The Killings (An Olivia Miller Mystery Book 1) (10 page)

“Exactly,” Luke said. Sadness and guilt dragged his facial muscles down.

“Why don’t we get out of here,” Olivia said. “We aren’t going to be able to ask Kayla anything more tonight. And I’m not in the mood for a place like this. It’s too crowded. Too loud.”

“Good idea,” Melissa said. “Let’s go.”

The three vacated the table and walked into the cool night air. They chatted as they strolled to the subway.

“So Kayla wasn’t even supposed to be at the party,” Olivia said. “She decided she would just show up.”

“She wanted to talk to Christian about getting back together,” Melissa said.

“I wonder how angry she was when he dumped her.” Olivia raised her eyebrows in a questioning look.

“Do you think she was angry enough to do something violent?” Luke asked.

“We still don’t know how she was outside Jack’s building right after he was murdered,” Melissa said.

“If Kayla is the killer, what could have been her motive for killing Jack?” Olivia asked. “She could have killed Christian because he broke off with her and Gary was just in the way. But why kill Jack?”

Luke said, “Jack saw her. She might have eliminated him because he saw her leave the apartment. She could have been afraid that he was actually able to identify her.”

Melissa said, “Could she have been with the killer? They both had on ski masks. Were they working together? Are there two killers?”

Even though Olivia really couldn’t picture Kayla as a killer, the possibility chilled her. Her mind was a tangled mass of bits and pieces of information that didn’t seem to lead anywhere.

“We saw Kayla in the apartment. If she
is
a killer, does that mean we’re all in danger?’ Melissa’s voice shook.

That same question had been worrying Olivia’s mind for days.

Chapter 14

Olivia was standing under a streetlight on the sidewalk outside of the university engineering building when Ynes drove up. They decided to take Ynes’ car since she drove a black Honda CRV which was less conspicuous than Olivia’s orange Jeep and it would be better for their clandestine mission. As soon as Olivia sat down in the passenger seat and closed the door, Ynes hit the gas pedal hard, causing Olivia’s head to jerk back.

“Sorry,” Ynes said looking over her left shoulder at the oncoming traffic. “I’m jittery.”

“You okay to drive?” Olivia snapped her seatbelt into place as Ynes careened into traffic.

“I’d be more nervous if I was just sitting in the car not driving. It gives me something to focus on.”

“We’re just going to the gym to find out about membership, remember?” Olivia said. “That’s all it has to be. No one knows any different. That’s our story if anyone sees us.”

Ynes flashed Olivia a look. “Yeah, right.”

They drove along the roads out of Somerville not speaking for a few minutes, and then Olivia said, “Melissa is going to park a few buildings up from the gym near the end of the street. The road’s a dead end. There won’t be many cars going to the end of the road at this time of night so fewer people will see Melissa parked there. She’ll wait for our text saying everything went okay. If she doesn’t hear from us in the agreed upon amount of time, she’ll drive over and if she doesn’t see us, she’ll call the police.”

“Do you think Adam Johnson will show up while we’re in the gym looking at his locker?” Ynes’ hands were shaking on the wheel. “Eva says he just shows up anytime. Unexpectedly. Acts like he owns the place.”

“Are you sure you can do this?” Ynes’ jittery behavior was making Olivia nervous.

“I’m going to do it,” Ynes said. “You’re not going in there alone. Eva’s my friend. I’ll be okay once we get there.”

Watching Ynes’ nervous movements while she sat in the driver’s seat maneuvering the car along the dark streets, Olivia wasn’t so sure that Ynes would be able to pull this off. She worried what might happen if Adam Johnson or someone else caught them at the gym.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about.” Olivia tried to reassure Ynes. “We’re potential clients. That’s all. If the coast is clear, we’ll investigate. If it doesn’t seem safe, we’ll call it off. We won’t do anything stupid.”

Ynes blew out a long breath. “Yes. Right. You’re right.”

They traveled out of the neighborhoods and entered an industrial area which consisted of concrete buildings and large parking lots lining both sides of the road. The lots were mostly empty, some had a car or two scattered here and there. Security lamps high on the buildings pointed beams of light near the buildings’ entrances, leaving most of the areas in shadow.

“Why does this gym have to be in such a desolate area?” Ynes moaned.

“The gym should be the next building on the left. There. There it is,” Olivia pointed, and Ynes guided the car into the dark parking area. The gym was closed and there was only one small vehicle parked close to the front door. Ynes pulled next to it and the girls got out of the car, and walked to the parked car. The window slid down. An attractive dark haired girl with caramel colored skin and dark eyes sat behind the wheel. She reached her hand out to Ynes.

“Here are the keys. They’re spares. One’s for the gym door. The other is for Adam Johnson’s locker. Put everything in the locker back the way you found it. Go in the back way.” Her eyes kept flicking up to look in the rear view mirror, checking to be sure no one was around. “Try not to be in there long. Don’t turn on the lights.”

Ynes took the keys and gestured to Olivia. “This is my friend…”

The girl in the car cut her off. “Don’t introduce us. I don’t want to know her name. The less I know the better. I’m getting out of here now. Don’t stay inside long. Be careful. Good luck.” She started her car, backed away, and pulled out of the lot and into the street.

“So obviously that was Eva,” Olivia said.

“Yes.” Ynes watched the taillights of Eva’s car disappear down the street. “I’ve never seen her so nervous.” Ynes faced Olivia. “Do you think we should do this? Maybe it’s a bad idea.”

“You thought it was a good idea when we planned it,” Olivia said gently. “It’ll be okay. If something goes wrong, we have our story rehearsed. We practiced it. We’ll be all right.” She took Ynes’ elbow and steered her to the back of the building. “I wish we could get your car out of sight, but there isn’t anyplace to put it that we could get to it fast. It’s like a concrete desert around here. We’ll just have to be quick.”

A cold breeze stirred up some sand from the lot and blew it against their faces. “Ugh,” Ynes said blinking the dirt from her eyes. “From bad to worse.”

They moved to the rear of the building and found the back door. There was a dumpster placed beside it.

“Here. Take the keys. My hands are shaking too much,” Ynes said.

Olivia took them and inserted one in the lock. “I hope there isn’t a security alarm that Eva forgot to tell us about.” Olivia turned the key and gave the heavy metal door a tug. “It’s open. Come on.” Olivia reached into her pocket and pulled out a penlight which she switched on. They entered a back room that contained some trash receptacles, a few cardboard boxes, and several large replacement containers of water for a cooler. A hallway led off of the room.

The girls followed along the corridor, Olivia leading the way and Ynes behind her clutching Olivia’s jacket. Olivia flashed the small beam of the penlight along the floor and walls. There were a couple of office doors along the hallway. The corridor ended and opened into a huge workout room filled with weights and exercise machines. A reception desk stood close to the gym’s front door. Some light from the outside security lamps filtered in through the big plate glass windows at the front of the room making it a little easier to see. Gym equipment stood throughout the room like silent creatures cloaked in shadow waiting to pounce.

“I don’t like it in here,” Ynes whispered.

“The locker rooms must be over that way.” Olivia used the penlight beam to point across the room to the far wall. They shuffled to the other side of the area being careful not to trip over the free weights strewn about and entered the room that had the ‘Men’s Locker Room’ sign over the door jamb. Lockers lined three of the room’s walls. A shower section was off to one side and a room with urinals, stalls and sinks was to the left.

“Smells in here.” Ynes scrunched up her nose.

“Which locker belongs to Adam Johnson?” Olivia asked.

Ynes didn’t speak. Her face was blank.

“Ynes,” Olivia whispered.

“Oh, hell. Eva didn’t tell me,” Ynes said. “I forgot to ask for specifics. I thought the locker number would be on the key.”

“You’re probably right. Let’s see.” Olivia fished the keys from her pocket. She lifted the penlight and pointed the beam as she and Ynes hunched over and looked at the key in Olivia’s palm.

“Nothing. How can we figure it out?” Ynes moaned.

“I wonder if there’s a master list of locker assignments at the reception desk.” Olivia said. “Go look and I’ll search around in here. Maybe there’s a list on one of these walls. Take the penlight. Don’t fall and break an ankle.”

Ynes took the light and moved into the darkness of the workout room. Olivia, straining to see in the dark, crept around the locker room looking for a list taped to one of the walls.

After a minute passed, Olivia heard Ynes hurry back into the room, and when she turned to her, the penlight beam held in Ynes’ hand caught Olivia directly in the eyes.

“Ynes.” Olivia snapped her eyes shut and simultaneously raised her hand to shield her face. Ynes shifted the beam away from Olivia. “Did you find the list?” Olivia asked.

Ynes sidled right up next to Olivia and whispered, her voice strained, “Two cars just parked near the front door. I saw two guys get out. I think they’re coming in.”

Chapter 15

The girls stood frozen in place for several seconds, until Olivia rushed to the locker room door that led into the workout room and carefully closed it trying not to make a sound. They heard the front door knob clunking and men’s voices speaking. Olivia grabbed Ynes by the arm and hurried her across the room to the bathrooms.

“We’re trapped in here.” Ynes’ voice quavered.

Olivia opened the door of a small storage closet, shoved Ynes in, stepped inside, and clicked the door shut. Her heart was hammering. She tried to slow her breathing. Ynes was holding so tightly to Olivia’s arm that she was afraid the blood supply to her hand would be cut off. Heavy footsteps crossed the workout room and moved into the locker area.

“It’s in here,” a deep voice said. “Where’s the damn light switch?”

Light filtered through the space at the bottom of the closet door and Olivia prayed that their feet couldn’t be seen from the other side of the door.

Ynes leaned close to Olivia. Olivia raised her pointer finger to her lips urging Ynes not to make a sound.

“How do you have a key to this place anyway?” The voice seemed to belong to a smaller or at least a less hefty man.

“I know the owner,” the deeper voice said.

The girls could hear a locker door being flung open.

“Here it is.” A zipper was moved over what sounded like a gym bag or a backpack. “Here. Try it.”

They heard rustling, a sniffing sound and then coughing.

“Good stuff. Oh, yeah.”

“Let’s have the cash,” the husky voice said.

Ynes squeezed Olivia’s arm. They knew a drug deal was going down between the two guys and they understood what would happen to them if they were discovered in their hiding spot. They both stood like statues. They kept their breathing soft and shallow. Ynes closed her eyes and started saying prayers in her head. Olivia’s hands were wet with sweat and her heart was thudding so hard she was afraid the men would be able to hear its hammering beat.

“It’s right here, don’t worry. I always pay.” More rustling sounds could be heard. “Whose car is outside anyway?”

“I told you,” the deeper voice said. “Some client’s car must have broken down. Relax. Do you see anyone around? We’re alone.”

“Look Adam, you can’t be too careful,” the smaller man said. “I got interests to look out for.”

The bigger man snorted. “Yeah, the only interests you need to look out for are your own.”

“That’s right. It’s a tough world. I don’t play football like you, so I got to make my own way.”

Oh God
, Olivia thought.
It’s Adam Johnson doing this deal.
The girls could hear things being shoved into a bag. The locker slammed shut. Footsteps. The light went off. The men moved out of the locker room and into the workout area. Their voices could be heard, but the words were hard to make out. The front door of the gym opened and then closed hard.

Olivia and Ynes breathed out.

“My God, that was close,” Ynes whispered. Her voice was shaky and she sounded like she was near tears.

“Let’s give them a minute, and then we’ll slip out the back door where we came in,” Olivia said close to Ynes’ ear. “If they knew we heard what just happened…” Olivia didn’t finish the thought. She shuddered. Her lower back ached from holding herself so tensely. All she wanted was to get the heck out of the building and get to their car.

After a few minutes, Ynes said, “How about now? You think we can go now?”

Olivia asked, “I’m pretty sure which bank of lockers they were standing near. You want to try and open them and look at what Johnson has in there?”

“I think we should get out of here. What if he comes back?” Ynes’ voice was shaky.

“Okay. It’s just that we’re in here already. Should we take the chance and try to figure out which locker is Johnson’s?”

“I vote no,” Ynes said. “I want to get out of here.”

“Okay. Let’s step out of the closet and listen. Keep the penlight off.” Olivia slowly turned the knob of the supply closet door and eased it open. She stepped out and stopped, straining to hear. She gestured for Ynes to follow. They crept to the door that led into the workout room and slowly opened it. They couldn’t see the front parking lot from where they stood and neither of them could tell if the guys were outside or if they had driven away. Olivia and Ynes hugged the wall and inched along to the hallway that led to the back door.