Frannie and Dani exchanged a horrified look.
“And you thought your counselor meant that you should kill Regina?” Dani couldn’t keep the dismay from her voice.
“No!” Abby shook her head vigorously. “I decided to confront Regina at her luau in front of all those sycophants that she called friends.”
“But you didn’t.” Dani wrinkled her brow. “What changed your mind?”
“When I got there, I saw how drunk everyone was and I knew they’d never take my side against Regina. Not with all her fancy food and booze and power.” Abby’s shoulders slumped. “I knew they’d never listen to me.”
“But you didn’t leave.” Dani vaguely recalled glimpsing Abby just before Vance set the table on fire. At the time, the girl had just registered as one of Dani’s lunch-to-go customers, but now she remembered thinking that she seemed out of place at the party.
“I felt paralyzed.” Abby licked her lips. “I couldn’t make myself go home, but I couldn’t make myself confront Regina either.”
“I understand. You wanted to be published so badly and it seemed as if Regina had snatched it out of your hands for a second time. It made you numb.” Dani patted Abby’s arm. “What happened next?”
“When the party started breaking up, I was going to leave.” Abby’s voice cracked. “Then I heard Regina lay into her boyfriend and call him a big loser. Laz had always been nice to me, so I hesitated. Then Regina told him that she couldn’t stand to, uh…eff him one more time. When her book was a big success, she was moving to New York and would never have to see him again.”
Regina’s cruelty left Dani breathless. She sucked in a lungful of air before she asked, “So he and Vance left?”
“Yes. Regina marched them out to the driveway as if she didn’t trust them to go.” Abby glared. “And that’s when I did it.”
“You must have been extremely angry,” Dani encouraged.
“I was.” Abby made a sweeping gesture with her hands. “I knew that Regina would just go on ruining life after life and never have to experience the consequences of her actions. I remembered hearing her yell at you about the desserts you were supposed to save for her, and I recalled the rumors around the sorority house that she was bulimic, so I grabbed the vials of insulin and a syringe from my purse and I injected all the food you had left her.”
“You just happened to have vials of insulin and a syringe with you?” Frannie asked. “I thought you said you use a pump.”
“Even with a pump it’s vital to have backup,” Abby explained. “And I had just bought a new supply of insulin that morning and hadn’t taken it out of my purse yet.”
“I thought insulin needed to be refrigerated,” Frannie said.
“Insulin may be stored at room temperature for up to a month,” Abby recited as if she’d explained that fact a hundred times. Then she blinked and said, “Anyway. Once I injected the food, I left. I knew that stomach acid breaks down insulin, but I thought that if Regina binged and ingested such a large amount she’d at least get sick. I never thought she’d die.”
“What if someone else ate it?” Frannie challenged.
“Regina’s housekeeper was gone and she was alone.” Abby screwed up her face. “I hid in the pool house and watched all night and the next morning. No one entered the house. Then Regina came out to the pool a little past noon and began stuffing the food into her mouth so fast, I thought she’d choke on it.
“If Regina hadn’t eaten the stuff by the time her housekeeper got back, I would have made some excuse to get into the kitchen and dispose of the tainted food.” Abby put her hand over her heart. “I swear.”
“You didn’t know that Regina was taking a prescription for her ulcer or that the medication would protect the insulin from her stomach acid?” Dani asked.
“I had no idea,” Abby said. “If I had, I would never have dosed her food.”
The three women were silent, then after several minutes, Abby asked, “Now what?”
With her story told, Dani could see that the girl was fading fast.
“Abby.” Dani made her voice soothing and her expression understanding. “You know we’re going to have to call the police.”
“No!” Abby collapsed against the back of the chair. “You can’t. I mean, I thought you were my friends.”
“We are,” Dani said gently. “But there’s no other way.”
“What will happen to me?” Abby buried her face in her palms.
“Before you turn yourself in, you need to call an attorney.” Dani pushed her cell phone toward the girl. “And maybe your parents and therapist too.”
“My parents are in Australia.” Abby sobbed. “And I don’t know any lawyers.”
“You’re in luck.” Frannie grabbed Dani’s cell—her own was still recording the conversation. “I happen to know the best criminal defense attorney in Illinois, and Loretta only lives about an hour away.”
While Frannie contacted her friend, Dani led Abby to the house phone and had the girl call her therapist. The woman agreed to meet them at the mansion ASAP.
After Dani sent a text to Spencer explaining the situation, she insisted that Abby eat lunch while they waited for the lawyer and her therapist to arrive. Being diabetic, the girl couldn’t afford to skip a meal and it was unlikely that she’d be fed any time soon at the police station.
As Abby ate, Dani and Frannie stared sadly at each other. The poor girl. She had been doing so well until she’d fallen into Regina’s web of deceit. Dani felt sorry for Abby and could only hope that she would get the help she needed rather than a long prison term.
Two hours later, Abby, her attorney, and her therapist left the mansion for the police station. Spencer had contacted the chief and she would be there to process the girl personally. No one wanted to see Abby turned over to Mikeloff.
It was nearly five o’clock when Frannie finally left the mansion and Dani was exhausted. As she collapsed across her bed, her last thoughts before drifting to sleep were that although it seemed as if Abby had been pushed to her limit and Regina had been responsible for her own death, that wasn’t true.
Everyone had to be accountable for their own actions and that included Abby. She made the wrong choices and she would have to pay the price. It was a shame that mean girls like Regina always seemed to bring other people down with them.
In the end, everyone suffered because of Regina’s narcissism. Dani just hoped that those who had been involved in the whole disgusting mess would learn a lesson and be better people because of it.
Epilogue
Dani tugged on the skirt of her black dress. The hem was several inches above her knees and she felt naked. Either the sheath was a lot shorter than she remembered, or her hips were a lot bigger and were hiking it up. When she’d stood in her closet looking for something appropriate to wear, she’d discovered that her go-to navy suit had a huge hole where the breast pocket of the jacket had caught on something and torn off. Which is why she’d been forced to settle for the only other dark piece of clothing she owned, whether it fit well or not.
She hesitated halfway up the steps of the funeral home and stared at herself in the mirrored wall. The length wasn’t as bad as she feared. The black tights certainly helped, as did the ballet flats. As long as she didn’t bend over, it would be fine.
Slipping the straps of her handbag over her forearm, Dani finished climbing the stairs and walked through the double glass doors. The overpowering smell of flowers hit her full force, and she squeezed her eyes shut trying not to sneeze.
She hated wakes and usually managed to talk herself out of attending them, but due to her involvement in the murder investigation, she’d considered herself duty-bound to come to Regina’s. Dani felt torn between her abhorrence of someone taking another’s life and her sympathy for Abby.
Although a week had passed since Abby had confessed, and her atto
rney was working on a plea bargain, they wouldn’t know for months what would happen to her. And Dani feared that the best the girl could hope for was an offer of involuntary manslaughter, which in Illinois carried a two- to five-year prison sentence and up to twenty-five thousand dollars in fines. Her parents had stated that they would pay any fines, but Abby would definitely have to spend time behind bars.
Pushing thoughts of Abby aside, Dani took her place at the end of the line of people waiting to pay their respects and studied the Bournes. Although she shouldn’t have been, she was surprised to see Honoria looking her usual sleek, patrician self. Any evidence of grief or regret was well hidden by makeup and there were no telltale mascara tracks on her cheeks.
Anson stood next to his wife, sober in a charcoal-gray Brooks Brothers suit. His countenance was stoic, but Dani noticed an occasional tic near his left eye and he constantly clenched and unclenched his fists.
Dani was trying to interpret the tycoon’s expression when she noticed she was next in line.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bourne, you have my deepest sympathy.”
Regina’s mother nodded regally, but her father asked, “How did you know my daughter?”
Dani thought fast. Now that Abby had confessed, was it okay to acknowledge that she’d catered the luau? Maybe, but it was probably best to avoid it. “She and the girls who live with me were friends.”
Before Anson could respond, Honoria said, “Thank you for coming.” She took Dani’s arm and firmly propelled her down the line.
Spotting Mrs. Carnet chatting with a group of people, Dani waved and the housekeeper walked over to her.
Mrs. Carnet held out her hand and said, “I just wanted to express my gratitude to you for helping me when I had that flat tire. I should have sent you a note long ago, but I started a new job and have been so busy.”
“No need. You already thanked me that night.” Dani clasped the older woman’s fingers. “It’s wonderful that you found work so quickly. What are you doing?”
“I’m the new housemother for Alpha Beta Delta and I love it. Better pay, hours, and the girls are so polite.” Mrs. Carnet beamed. “Bliss recommended me when she heard that I was out of a job.”
“That was really sweet of her.” Dani looked around. “Is she here?”
“Yes.” Mrs. Carnet nodded toward a trio of young women. “She’s over there with some of her sorority sisters.”
Patting the older woman’s shoulder, Dani said, “I’m going to go say hi to Bliss. See you later.”
When Dani reached the girl, she hugged her and introduced herself to her friends. They all seemed genuinely concerned for Bliss, and Dani was relieved to see that she had such a good support system.
After a few minutes of chitchat, the two other young women excused themselves to use the bathroom and once they were out of earshot, Bliss took Dani’s hand. “I never did stop by to thank you for listening to me the night of the football dinner. I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
“Oh?”
“I forced myself to take a good long look at Vance and I…I realized that I didn’t love him.” Bliss’s lips twisted. “Heck. I didn’t even like him.”
“So you called it quits?” Dani asked. “What about your plan to marry some guy to support you?”
“I still have a year.” Bliss shrugged. “There are other fish in the sea and I have pretty tempting bait.” She ran her hands over her hips. “But this time, I’m going to really make sure he’s a good guy before I reel him in.”
“How about love?” Dani asked, amused at the young woman’s determination.
“That too.”
Bliss’s friends returned and Dani said goodbye. She made her way out of the main room and into a small parlor. Slouched on one of the two chairs was Vance King.
Wondering what her reception would be, Dani perched on the love seat and said, “Hi. I don’t know if you remember me or not. I catered Regina’s luau.”
“Yeah.” Vance sat up straighter. “Your food was great. Sorry about knocking over the torch.”
“Thanks. Glad I was able to put out the fire so fast.” Dani studied the young man. He was pale and seemed to have aged ten years. “Are you okay?”
“What do you think?” Lance pulled at his necktie. “I’m off the team, my girlfriend broke up with me, and my parents are so disgusted with me they can’t stand to have me around.”
“That’s tough.” Dani scooted closer so she could lower her voice. “Will you have to go to trial for breaking into Regina’s house?”
“Nah.” Vance’s fair skin reddened. “My folks got the Bournes to say that I had permission to be in their home.”
“Why would Regina’s parents do that?”
“Since Regina and I had dated, they didn’t want the contents of the video to get out any more than my parents did.” The young man squirmed. “Although people have heard about it, seeing it is a different matter. If there was a trial, it would be played in the courtroom. Then it would doubtlessly get on the internet and live forever.”
“Well.” Dani patted Vance’s clenched fists. “At least you won’t have to worry about having a criminal record.”
Vance shrugged and didn’t respond.
“I’m sorry you lost your spot on the football team, but it’s probably for the best that Bliss broke up with you.”
Dani was surprised when Vance sighed, “Yeah. We weren’t right for each other.” His lips quirked at the corners. “One of the cops took me aside and talked to me about my…ah…unusual tastes.” He glanced at Dani and when she nodded her understanding, he stared at his hands. “He has similar preferences and steered me toward a club of like-minded men and women. He’s going to mentor me in the lifestyle.”
“That’s good.” Dani was thankful for her experience in HR. This was far from the first time that she’d heard about BDSM. “I believe the rule is safe, sane, and consensual. As you follow that tenet and find a woman who likes what you like, I bet you’ll end up a lot happier than trying to change or hide who you are.”
He grunted his agreement and Dani said goodbye, then wandered into the other room. Holding back a giggle, she wondered if anyone else had ever dispensed advice about BDSM at a funeral.
A commotion at the funeral-home door drew Dani’s attention away from her speculation. Standing just inside the room, arguing in whispers, were Chelsea and Trent Karnes.
Dani moved toward them in time to hear Trent say to Chelsea, “I feel like a hypocrite being here.”
Chelsea tightened her grip on her husband’s arm and hissed, “Just say you’re sorry for their loss. You are sorry Regina is dead, right?”
A mutinous look on his handsome face, Trent muttered, “Of course I’m sorry. But those people didn’t even come home when they found out their daughter was murdered. They’re no more in mourning than my computer is.”
“You’re probably right,” Chelsea said, guiding her husband toward the front of the visitation room, “but since when does sincerity matter in our crowd?”
As the Karneses moved off, Dani rolled her eyes. She was glad she only had to cook for the upper class, not socialize with them. Speaking of which, what was Ivy doing here with Laz? She hadn’t said anything when Dani had told her she was going to the wake.
Dani spotted them seated on a small settee situated off to the side of the row of folding chairs. Curiosity drove Dani over to them and as soon as Laz spotted her, he dropped Ivy’s hand and shot to his feet.
His ears red, he said, “Ivy didn’t mention you were coming to the wake.”
“Oh?” Dani raised a brow. “Maybe she didn’t remember me telling her.”
“You were already gone when Laz texted to see if I’d go with him,” Ivy explained.
“How are you doing, Laz?” Dani asked.
“Okay.” The young man shrugged. “Today’s ha
rd. I keep trying to reconcile the Regina I knew all my life with the one she’d turned into at the end.”
“It seems that there’s often a distance between our visions of someone we think we love and who they really are. A lot of us never make that crucial leap because the price can be too high. We’re afraid that if we see the real person, we won’t be able to handle it.”
“I suppose that’s true.” Laz slumped. “I knew my folks expected us to get married and I didn’t want to see who she really was because then I’d have to disappoint my parents one more time.”
“And now?” Dani asked, glancing at Ivy. She hoped the girl wasn’t letting herself in for a world of hurt.
“Now, I’m going to keep working my program and make them proud of me.” He touched Ivy’s cheek. “And not just because I do what they want me to do.”
“That’s good. Because life may not always be tied in a bow, but it’s still a gift.”
Seeing Laz and Ivy looking at each other with such affection, Dani thought of Spencer. She’d only seen him once since Abby confessed, and that had been to check on the girls. He hadn’t said anything to Dani about them getting together again. Evidently, they were back to being just Ivy’s landlord and uncle. It was probably for the best, but it certainly didn’t feel that way.
Pushing down her regret, Dani said goodbye to Ivy and Laz and headed for the exit. The scents of flowers, perfume, and sweat were closing up her sinuses and she needed a breath of fresh air.
For more Denise Swanson check out the
Welcome Back to Scumble River series
Die Me a River
On sale September 2018
About the Author
© David Stybr
Denise Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Scumble River mysteries and the Devereaux’s Dime Store mysteries, as well as many contemporary romances. She worked as a school psychologist for twenty-two years before quitting to write full-time. She lives in rural Illinois with her husband. Visit her online on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
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