Silver Lake (29 page)

An assortment of pills in pale colors and varying shapes lined the bottom of the zipped bag. She shook it at him temptingly.

“What is all that?” He knew, after all, where it had come from. The guy that Brandy’s mother was hanging around with seemed to have some serious connections in the prescription medication marketplace.

She grinned and shrugged again. “Who knows, exactly? Bruce was already on my case last week about a missing bottle of Vicodin, so I just snatched a few of what I could find over the last week or so. Once the two of them are loaded, they can’t remember how much they’ve taken themselves.”

He wanted to tell her not to mix too many things, but he knew she was already feeling defensive and depressed. He didn’t want her to leave and go back to her house with that scary guy hanging around. So he grabbed another quick shower while she turned on the TV and got comfortable in his bed with her drink, her pills, and her book. By the time he was in his navy blazer and tie, she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. He kissed her forehead and told her not to worry, and to get some sleep.

Chapter 29

“That was the last time I saw her alive,” A.J. finished. He threw back the rest of his water and slammed the glass down with a bang. “I’m getting a drink,” he announced, shoving his chair away from the table as he rose.

No one bothered to try to stop him; they just sat together in a state of painful shock. Now Rain had a calming hand on Jason’s taut arm. She could tell he was barely controlling his fury. A.J. had known all this time that Brandy was dead. The repercussions were enormous. If the truth had been revealed, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce wouldn’t have had to spend five unbearable years suffering with the agony of the unknown. Brandy could have had a proper burial. Perhaps they would have all stayed friends. And Rain and Jason probably wouldn’t have ended up in the dangerous situation in the lake last night.

Rain tried to remind herself that A.J. had been a panicked 18-year-old at the time. She pushed herself up shakily and refilled everyone’s coffee mugs as A.J. poured himself a glass of bourbon. “Why don’t we sit back down so you can finish telling us what happened,” she suggested gently.

He took a steadying swig of the amber liquid and sat back down, not meeting anyone’s eyes. He cleared his throat and began again.

“The dinner went late. We had cocktails, appetizers, all kinds of courses...I didn’t get back down to my room until around 10:30. At first, I thought she was asleep. When I realized she wasn’t breathing, I panicked, but I did try CPR right away. Her mouth was already…stiff. I was hitting her, pounding on her chest, trying to make her wake up. But her body was cold.”

He looked up then, only at Rain, and his light blue eyes shone with tears of anguish. She nodded somberly. “That must have been awful,” she murmured.

He took another drink and swallowed audibly. “It was. I wasn’t sure where my phone was, so I ran upstairs, and my father was still up, watching the news. So I told him what happened, and immediately he told me not to make any calls. He followed me back down the stairs.

“I know this doesn’t make up for anything, but I want you guys to know that she was definitely gone. I argued with my dad at first, but I knew it was too late to save her, even if an ambulance had arrived right that minute. Her body was already cold and starting to stiffen, and she was pale. My dad pointed out the blood starting to pool on the bottoms of her arms. She may have been dead for hours. There was no hope, but I did still try, I swear to God.”

****

“This can’t be happening,” A.J. moaned, his voice full of anguish. He paced back and forth frantically at the foot of his bed. “We have to call an ambulance.”

“I said no calls,” Mr. Winthrop barked angrily. “Shut up and let me think for a minute.”

A.J. sat on the edge of the bed and reached toward Brandy’s lifeless hand.

“Don’t,” his father warned. He was studying the gruesome tableau. “How full was that bag?” he asked, pointing disdainfully at the plastic baggie now laying on the nightstand. It sat beside the empty glass, its contents reduced to a few remaining pills.

“There were a lot more pills in there earlier. I have no idea how many,” A.J. answered truthfully.

“What was it? Do you know?”

He shook his head. “Prescription meds. Narcotics, probably. A bunch of different things.”

“Obtained illegally, I presume?”

A.J. opened his mouth to lie then shrugged in defeat. “Probably,” he admitted miserably.

“What is she even doing here?” Mr. Winthrop narrowed his eyes at his son. “We put our trust in you, and you repay us by sneaking your addict girlfriend into our house? And then she proceeds to overdose in your bed during an important dinner party! Jesus Christ, I can’t believe how badly you’ve screwed up.”

“It was an accident,” A.J. whispered.

His father shook his head indifferently. “It doesn’t really matter. All right, pay attention. Did you touch that bag, or any of the pills?”

“No,” A.J. answered, his forehead creasing in confusion.

“How about the bottle?” Mr. Winthrop indicated the empty bottle of vodka on the floor.

“No. The only thing I touched was...her.”

“I’m sure you did,” his father answered him, his voice filled with disapproval and disgust. “Your DNA must be all over her. And inside her.” He frowned, staring out the window into the dark, frigid night. He remained lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly began giving orders. “Go and get the disposable gloves the maid uses for cleaning. And an old sheet. Nothing your mother would notice missing.” He raised his hand to cut his son off. “Don’t ask questions. Just go do it if you know what’s good for you.”

A.J. rushed to do what his father asked. His body moved quickly, but his mind refused to keep up. He was fairly certain he was in some sort of shock.

When he returned to the basement level, his father was no longer in the bedroom. A.J. looked around wildly and saw the door that led from the billiards room to the two-car garage standing open.

His father had removed the golf clubs from the trunk of his Mercedes and was now lining the interior with a tarp. A dawning realization was attempting to pierce the numbness paralyzing A.J.’s thoughts. “Dad, what are you doing?” he asked, his eyes wide with horror.

He whirled around and glared at his son, then pointed a menacing finger in A.J.’s face. “Do not think for a second that I’m going to let anyone find out that the crack-head whore you date died in your bed while we were entertaining representatives from my fucking alma mater! She ran away before, she’s going to run away again. And if you so much as breathe even the
suggestion
that anything other than that happened, you may as well run away too. You’ll be completely cut off. It won’t matter what college you get accepted to, because I won’t be paying for one cent of it. Are you understanding me?”

A.J. gaped at him. “Just what are you planning on doing?”

“It no longer concerns you.” Mr. Winthrop turned away and finished adjusting the tarp. “If you plan to continue living here, all you know is that she had mentioned running away again. You were at a dinner party on Tuesday night. We have lots of witnesses. She had been in your room recently, but she wasn’t here tonight.” He faced A.J. once again and looked directly into his eyes. “Do you think you can handle that?” he asked sarcastically.

“I…I guess so,” A.J. allowed.

“Did you talk to her on your phone today?”

He shook his head. Brandy just usually appeared most evenings; they only spoke on the phone when she didn’t.

“Good.” Mr. Winthrop put a firm hand on A.J.’s shoulder and began steering him back toward the bedroom. “Put those gloves on, and put anything of hers that you didn’t touch back in her backpack. Then wash your sheets and vacuum your room.”

Mr. Winthrop began pulling on a pair of the opaque white gloves and approached the bed. “You’ll have to help me with this as well. We’re going to wrap her up in that sheet.”

A.J. prayed he would wake up from this nightmare. He covered his mouth with shaking hands as bile burned its way up his throat. “Dad, we can’t just…” The furious look his father gave him made him stop abruptly. “Can I at least have a minute to say goodbye to her?”

Mr. Winthrop rolled his eyes but acquiesced, turning and leaving the room. “Be quick about it,” he ordered.

Drawing the latex gloves over his clammy, trembling hands, A.J. knelt beside his girlfriend’s limp body. Tears streamed down his face as he stroked her cheek with his gloved knuckles. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. He pushed himself up and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “I love you,” he added as he studied her face. An impulse struck him, and he looked over his shoulder cautiously to make certain he was still alone. Moving quickly and carefully, he unscrewed the little silver ball on Brandy’s eyebrow ring and gently pulled it free. He tucked it into his pocket and began packing up her backpack.

****

“That was it,” A.J. sighed, his gaze fixed on the table. His fingers nervously spun the empty glass in a slow circle. “We put her in the trunk and my dad told me never to speak of it again. He wouldn’t tell me anything else, except that I could leave too if I wasn’t going to go along with the story. I know it was wrong, but I had no doubt that he was completely serious. He kept reminding me that nothing I did would bring her back, and that if she had loved me at all, she wouldn’t want to see me ruin my family’s reputation and my future.”

Rain tried to inject some practicality into the charged atmosphere. “So, do you think he put her in the lake?” she asked as delicately as possible.

A.J. shrugged. “It’s possible, I guess. There wouldn’t have been anyone around here on a week night in the middle of February. These houses aren’t outfitted for winter. It never occurred to me, but then, I tried never to think about it.”

“Well, let’s try to think about it now,” Rain suggested. “I truly believe she’s out there. And not only because of last night. There are a lot of other hints she gave us: the dreams, the photo album, the rowboat, the puddles, even Jason swimming toward that spot that one day.” Rain looked at A.J. a little guiltily. “There may have been a few things we kept from you, in order not to spook you.”

A.J. nodded. “Understandable. As far as the mechanics of it, if that’s what you’re looking for, I’m sure my dad could have managed it. The rowboat we had at the time was pretty sturdy, and it was at least 15 feet long. Brandy couldn’t have weighed more than 120 pounds.”

“Her body never washed up, so he must have weighed her down,” Jason pointed out grimly. “I suppose he could have brought stuff with him. The bastard seemed to have thought it all through.”

“If not, there are chains and anchors everywhere around here,” A.J. added. “I think there may have even been some in the shed. There was a bunch of junk in there when we bought the place. My sisters and I used to like to explore in there when we were kids.”

Allie finally spoke, her voice slightly hysterical. “Speaking of kids, can I go home now? I’m not trying to be rude, but I can’t take this. I need to see my kids. I want to be with my family.” She looked pale and traumatized.

“Of course,” Rain agreed soothingly. “I promised I’d help you pack.” She began to get up from the table.

“No, no, it sounds like you had an exhausting night. I don’t need help, really.” Allie produced a wan smile and started toward her bedroom.

“I know you guys won’t be able to forgive me,” said A.J. dismally. “So just tell me what you want me to do.”

Allie hesitated by the bookshelves and looked over her shoulder. “I forgive you, A.J. We all make mistakes, even really bad ones. Especially when we’re young and scared.” She disappeared into her room and closed the door softly.

“I can forgive you too,” Rain added. She looked pointedly at Jason.

“You need to call the police,” Jason said simply. “And you need to give them a better reason to search the lake than Brandy’s ghost told us to. You’re good at stories, you’ll come up with something.” Rising from the table, he grabbed Rain’s hand and pulled her with him. “Rain and I are going for a walk,” he announced.

Jason hurried them through the house as though it were on fire. Once the screen door had banged behind them, he took a deep breath, fighting for control. He relaxed his grip on her hand but continued to hold it, and gestured to the left with his head. Rain nodded and they began walking down the beach.

“Jason, you have to forgive him. Like Allie said, we all make mistakes. You and I haven’t exactly been conducting ourselves in the most moral fashion.”

“We haven’t been hiding dead bodies, either.”

Rain sighed. “I know, it’s bad. But at least we know what happened now.”

“You could have drowned,” Jason reminder her, anger dripping from his voice.

“Brandy made sure you came and saved me. Now you get to be my hero.” She smiled up at him and swung their linked hands.

He smiled back reluctantly. “Hmmm. I’m pretty sure that saving your life entitles me to some form of compensation.”

Rain bit her lip uncomfortably. “Uh oh. Because I was going to ask
you
for another favor.”

Jason rolled his eyes playfully. “It never ends. Nothing I do is good enough for you.”

Her answering laugh provided such a cleansing release that she was hesitant to bring up A.J. and Brandy again. But there was no getting around it. “Here’s the thing. I need to go back to Westgate, right away. Mrs. Pierce needs to know how Brandy died, and I’m not going to tell her over the phone. And with her illness, I don’t want to take any chances. I should visit her as soon as I can.” She paused and then added imploringly, “So I’m hoping that you’ll stay here with A.J., and help him deal with the police and reporters and all that stuff.”

He looked away, and Rain could see his jaw clench in frustration. He was struggling with the decision, so Rain murmured “Please” and squeezed his hand.

“Fine,” he said grudgingly. “And yes, I’ll be civil, because I know that’s your next request. But I need to get back home as well. I have to break up with Cara, and I owe it to her to at least do it in person. I’ve been trying to tell you that I’ve decided to end it. I know I should have done it sooner, but I guess I didn’t want to feel like you had that kind of influence over me.” He slid an embarrassed gaze toward Rain. “But then I realized that the overall decision really didn’t have anything to do with you. You’re just a catalyst that made me finally take action.”