Christy Barritt [Squeaky Clea Foul Play (epub)

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.Only I wasn’t.Maybe I’d never be.His nurse! All along I’d had a terrible suspicion he’d end up falling for one of his nurses.I’d just had no clue that I’d actually be right! Was I really this much of a fool?I picked up one of the last letters he’d written to me.I kept it in my desk drawer.As I read it, a tear hit the paper and blurred Riley’s name.Symbolic? A sign from God? I wasn’t sure.So this was it.Riley really had moved on.In the meantime, I’d just been sitting around here waiting.Like a fool.Why was it so hard for me to accept reality sometimes?Using the back of my hand, I wiped away the moisture at my eyes.I’d wanted to make sure he was happy.That he was really making it on his own okay.That his parents were taking good care of him.Since he’d essentially cut me off, I had no other way of hearing how Riley was holding up.I’d felt so out of touch.I now knew the truth.What was done was done.I shoved the letter into my desk drawer.At least I finally had some answers.Maybe I could finally let go.Maybe I could finally move beyond the events that wanted to chain me to the past.They were like a weight that kept pulling me under water, nearly drowning me.It was time to cut myself loose and finally breathe again.I fished out my old pictures of Riley, his sweatshirt—which still smelled like him—and the sweet notes he’d written me.I put them all in a box and stuffed it on a high shelf in my closet.Forgetting what’s behind and pressing toward what’s ahead.That’s what I had to do.***I arrived at practice early and tried to find Paulette so I could share what I’d learned.I walked past her office and saw a glass of wine on her desk, but no Paulette.Was that glass a sign that my friend had a drinking problem? Most people didn’t bring alcohol with them to work, after all.I’d seen a glass at her house also.I stepped fully inside her office, curiosity getting the best of me.That’s when I spotted a yellow plastic bottle by her stack of mail.Out of curiosity, I picked it up.Pills clattered inside.I glanced at the label.Some of the typed words had faded, but one ended with “ocotain.” What was that used to treat? I would have to look it up.Quickly, I put the bottle back where I found it.My eyes also skimmed over a red stamp across one of the bills.It clearly said “PAST DUE.” Paulette was behind on her bills? Her family had plenty of money.How had that happened?The gold trimmed clock hanging behind Paulette’s desk caught my eye, and I flinched.I was late for practice!I jetted out of her office and ran into the auditorium and realized everyone had stopped talking and now stared at me.I felt my face warm as my gaze shot around the room.Paulette stood at the front, right beside Mrs.Baker.Jerome paced on stage and several other cast members lingered close.Then my gaze fell on Arie.She’d positioned herself apart from the others, her eyes shooting daggers at me.I had a moment of contemplation, wondering if I should confront her or keep silent.I decided to keep quiet and be subtle, which wasn’t easy for me.However, I was supposed to be undercover.I couldn’t just go around accusing people.“Glad to see you could join us,” Arie mumbled.Maybe I should rethink that whole being subtle thing.I reached the stage.“Sorry I’m a few minutes late.”“We were just starting the second act.Why don’t you join everyone on stage?” Mrs.Baker said.I nodded and, as I started toward the steps, the auditorium suddenly went pitch black.A few screams cracked through the air.Something shuffled in the distance.“What happened?” someone yelled.“What’s going on?”“This can’t be happening again!”“No one panic!” I recognized Mrs.Baker’s voice.Finally, the lights flashed back on.Everyone let out a nervous laugh as they glanced at each other.Even Mrs.Baker wiped her brow, a sure indication that she had been nervous too.“Must be some kind of problem with the wiring.”“I had someone look at it, though …” Paulette said, knitting her eyebrows together.“Uh, you guys?” Jerome said.Everyone turned toward him.“Where’s Arie?”My gaze darted around the room.He was right.Arie was nowhere to be seen.CHAPTER 14“You really think a phantom took her?” Paulette asked, her eyes big and round and child-like.Mrs.Baker had asked for a private meeting with Paulette, Jerome, and me.Everyone else was on the stage still, probably coming up with their own theories as to what had happened.The four of us stood at the back of the auditorium, speaking in quiet tones so we wouldn’t alarm anyone.“The lights went out and then—boom!—she disappeared.I don’t know what else it could be,” Jerome insisted.“How about a vast, complicated, and not-so-smart plot to bring herself back into the limelight,” I suggested.His eyes widened.“What are you talking about?”“I know about her stint on Cascade Falls.Her fifteen minutes of fame faded.Maybe she was desperate to get it back.Maybe she staged all of this just to get attention.”“You think Arie murdered somebody? You’re crazy,” Jerome said, a New Jersey accent creeping into his voice.“If Arie disappeared on purpose, she’s going to have a lot of explaining to do,” I continued.“The police don’t like wasting their time or resources on fake crimes.”“I’m telling you—I don’t know what happened to Arie, but we need to find her.You’ve got to believe me,” Jerome continued.“Who are you anyway? Why do you sound like some interrogator?”“I’m someone who’s looking out for the best interest of this play.That’s who.”“You don’t sound like no actress.Not here and not on the stage,” Jerome continued.“You’re not doing yourself any favors right now,” I warned him.“Okay, both of you—stop,” Mrs.Baker interceded.Again, I felt like I was in middle school.I crossed my arms.“There’s something he’s not telling us.”I had to get the last word in, didn’t I?But if Jerome was telling the truth, then something truly spooky was going on.“I’m sorry,” I conceded.“You’re right.We do need to stop arguing.If Arie truly did disappear, we need to look for her.”He nodded stiffly.“Thank you.”Mrs.Baker turned to me.“I think we should we call the police.”“Not yet.Not until we know if this is a crime or if Arie wandered off,” I said.I didn’t trust Arie Berry or her motivations for doing this play.We wandered back toward the stage, and Paulette addressed the cast.“We’re going to split into teams of two and search this building.No one go anywhere alone.Understand?”Everyone nodded, but I could see the fear in their eyes [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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