Carnal Vengeance

by Marilyn Campbell

  Quick let them all consider that much, then added, "Of all the women you told us were involved in the Little Sister Society, one has never had her fingerprints put on file anywhere—Cheryl Wallace. And now, I have a question for you, Holly. Describe April MacLeash."

  Holly was reeling from the suggestion that Cheryl might have been in the room when Ziegler was killed, but she forced herself to answer Quick. "April is, um, petite, smaller than I am, very attractive."

  "What about her hair?"

  "Blond-on-blond frosting, a little lighter than mine. She wears it very short." Holly used her hands to demonstrate as best she could. "Why?"

  "After analyzing every hair and lint sample and particle of dust gathered at the three murder sites, the technicians have finally come up with a common denominator. A light-blond, chemically treated hair, about three inches long, was found in two batches of evidence. DNA testing has been ordered to confirm that the hairs came from the same person and whether that person is a female."

  "Dear god," Holly muttered. "It has to be an incredible coincidence. I can't believe April would be capable of butchering a man."

  Quick turned to Diane. "Call Thackery. Tell him to get that search warrant for the MacLeash house and a warrant to obtain a hair sample from April MacLeash."

  "Maybe I can help," Holly injected. "Let me call April and ask if I can come talk to her." She noted the reluctant glances that passed between the agents. "One thing about April that I'm absolutely certain of, she'd never turn her back on someone who needed help. Wherever she is, I think she'll take my call and agree to meet me."

  "It could save us some time," Diane said to Quick.

  "It could also spook her into taking off," Quick countered.

  "But consider this," David said. "If April is the killer or she or Cheryl witnessed the first murder, isn't it possible that Cheryl's stay in the attic might not be by choice? In which case, wouldn't April also love to get her hands on Holly about now?"

  Quick sighed. "You're suggesting I send her in as bait, aren't you?"

  "I could go with her," David said. "The killer was obviously trying to make a statement. Maybe she'd like to make it to a reporter. Between Holly and me, we might be able to get a confession out of her."

  "We'd have to wire Holly," Diane offered. "But it could work."

  Quick shook his head. "I can't afford to put another civilian on the line. In case you've all forgotten, the last one got shot."

  "I'm already on the line," Holly said. "Rachel and Bobbi each threatened me before then Rachel accused me of murder. If April really is a killer, isn't it possible that she could try to get back at me for talking? I'd rather make the first move—with you all right behind me of course—than sit around worrying about when she might come after me. However, I want to go on record as saying the only reason I'm doing this is because I don't believe April is guilty. The woman I got to know would never commit such a violent act. She was extracting revenge by using her brain."

  Quick massaged his jaw and paced a few more yards, but he knew when he was outnumbered. "Okay. Call her."

  Holly smiled and got her cell phone out of her bag. She decided to try April's house first and concentrated on sounding desperate and depressed. It didn't take much effort.

  Theodore answered and, after a gentle hint, he remembered Holly. A few seconds later, April came on the line. Her voice lacked the friendly welcome Holly was accustomed to hearing.

  "Holly? Are you all right? I wasn't sure I would hear from you again."

  "Oh, April, please don't hate me for talking. I was so scared and now so much has happened. Did you hear about Rachel?"

  "That she was questioned? Yes, I—"

  "No, no. She killed herself."

  "What?" April exclaimed.

  "In the letter she left, she confessed to the first two murders, but the third—April, she blamed me! I didn't do it, I swear. Please. Let me come talk to you. I always feel better after we visit."

  For several seconds, April said nothing. When she spoke, her voice seemed almost too calm. "All right, Holly. I'll let Theodore know you're coming to visit. He's being very protective of me at the moment. By the way, how is your reporter friend?"

  "Not nearly as bad as it sounded. In fact, he's here with me now. If you don't mind, I'd like to bring him with me. He sympathizes with what happened to us and I thought, maybe, if it's all right with you, he might be able to help."

  Again April paused for several seconds before speaking. "Actually, I think I'd like to meet him."

  Before saying goodbye, Holly gushed her thanks and promised to be there as fast as she could.

  Quick filled David in while Diane called Thackery to get him moving on the warrants in case they became necessary after all.

  As soon as Diane hung up, she told Quick, "I have a recorder and remote in the trunk of my car. I'll set it up in Holly's back seat and Jim and I can ride up with them. We can stay out of sight, but if anything happens, we'll only be a few feet away."

  "Fine. I'll head back to the office and meet up with Thackery. Hopefully, he'll get the warrants easily and we won't be too far behind you."

  As soon as they reached the parking area, Diane transferred the equipment to Holly's car, tucked the remote into the waistband of Holly's jeans and tested it. "All set," she declared confidently.

  Holly wished she could work up half the excitement she could feel coming from the others. This was the sort of activity they all thrived on. She just wanted it to be over with.

  * * *

  Philip was at the end of his patience.

  When he left Holly, he'd gone out and sat in his car across the street. At first, he didn't leave because he couldn't decide where to go. Then he remained to keep an eye on anyone entering the building who might pose a danger to Holly. It was a relief to know that an FBI agent was in her apartment, but if he saw any of the women Holly had described going inside, he could provide backup protection. They all sounded very unstable to him and he feared any one of them might try to retaliate against Holly for revealing their secrets.

  Then he saw David Wells and another man get out of a cab and go inside the building, and he forgot all about the women. What was that damn reporter doing back in Washington so soon? Philip thought of a number of reasons for Wells to want to speak to Holly—some of them legitimate, most of them not. He kept reminding himself that they weren't alone up there. The female agent was with them. But who was that other man?

  Then he remembered that the agent had been there when he was asking Holly to run away with him. What if Wells had the same thing in mind? What if he was telling her lies to convince her to leave with him?

  As the length of time stretched into hours, he considered paying Holly another visit, just to make sure the reporter was sent on his way.

  He was mentally preparing himself for a confrontation when he recognized Holly's car exiting the parking area... with Wells in the passenger seat. Whatever that bastard was up to, Philip intended to put a stop to it. He turned the ignition on and took off after them. He didn't know how Wells had gotten Holly away from the agent... maybe the other man was distracting her somehow... but he wouldn't shed Philip so easily.

  Keeping his eyes on Holly's car and traffic in general, he reached over and opened the glove compartment. His fingers probed inside, beneath the tissue box and all the automobile papers, and pulled out the gun he kept there for protection.

  If it was the last thing he did, he would make Wells regret the day he tried to steal Philip Sinkiewicz's woman.

  Chapter 23

  "Scared?" David asked in a quiet voice. It was the first word spoken between them since they had left Holly's apartment, and they both knew the silence was not merely because of the agents in the back seat.

  Holly met David's glance and nodded.

  Slowly, he stretched out his hand to her, palm upward, and waited.

  She knew better than to touch him, but to refuse his offer of comfort was beyond her abili
ty. Placing her hand on his, she let him reassure her that she wasn't alone—at least for the moment.

  Shortly before they reached April's house, Diane went over the ground rules one more time. "Try to relax and get her talking without sounding like you're interrogating her. As soon as possible, insist on seeing Cheryl. And David, play up the story you're going to do on all the women. If we're on target, she'll grab at the opportunity to tell her side of it."

  The agents wedged themselves down behind the front seats as they neared the MacLeash driveway. "Okay. We're ready whenever you are."

  The moment they were parked, Holly took a deep breath, gave David a half-smile and got out of the car. She didn't hesitate to let him hold her hand as they waited for someone to answer their knock.

  David was about to knock again when Theodore opened the door a crack. "May I help you?" he asked, peering over his trifocals.

  "It's all right, dear," April said from behind him. "I told you I was expecting them."

  Theodore stepped back slowly and opened the door wide enough for David and Holly to enter.

  April came forward with a smile, but Holly thought it looked forced. The usually perfect hairdo was unkempt and purplish shadows under the eyes marred April's usual prettiness.

  "Theodore, you remember Holly. She was here Saturday morning with my other friends. And I believe this gentleman is David Wells."

  After introductions and greetings were exchanged, Theodore excused himself to return to his study and April suggested they make themselves comfortable.

  Diane's advice turned out to be unnecessary, for as soon as they were seated, April began to talk. "I can't tell you how relieved I am that you asked to come, Holly. And you too, Mr. Wells. I really haven't been sure where to turn." She ran her hand through her hair, mussing it more than it already was. "I thought I could hold it all together. I was only trying to help everyone, you see. I don't understand how everything went so wrong." April sighed and folded her hands on her lap. "Tell me about Rachel."

  As Holly offered the abridged version of what she had been told, tears slipped down April's cheeks, though she still held herself rigidly in place until Holly had told her the basics of what Agent Quick had related about the murder investigations. She didn't need to tell her what conclusions the FBI was drawing. April guessed.

  "In many ways, I am guilty," April said. "Guilty of playing God with everybody's lives. And look what a mess I've made. Three men murdered. Rachel's gone. Bobbi and Cheryl may never recover."

  "April," Holly said gently, "where is Cheryl?"

  April sniffled and looked up at the ceiling. "In the attic. I made a terrible mistake about that too. And now I don't know how to fix any of it."

  When it didn't appear that she would say more on her own, David stepped in. "I want to do an article on what happened to all of you in college and how it affected your lives. Naturally, I'll have to bring in the murders. If there's anything you'd like to tell me..."

  April met his gaze and held it for several seconds. "There was an FBI agent here earlier, but Theodore told him I was away. I suppose I'll have to talk to one of them eventually. Maybe it will be easier if I tell you first."

  Holly was afraid to breathe, lest a movement on her part would stop April from confiding in them. She had described April as petite but at the moment she looked like a tiny child whose fragile body could no longer bear the weight of her own life. She was tempted to put her arms around her and tell her it wasn't necessary to say anything, but Holly knew she couldn't do that.

  Combing her fingers through her hair again, April began. "The hearing was very difficult for Cheryl. It was as if it was all happening again, including the insinuation that she had been at fault. We really hadn't expected that attitude to prevail all these years later. But Cheryl wasn't completely beaten. She decided she wanted to confront Ziegler, alone, to remind him that regardless of the outcome, she would always know the truth. She saw it as a way to stand up to her enemy one last time, then dismiss him from her life.

  "It was a good idea, in theory, and though I wasn't in complete agreement, I didn't stop her. Just before his victory party, she called him and he agreed to see her in his suite for a few minutes. I waited in the lobby for her."

  "I started worrying when she hadn't returned in a half hour or so, and after another fifteen minutes—I'm really not positive how long it was—I decided to go up after her." She paused and massaged her temples. "Everything blurs a little after that. I'm still not sure how I managed it all."

  "Take your time, April," David said softly. "Just tell us what you remember."

  She met his gaze again and seemed reassured by what she saw there. "I was almost to Ziegler's suite when the door opened. Cheryl was coming out. There was... blood... on her hands and face, and some on her clothes. She was staring at me without seeing, and when I spoke to her, she didn't seem to hear anything. Then I looked past her, into the room... and I saw him." April closed her eyes but it was clear from her expression that she could not block out the gruesome scene she had faced.

  "All I could think of was protecting Cheryl. I pushed her back inside and closed the door. I used a washcloth to clean her up as fast as I could but I couldn't do anything about the blood on her clothes. I put one of Tim's suit jackets on her and tied one of his handkerchiefs over her hair to disguise her as much as possible. Then I thought about fingerprints. I couldn't even remember what I'd touched, let alone guess what she had. I wiped a few things, stuffed the cloth in my purse and led her out of there.

  "We took the stairs all the way down into the underground garage and I got Cheryl into my car without attracting any attention. I had already told people I was leaving earlier in the day, so I kept to that story, only I said I took Cheryl with me right after the hearing ended and we came straight here. Rachel made sure it was official. I never told Rachel what had happened, although I thought she'd figured it out. As it turns out, she had come to the wrong conclusion."

  "So Cheryl killed Ziegler?" Holly asked, though she still didn't believe it.

  "I don't know," April cried. "I mean, I thought she did, but now I'm not sure. I kept waiting for her consciousness to come back from wherever it was hiding and tell me what happened. But the days passed and she wasn't making any attempt to communicate with me."

  "Then I went to visit a patient in New York and stayed the night. When I returned, I found out O'Day had been killed the same way as Ziegler. Theodore had no idea if Cheryl had left the house or not. Rachel had told me how the men were cut and the next thing I knew, I was looking for our electric carving knife. Even though I didn't recall ever using it, I was sure we had one, but I couldn't find it."

  "I was convinced that Cheryl had killed both men, but I couldn't turn her over to the authorities. I did the only thing I could think of. I locked her in the attic."

  Holly glanced at David but he was keeping all his attention glued to April.

  "You said you were no longer sure," David prodded.

  "No, I'm not. She definitely didn't leave the attic this weekend, so someone else killed Frampton. Yet I understood the murder was done in the same way. Then I got to thinking about our knife and now I'm sure I gave it away years ago."

  Holly tried to correlate everything April was saying with what facts Quick had given her. "Isn't it possible, then, that Cheryl wasn't the murderess, but a witness?"

  April frowned. "I don't know what to think anymore."

  "Would you bring Cheryl downstairs, please?" Holly asked. "Let us try to talk to her."

  "I'll bring her down, but I'm afraid it won't do any good."

  * * *

  Diane was following the conversation going on inside so intently, she practically missed seeing the man pass by the car. Inching up a little, she watched him slowly approach the house. The way he was moving was highly suspicious.

  She could hear David and Holly murmuring suppositions to each other. April had apparently left the room to get Cheryl. But the man outside now
had Diane's complete attention.

  "What is it?" Jim asked, unable to see for himself.

  "Holly's friend, Philip, just arrived. I don't know what he's doing here but I don't think it's good."

  Rather than walk up to the front door, Philip knelt down beneath the big front window and peered inside.

  "Damn," Diane muttered. "Stay here. He should recognize me. I'll try to get him away before he causes a problem."

  Quietly, she slipped out of the car and started toward the front porch. She was almost there when Philip suddenly stood up, pointed a gun at the glass window and fired through it.

  * * *

  David had just turned Holly's face toward his when he saw the figure in the window and acted without thought. He shoved Holly to the floor and threw his body over hers, a split second before glass exploded into the room. Dizziness and nausea assailed him from the sudden movement and he blacked out.

  Holly looked up to see Philip about to fire at David again. "No!" she screamed at the same moment that another shot sounded.

  "Drop the gun," Diane ordered from behind Philip, "or I'll hit something vital with my next bullet."

  Philip glanced over his shoulder at her but kept the gun trained on David. "Get away from her, Wells," he shouted. "Holly's mine. She's always been mine and she always will be."

  Holly twisted out from beneath David's unconscious weight so that she was now partially shielding him. "Philip, please put the gun down. You don't want to do this."

  "You're wrong, Holly. I want this more than you can imagine. Now move away from him so I can reclaim my prize."

  Holly saw the gun waver in his hand and interpreted it as hesitation. "Your prize? What do you mean?" She thought if she could get him talking, the mad look in his eyes might go away.

  Philip angled his head and his expression softened slightly. "Why, you're the prize, my dear. And that womanizing bastard stole you from me after I'd worked so hard to win you. All I have to do is get rid of him and then you'll be all mine again."