Vanilla Beaned (20 page)

“But it could have been someone using her phone,” Mel argued. “Did you recognize her voice? Was it absolutely her?”

“Yes, no, maybe, I don't know. You're crazy,” Holly said. “Who would do that?”

“Wild guess, but I'd say it's the same person who knocked you out and shoved you in an air vent,” Mel said.

“But why?” Holly cried. “Why is someone out to get me?”

“I don't know,” Mel said. “But your daughter is your weak spot.”

“What if she's really sick and she needs me?” Holly asked. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Call Billy,” Mel said.

Holly looked like she was going to shake Mel off and charge the door, but Mel tightened her hold on Holly's arm.

“One phone call,” she said. “Just to check.”

“Fine, but if he doesn't answer, I'm going,” Holly said.

They hustled back to the main room and Holly picked up her phone and called her ex-husband. She held it to her ear, chewing the corner of her thumbnail while she waited.

After several rings, she pulled it away from her ear and shook her head at Mel. “He's not—”

“Hello.” A male voice came out of her phone, and Mel and Holly exchanged a startled glance.

“Billy?” Holly asked.

Mel could hear him answer but couldn't make out the words.

“I know it's late,” Holly said. “I'm checking on Sydney.”

Mel waited, unable to make out what Billy said.

“What do you mean she's fine?” Holly asked. “Lisa—”

She began but Mel shook her head furiously from side to side. If something funky was going on, they needed to ask questions first and not offer up any info.

“I thought I got a message from Lisa, saying that Sydney was sick,” Holly said. She paused to listen. “She ate four slices of pizza and then went to bed? Huh, maybe it was an old message that just came through. Could you do me a favor and just peek in on her?”

Billy said something and Holly forced a laugh. “Yeah, that's me, the overprotective one.”

Holly resumed pacing while Mel stood in the kitchen watching her.

“Oh, okay,” Holly said. “Thanks.”

Mel frowned. Clearly, Sydney was fine. What the heck was going on?

“Hey, Billy, is Lisa there?” Holly asked. “She did? Oh, okay, sorry to bother you.” There was a pause and then Holly said, “Thanks again. Sleep well.”

She ended the call and tossed her phone onto the counter. She dug her hands into her hair, dislodging her ponytail.

“Okay, I am now officially freaking out,” Holly said.

“Sydney's fine?” Mel guessed.

“Sleeping like a baby, according to her dad,” Holly said. “What's more, Lisa went to bed early because of a backache due to her pregnancy.”

“Someone is using Lisa's phone then,” Mel said. “Trying to lure you out of the hotel, I guess. Where did she want you to go?”

“Lisa and Billy's house.”

“I don't think she was ever going to let you get there,” Mel said. “We need to call Manny right away.”

“This is a nightmare,” Holly said. Her phone went off again and she looked at the display. She frowned and picked it up. “Hi, Billy, what's up?”

Mel heard his voice, sounding disturbed, and she looked at Holly's face. Holly paled, looking like she might faint.

“Okay, all right, I'll call you if I hear from her,” Holly said and she ended the call.

“What's wrong?” Mel asked.

“Billy said that after we hung up, he went to check on Lisa to see how she was feeling,” Holly said. “She wasn't there.”

“I know who murdered Scott,” Mel said. She felt woozy as if all the blood had drained from her face. It all made sense now. “It was Lisa and I know why.”

“What?” Holly asked. “No, that's impossible. She's not a killer, plus she's pregnant.”

“Is she really?” Mel asked. “Have you seen her big, bare belly? Has anyone?”

“Billy must have,” Holly said. “But—”

“He said she's been avoiding him,” Mel interrupted. “Earlier when he brought Sydney here, he said she won't let him go to the doctor with her. Who does that unless they're hiding something?”

Holly gave her a horrified look.

“What?”

“We had a pool party for Sydney's birthday two weeks
ago,” Holly said. “It was superhot, like a freaky warm desert day, and we all went in the pool, everyone except Lisa.”

“Because she doesn't want anyone to see,” Mel said. “And why does Sydney think babies come out of bellies like kangaroo pouches?”

“Lisa said she thought it was a cute way for her to think of it,” Holly said.

“Or did Sydney see something she wasn't supposed to and Lisa lied her way out of it by saying babies come out of pouches?”

“That's nuts. There is no way she could fake a pregnancy,” Holly argued. “I've been pregnant. I would know.”

“How did you describe the Elvis who grabbed you?” Mel persisted. “You said he had a flabby gut that felt like a pouch. Could he have been a she? Could the pouch have been fake? Could Lisa be faking her pregnancy?”

Mel didn't think Holly could be any paler than she already was. She staggered a bit to the side and Mel caught her around the middle.

“Oh my god, this is crazy, right?”

Mel shrugged. She'd been exposed to a lot of crazy folks over the past few years. Honestly, nothing really surprised her anymore.

“I thought the softness up top was just man boobs but I bet it was a woman. All this time, it's been Lisa,” Holly said. “But why?”

“Sydney,” Mel said. “Lisa has been playing mother to her while you've been showgirl mom. With you changing
your career and being around more, Lisa is going to lose her spot as number one, and if her pregnancy is fake, then she really won't have anything.”

The suite's buzzer rang and Mel hurried for the door. “That must be Manny.”

She moved the latch aside and peered through the peephole. Standing on the other side was a short, stocky Elvis. Mel knew immediately that it wasn't Marty or Oz. She also noted that the security guard Manny had posted by the door was nowhere to be seen.

She quietly closed the latch, hoping that it wasn't audible on the other side of the thick door.

She stepped back, spun on her heel, and grabbed Holly's wrist as they ran toward the back of the suite.

The buzzer sounded again, and Mel yelled, “Coming,” even as she ran in the other direction.

“It's her, isn't it?” Holly asked.

“Yes,” Mel said. “But I have a plan.”

Holly started to cry and Mel shook her lightly. “Don't fall apart now. I'm going to distract her and you're going to take the service elevator down and then send it back for me.”

“No, we have to go together,” Holly insisted.

“There's not enough room. It's a single-person ride for the staff to get into the suites quickly so they can care for the guests and not be noticed,” Mel said. “Plus, I need to keep her occupied while you send help so we can catch her. If she disappears, there's no knowing what she'll do next. She could go after Sydney. Go right to security and get Manny.”

Mel opened the door to the utility closet and punched in the code that she'd seen Mario the chef use. It brought the elevator to them in seconds. Mel shoved Holly into it.

“You can fit,” Holly insisted. “I'm sure of it.”

Mel shook her head. The elevator was built to rocket one person quickly where they were needed so that the rich guests could live their pampered lives without interruption.

“Go,” Mel said. “I'll be fine. She's not after me.”

Holly leaned forward and hugged Mel hard. “Be careful.”

“Always,” Mel said. She hugged Holly back and then hit the button that would jet Holly down to the first floor.

As soon as the doors closed, she turned and raced through the apartment to the front door. She had no plan. She had no strategy. She really hoped she could stall on opening the door until security grabbed the lunatic on the other side.

When she stumbled back into the front room, she gasped. The front door was wide open.

For a second Mel thought about running to the other elevators and getting to safety. It would have been the obvious choice, but what if she went out into the hallway and Lisa found her there? Unless the elevator came right away, she'd be trapped with a person who had already killed once. Did she really want to be victim number two?

She moved as quietly as she could, tiptoeing across the room into the darkened corner. She pressed her back up against the wall and scanned the suite. When they had checked into the luxurious digs, she had felt spoiled by the
spacious layout. Now she knew there were two thousand square feet that a psychopath could use to hide and it was up to Mel to find her.

The sound system suddenly came on and club music blared out of the speakers situated all over the suite. Mel jumped and let out a little yip that she was relieved could not be heard over the music. Her heart seemed to hammer in sync with the pounding bass beat. She felt queasy and a little faint.

She tried to remember where the control panel for the stereo was. If she remembered right, there was one in every room, which didn't narrow down the locations where Lisa could be as much as she'd like.

Mel lowered her body toward the floor. Crouching below eye level seemed like a good idea, especially if she  could use the furniture to hide behind. She crept out of her dark corner and dashed into the living room, where she hid behind an armchair. She waited but there was no shout or any movement in reaction to her mad dash.

Lisa had to be in one of the bedrooms. Mel darted behind the sofa and then behind a chair. The control panel was within reach and she poked it with her index finger until the music stopped and the lights went out.

There was a crash from one of the bedrooms in back and Mel swiftly dashed down the hallway in the dark. If she could figure out which room, she could slam the door and trap Lisa until help arrived.

The lights snapped on when she was halfway down the hall, and she ducked into the bedroom on her right. It was empty. She darted behind the open door for cover.

“I know you're here, Holly,” a voice called out. “Come out, I just want to talk to you.”

Mel felt her heart hammer in her chest, and she was amazed Lisa couldn't hear it, too.

“I will find you,” Lisa said. It sounded more like a threat than a promise.

And now Mel was sure it was Lisa. She was just as soft-spoken as she'd been when Mel first met her, but now there was a lilt of crazy in it.

Mel figured that Holly had made it down to security by now. She needed only a few minutes until Manny arrived, hopefully with backup, to take the crazy woman out. She just had to stall for five more minutes. Surely she could outmaneuver this woman for five minutes.

There was no place to go from the bedroom, except through the French doors out to the balcony. She hoped the others had left their doors unlocked so that she could enter and exit at will as she tried to lead Lisa around in circles.

She could hear footsteps in the hallway. She had only seconds. She hurried across the bedroom and opened the door. She slid through it, leaving it agape so that Lisa would be lured outside.

Mel stayed in the shadows. She could see the lights of the city and hear the steady grind of the traffic below on the Strip. Just yards below her were thousands of people. So close and yet so far, Mel had never felt quite so alone.

She hugged the wall to her back and moved across the terrace to the next set of doors. The curtains were closed so she reached for the knob and tried to turn it as quietly as possible. It was locked. Damn it.

She moved to the next set. The lights from the room she had left snapped on. Mel reached for the door handle and turned it. Lisa might arrive outside at any minute. It was unlocked. She pulled it open and went to step inside.

The hit when it came was completely unexpected. Mel felt something catch her around the knees and drag her to the ground. She hit the stone hard, knocking the wind out of her. Damn it, Lisa must have used the control panel to turn the lights on in the other room.

“You're not Holly!” the stocky Elvis who had been at the door screamed at her. “Where is Holly?”

Mel didn't have enough air in her lungs to answer. She was wheezing and choking, trying to reinflate her lungs. Elvis's wig was askew, revealing a dark ponytail. Mel's crazy theory had been right. The one stalking Holly had been Lisa.

Out of patience, Lisa grabbed the collar of Mel's shirt and shook her as if she could force the information out of her.

“Lisa, stop,” Mel ordered. “Stop!”

Lisa gasped. Her grip on Mel weakened and Mel took the opportunity to shove her off. It was a weak effort but Lisa was so rattled she didn't put up much resistance and Mel scuttled across the patio, putting a lounge chair between them. Lisa lumbered toward her, clearly not respecting Mel's boundaries.

“I know you're faking your pregnancy.” Mel reached out and poked Lisa's belly with her pointer finger. It was squishy and firm just like her sister-in-law's belly when
she'd been pregnant. Mel had a moment of doubt. Was Lisa really pregnant?

“I'm not faking,” Lisa yelled. “I'm not!”

“It was you who looked at the bakery that morning before I went there with Holly, wasn't it?” Mel badgered. “Did Scott show you around, and when you discovered he was a smoker, you figured you'd turn on the gas and with any luck we'd all be blown to smithereens. Was that the plan, Lisa?”

“No, no one was supposed to get hurt,” Lisa said. She sagged a bit at the knees.

“And what about the car busting through the window?” Mel asked. “Did you hire someone to do that? Were you hoping Holly would get killed in the accident and then you'd have Sydney all to yourself? Except you almost got Sydney killed that day, didn't you? And how about the shots at the house? Was that you? Did you decide it would just be easier to kill Holly?”

“It's not my fault!” Lisa yelled. She was crying now and she wiped her nose on one sparkly sleeve. “If she had just left everything the way it was I wouldn't have had to hire my brother to drive that car through the bakery window or to shoot out her windows and scare her. I thought I could scare her into staying in the show and only having Sydney on Mondays, but she kept pushing me.”

Theory confirmed. Now where the hell was everyone? Surely, Holly had gotten downstairs by now. What could be taking them so long? Mel didn't like the cray-cray look in Lisa's eyes. Her instincts were screaming at her to get
out of there so she tried to back away from Lisa before she had a total meltdown.

“Listen, it doesn't have to be this way,” Mel said. “We can get you some help and everything will be fine.”

“Don't patronize me!” Lisa let out a furious roar and jumped over the lounger onto Mel's side, knocking her to the ground. Mel tried to shake her off but Lisa was strong and had the whole psychotically mad thing going.

“Tell me where Holly is,” Lisa demanded.

“She's long gone,” Mel wheezed. “She's sending help. If I were you, I'd run for it.”

“Liar!”

Mel had the urge to argue, but she figured Lisa would probably crack her skull like a walnut if she thought Mel was wising off.

Instead, Mel closed her eyes and put all of her energy into trying to shake Lisa off. She bucked and writhed and arched her back but Lisa clung like a barnacle.

“Get off me,” Mel demanded. She had hoped to sound strong and mean but instead it came out winded and wimpy.

Lisa leaned close and growled in Mel's ear, “Tell me where Holly is.”

“Why? So you can kill her?”

Lisa punched Mel in the kidney, making her buckle as the pain ricocheted through her body.

“I wouldn't have to if she'd just kept things the way they were,” Lisa said. “Sydney is my daughter. Mine. I'm the one who has raised her since she was a baby, not Holly.”

“But what about your baby?” Mel said, knowing it was like poking a bear with a stick. “Don't you want more time with your own child?”

A sound came out of Lisa that made the hair on the back of Mel's neck stand on end. It was an anguished cry, one of misery and heartbreak and rage. Mel shivered.

“There is no baby,” Lisa said. She was weeping. “I lost it at ten weeks, but I couldn't tell Billy. He was so happy. I just wanted to give him what Holly had given him. He always says he's over her but how could he be? I mean she's Holly Hartzmark and I'm . . . not.”