I glanced around, but no one seemed to be within ear shot.
"What proof do you have?"
"In this game, we don't wait for proof before we act."
"Is this a threat?"
"Friendly advice. Act quickly before the other players realize you are their one true enemy. For when they do realize it, they will have no choice but to strike without mercy."
"Why are telling me this?"
He shrugged. "Say I enjoy the chase. It gets my blood up."
"This end game you speak of. When it happens, whose side will you be on?"
"The side of the victorious. Now, if you're the girl I think you are, go. I'll distract Everhardt while you do what must be done."
"What exactly is that?"
"We are standing outside Dean Everhardt's private study."
I glanced at the French doors.
"Where exactly?"
He smiled. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Robyn, don't you agree?"
With that, he kissed my hand and left.
He seemed sincere, but could I trust him? I watched him re-join the party. He began conversing with Dean Everhardt.
I turned the door handle and slowly opened the French doors to Everhardt's study. I glanced over my shoulder. No one was in sight, I quickly entered the room.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
I kept to the shadows of Dean Everhardt's private study. It was an L-shaped room lined with portraits of medieval knights.
I turned to the portraits on the wall. I peeked behind each but found no wall safe or indeed anything as fortunate as a thumb drive attached to the back of any of the paintings.
By the dim light I could just about make out the inscription on the gold plaques beneath each painting. I stopped at the central one.
It read: Sir Neville Everhardt.
An ancestor of the Dean's?
I searched the rest of the room. There was an antique mahogany desk. Locked drawers and plenty of books on shelves.
All seemed too mundane to be good hiding places for something as important as the secrets that Khan implied Everhardt to be keeping.
I turned back to the paintings. What had I learned from the others? Hide in plain sight.
"Well you can’t hide something in a painting, Robyn. Think again."
Each of the paintings was set in a large frame. Almost works of art in their own right.
I ran my fingers along the bumpy surface of the ornate and lavishly decorative frames of lilies and grotesque gargoyle heads.
Eventually, I came to the portrait of Sir Neville Everhardt.
My fingers rested on the head of the ugliest creature on the frame. One eye had popped out of its head and dangled on a stalk. It seemed to watch me walk around the room.
I was running out of time before someone would miss me. I paced up and down. Fight the panic.
Wait. What had Khan said earlier? Something about beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
I touched the bulbous all-seeing eye of the ugliest creature. Its jaw popped open and revealed a tiny metallic thumb drive. I took it out and noted it was etched with the symbol of the Knights of Kimberley.
I tapped the eye again and the jaw closed up.
My cell phone rang. It was Harry. I quickly sent the call to voicemail and muted the ringer.
It was then I heard someone trying the door handle.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
I fell to my knees and crawled into the darkness of the alcove around the corner from the desk. I crouched below a window that looked out to the lake.
From there I saw a figure stride purposefully into the room and pause at the desk. It was a man, I could tell from his cologne. He stood in the moonlight and sniffed.
I watched his shadow move closer to my position. In any second he would discover me cowering in the corner.
I held my breath.
The sound of a ringing phone cut through the silence.
I heard Everhardt's voice say, "Yes?"
He listened to the caller then in a raised voice said, "Information? What information?"
He paused to listen for a moment.
"What's so important that we have to meet in person?"
Another pause.
"Oh I see. Deputy Sheriff, I am interested in hearing more, but I can't see you right now..."
Another short pause.
"Very well. Ten minutes. Out by the lake. South side. The old jetty? Yes."
Everhardt ended the call and marched to the door. He opened it and slammed it shut. Locking it from the outside.
My mind reeled from the conversation. Had Harry sold me out to Everhardt? If so, there was nothing I could do from inside the locked study.
I tried the window. It was unlocked. I opened it and crawled out. It was a short drop to the ground floor.
Keeping to the shadows, I ran to Rust Bucket. A large Bentley tore along the driveway. I quickly curled up into a ball as it rumbled by and vanished into the night.
Two minutes later I was driving down the winding road.
Mai's apartment was empty. I kicked off my heels and opened up my laptop. I inserted the thumb drive and waited for Dean's well kept secrets to reveal themselves.
CHAPTER THIRTY
In the video, the trunk of a blue and white Kimberley campus police car popped open. The camera seemed concealed by the film maker. The person leaned into the trunk and reached out for a dozen plastic bags of white powder.
A hand with a knife slit one bag and put the blade with a sliver of fine white powder up to their face.
A muffled voice said, "You're set up to supply the entire campus?"
Another muffled voice said, "No one will suspect an officer sworn to protect and serve. Deal?"
"Deal."
My stomach back flipped. The video went dark.
I found a scanned document of a page of Madison's journal.
It simply read:
This is H.G's secret. I feel the betrayal like a knife to my heart.
H.G. had to be Harry. Who else with those initials could move around campus selling drugs without being suspected by anyone?
I threw up in my mouth and swallowed hard as tears flooded down my cheeks. I'd fallen for Harry just like Madison. And just like Madison, he was betraying me.
My cell phone rang. It was Harry.
"Robyn, where are you?"
"Home."
"You're safe. Thank God. You didn't return my call. I was worried."
"I'm fine." My voice felt dead.
"Did you find any of Madison's journal?"
I hesitated. “No.”
"Are you OK? You sound strange."
His perfect sensitivity and caring facade made me throw up in my mouth again.
"I'm just... exhausted. I have to go."
"OK, Robyn. Speak to you soon."
I hung up.
I should have been grateful for the knowledge that now I was truly alone. But my heart ached.
With only myself to trust I could focus on the task in hand. While Mai was out of the house, it was time to discover the secrets she kept.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Mai's bedroom was a combination of simplicity and luxury. A smooth oak floor covered in deep cashmere woven rugs surrounded a four poster bed of Egyptian cotton sheets. To one side was a door that led to a bathroom with a wet room. On the other side a door led to a walk-in closet bigger than my previous apartment.
It was there I started the search for any secrets that Mai was keeping.
I was on my knees, deeply engrossed in her extensive shoe collection when I felt a shadow pass over me.
I whipped around and saw a young woman in a maid uniform. She bowed and stared at her feet.
"Are you the maid?"
She nodded, but refused to look up.
"Hi, I'm Robyn and you are..."
She whispered something, but I couldn't catch it.
I glanced at the six inch heeled shoe in my hand and replaced it with the do
zens of other shoes.
"I guess you're wondering what I'm doing in Mai's closet?"
She shook her head.
"I'm..." My eyes alighted on a hair dryer. I grabbed it fast. "Just looking for this."
She bowed silently as I gently brushed by her.
"Nice to meet you, um... never mind.”
I ran back to my room. A few minutes later I heard Mai enter the apartment. I wandered into the kitchen and found her going through the mail.
She smiled and held up a party invite. "It's for the both of us."
"Who's party?"
Her smile slipped. "The Wilson sisters."
"Oh. I can't figure out if they like me or hate me."
"Definitely."
"Which is it?"
"Both, I'm afraid. So you want to risk it?"
"Where is it held?"
"At their Sorority house."
This could be my chance to find the Wilson's secrets.
"If you're coming then sure."
She nodded. "Beware they may try to poach you."
"Poach me?"
"Initiate you into their Sorority. I'm sure that's why they agreed to help you out the other day. Just watch out."
"For what exactly?"
She shook her head. "You won’t see it coming, but I thought I’d give you the option of backing out."
"No way."
"So how's your day, Robyn?"
"I just met our maid. She's not exactly chatty..."
Mai laughed. "Sui Xang doesn't speak a word of English. But she's got other qualities. Pretty isn't she?"
"I guess. What qualities?"
"She's got a dozen black belts in something exotic and deadly. I forget exactly what. And she's the soul of discretion which is worth her weight in gold to my family."
That was good to know.
"Where did you find her?"
"She's a gift from my uncle."
"A gift? She's a human not a thing to give away."
"OK, maybe gift is the wrong word. But it amounts to the same thing. But you don't refuse my uncle."
"Why? Who is he?"
"You've met him, I think. Khan. Kublai Khan."
I stood in the kitchen and did my party trick of a goldfish gulping air.
"Khan is your uncle?"
"He's a real sweetie if you keep on his good side. I hear you made a big impression on him the other night. Can't say how much that means to me."
"It was my pleasure." I lied.
Mai didn't seem to be listening. "Damn."
"What?"
"I should have opened the mail the other day. The Wilson party. It's tonight."
She ran to shower as my cell phone rang.
It was Harry. My finger hovered over the reject button. But I hadn't forgotten he knew my secret and wasn't afraid to expose me.
I took a deep breath. "Hi, Harry."
"Free tonight?"
"It's the Wilson sisters’ party."
"That's two brush offs in a row, Robyn... but as luck would have it, I've also been invited."
I stifled a laugh. "Good. Because I might just need your help with something important."
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
The sorority house of the Wilson sisters, Charity and Virtue, was a three story palace set back from the main tree lined avenue on campus. I recognized a gleaming Mercedes convertible with the horrendous canyon gouged out of one side.
I pulled up Rust Bucket. Mai reminded me that discretion was the better part of valor and so I parked as far away from the Wilsons' cars as possible.
I left the car felling a light flutter of excited butterflies. Despite my better judgment I was looking forward to seeing Harry on the dance floor. My heart hammered at the thought of indulging in a slow dance with his arms around me.
I forced myself to concentrate on the matter in hand.
Flashing lights and thumping dance music greeted us, but as we stepped inside we found the place empty. In the middle of the main dance floor we stopped.
I turned to Mai. "Are we early?"
She shrugged. "Never intentionally."
"This is the right day?"
Mai glanced up at a wide netting of party balloons and something else. A large bucket that was slowly tipping over.
I screamed, "Run." I pushed Mai to one side. But too late.
A huge wave of thick, sticky gunge spilled out of the bucket and drenched me. I stood shaking and rooted to the spot.
The music stopped and a loud popping noise preceded the netting to be released with a hundred balloons and two large buckets of glittering confetti pouring down on us.
The lights dimmed to a single spotlight that settled on Charity and Virtue.
Charity held up a microphone to her lips and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the sorority initiation is over. Please welcome, our newest recruit, Robyn White."
People appeared from all corners and soon the room was filled with people clapping and laughing as they gathered in a circle around me.
I didn't bother trying to smile graciously as my entire face felt like it was set in concrete. I could barely breathe through the gunge. Green bubbles grew from my nostrils and once they were the size of my head they popped.
That's when I saw Harry walk into the house. He took one glance at me, spun on his heels and walked away.
I guess I didn't remind him of his ghost of love right at that moment.
But a moment later he reappeared carrying a blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders. He then scooped me up in his arms and carried me upstairs to a vacant bathroom.
He gently lowered me into the shower.
He stared at my silk dress peeling off my body under the weight of the gunge.
"Need any help with those?"
I shook my head.
He nodded. "I'll find spare clothes."
I reached out and grabbed his hand. Thank God he couldn't see me crying under the thick mask of gunge.
"Thank you, Harry."
He shrugged.
"Need anything else?"
I nodded. "One important thing."
"Sure."
"Flirt with Charity and Virtue. Make sure they stay away from their rooms for as long as it takes me to find whatever secrets they're hiding."
He stared hard at me for a moment then blinked. "The Wilsons are on Madison's list?"
I nodded.
He took a deep breath and let it whistle out.
He nodded. "Leave it with me."
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
I had washed the first three layers of gunge off my skin and watched it swirl around the plug hole in the shower. Harry left a pair of jogger pants and a sweat top outside the shower. They were way too big for me and I had to roll up the sleeves and the legs.
By the time I had dried and dressed, the party was in full swing.
Perfect.
Harry was waiting outside the bathroom door.
"You OK?"
I nodded. "Their bedrooms?"
"Top floor. Can't miss them."
"Do whatever it takes to keep them away long enough, OK?"
He nodded.
I took the staircase to the top floor. There were two doors. The first was painted in hot pink with a brass plaque showing Virtue's name. The other bright yellow and marked Charity.
I took the first door into a fluffy pink wonderland of hot pink cushions, lace curtains on a four poster bed with a giant pink teddy bear dry humping a pink pillow. On closer inspection it was handcuffed to one of the posts.
I gave the book cases and desk drawers a once over before returning to the bed. I stared at the big fluffy pink nose of the teddy bear and casually punched it.
Then something struck me. I grabbed the bear and felt around the stitching. There was a tiny zip between the two nostrils. I unzipped its nose and a small silver metallic thumb drive fell from it.
I recognized the symbol of the Knights of Kimberley etched onto the thumb drive. I stuffed it into the pockets of the jo
ggers and left the room. With no one around I entered Charity's room.
Her room was marginally more mature. The main wall was adorned with pictures of sports cars and ponies.
A four poster bed was tastefully adorned with white Egyptian cotton and modest cream curtains. Each of the posts had silk rope tied around them and a set of pink furry handcuffs.
Nothing came of a search of the book cases and drawers of the desk.
I opened the door to a walk-in closet. One wall was devoted to designer shoes. A mirror covered the entire height and width of a second wall. The rest of the space was dedicated to aisles of color graded clothes on racks.
At the end of the last aisle was a shelf of various sex toys. Propped up against this was a full size inflatable man doll. It's over sized and erect manhood wobbled as I twanged it. In frustration I punched it hard and wished I hadn't.
My knuckles caught something hard inside the tip of the man doll's cock. I examined it and found a Velcro pocket. I ripped off the Velcro pouch causing the tip of the rubber cock to puncture. It hissed, squealed and deflated with a whimper until it was completely flaccid.
Inside the pouch was a familiar thumb drive. I pocketed it, opened the doors of the bedroom and ran out onto the landing. Straight into Jason Drake.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Jason stared at me through one good eye. The other was swollen tight shut. As soon as he recognized me, he took a quick step backwards and then stopped.
He smirked but his smile never reached his dead eyes.
I pointed to his swollen eye. "Brad's handy work?"
"I guess we're even."
"We'll never be even."
He shrugged. "You're right. I still owe you one."
I heard my name called out across the landing.
I glanced across to see Brad striding towards us.
He ignored me and squared up to Jason. "Jason, what did I tell you the last time? Go anywhere near Robyn ever again and I will kill you."
Jason sneered. But I detected a faint tremble in his top lip. Brad glanced at me.
"You'll be fine if you want to stay Robyn. Jason was just leaving."
Jason shot me an evil look then walked away.
"Thanks, Brad."
He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry I haven’t had a chance to speak with you since the other night."
Guilty Secrets (Campus Love and Murder Sorority Eyes Romance Book 1) Page 10