Jaded (32 page)

“If you want the note, come to the station.”

“And subject myself to another round of harassment? Sure. Put me down for this afternoon…that’s if I’m not flat on my back.”

Sheila grinned and shook her head. “I can see why you’re called cold blooded, but if this is you running from a stalker, I almost feel for the bastard when he goes against you.”

I quirked an eyebrow.

Sheila concluded, a metaphoric hat in hand, “You think good when you’re

pushed. That’s good, Sheldon. Very very good and that’s what’s going to keep you alive, because he’s not going to expect it. Look, between you and me, I don’t think it’s your boy in there. If it was, he wouldn’t be going how he is to scare you. He’d do it worse and Tijan Jaded

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I don’t want to think that sick. But this stalker, he’s trying to scare you. And I’m thinking the more you scare, the more mad you are, and the more ruthless you’ll get. That’s what you need to survive this nightmare, Sheldon.”

“Is that why you said those things today?” I asked, tensely, cautious.

“I needed to know. I needed to push you first and see what you weren’t going to say. I read it and I’ll back off—for now.”

She left after that and I took a moment to cool down. I found the guys playing video games in the media room. Logan was curled with a blanket on the couch. They all watched me as I moved downstairs, but when I didn’t say anything, neither did they.

They went back to playing video games until Corrigan’s phone started ringing. The first call was Chet. The second was Holster. The third was Harris. By the fourth and fifth, Bryce exclaimed, “Good god—what do they want?”

Corrigan glanced at me before he said, “They want to know what to do.”

“Maybe we should have a party,” I offered, thinking it wasn’t the worst idea. At their blank looks, I added, “Seriously. What would it hurt anymore? The freak wants us scared. I say screw it and we should just have fun. Hell, let’s do it here.”

“Lew? Hunstville? Those guys invited?” Corrigan asked instead. “You know

that Carlos is screwing Lew, right? That’s the dude that your friend was into.”

Maybe I was self-destructive because I replied, “I think we should invite everyone in our class. Teddy. The Bartons. Even Mena. Let’s hash out who this loser is tonight, here, while everyone’s here. And, trust me, I’ll deal with Carlos later.”

Bryce

straightened.

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Corrigan flashed a smile, “Seriously? We could make a game out of it. Like Mafia or Clue or something. Who’s the Killer?” He turned to Logan, who’d been quiet the entire time, “How about it, honey? Are you up for a game of Who’s the Killer?”

“I think….maybe I shouldn’t say what I think,” Logan said wisely and looked at me. “Sheldon’s the one who’s offering her home up. I, for one, will feel safer at my home.”

“That’s the problem. Girls who are alone are his prey. I say we shouldn’t be alone,” I argued.

Logan drew herself upright, thought about it, and nodded reluctantly, “Okay. I’m staying with you at all times, Corrigan.”

Corrigan bounced to her couch and draped an arm around her shoulders, “Honey, we’re not going to be mingling. We’re going to be in a guest bedroom—all night long.”

“Fine. As long as it’s locked,” she said tensely and burrowed into his shelter.

“Sweet.” Corrigan withdrew abruptly and said, “I’m going to start passing the word.” He was up and out the door, leaving a bereft girlfriend.

Bryce ignored Logan’s presence and sighed, “This is stupid.”

“I know,” I said simply. “I’m tired and I’m not waiting anymore. If he’s as

obsessed as we think, he’ll be here tonight. I’m going to hunt him tonight.”

“He’s crazy and illogical. You can’t outwit a person like that. He’s going to know the real reason for this party.”

“No. No, he won’t.” I hadn’t gotten the fourth note. He wouldn’t know that I knew of it. “He won’t know at all because he doesn’t know me.”

Logan sighed and curled back into a ball, blanket pulled over her head.

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I stood up and climbed the stairs to my bedroom. I wasn’t surprised when Bryce followed and shut the door behind him. He leaned against it and crossed his arms over his chest, “So is this what you’re going to do?”

“Bryce.” I hung my head. Exhausted.

“No. What’d that cop say to you? This came from left field.”

“Why do you care?” I nearly whispered as I lay down and curled underneath the blankets.

“I care because this guy is psycho and he’s obsessed with you. I love you. I’m not going to stand back and let you hand yourself over to him,” Bryce said fiercely.

I smiled, softly, “You think that’s what I’m doing? And it feels nice—to hear you say it.”

He stopped abruptly and softened, “I heard you last night, you know. You

thought I was falling asleep.”

I grimaced, slightly, but rolled onto my stomach and burrowed my head under the pillow.

“Hiding’s not going to erase what you said,” Bryce said quietly and I heard the lock click into place. A moment later the bed dipped underneath his weight and Bryce moved on top of me, but he held most of his weight from me. He tucked his chin into the crook of my shoulder and kissed my cheek, “This is my favorite position.”

“Shut up,” I laughed.

He leaned over me and got in my face. “What’d that cop say?”

He had me trapped, pinned between his two arms, so I surrendered and confessed,

“He left another note for me.”

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“Oh.” A moment later, “What’d it say?”

“I have to go to the police station to get it.” I pushed him off and sat up again.

“And she said a lot of crap about how it’s Corrigan because his prints were on the note.

That’s all.”

“That’s all!?” Bryce followed me into the bathroom, incredulous. “That’s a lot.”

“She just wanted to mess with my head. It’s not Corrigan—” I stopped at the look on his face. “Right? It’s not Corrigan.”

Bryce

blinked.

“Bryce!”

“Sorry.” He snapped back to attention. “No, of course, it’s not Corrigan. But…the thought has some merit. I mean…Corrigan must’ve touched that note somehow.

So…someone would have to follow him around, pick up a blank piece of paper that he had touched and that’s all it would take.”

“That could be anyone.”

“Corrigan doesn’t go to classes, so that narrows the search. And he didn’t take notes when we were handcuffed. So…what else has he touched lately?”

“He doodled in Mr. Hankins class today, but that was it,” I murmured.

“So who’s in Mr. Hankins’ class?”

“I don’t know.” I sighed, washed my hands, and moved back to the bedroom.

“This is useless. The cops can figure that out, but I want to know who comes to the party and who doesn’t.”

Something in my voice caught at Bryce’s attention. He stopped and commented,

“What?—you don’t think he’s coming, do you?”

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“No.” I rolled my eyes. “I think he’ll come, but I think he’ll skulk around outside.

It’s what he must’ve done at Harris’ party. Leisha had to walk two blocks so I think he caught her outside. He was probably just watching the party.”

“I think…you got a new alarm system, right? Did they install video at all?”

“What? Yeah, I ordered a new system the next day, but I didn’t ask anything

about video.” That was creepy.

“Maybe we should install video output in a few hidden spots?” Bryce suggested.

“And not tell anyone and I mean
anyone
, not even Corrigan.”

“We have to tell Corrigan.”

“No, we don’t. Besides, he won’t get mad. He’d understand.”

“Why? Because some secrets are worth keeping?” I heard my own words, caught

the flash of emotion on his face, and asked abruptly, “What? What secrets do you guys have from me?”

“Secrets that are for your own good.” Bryce clipped out and shut his mouth.

A fist pounded at our door and Corrigan shouted, “Put on some clothes and get out here. We have a party to plan.”

I threw open the door.

Corrigan looked disappointed to see us fully clothed, but he said, “Everyone knows. I passed the message to be here at nine tonight and ready to party. Everyone’s bringing their own booze, but we gotta supply the food, music, and everything else.”

Bryce said quickly, “Sheldon, go with Corrigan and Logan. Get the food and

everything else. I’ll work on that other thing.”

Corrigan frowned, but shrugged.

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“Fine,” I murmured and led the way as Corrigan followed behind, excited. He threw an arm over my shoulder and murmured in my ear, “For the record, thanks for going to bat for me today. You know, against that cop.”

I stopped, frozen, in the hallway and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“About those things she was saying, about me being the stalker guy.”

“How do you know about that?”

A knot formed…

Logan waited for us at the door…

Corrigan shrugged, “I came up for something to drink after all of us went

downstairs. You were out there and we thought we’d give you some privacy, you know—

” He sent a furtive glance in his girlfriend’s direction. “—you don’t like everyone to know your business, but…it’s hard not to overhear when you were almost shouting and I was just on the other side.”

“I don’t understand. The door was closed.” And the walls were nearly

soundproof.

“Yeah, but…the window was open, Sheldon.” Corrigan told me and my world

spun about in that moment.

“I reset the alarm this morning. It would’ve gone off if a window was open.”

Corrigan froze and I realized that my own window hadn’t sounded the alarm.

Numb, I announced, “My alarm system doesn’t work.”

Bryce came to the stairwell at that moment and our eyes met as I looked up.

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Bryce firmly volunteered to order a third alarm system and watch while the guy installed it. Corrigan and I were sent out for chips and dip while Logan went home to change and pack a bag. She figured she’d be spending the night and Corrigan told her that she was correct, but not to expect much sleep.

We had already gone to the grocery store and were in route to Donadeli’s when Corrigan brought it up, “So…you and Bryce are together, huh?”

I looked at him and he shrugged, “He told me. He said that I couldn’t label you anything, but…you guys are together now?”

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“Guess

so.”

He nodded. “That’s good. That’s really good.”

I grinned, “So you’re not hoping for a threesome?”

Corrigan cracked a smile and shook his head, “Nah, but I give that lady cop her props. She had to say it and she had to say it to you. Me, it would’ve just rolled off me, but you—she needed to know what you thought about a buddy that might a hold a torch.”

“So do you?” I held my breath, but my eyes didn’t move an inch.

“Do I love you or do I hold a torch?”

“Are they different?”

“They are,” Corrigan relinquished. “You’re the only girl in my life that’ll always be in my life. Yes, I love you. If I held a torch—you’ve always been Bryce’s. I knew that from seventh grade.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

Corrigan started to speak, held his breath, and then said, “Let me put it this way, if there was no Bryce? What then?”

I got his point. “Okay.” I nodded.

Corrigan changed the subject when he asked, “So tonight is a snipe hunt?”

I laughed, “Snipe don’t exist. This psycho does.”

“He needs to die. No one messes with the Queen and gets away with it.”

“Don’t call me that,” I said quickly, startled.

“It’s what he’s thinking,” Corrigan remarked. “If you’re going to find him, you need to think like he does. He thinks you’re some Queen and everyone else is a lowly subject.”

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“You guys aren’t. He’s gone after Leisha and Bailey. If he’s going after people who I love, he’d have gone after you guys. He doesn’t consider you guys lowly subjects.”

“I’m anything other than lowly,” Corrigan cracked a joke. Smug.

“Corrigan.”

“Shutting

up.”

As we walked into Donadeli’s, Marcus flushed brightly behind the hosting table.

Corrigan nudged me and whispered, “He found the body. See if you can find out more about it.”

“No,” I hissed. “I told you.”

“Come on. There was a note, right? Maybe he saw it. Maybe he read it.” He

flashed a smile, “Hi, Marcus!”

The kid tensed immediately, but he replied back, terse, “Raimler.”

“I’m going to go sit…and wait for my drink.”

“I’ll put your orders in,” Marcus mumbled automatically.

“No, no,” Corrigan stopped him, charmingly. “Stand. Talk to Sheldon. We can

wait. We’re in no hurry.”

I snorted in disbelief, but I murmured, quietly, “Hi, Marcus,”

He flushed again and fidgeted, “How are you, Sheldon?”

“I’m okay.” I shrugged. “As good as can be with some loser killing people, you know.”

“Yeah…”

“How are you? Everyone’s saying that you’re the one who found Bailey

Umbridge this morning.”

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He gulped and looked away, but his fidgeting worsened.

I took pity, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or anything.”

This was such a rarity for me. For some reason, I took pity on the social defect. I have no idea why…

He looked back up, surprised and cautious, but I gestured towards Corrigan, “I’m throwing a party at my place tonight. We were wondering—I was wondering if we could order three Party Packs and get them delivered to my place?”

“Uh…sure.” He blushed again and busied himself with the cashier. “Do you, um, do you want anything else?”

“I think Corrigan wants to actually eat here. I’ll pay for the Party Packs now and Corrigan’s order with two pops.”