The Killing Game(82)

“He’s not my friend. He wasn’t nice to me.”

“What do you call him?”

“Laser.”

“Laser? Is that his first name or last name?”

“It’s just his name. He’s got laser eyes, y’know?” There was the sound of a sharp female voice and Tommy’s took on an aggrieved note as he said, “I was just talking to her! She wants to know about Laser!”

“Hang up,” the woman ordered.

“Well, geez!” Tommy said, at the same moment September cried, “No, wait!”

The phone cut out.

“Damn it,” she murmured, but she was elated she’d at least gotten some information.

She glanced down the list of four names: the Kirkendalls, Wrights, Pattens, and Brannigans. She’d called them all to no avail, so she phoned the Myleses again. Hannah answered while a baby babbled loudly. The conversation was short. Of course Hannah Myles was too new to the family and Aurora Lane to offer up any information, and her husband and father-in-law weren’t available.

“Story of my life,” September said after hanging up. Frustrated, she tapped her fingers on the phone, feeling as if she were running around in circles, getting no-damned-where. She considered chasing down Tynan again, but she felt he’d told her everything he was going to.

“Damn, damn, and double damn.” She leaned back in her chair and her thoughts turned back to Grace. The older woman’s recollections couldn’t be trusted, but there were kernels of information there that came out that were almost easier to decipher than the roadblocks the other Myleses seemed to want to erect.

And Maple Grove Assisted Living wasn’t all that far away.

What would it hurt to try to talk to the old woman again?

Grabbing her coat from the back of her chair, she headed out. This time she’d just flash her badge and bully her way in to see Grace, even if it brought the staff and all the other Myleses down on her. To hell with it. She was sick of *footing around. She wanted answers.

*

Andi hit the remote on her single-car garage and drove inside. The trembling had stopped, but the disbelief and horror remained. She sat for a moment behind the wheel and watched in the rearview mirror as Luke’s truck pulled to the side of the drive behind her.

Climbing out of the car was difficult; she felt like she’d aged a year in the last few hours. It didn’t seem strange when Luke joined her in the garage and walked her to the front door. He inserted the key and pushed the door open, holding it so she could enter first.

Once they were inside she walked into the kitchen and then stared around, completely forgetting what she’d gone there for.

“You want to sit down?” Luke suggested, following after her. He stood by the table, clearly concerned. He’d tried to drive her home, but she hadn’t wanted to be stuck without her car. She could tell he was worried that she was going to fall apart completely.

“I have antidepressants,” she said. “I should take them regularly, but . . .”

“Are they in the bathroom? Medicine cabinet?” At her nod, he went to get them without her asking.

He returned with the two vials of pills. “They look the same.”

“They are the same. Dr. Knapp prescribed them of both, but some were prescribed earlier and then the others after my miscarriage. Dr. Knapp wanted me to keep taking them, and I should. I don’t know why I don’t, except . . . I’m drug sensitive.” She gave him a quick look. “I’ve lost time . . . had blackouts . . . so I don’t always want to take them.”

“You’ve had blackouts from the pills?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you want one now?” he asked dubiously.

She shrugged. She wanted something. She just didn’t know what it was.

He held up the two bottles and extended one to her. “These pills look a little bigger.”

“Are they? They were both prescribed by Dr. Knapp.” Andi’s head hurt. She didn’t want to have this conversation. She just wanted to lie down and pretend nothing had happened.

Luke took off the caps of both vials and shook a few tablets into his palm. It was true. The white tablets all looked like aspirin, but the ones from the first vial were slightly larger than the ones from the second one. He squinted at both of the labels.

“Same prescription. Same pharmacy,” Luke said.

She shook her head.

He gave it up and put the tablets and vials on the table, then came over to her. Resting his hands lightly on her shoulders, he steered her to a chair. “You want water? Coffee? Tea?”

“Tea would be great, actually. I’ve got some for the Keurig.”

He made her a cup and brought it to her. Her cell phone rang, muffled inside her purse, which she’d dropped on the table. She looked at it without much interest, then sighed and reached for it. When she plucked out her phone and saw it was Carter, she grimaced. “I haven’t had a chance to tell him about Mimi and Scott yet. God. It seems so unimportant now.”

“Want me to talk to him?”

She nodded and Luke answered the phone. “This is Luke Denton.”

“Where’s Andi?” Carter demanded. She could hear his tinny voice clearly.

“She’s right here. She’s had a shock. Her friend Trini was found dead in her apartment this morning.”