If At First (Crimson Cove Mysteries Book 1) Page 8

  I cleared my throat. “We drove to Sage’s, met with Ashton in the driveway. We went inside and Sierra showed up. We drove to Rachel’s in the limo. When we got there we danced and had a couple of drinks. I spoke to Vince at the waterfront and walked up the hill, leaving the party. I saw Sierra in the bushes and then she was by the pool house. She called to me and I went there, but she wasn't there. I found her a ways back, sobbing. She led me into the woods where Rachel was”—I shuddered and closed my eyes—“Rachel was on the ground. Sage was unconscious next to her. Lainey and Sierra had both seen this already and were crying. When Sage woke we stole Rachel’s car and went to Sierra’s and called you.”

  My dad shook his head and turned to Sierra. “You next.”

  She swallowed hard and pressed her lips together. Her brow furrowed and her eyes lowered, but she managed to get words out, “Like Lindsey said, we met at Sage’s. We drove in my dad’s car to Rachel’s. When we got there we danced and drank. Someone gave me a drink but it spilled on my shoe. I went to wash it off and I heard something. Rachel was screaming at Ashton.” Her eyes unfocused as the story started to become too real in her mind. “I laughed and went back to dance. I was with Lainey for a long time, dancing and having fun, but my shoe was still sticky.” Her words trailed off again.

  “You have to keep talking loud, Sierra.” Her father sighed, starting to sound annoyed.

  She twitched and looked down. “I was at the pool, dragging my shoe in the water and trying to rinse the booze off. The lights flicked off and everyone was screaming, but then someone behind me screamed and it sounded different. The lights came back on so I turned and walked that way, thinking it was someone being drunk and stupid.” Her voice trailed off so low I could hardly hear her. “I hoped it was Rachel, still getting mad about being dumped by Ashton.”

  “Sierra, I can’t hear you,” her father barked over the phone.

  “I thought it was Rachel screaming. I walked there and it was Lainey. She was shaking Sage and Rachel and trying to wake them up. I tried to help her, but when we moved Rachel’s head something was snapping under the skin—” Her words became sobs and she stopped, shaking her head. “I can’t.”

  “YOU HAVE TO! GET IT TOGETHER! YOU ARE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE!” her father screamed.

  I jumped, shaking and sweating but somehow still cold from it all.

  “I-I-I-I went to fi-find help. I couldn't walk anymore because I s-saw the blood on my ha-hands. So I stopped and I froze and then Lindsey came. She was there and I tried to tell her but I couldn't. So I sh-showed her.” She collapsed into her own hands and sobbed harder.

  I realized then, Sierra’s story didn't match mine. She hadn’t been in the woods by the docks, and she hadn’t called to me from beside the pool house. I’d seen her though, or had I? What if I was meant to see her? What if someone at the party had led me there?

  My father didn't wait for her to get it together. He looked at Sage. “You tell us what you saw and did.”

  She shook her head. “I don't remember anything. I was at the party and then I woke up with Rachel there.” Her face pinched and tears squeezed from her eyes. “And she was dead. And there was so much blood.” She looked at her hands and I knew she still saw it. Her lip was fat and redder than normal, but she was clean of any blood to us—to herself she was never going to be clean.

  My father nodded and glanced back at Lainey’s dad. He took another drink before he spoke softly, like she did, “Lainey, honey, you have to tell us every detail now, okay? All of it.” She blinked and shook her head, but he encouraged her, “I know, baby. But you have to. We need it all.”

  She shuddered and closed her eyes, letting the entire night fall back into an instant replay.

  “We got in Lindsey’s car from here, driving to Sage’s. Her brother, Ashton, was leaving the house as we arrived. He and Sage fought about something stupid. She was mean to him. He left angry and we were all led to believe he would be breaking it off with Rachel at the party. When we got inside, Sage told us she believed Rachel was being unfaithful, something we all suspected or knew.”

  I nodded. We had.

  She took a breath and continued, “Then Sierra arrived and we all rode to Rachel’s in Mr. Casey’s limo. The driver took us the long way, much longer than it needed to be. He said a tree was down so we had to take another route. We arrived and the party was in full swing—we were late. Rachel and Ashton were fighting and he left the party. She was screaming with rage. Right then, someone tried to give Lindsey and me a drink, but I remembered we had been drugged once so we dumped the drinks. We got our own drinks and danced with Sierra for about an hour and a half. I went to the bathroom, and on the way I saw Rachel, Vince, and Sage by the edge of the woods. Vincent tried to stop them from fighting, but eventually he threw his hands up in the air and left them where they were. Rachel was angry because Ashton had dumped her. Sage said something I didn’t hear and Rachel slapped her hard. Sage was being weird. She didn’t fight back; she just staggered away. I thought she was really drunk.”

  Her lips twisted and she tensed, looking like she didn't want to say the rest.

  “What happened then?” her dad coaxed her.

  “I went back to dance with Sierra and Lindsey. Then Lindsey went to the water to look at the sky. It was really hot in the crowd. Sierra said she couldn't take the stickiness in her shoe. She said she was going to rinse it again. So I left the dance floor to see where Lindsey had gone. I went looking for her, and when I found her, she was kissing Vince on the docks. I didn't know what to do. So I turned and ran away, heading up the yard behind the guesthouse,” her voice cracked.

  I lowered my face as my eyes filled with disgust. I didn't know anyone had seen that, but I wished she had seen the next few moments. I felt sick and couldn't look at Sage. I didn't want her to think anything. I hadn’t done anything.

  “Keep going, Lainey.” Her dad sounded impatient.

  “I got to the far side of the guesthouse and I heard a noise—whimpering. I thought it was Sage. It sounded like her. The lights flickered and then the power went out, but the sound in the woods happened again. So I ran to it, thinking it was Rachel and Sage again.” She sniffled as tears started to roll down her cheeks. “They were there. Rach was dead. Sage was—I thought they were both dead. I started screaming.” Her words came faster as her voice cracked more with the sobs. “I screamed for help and then Sierra was there. I told her to call 9-1-1, and she got up and left, and then Lindsey came back with her. I don't really remember the rest.” She opened her eyes and looked at me, no doubt baffled that she was in so much shock she didn't see everything. “Until we came here and got into the hot tub. Everything else is a blur.”

  My father also turned to me, his eyes shining like he was relieved, or sad for me maybe. But it was Sierra’s dad who spoke, “The story you will tell everyone is that you all found Sage drunk—very drunk. You worried she was truly sick. You brought her to my house and called Lindsey’s father. He brought you to his house and now he is going to bring Sage to the hospital. She will be tested for drugging, which clearly she will fail and have drugs in her system. She will be your alibi. Did anyone else see you?”

  My insides tightened. “Hailey, a local girl. She works at the Shack. She saw us in the hot tub here.”

  “Would she have seen Sage?”

  I shook my head. “No. It was steaming. She wouldn't be able to say for sure it was Sage.”

  “Mark, take Sage now. Gerry, if you can stay with the girls there that would be great. Girls, the police might want to talk to you. I will call back after I speak to the driver and make sure the story is solid. When I have it, I will tell it to you. You do not speak to anyone without a lawyer present. I am that lawyer.” The phone turned off, letting us know he had hung up.

  I lifted my gaze to Sage, desperate to explain, but her eyes narrowed into a glare. I slumped and shivered, still cold and unable to shake the death shroud I felt like I was wearing.

&
nbsp; Helen sighed, rubbing her eyes. “And how does Rita’s story fit into theirs then?”

  I turned and looked at Marguerite who bit her lip and shook her head. “It doesn't.” She clung to the blanket she was wrapped in and sighed. “I must have stumbled upon Rachel after they had left her. I didn't see them leave though. I drank too much and woke up in the bushes. I heard voices and crying and then nothing. I walked right to where Rachel was and fell, tripping and landing on her. Her blood was all over me. I screamed and ran, leaving her there. I don't know why I didn't try to help her or call the police. I got scared.”

  Lainey’s red and puffy eyes squinted. “Maybe you were drugged too? Why you?”

  Marguerite shrugged. “Wrong place, wrong time, I guess. Some pervert drugging girls isn’t exactly a new thing at a party.” She sounded completely Jersey.

  Sierra wiped her face and dried her tears, sniffling and shaking her head. “How did you get home?”

  Marguerite’s eyes darted to her mother next to her. “I called my mom. She called your dad. He called Lindsey’s dad. My mom came and got me from the road. I was hiding in the bushes.” Her face was stricken. “We came here straightaway.”

  We were all stricken.

  My father stood, offering his hand to Sage. “You should come too, Marguerite. I think you were both drugged.” His eyes landed on me. “And I think you girls are all in some serious trouble, but we know none of you did this and that's the important part.” He nodded at the door as Marguerite stood with him and Sage. “The staff have been told to take tomorrow off and Louisa will sleep for another three and a half hours with no chance of waking. After that you need to be yourself again, do you understand?”

  I shook my head. How would I ever be myself again?

  “None of you know Rachel is dead. Not one of you knows this. You left the party because Sage and Marguerite were sick. That’s it. So when they come and inform you that your friend has been murdered, you need to be overcome with grief. Louisa has to buy it—so does every one of your friends. And you need to make sure that girl who saw you in the hot tub suspects nothing.” He wrapped an arm around Sage and led her from the room. Marguerite and her mother followed.

  We sat there by the fire and let it all soak in.

  We had three hours to be sad.

  Chapter Nine

  You kids today, with your GHB and coming out of the pantry

  Apparently, three hours to be sad wasn't enough.

  We hadn’t really slept and we hadn’t really eaten, so when lunch came to where we were camped out on the new lounge chairs, we were all emotional.

  Sierra gave me a look and sighed, picking at her panini. “He kissed you, didn't he? Vincent.”

  I lifted my head, sniffled and nodded. “He grabbed me and kissed me. I fought him off but it was too late.”

  She rolled her bright-blue eyes. “He did the same thing to me. She isn’t going to believe you.”

  I sighed. “I know.”

  “But I do.”

  Lainey lifted her red-rimmed eyes too, squinting and trying to see me without her glasses. “I do too. I know you wouldn't have kissed him. I’m sorry for saying that. I got caught up.”

  “It doesn't matter now.”

  “What doesn't matter now?” Louisa asked as she clicked out onto the huge deck and flopped into a chair. We all lowered our faces back into the chairs and tried to not look like we had been crying.

  “Nothing, Louisa. We just feel bad that Sage and Marguerite got drugged. It was the worst party and they were so sick.” Sierra lied like she was paid to do it. She was a lot like her dad.

  Through the gap in the chair where my face was, I could tell Louisa didn't give a shit. She was messing with her phone and drinking her green shake. I blinked and in that space of time she dropped the glass, shattering it everywhere. A scream tore from her lips as she checked her phone, obviously seeing something terrible.

  I hated that I knew what the terrible thing was.

  I turned and faced Sierra and Lainey, giving them both the look. The one I used to express that it was showtime.

  “OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!” Louisa jumped up, clicking frantically and ran inside.

  “Shit,” Sierra whispered.

  “Guess it’s hit the local news,” I muttered.

  Louisa came running back out, her arms waving and her face covered in real tears. “Oh girls! Oh my God! Oh the worst thing—” She sobbed and covered her mouth.

  “What?” I asked, trying my best not to understand. “Is Dad okay? Is it the boys?”

  She shook her head. “Rachel Swanson!” She sobbed harder.

  “What?” Lainey asked, squinting like a crazy person.

  “What happened to Rachel?” Sierra sat up, her red eyes were so obvious. “What do you mean?”

  Louisa bawled, barely making sense and tossed her phone at me. I looked down at it, reading the headline and letting my jaw drop. “Rachel was murdered last night.” I dropped the phone, watching it fall and spin until it hit the concrete. My hands flew to my eyes just as I realized I was out—I had no more tears. Not a single drop fell from my squeezed-shut lids, but I made sobbing sounds. I had cried so hard that I had literally cried until there was nothing left.

  The girls did better than I did, both were hysterically sobbing. I switched to soft cries and small whimpers, shaking my head and denying this was a possibility. “No. No. No. We were there. She was fine.”

  Louisa wrapped herself around me; her coconut sunscreen almost asphyxiated me. “I am so sorry, Linds. I am so sorry. I know she was your best friend.”

  Sobbing and heaving I nodded, wondering how the hell she had gotten that impression.

  The pain and agony of the whole death was still fresh, but the horrible idea that someone was trying to frame us was much worse for me. I honestly was stuck on the fact that someone wanted us to fry for the murder of our friend.

  Someone knew we hated her when she was alive.

  And this person wasn't playing around.

  They were serious.

  They had already killed one person to try to frame five.

  My brain was too busy trying to sift through the possibilities to properly mourn my dead friend.

  But Lainey and Sierra were doing it justice. They both sobbed and cried and wailed, joining Louisa in the dramatics. I stayed covered, taking breaths and making odd sounds, noises of denial and heartbreak.

  When I surfaced, wiping my dry eyes, Louisa was drinking a huge glass of something. Lori, who was supposed to be on a day off, gave me a look. She offered a drink from the tray she had. “You want some lemonade?”

  I nodded, taking one and praying there was a bunch of liquor in it. My head was spinning. She put down the tray and started cleaning up the green shake and broken glass.

  “Miss Lindsey, some of your friends are here,” Robert, the English butler, who was supposed to be on a day off as well, stood in the doorway speaking to me. I pulled my hand back from Lori and stood up, picking the eternal wedgie from my butt as Vincent, Jake, and Andrew walked in.

  They seemed normal.

  I wondered if they knew yet.

  Andrew wore a random graphic tee, dressed down as always. He was the ultimate version of down-to-earth. Always in a tee shirt, cargo shorts, and some Chucks. I believed the lie his soft-brown eyes told me, that everything was going to be all right. “Hey, Linds,” he mumbled, no different than the tone he would have used to tell me that he would rather be skateboarding or snowboarding at that moment.

  Jake walked to me and wrapped his arms around me, muttering into my neck and encasing my body in his. “I’m so sorry, Linds. I know how much you guys loved Rach. We’re gonna find whoever did this.” He whispered the last part.

  I didn't have a response to that. From the way it looked, we had done it. And if not us, it looked like it might be Ashton, Jake’s best friend. They were so close we called them a bromance. They played football together. Jake was the wide receiver to Ashton b
eing the quarterback.

  He pulled back and it was obvious he had been crying. His red-rimmed blue eyes were a bit puffy as he sighed. “I saw her at like ten. She was so mad that Ash had left and broken up with her. I don't know what could have happened.”

  “Me either.” I shook my head as he let go of me and ran his hands through his chestnut hair. It was true; I honestly didn't know what could have happened. How did someone get so many broken bones?

  He draped one of his huge arms over me and turned to face the others.

  In my peripheral I caught Vincent slipping me his weird smirk, the one I hated. The one he always gave that said he knew what was going on. Or he knew what you looked like naked, and he liked it. “You girls must be crushed.” He said it like he was sincere, but I saw the gleam in his eyes. He knew how we felt about Rachel. Sage must have told him.

  We never discussed it with anyone but the four of us. It had been a secret amongst us. Something we had sworn to take to the grave.

  He winked at me. “You need a hug, princess?”

  “No.” I glared, wanting to ask him if his balls needed another whack, but this wasn't the time or place. “But Sage might. She got drugged last night,” I offered, trying to make sure no one suspected us. “You should be at the hospital with her.”

  Jake looked down on me. “No way.”

  “Yeah. She and that new girl, Rita.” I nodded.

  He winced. “So someone drugged our girls and then killed one of them?” His arm tightened around me. “When I find out who it was, they’re dead.”

  I shrugged out of the embrace. “Sage and Rita are still in the hospital.”

  Louisa gave me a look from her phone where she was finding the news and social media feeds for more on the story. “Your father failed to mention that.”

  Sierra helped me out. “He took them in the middle of the night. We got back here around eleven, eleven thirty. He took them right away. They were both sick.”