Seductive Suspect

Rabbit, next in line on the other side of the table, took her cue. “My name is Isabel Avery, and I’m a paralegal. We finished up a big case at work, and my boss said I could use a little vacation with all the hours I put in, so she got me the ticket.”

“Mine came through my office, too.”

My ears perked up when the man formerly known as Colonel Mandrake spoke. I wanted to learn more about him, and then felt foolish when I remembered our horrifying circumstances. While our flirtations had been fun, I had much more pressing matters to worry about now.

“I’m Adam Christensen. I work in marketing, and my ticket came from a former client. I assumed it was a gift to thank me for my work, or at least that’s how it appeared.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “With everything I’ve seen and learned, I’m not sure what to believe anymore.”

Big Guy leaned back in his seat and propped one foot on the opposite knee. “Well, I don’t really have anything earth-shattering to add. Same thing all of you said, some sort of promotion or community event thing, where someone wanted to highlight the employees at my hospital and all the hard work we do.” The chair creaked as he rocked back and forth. “I won a ticket for this weekend, and another nurse up on the cardiac floor is coming next week, I think.”

Dylan snorted. “You’re a nurse?”

He fixed him in a steely glare. “Yeah, I am, in the ER. So what?”

Victor consulted his paperwork. “I take it you’re Paul Sullivan?”

“Yup.”

Only one person remained. Me. Swallowing hard, I prepared to confess. “I, uh, have to come clean about something. I realize this might look bad, but we’re all being honest here, right?” I fidgeted in my chair. “The last name on your list is probably Katrina Campbell. I’m not Katrina. I’m her sister, Veronica.”

A half dozen accusatory stares burned into me.

“I know how suspicious this must sound.” My shoulders hunched, and I tried to shrink into a little ball. “Something came up, and she couldn’t make it here this weekend, so she asked me to take her place. I swear I had nothing to do with peopledying.”

Isabel sniffed. “A likely story.”

I needed to defend myself before everyone in the room labeled me a murderer. “You know, I didn’t have to say anything.” Straightening, I tried to appear more assertive. “If I’d pretended to be Trina, no one would have known the difference. Why would I be telling you this if I had something to hide?”

“She has a point,” Adam said.

I flashed him a grateful smile.

“Thank you for coming forward.” Victor’s pencil scratched across the page. “I take it none of you knew each other before last night?”

All of us exchanged wordless glances. A few people shrugged.

“That’s what I expected.” He looked at the list again. “My records indicate a person by the name of J.D. Smith booked the block of tickets for this weekend. Does the name sound familiar to anyone?”

Dylan nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s the guy who contacted me.”

“Or woman.” Laura leaned forward, propping her chin up on one hand. “But it’s probably an alias, anyway.”

Paul sighed and sat up, the legs of his chair slamming against the floor. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are we sitting arounddiscussing this? If there is some crazy killer on the loose, then why are we still here?”

“Though the lightning seems to have ceased for now, I don’t know how safe the roads are in this weather.” Victor gestured toward the door. “If you wish to leave, I won’t stop you.”

Dylan crossed his arms over his chest. “But if you do leave, it’ll look kind of fishy.”

“Hey, if you’re the guilty one, don’t try to project that onto me.” Paul stood and reached into his pocket. “A little rain never bothered me. If the phones aren’t working, then I can drive to the nearest police station and tell them what’s going on.”

“Sure, dude. Whatever.”

Adam slid his chair back. “I’ll go with you.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” He shook his head. “No offense, but I don’t trust any of you. I’d rather go by myself.”

“He’s right,” Victor said after Paul strode out the door. “While we’re here together, everyone needs to be careful. Lock your door whenever you’re in your room. Try not to be alone with another person. Take every precaution you can think of to keep yourself safe.”

Isabel frowned. “Are we going to sit here in our pajamas until help arrives?”