Page 109 of Beguiled

“Go on. Try and fill in the blanks.”

“She was the reason I applied for the job at the company. You’ve met her. At the Christmas party. Or maybe you didn’t, but I was her plus one that night.”

“Interesting.”

“She was so… sweet.”

I raked my memory banks, realizing on that night, as soon as I’d seen Saige, everyone else at the party had faded into the woodwork.

“Keep going, Saige. I need to know everything.”

“I don’t know what happened. She’s been acting strange and was supposed to come over after work. She started dating someone recently. I could tell she thought the arrangement was odd. He was odd. Pushy. Then she said something about her father making her do something. I’d encouraged her to talk to her dad and try and find out if her suspicions were true. Whatever they were. She must have taken my advice and talked with him because she was very upset, calling me around ten tonight. Shehad to work but wanted to come over afterward so I could try and give her advice.”

“But she never made it?”

“I fell asleep. When she didn’t answer her phone after I called several times, I…” She tried to pull away but I refused to let her. Her tongue licked her lip again, the tears in her eyes creating a luminous glistening effect. “After she didn’t answer, I drove over to her apartment. She lives in a midrise building. There were cops already there, people out on the street. Neighbors told me that she jumped from the roof. That she killed herself. I know better. She’s not like that. She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t go near the edge because she was terrified of heights. I could tell she was scared. Who would do that?”

Tears openly fell, ever so gently down her face. She continued trembling and right now, her eyes were searching mine for answers as well as confirmation that her best friend couldn’t have died by suicide.

With an assailant after her, my guess was she was right. “The answer is the man who chased you. Where did you pick up the gunman?”

“Outside her building. I’m positive he was standing watching the chaos and there was no doubt he saw me. While he didn’t do anything overt, he made me nervous. Especially since…”

“Especially since what?”

Once again, she closed her eyes. “I think someone was following me this morning. On the subway.”

My entire body bristled. “And you didn’t tell me.”

Saige sensed my anger, wincing from hearing my words. “Maybe I didn’t because I thought I was being paranoid. After making it to my car, which I’d parked a few blocks away, when he didn’t follow, I was relieved. But he’d beaten me to my apartment. He was waiting for me. Why? What is going on?”

Did she really need to ask that question? “Likely because you were collateral damage, my little dancer. Finish the story.”

So she did about how ingenious, even courageous she’d been in trying to get away from him. Although I would call her behavior reckless. She described the men following her, including on the subway. It could be anyone. She’d also mentioned Tawny’s phone and how it hadn’t gone to voicemail until the last time. A classic sign. Someone could have been monitoring the phone. My skin prickled as she mentioned the bastard forcing her to wreck, chasing her down and almost claiming her life.

The fucker’s death hadn’t been painful enough.

When she stopped talking, she continued to search my eyes. For guidance. Or for something else entirely, perhaps something I couldn’t make happen.

Even for her.

“You killed him. You killed the bastard.” With tears still sliding down her face, she should appear even more vulnerable, but she didn’t. She was the strongest woman I’d ever met.

Now she had a target on her back and that was unacceptable. What also troubled me was that there were no clear answers as to why.

“Where did your friend work tonight?”

She didn’t seem inclined to want to tell me.

“Saige. I need to know everything. Every detail. Every conversation you’ve had with her recently.” I released my hold, instead grabbing my drink. From her reaction, I was almost positive I knew the answer, but I wanted her to be honest with me.

After wiping her eyes, she nodded as if realizing that I would find out one way or the other.

“You’ve seen her before.”

“Where?”

“At the Strike Zone. I took her place the other night.”