Slay in Character

by Lynn Cahoon

  “So you’re going to start a search party? If she got into a car, she could be anywhere.” Cat glanced at the clock. “And she’s been gone almost ten hours. They could get a long way from here in that amount of time.”

  “We have to start at the beginning. Figure out if she’s really still not at Outlaw. Some of those buildings are pretty destroyed. She might have gone into one of them and fallen through the rotted wood.” Uncle Pete looked up as Shauna set a bag and a travel mug of coffee in front of him. “Thanks.”

  As he stood, Cat stood as well. “Do you need help? We can come up too.”

  “No, but tell Jessi I need to talk to her as soon as she gets in. She can call me on my cell, no matter what time it is. I’d go run her down in town, but I need to get going.” He paused, looking at Seth. “I’d like you to hang out here this week while the retreat is in session.”

  “Why?” Cat glanced from Seth to Uncle Pete. “Danielle’s possible disappearance isn’t related to the retreat. Why does Seth need to hang close?”

  Uncle Pete paused in front of her. “Because Danielle is friends with Jessi. I don’t know what this is about, but I don’t want you taking any chances.”

  Seth nodded. “I don’t have to be anywhere else. I can be here.”

  “I think you’re overreacting,” Cat said, but her uncle just waved her off.

  “Thanks again for the meal, Shauna.” He kissed Cat on the cheek. “I’ll talk to you later. Make sure that girl calls me as soon as she comes back.”

  Seth sat back down at the table. “Well, there’s one thing you can say about Aspen Hills.”

  “What’s that?” Cat didn’t want Seth to have to change his plans just because her uncle was feeling overprotective, but she wasn’t going to be able to change his mind.

  “It’s never boring.”

  Cat went back into the living room, and she was trying to read but mostly thinking about Danielle and hoping she was just screwing off when she heard the front door open. She put the book down and went to the lobby to catch Jessi.

  Cora saw her first. “This is such a fun little town. After we left Reno’s, we went to the bar and sang karaoke. I haven’t done that in years.”

  “I should have come back to write, but I have to admit, I do an amazing ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ rendition.” Kelly grinned. “Besides, I’m ahead of schedule for my word count thanks to today’s session.”

  “You’re a machine,” Lisa shouted. Then she weaved. “Oops, I’m a little deaf from the music.”

  “You’re also a little drunk, my dear.” Cora held her up. “I’m putting this one to bed. Then I’m coming back down for some coffee and cookies. Anyone joining me?”

  “I’ll be here waiting.” Kelly headed to the dining room. Connie followed, but before Jessi could fall in line, Cat grabbed her arm.

  “Come into the study for a minute, we need to talk.”

  Jessi followed her into the bookshelf-lined room. Cat nodded toward one of the big reading chairs she’d added after cleaning out Michael’s stuff from the room. It almost felt like a study versus her ex-husband’s home office. Almost.

  “Look, if this is about me disappearing today, I swear, I’ve got that situation handled. I’m still steamed at Danielle for taking off like that, and you can be sure I’m going to give her a piece of my mind when she comes back, but Tara and I are cool. Tara, that’s my boss. I bet Danielle is somewhere with Keith. I guess he has the week off too.” She gave Cat a winning smile. “I promise, writing has my entire attention for the next week.”

  “Jessi, it’s not that.” Cat told her about Uncle Pete’s visit. “So her parents think this might be serious. I’m sure you’re right, she just took off with this guy, but just in case, my uncle wants to make sure she’s not in any danger. Will you talk to him?”

  “Of course.” Jessi’s face had turned chalk white. Worse, for the first time since Cat had met her, Jessi’s youth showed in her eyes, along with a healthy dose of fear. “I’ll do anything. Has he tried to call Keith?”

  “I don’t know if he knew Danielle was dating him. Here, you can use my phone.” She paused before dialing the number. “Are you okay to talk? Do you need some water or something?”

  “Maybe a beer. But no, really, I’m okay. I want to help.” She gave Cat a small smile. “I’m tougher than I look.”

  Cat nodded, then dialed her uncle’s number. “She’s here. I’m putting her on the phone.”

  “Hold on a minute, Cat. Don’t let her know, but we found Danielle. She was in the upstairs bedroom over the saloon. She’s been strangled.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Somehow Cat had kept her face composed as she listened to her uncle. Then she handed the phone to Jessi. She put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I’m going to get us some coffee.”

  In the kitchen, Cat filled Shauna and Seth in on Uncle Pete’s news as she filled two cups with coffee.

  Shauna fell back in her chair. “I can’t believe it. That poor girl. Who would want to do that to such a young thing?”

  “I’ve heard rumors that there has been some Peeping Tom hanging out at the college. Maybe he followed Danielle and caught her at the wrong time?” Seth stood and pointed to his coffee cup. “Don’t wash that. I’ll be right back. I want to check the doors and make sure everything’s locked up tight.”

  “No wonder Pete wanted you to stay over. Why didn’t you tell us about this?” Shauna put a hand on his arm, stopping his movement.

  He turned toward Shauna. “They’re just rumors. Nothing that has been proven. I talked to Pete when I heard them. He said he figured it was one of the frat houses doing initiation pranks. They were looking at expanding the video security around the dorms.”

  “We don’t know if that has anything to do with Danielle’s death. Uncle Pete was called up yesterday because of some break-ins at Outlaw. Maybe she was just at the wrong place and saw something.” Cat tried to shake the vision of Danielle that had come into her head. “No matter. We can maybe an answer all night long. But I’ve got to get back to Jessi before she finishes with Uncle Pete. Seth, thank you for checking the doors. And, Shauna, it’s going to be okay.”

  She didn’t stay around to hear the fallout from her words. She had some comforting to do, and as soon as she opened the door, she could tell Jessi knew about Danielle. Cat set the coffee on the desk by Jessi and grabbed a box of tissues off the bookcase. Listening to Jessi’s side of the conversation, she knew they were almost done talking. The girl was a wreck. Finally, she handed the phone to Cat.

  “I can’t believe she’s gone. I was all, I’m going to kick her butt, when really, she was already dead. Maybe I should have gone looking for her. I should have known she wouldn’t just bail on me.” Jessi picked up the coffee cup, took a sip, then stared at it like she didn’t know where it had come from.

  “I know this is a shock. If you want to leave the retreat, I’ll refund Covington the money and you could come back anytime.” Cat took the cup from Jessi’s shaking hands. “What do you want to do?”

  The girl looked up at Cat, her eyes filled with tears. “I want to talk to Danielle. I want to tease her about her OCD. I want my friend back.”

  Then she burst into sobs.

  * * *

  The next morning, when Cat came downstairs, Jessi was sitting in the lobby with her laptop. Her red-rimmed eyes were dry, but Cat guessed she had been crying most of the night. Jessi set the laptop down.

  “Hey, how are you this morning?” Cat sat next to her.

  She took a deep breath before answering. “I’m good. Sad, but I don’t want to go back to the dorm, and besides, your uncle said my room was a no-go zone until they find Danielle’s killer. I may have to relocate next week when I go back to school.”

  “Sorry about that.” Cat glanced at the laptop. “Are you sure you want to write? You could just stay here. You don’t have to participate in the sessions.”

  “No, I want to write. I need to keep my min
d off Danielle.” She glanced up the stairs. “All the others came to my room last night and we talked for a long time. They’re so insightful. I felt like I was home with a bunch of my aunts. Except, of course, my aunts are always shopping and talking about what they bought. They’re not very supportive.”

  “Well, you’re more than welcome to stay. I just want you to know, if you need anything, we’re here for you.” Cat stood. “Including coffee. I’m going to fill up my travel mug now. You want some?”

  Jessi held a cup up from the spot on the floor where it had been hidden. “I’m already taken care of in that area. Now to work out this reveal scene. I want it to be emotional, you know?”

  “The hardest scenes to write are the ones where they rip your heart out.” Cat paused. “We have a Hemingway professor coming in to talk later this morning. You might enjoy listening to his session.”

  “Oh, Professor Turner’s coming? I love him. I took every class he offered. He’s so interesting.” A small smile curved Jessi’s lips and made Cat smile as well.

  She’d never heard Turner called interesting. In fact, a lot of the groups tended to zone out while he spoke. But not everyone loves everything. “I’m glad to hear you’ll enjoy the session. I’ll check on you later.”

  In the kitchen, Shauna sat at the table reading something on her tablet. She didn’t look up as Cat passed by. “Good morning to you. What has you so intense?”

  “I’m looking for new muffin recipes. I want to try a few out with this group so I can taste-test them before I put them in the cookbook.” She paused and looked at Cat. “How’s Jessi this morning?”

  “She’s dealing.” Cat didn’t know what else to say.

  Shauna stood and took her cup to be refilled. “It’s hard especially at first. Nothing seems real.”

  Cat’s phone buzzed with a text. She glanced at the phone, then slipped it back into her pocket. “Where’s Seth this morning? Still sleeping?”

  “Hardly. He took off to his apartment at first light. I guess he thinks we’ll only be attacked by raving murderous mobs in the nighttime. I tried to feed him breakfast, but he turned me down.” Shauna turned her attention back to the tablet. Then looked back up. “You don’t want breakfast now, do you?”

  “No, I’m fine. I’m going to run an errand really quick. I should be back by ten at the latest for Professor Turner’s session. Jessi’s one of his fangirls.” She screwed the coffee lid on tight. She was going to regret this, but she knew if she ignored the text, his next step would be to show up at the house. And with Seth around, that might not end well. “See you soon.”

  “Okay.” Shauna didn’t even look up as Cat left the room. She slipped on her tennis shoes that she kept downstairs in a closet, and after waving to the madly typing Jessi, she slipped out of the house.

  She’d almost made it past Mrs. Rice’s when her neighbor came around the house from the side flower beds. “Catherine. I haven’t seen you out and about for days. What’s going on with your retreat this week? I saw your uncle’s police car sitting in front of your house yesterday. You don’t have any troublemakers this time, do you?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Uncle Pete was just there to pick up a dinner Shauna had made him. I swear, if she was a few years older, he’d sweep her up and I’d be looking for a new cook.” The lie came easily, but as soon as it left her mouth, she knew she’d made a critical mistake. “Not that it would ever happen. Shauna’s happy right now.”

  “Well, as happy as she can be after that unfortunate accident with her last boyfriend. You girls sure live interesting lives.” She bent to pull a weed from the front bed where the fence divided her yard from the sidewalk. “You remember if you ever need someone to help out, I’m just a few steps from your door. I make a mean apple tart.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I’ll remember.” She glanced at her watch. “Anyway, I need to get going.”

  “Wait, did you hear about the poor girl who was killed up at Outlaw? That place is cursed. Always has been. You can’t count the number of people who have been killed up there.”

  “There’s been other murders?” Cat hadn’t thought to look into the history of the old Western town.

  “Some girl disappeared in 1965 or ’66, I can’t remember which year, but they found her body up above the saloon. All dressed up like one of those girls who used to work the bar, if you know what I mean.” Mrs. Rice winked. “And another one in 1973. I know that’s right because that was the year Mr. Rice went to Texas to work. I was on my own here with a murderer running around.”

  “Wow, I’ve never heard of any of this.” She was going to have to get the full story from Uncle Pete.

  “You know the college sweeps a lot of these things under the rug. They don’t like any controversy around this town, not at all. Of course, you know all about that since your poor Michael’s death was one of the dirty little secrets the college didn’t want found out.” Mrs. Rice glanced toward her house. Somewhere a phone was ringing so loud, Cat could hear it from her place on the sidewalk. “I better go. That’s probably Doris with some more news. You let me know if you hear anything, okay?”

  Cat watched Mrs. Rice hurry back inside her too-large-for-one-person house. She hadn’t known Mr. Rice, as he’d died when Cat was a kid, but her mom had played bridge with Mrs. Rice for years. Or at least until she and Cat’s dad had moved to Florida. Now they played backgammon with their friends.

  She glanced at her watch and hurried along to her destination. A large black limo sat running in the driveway, the driver leaning against the side of the car smoking a cigarette. He smiled as Cat came up the walk. “Well, if it isn’t the local author. My daughter loves your books. She’s certain she’ll come into her powers as soon as she hits high school. I think she’s going to be a little disappointed.”

  Cat smiled. She’d heard this a lot. Her main character, Tori, was a witch out of water. Her folks had raised her in the land of normal until they couldn’t deny her supernatural talent anymore. That’s when she went away to the private boarding school for the special. “Tell her I appreciate her reading, and I’m doing a signing at the local bookstore when the next book releases. I’d love to meet her.”

  “That’s mighty kind of you.” He grinned as he nodded to the door. “I won’t keep you. I know Mr. Dante is expecting you.”

  Cat climbed the stone steps like she was going to the principal’s office. She liked Dante. Well, kind of. He was interesting and charming and felt a tad bit dangerous. Cat had never been attracted to bad-boy types. Until now. And she couldn’t be attracted to Dante because she was dating Seth. No wonder he didn’t like her even talking to Dante. He must feel her confusion as much as she did.

  The door opened and a woman in a maid’s outfit held it open. The woman wore pants instead of the skirt she’d seen on Halloween costumes, but it was definitely designed to broadcast to everyone she met her status in the household. “Miss Latimer, Mr. Cornelio is expecting you. Follow me, please.”

  How did everyone know she was coming when Dante had just texted her less than ten minutes ago? She hadn’t spent that long talking to Mrs. Rice. Pushing the question away, she followed the woman into the library. Dante sat in a leather wingback chair reading.

  He glanced up when the footsteps echoed across the tile floor. “Good, I’m so glad you could make time for me.” He crossed the floor and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

  Cat stepped back, avoiding the contact. “I don’t have a lot of time. What do you want, Dante?”

  “I see we are still at that stage.” He pointed to a chair next to his. “Please sit down. I need to ask you a favor.”

  Cat moved to the chair and perched on the edge. “Your driver has your car running out front. Planning on making a quick exit?”

  “I must fly back to Boston as soon as we conclude our discussion.” He winced. “Family business.”

  “Oh.” Cat didn’t really want to know family business. She decided she’d have to ask the question ag
ain. “So what do you want?”

  “Jessi Ball’s mother is a close friend.” He paused, looking at her face. “But I see you already know that. Interesting.”

  “What do you want me to do with Jessi? Kick her out of the retreat? She seems to be interested in actually writing something.”

  Dante stood up and paced to the window, glanced out, then back to the chair. This time he didn’t sit, he leaned over the back and crossed his arms. “Catherine, I want you to protect her.”

  “From what?” Now Cat felt lost, like she’d stepped out of a movie and then back in, only to find she’d missed the key clues.

  “Her friend Danielle was recently killed.” His eyes seemed to burn into hers. He was looking for a signal or a spark, or maybe he just liked intense eye contact. Cat couldn’t tell.

  “Yeah, I know that. I was the shoulder Jessi cried on last night when she found out. What exactly do you want from me?” Cat felt the anger and helplessness sweep over her.

  “Like I said, I want you to protect Jessi.” He looked at Cat like she was a slow learner. “Isn’t that obvious?”

  “Who do you want me to protect her from?” Cat stared at him, understanding finally putting the pieces together for her. “The fact her friend was killed has no bearing on Jessi, does it?”

  He finally sat in the chair and put a hand to his brow. “I believe they got the wrong girl. I suspect they were trying to kill Jessi.”

  The driver stepped into the room. “I’m sorry, sir, but if we are going to arrive in Boston in time for your meeting, we have to leave now.”

  Dante stood and reached for Cat’s hand. “Walk me to the car.”

  She followed. “Are you going to explain what you just said?”

  “It’s simple,” I told Elizabeth I’d watch out for Jessi while she was here. You just have to keep her safe until I get back.” He paused at the top step just outside the door. “Can I count on you, Catherine?”

  “I won’t let anything happen to her.” She paused. “Are you sure she’s safe here?”