Rushing to Die (8 page)

 

Chapter Fourteen

D
AY TWO OF
rush started off exactly as the first day. Alarms buzzed at 0700 hours. Boots on ground, the troops stretched and began formations, marching downstairs. At 0800, the doorbell rang. I reached the front door first, as my bedroom was closest. It could have been any number of delivery ser­vices, another missive from Panhellenic, or maybe the members who went out for the coffee-­shop run.

No. It was Lieutenant Ty Hatfield with Officer Malouf. I nodded at Malouf cordially. Hatfield got my official sorority chapter advisor's what-­do-­you-­think-­you're-­doing-­mister glare. “What is this about?”

“Can we come in?”

It was a trick question. He knew perfectly well I wasn't going to leave two police officers out on the front porch, where everyone could see them.

I pushed the door wider, and when they entered, Ty handed me a paper bag from a certain fast-­food restaurant.

Inside was an Egg McMuffin. Hash browns. My stomach growled, and so did I. “I thought we cleared this up last night.”

Ty lifted a shoulder. “Nope. We're going to need to question all the members of the chapter.”

“No.” My flat denial caused Malouf's brows to rise in alarm. But Ty Hatfield was made of sterner stuff.

“Shannon Bender was a Tri Mu, your sorority's archenemy—­”

“Don't be dramatic,” I said. Tri Mu was more like our archnemesis.

“She's found on Delta Beta grounds, caught for spying. There was an argument, a fight, and her death is the result.”

“That's not what happened,” I said stubbornly.

Ty took out his little notebook. “We'll see.”

I realized I was still holding his breakfast, and I offered it back to him. He didn't take it. “I already had mine. That's for you.”

My stomach said, oh goodie, but I pushed the greasy bag back at him. “I know what you're doing, and I will not be bribed.”

Ty made a regretful sound and accepted the bag. “I guess you don't want this then.” He held out a coffee cup, the rich scent tantalizing me. It really would be rude to reject two peace offerings, back-­to-­back.

My hand closed around the white paper cup, as if my body had no scruples or self-­control around caffeine. Strange.

“How long is this going to take?” I muttered, my nose savoring the aroma of the best part of waking up.

He glanced at Malouf. “Fifty women? Plus yourself, Miss . . .” He checked his notebook. “Martinelli . . . and the new house brother?” He acted like he was doing the math in his head. “Five hours?”

I had just taken a sip of coffee, and it was all I could do not to spit it back out. “What do you think you're doing? Did you think you could just march in here and pull this?” I hissed. Did he think I could be fooled that easily?

“This is decaf!” I held up the cup dramatically. “And there is no way you're interviewing the chapter today.”

Malouf tried not to smile. I wasn't sure what part of the last ten seconds he found amusing because it was all equally horrifying.

Ty lowered his chin as well as his voice. “Do I have to pull rank here? I'm not messing around.”

I took a step toward him and made eye contact so he could see exactly how serious I was. “Neither am I!”

“This is a murder investigation.”

“This is rush!” I insisted. “You cannot have five hours to question the chapter. We're going to have hundreds of rushees lined up outside that door in two hours! It's impossible!”

“How much time can I have?”

I sighed and consulted my watch, going over the schedule in my head. “Fifteen minutes.”

Ty's face showed he was not amused.
Join the club, buddy.

“I didn't want to do this.” He held out his hand, and Malouf handed a paper over. Then he handed it to me. Reluctantly, I read it.

“This isn't over,” I promised him.

“It's just beginning,” he said solemnly.

“You are going to be so sorry you pulled this.”

“You calling a lawyer?”

Oh, how I wished I could be so kind.

I
HAD JUST
made the call when Ginnifer came into the office, so I motioned for her to close the door. She might as well hear about it now, and this way, I wouldn't have to tell the story twice.

“Casey Kenner,” came the voice on the other line.

“It's me, Case.”

“Margot!” My heart broke at the love and affection in his voice. I prayed he'd still feel the same about me after I told him the reason for the call.

I went ahead and gave him a brief outline. Shannon Bender's body, the spy-­glasses, the investigation, and now a subpoena ordering the chapter to submit to questioning.

“She was wearing a pink-­and-­blue Delta Beta shirt? That should have been a dead giveaway,” Casey said after making the requisite horrified gasps. He always grasped the fashion fundamentals.

“I know!” I agreed. “And now this is going to essentially shut the house down for the second day of rush.” I glanced over at Ginnifer. Her face was white, her lips a tight, thin line on her face.

“Well, we're not going to let that happen. I think we both know what we have to do.” I should have known that any best friend of mine could immediately assess the situation and make a game plan. It was like we were two halves of a very shiny, glamorous coin.

“I'll take care of things here in town,” I agreed, feeling tense about the next steps but also relieved to have a firm direction and Casey's backup.

“I'll make some calls on my end. We can get ahead of this.” Casey was all business, which was a relief. I couldn't have handled it if he'd freaked out. Especially since, from the look on Ginnifer's face, I was about to deal with a freaker-­outer.

“I love you, Margot. Everything's going to be okay,” Casey said before we said good-­bye. I knew that last part was a lie, but since it was a lie from his heart, I cherished it.

I took a moment before I addressed Ginnifer, frozen in shock and repressed anger. I totally understood. I would be in the same condition if it wasn't imperative that I take immediate action.

“Ginnifer, you need to get it together.” Her eyes were like laser beams, hot and intense. “I need you here, in charge. We're moving forward. We are not letting the police derail our rush.”

“But what about the subpoena?” she said through clenched teeth. “We can't just ignore that! It's the law!”

“We're not,” I assured her. “But we need to buy some time.” I laid out my plan to her. “Can you handle this? I need to know that we're a team, Ginnifer.”

She took a deep, vibrating breath before nodding in the affirmative. “You can count on me.”

I nodded back. “Good. I'll be leaving soon.”

Her eyes widened apprehensively. “Where are you going?”

“The only place that has the power to stop the irreversible damage that we're about to face.”

T
HE
WIND WHIPPED
through my fleece as I stood outside the student center on campus. I hadn't stopped to put on a heavier coat when I ran out of the house, and the temperatures had dropped overnight. Checking my watch, I saw that I had ten minutes before showtime. Just then, I saw three figures moving quickly across the parking lot toward me. My Plan B A Team had arrived.

Zoe, Callie, and Aubrey looked solemn. They had heard the news and knew what was at stake.

“Thanks for coming,” I said after I gave them each a warm hug. “How are things at the house?”

“As good as can be expected,” Aubrey said.

“And the police?”

Callie smirked. “They've been interviewing Fiona and Page for the past half hour.”

I couldn't help the small smirk that twisted my own lips. Not only were Fiona and Page both theater majors, but Fiona's father was Irish, and her storytelling abilities were legendary. Combined with Page's slight speech impediment, which manifested when she was under extreme stress, Hatfield and Malouf were going to be tied up for a while. And when Fiona and Page were dismissed, Ginnifer was to provide them another two women who either cried at the drop of a hat or had daddies with lawyers on retainer. Meanwhile, the chapter was preparing for the second day of rush prep as planned. At least, until I got the answers I was looking for.

“What about you guys? Are you okay?”

Three sweet faces nodded back at me, full of empathy and resolve. Everything I was doing was for them and the rest of our sisters. And I knew they felt the same way about me.

I looked at Zoe. “Is everything operational?”

“Yes. All systems go.”

“And what about you, Callie?”

Callie stared back and lifted her chin. She was a warrior-­WASP princess, in her cashmere beanie and pearl-­stud earrings. “I'll do whatever it takes.”

“Good. Aubrey?”

“You can count on me.”

I felt relieved, knowing I could go into battle with my trusted lieutenants on my six, ready to take up my weapon should I be harmed. Or arrested.

Squaring my shoulders, I steeled myself as I entered the student center and said a silent prayer to the patron saint of sorority women to assist me in my hour of need.

 

Chapter Fifteen

“W
HAT
DO YOU
mean, no?” I demanded, standing in front of the five women in charge of my chapter's destiny.

Under rule 5.2, section D of the Sutton College Panhellenic Recruitment Code, I had exercised the chapter's right for an emergency Rush Council meeting. The Mafia were required to be here, but they apparently weren't required to agree with me.

“Did we not speak clearly?” the Tri Mu representative, Alexandria Von Douton, asked me, with that smug Tri Mu lilt in her voice.

“Now, now, let's be fair. We need to at least get Ms. Blythe on the record with the reasons for her request.” God bless Sue Harlow and her Lambda, legality-­loving ways.

Von Douton sniffed. “It won't change anything.”

I sought out Louella Jackson's attention. As the Delta Beta member of the council, surely she'd be able to somehow help me.

“Do you have something prepared?” Louella asked me, shifting under my pointed stare. “Perhaps it would help if we could consult a memo.”

“Or a PowerPoint,” Patty Huntington suggested.

“I called an emergency meeting because this was an emergency. I didn't have time to prepare a position statement,” I said through clenched teeth.

Patty looked unimpressed. “You are asking this board to postpone an entire day of rush, and you didn't feel it was important enough to
prepare
for this meeting?” She made it sound like I was some frivolous independent who didn't fathom the extreme consequences of rush week.

I had to get into the weeds, as diplomatically as possible. “The police only showed up this morning. If I'd had prior notice, of course I would have drafted a brief and brought in expert witnesses. But this
is
an emergency. Please . . .”

There was the sound of a phone buzzing somewhere in the room. Von Douton reached into her Fendi bag and withdrew a Swarovski-­encrusted iPhone. She glanced at the text, smiled, then looked back at me. “Please do go on.”

Blinking away my annoyance, I outlined the situation, trying to be as neutral as I could. Yes, unfortunately, a deceased individual had been discovered in our backyard on Friday. Yes, it looked like she was possibly, potentially, the victim of foul play. And yes, now the police wanted to question every member of our chapter today, which would make it impossible for us to conduct our rush parties.

“In the spirit of Panhellenic, which says that we are one for all and all for one, I am humbly requesting that you halt all rush parties today, so that the Delta Beta chapter can deal with this legal irregularity, then focus on what really matters—­selecting the next generation of women to join our sisterhood.”

The five women exchanged meaning-­filled glances. It was weird, like they could all communicate telepathically. Maybe this was something they'd developed after years of serving on the same council together, the next level of female evolution, after the syncing of monthly cycles.

After a minute of silent reflection, I saw Patty, Sue, and Clara-­Jane sink back into their chairs, resigned to whatever outcome had been decided. Von Douton arched her eyebrows at Louella, who sighed heavily. When the Delta Beta member, my only ally, sighed like that, the decision wasn't going to be good for us.

Then Louella spoke, and I could tell she wasn't happy about it. “The answer has to be no. With the increased scrutiny we will be receiving from the administration and the press because of this . . . event, any disruption to the schedule could send the wrong signal, that Panhellenic is not equipped to govern itself. A delay would also interfere with the start of the winter semester, affecting everyone's academics, and the administration would not be happy with that. Further, the council has decided that this is a situation that the Delta Betas have brought upon themselves, and therefore, punishing the other chapters would be blatantly unfair. ”

This was what I had been afraid of even if it wasn't surprising news. “I really, really, really, would like for you to reconsider.”

“Once again, it seems like the word ‘no' is not in your vocabulary.” Von Douton looked pleased with herself for that little dig. Little did she know that Margot Blythe took that as a compliment.

I
N THE C
OFFEE
shop on the first floor of the student center, I sent a simple text to my team. “Go.” Then I ordered a triple-­shot nonfat, three-­Equal latte and waited.

T
HIRTY MINUTES LATER,
my phone exploded.

As outlined in our plan, my girls had successfully unveiled an anonymous Twitter account, broadcasting all the dirt about other chapters. Now it was Casey's turn to start making calls that would ensure that Sutton rush proceeded as planned. He responded immediately to my text: On it.

The barista asked me if I'd like a refill. I smiled, and said, “Yes, of course.”

A
N HOUR LATER
,
I received a call from Louella Jackson. I let it go to voice mail, because that's what women do when they're holding all the cards. I was glad that I hadn't left the student center, since I was being summoned back to the Panhellenic Council room for an emergency Rush Council meeting.

I threw away my cup, and when my phone rang again, this time I was pleasantly surprised by the caller. “Margot Blythe,” I answered cheerfully. “How can I help you, Lieutenant? I hope my sisters are fully cooperating with your investigation.”

There was silence.

“Is this one of those heavy-­breathing calls, Lieutenant? Because I've been there, done that, and I didn't get paid nearly enough for it.”

There was another brief second before he answered. “I'm just trying to compose myself. I wouldn't want to be rude to a lady.”

It was a backwards kind of compliment, but I'd take it. “Thank you, I think.”

Finally, he came out with it. “I've been ordered to call off the interviews for today.”

“Really?” I tried for innocent and shocked. I'm not sure I fully succeeded at keeping the glee out of my voice.

“The call came from high up. Governor's office.”

Wow. Casey had some kind of connections. But then, when 95 percent of elected officials were Greek, it wasn't hard to find like-­minded and sympathetic ears in high places. So I've heard.

“This is a mistake, Margot. If there's a murderer on the loose, it's in your best interest to find him or her before there's another victim. Or before you're hurt.”

“Me? Why would you even say that?”

“Someone murdered Shannon Bender. Either because they thought she was a Delta Beta or because they knew she wasn't.”

A sick feeling in my stomach made me regret that extra latte. Ty was right, of course. But what choices did I have? The Mafia would not listen to reason and postpone rush to let us participate in the investigation.

“Look, I'm about to go into a Panhellenic meeting. When I get out, I'll try to come up with something.”

“Something that catches a killer and protects all the women living on Greek Row?” It was almost like he didn't believe I could do it.

“We're on lockdown,” I promised him. “There's a curfew for all the houses. I'm watching all the girls carefully. I won't let anything happen to them.”

“Even you can't control everything,” Ty said grimly. He meant it, but all I heard was a challenge. I was a Delta Beta woman, after all.

T
HE ENERGY WAS
decidedly different in the room when I walked in. This morning, I was the supplicant, and the Mafia was the council on high. This time I was a challenger in an honest-­to-­goodness gladiator ring.

As if one puppet master controlled them all, the members of the Mafia peered over their bifocals at me, pulled back, and crossed their arms in unison. Being on the receiving end of sorority women doing the exact same thing, at the exact same time was a little disconcerting. I filed that realization away to do some hard thinking on it in the future.

But now was not the time for thinking. Now was the time for action.

“Has the council decided whether rush will be postponed?” I pressed, hoping for a clear decision before the rest of the advisors got here.

“We'll announce that decision when the rest of the advisors get here,” Louella said, as if she could read my mind. “So you have one last chance to decide if this is the course you really want to pursue.”

It seemed like a warning of some kind, and I couldn't help but wonder whether Louella, the Delta Beta member of the council, really had my back or not. But the time to back out was long gone—­if there had ever been such an opportunity.

“No,” I declared, wondering why my voice was sounding a little shaky. “The Delta Beta request still stands.”

Louella lifted her hands as if she were washing them clean of me, and I steeled myself for the knife that was surely going to come from somewhere—­even from my allies.