WHO KILLED EMMALINE? (4 page)

When I get to school, I see Jenna chatting with her friends, but I don’t want to intrude or look needy. The last thing I want to do is scare off the only friend I’ve made. Instead, I take my time going to my locker, and then I go to class early since there isn’t much else to do until the first bell rings.

It’s when I’m between classes later that drama begins to unfold. I’m minding my own business, retrieving my textbook out of my locker when I’m approached by two guys. I look up warily, knowing this isn’t going to lead to anything good.

The taller one elbows his friend as he grins. “TJ, you hear that legs is the word of the day?”

“Yeah. Krista, why don’t you come over after school and spread the word,” the shorter blond says with a snicker.

I glare at them both. “Fuck off.” I turn back to my locker to close the door, anxious to be done so I can walk away from these two assholes. I’m suddenly pushed face first against my now closed locker as someone grinds their hips into me from behind. I’m stunned, because it happened so fast that I never had considered that they’d actually get physical with me.

“Now fuck is my all-time favorite word,” one of the guy’s whispers in my ear, his hands tightening on my hips.

“Get off!” I snarl, trying to struggle away from him. I can hear laughter and snickers echoing in the hall from those witnessing the altercation, and I’m mortified. My old school had a strict policy about any sort of harassment, and this definitely qualifies.

“Mmm. I can tell your ass is—
hey!!
”

The weight against my back is suddenly gone, and I spin around just in time to see the blond guy falling against the nearest locker. The sudden silence that has fallen over the hall tells me that we’re now the center of attention.

Then I see
why
the asshole is straightening up from the locker he’d just been tossed into.

Cord, the guy that Jenna claims is a freak and quite possibly a killer, is standing before me and the two guys that had been harassing me. His expression is deceptively calm, and his vivid green eyes are locked on the blond, completely ignoring the taller guy. “When a girl says back off, you back off,” he says in a carefully controlled tone.

The blond—aka TJ—straightens so that he looks taller, his eyes narrowing on Cord. “From what we’ve all heard, you like it when they struggle.”

Cord’s expression darkens even more, and he takes a single, menacing step towards TJ—who visibly shifts his weight nervously. “You want to repeat that? Do it,” Cord challenges softly, invading TJ’s personal space as he leans forward aggressively.

Cord is close enough for me to study, and I scan his features. If I thought he was cute from a distance, he’s even hotter up close. His face is chiseled and handsome, with a slight hint of whiskers darkening his strong jaw. I’ve never paid much attention to anyone’s chin, but the cleft in his gives his features more character, and I like it. However, right now he looks dangerous as his eyes promise violence if TJ and his friend don’t back off.

TJ’s eyes shift to the side, visibly searching for an escape. “She’s not worth this shit,” he mutters. He turns away from Cord and saunters off, his friend—not wanting to be left alone to face Cord, trails as nonchalantly as he can after him.

Cord focuses his green eyes on me for a brief moment before he turns and walks away, disappearing into the crowd of murmuring whispers.

That was…intense.

After I exhale and try to brush off the tension, I ignore the students that are still watching me and walk calmly to my next class. I don’t know whether to be grateful or frightened that I’d unwittingly drawn Cord’s attention. I guess I should be grateful since I’m not sure how far TJ would have gone with his harassment. If this had happened back home in Indiana, either a teacher would have intervened or one of my guy friends would have yanked him off me. It’s disappointing that everyone had seemed to find the situation entertaining until Cord put an end to it.

When lunch arrives, I feel relived knowing that I’ll have at least one friendly face to greet me. I had no idea how much I’d been counting on seeing Jenna until I’m disappointed to find that she isn’t waiting for me at my locker. A bad feeling is beginning to develop in the pit of my stomach, and I quickly grab my money and head for the lunchroom.

Jenna’s just slipping into the lunch line when I approach her. “Hi Jenna.”

She turns and looks at me, her lips tilting up in a forced smile. “Krista,” she greets. Someone walks past the line and coughs what sounds like an insult under his breath, and Jenna visibly stiffens.

I turn and stare after the broad-shouldered boy that is sauntering away before looking at her questioningly. “What was that about?”

Jenna looks genuinely apologetic. “Riley’s been busy today. You’re the school slut, and now I’m the lesbian that wants to get into your pants. Look Krista, you’re nice and all, but I don’t want to become a social outcast for the rest of the year. I’m sorry,” she says quietly. She ducks her head and leaves the line, and I find myself standing there alone as the line moves up.

My heart sinks.

Riley is determined to destroy everything that I try to build here, and now it looks like making new friends is out of the question. I wait for the line to keep moving, and I suffer through whispers and snickers before I can pay for my apple and soda. Feeling self-conscious, I escape the cafeteria and walk outside, sitting down by myself away from everyone else.

There’s no escaping the fact that school is going to be a miserable experience for the rest of the year. So is my home life, because I hate the house and all its creaking and settling. I’m not prone to being frightened easily, but I hate the idea of being home all by myself in the middle of those woods. I’m also aware that eventually my mom will get a job, and I’ll be the only one home until evening.

An idea begins to form, and I relax as I bite into my apple. So I’ll get a job and that will solve my issues at home. It’ll be a great distraction, and it’ll help with gas money since I think I’ll see what Manchester has to offer instead.

As my eyes land on Cord, I see that he’s drawing in his sketch pad like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Maybe I need to be like that. Ignore the shitty parts of life and concentrate on what I do like. He seems content with himself, and maybe that’s the kind of attitude I need to adopt to make it here in this town.

I’m done trying, and I refuse to throw a pity party for myself.

Ambler Ridge is not my scene, it’s time to move on and get over it.

I walk down the sidewalk in Manchester, feeling a little more optimistic, but not overly excited over the few stores that I’d filled out job applications for. I thought I’d be more excited, but in all honesty, working at a restaurant sounds boring, and so does the craft store and the women’s apparel store I’d applied at. I want something fun, something I can look forward to doing after school.

A bold ‘Now Hiring!’ sign grabs my attention as I walk past a store, and I pause on the sidewalk. The store has faux stone walls and there are two gothic-looking, gargoyle statues perched on the overhang above the door. The sign lit up in red neon claims the store to be The Dark Side of Cordane’s. Through the windows, I can see that the inside looks to be a Goth store.

With a shake of my head, I continue walking down the sidewalk. Yeah, right. Me work in a Goth store? I could just imagine my mom’s expression if I came home announcing I was working at Cordane’s.

I pause on the sidewalk.

Suddenly, the idea of working there sounds appealing. Sidney’s suggestion also echoes in my head.
Do one thing this week that you wouldn’t normally do.

A slow smile curves my lips, and I turn around to walk back to the store. I pull the glass door open and step inside. I expect loud music to be blaring through the speakers, but instead, the song playing is at a volume that isn’t too loud to talk over if the need arises.

The store is fascinating to me since I know absolutely nothing about Goth or anything similar to it. I’m not even sure if the store is meant to be Goth, or if it’s just a store that sells darker-themed clothing and accessories. I have no clue.

I’m pretty certain I stand out with my normal jeans, white tank, and ponytail, but the customers that are browsing ignore me as I look around.

The flooring I walk on is black hardwood, and the walls of the store are a dark gray. Elaborate chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and black wrought iron wall sconces are fastened to the walls boasting red lights shining upwards toward the darkened ceiling. I pass by one, taking in the dragon design wrapping around it. Eerie, but kind of cool. Regular track lights shine down on the racks of clothing so that people can see what they are looking at. A few black walls smartly divide up the store, and on those walls are sconces and mirrors. I take my time walking around the racks of clothing and round tables. The lights soften and dim towards the back of the store where accessories like shoes and corsets are located. I note the cave-like hallway in a corner that has a ‘Fitting Rooms’ sign above the doorway.

I can’t help but peek into the hall. It’s all faux stone, and the hall is dimly lit by more sconces with the red lights. Black doors are on either side of the hall, and I estimate there to be about twelve. There are also no gender signs.

I turn my attention on the rest of the store and see that there’s a register located on a black counter along the side wall towards the back. A chandelier hangs above the register, giving the area a soft glow that has the three, round-cased displays of piercing jewelry sparkling. There’s also an ‘employees only’ door in the corner.

The door happens to open, and a man slips out and takes his place behind the counter. His black-rimmed, green eyes halt on me, and he smiles as his snake bite piercings catch the overhead lighting. “Can I help you find anything?”

It turns out, I don’t have to know anything about Goth or any of that stuff to be hired at Cordane’s. I just have to dress in the store’s clothing, be helpful, and ring up purchases. I can do that, no problem. I hadn’t actually expected to get the job, but after I’d filled out an application, the owner, Dane—the guy with the piercings and black eyeliner—hired me on the spot.

I’m actually kind of excited about working there. There is nothing in the store that I would ever consider buying for myself, and that’s the beauty of it. I get to dress in unfamiliar clothing and immerse myself in a lifestyle that is all new to me. Dane had also informed me that they transform half the store into a Halloween shop for the month of October. I’m not big into Halloween, but hey, I bet it’ll be fun. Working at Cordane’s will definitely provide a distraction from my miserable existence here in Ambler Ridge.

As I cut into my stuffed pork chop, I debate on whether to bring up my new job to my mom and Mitch.

“Krista? Have you heard a word I’ve said?” I hear my mom ask with exasperation.

I look up, realizing that both she and Mitch are looking at me expectantly. Looks like this is the perfect opening to announce my news, and I set down my fork. “I got a job.”

My mom stares at me with surprise. “A job?”

“I’ll need gas and personal money,” I explain.

“Oh, well I guess that would be a good idea. I just didn’t think you’d try to find something so soon.”

I shrug. “There’s not much to do around here, so I went to Manchester and checked out some places that were hiring.”

“Where will you be working?” Mitch asks with interest as he reaches for his glass.

“The Dark Side of Cordane’s.”

“The dark side of what?” My mom looks puzzled, and she looks at Mitch to get his reaction.

Mitch stares at me, then frowns as he sets down his glass. “Cordane’s?” he asks quietly. He hesitates, then glances at my mom before looking back at me. “Krista, I don’t think that’s a wise idea.”

Both my mom and I ask in unison, “Why not?”

He looks uncomfortable. “Cordane’s is a Goth store. I think that’s the accurate term one would use for it.”

“There is nothing wrong with Goth,” I say defensively.

Bewilderment is etched across my mom’s face as she looks at me. “You want to work in a Goth store? Why would you want to do that?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Mitch cuts in, speaking to me as his eyes hold mine. “What you don’t know is that a young lady about your age was murdered last year. The only two suspects in her case work there. In fact, I think the older one even owns it.”

“What?” my mom asks with alarm.

Mitch’s announcement has me blinking with surprise. “You mean Dane is Cord’s brother?”

“You sound familiar with the youngest Bodine brother,” Mitch states, his expression turning concerned.

“People talk at school. I didn’t realize the store was owned by one of them.”

My mom’s fork clatters loudly to her plate. “First thing tomorrow, you are quitting,” she announces.

Common sense appeals for me to listen to her, but I can’t help but ignore it. Yeah, Dane’s weird and all, but I didn’t sense any threatening killer vibes from him. Plus, I’m actually excited about the job and looking forward to spending my afternoons and evenings there. I don’t want to quit because of some rumors. Then again, if Dane was a suspect, I guess they might not be just rumors. But if he’s free, that means the police didn’t find anything, and he’s probably innocent, right? Maybe I do need some time to think about this, but my mom doesn’t need to know that.

“I don’t want to quit,” I tell them quietly.

Mitch looks just as stunned as my mom. “Why not?” he asks, finding his voice before my mom can.

Because I want to piss you both off,
I think to myself. Is it bad that a small part of me relishes the idea of doing something that they both are against? I want them to get a taste of what it feels like to have no control over someone else’s actions. “I haven’t even started yet,” I point out calmly, not wanting to get into an argument with them. “I might even like it,” I add. It definitely won’t be boring, that’s for sure.

“You’re working for a murder
suspect!
” my mom exclaims as her cheeks begin to redden with her agitation.

“They’re just allegations,” I say, standing my ground. Sure, if I decide to continue working there, it’ll be a little disturbing working for a man that could have possibly murdered someone, but I tell myself to think logically. The police have no proof, and they might just be pointing fingers at the easiest suspect. It’s also a public store. With windows. I highly doubt Dane would kill one of his employees when anyone who happens to be walking by could see.

“The youngest brother works there as well. You would be working with both of them,” Mitch informs, his brow furrowing as he studies me intently, as if he’s trying to figure out what would possess me to even apply there in the first place.

That’s right, Mitch mentioned earlier that Cord works there, too. I have a lot to think about later tonight. “I’ll be working on my own most of the time, so it doesn’t really matter,” I say, brushing off his concern.

“Krista, I agree with your mother on this. You shouldn’t work there.”

Their insistence that I quit just makes me want to dig my feet in even more and do the opposite. “I am not quitting.”

“Kristalynn Marie Broderick, you are quitting that job,” my mom informs me in a tight voice.

I narrow my eyes at her. “You can’t make me.”

“You are seventeen young lady, not yet an adult.”

“So I can have sex and risk pregnancy, but I can’t work at a public store because the owner has a bad reputation?” I ask dryly.

Mitch sits back, rubbing his face and looking uncomfortable now that the conversation has shifted to sex.

“You’re going to have sex whether I want you to or not, so it made sense to accept it and get you on birth control. I eliminated the risk of pregnancy. That job, it could get you killed. Huge difference, Krista.”

“First off, it’s a
public
store. Second,
why
would they want to kill me? Third, when would they attempt this killing when there are windows in the store? Fourth,
again,
what reason would they have to hurt me?”

My mom’s lips flatten as she gazes at me unhappily.

I stand up, no longer feeling hungry. I also know that if I stay at the table, this conversation is bound to worsen with each second that passes. “You both put me in this situation,” I remind. “You took me from my home, my school, and my friends, and brought me here where I would have to start all over again. You didn’t care how difficult it would be on me, all you two cared about were yourselves and your own happiness.

“I have a stepbrother who hates me, the entire school has turned their backs on me, and I can’t even make a single friend in that hellhole. Now you tell me I have to quit the job that was supposed to be the only bright spot in my day, because I don’t want to be alone by myself in the afternoons? Well, too bad. I got the job, and I am keeping it.” I shoot my mom a look as she tries to interrupt, and I talk right over her. “Also, keep in mind that I’ll be eighteen soon.” I turn and walk calmly out of the kitchen.

“Krista!”

“Let her have her space,” I hear Mitch murmur before I am out of hearing range.

The second I close my bedroom door and have privacy, I let out a long exhale. That didn’t exactly go as I’d intended. I certainly hadn’t meant to make a scene; I never pull temperamental stuff like that with my mom. This move has brought out the worst in me.

With a groan, I throw myself on my bed and pick up my phone that I’d tossed on it earlier.

Feeling bored, I swipe the screen and see that Sidney tried calling fifteen minutes ago. Perfect. I call her back.

“Hey! What’s new? Meet any new people? Any hot guys?” Sidney demands.

My mood instantly brightens at the sound of her voice, and I start telling her everything that has happened right up to my confrontation at dinner with my mom and Mitch.

“I am so jealous,” Sidney says enviously. “The only excitement we have going on is the homecoming dance. You’ve got an unsolved murder there, and you’re going to school with the main suspect! And seriously, you got a job at a Goth store? That’s so
not
you, which makes it even juicier. But…I don’t mean to be a moodhoover, but I kind of have to agree with your mom and stepdad. You’re working for the only two suspects in an unsolved murder case. I know I told you to take a chance and do something new, but I didn’t mean to risk your life working in some store,” she says, her voice turning serious for once.

“I had my doubts after learning who owns it,” I admit. “But now that I had that argument with my mom, I’m not sure I want to give them what they want. After all, it is a public store, Sidney. What can happen?”

“It’s what can happen after hours that you should be worried about, Kris. I’m betting you’ll be working late some nights.”

“Don’t you think it’d be stupid for either one of them to consider offing the new girl? They would be the first people the police would point their fingers at,” I argue.

Sidney is silent for a moment. “True… I don’t know, it just sounds risky to me.”

“I don’t get any bad vibes from Dane. He seems like a nice enough guy. Cord also came to my defense today when those two guys had me cornered at my locker. What if both of them are innocent, Sidney? I don’t want to be like the rest of the town and ostracize them. I’m already getting a taste of how it feels to be cast out for a stupid rumor. It’s brutal. I’m not sure I want to be like everyone else and fall for a bunch of crap.”

“They were suspects, Kris. Suspects.”

“I know.”

Sidney falls silent again. “Okay, so you’ve made some valid points. It is a public store, and if something happened to you, they’re the first ones that would get the blame. They know that, and you know that. They
could
be innocent… You’re really not getting any sinister vibes from them?” she asks suspiciously.

“No. I mean, I’ve heard some really twisted stuff like Cord liking masks during sex. Other than that, I haven’t seen anything for myself that would cause me to run in the opposite direction.”

“I guess that’s good. Hmm. Well, keep the job, keep your eyes open, and if you feel any hint of apprehension working there, you quit. Immediately. Got it?” Sidney demands.

“I hear you, loud and clear,” I murmur, smiling at her protectiveness.

“Now that we have that out of the way, tell me more! Do you have to wear a uniform?”

“It was recommended that I wear their clothing. Dane said I could get away with jeans and dark shirts, but he’d prefer I wear some of the store’s clothing, too. I get fifty percent off full-priced clothing, and thirty percent on sale items,” I explain.

“Not bad. What kind of clothing do they sell?”

“Dresses, corsets, hoodies, jeans and pants, shirts, you name it. It’s all really dark-themed, though.”

“And you have to wear some of this stuff? You have to take some selfies and send me what you wear. I just can’t imagine you in anything other than your usual tanks and hoodies,” Sidney muses.

“I can’t either,” I laugh. I am definitely going to be way outside my comfort zone, but that’ll be the whole point.