21 Dares: A Florida Suspense Mystery (10 page)

Chapter 12

F
ive people stood in the living room amid the streamers
and banners. Abbie wasn’t sure what to say.

“Susan
said you’d be home by four and we’ve been waiting here for like an hour
waiting.” McKenzie held a bottle of Pinot Grigio and motioned for them to come
inside. She’d clearly dressed to the nines for the occasion, wearing a Periwing
traditional red satin short sleeve Chinese Qipa. A pink ribbon weaved through
her red hair, matching the plum blossom pattern on her dress. She popped the
cork and raised the open bottle. “It’s your birthday and you’re legally able to
drink. Now pick your poison.”

“Uh-um…”
Abbie felt a little overwhelmed stepping into her apartment. She felt Susan’s
hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her forward. Abbie looked over at
McKenzie.
“How ‘bout a glass of Minute Maid’s Old Fashioned
Lemonade?”

“Lemonade?”
Lindsey took the bottle from McKenzie. She
poured a glass and handed it to her sister.

“You
only turn twenty-one once.” Lindsay handed the glass to Abbie. “And we’re going
to help you celebrate.”

Abbie
took the wine glass and held it with both hands. She looked around. There were
balloons and confetti. Several wrapped gift boxes set stacked on the coffee
table. The unfamiliar lady stood in the corner by the television. She wore a silver
party hat with fuzzy streamers poking out the pointed top.

“Is
that our cleaning lady?” Abbie asked.

“I
wasn’t sure who to invite.” Susan switched on her iPod and cranked up the
music. The club beats of 50 Cent instantly pounded through the room and
vibrated the walls. She approached their cleaning lady and the two danced, chanting,
“It’s yo birthday! It’s yo birthday!” The twins leaped from the sofa and joined
the dancing in the center of the room. Susan swung around, looked over at Abbie
and pointed at the short man in the corner. She yelled to Abbie over the
thumping music. “Mr. Sherman is here too.”

“Our landlord?”

The
man waved but didn’t dance. McKenzie, covering her ears with her hands, marched
across the living room. A slit in the red Chinese Qipa showed off an ample
amount of her right leg as she walked to the iPod. She turned off the rap
music. Susan and the cleaning lady booed.

A
moment later, LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” blared through the speakers. The twins
yelled, in unison, “That’s our song!” Together, they shook their bodies,
shuffled their feet and danced with Mr. Sherman. He raised both arms and
twirled the girls.

“It’s
time to make a birthday wish.” McKenzie clapped her hands as she sashayed into
the living room toward the coffee table. Like a center piece, a cake with thick
pink icing had twenty-one candles adorning its top in all different directions.
McKenzie looked around the table and in between the gifts. “Where’s the
lighter? Do we have a match?”

Dancing
around the sofa, Susan brushed past McKenzie and returned to Abbie’s side.

“McKenzie
organized the whole thing,” Susan said, motioning as McKenzie found then struck
a match.

“It’s
strawberry.” McKenzie lit the candles and stepped back with her hands on her
hips, as if admiring a great work of art. “Strawberry vanilla double layered
delight, Abbie Reed’s favorite.”

“I
like vanilla.” Abbie raised her voice the best she could over the loud music.
Her back still pressed to the wall near the door.

“Well…”
McKenzie looked back at Abbie, dipping an index finger across the icing and
bringing it to her lips. “I like strawberry.”

As
the group clapped, danced, and sang along to the music, Susan grabbed Abbie’s
arm and tugged her away from the wall and into the center of the living room.
They stopped in front of the coffee table. Abbie blew out the candles and made
a wish. Susan cut large slices of cake for everyone, as McKenzie directed a
priority order for opening the presents.
 

Abbie
unwrapped
the first gift, a silver picture frame from
McKenzie. She opened the Sydney Sheldon novel
Rage of Angels
from the twins. Abbie had already read the book,
twice, but of course she didn’t say that. She thanked them, then picked up a
brown paper bag. She peeked inside. Scrunching her nose, she pulled out a
tiara. It sparkled in the light.

“That’s
from me,” Susan said, taking the tiara and placing it on top Abbie’s head.
“It’s for later. You’ll see what I’m talking about.”

“Thanks.
This will come in handy… never.” Abbie removed the tiara and held it in her
hands. Lightweight and plastic, it had cheap diamonds glued along the curving
bands and the title “B-DAY GIRL” spelled in sparkling letters across the crown.
She dropped it back into the paper bag.

“Whoa!
Back that truck up!” Susan raised her hands, nearly flinging cake onto the
twins. “You have to wear that.”

Abbie
shook her head. “Considering I’m neither the winner of a beauty pageant or a
little girl dressed up as a Disney princess, I don’t think I do.”

Susan
grabbed the bag and reached in for the tiara. Abbie was about to protest when
the front door opened.

Every
head turned. Abbie looked at the door and was surprised to see a familiar face.

Rocky
Stern walked into the apartment, wearing tan cargo shorts and a blue golf
shirt. McKenzie squealed and rushed to him. They hugged, kissed,
then
she turned off the music. She called for silence and
dinged a wine glass with a fork.

“Tonight,
in honor of Abbie’s twenty first birthday, I have an exciting announcement to
make,” she said. The room turned silent. Everyone stared at her. She held up her
left hand to show off her engagement ring. “This is Rocky Stern and we are
recently engaged!”

Mr.
Sherman looked at the cleaning lady. The twins approached McKenzie and took her
hand, admiring the sparkling bling. Susan pushed them away.

“No
one cares about that,” she said. “Besides, this is Abbie’s party.”

“You’re
right,” McKenzie said, wiping a tear from her eye. “And let me be the first to
congratulate Abbie on her twenty-first birthday.” She raised her glass to make
a toast. “Abbie, we’ve been friends since childhood. I remember our summers
together, when I was visiting my grandparents and you were living with yours.”

“That’s
a beautiful sentiment. A beautiful, beautiful sentiment,” Rocky said, nodding.
He blew her a kiss.

“Thank
you, my love.” McKenzie caught his kiss with her free hand,
then
turned back to Abbie. She sighed, loudly. “We’ve shared so much together in our
lives and we have so much more ahead. That’s why my gift to you, on this
special, once in a lifetime day, is attainable freedom.”

“Amen.”
Rocky clapped his hands in support.

McKenzie
shot him a quick smile and put a hand to her heart. She looked back at Abbie.
“Just imagine having a productive and profitable business with Vitamin Ritamin
providing you the kind of lifestyle that only the rich and famous enjoy.”

Rocky
left McKenzie to step beside Abbie. His eyes looked intense through the smudged
lenses of his glasses. “When all the pieces are in place, the life of a Vitamin
Ritamin Warrior can be very fulfilling indeed,” he said. “That’s the dream
every new distributor chases and it’s only attainable when there is a clear
understanding of how to get there and you have the right people in front of
you, leading the way and pushing you up.”

“It’s
not just about the money.” McKenzie came up to Abbie’s right. “It’s the
fulfillment of a lifestyle that makes being an independent distributor for
Vitamin Ritamin the best business opportunity in the market today.” She touched
Abbie’s shoulder,
then
turned to the crowded room. She
lifted her voice as she spoke, as if addressing a large assembly of people. “And,
in honor of Abbie’s twenty-first birthday, I want to make this opportunity
available to everyone in the room for a limited time.”

Still
holding the paper bag with the tiara, Susan walked to them and pulled McKenzie
away from Abbie. McKenzie fell into the sofa, revealing even more leg in her
Qipa. Rocky followed, and leaned against the sofa arm. He removed his glasses
and cleaned the lenses with bottom edges of his bowling shirt. Susan addressed the
crowd.

 
“Thanks, um…” Susan pointed toward Rocky. He lifted
his head and returned his glasses to his nose. She snapped her fingers. “What
was your name again?”

“That’s
Rocky Stern, my betrothed.” McKenzie held up her hand, fingers extended, showing
off her engagement ring. The twins squealed.

“Great.
Now sit your ass down. It’s my turn.” Susan shifted the bag to her left hand
and held up a glass of Pinot with her right. “When McKenzie came to me and
suggested throwing a surprise birthday party for Abbie, I initially resisted
the idea. I don’t like to be involved in anyone’s birthday party.
Or wedding, for that matter.
It’s like receiving a bill for
something I don’t care about.”

The
twins laughed as Susan chugged her drink. Next, Lindsey stood and faced the
group. “Abbie,” she said. “You seem like a very nice roommate.”

Lindsay
jumped to her feet, next to her sister. “What kind of toast is that? You’re
supposed to call her a beautiful human being or something.”

Lindsey
huffed. “I don’t know anything about her, other than she’s Susan’s roommate.”

The
group clapped again as Susan poured herself another glass of wine. She gestured
toward Mr. Sherman. “Do you have anything you want to say?”

He
scratched his head, as if thinking about it a moment. “Abbie, you pay your rent
on time and you haven’t punched holes in my walls. You’re good people in my
book.”

“Thank
you.” Abbie inclined her head in a small gesture of thanks as the cleaning lady
waved her right arm.

“I
got somethin’ to say.” She climbed on the sofa to look down at the group. Her
shoes mashed into the cushion. “My name is Juanita Evita Florendes Aye Reano
O’Brian and I been cleanin’ Miss Susan’s apartment for sixteen months. Now she
has a roommate. And did I get a raise? No, I did n—”

Susan
interrupted. “Thank you Juanita. We really—”

“I’m
not done yet.” She pointed to McKenzie and Rocky sitting at her feet on the
sofa. “They get to talk about this wedding nonsense and this vitamin whatsnot.
I get to talk about
my
job.” She
looked back at Abbie. “I don’t know who leaves hair in the drain, but you could
weave a wig with it. How can someone so young lose so much hair? You’re gonna
be bald by thirty.”

McKenzie
reached for Juanita’s hand and gently tugged her, bringing her back to a
sitting position. “Okay, thank you. Thank you. I think this concludes the toast
portion for the evening.”

Susan
scrunched the top of the brown paper bag with both hands.
“You
mean, it’s time?”

“Time for what?”
Abbie glanced at the paper
bag in Susan’s hands. Birthday or no birthday, she was not wearing that tiara. She
folded her arms together and pressed her back to the wall. “This party is more
than enough. I don’t really need anything else. I really wasn’t even expec—”

McKenzie
screamed. “Well, Abbie my dear, dear friend. We have a surprise for you.”

Abbie’s
back straightened as she grasped the silver unicorn pendant. If she could’ve
climbed into the wall and disappeared, she would have. She just prayed McKenzie
wasn’t about to bring out a male stripper. “You don’t mean?”

McKenzie
pointed to the paper bag in McKenzie’s hands. “That’s exactly what I mean.”

Abbie
gripped the unicorn tighter, pulled the necklace taut against the back of her
neck. “I’m not wearing the tiara. This has been fun and all, but—”

“This
isn’t about the tiara.” McKenzie’s eyes widened and she brought her hand to her
mouth as if she’d just made a faux pas. “Oh I can’t spoil that part, but what I
can tell you is this—we have devised a very exciting game.”

Susan
laughed. She was clearly in on the joke. “Is it Pin the Tail on the Donkey?”

“No,”
McKenzie answered.

Susan
tried again. “Is is Twister?”

“No,”
McKenzie answered. “In honor of Abbie’s twenty-first birthday, we’re playing a
very special game called Twenty-One Dares.”

Chapter 13

R
ocky.
The
twins.
Mr. Sherman.
Juanita Evita Florendes Aye Reano
O’Brian.
Everyone spoke all at once. “Is that like Truth or Dare?”
“What’s Twenty-One Dares?” “I’ve heard of Twenty-One Pickup.
Or
is that Fifty-Two pickup.”

Susan
hushed the group as McKenzie
clinked
a fork on the
edge of her wine glass. “Before you got here, Abbie,” McKenzie said. “We had
everyone write down a dare.”

 
“Oh, no.”
Abbie shook her head.
An unwelcome blush colored her cheeks. “I really would rather—”

McKenzie
cut her off.
 
“Abbie we’ve devised twenty-one
dares for your twenty-first birthday and a surprise guest will be texting them
one dare at a time. The surprise guest is waiting for you at the final
destination.”

This
piqued Abbie’s interest.

“A surprise guest?
You don’t mean…” Abbie
couldn’t imagine how they could’ve gotten him to Tampa. Still… it was possible,
wasn’t it?
Maybe?
Just maybe.
“You got Clinton Reed
here
, to
Tampa.”

McKenzie
laughed, followed by the twins. Mr. Sherman and Juanita followed, although
Rocky looked puzzled as to why they were all laughing about that.

Susan
raised the brown paper bag and shook the tiara hidden inside. It rattled softly
in the bag. “It’s a bigger surprise than the tiara, but you’ll have to play the
game to find out.”

“It’s
Clinton Reed, isn’t it?” Abbie leaned forward, away from the wall. She started
to believe it could actually be possible. “Clinton Reed is the surprise guest.”

“Maybe.”
McKenzie batted her eyes.
“Maybe not.
You’ll just have to wait to find out. But I can
tell you this. Your surprise guest—
him or
her
—was here earlier and left to an undisclosed location with the list of
dares.”

“He
or she
will be texting all of us one
dare at a time.” Susan set the bag on the table and picked up her cell phone. “I
just hope my phone cooperates and receives the texts. I didn’t even want to be
part of this lame party until McKenzie suggested the dares.”

McKenzie
ignored her. “After you finish each dare, you have to text the surprise guest,
mission accepted and completed
. Do you
understand?” McKenzie’s mouth turned into a thin lipped smile. Her eyebrows
narrowed. Abbie nodded. McKenzie cheered and clapped, then brought out a smart phone
encased in a bright pink case. She typed a text message and said, “I’m letting
him–
or her
–know that we’re ready to
play.”

“It’s
Clinton Reed.” Abbie looked at Susan, who was focused on her own cell phone,
head down. Abbie put a hand across Susan’s phone, covering the screen. “How on
earth did you get him here?”

Before
Susan could answer, several cell phones dinged at once. Mr. Sherman, Juanita
Evita, and the twins pulled-out their phones. McKenzie and Rocky looked down
that their phones. Then Abbie’s chirped with an incoming text. She grabbed it
from her purse as Susan cursed beside her.

“Still no text messages.”
Susan held her silent
phone at arm’s length and shook it. “I think an app corrupted it or something.
I’m gonna wipe it again and then reinstall everything, one at a time. I could
just strangle someone.”

Abbie
ignored Susan’s rant and looked down at her own phone. She didn’t recognize the
phone number. She read the text message,
then
started
typing a response when McKenzie stopped her. “What are you doing?”

Abbie
looked up from her phone. “I’m texting back to see who this is.”

“No,
no, no. That’s against the rules.” McKenzie grabbed Abbie’s phone, glanced at
it, then handed it back to her. She told Abbie to read the text. Begrudgingly, Abbie
read the first dare.

Abbie
looked puzzled. “Is that a thing now? Are people actually saying that?”

“Go
celebrate yo self!” Susan laughed at the phrase. Putting down her phone, she
grabbed the paper bag from the coffee table and pulled out the cheap sparkling
tiara.

“I
told you this would come out to play later.” Susan placed the tiara on top
Abbie’s head. Abbie cringed.

“I’m
not wearing this stupid crown!” Abbie reached for the tiara as Susan grabbed
her wrist.

“You
gotta wear it, Princess.” Susan took a step back and quite openly appraised
Abbie’s new look.

“Rules
are rules.” McKenzie snapped a photo with her pink phone. “Besides, you look
great. And if you want to see who the surprise guest is, you have to wear it.”

“Fine.”
Abbie folded her arms across her chest
and glanced up at her bangs. She could see the glittery edge of the crown as it
slipped forward on her forehead. McKenzie took another photo then set down her
phone.

 
“I’m posting these to Facebook.” McKenzie pointed
to Abbie’s phone. “Now text our surprise guest that the mission has been
accepted and completed.”

Abbie
rolled her eyes,
then
grabbed her phone. She typed the
statement and sent it. A moment later, the phones in the room dinged with the
new text message. Susan shook her phone and held it to her ear. After a moment,
she threw it on the coffee table. Abbie stared at her phone and read the new
text message out loud.

Abbie
looked up from her phone and shook her
head .
The
tiara inched down her forehead. “I don’t know how to talk with a British
accent.”

The
girls laughed and Susan told her to try again.

“Actually…”
Rocky reached toward Abbie and straightened the tiara. “There is no such thing
as a British accent.
There are many
distinct accents in Britain.”

Lindsey nodded.
“Good point. The texter will have to be more specific.”

Lindsay tapped her
sister. “It’s a game. Who cares if it’s a British accent or a Cockney-Australian-Minnesotan
accent with a Southern twist? It’s just a game.”

Lindsey winked at
Rocky. “But he’s right. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”

Rocky thanked her,
then
continued. “
There are regional accents, such as Welsh,
Irish, Scottish, Northeast, Northwest, Midlands, Southwest, East Anglia and the
South East.
 
But there is no generic British
accent, per say.”

“Not
that I would know what to say anyway,” Abbie said, her eyes glancing toward the
ceiling. She could barely make-out the edge of the stupid tiara.

Susan
reached over and adjusted the tiara on Abbie’s head. She took a step back with
her arms folded, as if appraising merchandise at a garage sale. “Just talk like
Rupert Giles. Pretend you’re Buffy’s Watcher.”

Abbie
huffed,
then
said, “
Bullocks! I'm
so glad ter 'ave yew all at me birthday party. Nuff said, yeah?”

Susan’s eyes widened. “That’s bloody horrible!” She laughed
and motioned to McKenzie and Rocky and the twins. “That’s quite possibly the
worst British accent I’ve ever heard.”

“Ignore her. You’re doing great,” McKenzie said.
“Now respond to your Surprise Guest that the second dare has been
acknowledged.”

Abbie sighed. “Tell me what to text again?”

“Mission accepted and completed.” McKenzie pointed
to Abbie’s phone, urging her to send the message.

Abbie typed it and hit send. A few minutes later, everyone’s
phones
 
beeped
.
Even Susan’s, which vibrated on the coffee table.

“Wha’dda ya know! My phone’s working.” Susan rushed
to the table and picked it up. This time she read the text message.

 
“Oh, no!”
Abbie tore the tiara off her head and tossed it to
the sofa beside the cleaning lady. “I don’t want to leave the apartment.”

“You have to,” McKenzie said, picking-up the tiara
and pointing to the sparkling letters emboldened across the crown. “See how it
says, b-day girl. Well, you’re the b-day girl.”

“Just play
along, Ab.”
Rocky pushed his glasses further back on his nose
as he spoke. “If you don’t do it then the game will be over and you won’t get
to see your surprise guest.”

Susan held her phone to Abbie’s face as if to show
her the text messages were finally appearing on the screen again. Abbie read
the “
kiss a bald man”
dare again when
Susan pulled her phone away. “Won’t it be kind of fun to find a bald man and
ask him for a kiss with a British accent? You’re gonna get on everyone’s nerves
real quick.”

“C’mon, b-day
Girl!
Let’s get going,” Lindsey and Lindsay said in
unison. They each grabbed Abbie by the arm and pulled her toward the front
door.

“This is going to be a night we’ll never forget,”
Lindsey said, as she led Abbie out of the apartment and down the three flights
of stairs.

“Well that remains to be seen.” Lindsay corrected
her sister as she held Abbie’s other time. “You can’t force a good time. You
just have to let it happen.”

“You don’t think we’re going to have fun tonight?”
Lindsey yanked on Abbie’s arm as if Lindsay’s comment had gotten under her
skin. Lindsay pulled Abbie back toward her.

“I’m not saying we’re not going to have fun or the
night won’t be memorable,” Lindsay said. “I’m just saying you can’t force it.”

Together they stepped off the stairs to the courtyard
and waited for the others to join them in the parking lot. Susan, Rocky and
McKenzie came down the steps with Mr. Sherman and the cleaning lady tailing.
Stepping off the curb, Mr. Sherman leaned against Susan’s blue Honda, seemingly
out of breath, as everyone else launched into a search for a friendly bald man.