Privilege 1 - Privilege (24 page)

"I don't get it. Where are we?" she said again as they finally reached the foot of the dock. "Where's the spa?"

"Right there."

Ariana stopped and pointed across the lake toward the west, where the Philmore Hotel rose like a castle out of the trees. Lights twinkled along the roof of the lakeside deck, and Ariana could hear bubbly piano music tinkling its way across the water. Briana Leigh leaned into Ariana's side and blinked at the hotel, confused.

"Know what's over there?" Ariana asked.

242

She turned and looked at the Brenda T. for the first time. Her entire body filled with burning fury at the sight of it.

"What?" Briana Leigh asked, totally clueless.

"That is the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility," Ariana said. "That is where your friend Kaitlynn Nottingham will be spending the rest of her life--thanks to you."

Briana Leigh's pupils were like pinpricks, even in the dark. She pulled away from Ariana and stumbled back a few steps before righting herself. Her hands pushed into her short blond hair as she wavered on her feet.

"What?" She let out a short, confused, angry laugh. "You have to be kidding me."

"No." Ariana said. "I'm not kidding you."

Briana Leigh blinked several times before she managed to focus on Ariana. "Why did you bring me here? You're sick!"

A searing hot flash of anger racked Ariana's core. Unable to contain herself a moment longer, she closed the gap between herself and Briana Leigh with two strides and grabbed the girl by her upper arms. For once it was Ariana who had the iron grip on her.

"You know what's sick, Briana Leigh? Killing your father and letting your best friend take the blame," Ariana said through her teeth. "What's sick is you living your life out here while Kaitlynn rots away behind barred windows!"

Briana Leigh shook her head. She tried to focus on Ariana's face. "What are you talking about? Kaitlynn deserves to rot. She's a certified psycho."

243

Ariana threw Briana Leigh to the ground. The thud was so satisfying that it made Ariana's pulse rush. What was the girl trying to pull? She had just confessed on the plane. She couldn't turn around and try to take it back now.

Briana Leigh slowly pushed herself up on her wrists and spat dirt from her mouth. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" she cried. She shook her head, still bleary, then held out a shaky hand. "Give me the keys! You're as crazy as she was!"

Ariana bent at the waist so she could get right in Briana Leigh's traitorous, lying face. "You are not going anywhere."

Then, as Briana Leigh's eyes widened, Ariana dug her fingers into the hair at the top of the girl's head and yanked as hard as she could. Briana Leigh screamed out as Ariana dragged her flailing body alongside the dock and into the water. Ariana wasn't worried about her being heard, however. She knew from experience that random shouts and screams were a common thing on Lake Page, thanks to the residents of the Brenda T.

"Let go of me!" Briana Leigh cried, her legs kicking out, splashing in the shallow water at the edge of the lake. Drugging her had been a good idea. The trip took enough exertion with Briana Leigh in her weakened state. If she had been at full strength, Ariana wasn't sure she would have been able to take her.

"What are you doing?" Briana Leigh shouted as Ariana pulled her into waist-deep water. Her arms and legs splashed around, grasping for something, anything to get hold of. "Emma! What the hell are you doing?"

244

Ariana turned the girl around and slammed her back against one of the dock's pylons, knocking the wind out of her. Briana Leigh's eyes went wide as she fought for breath.

"My name is not Emma," Ariana said, using that tone she reserved for idiots. "It's Briana Leigh Covington."

For the first time, sheer terror registered on Briana Leigh's face. As if she had just figured out that she was going to die. Ariana savored the satisfaction for the slightest of moments before plunging the girl's head into the water.

Briana Leigh, of course, struggled. Even all the alcohol and drugs couldn't kill her survival instinct, but they did dull her strength. Her legs and arms jerked while Ariana held her head under the water, using every ounce of her power to keep the girl down. Sweat popped up on her brow and under her arms. At one point Briana Leigh's nails dug into her skin. The whole thing was very unpleasant, really. And even though she had killed Sergei the same way, she wished she could have done it in a more humane way. Even as much as she hated Briana Leigh for what she had tried to do to Kaitlynn; as much as she hated her for her greed and her traitorous heart and her shallow ungratefulness for all she had; all that considered-- drowning was still not a pleasant way to go.

But if Ariana wanted to kill two birds with one stone, this was the only way.

After the longest few moments of Ariana's life, Briana Leigh was still. Ariana turned her over in the water. Briana Leigh's cold, dead eyes stared up at her. Bile rose up in Ariana's throat. She shuddered

245

and closed Briana Leigh's eyes with her thumb and forefinger, then turned and retched into the water.

You had to do this to survive, she thought, wiping her mouth with her trembling hand. And you had to do this for Kaitlynn. Her moment of queasiness over, Ariana was ready for the next step in her plan.

246

THE upper hand

In contrast to the insane rhythm of Ariana's heart, the night was incredibly tranquil. She pulled her car over to the side of the road and killed the lights, gazing out at the small, square cottage through the trees up ahead. The beware of the dog sign on the tall wooden fence was foreboding, but not as much as the maniacal barking coming from behind the gate.

Ariana smiled and got out of the car. It had rained recently, so she slipped out of her shoes to avoid leaving any discernible footprints in the wet earth. As she walked the few yards to the gate, she felt as if her body was on high alert. Her skin prickled with every breeze. She could distinguish every scent in the air--the fresh note of wet leaves, the tangy smell of barbecue coming from some backyard party. Crickets chirped, the wind rustled the trees, raindrops dripped from the gutters on the house, and the barking, the all-too-familiar barking, made the hairs on her arms stand on end.

247

But in a good way. An excited way. Ariana had taken a brief detour from her plan thanks to Briana Leigh's acting skills, but now she was back on track. It was all coming together.

Ariana quickly picked the lock on the gate, a skill she had learned not in prison, but from Gage Coolidge back at Easton. He who had picked many a well-stocked liquor cabinet. The lock easily popped open and the dog lunged. Ariana pulled the roll of roast beef from her purse. Wrapped inside were crushed Ambien. She held the meat out and smiled.

"Here, Rambo," she whispered.

The dog walked forward, took the meat, and nuzzled her hand.

Five minutes later Rambo was passed out in the backseat of the Audi. Ariana pulled out her untraceable disposable phone and dialed the cell number she had stolen and memorized more than a year ago. Dr. Meloni picked up on the first ring.

"Dr. Meloni here."

Ariana smiled. The self-importance was obvious in his voice. He probably thought there was some emergency at the Brenda T. Some crisis that only he could solve. But he had no idea what was about to hit him. It was all Ariana could do to keep from laughing. She had him right where she wanted him. Finally, she had the upper hand. Her only wish was that he could know that it was her. That he could feel the sting of it. But that could never be.

"I have your dog," she said, talking in low, controlled tones and mimicking a Boston accent for good measure. Meloni had heard her Southern drawl and her practiced Northeastern voice, but never a

248

Boston accent. "If you want him back, you're going to do something for me."

There was a short pause. In her mind's eye Ariana saw Dr. Meloni standing in the center of his outdated kitchen, listening for Rambo. She could just hear his heart skipping a scared beat. Her grin widened.

"Who is this?" he said.

"Do you really think I'm going to tell you that?"

Another pause. He was still listening. Hoping. "You don't have my dog."

But she could hear his footsteps as he crossed the room to check the yard.

Ariana giddily bit her lip. "Are you sure about that?"

She saw the outside light flick on and slid down in her seat, even though she was sure that Meloni wouldn't be able to see her car from his yard. The total darkness of these sparsely populated country roads was coming in handy.

"Rambo! Rambo, come here, boy!"

The anguished shouts carried through the quiet night. Ariana bit down harder.

A door slammed. Dr. Meloni fought his frantic breath. "What do you want?" he growled.

Ariana took a deep breath. Savored the moment. "I want you to have Kaitlynn Nottingham released from prison within the next three hours."

Meloni laughed derisively. "I can't do that. I don't have the authority."

249

"Oh, you'll figure out a way," Ariana said.

"You want me to break her out?" Dr. Meloni blurted. "You're nuts. I'll lose my job. I'll be arrested."

"That's up to you. If you are stupid enough to get caught, then yes, you might," Ariana said. "But you're not stupid, are you?"

Another long pause. Ariana listened to his breathing. The sounds of him no longer disgusted her. In fact, she found him suddenly amusing.

"I can't do it," he said. "I won't."

"I think you will," Ariana said.

She leaned around the backseat and snapped a picture of Rambo with her phone. The dog was snoozing with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, looking practically dead. It took two seconds to send the image to Dr. Meloni's cell phone.

"What the f--"

"He's not dead yet, but he's close," Ariana said slowly, deliberately. "Believe me when I tell you I have no qualms about ending his life. As dogs go, this one's kind of annoying. And think about this: If I subdued your Doberman this easily, just think what I can do to you."

"Okay," Dr. Meloni gasped. "Okay. I'll do whatever you want."

"Three hours," Ariana said. Then she disconnected the call before she cracked up laughing right in the man's ear. A laugh he would undoubtedly recognize.

Giggling to herself, Ariana watched as Dr. Meloni peeled out of his driveway in his Jaguar. She waited a few minutes, watching as they ticked away on the dashboard clock. Then she got out and roused a very sleepy Rambo. He teetered on his way back to the gate, but

250

made it there in one piece. Ariana walked him over to his doghouse in the center of the yard and made sure he was curled up on his bed all comfy. Then she patted him on the head.

"Thanks again, buddy," she whispered. "You've been more help than you will ever know."

Then she raced out of the yard and locked the gate behind her.

251

THE only way

The air had grown chilly by the time Ariana waded back to the dock with the skiff in tow. She had stolen it from one of the darkened houses on the lake and trudged through muck and reeds and slimy skittering fish until she reached her destination. She tied the boat off and slogged her way out of the water, shivering in the cool evening air. Her dress was dripping wet and ruined beyond repair, but she didn't mind. She hated it anyway. Way too former Briana Leigh for her tastes. Shaking the water off her hands and wringing out the skirt, she went over to the car and popped the trunk. From the several pieces of luggage she removed an ugly sweater Briana Leigh had chosen for her and the buttery, tan leather jacket Briana Leigh had worn to the Curtain Club--the only piece of clothing the girl owned that Ariana coveted.

She slipped her arms into the sleeves and savored the warmth. It belonged to her now. She was Briana Leigh Covington, after all. Everything in the car was hers.

252

After gazing longingly at the other dry clothes for a moment, Ariana decided it would be better not to change into jeans yet, since she had more dirty work to do. Might as well keep on the already ruined clothes. She took the jacket off again and tossed it into the backseat for later. Then she pulled on a Juicy Couture fleece zip-up and made her way into the woods to the clearing where she had left Briana Leigh's body. She covered the girl's face with the sweater, then dragged her over to the dock. Everything was ready. All she had to do now was wait. Ariana sat down next to Briana Leigh, her posture straight, and looked out over the water feeling perfectly at peace. The unpleasant murder aside, it was all working out as planned.

A touch more than two hours had passed since her phone call to Dr. Meloni when she heard someone approaching through the trees. Her heart hit her throat and she scrambled to her feet. Moments later, Kaitlynn emerged from between two pines, her curly hair back in a ponytail, her state- issued blue shirt untucked. Her eyes widened when she saw Ariana and she froze.

"Briana Leigh?"

Ariana laughed. She stepped closer to Kaitlynn, letting the moonlight cascade over her face. "Kaitlynn, it's me."

Relief colored Kaitlynn's skin. "Oh my God, Ariana! You're alive!"

The two of them ran forward and hugged. Ariana was so overwhelmed with happiness, she thought her heart might burst. Kaitlynn was free. They were together again. She had done it. She had come through on her promise.

"I knew you'd find me," Ariana said, pulling back but holding on

253

to Kaitlynn's hands. "I knew you'd remember the pact and figure out where I'd be."

"All this time... I wanted to believe you were alive," Kaitlynn said, her eyes shining with tears. "But when I didn't hear from you--"

"I couldn't have written. They would have figured it out," Ariana explained.

No one other than Grandma C had ever written to Kaitlynn, so a random letter would have been very suspicious.

"I know. I know," Kaitlynn said breathlessly. "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening. When Dr. Meloni woke me up and smuggled me out, I thought I was dreaming." Kaitlynn paced back and forth as she talked, clearly so excited she couldn't stand still. "But then I was standing there outside the fence and he was telling me to go and I thought, Ariana. It has to be Ariana. So I decided to walk the eastern shore of the lake until I found you, and here you are!"