Figure Skating Mystery Series: 5 Books in 1

by Alina Adams

  "Mollie Vazquez. She's the senior feature producer for this event. Gil thought I needed a little help, so Mollie took my research and the video I shot and she's actually cutting the feature and putting everything together."

  "I'd rather you did the interview," Craig said.

  "Me?"

  "Jeremy liked you and, frankly, I think he'd be more comfortable with a familiar face over a total stranger. I know I certainly would be."

  "Craig, I'm not a producer. Gil loves to remind me of that — sometimes twice a day. Usually when I make a suggestion. Especially if I say, 'I think...' And then Gil tells me, 'You're not being paid to think.' And that's when he also reminds me that I'm not a producer. But, uhm, I guess that's my issue. Anyway, that's why I don't usually do the serious interviews, just the prep stuff. Off-camera."

  "Please, Bex," he said. "Look, I know I made it sound like Jeremy is doing fine. And he is, up to a point. But he's still only thirteen years old. And his life's been turned upside down. How many people is he supposed to spill his guts to? It's like being in the hospital when, every half hour, a new med student comes to take the same case history. I would like to spare him that. Please. I'm okay with him granting the interview. But I want you to conduct it."

  She didn't know what to say. It was a vote of confidence, if not an outright act of absolution. Bex desperately wanted to accept it. But she knew it wasn't all up to her.

  She said, "I'll ask Gil if it's okay with him. I don't know what he'll say."

  "Great thanks. Let me know, Bex. I appreciate it." And Craig moved away with a relieved smile, heading down the steps to stand rinkside with Jeremy and his coach.

  On the ice. Coop skated up to Jeremy, bent his head, and whispered something in confidence that made Jeremy's usual million-dollar smile beam into the billions. The boy nodded enthusiastically, then turned around, glided backward for half the rink's length, picked up speed, and, just as he got to the center, flung both legs in the air so that his body, for a moment appeared suspended parallel to the ice in a move the skating world called, rather ominously, a Death Drop. When he finished, he skated back over to Coop, who nodded his head, then made a scissoring movement with his fingers. Jeremy cocked his head to the side and watched Coop's fingers. Coop did it again. Jeremy nodded, and repeated his preparation for the Death Drop. This time, when he leaped into the air, his legs appeared to fly over his head, creating a much more dramatic effect. Coop clapped enthusiastically, and the audience joined him. Even from the top of the stands, Bex could see Jeremy blush and simultaneously drink in the adulation.

  That Coop Devaney, he sure did seem like a nice guy, didn't he? The kind of nice guy who would never abandon his pregnant girlfriend, driving her to kill herself. But, then again, Bex supposed even nice guys had their breaking points. And discovering that your girlfriend was pregnant by your coach would probably qualify as reason for one.

  Bex checked her schedule, noting that the men's practice was scheduled to go on for another fifteen minutes. She resolved to wait and talk to Coop right after. As far as she knew, no one had told him yet about Allison — at least that's what Bex presumed. She didn't suppose a man could learn that his long-missing ex was lying dead a few feet away, leaving a baby behind, then proceed to step on the ice and commence practicing as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, only yesterday during the Pairs session, Bex had seen a boy drop his partner from an overhead lift. The girl crumpled to the ice, landing on her head, and then lay there, conscious but immobile. A paramedic rushed onto the surface, warned her not to move in case her neck was broken, then ran to call 911. The other pairs skaters watched the commotion for a moment, then proceeded with their practice, skating around the injured girl until a stretcher was brought to carry her off. And then they skated around the stretcher. So, really, even if he did know about Allison, Coop's disregard wouldn't be completely unprecedented.

  Considering that gossip about Allie, Coop, Idan, and Omri was already so thick within the arena Bex felt like she could open her mouth and take a taffy-textured bite, it would have appeared unlikely for Coop not to have heard. Except that the bulk of the commotion began after he'd stepped onto the ice. And most skaters, when practicing, were hard pressed to hear anything beyond the ache of their bones, the whine of their muscles, and the deafening roar of their ambition.

  Bex decided to head down toward ice level, meaning to stand by the exit and be the first to grab Cooper as he got off. She was hoping to catch his initial, uncensored reaction to the news, and chart the rest of her investigation accordingly.

  Bex only got as far as the second tier of seats before she noticed a figure heading in her direction, zipping along the row just underneath, so that she was primed to cut Bex off from going any farther.

  Lian Reilly pressed one arm against the last seat in the row, and another along the barrier, and hopped up to land right in Bex's path. She looked more mature than the last time Bex dealt with her, a few weeks earlier, at the "U.S. vs. Russia" invitational cheesefest in Moscow. Gone was the waist-length, ebony pigtail Lian had been neatly winding into a bun atop her head since Juvenile Girls days. She'd cut her hair short, so the ends softly brushed her cheeks and covered her ears, making Lian's face look rounder. It was a nice change from the pinched scowl the pigtail created by yanking Lian's face into a furrowed oval. She'd also updated her wardrobe. Out went the cutesy denim jeans with pink and white flowers embroidered along the hems and pockets, along with the pastel Peter Pan collar shirts. This morning Lian was wearing low-riding hip-huggers that showed off her flat stomach and just the very edge of a lacy black thong, plus a green cashmere sweater that may have technically been a modest turtleneck, but stretched just enough across the bustline to flaunt two perky, jiggling nipples.

  What a difference a boy makes, Bex thought

  "Is it true?" Lian demanded. Unfortunately, despite the cosmetic changes, her tone of voice remained the same. Somewhere between a demand and a whine, it told the world that Lian Reilly refused to be denied, while at the same time making everyone around her want to, on principle, refuse whatever it was she was currently requesting.

  "Is what true?" Bex stalled. She told herself it was for reasons of confidentiality. But frankly, it was mostly to mess with Lian.

  "About Allie Adler? Did she really hang herself in the wardrobe room?"

  "It seems that way."

  "And was there really a baby?"

  "That also seems to be the case."

  "Is it Allie's baby?"

  Bex hesitated. The fact was, no DNA testing had been done. Idan, as far as she knew, hadn't even turned up with Omri's birth certificate yet. So, really, the evidence was still all circumstantial up to this point. Bex wasn't obligated to tell Lian anything.

  Not that Lian cared. She had her own agenda, and Bex's actually confirming her assumptions was a mere technicality. Lian said, "I bet you think it's Coop's baby, too."

  Bex told the truth. "Allie's dad said so, yes."

  "Well, he's not. He's not Bex." She may have been wearing a thong, but Lian also could stomp her foot like somebody wrapped in a diaper. "I'm Coop Devany's girlfriend, and I'm telling you, there's no way he could be the father of Allie's baby."

  CHAPTER FOUR

  "What makes you say that?" Bex asked, keeping her voice neutral. The better not to blurt out even one of the many sentiments currently coursing through her brain.

  "Because" — Lian looked quite pleased to be the one telling Bex something she didn't know, for a change — "Coop doesn't believe in premarital sex!"

  "Really?" Bex stayed in neutral. And thought of all the girls she'd heard swear differently.

  "Yes. He thinks it's morally wrong. We both do. That's why we're going to have a purity ceremony."

  "A purity ceremony," Bex repeated.

  "We're going to pledge not to have sex before marriage. And we're going to exchange purity rings. Here, look." Lian, with great effort, managed to squeeze one hand into the pocket of her
skintight jeans and tugged out a shiny ring that she proudly displayed to Bex atop her palm. "This is the Unblossomed Rose model. See the rose on the front? It's real gold. Fourteen karats. Coop is getting the Rugged Cross model. Also in gold. It's more masculine. We thought about getting matching ones, you know? But I didn't want one like his, and Coop didn't really want to wear a rose — I don't blame him or anything. It would have been nice to match, but it's the thought that counts. We're going to do it right here, during the Nationals. After the Ladies' Short Program and the Men's Long."

  Bex may not have been to a lot of weddings, and she'd certainly never been to a purity ceremony. But she was, nevertheless, amused by the image of an invitation with the words TIME — After the Ladies' Short Program handwritten in calligraphy.

  "Maybe 24/7 can cover the ceremony!" Lian piped up. "That way, Coop and I can be role models, you know? For other young people who might not have values as good as us."

  Bex asked, "This purity ceremony, whose idea was it? Yours or Coop's?"

  "Both of ours," Lian said proudly. "But he's totally into it. Really. That's how I know Coop can't be Allie's baby's father. He's not like that"

  "Lian is right, Bex." Amanda Reilly materialized on the steps beside them and beamed at her little girl. "Cooper Devaney is a lovely boy. He has excellent values. I can't imagine a more proper young man to court my daughter. I'm thrilled."

  To be honest, Amanda really did look thrilled. Bex guessed it was because Lian was finally doing something normal for a change. Nevertheless, Bex also couldn't help wondering if Lian's passionate defense of her and Cooper's mutual virginity had been as much for Bex's benefit as it had been for her mother's. What if Lian spotted Amanda lurking (wasn't she always, where Lian was concerned?) and decided to put on a little show to keep Mommy off her back, with Bex as a witness? Not to mention the even more obvious fact — just because Coop allegedly wasn't having sex with Lian didn't mean he hadn't had it with Allison. At least once. Which was all it took. In fact, it made sense that Coop would be so proabstinence now, if he'd already learned — say, nine months or so ago — the consequences of his last, nonpure relationship.

  A few feet away, the referee got on his microphone and called men's practice over, ordering the ice cleared.

  "Excuse me," Bex said to Lian and Amanda, heading toward the ground level and Coop. Much to her displeasure, Mother and Daughter Reilly followed her.

  Even worse, as soon as they got within hearing distance, Lian pushed ahead of Bex and called out, for the whole arena to hear, "Coop! Coop! Did you hear? Isn't it awful? Did they tell you?"

  Her shrieks attracted not only Coop's attention but also that of Sebastian Vama and half the arena, including Jeremy and Craig Hunt. Since, by Bex's best estimate, the only people in the place who currently didn't know what Lian was yelling about were Coop and Sebastian, it made sense that the rest of the crowd stopped what they were doing to watch how the two would react to the bombshell. Which was exactly what Bex had been planning to do. Only she hadn't been planning on an audience.

  Bex picked up the pace, hoping to be standing close enough when Lian spilled the beans to accurately gauge Coop and Sebastian's responses. At the moment, however, the pair resembled nothing so much as a pair of befuddled photo negatives. Both stood close to six feet tall, limbs, shoulders, abdomens, and butts as encased in a sheath of glistening muscle as butterflies in a tight cocoon. Both wore tight-fitting, navy, Lycra pants with a plain white T- shirt, though Coop had already shed his USA World Team jacket in the heat of practice, while Sebastian, coaching from the side, still wore his. The main difference however, was in their coloring. Coop with his sandy hair, hazel eyes, and dimpled chin stood in direct contrast to Sebastian, who, despite being only half Indian on his father's side, nevertheless sported jet-black hair, mocha latte skin, eyes so dark it was impossible to discern iris from pupil, thick brows that jutted menacingly over those eyes as if they might swallow them, and an overall visage that appeared to have been forged by a boulder being repeatedly sharpened against the side of a cliff.

  Upon Lian's hollering, Coop and Sebastian turned around to face her. Sebastian raised a well-rehearsed eyebrow to indicate he found her outburst most unseemly. Coop looked equally displeased, but also resigned.

  "What is it?" he asked Lian. "What are you yelling about?"

  Anyone else would have run out of breath from the effort of zipping down two flights of stairs while spewing gossip like rose petals at a wedding, but Lian was, in the end, a world-class athlete, and she was barely winded. She leaped over the final barrier separating spectators from skaters and landed smack in front of her boyfriend, looking even more pleased with herself than she usually did at the end of a six-triple program.

  She beamed and said, "Allison Adler," presenting the name like a triumph.

  Both Coop and Sebastian jerked at the declaration.

  "Allie?"

  "What about Allie?"

  "Did you hear from her?"

  "Is she here?"

  "What's she doing here?"

  "Where is she?"

  The questions clanked like javelins colliding in mid- flight. It was impossible to figure out who said what, although, even from a distance, it was obvious how shocked both men were by the mere mention of Allison's name.

  Bex arrived in time to hear Lian gleefully announce, "She's dead!"

  No one said a word. Even the spectators were frozen in place. Sebastian and Coop looked at each other. They both looked back at Lian.

  Finally Coop said, "What are you talking about, baby?"

  "It's true," she insisted. "The police were here and everything. Allie hung herself right in the costume room this morning."

  Coop looked sick. Sebastian just looked furious. "That's not a funny joke, Lian."

  "I'm not joking! Ask anyone! Ask Bex!"

  They turned to look at her. Bex could only nod her head awkwardly. When the gesture failed to illicit a reaction, she swallowed hard and admitted, "It is true. I spoke with the policeman in charge of the investigation. They found Allison in the costume room, she had a belt around her neck, and she was dead."

  "But that's not all!" Lian had ceded the spotlight long enough, and now it was time for everyone to look at her again. "There was a baby!"

  "A... what?" Sebastian asked.

  Meanwhile Coop, whose sickness seemed to be progressing from a minor flu to the bubonic kind, couldn't take it any longer. Still recovering from an intense workout, his legs gave out from under him and he fell to the floor with a thud more awkward than anything they'd ever seen from him on the ice. Coop landed smack on his tail-bone, but didn't even seem to register the expected pain. He hadn't had a chance to put his skateguards on yet, which meant his exposed blades sliced and sunk into the padded walkway from the impact, leaving him sitting at an impossibly uncomfortable angle, knees sticking straight up. He didn't appear to notice.

  He looked up at Lian as if pleading for her to correct him. "A baby? Allie had a baby?"

  Lian nodded eagerly, her boyfriend sprawled devastated on the ground not a great concern. "And you'll never guess who the dad is!" She turned to face Sebastian, knowing the revelation would be an equally big deal to him. "Idan Ben-Golan!"

  "You're lying," Sebastian replied, as far away from normal on the eerily calm spectrum as Coop was on the distraught. "That's impossible."

  "Uh-ha! Idan told the police so."

  Bex gently agreed. "He says he has a birth certificate to prove it."

  Sebastian shook his head. "No," he said. "I'd have known. Allie would have told me. The three of us — me, Allie, and Idan — we were constantly together. On the ice, six hours a day, every day. And when she wasn't with us, she was with..." Sebastian trailed off and turned his head in Coop's direction. "No," he repeated. "I'd have known. We'd have known."

  Coop said, "Allie never said a word. I kept asking her what was wrong. And she never said a word."

  "Well, she probably felt so guilty," L
ian reasoned. "I mean, you two were dating, and she knew how you felt about premarital sex, and there she goes cheating on you and having sex, and with Idan, too, and he's married!"

  Coop shook his head. "Last year, at Nationals, I knew something was wrong. I thought she was going to break up with me. But she didn't. She just disappeared. She never said a word to me. She just took off. I couldn't figure it out."

  "She didn't want you to realize how promiscuous she'd been," Lian asserted.

  Coop asked Bex, "What kind of baby is it?"

  "What?"

  "I mean" — he waved an arm in front of his face as if desperately trying to chase off a mental fog — "is it a boy or a girl?"

  "A boy," Bex said.

  "A boy," Coop repeated. He looked up. "Can I see him?"

  Bex wasn't sure when it became her place to grant visitation rights, but TV did have that effect on people. She said, "He's in the waiting lounge upstairs. Come on. I'll take you. I know where it is."

  Coop struggled to get up. Bex wondered how far he intended to get with skates still on his feet, but he appeared oblivious.

  Lian grabbed Coop's arm. He thought she was helping him up, but she actually merely wanted to tug aggressively on his sleeve and demand, "Where are you going? What are you doing? Coop! Answer me!"

  "Lian." The way he said her name made it obvious Coop had forgotten she was even there. And the way her nose crinkled made it equally obvious that Lian realized it. "Lian, please, I need to go."

  "Why?" she asked. Bex had a fleeting impulse to play schoolteacher, turn to the crowd still watching them, and ask, "Class, who would like to explain for Lian why it is that Cooper wishes to see Allison's baby?"

  "Lian..." he tried to shake her off, but she'd already let go of his arm in disgust.

  "You son of a bitch!" Lian shouted.

  "Not now, Lian."

  "Son! Of! A! Bitch!" Lian gave each word its own personal explanation point. "So what was all that purity crap about, huh? You said premarital sex was wrong. That you loved me too much to disrespect me. Here I thought you were being the gentleman, not putting moves on me. You weren't a gentleman! You were just exhausted!"