still weird. Uncle Stan was her dad’s younger brother. And when her father had passed away, he had stepped in as a father figure to her and her brother and a support system for her mom. It had taken over ten years, but he and her mom had fallen in love. Mel really was happy for them, but still, it was weird.

  “Yes, so less than ten minutes, depending upon traffic,” Joe said. Clearly, he was not consumed by the weirdness of the new relationship.

  “I feel like someone should be in there with her,” Mel said. “I mean, she’s all alone in a bathroom.”

  “She doesn’t care,” Lianne said. Her face was implacable. The harsh truth of Cassidy’s demise was etched in the fine lines around her nurse’s eyes. Mel wondered how many loved ones Lianne had to coax into understanding that their person was gone and that there was nothing that could change that.

  She nodded. A ruckus at the entrance to the resort brought their attention around. Two uniformed officers pushed past the reception desk. One was middle-­aged, good-­looking in a rugged sort of way, the other was younger, lanky, and looked a bit freaked-­out. A rookie, Mel was guessing. The older one saw Joe and waved.

  “DeLaura,” he said. They shook hands. “Stan said you’d be here. What have we got?”

  “Thirty-­something female, deceased,” Joe said. “Or at least, that’s what I’ve been told.” He gestured to Lianne. “She’s a nurse and was one of the first on the scene.”

  “Follow me, Officers,” Lianne said. She turned and walked back into the bathroom. The two officers followed. Brittany did not, nor did she move aside so that Joe and Mel could follow.

  “The police are here,” Joe said.

  “Yes, they are,” Brittany said. She sounded relieved but she didn’t move.

  “I think you can step aside now,” Joe said. “Clearly, they know me.”

  Brittany looked from him to Mel and then shook her head. “No.”

  Joe opened his mouth to protest but just then Danny Griffin arrived. He looked a little irritated and a bit resigned. Mel wondered how often he had to collect his wife when she’d had too much to drink. There was no surprise on his face, so she figured it was a pretty regular event.

  She wondered if she’d handled it right. Maybe they should have had Jillian tell him the truth, but then the news would have spread through the reunion like wildfire, and for poor Danny to be on the receiving end of the news like that . . . No, this was better. As it was, they were already getting looks from some of the people standing nearby.

  “Is she in there?” Danny asked. He looked at Mel.

  Mel nodded. She was about to let him walk in there and see for himself, but then she just couldn’t do it. What if the situation was reversed? Would she want to walk in and find her partner dead? Or would she want to be forewarned?

  “Wait, Dan,” she said.

  “Yes?”

  Mel felt her throat get tight. Impatient, Danny moved to step around her, but Brittany grabbed his arm. “Wait. Danny, the thing is . . . Cassidy is, well . . . she’s dead.”

  Danny frowned. He blinked and then looked at Brittany as if he thought she was telling a really tasteless joke.

  “I’m sorry, Danny,” she said. “So very sorry.”

  He shook her off and then stormed past Mel into the women’s room. Even from outside they could hear his shout. It was a horrible sound, a cry of disbelief mingled with outrage and dusted with horror.

  Mel leaned into Joe and he put his arm around her. He must have heard the same anguish in Danny’s voice that she did. It made her want to hug Joe and keep hugging him, where she knew they were both safe.

  “He must be distraught,” Brittany said. “I should go in and comfort him, don’t you think?”

  “No,” Mel said. She looked at Brittany in disbelief. Was Brittany seriously thinking of making a play for Danny right now? “The police are in there. They’ll take care of him.”

  Brittany raised her hands in frustration. “You know, it should have been me that he dated in high school instead of her. Then we wouldn’t be here now. I mean we’d be here but it wouldn’t be like this. Danny and I should have been the homecoming king and queen. It just made sense. I was the captain of the pep squad and he was the captain of the basketball team. We would have been perfect together, a real power couple. I could have made him happy.”

  Mel stared at Brittany. Was she for real? Was this conversation for real? Maybe it was the shock.

  “I don’t really think this is the right time to be talking about that,” Mel said. She looked at Brittany and shook her head. Brittany shrugged and tossed her short dark hair as if she was shaking Mel off.

  “Mel! Joe!” Uncle Stan came charging into the resort. He had a roll of antacid tablets in his hand, but Mel suspected it was more out of habit than necessity. Since he’d been dating Joyce, her mother, he’d been eating better and exercising and in fact looked ten years younger than he had just a few months ago. That made Mel happy.

  “Uncle Stan,” Mel said. She left Joe and hurried forward and hugged him tight.

  “How’re you doing, kid?” he asked.

  “All right,” she said. She pulled him toward the entrance. “But this is turning into a bit of a nightmare.”

  “I’ll bet,” he said. “Joe said you found the body.”

  “Yes.”

  “Were you in there alone?” he asked. His tone was serious and Mel knew he was hoping she hadn’t been.

  “At first,” she said. She gave him a side eye.

  “At first? What? Why were you in there alone? Why wasn’t Angie with you? I thought you gals always went to the restroom in pairs.”

  “We didn’t this time.”

  “Well, I hope you’ve learned your lesson. There’s a reason you’re supposed to go in pairs,” he said. He sounded mad but Mel knew Uncle Stan well enough to know that he was just concerned. Worry manifested as surly in Uncle Stan.

  By now a small crowd had gathered, probably because Danny had been seen disappearing into the ladies’ room and word had spread. Mel and Stan weaved their way through the bodies. Joe was still at the entrance to the bathroom with Brittany. Stan shook his hand and they exchanged a world-­weary, grim look that Mel knew was shared by most of the people who worked in law enforcement of any kind. Then Stan looked at Brittany.

  “Who are you?” he barked.

  “I’m Brittany Nilsson, the reunion coordinator,” she said.

  “Well, Brittany, you’re in the way, so move it,” Stan said.

  She gasped and pressed herself against the side of the wall.

  Satisfied, Stan said, “Stay here,” to Mel and Joe and strode into the restroom.

  An ambulance arrived. Two EMTs swooped by with a stretcher. The people nearby, sensing something was really wrong, surged forward, getting thicker and deeper and, Mel didn’t think she was imagining it, more menacing.

  Tate and Angie pushed their way through the small horde. There were a few grunts and some swearing but when Angie was on a mission there wasn’t much point in standing in her way.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Mel leaned close to whisper in her ear but the chatter of the people around them was loud so she had to speak up. “Cassidy is dead.”

  “What?” Angie cupped her ear and leaned closer. “It sounded like you said ‘Cassidy is dead.’”

  “I did.” Mel met her stare with a worried one of her own.

  “But we just saw her,” Angie protested. “I mean, she looked ready to rip your head off when you were dancing wit
h Danny. Cassidy can’t be dead.”

  “Well, she is,” Mel said. She shivered.

  “What’s going on?” Tate leaned down so he could get in on the conversation.

  Angie turned toward her husband and said, “Cassidy is dead.”

  Tate’s eyes went wide. “Dead? Cassidy is dead?”

  Of course, just as he repeated the horrible news, the DJ ended the song and his voice came over the public address system, announcing that it was time for the dance between the homecoming king and queen. Mel felt her eyes go wide and she looked at Angie in a panic. The king and queen were Cassidy and Danny, both of whom were in the ladies’ room right now, and only one of whom was ever going to dance again. Mel thought she might throw up.

  “Hey hey hey, now, don’t be shy,” the DJ crooned over the microphone. “Where are our royals? It’s time for them to don their crowns and get this party started!”

  “This is awful,” Angie said.

  “Horrible,” Mel agreed. She looked at Joe. “We have to stop him.”

  “I’ll go talk to him,” Tate said. “Wait here.”

  He dove back into the crowd, making his way to the stage.

  “I’ll go get an update from Stan as to what’s happening,” Joe said. “I don’t like that they’re taking so long.”

  He headed into the bathroom, looking at Brittany like he’d step on her if she gave him a hard time. She wisely stayed where she was, pressed up against the wall.

  Mel glanced over the heads of the people in the crowd. Most were waiting for the king and queen to appear, while the lesser crowd hunkered around the bathroom, wanting to know who was having sex, who had overdosed, or who was sloppy drunk. Mel didn’t think they’d caught on that there was a death amongst them—­yet.

  Waitresses were trotting through the crowd, handing out the cupcakes Mel had spent the better part of the past two days laboring over. They were lovely, with their black fondant and dazzling number fifteens on top. Mel noticed that phones were whipped out as people clustered with their high school pals and took selfies with the cupcakes. She wondered if they’d still value these selfies when they saw Cassidy get wheeled out of here in a body bag.