Page 44 of The Killer You Know

“What about her?” I ask, touching my shoulder to Carrie’s as if we were conspiring together.

“That’s Alicia, class president, and Ms. Goody Two-Shoes, or at least we thought, right up until she got knocked up by our chemistry teacher.”

“No.” I gasp as I say it. Although I already knew that. “You know, I thought something was bothering her. Earlier I saw her speaking to”—I crane my neck into the crowd—“oh, that girl right there, the one with the light brown curls, red dress.”

“Ooh”—she’s back to wincing—“that’s Nessa. Yeah, they work together. Don’t tell Jackie I said so, but Alicia let me know that Nessa has something on her. They both work here at the school. Alicia teaches English and Nessa is the art instructor.”

“What do you think Nessa has over her?” I inch back, trying to take it in. “I mean, you don’t think it has anything to do with that chemistry teacher, do you?”

“Oh no, we’ve all moved long past that.” She cranes her neck back in Alicia’s direction as she’s chatting away with a couple of women. “Alicia alluded to the fact it had something to do with a paper she wrote. I think it was plagiarized to the hilt, or something like that. Of course, she didn’t come out and say it, but she did use the words heavily borrowed. As it turns out, both Alicia and Vanessa were gunning for administrative roles at the school, and I think our little Nessa finally grew a backbone and told Alicia to pack it in. She was a shoo-in for the job, but Alicia pulled out of the running. Now Nessa is getting the promotion. In fact, she already has the keys so to speak. She’s the one who let the committee in tonight. And from what I hear, Alicia is still running scared of Nessa. Nessa has got a backbone of steel these days—people think twice about messing with her now.”

“Huh.” I shake my head, trying to process it. “I met Nessa, too. You’re right. She is sweet. I wouldn’t have pegged her to do something like that.”

“I, for one, am happy for her,” she’s quick to confess. “You know that little ditty I just told you about that involved Derek cheating on his sweet little girlfriend? That’s the girlfriend.”

My entire body stiffens.

“I know it’s terrible,” she coos. “But that’s what those girls did back then. They found a little mouse like Nessa and they toyed with her via her bad-to-the-bone boyfriend. Unfortunately for Nessa, they toyed with her heart when they took turns seducing him. But as you can see, it was good for her after all. I mean, she’s got a spine of steel now.” Someone shouts for Carrie and she gives an ear-piercing squeal of delight right back. “Please, excuse me,” she says, putting down her plate. “And tell Jackie I’m going to hunt him down before he leaves!”

She trots off, half dancing to the music, and I make a beeline toward the entry where Jack quickly excuses himself from the men he’s speaking with.

“Well?” he says as he meets me halfway.

I lift a finger as a thousand thoughts sail through my mind at once.

“Luminol,” I say.

29

Special Agent Fallon Baxter

“Luminol?” Jack says it low as he pulls me close by the waist as if we were a real couple right here in the depths of his old high school gym and I don’t protest. In fact, my heart gives a few unnatural thumps being so close to him and my skin drinks down the warmth from his body. “What do we need luminol for? I don’t have any on me,” he teases.

His dimples dig in for a moment as he inches his face close to mine, and for a split second, I think he’s going to kiss me. Terrifyingly enough, I’m not sure I’ll stop him.

“It’s just a hunch.” I glance back at the dance floor and spot Vanessa speaking to a couple of women as they watch the others rock the night away. A leopard may not change his spots, but neither does a wallflower. “I’ve got some with me,” I pant, suddenly thankful I drove. “Come on. We need to hurry.”

The air outside is perfumed with the surrounding pines, a welcome reprieve compared to what amounts to the cologne counter at the mall.

I quickly fill Jack in on everything Carrie told me and he grabs a hold of my hand a few feet from my truck and stops cold.

“Wait a minute.” He glances out at the woods as he tries to process it all. “That’s right. Nessa and Derek were together for a time. I didn’t think it was serious, though.”

“Apparently, it was,” I say, clicking my key fob as my truck chirps to life. “It sounds as if the so-called Queens took particular pleasure in tormenting her, too.” I open my trunk and begin riffling for the little black bag I’m looking for.

“So maybe Derek did this because he’s angry things never worked out with Nessa.”

I turn around abruptly to look at him. “Are you awake? Try maybe Nessa did it because they ruined the future she was trying to build with the bad boy of her dreams.” I shake my head. “I’m trying to think like a melodramatic teenage girl.” I reach blinding back into my trunk and come up triumphantly with what I’m looking for. “Ah—and here it is.”

“Here’s what?” Jack inches in to try to get a look at it.

“It’s the kit Hale gave me when I showed up at the field office that first day.”

“What kit?”

“You know, the kit,” I say as I start to dig through it. “At first, I thought it was more of a gag gift. But anyway, it was part of the welcome package right after he issued me my laptop and phone.”

“I didn’t get a kit,” he says, mostly amused. “What’s in it?”

---