Was he right? Should we just go our separate ways? Was working together a bad idea?
I sighed and stared at the ceiling.
Finally, my thoughts came to Riley and Garrett. I couldn’t believe Riley had visited me. I knew not to read too much into it. The gesture had been one of friendship. Besides, there was still that woman from the pictures. Who was she?
I’d been on the verge of telling Garrett about my decision concerning Africa. But now everything felt like it had been turned upside down.
I closed my eyes. The jail I was in right now was creating a different kind of prison in my mind. It was a mental cell where I couldn’t escape my thoughts.
That seemed like the cruelest punishment of all.
***
The next morning, I was released on bail and given a strict set of rules that included checking in at appointed times, not going within twenty feet of the Cultural Arts Center again, and not engaging in any criminal activities.
Garrett met me with a bag of clothes. I could have worn the ones I was arrested in, but a clean outfit sounded nice. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Garrett had bought me a T-shirt that said, “Survivor,” some expensive-looking jeans, and flip-flops made from a yoga mat. Yes, I loved flip-flops whatever the season. He already knew me well because this was my uniform, summer or winter. I changed and escaped from the confines of the jail like a bird flying from a cage.
It had never felt so good to be free.
“I wish I could stay with you, but I’ve got a board meeting coming up that I can’t miss,” Garrett said as we climbed into his car.
“Please don’t apologize. You’ve already gone above and beyond. Just take me to my apartment. That will be fine.”
“I hate to leave you in a time like this.” He sounded so formal, yet endearing all the same.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan for my day.”
“Why do I have a feeling this plan somehow involves your arrest?” He glanced my way, his eyebrows raised.
“Maybe it’s better if you don’t know. Then you’ll be telling the truth if the police ask you questions.”
“Very well then. Just do me a favor and stay safe.”
I nodded. “I will.”
My cell phone rang, and I saw Paulette’s number pop up. I asked Garrett to excuse me for a minute. I hadn’t talked to Paulette since I’d been arrested and charged. I wasn’t sure how this conversation would go.
“Hey, Paulette. I’ve been meaning to call you.”
“How could you?” Her soft voice cracked.
Tension pulled across my chest. She’d obviously heard about what happened. I knew she would eventually. “What?”
“You’re the only person who’s never used me. And now you took advantage of me, too. I thought I could trust you, Gabby.”
“Certainly you don’t believe that I’m behind any of the vandalisms, Paulette. You know I’d never do that to you. I’m being set up.”
“I gave you a key.”
“Who else did you give keys to? Several other people, Paulette.”
“Just Mrs. Baker. And Peter. And Bennie.”
“Bennie has a key?” Hadn’t she told me she didn’t want a key? Had Paulette given her one anyway?
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does!” People didn’t lie for no reason.
“Paulette—”
“Please don’t say anything else.” Ice-cold silence stretched for a moment. “This just goes to prove that I have no one in my life to depend on.”
She hung up.
I leaned back in the seat, feeling numb. I’d let down the one person who had me on a pedestal—not that I wanted to be there. But I did hate letting down people who looked up to me. It was an awful feeling that made my spirit plummet.
Garrett squeezed my knee. “You okay?”
I nodded, even though I felt anything but okay. “I’ll be fine.”
“Relationships are messy sometimes, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
We pulled up to my apartment building. I started to get out, but he pulled me back. “We’re going to get through this, Gabby.”
His words warmed me. He’d said “we,” which meant he was sticking with me, even through the thick and thin. “That means a lot, Garrett. Thank you.”
He leaned forward and planted a slow kiss on my lips, one that made my heart beat double time. “By the way, I thought you might want to see this.”
He reached into the back seat and handed me a magazine. Entertainment Now.
I stared at Angelina Jolie on the cover. “Is there an article in here pertaining to the play?”
“All about Arie and her supposed comeback.” His eyes sparkled.
“You’re the best. Thank you!” I kissed him one more time.
“I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Sounds great.”
I slammed the door and ran to my apartment building, my mind still racing. I didn’t have much time to find the real culprit. I had to get busy.
As soon as I stepped foot into the building, Chad and Sierra’s door flew open. My heart sunk when Chad stepped out. I’d really been hoping for Sierra.
I braced myself for his reaction. Accusation? Disappointment? Righteous indignation?
Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets and offered a compassionate smile. “I heard what happened. How are you?”
I swallowed hard. “Feeling a little desperate right now.”
He bobbed his head up and down. “Look, don’t worry about the jobs. I’ll handle them. Besides, I talked Braxton into coming back to work for a few days, at least.”
Until I returned, I thought to myself. I kept silent, though. “I really appreciate that, Chad.”
“You just take care of yourself.”
I wanted to believe his words were sincere, but I just wasn’t sure. Part of me couldn’t help but think he was faulting me for the same things he’d criticized me for in our earlier conversation.
But right now, I just didn’t have time to think about it.
“Oh, and one more thing, Gabby.”
I turned on my heel and waited for him to continue.
“I thought you should know that Riley’s up in his apartment.”
My pulse quickened, though I willed it to slow down. A tremble of anticipation rushed through me. “Thanks, Chad.”
I hurried upstairs, determined to keep my thoughts in check.
At the top landing, I stared at Riley’s door. No, I wouldn’t go there. I had to keep myself guarded, to protect my heart. That meant I needed to give myself from boundaries.
I rushed into my apartment and froze. Everything was out of place. My books were off the shelf, pictures were turned over, couch cushions were on the floor.
I’d deal with all of this later. Right now, I hopped in the shower, got dressed, made a few phone calls, and started downstairs. I had a long and urgent to-do list.
When I was out the front door, I stopped in my tracks.
My car.
It was still at Oceanside Middle, I realized. Garrett was supposed to send his assistant to pick it up and deliver it. With everything that happened, he must have forgotten. I couldn’t blame him.
I threw my head back, realizing this would put a serious crimp in my plans.
The door opened behind me. I twirled around and spotted Riley there. My throat went dry.
“Gabby. I was hoping to catch you. I heard your door open and you were outside before I could even call for you.”
I wiped my hands on my jeans, noticing I was trembling for some reason. “You’re still here.”
“I told you I was going to help, right?”
My heart warmed. “You did.”
“Where you headed?”
“Nowhere. I forgot my car is not here at the moment.”
“How about if I drive you?” He tossed his keys in the air.
“Really?”
He smiled. �
�Yeah, really. Come on. It will be just like old times.”
***
“Thanks for inviting me over,” I told Mrs. Baker as she answered the door.
She looked different wearing a sweatshirt and a T-shirt, with her hair pulled into a ponytail. She somehow seemed more human and approachable, less like the woman I’d put on a pedestal.
“I’m glad you could come, Gabby and …” Her gaze traveled beyond me, and confusion spread across her face.
“This is Riley,” I explained. It felt surreal to say the words. Like old times. Like something I’d dreamed of happening but that I never thought actually would.
On the entire ride here, I’d updated him on the case. I told him what I’d learned and who my suspects were—everything.
Everything about the play, at least.
I told him nothing about Garrett or Africa or possibly giving up crime scene cleaning.
Mrs. Baker nodded his way. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
We stepped inside and out of the cold.
“I know you can’t set foot on the property of the Cultural Arts Center, so I thought we could talk here,” Mrs. Baker started.
“This has all been like a nightmare.”
“I can only imagine. Of course, more than talking about the play, I just wanted to talk to you. Amos is at work and Larissa is working on her homework.”
“No school?” I started to slip off my coat when Riley grasped the shoulders and helped tug it off. When our hands touched, a spark raced through me.
I couldn’t let myself go to that emotional place. I couldn’t get hurt again. But my body seemed to have a mind of its own.
“I homeschool.” She pointed to the dining room table. “Please, have a seat.”
We lowered ourselves into the wooden chairs there.
“I thought you should know, before we talk too much about other things, that we met to discuss the future of the The Specter met last night.”
“And?” I questioned.
“Arie has agreed to share the credit for the play with Harlot Jenkins. She never conceded to plagiarism, but she thinks she may have inadvertently heard the idea and taken it as her own.”
“She said that?”
Mrs. Baker nodded. “She did. Who knows what the truth is?”
“I bet someone paid Harlot off.”
“Why would you say that?” Riley asked, looking all lawyer-like with those perceptive eyes and the rigid set of his shoulders.
I frowned. “Paulette apparently paid off Arie to let us keep the play in the first place.”
Mrs. Baker’s eyes widened. “She didn’t.”
I nodded. “She did.”
“This is all a mess.”
I shifted in my seat. “What did you all decide last night?”
“The show will go on. Despite everything that’s happened, we’ve put too much work into this to quit now. We practiced, and Arie stepped into your role, Gabby.”
“Arie? Really?” It didn’t really surprise me. The woman was conniving and would do whatever it took to get ahead.
“It’s true. It made the most sense. If Bennie took your role, then we’d have no one to replace her.” She let out another sigh. “I was so excited to work with three of my former students. Now all of this.”
My gaze locked on hers. “Three?”
She nodded. “You, Paulette, and Bennie.”
“Bennie is a former student?” Could that be right?
Mrs. Baker nodded. “I thought you knew.”
“You quit when Larissa was born.”
“I did, but I came back and helped with plays up until the time the school closed. Bennie was in my last production. Of course, her name wasn’t Bennie then. It was Bonnie Pratt. Poor girl went through a lot.”
“Like what?”
“Her parents went to jail. She was in foster care. But she really turned her life around. Even back in middle school she got involved with the school newspaper and drama. Those creative outlets were better than therapy for her. She’s continued to channel all of her hardships into making herself a better person.”
That seemed a good reminder that I needed to do the same. But with Riley so close, it was hard. Strangely enough, when I was with Garrett, I felt like I was being unfaithful to Riley. But now that I was with Riley, I felt like I was cheating on Garrett.
My thoughts drifted back to Bennie. Was the fact that she used to go to Oceanside somehow related to this case? I didn’t see how. Sure, she apparently had a key to the building now. But back when the vandalisms started, she wouldn’t have had a way to get into the building. Besides, she always seemed so kind.
Mrs. Baker sighed and looked at me for a moment, worry across her face. “Who would do this?”
“Someone desperate to cover up their own crimes?”
“I suppose. I know we need to rehearse, but would you mind telling me about the evidence against you?” Mrs. Baker asked. “Maybe I can help fill in some of the blanks.”
A carafe of coffee stood in the middle of the table, and Mrs. Baker began pouring cups for us as I ran through what I knew.
Mrs. Baker shook her head. “Someone actually said they saw you near the vandalisms?”
I nodded. “Someone with curly red hair. Not too many cast members fit that description except me.”
“Did you say red hair?”
We all turned our heads to the soft, new voice. It was Larissa. I hadn’t even heard her approach.
“You weren’t eavesdropping, were you, Honey?” Mrs. Baker asked. “You know that’s not polite.”
“I just happened to overhear when I was walking past,” Larissa said.
“Is there a reason why you’re asking?” I chimed in.
She nodded. “I found a red wig the other day. I didn’t think much of it, like maybe it was one of the costumes. But what if it wasn’t?”
My heart rate increased. “Where?”
“In the maintenance closet.”
CHAPTER 34
“What in the world were you doing in the maintenance closet?” Mrs. Baker asked.
Larissa shrugged, tugging at one of her curls. “I got bored during rehearsal and started walking around. The door was open, so I peeked inside. I saw the wig.”
Mrs. Baker shook her head. “I asked you to stay in the auditorium, young lady.”
Larissa frowned.
I had other things on my mind, things like proving my innocence. “Did you see anyone else around while the rest of us were in practice?”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out something. “I found this.”
My eyes widened. It was a hundred dollar bill. “Wow.”
“It was in the hallway.”
“Larissa! You can’t keep that,” her mom said.
She hung her head. “I know. I just kept dreaming about what I’d spend it on.”
One hundred dollars that someone had dropped. Where did someone get that money? From doing something illegal—drugs maybe? Stealing items and selling them? I didn’t know.
“Mrs. Baker, did Paulette leave your sight on the night when the lights went out and we found the dead body in the orchestra pit?”
Mrs. Baker thought a moment before shaking her head. “No, she was with me the whole time. Why?”
“I noticed she had some dirt on her cheek.”
“I remember she dropped one of her rings behind a chair in the choir room. I imagine it was expensive. She must have gotten the smudge when she retrieved it.” She paused. “You think Paulette is guilty of murder?”
“Under normal circumstances—no. But she’s taking some prescription drugs and she’s been drinking. All those things together can be dangerous. Plus, she’s desperate for this to succeed.”
“Why would she kill people then? How would that help her chances?”
I shook my head. “Maybe those people got in her way somehow. Maybe she thought bad publicity was good publicity. I don’t know. But she has possible motiv
e, means, and opportunity.”
My eyes locked with Mrs. Baker’s. We were thinking the exact same thing. Paulette very well could be guilty.
***
I had meetings lined up for the rest of the day essentially.
Next, I was meeting Bennie for lunch. She was my inside connection to the cast. Since I couldn’t be at practice tonight, I had to use whatever resources I could.
Riley stayed in the car to return some phone calls. His phone had been buzzing all day. Which made me wonder what was going on: His new job? His therapist? His girlfriend?
The last thought made my stomach knot up, made feel off balance.
Focus, Gabby. Focus.
Thinking about the investigation seemed a lot safer, for my heart, at least.
Which brought me back to my meeting with Bennie.
Of all the people who were associated with the play, the only two I really put any faith in were Mrs. Baker and Bennie. Bennie had been with me and been hit on the head that night we staked out the school. She couldn’t have done that to herself, which led me to believe that she was on my side. Or, at least that she was innocent.
We met at the same seafood restaurant Garrett had taken me to last week. Bennie only lived a few blocks away and, honestly, it was the only restaurant I could think of in this direction. However, without Garrett by my side, seating took much longer and my wallet ached when I realized what the bill would be.
I’d just slid into a booth—not by the water this time—when Bennie walked in. I waved her over.
“What’s going on?” she asked, depositing her purse in the corner.
“Thanks for coming. I need your help.”
“There were all kinds of rumors floating around last night. Someone even had the gall to say you were arrested for the vandalisms at the theater. Can you believe that?” She let out a nervous laugh.
I licked my lips. “It’s a really long story. But I have to admit right now that I am desperately trying to find the person who’s responsible.”
Her face paled. “That means you were arrested.”
“Bennie, just try to stay focused right now. I didn’t do anything. Besides, we’re in a public place. Even if I were guilty, you’d be completely safe right now.”
Christy Barritt - Squeaky Clean 08 - Foul Play Page 21