AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Carmen did not kill herself. Maybe her death was an accident, maybe it wasn’t. I don’t give a damn how many girls Tanner slept with that night, or any other time. Carmen knew he was with Delta, who flat-out told me she wanted to kill him, by the way, but Carmen knew Tanner wasn’t hers. Maybe she lost some hero worship that night, but she wasn’t suicidal.”
He waggled his hand from side to side.
“You didn’t know her. None of you guys knew her. And I’m done talking about her.” Bailey turned to leave.
“There’s just no conspiracy, Bailey. Carmen died. Maybe she meant to do it, maybe she didn’t. But it just happened. And Tanner’s always felt bad.”
“Oh, sure.”
“He never wanted anything bad to happen to anyone.”
“I’m not in love with him like you and everybody else,” she said coldly.
He snorted. “Oh, not everyone’s in love with him anymore. I could tell you stories . . .”
“I don’t want to talk about Tanner anymore, either.”
“You’re as bad as McCrae, y’know? Is it a cop thing? Neither of you wants to revisit high school, even though you’re both here.”
At the mention of her coworker, Bailey glanced over to Chris McCrae, who was hanging near the keg. He was holding a beer, and Bailey noticed, not for the first time, how he, like Penske, had gotten better-looking as they neared thirty. McCrae’s hair was thick and dark brown, brushing his collar. He had a close-clipped beard that Bailey’s dad had griped wasn’t really regulation, which amused Bailey. Her father could be such a stodge. But sometimes, looking at McCrae directly, she sort of forgot what was being said. He was that appealing.
“McCrae has some sense,” she said.
“You didn’t think so when we were in high school.”
“He didn’t have as much then.”
“Do you talk to him about your Carmen theories?”
“We talk about our jobs, Penske. That’s what we talk about. The Crassleys? That’s what we talk about.”
He lifted his hands, and this time Bailey did move away from him. He knew, as well as anyone in West Knoll, that the Crassleys were a family of bullies, brawlers, and thieves. The Crassleys hadn’t had a student in Bailey’s graduating class, but it was about the only year one of the eight Crassleys had skipped. Above and below their class had been Gale and Booker, who had been in constant trouble as kids and were into ever-deepening criminal activity now. The Crassleys took up a lot of the West Knoll department’s time and energy.
“What are you doing afterward?” Penske suddenly asked, before Bailey got out of earshot.
She stopped trying to edge away and looked back at him. “After this? Nothing. Going home to my dog.”
“Would you like to do something else?”
“No. But . . . thanks.” She was flummoxed. Not because she wanted to spend any more time with Penske, but it had been a while since any guy had shown any interest in her at all.
“I was thinking of getting some real food. Not just ‘light hors d’oeuvres.’ You could join me?”
“I just got here.”
“How about this? We do a little more reconnoitering, say hi to everyone we’ve missed, then vamoose?” His eyes took a trip around the room. The decibel level had increased, and Bailey had had to return a step back closer to him to hear. She saw his gaze linger on someone, his lids narrow a bit, but when she turned around to look, there was no one in his direct line of sight. Amanda and her husband were still standing together again, albeit like two frozen robots, McCrae seemed to be walking toward Ellie, Zora and Delta had turned their backs to each other and were talking to other people, Coach Sutton and Counselor Billings were gazing at Principal Kiefer and Mr. Timmons, who were both looking deadly serious in a way that seemed out of place.
“I don’t—”
“Shhh.” He placed a finger over her lips. “We’ll circle the room, meet up again in half an hour, and you can reject me then.”
She hesitated, but he’d already turned away. Bailey seriously thought about just leaving. What the hell was she doing here anyway? What had she expected to find? But, say what you will, Penske had intrigued her a bit, so she decided to stay awhile longer, face some old friends, engage in more meaningless chitchat. What the hell. She probably would never go to another reunion.
Inhaling a deep breath, she headed in the general direction of Zora and Delta and Amanda, the remaining members of the Five Firsts.
Chapter 11
Ellie felt her heart flutter as Chris McCrae walked toward her, and she inhaled a slow, calming breath. Ten years. Ten years. She hadn’t seriously thought about him since their one-night stand. Well, she had, but when she’d realized the encounter had meant nothing to him, she’d purposely dropped him from her mind. He was high school. The past. They hadn’t had any kind of relationship, and no one had known about them doing it at the barbecue, so it was like it had never happened. In truth, she’d thought more about Tanner in the time since than McCrae. She and Tanner had at least had a whirlwind affair that first year of college when Delta had been stuck back in community college. It had been a lark. A fun time. She hadn’t wanted anything further from him then or now.
