by Eileen Brady
Luke had opted for a dark suit tonight instead of a tux. Perfectly appropriate, he looked handsome, but in the limo Dina complained bitterly about it, which set off a major argument and subsequent hissy fit. Their pattern of fighting and making up was exhausting to watch. Jeremy, on the other hand, seemed like an oasis of calm and wore a tux that fit him perfectly.
Both guys turned to me at that moment in the midst of a sentence.
“Sorry, I can’t hear you.” I cupped my ear.
“Anyone want a drink?” Jeremy stood up and made a drinking gesture with his hand.
Luke laughed and gave him a thumbs-up.
Dina had finished visiting by that time and grabbed hold of Jeremy’s arm in a playful manner. “Hey, don’t forget, you’re actually my date.” Then she looped her other hand around Luke, basically sandwiching herself between the two men while strongly working the slutty prom look.
Since I didn’t want a drink, I opted out. “Go ahead, everyone. I’m going to freshen up. Meet you back here.”
The troika moved away and was quickly swallowed up by the crowd. If I nosed around now I could relax with Jeremy later. Using Dina’s fluffy shawl to mark our table, I headed for the ladies room in search of gossip and respite from the noise. After losing my way in the lookalike hallways I finally stopped one of the servers and asked for directions. He sweetly took me on some kind of short cut, then pointed to a corridor lined with potted plants.
The women’s bathroom line snaked out the door and down the adjacent long hallway. Thankfully, the music level here was tolerable. I quickly took my place at the back of the line, barely beating out two women wearing men’s tuxedo pants, red waistbands, and sneakers.
In front of me a short blonde with dark roots, abruptly turned to the woman in green beside her. “Did you see Angelica?”
I pulled out my phone and pretended not to listen.
A bark-like laugh exploded from the green lady’s very thin lips. “How could you miss her? She’s got on her tiara, for goodness sake. How tacky.”
“Tacky is the word, alright. Is that her original prom dress?” Blondie tossed down the rest of her drink as we inched along.
“Think so. My memory is gone from the point where Denny spiked the punch.” That set off another wave of laughter.
We all moved forward.
Blondie abandoned her empty glass in one of the artificial palm trees lining the hallway. “Didn’t he get into trouble with the principal? I kind of remember he got suspended for a week.”
Thin Lips nodded before sarcastically commenting with a slurred voice, “I wonder how many girls got knocked up that night?”
“Half the cheer squad, that’s for sure.” The braying laugh was joined by a high-pitched giggle.
“Too bad Flynn isn’t here. I heard he had one heck of a mess to clean up that night, what with that fight in the men’s room, and his date and Angelica trying to scratch each other’s eyes out. I don’t know what possessed him to take Shiloh to the prom. Didn’t someone spill Hawaiian Punch all over her dress that night?” The Lady in Green lowered her voice as we entered the tiled bathroom.
Blondie didn’t seem to care who heard what she said. “Those evil twins, Dina and Angelica, probably cooked that whole thing up. I heard Angelica was the one…”
Just then two stalls opened up and the classmates disappeared.
The bits and pieces of gossip I’d gathered sounded like more petty high school stuff. Hissy fits and Hawaiian Punch. I’d hoped for something more substantial. Before returning to our table I decided to look for Angelica Landon, the 2007 Prom Queen. It didn’t take long to find her. As the ladies had said, no one else was wearing a tiara.
I cornered her on the edge of the dance floor. “Excuse me.” I pointed to her head. “Were you the 2007 Queen of the prom?”
“Yes, I was.” She involuntarily touched the crown with her left hand. The right held a large glass of white wine. “Isn’t this party awesome? Uh, I’m so sorry but I don’t recognize you. Can you refresh my memory?”
With a big white smile lighting up her face she looked like Central Casting’s idea of an American high school Prom Queen—blond, built, and bubbly. I wondered if there had been any rivalry between her and the other blond bombshell, Dina, or had they joined forces and ruled their little high school empire together as the evil platinum twins?
“I didn’t go to high school with you but we have a bunch of friends in common. I’m Kate.” With all the noise I wasn’t sure she heard me since a puzzled look replaced her smile.
Just then a picture of Flynn looking extra handsome, his Prom King crown perched rakishly on his head, flashed on the big screen. The audience began to clap and cheer.
When Angelica saw his image her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t believe he’s gone. Who could have done such a thing?”
“Do you have a moment to talk?” I gestured for her to follow me and pointed to an empty table in the back of the ballroom.
She nodded consent. Not able to navigate between the tables without lifting her poufy skirt, she impressively gulped down her entire glass of wine then picked up her skirt with both hands and followed me. Once seated, she found a clean napkin and carefully patted her eyes.
“Angelica, you knew Flynn better than almost anyone else. Luke Gianetti and I are trying to figure out who could have killed him.”
“Who killed him?” Finished blotting her eyes, she pushed a stray curl back into place. “No idea. Maybe someone snapped—got mad and lost control. My husband, Norman, used to lose control all the time.”
This unexpected answer threw me off. I moved my chair closer. “Excuse me?”
Her big blue eyes opened wide. No signs of any tears now. “He’s a doctor, you know. A surgeon. A very important surgeon.” She smoothed out the ballerina-like layers of her skirt. “He liked to accuse me of cheating then chuck things at me, especially after a few drinks. The third time he did it, I called the cops and got a restraining order. After I threw him out and got a divorce lawyer, he begged me to forgive him.”
“And did you?”
“Yes,” she leaned closer, “because I still love him to death. Norman and I are in couples counseling and I think it’s working. In fact, we’re planning a second honeymoon.”
Her frank confession surprised me, especially telling such intimate details to me, a total stranger. I wondered what she might reveal about her former high school boyfriend if I approached it from a different angle. “Angelica, you seem very perceptive. Can you help me understand why someone would kill Flynn?”
A canny look came into her eyes. “Flynn was a popular guy. But he also could make people really mad. Especially when he ignored you.”
“Who did he ignore?”
The former Prom Queen smoothed her skirt again. “He ignored the people who loved him. We’d dated on and off for three years and suddenly—it was over. I never knew why. Don’t get me wrong, we still talked, he was nice and all, but it wasn’t the same.” The blue and white blinking lights cast elongated shadows on the wall behind her that appeared and disappeared like ghosts.
The DJ began to play a Beyonce tune and urged the audience to get up and dance. Angelica started to sway with the music.
I pressed on. “Was there anyone in particular you knew who held a grudge against him or threatened him?”
“No, of course not.” Surprise and disbelief colored her voice. “At least, I don’t remember. Besides, it was so long ago. My life is completely different now.” She stood up, eager to get away from me. “Nice meeting you.”
“Someone told me there was a fight between you and Shiloh at the prom.”
Her spine straightened and a frown pulled her perfect brows together. “Beauty queens don’t fight. Shiloh and I had a little disagreement.”
“You spilled Hawaiian Punch all over her dress.”
“That was an accident.” Her voice became indignant. “I apologized but I don’t think forgiveness is in that bitch’s vocabulary.”
Quite a cheap shot on Angelica’s part, but I let it pass. Instead, I tried one last time to get some real information. “Were you in town on the day Flynn left? About three o’clock on August tenth. That was a Friday.”
“What?” She stared at me, mouth open.
“Did you notice him getting into a car? He might have been hitchhiking.”
“A car?” Her pretty face registered nothing except interest in the music playing. Her feet started to tap. “I’m supposed to remember something like that? From ten years ago?”
Someone yelled her name across the room pointing to another glass of white wine. She immediately waved and nodded.
I got up. “Thanks for your time.”
“No problem. Listen, you’ve got to stay for the King and Queen and their Court reveal. The committee decided to honor Flynn and drape his empty chair in black. That was my idea.”
Before I could comment, she smiled her Prom Queen smile and drifted away in a cloud of pale yellow chiffon headed for the dance floor.
***
So far, the evening had been a bust. I’d heard little else but gossip that got me nowhere. On the dance floor Jeremy waved to me while twisting away near the Prom Queen, her tiara listing at an angle on her blond tresses. Not ready to join in the fun yet, I waved back.
While I weighed my options Dina pushed past me making a beeline in what seemed like the direction of the restroom. On an impulse I followed, hoping to corner her and uncover more about the Hawaiian Punch episode I’d overheard.
Sure enough, she led me straight there. Staking out a spot in front of the mirror I waited until she came out of the bathroom stall, then ambushed her.
“Isn’t this fun?” I tried to duplicate Angelica’s Prom Queen smile.
“Not at the moment. My feet are killing me.” The attitude she gave me said it all. Without the men around, Dina cut out all the cutesy crap.
A gander at the stilettos she wore explained her discomfort. Since the bathroom had a temporary lull in customers, I continued. Even in her towering heels, I had the diminutive diva by six inches.
“Dina, do you remember someone spilling Hawaiian Punch on Shiloh Albert’s dress the night of the prom?”
She frowned, her cupid bow lips settled into a pout. “Vaguely. Luke told me you were looking into Flynn’s murder. Why are you sticking your nose into things that you shouldn’t?”
“Because the family asked me to. Now, are you going to help me or not?” We both had become too tired to care about being polite.
Her patented pout got bigger. “Alright. I’m sure you’ll rat everything to the guys if I don’t cooperate.”
Of course that wasn’t true but I held my tongue.
She glanced around before answering. “Angelica is a big phony. She was so pissed at Flynn for dumping her that she tried to punch him out in the men’s room. I think she was behind that Hawaiian Punch thing too.”
“Really?”
“Pretty sure. Anyway, the girl was bawling in the bathroom.”
“Shiloh. His prom date?”
“Yeah. Whatever.”
“Anything else you can think of?”
Dina’s left eyebrow arched up slightly. “Not really. Luke and I were a little busy that night.” Her knowing smirk said it all.
I kept my expression blank and fought to give nothing away.
Not getting the reaction she anticipated, Dina continued. “Denny spiked the punch that night so some memories are a little hazy. And some aren’t.”
Subtle, she wasn’t. “What can you tell me about Flynn’s high school posse? The guys he hung out with?”
“A bunch of losers. Always catering to him like he was a god or something.” Her voice sounded particularly annoyed.
“They weren’t all losers,” I countered. “Didn’t Rusty become a doctor? And I hear Denny is a very successful real estate agent.”
She raised that left eyebrow again. “Yeah, Rusty barely got into medical school. We think his dad pulled some strings. And Denny—he’s a fast-talking con artist. Word is his real estate empire is going to crash and burn if the banks call in his loans.”
I’d underestimated Dina. She was smarter than she let on.
“What about Nate?”
A nasty little sound escaped her pink lips. “Yeah, he went really far—as far as Main Street.”
“So, who do you think killed the Prom King?”
This time both eyebrows rose up as far as they could go. “How the heck would I know? Some creep he ran into. Luke thinks Flynn hitched a ride with one of those serial killers.” She blotted the tip of her nose. “I don’t know why you both are so riled up. I’m sure the murderer is long gone by now.”
Her words struck a chord. If that ended up being true, we would be at a complete dead end. No justice for anyone.
“Now I’ve got a couple of questions for you.” She checked her lips in a pocket mirror nestled at the bottom of her sequined evening bag.
“Sure.”
“How tight are you with Jeremy?” Astute blue eyes bored into mine. “Does he really have a trust fund? I’ve never met anyone with a trust fund. How does that work?”
What was Dina up to now?
“The answer to Question One is: none of your business. Answer to Question Two: none of your business. As far as Question Three is concerned—go ask a financial advisor.”
She squinted her eyes a bit. The possibility she might be scheming something was most likely one hundred percent.
“Aren’t you forgetting about Luke?”
“A girl always needs a backup plan.”
With that, Dina slipped under my arm and sashayed back to the party.
***
An hour later the noise made any meaningful conversation impossible. I’d given up trying to catch Denny alone, and although Luke said Rusty was somewhere in the room, I didn’t have the energy to go searching for him. I considered the night a bust. Ten-year-old petty gossip didn’t lead anywhere.
Jeremy and Dina got up to dance again. Where they got their energy from, I don’t know. I begged off and told them I was going to step outside for some air.
“Want some company?” he asked. A party hat with Class of 2007 sat firmly on his head.
“No, I’m fine. Go enjoy yourself. I’ll be right back.” With two fingers I blew a kiss at him. With a big gesture he threw one back at me.
Temperatures had started to drop but with no wind, a short walk would be bearable, especially if I kept up a brisk pace. I slipped my gloves out of my coat pocket and put them on. The cold air started to energize me. Truthfully, I wasn’t much of a party animal.
Several couples clustered at the exit door chatting and smoking. Passing between them I followed the scenic walkway out the main door toward the water. By the service entrance of the hotel I could see hotel staff, all dressed in black pants and white shirts sneaking cigarettes, swirls of smoke mixing with the scent of the pine trees. Low-voltage lights lined the bluestone walkway while spotlights dramatically lit up the trees from below.
Quick steps behind alarmed me.
“Hi.” Luke appeared slightly out of breath.
“Hi, yourself.” I continued walking, happy for the company. “Where are our dates?”
He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Inside, dancing up a storm.”
“The noise in there was driving me crazy,” I explained as we passed a gazebo perched by the water’s edge. “I needed a break.”
“Me, too. Any idea how many people asked me to fix their traffic tickets?”
I turned toward him, his face silhouetted in the moonlight. “Let me guess. About as many as wanted me to magically cure thei
r cat from peeing outside the litter box.”
We both laughed. Rounding a bend I noticed two cars leaving the parking lot. “There go some lucky people who got to ditch the party early.”
He briefly glanced over then pointed to the roof of the hotel. “My cousin and I patched those shingles my senior year in high school.”
“That’s pretty high up.” The gabled roof had several peaks with almost vertical slopes of slate shingles leading down to more gradual overhangs.
“We worked on the overhang, not the gables. I’d have to be crazy to do that.” We both paused to admire the historic hotel ablaze with lights. “Back then I did all kinds of odd jobs to make extra money.”
“I know what you mean. During high school I worked for a company in Brooklyn that scooped dog poop from million-dollar backyards.”
“That must have looked great on your resume.” We started walking again. “How’s the sleuthing going?”
“It isn’t. The noise isn’t conducive for conversation and what little I did find out falls under the heading of ancient gossip. By the way, your Prom Queen, Angelica, is tossing down the drinks so fast I’ll be surprised if she’s standing by the end of the night.”
“She’s recreating history.”
“Funny.” I had no doubt that was true. “No one I spoke to admitted seeing Flynn in town the afternoon he disappeared and I still haven’t confirmed where Denny or Rusty were that day. Frankly, even the family wants me to cease and desist.”
“You’re not the only one. From what I’ve heard the investigators haven’t got anything either. Nothing came of the moldy paper they found in Flynn’s pockets. Word is they’re scaling back.” He took my arm as we hit a spot of uneven pavement.
“By the way, Officer Gianetti…” I paused for effect. “…in the interest of being thorough, where were you the day Flynn went missing?”
“Are you kidding me? I confess.” He threw his head back and raised his hands to the sky. “My dad and two cousins and I were on a camping trip.”
“Prove it,” I said.