Kelly considered that. “Maybe that’s exactly what happened. And if so, then that’s what Greta will tell us. Then she’ll have to tell Detective Peterson. Because right now, she’s concealing information from the police. Not only once, but twice, by not admitting she spoke with Everett that night. That’s serious, Lisa. She needs to come clean. No matter what happened.”
“You’re right.”
“Is there any time when she’s free? Do you know her schedule?”
Lisa paused. “Actually, she and I are meeting this afternoon to go over some research results. Maybe you could come over then. We’ll be in a secluded office. Room number four zero two, Clark Building.”
“What time?”
“Why don’t you come over at two thirty? That’ll give Greta and me some time first.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Oh, God, this is so awful.”
“Yes, it is, Lisa, but it will only get worse and worse the longer Greta takes to tell the truth. Whatever happened that Saturday night at the retreat, she’s got to come clean.”
Kelly hurried up the fourth-floor steps of the Clark Building, situated at the heart of the university campus. Empty classrooms lined the hallway as her footsteps echoed down the corridor. The academic year was finished, exams completed, graduations done, and nobody was home. No one except dedicated graduate students and professors still doing their research. The summer session would start the following week. Until then, the university was quiet.
Spotting the office Lisa mentioned, Kelly gave a quick knock, heard Lisa’s voice, and entered.
“Hey, there, I thought I’d stop by for a few minutes,” she said with a big smile as she crossed the room. Lisa and Greta were seated beside each other at a large desk, papers spread out over the top. Greta looked surprised by Kelly’s sudden appearance. Lisa looked subdued.
“Hi, Kelly. Have a seat,” Lisa said, indicating the chair across the desk from them.
“Hey, Kelly,” Greta said, looking at her curiously.
Kelly settled in the chair and took a sip from her takeout coffee with the familiar logo on the cup. “How’s the research stuff going?”
“Umm, okay, I guess,” Greta said, darting a quizzical glance to Lisa. Lisa was staring at the chart in front of her.
Kelly set her coffee cup aside and leaned both arms on the desk. She’d never had much patience for beating around the bush. Her natural instincts were to come directly to the point. She followed her instincts now.
“Greta, you probably wonder why I interrupted your meeting.”
Greta looked at her, brown eyes wide. “Yeah, kind of.”
“I came because Lisa and I care about you. And we’ve both been concerned about the obvious distress you’ve experienced ever since we returned from the retreat in Poudre Canyon.”
Greta’s gaze turned wary. “I—I don’t know what you mean.”
Lisa turned and placed her hand on Greta’s arm. “Greta, you’ve scheduled therapy appointments nearly every day with Dr. Norcross. Now, that wasn’t the case before the retreat weekend. And ever since then, your entire personality has changed. You’re withdrawn, depressed—”
“I’m—I’m just tired, that’s all,” Greta protested.
“It’s more than being tired, Greta,” Lisa pressed. “A blind man can see it with a cane. Something happened at the retreat that upset you greatly.”
“You’re exaggerating. Nothing happened,” Greta said, jerking her arm away.
“I think it was listening to all the women share their stories of sexual assault that upset you, wasn’t it, Greta?” Kelly offered.
Greta darted an anxious look to Kelly but said nothing. Kelly took that as an opening and leaned forward a little more.
“Lisa learned about your sister’s suicide,” Kelly said in a gentle voice. “That was tragic and heartbreaking.”
Greta’s head jerked up like a puppet master had pulled her string. “How—how did you . . .”
“Your friend Mary told me,” Lisa explained softly. “She’s concerned about you, too.”
“And I spoke with your roommate from the retreat, Edie. She told me you shared what happened to your sister Bonnie. The ugly assault that led to her death.”
Greta’s eyes became huge as she stared from Kelly to Lisa and back again. She said nothing.
“It must have been horrible for you to sit through all those women’s stories of their assaults. Similar stories,” Kelly continued softly. “Especially Jennifer’s story. So like what happened to your sister. And it must have been a shock for you to learn that her attacker was none other than Cal Everett, the very man who had welcomed us all earlier.”
Greta visibly paled as she stared at Kelly. She still didn’t say anything, seemingly entranced by Kelly’s words.
“Is that when you figured it out?” Kelly asked. “Listening to Jennifer tell us how the man followed her home, forced himself into her apartment, and attacked her. You realized Cal Everett was the same man who assaulted your sister.”
Greta hastily looked away, then nodded.
Kelly caught Lisa’s glance. “You wanted to confront him, didn’t you, Greta? Force him to face what he’d done to Bonnie. He was the reason she took her life.”
Greta glanced back to them, then clasped her hands on the table in front of her, staring down.
Kelly could feel the turmoil churning inside Greta. It was palpable. She fairly radiated conflict. “That’s why you went to see Cal Everett late that night,” Kelly continued.
Greta’s head jerked up at that. Fear in her eyes, unmistakable. “Why—why would you say that?”
Kelly leaned forward even more and looked directly into Greta’s eyes. “Greta, your roommate Edie told me you woke her up when you opened the door to the cabin. And you were dressed in your clothes, not your pajamas. That was because you’d been to see Everett.”
Greta glanced away again.
“You waited until your roommate was asleep to leave the cabin, didn’t you?” Kelly continued. “Everyone would have left the campfire by then. It would just be you and Everett alone on the deck. Everett had been drinking all night, so he was probably in a pretty bad mood. What happened when you accused him of killing your sister? Did you get into a fight?”
The color remaining in Greta’s face disappeared entirely. She stared first at Kelly, then darted a panicked gaze to Lisa. Lisa’s face was drawn and tight, like she was controlling herself with great effort.
Greta stared at her hands again. Her fingers gripped each other so tightly they bled white. “I just wanted him to hear what he’d done to Bonnie. To know he was responsible for killing her,” she said in a low voice.
“What happened, Greta?” Kelly asked softly. “Did he start a fight with you? Did he try to hit you? Is that why you pushed him?”
“I didn’t push him!” Greta blurted, sending a panicked look from Kelly to Lisa. “I swear I didn’t. He—he was drunk and cursing and—and he came right at me. I don’t know . . . it all happened so fast . . . I went into defensive stance and bent down to block him. I didn’t even think, I simply reacted. He charged into me, and when I blocked him, he went over the railing. Head over heels. It . . . it was so fast, I couldn’t believe it.”
Kelly and Lisa exchanged a look of amazement. Greta hadn’t pushed Cal Everett off the deck. He had attacked her, and she defended herself. And Everett finally paid the price for his actions. Headfirst over the deck and onto the rocks below. It wasn’t deliberate. It was an accident. Kelly released a huge breath that seemed to be pent up inside her.
Lisa leaned toward her friend, then placed her hand on Greta’s arm. “Greta, you know you’ll have to tell the police all of this. You need to get this awful burden off your chest. This was an accident. An awful, awful accident. Don’t let it torture you any longer than it already has.”
Kelly spied moisture glistening in the corners of Greta’s eyes. She reached out and placed her hand on top of Greta’s. “Let
me call Detective Peterson, okay? You’ve met him before. He’s a very compassionate, understanding man.”
Greta bit her lip. “I know . . . I know . . . I’ve just been afraid to confess what happened. I’ve been afraid of what will happen to me. I couldn’t even tell Dr. Norcross. I tried, but I couldn’t. I was so afraid.” Tears started to roll down Greta’s cheeks now.
“Greta, we understand. Don’t worry. I’ll be there with you the entire time. You won’t be alone. I won’t leave you, I promise,” Lisa swore.
“Don’t be afraid, Greta. It was self-defense,” Kelly reassured. “The first person I’m going to call is an attorney. Lisa and I can both attest that Marty Harrington is one of the best and most compassionate lawyers we’ve ever met. We’ve seen him in action. Trust me, Marty will take very good care of you. You won’t be alone.”
Greta’s expression turned forlorn. “I—I don’t have much money.”
“Don’t worry, Greta,” Lisa said, slipping her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Marty works for certain clients pro bono.”
Kelly watched Lisa comfort a distressed Greta while she dug her cell phone from her purse. Marty was about to work for free once again.
Twenty
Kelly zipped the back of her “garden of spring flowers” dress and smoothed the crisp fabric as she checked herself in the dresser mirror. Robin’s egg blue, the saleswoman had called it. Kelly vaguely remembered rescuing baby robins in her childhood, but she hadn’t seen a robin’s egg for over twenty years. Whatever it was called, the shade was flattering. And the dress’s scooped neck showed off the beginnings of her summer tan.
She readjusted the dangling ribbons in her hair. Megan had given each of them hair barrettes to match their dresses. Each one of “Mimi’s flowers” as Burt called them had dangling ribbons in her hair. Kelly’s barrette, of course, wasn’t completely straight, hanging slightly askew. She tugged once again and decided that would have to do.
Steve’s reflection appeared in the mirror then as he came up behind her. “Ummmm, you look gorgeous,” he said, sliding his hands on her waist.
Kelly turned around and rested her hands on the lapels of his navy sports jacket. “Thanks. You clean up well, too. I really like that jacket.”
“I can’t remember the last time I saw you in a dress.”
“Well, take a photo, because it’s coming off right after we get back,” Kelly teased.
Steve pulled her closer, his hands sliding up her back. “Why wait? We can take it off right now,” he whispered beside her ear.
Kelly laughed. “Later. Our shower interlude took longer than expected. We’re gonna have to race over to Mimi’s now, or we’ll be late. Megan will fuss.”
“Let her fuss.”
Kelly felt the zipper slide down her back as the crisp fabric eased over her shoulders.
“Well, finally!” Megan scolded as Kelly and Steve burst through Mimi’s front door. “Where the heck have you guys been? You’re a half hour late.”
“Sorry, Imperial Commander.” Kelly gave an apologetic smile to her friends, who were spread out across Mimi’s living room, sitting or sprawled over sofas and chairs.
“Traffic was a bear,” Steve added, with a remarkably straight face.
“On a Sunday?” Lisa exclaimed. “What’d you do? Come by way of Greeley?”
“Traffic, huh?” Jennifer approached Kelly with a knowing smile. “It’ll get you every time. Let me straighten your barrette.”
Kelly reached up to feel the ribbon-adorned barrette down behind her right ear. “Thanks, Jen. It must have gotten askew.”
“In traffic, I know.” Jennifer removed the barrette. “Let me fix your hair and your dress. It’s not completely zipped.”
“Imagine that,” Marty said with a sly grin.
“Guys, we’ve been waiting for you so we can go over the last-minute details of the service,” Megan continued, hands on hips. “We have to go over this stuff before guests arrive.”
Megan was in full taskmaster mode, Kelly could tell. So, she decided to have a little fun. Since the traffic had put her in such a playful mood, she couldn’t resist. “We await your commands!” Kelly declared and whipped out a Starship Troopers salute.
“Stand still,” Jennifer chided, giving Kelly a little swat on the shoulder as she caught the barrette before it fell to the floor. “I need to fix this.”
Megan eyed Kelly with a team manager’s skeptical eye and continued, “As I was saying . . . we need to know what’s happening and when, so we’ll know what to do. Brides-maids will enter after the minister walks to the gazebo. Once he gets there, he’ll turn around and give us a nod. Then, we’ll walk in. Kelly, you’re first since you’re tallest—”
“I hear and obey, Imperial Commander!” Kelly proclaimed, complete with another crisp salute, adding a heel click this time.
Pete turned away to hide his amusement. Marty leaned his head back on the sofa, clearly trying not to laugh. Lisa hid her smile behind her hand.
Megan was obviously trying to maintain her stern taskmaster expression but was losing fast. Cheeks flushed as pink as her dress, she gestured impatiently. “Steve, do something with her, would you?”
Greg snickered. “I think he already did.”
Kelly held up two fingers behind her back so Jennifer would see. She heard Jen’s soft laughter.
“Oh, so that’s it,” Jennifer announced as she firmly attached the barrette. “You guys had a twofer. No wonder you’re so wound up.”
The living room exploded with laughter then. Kelly felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks as she joined her friends. “Blabbermouth.” She gave Jennifer a poke.
“Dude, better not do that again,” Greg advised Steve. “She’s outta control.”
“No promises,” Steve said with a grin.
“Control? Kelly?” Lisa scoffed. “What are you thinking?”
“Hey, mind your own business, Greg,” Kelly parried as she plopped on the arm of Steve’s chair.
“Okay, okay,” Megan said, leaning beside Marty, who was still cackling. “I’ll make it easy. Once you hear the music, Kelly, start walking up the aisle toward the minister. Lisa, you’re next, then Jennifer, and I’ll go last.”
“Do we have flowers?” Jennifer asked as she smoothed her lime green dress, curved beneath the bust.
“Yes, we’re all carrying bouquets of spring flowers from Mimi’s garden. All except Kelly. She gets a bunch of dandelions,” Megan joked.
Kelly was about to protest when Mimi and Burt entered the living room.
“What’s going on?” Mimi asked. “We heard all the laughter.”
“Yeah, what’s so funny?” Burt asked.
Mimi was gorgeous in a lemon yellow silk dress, which set off her frosted blonde hair perfectly as well as her coloring. Mimi was blushing already, her cheeks rosy. Burt was attired in a smartly tailored charcoal gray suit with a burgundy tie. His face was flushed also. They both looked really, really happy.
Kelly couldn’t resist. She pointed to the handsome happy couple and declared, “Look! Mimi and Burt were stuck in traffic, too.”
Once again, the room rocked with laughter.
“Lift up your feet,” Kelly said to Jennifer. She gave a little kick and sent the canopied glider into motion again. It swung forward and back in a gentle arc.
“I can’t believe it. Jayleen’s not wearing denim.” Jennifer held up her wineglass, gesturing across Mimi’s backyard.
Kelly searched through the clusters of friends and family that filled the yard until she found Colorado Cowgirl Jayleen Swinson, looking sharp in a beige pantsuit. Curt Stackhouse stood beside her, attired in a conservative gray suit. Kelly almost did a double take—she didn’t recognize the Colorado Rancher.
“Curt’s looking good, too.” She moved her glass in an arc. “Everybody looks gorgeous today. Tomorrow we’ll all go back to cutoffs and casual. Except for you. You’ve got to look good for clients.”
Jennifer g
lanced to her. “Do you miss that, Kelly? Meeting clients, I mean.”
“Ohhhh, I get to meet clients every now and then. Go over their accounts and all that. And during tax season, I help them with financial strategies.”
“Is that enough? Sometimes I get the feeling that your alpaca clients aren’t holding your interest like they used to.” She shrugged and kicked the ground, sending the glider into another gentle rocking arc. “It’s just a hunch. I may be wrong.”
Kelly was no longer surprised by her friend’s perceptiveness. Jennifer always seemed to pick up on things. “Boy, I hope you’re the only one picking up those vibes. I’ve got to work on that transparency thing.”
Jennifer smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m just tuned in. What’s happening? Tired of clients that are soft and fuzzy and stare at you with big brown eyes?”
“Kind of. It’s gotten too easy. There’s no challenge anymore. I’m just entering expenses and receipts now. Most of those clients don’t need a CPA. A bookkeeper can take care of their businesses. I’m waaaay overqualified.” She released a long sigh. “At first it was fun to learn a new business. Fun to meet the clients and have face-to-face planning sessions with them. But now . . . it’s just not enough anymore.”
“Did anything happen to turn you off? Was there a client-from-hell? I’ve had my share of those.”
Kelly laughed softly and gave the glider another push. “No, the clients are great. It’s not them, it’s me. It’s all me. And, yes, there was something that happened. I spent a week in Denver at CPA continuing education classes, and I got my fingers back into those complex accounting issues again. And I was hooked. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed unraveling those puzzles.”
Jennifer observed her for a minute. “So, what are you going to do? Drop your fuzzy clients? Join a CPA firm?”
Kelly wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Noooo. I have no intention of joining a firm again. Been there, done that. But I like the idea of consulting. That’s essentially what I’m doing with my new client. You know, the rancher/ developer guy that Curt connected me with. Now, his work is much more interesting. He’s got two different businesses, and there are all sorts of cross-connections going on. Now, that’s challenging.”
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