by Brenda Bone
Lindsay grinned. “Now you know how your parents must have felt when they were summoned to the principal’s office each time you disobeyed school rules.”
“Yes. They probably felt outraged and secretly amused at the same time, the way I feel now with my boys.” Nicole looked across the room and called, “Ariel! Come here!”
Swallowing hard, Lindsay spotted Ariel Cash, a hazel-eyed brunette that looked petite and stylishly dressed in a taupe Ralph Lauren dress. Ariel had been Connie’s constant rival. Lindsay spent many hours through the years, listening to Connie sob and cry after becoming the target of Ariel’s contemptuous schemes.
“Hi!” Ariel greeted them. “Isn’t this a fun party? Did you see all the old homecoming pictures of me on the bulletin board outside in the hall?”
Some people never change, but remain self-absorbed all their lives, Lindsay thought.
“Yes. There are pictures of each member of the class on the board,” Nicole told her, and then pointed at Lindsay. “Did you know this is Connie Blair’s younger sister?”
“No.” Ariel’s face took on a strange expression. “But that explains why I felt like I saw a ghost earlier. Nice to meet you, Lindsay. I can’t tell you how affected I was by Connie’s death. She and I fought often and competed hard against one another, but underneath it all, we respected each other. We understood one another in ways that others didn’t understand us.”
Liar! Lindsay remembered that Connie felt as close to Ariel as a fly would being near a spider. She had to force herself to be courteous. “Many people, myself included, felt shocked by Connie’s death.”
“Are you talking about Connie Blair?” asked a man who stood within hearing distance. About 5’11 with glossy black hair that began to recede on his forehead, he introduced himself. “Rafe Wagner…former captain of the high school football team.”
“Hi, Rafe. Yes, we were sharing memories of Connie,” Nicole replied. “Lindsay is Connie’s sister.”
“Her sister?” he echoed as if he found the news difficult to believe. His brown eyes contained an eerie, haunting, almost misty quality. “I never forgot Connie or how innocent and pretty she was. Many times through the years I envisioned her in my mind the way she looked the night of the party.”
“I remember that night,” Ariel recalled. “She seemed extraordinarily happy then…so vibrant the last time I saw her as she jotted down something in her address book.”
“Yes,” Nicole confirmed. “I was by the door when she left. Smiling, she didn’t look like she had any idea that misfortune was about to strike.”
“You all attended the same party that Connie did on the night of her death?” Lindsay wondered why she never heard this in the past. And why did Connie take her address book to the party? She rarely even used it and hardly ever took it out of her room.
“Yes,” Nicole answered.
“The police questioned each of us,” Ariel added. “It was frightening. Everyone that attended the party was treated like a possible suspect. I never felt so indignant in all my life.”
Rafe agreed and then rubbed the ugly pear-shaped tattoo on his upper arm. “Me, too. But the police were only doing their job.”
“I suppose so,” Ariel muttered, “but I resented the way they hinted that I might have known something more about Connie’s death!”
Nicole remembered, “You and Connie argued at the party because your ex-boyfriend asked Connie instead of you to go with him to a dance the following weekend. That’s probably why the police were harder on you than they were on the rest of us.”
Lindsay sighed, a bit upset that, until now, she never heard these details regarding the last hours of her sister’s life. Glancing across the room where Brant attended to the music so it flowed continuously, she wished he was beside her now.
“I still think about Constance from time to time,” Rafe said solemnly. “She was a special person that didn’t deserve to die so young. If I could’ve helped her, I would have because I owed her a lot.”
“Really?” Lindsay became further interested.
“In high school, as I said earlier, I was captain of the football team. When my grades slipped, the coach threatened to kick me off the team unless my academic skills improved. Connie agreed to tutor me on her lunch hours. If it hadn’t been for her, I might have failed, and certainly wouldn’t have been able to become a star player on the team. She inspired me…boosted my confidence…encouraged me so I went on to succeed.”
Their reminiscent stories about Connie caused grief to fill Lindsay’s heart again, but she did her best to hide her emotions. She regarded each of them, taking in everything about their expressions. Why was she stung by the suspicion that one of these three people knew more than they told about Connie’s death? She once read somewhere that people who were extremely close were often tuned into one another’s inner feelings, almost like they possessed ESP. Her relationship with Connie had been this way. Perhaps this was why she thought she could detect tension and the hidden truth in either Ariel, Nicole, or Rafe now.
The sight of Brant walking toward her temporarily made her feel better. “Come sit with me,” he invited. “We have time to relax now that everyone seems busy enjoying themselves.”
Everyone but me, she thought gloomily, but I might as well try to have a little fun.
“Why do you look so melancholy, Lindsay? Are you uncomfortable here? I’ll get you a ‘mystery drink’ and maybe it will cheer you up.”
“A mystery drink? What’s that?”
He shrugged. “We’ll find out.”
“Sorry, but I don’t feel daring tonight. Get the mystery drink for yourself and order a Coke for me.”
“So you want me to be the guinea pig? All right.”
A dark-eyed, dark-skinned young woman who was stunningly beautiful appeared, dressed in a long grass skirt and wearing flowers in her black hair like the other waitresses. “What would you like?”
“Coca-Cola for my lady and the mystery drink for me.”
The waitress giggled. “Yes, sir. Be right back!”
“What did I say that was so funny?” he whispered to Lindsay when the waitress left.
Shortly she returned with a Coke and a tall glass of luau watermelon punch on a tray. She gave the cola to Lindsay, and then after she set the other glass in front of Brant, she bent and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thanks! But what was the kiss for?” he asked her.
“It’s the mystery that goes along with the drink you ordered.”
Lindsay felt the sudden urge to slap her when she flirted so brazenly with Brant, but she didn’t give away her feelings and remained in control. The next few hours passed slowly. At last, the party ended. She stood beside Brant at the door as they bid goodnight to the guests that lingered there long after the reunion ended. Watching Rafe leave, then Ariel and Nicole, she felt again the nagging doubts inside her that made her believe one of them knew information regarding how and why her sister died. Yet she’d been unable to find out if, indeed, one of Connie’s former classmates hid important facts about her sister.
“Now that it’s time to go home, was the evening really so painful?” Brant asked.
“Yes. It really was.”
But I don’t have to relive the tragedy now that the reunion’s over, she thought, emotionally exhausted. After a good night’s sleep, Connie would return to where she belonged—in the past.
CHAPTER SIX
Lindsay and Brant became constant companions on and off the air. Being together with him, she found, provided the precious final ingredient her life needed to become complete. Brant revealed that he felt the same way. “Before I met you, I began to think all the honest women became extinct,” he told her one evening after they finished their program. “I’m delighted you proved me wrong.”
“You’re delighted? Even when we argue over how to go about doing things regarding our show?”
“Especially then. You exhaust my patience sometimes when you refuse
to bow to my wishes, but that keeps me on my toes. Anyway, many of your ideas are good. Like the time you organized the fund-raiser and teenagers helped you to raise money for the burn unit of the local children’s hospital by offering their services out for a work day.”
Reflecting on the situation, she beamed. It was wonderful that he appreciated her professional talents as well as her personal traits.
One afternoon when she sat, reading emails, at her desk, and looking over listeners’ song requests, Brant told her “Desi wants to see us.”
“What does he want this time?”
“I have no idea, but he looked serious when he told me to bring you and meet him at the office.”
“Desi always looks serious when he wants to discuss our program.”
“This time he seemed bothered. I hope he doesn’t have bad news.”
Seeing the tiny lines of his eyes and mouth, she realized that Brant was really worried. Maybe I should be, too, she thought.
Desi gave them the bad news. “You’ll both participate in a contest that entails going out and meeting listeners as well as making more public appearances. Listener votes will determine the winner.”
Brant frowned. “You’re forcing us, the weekend team, to compete against each other?”
“I’m afraid so.” Desi took off his glasses and cleaned them, a habit which Lindsay noticed he usually resorted to whenever he found himself in uncomfortable situations.
“Which of the other radio personalities will be involved in this contest?” she wanted to know.
“None.”
“Only Brant and me? But why?”
“You said Lindsay and I are a great team,” Brant reminded him.
“True, but now it’s necessary to have this contest, even if the station didn’t cut back on funding. Please don’t ask questions. Just trust my judgment. I’m doing what’s best to maintain our high ratings.” Desi passed a set of papers to Lindsay and another to Brant. “Here’s the list of rules and more details about the contest that begins tomorrow. Good luck. You may leave now.”
“Wait a minute! What does the winner get?” Brant inquired.
“To keep the position you now have here at WBKB.”
“And the loser?”
Desi pointed a finger toward the street below the window. “The loser must look for another job. Sorry to break the news to you so bluntly, but I want you both to understand. The station must make cuts or it won’t survive!”
“Unfortunately, we do understand,” Brant spoke sharply while Lindsay felt like Desi slapped her face.
In the hall Lindsay met Brant’s concerned gaze. “I didn’t expect this.”
“Me, either. Promise me something, Lindsay.”
“What?”
“That you won’t let the contest destroy our personal relationship.”
“I’ll try,” she vowed, “but that might not be easy.”
“Nothing worth having ever comes easily. You’re the most important person in my life, and I don’t want to lose you over some ridiculous contest.”
“You won’t.” Yet she knew the contest would add pressure and test their loyalty to one another.
A new Columbus shopping mall opened several days later and the weekend team traveled there for the ribbon cutting ceremony. While Brant spoke with the mall manager, Lindsay noticed Rafe Wagner as he sauntered toward her.
“Hello, Rafe.”
His eyes sparkled merrily and the corners of his mouth tugged slightly upward as he joined her. “What a nice surprise to see you again so soon, Lindsay.”
“Like the new mall?”
“It’s convenient, especially the computer store.” He held up a large bag full of software he purchased. The bag wasn’t strong enough to hold them all so it split and his items tumbled to the slate floor.
As Lindsay knelt to help him pick up his things, she saw a list of e-book titles: All About Reincarnation. Life After Death: Is It Possible? Ghosts: Are They Real?
“That’s some serious reading you’re doing,” she observed. “You’ve changed…matured into a more studious or spiritual type since your wild ways in high school, haven’t you?”
“Absolutely!” He nodded a silent greeting toward Brant, who returned and stood by Lindsay now. “I lived recklessly, but I lost many friends back then because I was irresponsible. I’ve gone through sheer agony to become the man I am today and to block out the memories of my impulsive teenage years.”
“Good for you, Rafe.”
“Lindsay, it’s time for us to leave,” Brant interrupted, stepping away from them. “Desi wants a full report of today’s activities when we reach the station.”
“I’ll be ready to go shortly.” She faced Rafe again. “If you’re ever near WBKB, stop in and see us. Maybe you could join Brant and me for a late dinner some evening.”
“I’d like that. Goodbye.”
As soon as Rafe left, Brant asked, “Why’d you do that?”
“What?”
“Invite Rafe to socialize with us.”
“I was only being polite. He’s hurting about something, Brant. I can tell. My guess is that he suffered some sort of tragic loss similar to my grief over my sister’s death.”
“Why do you think so?”
“He goes out of his way to be friendly, like he’s desperate for people’s approval, and there are shadows of sadness in his eyes.”
“Don’t be a fool, honey. Rafe probably concocted a sympathetic situation to gain your faith in him. It’s obvious to me by the way his gaze lingered on you that he’s infatuated with you. You’d be safer trusting a cat to deliver a mouse than to trust Rafe.”
Her eyes narrowed and her mouth twitched. “I resent you calling me a fool. And I don’t think Rafe is attracted to me at all. He may be lonely…need a friend, someone to talk to, but not someone to date. During his school days Rafe Wagner was always well accepted by his peers. Now he seems like a loner. He probably reached out to me because he senses I care about people.”
“Hogwash! Are you so naïve that you can’t tell when a guy tries to move in on another man’s girlfriend?”
“You’re acting childishly. You’re jealous!” She felt annoyed, not at all flattered, by his behavior.
“Me jealous of Rafe? He reminds me of the guy that usually doesn’t arrive at a party until it’s over. You think I envy that loser?” He laughed cynically, causing Lindsay to become even more frustrated with him.
Stepping outside into the warm air, they started toward the large parking lot. For a few seconds an icy silence froze their conversation.
“I thought you’d be more understanding, Brant. There’s nothing wrong with me feeling compassion for Rafe.”
“That man wants more than compassion from you. Wise up, sweetheart.”
She spoke sharply. “I wish you’d quit talking to me like I’m blind to the ways of the world.”
“I wish you’d stop acting like a gullible schoolgirl when you’re old enough that you should know when a man attempts to use you.”
“Rafe’s done nothing to try to take advantage of me. Until he does, I trust him.” Was Brant the one who used her? She didn’t think so before when he shared his inner feelings with her. But how respectfully is he treating me today? Seeing a large bus pull up to the curb, she turned away from him and started walking toward it.
“Where are you going?”
“To ride the bus home,” she replied without a backward glance.
“Ah, Lindsay, let me drive you home. I didn’t mean to make you angry. Now I wish I’d never said anything at all about Rafe.”
“So do I. But it’s not what you think of Rafe that bothers me. It’s your insinuation that I’m of a lower intelligence level than you that I don’t like.”
“I didn’t intend for you to take my remarks so personally. Maybe we spent too much time together and now we need to be apart for awhile to sort our feelings. This awful contest, like Rafe Wagner, hasn’t helped to strengthen our relation
ship.”
Seeing the last person at the bus stop climb aboard the long vehicle, she muttered, “I don’t want to miss the bus. See you tomorrow at work.”
Brant watched her hurry toward the sidewalk, then he sighed and got into his car. He flipped on the air conditioning until cool air flowed freely through the vents. Everything had gone smoothly between him and Lindsay until today. There was no doubt in his mind that Rafe Wagner posed a threat to their happiness. Why couldn’t she see that?
Lindsay knew she was in for a long night the next time she saw Brant, missing a script, in the control booth at WBKB. Reaching for a set of headphones, she murmured a quick greeting, then complained, “You know how I hate to work without a script. It makes me feel unprepared.”
“Relax. The job is less boring if we don’t know what will happen next.”
“I dislike working without a script,” she repeated, but adjusted the headphones over her ears.
“You look cute, like Minnie Mouse, wearing your headset.”
Playfully she stuck out her tongue. “You really know how to flatter a gal.”
“You’re even pretty when you make faces at me, but you look tense. Loosen up. You’re probably still fuming over our last argument, but we can’t let listeners detect that anything’s wrong between us.”
When Danielle finished giving the weather report, the newscaster turned off his light as a cue that it was time for Lindsay and Brant to turn on their microphones and take over the audience.
“Hi, folks. Ready to roll out the hits? We are!” Lindsay began. “But first, let me remind you that on Wednesday, Independence Day, there will be an exciting Red, White and Boom party along with a dazzling display of fireworks at the Columbus Amphitheater, beginning at eight p.m.”
“Don’t miss the fun along the riverfront. It’s sure to be a real blast,” Brant bantered.
Lindsay continued with the “Music News” report and then asked the daily trivia question. If only this evening would end quickly, she wished. She didn’t enjoy the competition that sizzled between her and Brant as they both were forced to wonder which of them would keep the job at WBKB and who would soon seek new employment.