Literally Offed Read online

  “Why? It’s the truth. Probably won’t answer any of our calls because he skipped out, ran away to Canada or something.”

  I sucked in a quick breath at Kevin’s statement.

  “Did you hear something?” he asked and then I heard him stand.

  Scuttling away, I headed toward the north end of the library where Liv was reclined in the chaise with her laptop balanced on her knees. When she noticed me, she lifted up her legs to make room. I tucked myself into the vacated spot before she lowered her legs back down, knees bent up like a bridge over me.

  “How are Kevin and his lady-friend?” she asked without taking her eyes off the page in front of her.

  The girl knew me too well.

  “Crying,” I said.

  Liv put down her book, interest written on her face as plain as the page in front of her.

  “I think it might be the girl James was seeing, but Kevin sure seems interested.”

  “Do you think this could’ve been a case of him offing the competition?”

  Sighing, I said, “I don’t know. Alex and I met with Dylan this morning and he seemed adamant Kevin was definitely on Team James. Plus, the guy is tall, taller than James was for sure. I don’t think he’s our guy.”

  “Yeah, and killing someone over a college crush seems a little intense.”

  “A little.” I nodded.

  We sat in silence for a moment or two, and then we drifted back to our books, Liv getting sucked into her work and me enveloped by Thoreau’s life in the woods.

  The clicking of heels across the wood floors of the library pulled my attention up a while later. I could feel Liv shift and look up, too. We glanced from the auburn-haired girl to each other then back to her, walking out of the library. Alone. No Kevin draped over her this time.

  One look back at Liv and I could see her expression narrow in the same way mine probably had. Without talking, we got up from our comfy reading position, quickly gathering our books and purses into our arms. We shuffled through the aisles of books until we were close to the back corner. Tiptoeing the rest of the way, we crept over to the spot between the books and the shelf where we might be able to see Small, Dark, and Red.

  Although I could only catch a glimpse, I was fairly certain it was Kevin. He’d stayed behind. And if Dylan was right, if Kevin really was loyal to James, maybe he could give us some insight into who in the group might be the killer.

  Liv and I could either communicate telepathically after living together for this long, or our brains just came up with the same half-baked plans at the same time. She nudged me forward, nodding toward the empty seat across from him. I leaned around the shelf, making sure it really was him before committing.

  He sat there, head cradled in his hands, letting it rock back and forth slowly. I cleared my throat. Kevin glanced up, blinking bleary-eyed.

  “Hey there…” I stepped forward and felt Liv follow behind. “I don’t know if you remember us…”

  His face contorted into a scowl. I was about to turn and bolt, to push Liv away whispering, “Abort, abort” when Kevin’s face softened, even turned up into a smile.

  “Oh yeah. From the campground.” He sat all the way up.

  “Care if we join you?” I asked, gesturing to the empty chair across from him, not the one he’d pulled up next to him to better cuddle with the redhead.

  “Sure.” He pointed to the chair next to him and looked at Liv as I plopped myself into the seat farthest away.

  Right after my butt hit the cushion, Liv’s hip shoved me to the side until I had one cheek on, one off. “Thanks, but we’re fine sharing.”

  I leaned forward. “How are you doing?”

  “Not great, to be honest,” he said.

  “Well, that’s completely understandable.” Liv widened her eyes. “What happened to your friend was awful. Not to mention one of your friends could possibly be the killer.” She kept cool even when Kevin coughed in surprise.

  The woman was a genius.

  Finally acknowledging his reaction, Liv leaned forward. “I mean, do you think so?”

  Kevin licked his lips, then swallowed and sighed. “I guess.”

  “Who does the sheriff think it could be?” I asked, wondering if Kevin knew any more about the sheriff’s suspect list than we did.

  “He told us these things take time, they might not even have a list of suspects for a few days. I mean, they questioned all of us, and the rest of the campers, but…” he shrugged. “We haven’t heard anything more.”

  Feigning ignorance, I said, “Didn’t he get in a fight with one of the guys in your group the night he was killed?”

  “Yeah, Matt.” Kevin’s posture visibly stiffened. His face darkened just as it had when we’d been sitting around drinking coffee the other morning.

  “And do you think Matt is capable of doing… that to someone?” Liv asked, cringing at her inability to describe the murder in any detail.

  I held my breath as Kevin paused.

  “Psh. Totally. It wouldn’t surprise me at all. I’m so sick of the guy, honestly. He’s really hot-tempered and is always starting fights with everyone we hang out with, especially James. He and James—well, the fight they got in that night was pretty nasty. I was wasted, but I can’t think of anyone else who left the campsite as long as Matt did, either.”

  That was it, confirmed by one of their own. Matt had motive and opportunity. Now to find out about means.

  “The sheriff took the knives we brought for cooking into evidence. Did he take anything from you guys?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm lest it reveal my interest in this, the last piece I needed.

  “Yeah, a few of us had pocket knives. Others had scarier hunting knives, you know, in case we saw any bears.”

  I was about to mention I didn’t think a hunting knife was going to do much to protect you from live bears, especially when you were drunk, but I kept that tidbit to myself. I needed Kevin to feel comfortable enough to keep talking and he was already starting to squirm, glance around, look for a way out.

  “Were there any knives missing?” I chewed on my lip as I willed him to hang on for just a few more questions.

  At this, Kevin’s face tightened. “Matt’s. He was showing it off earlier in the day, throwing it into trees and pretending to cut people. When the sheriff came and asked, Matt didn’t hand anything in and he gave us all a threatening look like we shouldn’t say anything.” Kevin scoffed. “Typical Matt. Running around, doing whatever he wants without consequences. When the sheriff left, Matt told us he couldn’t find it, but it wasn’t a big deal, he would just buy another one. Brushed it off.”

  “And you didn’t think that was important to tell the sheriff?” Liv asked, ineffectively concealing the incredulity in her tone.

  Her question did bring to mind many of my own. Namely, what if they didn’t say anything because they actually worked together to kill James? What if there wasn’t just one killer, but a whole group?

  “I told you, Matt’s a pretty scary guy. Super intense,” Kevin answered, breaking my chain of thought.

  “Yeah, and possibly a killer,” I said. “You need to say something to the sheriff.”

  Kevin clenched his jaw.

  “Like today,” Liv added.

  Finally, he dipped his head once. “Okay. I’ll call when I get home.” He stood, giving us a defeated wave.

  Liv and I said goodbye. Once we got up and checked that he was really out of earshot, I grabbed Liv’s arms at the same moment she whispered, “Did that just happen?”

  “We have to call Alex right now.” I let go of Liv and called him up, tapping my foot while the dial tone buzzed in my already buzzing head.

  “Hey, I was just about to—”

  “Matt did it,” I whispered as forcefully as I could, aware we were still in the library. “Liv and I just ran into Kevin and he told us Matt had a big hunting knife with him at the campground, which he said he lost, but didn’t tell the sheriff about.” I paused
to breathe. “He had motive, means, and opportunity, Alex. It’s got to be him.”

  Alex cleared his throat. “I don’t think it is, Pepper.”

  “Why? How? Everything points straight to—”

  “He’s in intensive care at the hospital right now. Someone tried to kill him last night.”

  14

  “Wh-what?” I stammered, louder than I should’ve in the library. The shelves of books swirled around me.

  Liv’s eyes searched my face, obviously unaware of the bomb Alex had just dropped on me, the wrench he’d thrown into our theory.

  “What happened?” I asked again.

  “Someone jumped him last night when he was walking back from a bar.”

  “Do you think it was the same person?”

  Liv frowned next to me, slowly figuring out what happened based on my end of the conversation.

  “I don’t know. They didn’t slit his throat, but they did beat him within an inch of his life. I’m sure whomever did it thought he was dead, but the guy’s tough. He hung on long enough for morning when someone found him in an alley, barely breathing.”

  I sucked in a quick breath at the details. “That’s awful.” I could feel the creases in my forehead deepening as I thought of how angry Kevin seemed with Matt. “You don’t think maybe someone was trying to get back at him for killing James, do you?” I asked.

  “We can’t rule it out, of course. But I think it might also mean this wasn’t an inside job.”

  “Dylan or Chloe.” I said, thinking of the weirdness with Dylan’s alibi.

  “Chloe’s out. Dad checked in on her alibi and her grandparents said she was there all weekend.”

  Which meant Dylan might still be a suspect. I nodded, then remembered Alex couldn’t see me through the phone. “Okay, is there anything you want me and Liv to do?”

  “Stay safe, get home if you can. I don’t know if Kevin is involved in this or not, but if he is, he has good reason to think you two are snooping around now that you two just questioned him.”

  “Got it.” I swallowed, checking over my shoulder, heartbeat quickening. Alex was right. What I thought had been an awesome catch on our part now felt incredibly dangerous. “We’re leaving now.”

  “I’ll call in a little bit, when I know more,” Alex said, his tone softening.

  “We still on for our Alex and Pepper day tomorrow?” I asked. Seeing as how we’d missed out on most of our camping trip, we’d decided to go for a long hike, just the two of us, to make up for the time lost.

  “Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss it.”

  After hanging up, Liv and I hustled ourselves out of the library and I filled her in on what Alex had told me while we made the short trip home—only stopping for a minute at the minimart on the corner to grab a few pints of ice-cream. We stayed inside the rest of the day, trying to beat the heat by stuffing cool, creamy spoonfuls into our mouths and watching some good ol’ romantic comedies.

  Alex called during our second movie, telling me he’d be there to pick me up at eight in the morning, sharp, which really meant seven-fifty in Alex time.

  Despite feeling a bit sluggish from the early departure time, and the too-much-ice-cream hangover I was nursing, I was ready by fifteen-minutes-to-eight the next morning.

  I was taking Hammy on her morning constitutional when a car honk made me jump nearly out of my skin. Hammy barked, racing around me in circles I think were meant to protect me, but really just served to wrap me up in her leash so I was trapped, easy prey for whatever honking foe I was about to face.

  Because, really, what kind of person honked at people this early in the morning? They had to be bad news.

  Untangling myself, I glanced up. The honking seemed to have come from a dark SUV with mobster-level tinted windows. Definitely not Alex. I turned to walk away, willing Hammy to pee as I pointed us on a course to our front door. The buzzing sound of an automatic window lowering caught my ear and slowed my steps, but I kept going, sending out a silent plea for the car to just leave.

  “Morning, beautiful.” A voice called out, stopping me in my tracks.

  Alex.

  Upon hearing Alex’s voice, Hammy began dragging me closer to the SUV. When we were about five feet away, I was able to pick up the little monster. She snorted and paddled her legs in the air in an effort to get closer to Alex’s hand extending from the passenger window.

  “Hey.” I giggled as he pet Hamburger. “I was expecting you to come in the truck.”

  It was then that my brain began to register the fact Alex was in the passenger seat, not the driver’s. Blinking, I leaned to the side to get a look past him. His father sat behind the wheel, sunglasses on, smirk evident. He lifted his hand in a wave.

  “Oh! Hi, Detective.”

  “Miss Brooks.”

  “Sorry, but Dad thought we should go pay the sheriff visit. I know we were supposed to have our day today, but… do you mind putting it on hold until we finish with this case?”

  My heart dropped a bit, but instead of letting him cancel on me, a plan came to mind. “Sure.” I pointed to Hammy. “I’ve still gotta get this little lady to pee and then we can hit the road,” I said, inviting myself along, even though I knew it wasn’t his intention. I wasn’t about to be left behind.

  Detective Valdez opened his mouth, like he was going to say something, but Alex interrupted him.

  “Take your time.” He winked at me, then pulled his hand away from Hammy so I could set her down.

  Because she’s a show off, Ham did her business right away, despite having put me through five minutes of her smelling everything in sight before the Valdez men arrived. Popping back inside, I unclipped her leash and yelled, “See you later,” to Liv.

  She poked a towel-wrapped head out from her room. “Good luck. Have fun on your Pepper and Alex day. Ham and I will hold down the fort.”

  I pulled in a long breath through my teeth. “Well, he has to do something with his dad and I sorta just invited myself along, which I don’t think the detective is too happy about, so…”

  “Yikes. Well, maybe just the good luck part.” Liv winked.

  “Thanks.”

  Grabbing my purse and sunglasses, I walked out into the morning sunshine. The passenger door opened and Alex stepped out. He opened the backseat door for me and then moved like he was going to follow me inside.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” I asked, stopping mid-scoot.

  “I didn’t want you to feel like a criminal riding in the backseat, so I thought I would ride back here with you.” He blinked.

  I officially had the sweetest boyfriend, but there was no way I was going to make the detective drive us around chauffeur-style. I placed a hand on Alex’s chest and pushed him back.

  “Uh-uh. I’m fine. You ride up there with your dad. I promise I don’t feel like a criminal, especially since this car doesn’t have one of those cages separating the front and back.”

  Alex exhaled, but put his hands up and then climbed back into the passenger seat.

  “Plus,” I said, leaning a forearm on each of the front seats, “this way I can be here in between you two and whisper classic literature quotes in your ears while we drive.” I laughed, but immediately regretting suggesting I would whisper anything into my boyfriend’s father’s ear.

  This was going to be a long drive. What had I done?

  “Just kidding.” I laughed again, too loud this time. “Of course I wouldn’t lean forward like that, because it would mean I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt. Which I always do, for the record.” Catching the detective’s eye in the rear view mirror, I gave him a wink and a two fingered salute like some sort of pilot.

  Alex glanced back at me, pressing his lips together in a “you feeling okay?” look.

  I just shook my head, searching for some duct tape to place over my mouth while I buckled myself in, or maybe there was a blanket I could drape over my head until we got there. An hour each way. I exhaled and sat back.

  Det
ective Valdez looked over at Alex, then back at me to check we were buckled and then he put the SUV into drive, pulling out of my apartment complex parking lot.

  “This is a nice car. Super fancy,” I said, running my hand along the immaculate cloth backseats. “Is it yours or the department’s?”

  I realized I’d never actually noticed what kind of car the detective drove. He was one of those odd people who actually parked his car inside his garage, and I wasn’t one to snoop around Alex’s house—well, not while he was there, at least.

  “It’s mine as long as I work on the force,” the detective answered. “Detectives are usually issued unmarked vehicles, but it still has all of the bells and whistles.” As if to prove it, he pushed a few buttons, eliciting a quick burst of sirens and flashing lights.

  “Oh!” My eyes widened. “I bet that person just about peed their pants,” I said, pointing to the car turning in front of us.

  Alex laughed.

  My body relaxed back into the seat. Detective Valdez seemed a little more laid back than he had when I’d first invited myself along. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad.

  “Alex filled me in on the conversation you two had with Dylan Oakes yesterday, but I’d like to hear what you learned from Kevin Thomas, if you don’t mind humoring me.”

  I didn’t and so I told the detective, and Alex who hadn’t heard all of the details yet either, about how Kevin had implicated Matt as the murderer, about his missing knife, and about him being the only one who left the site for a long period of time after James went missing.

  “But,” I said, wrapping up, “none of that really seems important now Matt’s been attacked, too.”

  “It does seem to point at someone outside of the group, since Matt seemed to represent an opposite opinion to all of the issues which caused disagreements between the members and James,” the detective said, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “Right. Anyone who was mad at James’s efforts to move the frat would’ve had no cause to hurt Matt, since he wanted it to stay,” Alex said.

  It seemed like our options there were now even more limited.

  We sat in frustrated silence for a few miles, but eventually Detective Valdez asked me to explain how fraternities came to be banned at NWU. That ended up taking the majority of the rest of the drive, as it was a long and arduous process, spurred ahead by the tragic deaths of three pledges during a particularly gruesome rush week. While neither Maggie nor I had been born when the whole thing had gone down, Dad had actually been a student there during the ban. That plus my family had always been very involved in the university—Dad going on to be a professor there and my mom an appointee on the board of regents on multiple occasions—so I heard stories about everything university related.