Dead Set (Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  “No buts,” the coach said gruffly, shaking his head. “You’re harassing my players.”

  “I’m not harassing them.”

  “Oh yeah?” His bushy eyebrows lifted high on his forehead. “Who am I supposed to believe?” he asked. “A complete stranger or two boys I’ve known for years?” His lips thinned. “I suggest you leave now…or I’ll call our resource officer and have you physically removed from this building.”

  Garrett smirked at her, and Alaina had to fight to not lash out. She clenched her keys tight, wishing she could stab him in the eyes with them.

  Punk-ass kid.

  She huffed out a breath and the three men just stood there, waiting for her to leave. Frustrated, she spun on her heel and stalked down the hall. Thirty seconds later, she was outside, the cold air chilling her face and filling her lungs. She tried again to pull in a deep lungful of air but ended up coughing and sputtering.

  “Are you alright?” a voice asked.

  A girl was leaning against the wall, a backpack next to her feet.

  Alaina recognized her immediately.

  “Lindsay?” she whispered. “You’re Lindsay Hopkins.”

  The girl nodded.

  Alaina’s eyes raked over her. She was dressed almost all in black, down to the big snow boots on her feet. She wasn’t wearing a hat, and her long brown hair hung freely down her back and shoulders, blowing slightly in the brisk breeze.

  “Why are you here?” Alaina asked. She knew what time it was—too late for pretty much anyone to be hanging out at the school.

  “I saw what you did,” Lindsay said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Lindsay nodded toward the school. “I saw you through the window. In there. With Garrett and Jack.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “That bastard deserves to go to hell for what he did.”

  Alaina’s breath hitched in her throat. Her heart began to hammer, thumping hard against her rib cage.

  “What did he do?” she managed to ask.

  Lindsay’s expression was murderous, her eyes dark with rage, her lips twisted into a scowl.

  “What did they do to my brother?”

  Lindsay stiffened. “To Noah?” She shook her head. “I…I don’t think he did anything to Noah.”

  Alaina’s head was spinning. This girl wasn’t making any sense. “I don’t understand.”

  Lindsay’s eyes glistened. “He deserves to go to hell for what he did to me.”

  Alaina’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, to ask the rush of questions that were on the tip of her tongue.

  But Lindsay didn’t give her a chance. She sucked in a breath and spun away from Alaina.

  “Lindsay—”

  “No.” Lindsay’s one-word response was forceful.

  Before Alaina could react, could reach out to stop her, Lindsay broke into a sprint, tearing away from the school.

  33

  Tuesday, March 27th

  7:50pm

  Alaina was on her second beer, and she’d been home for all of ten minutes. At the rate she was going, she’d finish the six-pack in her fridge within the hour.

  She wondered if she was turning into an alcoholic. She’d had more to drink in the last week than she’d in the last year. First the wine with Lucas, and now this.

  She held the bottle in her hand, the glass cold and wet against her skin.

  Lindsay’s words were still fresh in her mind. Garrett had done something to her, she’d said. Not to Noah.

  The pieces were starting to come together, but they weren’t painting the picture Alaina wanted to see. She remembered the message Lindsay had left for Noah, the one thanking him for giving her the courage to speak up, and about how she’d confronted the person who had hurt her. Alaina couldn’t be sure—and Lindsay had taken off before she could ask her any more questions—but she was convinced Garrett had assaulted the girl.

  Lindsay had obviously told Noah about it, though, and he had helped her work through the trauma, had convinced her to take some kind of action. It wasn’t clear to Alaina whether or not Lindsay had done anything about it, but the fact that Garrett was still on the basketball team led her to believe one of two things: either the charges Lindsay had leveled against him had been dismissed, or she’d yet to say anything to anyone in a position to do something about it.

  Alaina took a long sip of her beer. The icy liquid made goosebumps prickle her skin but she didn’t care.

  She still didn’t know what had happened to her brother, and she didn’t know exactly how Garrett Grimmer was connected to him, but she was determined to find out. Had he come over to confront Noah, perhaps? Told him to keep his nose out of Garrett’s business? Had he threatened him in some way?

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Garrett and his buddies were probably considered school royalty. They were athletes, they were good-looking…they were exactly the kind of guys Alaina herself had drooled over as a teenager. She shuddered at the thought.

  She knew her brother had been a loner, had maybe even been an outcast. His yearbooks, the fact that he didn’t have any close friends, attested to this.

  So if some hotshot jock had come over, threatening to ruin his life even more than he already thought it was, would that have been enough to send him over the edge?

  Alaina swallowed another mouthful of beer.

  Maybe.

  Because she was remembering something else Lindsay had said. Not to her, but to Lucas. Lindsay had been convinced that Noah had committed suicide.

  Alaina still didn’t want to believe it. The Noah she knew would never do something like that. He loved his video games, his dog. Hell, he’d loved her, even though she hadn’t deserved it.

  But the Noah she knew was the Noah from eight years ago, the fun and funny kid who had pretty much worshipped his older sister. She’d had little involvement in his life since she’d moved out, and she had no way of knowing what his life had become.

  But Lindsay did. Lindsay was a friend; maybe the closest friend he’d had. He’d tried to help her out in some pretty tough circumstances, so Alaina had to believe they were close. And she also believed that Lindsay knew more about Noah’s final days and weeks than she was letting on. Part of Alaina wanted to confront her, to beg her to tell her what she knew about his mental and emotional state. But there was that other part of her that struggled, that still clung to the belief that she didn’t deserve to know. Maybe this was the punishment she would have to live with. The uncertainty of not knowing. And the constant belief—and the guilt that ensued—that she was responsible.

  Alaina rubbed her eyes. She wished Lindsay hadn’t taken off. She wished she could’ve asked her some questions, could’ve convinced her to share with her. She wished Lindsay had heard what she’d said to Garrett. Lindsay didn’t know that Garrett had come to Noah’s room. She didn’t know that his fingerprints had been found on Noah’s window. If she knew, would that prompt a memory? Would that make her reconsider her belief that Noah had committed suicide?

  Alaina didn’t know. But she was going to find out.

  She finished her beer and set the bottle down on the coffee table. The alcohol had dulled her senses a little, at least enough to stem the rush of adrenaline that had seemed to course through her body unchecked for hours. She was physically and emotionally spent, which seemed to be a common state of being for her over the last few weeks.

  Her phone buzzed and she jumped at the sound. A text popped up and the anxiety immediately kicked in. But it was just Lucas.

  You doing okay?

  Guilt slammed into her. He’d called earlier to tell her about the prints, and he’d told her that he would take care of it.

  But she hadn’t listened. She’d taken matters into her own hands and driven over to the school to confront Garrett herself. She knew, even while driving there, that it was reckless. That Lucas would be pissed when he found out.

  She didn’t care. Not in the moment, anyway.


  But now, sitting on her couch, having the opportunity to reflect on what had happened?

  The guilt ate at her.

  She knew she should call him. She needed to confess that she’d gone to see Garrett—he was going to find out anyway, and she wanted the news to come from her, not someone else—and she also knew she should tell him about Lindsay and what she had said.

  Alaina stared at the phone but couldn’t make her fingers move, couldn’t force herself to pick up the device. Because another memory flashed in her mind, a memory from a conversation that had taken place just a couple of hours ago.

  The one she’d had with Mariah Coates. The one where Mariah had told Alaina that she had a date with Lucas that weekend.

  Alaina swallowed. It shouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter. She and Lucas had a business arrangement. That was it.

  She nodded to herself.

  Yes, a business arrangement. Which made it all the more important for her to pick up the phone and tell him about Garrett and Lindsay. He would be pissed, but it wouldn’t matter. Because he was nothing more to her than a private investigator helping her get to the bottom of a case. When this was all said and done, they would part ways, would be reduced to saying stiff hellos when they ran into each other around town.

  An inexplicable sadness welled up inside of her, and she tried to sweep it aside. She was being ridiculous.

  “Just call him,” she muttered under her breath. She picked up the phone.

  A loud knock sounded on the front door and Alaina startled. The phone clattered back to the coffee table.

  She stood up, her gaze going directly to the door. Her heart began to hammer, and her eyes flew to the boarded-up window. Was it the person who had launched the grenade into her house? Harry was already in his kennel for the night, but she thought about racing into the kitchen and letting him out. Just in case.

  She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. No one was there to hurt her. And Harry wasn’t exactly guard dog material.

  But a new thought occurred, one that was almost as frightening. Because maybe Lucas had somehow found out about her visit to the school. Maybe he was standing on the doorstep now, ready to chew her out for going there without him, for not listening to him. He’d told her about the fingerprints because he wanted to keep her abreast of all developments, and he’d explicitly told her that they would deal with it in the morning.

  And she hadn’t listened.

  She took a deep breath and headed toward the door. If he was there to berate her, then so be it.

  She deserved it.

  She opened the door, pulling a deep breath in to steel herself for the lecture she knew she was going to receive.

  But it wasn’t Lucas standing on her doorstep.

  A different man was there, shrouded in the shadows.

  Rob Grimmer.

  34

  Tuesday, March 27th

  8:05pm

  “What…what are you doing here?” Alaina stammered.

  Immediately, she cringed. She sounded like a scared little girl.

  “You know exactly why I’m here,” he growled. He pushed his way past her and into her house, slamming the door behind him.

  Alaina’s legs quaked. Rob Grimmer was an imposing figure, but standing in her home, his eyes bulging and sweat beading his forehead, a scowl etched on his face, he was now terrifying.

  Her mind and tongue were slow after the two beers. She wasn’t herself, and she knew it.

  “I didn’t invite you in,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. She’d wanted to look and sound strong, but her voice came out feeble, and even her posture felt like one of submission instead of attempted dominance.

  He sneered. “Looks like I’m in here anyway.”

  “Get out.”

  He advanced toward her, closing the small space that existed between them, and she automatically took a step back.

  “Why are you harassing my son?” he barked.

  “What?”

  “You and that idiot private eye.” Rob’s eyes glittered. “Sticking your damn noses where they don’t belong.”

  Alaina stiffened. “What?” she repeated.

  “I tried to warn you,” he muttered, scraping a hand over his face.

  Alaina shook her head. Her thinking was a little fuzzy after the beers, but what Rob was saying wasn’t making any sense.

  She frowned and pointed her finger at him. “Your son’s fingerprints were on my brother’s window.”

  He sneered. “So?”

  “So what were they doing there? Why was he in his room?”

  “Your little boyfriend couldn’t figure it out?”

  “His fingerprints were on my brother’s window.” Her voice shook. She knew she sounded like a broken record but she didn’t care. The wheels were spinning, putting pieces together now that Rob Grimmer was standing in her living room. “Your son went into that room and he…he killed him! He killed Noah!”

  Rob’s jaw dropped. He shook his head, and Alaina knew he was going to deny it.

  “You don’t know shit,” Rob growled.

  “Tell me I’m wrong,” she challenged. “Go ahead. Look me in the eye and tell me the truth, dammit.”

  He was quiet for a minute, but Alaina could see the tension building in him. A vein on his temple bulged and he kept swallowing and licking his lips, his eyes darting nervously around the room.

  “Tell me!” she screamed.

  He looked at her, startled. And then his face crumpled.

  “He…he didn’t mean to,” Rob said, his voice faltering.

  It took a second for his words to register. Alaina looked at him, numb with shock.

  “What?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “What did you just say?”

  “He didn’t mean to!” he cried, an anguished expression on his face. “Your brother bought into Lindsay’s lies and was telling her to go to the police, to go to the school administrators. Garrett…he just went over to talk some sense into him. To scare him a little.”

  The roaring in Alaina’s ears made it hard to hear.

  “Scare him?” she echoed.

  “He just meant to scare him. He didn’t mean…he didn’t—”

  Alaina gasped, dropping to her knees as the full weight of his words hit her.

  “He killed him?”

  “He didn’t mean to!” Rob screamed. “Something spooked him. A sound. It was an accident, dammit!”

  Tears stung Alaina’s eyes and her throat constricted so tight it was hard for her to form words. But she willed herself to do so.

  “He killed my brother.”

  It was no longer posed as a question but a statement.

  A fact.

  Garrett Grimmer was responsible for Noah’s death.

  Her brain buzzed, trying to put the pieces together. He’d come in through Noah’s window. He’d…he’d wanted to scare him. But how? By tying a rope around his neck? And then…

  Alaina tried to swallow but couldn’t. The full horror of what had happened registered with her now. Garrett had…had strung him up. To scare him. And then…

  Alaina couldn’t see through her tears.

  And then something had scared Garrett and he’d run. He left the room and he left Noah, the rope still tied around his neck, his feet just far enough off the floor so that he couldn’t quite touch.

  A gruesome image of his struggle for survival ran through her brain. Had he fought to reach the ground? Fought to live?

  What had he gone through in those final moments?

  He would’ve known he was going to die.

  She couldn’t breathe.

  He would’ve known.

  Her eyes bulged and she gulped for air, short, shallow breaths that brought nothing to her lungs.

  “Noah didn’t want to die,” she rasped. “Your son killed him!”

  Rob’s face contorted. Alaina watched as if it were happening in slow motion. Fear registered in his wide eyes as he recognized the full wei
ght of what he’d just confessed, what she’d pieced together. And then anger—no, rage—consumed him once again.

  He charged toward Alaina, his face apoplectic. “He did not. He. Did. Not!”

  All she could do was nod, but inside she was screaming, Yes! Yes he did! He killed Noah!

  She was still on her knees, still gasping for breath, trying to pull air into her lungs, the sadness and shock still bearing down on her like hundred-pound weights sitting on her chest. She moved to stand up but Rob positioned himself in front of her, lodging a knee against her chest.

  “You’re lying!” He was almost hysterical, his eyes wild, his mouth twisted. “You’re a lying bitch. No one will believe you. You hear me? No one!”

  Alaina pushed against his knee, trying to dislodge it, but he was as solid as an oak and she was as thin and wispy as a reed blowing in the breeze. She dropped her hands to the floor, determined to crawl away from him. To get to the phone. To get to safety.

  The wood floor was hard under her knees, and grains of dirt and sand dug into her palms as she tried to scurry across the floor.

  But Rob wouldn’t let her. With rough hands, he yanked her hair like the reins on a horse. She shrieked in pain.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he growled. He leaned down, his breath hot on her ear. “You’re not ruining my son’s life. Do you hear me?”

  She turned quickly and bit him, sinking her teeth into his fleshy jowls. He screamed and let go of her hair, his hands flying to his face and the wound she’d just inflicted. She scrambled away, diving for the coffee table, her hands raking across it and making contact with her phone. Her hands shook and her mind was numb, but she forced her fingers to press down on the keypad.

  9.

  1.

  1.

  A hand slammed down on her wrist and the phone flew through the air, smashing against the wall and then falling to the floor.

  Rob was over her and then on top of her, his full weight crushing her spine into the wood floor. Alaina squirmed, trying to find leverage on something so she could get away, but he had her arms pinned to her sides.