Death by Fountain

by Jennifer S. Alderson

  “Good enough for me,” Heather said as she closed her eyes, then threw it.

  Lana wondered whether the coin had even made it into the water. The plethora of tourists crowding the main basin was starting to get on her nerves.

  “Are you ready to have a gelato before we head back to the hotel?” Randy asked. “Jake should be arriving in a few hours, and then we’ll go to dinner at that café in the Trastevere district.”

  “Yum, I’ve been waiting to try the Italian ice cream. Gloria told you about where to go, right?” Katherine asked.

  “Yep, it’s next to the Parthenon and around the corner from Bernini’s elephant carrying an Egyptian obelisk statue. We shouldn’t miss it.”

  “Are you joking about the elephant?” Heather asked.

  “Nope. It’s one of my favorite statues in Rome, actually. Should we head over now?”

  “Sounds good,” Heather said. “We’re happy to follow your lead.”

  “Any chance of getting something more substantial to eat along the way? All this walking is sapping my energy,” Craig said.

  “Sure, we can pick up a few snacks on the way,” Randy said.

  “What kind of snacks?”

  Randy’s eyes twinkled. “The Roman kind.”

  9 An Unexpected Guest

  When Jake’s taxi arrived at 7 p.m., Randy and the rest were already down in the hotel’s lobby waiting for him. Because they only had two hours to eat dinner before the bachelor party was set to begin, Randy wanted to leave for the restaurant as soon as his friend had stashed his bags in his hotel room. He was certain Jake wouldn’t mind being rushed despite being jet-lagged; Randy assured everyone that he was always up for anything.

  As much as she was looking forward to dinner, Lana was still full from her gelato and the Roman snacks Randy had bought them. The suppli, deep-fried balls of rice filled with deliciously stretchy mozzarella, and trapizzino, triangle pockets of pizza dough filled with eggplant and cheese, were to die for.

  Luckily they’d had a chance to burn some calories by doing a little shopping on the way back. Lana couldn’t resist picking up carved wooden Pinocchio puppets for herself and her best friend, Willow. She knew the fairy tale was Italian, but hadn’t expected to see so many stores selling the friendly little puppet who became a real boy.

  When Jake entered the lobby, Randy jumped up to greet his friend. “Hey, man, glad you could make it.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Jake said as he slapped Randy on the back.

  Jake was slightly shorter than Randy, but similar in build. As soon as she saw him, Lana remembered talking to him briefly at Randy’s birthday party. She recalled him being incredibly sure of himself, but otherwise seemed alright.

  As she watched the two friends interact, Lana realized that while physically they could be brothers, their clothing and personal styling choices were wildly different. Whereas Randy’s attire could be best described as grunge, Jake’s clothes bore the logos of expensive brands, despite being casual wear, and his eyebrows seemed sculpted. Lana bet he plucked them.

  “Hey, everybody! Great to see you all. Nice jackets.” He patted his bag. “Don’t worry—Randy told me to bring mine, as well.”

  Jake took his out and pulled it on, winking at Katherine and Heather as he did. “It’s like a company get-together, but in Italy.”

  “I doubt our boss would ever splurge for such an extravagant party,” Heather said with a laugh.

  “You’ve got a point there,” Katherine agreed.

  When the hotel doors opened again, the sound of a bus honking its horn drew Lana’s attention to the entrance. A gorgeous, dark-haired woman stepped inside and looked around the lobby, obviously searching for someone. Lana noticed that several men instinctively straightened up their postures and sucked in their bellies. Something about the woman’s haughty demeanor made Lana dislike her immediately. She watched as the stranger scanned the crowd, a smile appearing on her face when she homed in on Jake.

  When the woman strode towards them, approaching Randy from behind, Jake noticed her, too.

  “Oh, yeah—look who I ran into at the airport,” he said as he turned and pointed to the stranger.

  When Randy turned to see who Jake meant, his expression turned grim. “What’s she doing here?”

  The rest of the group seemed to freeze, their eyes widening in shock or fear—Lana wasn’t certain.

  Jake’s grin wavered. “What’s wrong?”

  The woman smiled broadly as she threw her hands up in the air. “Surprise!”

  When no one reacted, the woman jutted her chin out at Katherine. “Can’t you even say hello? Cat got your tongue again, little sister?”

  “Sister?” Lana mumbled. Now that they were standing next to each other, Lana could see the resemblance in their heart-shaped faces and slender build. Yet the new arrival’s brightly colored tank top and short skirt contrasted greatly with Katherine’s preference for long pants and shirts in subdued shades of brown and gray.

  Katherine scowled at the new arrival. “You know I hate that expression, Rachel.”

  Lana’s mouth dropped open. This was Rachel—Randy’s stalker and the reason why no one knew exactly where the wedding was taking place? How the heck had she found out about them being in Rome?

  When Katherine didn’t move, Rachel walked up to her sister and air hugged her. “Great to see you, sis. I didn’t know you and Bruce would be here. But then again, we haven’t spoken in months. You two are always too busy to make time for me,” Rachel said, then pulled back from her sibling. “Don’t worry, that will change soon enough.”

  “Not if I have any say in the matter,” Katherine muttered.

  “Leave her alone, Rachel,” Heather growled.

  “Ah, yes, the defender of the meek, to the rescue. What’s your latest crusade—whales? Dolphins? I bet it’s owls,” Rachel tittered.

  “You make my blood boil! It should have been you on that ladder, not Randy!” Heather smoldered.

  Rachel ignored her remark and, instead, grinned up at Katherine’s boyfriend.

  Bruce cast his eyes downward as he mumbled a half-hearted hello.

  “Where’s my hug, Brucie?” Rachel asked as she moved towards him.

  “Brucie?” Katherine raged as she glared at her boyfriend.

  His face turned a dark shade of crimson as he took a large step backwards, away from Rachel.

  “What are you doing here?” Katherine hissed as Rachel wrapped her arms around Bruce’s waist anyway.

  Lana’s eyes bulged out of her head when she observed Rachel’s hand moving down towards Bruce’s backside. He must have noticed too, because he suddenly sprung out of her embrace and cowered behind Katherine.

  “I couldn’t miss Randy’s wedding,” Rachel said as she turned to Randy, smiling warmly at him.

  “You can’t be within three hundred feet of either me or Gloria!” he growled.

  Lana had never seen him so upset before and was rather frightened by the force of his anger.

  Rachel looked slightly perturbed by his reaction, but not at all frightened. “The restraining order is for Washington state, not Europe. I checked.”

  Jake stepped in between Rachel and Randy. “A restraining order? I didn’t know you two knew each other that well.”

  “Randy and I go way back, don’t we?” She leaned around Jake to try to touch Randy’s arm, but he swatted her hand away.

  Unfazed by Randy’s rejection, Rachel turned to the rest. “So gang, what are we doing today? Tossing coins into Trevi Fountain? Visiting the Vatican? Have you had a gelato yet? I could use two scoops right about now.”

  Lana remained silent, stunned by the differences in Randy and Rachel’s reactions. It was as if Rachel was completely unaware of the discomfort and pain she was causing Randy.

  “Stay away from me and my friends!” he bellowed, startling pretty much everyone in the lobby. Several hotel guests and staff members had been watching the fig
ht play out from a distance, but Randy’s last outburst motivated two security guards to move closer towards the group.

  Rachel laughed off Randy’s remark. “Technically, your friends are my family members and colleagues, which means I have every right to stay.”

  “They aren’t your coworkers anymore!” Randy raged.

  Rachel cocked her head. “Didn’t you hear? I’m going to be working for Straight Up again—starting next month. That’s how Jake and I know each other; we met when I came in to fill out the paperwork.”

  Randy turned to his friends, despair and anger clouding his expression. “Why didn’t you tell me? How could our boss hire her again, after what she did to me?”

  Katherine paled as she began to tremble. “Our boss wouldn’t do that to me, either. Would he?”

  “After what she did to Randy, how could they hire her again?” Heather cried.

  “Because I did nothing wrong,” Rachel huffed. “Hello? I’m standing right here. Jeez, what is wrong with you people?”

  “I’m going to call our boss as soon as we get home and get to the bottom of this. I’ll quit Straight Up if it’s true, Randy,” Heather insisted.

  “You little hussy—you slept with one of the managers, didn’t you?” Randy asserted.

  Rachel’s slap across his face rang through the lobby. “How dare you! If it wasn’t for your lies and accusations, they wouldn’t have forced me to take a season off. I didn’t cause your accident, and I have every right to work there.”

  Randy held his reddening cheek with one hand as he pointed to the door with the other. “Stay away from me. Get out of this hotel and leave me alone!”

  Rachel folded her hands over her torso. “Make me.”

  A primal scream filled the room as Randy lunged towards Rachel, pushing her so hard that she fell backwards against one of the many stone pillars dotting the expansive lobby. As she slid down to the ground, Rachel’s head left a smear of blood on one.

  Lana stood frozen in place, shocked to see her fellow guide violently shove a woman. She’d never seen Randy lift a finger to anyone before.

  “What did you do?” Craig raged as he and Jake ran to Rachel’s aid.

  Randy stared at his hands as if they belonged to someone else. Two of the hotel’s security guards closed in but stopped short of tackling him, instead standing as if they were ready to block off his escape.

  “I didn’t know you liked to play rough, Randy,” Rachel cackled. “There’s so much we don’t know about each other yet.”

  “And never will. I want you out of my life, permanently. What do I have to do to make you leave me alone?”

  After Craig and Jake helped her to her feet, Rachel shook her arms loose and strode over to Randy. “As long as there is breath in my body, you can bet I’ll be keeping tabs on you. We’re soul mates, Randy, and one day you’ll realize that, too.”

  “Gloria is the one I want to be with, not you. That’s what bothers you so much, isn’t it? That I don’t want to be with you. I was tired of your manipulative mind games then, just as I am now.”

  “Gloria has brainwashed you. Would you feel the same way if she was out of the picture?”

  Randy shoved his face into hers. “Don’t you go near her!”

  “I can do whatever I want—this is a free country.” Rachel turned to the rest. “Say, where is the wedding taking place, anyway?”

  “Don’t you say a word!” Randy threatened.

  “Calm down, we don’t even know where it is, remember? You didn’t trust any of us enough to tell us,” Craig said as he took Randy’s arm and began pulling him away. “Why don’t you take a walk and cool down?”

  Katherine stepped in front of Craig and glared at her sister. “No. Randy shouldn’t have to go—this is his party. Rachel, why can’t you leave us be? Randy has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want to be with you. Move on.”

  Lana’s eyebrows shot up. Considering Katherine’s wallflower-like demeanor, she hadn’t expected her to stand up for Randy or admonish Rachel. They were sisters, after all.

  “I flew all the way over here so I could congratulate the bride in person. Besides, I want to see Gloria’s wedding dress. I hope it’s not white; that would be hypocritical. I’m not leaving you alone until I know where the wedding is being held.”

  Lana was glad that Craig was holding Randy back; he looked as if he could strangle Rachel with his bare hands.

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave me and Gloria alone—or else,” Randy snarled.

  “Or else what? You couldn’t hurt little ole me. Deep down you know we are meant to be together.”

  “What is wrong with you?” Katherine cried as she pointed to the door. “Get out of here! We don’t want you here.”

  Rachel turned to Bruce, who immediately looked to the floor.

  When she made eye contact with Jake, he shrugged and nodded to the hotel’s entrance. “I’ll catch up with you later,” he mumbled.

  “I can tell when I’m not welcome,” Rachel said. “I’m going to check into my hotel now, but don’t worry, Randy. It’s close by so I’ll be able to keep an eye on you.” She laughed as she picked up her bag and sauntered out of the lobby.

  Randy glared at Rachel’s retreating figure. “What did I ever do to deserve having that psychopath in my life?”

  He looked to Katherine. “Sorry, I know she’s your sister.”

  Katherine laid a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. She’s been trouble since birth. You’re the only man who has had the audacity to leave her. That’s why she’s obsessed with you. If only she could find a lover as twisted as she is, then she might leave you alone.”

  Randy nodded before turning to the rest. “How did Rachel find out about the wedding? Has anyone had contact with her recently and let it slip?”

  “Of course not!” Heather exclaimed. “We all know how much she hurt you.”

  “Sorry, you’re right. Rachel being here is doing my head in. I have to call Gloria. She’s terrified of Rachel and I don’t know how she’s going to react to this news.”

  Randy looked to Bruce. “I really appreciate you arranging my bachelor party, but Rachel’s presence changes everything.”

  “Come on,” Jake said. “Now that Rachel has had her fun, she’ll leave you alone. Right?”

  “I can’t take that chance. Gloria means everything to me. I am not going to be able to enjoy the bachelor party tonight, knowing Rachel is in the same country as my fiancée.”

  10 It Was No Accident

  When Randy rushed off towards the staircase leading up to their rooms, Lana ran over and grabbed his arm. When he turned on her, the wild look in his eyes made her release her grip immediately.

  “Randy, stop. You’re scaring me. What happened between you and Rachel to make you act so crazy?”

  He ran a hand through his wavy red hair as he let out a sigh. “I can’t believe I lost control so easily, but she gets right under my skin. Rachel has caused me so much pain, I will not let her hurt Gloria.”

  “But why would she want to harm your fiancée?”

  “Because she’s bonkers—that’s why!”

  Lana’s puzzled expression caused his fierce expression to soften. He nodded towards the top of the staircase. “Walk with me.”

  Lana did her best to keep up as Randy took the steps two at a time.

  “After I broke up with Rachel, she started stalking me. At first, I thought it was coincidence that I ran into her at REI or the organic market, but I soon realized that she was following me. When I confronted her about it, she laughed and said she could do whatever she wanted. We still worked together, which made it incredibly difficult to avoid her completely. Though Katherine did her best to schedule us on different days.”

  “That’s horrible, Randy. I had no idea.”

  “Things really worsened after I met Gloria. She started working at Straight Up Climbs a few weeks after I broke up with Rachel, and I fell for her real hard. Ra
chel saw us leaving work together and followed us on some of our dates. She’d wave or call out my name, but I ignored her, and Gloria didn’t seem to notice. Until I took Gloria to the Seattle Space Needle for our two-month anniversary. Rachel showed up and ruined it.”

  “What did she do exactly?”

  “She had the waiter bring over a drink, from my wife, he said. Then she walked over to our table and French-kissed me, right in front of Gloria! And when I protested, she called Gloria a horrible name and stormed off.”

  “No way! What did you do?” Lana panted as she rushed to keep up. That explains why Gloria quit working at Straight Up Climbs, she thought.

  “It took a lot of explaining to keep Gloria from walking away. I’d already told her that I’d recently broken up with a coworker, but Rachel’s actions made her think I was lying to her. After Katherine reassured her that I was telling the truth, and not Rachel, she finally started taking my calls again. She quit working for Straight Up Climbs, but did stick with me and put up with Rachel’s irritating behavior. At least, until Rachel sent a black rose to her house with a note that said if she didn’t leave me be, the next time it would be lilies.”

  Lana stopped on the staircase, staring up at her friend. “That is insane.”

  “You can say that again. It freaked Gloria out so much that she stayed with her parents for a few weeks. I went to Rachel’s house and told her if she didn’t leave us alone, I’d go to the police. But she didn’t take me seriously. Instead, she kept insisting that Gloria was all wrong for me. Nothing I said got through to her; she refused to accept that I didn’t want to be with her. I felt like I had no choice but to take legal action.”

  “Oh, Randy, what a nightmare.” Lana felt so bad that she didn’t know about his past. He was always so upbeat and carefree, she’d never have guessed that he’d dealt with a stalker.

  “It got worse. The day after I threatened her, my ladder’s safety catch broke while I was climbing over a deep crevasse. Luckily, it snapped as soon as I put my full weight on it, so my partner was able to arrest my fall and prevent me from landing on the bottom of the fissure. But when the ladder crashed against the ice, it crushed my leg and shattered several bones. That’s why I had to look for a new job.”