After almost an hour of questioning at the police station, Avery was told to wait in the lobby, that someone would take her home.
As she sat down in a hard chair, she glanced down at her still blood-stained hands. She’d tried to wash away Noelle’s blood, but she could still see traces of it on her hands. She had a feeling no matter how many times she tried to wash it away, it would still feel like it was there.
She twisted her fingers together, forcing her gaze upward, wishing this was just a terrible nightmare and that she would soon wake up.
But that wasn’t happening.
And other people who loved Noelle were now experiencing the same horror, shock and sadness.
Noelle’s mom had been notified and so had Noelle’s boyfriend, Carter Hayes. The detective she’d spoken to had informed her of those facts as he asked her to tell him about the people who were on Noelle’s contact list. She’d actually been surprised to see less than a dozen numbers. She would have expected Noelle to have hundreds of friends in her contacts; she was a very friendly person. But the few people’s names she recognized were Noelle’s coworkers.
The detective had also showed her that the only texts on the phone in the past week were between her and Noelle, talking about getting together and going to the amusement park.
Where were the other texts? Why wasn’t there communication between Carter and Noelle on the phone?
She’d expressed surprise when the detective had asked her if she found it unusual for Noelle not to have texted her mom or her boyfriend in the last several weeks. He’d suggested that perhaps Noelle had changed phones or had a second one.
She hadn’t been able to come up with a good answer to either of those questions. She didn’t know why Noelle would have had more than one phone, but it was definitely possible, and it seemed like the only explanation for why there were no other texts on the phone, because Noelle had always been an avid texter.
Tapping her foot on the ground, she was about to get up and tell the officer at the desk that she would grab her own ride home, when the station door opened, and her father walked in.
Brett Caldwell was fifty-five years old, but he looked at least ten years younger. She’d gotten her dark hair from him, but she’d missed out on the charming, quirky smile and long, lean limbs that took him up over six foot two. She was barely five four, and as usual, her father’s towering presence made her instinctively wary—not because he would ever physically hurt her. No, her father had only hurt her with absence and disinterest, which made her wonder why on earth he’d shown up.
But despite all the hurt and anger between them, when he opened his arms and gave her a sympathetic, worried smile, she went willingly into his embrace. For the first time in her life, her dad had actually come when she needed him.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said, as they broke apart. “How did you know?”
“It’s all over the news.”
“I was on the news?” she asked in dismay.
“Not you—Noelle. But when the reporter said Noelle was with a female friend, and you weren’t answering your phone, I had a feeling it was you. I called around, and here I am. I’m sorry about Noelle. I know how close you were.”
“I can’t believe she’s dead. One minute we were eating cotton candy, and the next minute she was bleeding. There was so much blood, Dad. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
He frowned. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“That would be good. I just want to go home.”
“I think you should come to my place. Whitney said you’re welcome to spend the night.”
“I really just want to go to my apartment.” She could not top off this day having to make small talk with Whitney Tremaine, a woman who was her boss’s daughter, her father’s girlfriend, and was only five years her senior. It was too much.
The door behind her dad opened, bringing in cold air, and one frantic mother.
“Avery,” Vicky Caldwell said with relief.
Unlike her dad, her mom looked every day of her fifty-five years, her brown hair laced with gray, especially at the roots, and there were heavy lines around her mouth and eyes. But then, life had not been as kind to her mom as it had been to her father.
“Are you all right?” her mother asked.
“I’m okay,” she said, accepting another tight hug, this one feeling far more normal and familiar.
After her parents had divorced, she and her mom had become a very tight unit.
“Noelle?” her mom asked, searching her gaze. “Is she really dead?”
She gave a tight nod. “Someone stabbed her.”
“I don’t understand how this happened.”
“I don’t, either.”
“Did you see who killed Noelle?” her father asked.
“No. It happened in the funhouse on the Santa Monica Pier. It was dark and creepy inside. I wasn’t going to go in at all. But Noelle was taking forever to come out, and I just got a weird feeling. She’d been acting a little strange, so I got worried.”
“How was she acting?” her dad asked.
“I don’t know if I can even say,” she replied with a helpless shrug. “She was checking her watch, like she was waiting for something or someone. But when I called her on it, she brushed me off. She told me I could trust her. She said she’d turned over a new leaf and was trying to be a better person.” She paused. “I don’t remember exactly what she said. Maybe I’m misremembering.” As the adrenaline surge began to wear off, she felt overwhelmingly tired. “I want to go home.”
“You’re coming home with me,” her mom said firmly.
“Or with me,” her father put in. “The offer still stands, Avery. I know I haven’t always been there for you, but I’d like to make up for that now.”
“Make up for it?” her mom cut in, a scornful look on her face. “You’re going to make up for splitting our family apart, for depriving Avery of a father, for choosing fame and fortune over us? You think a guest room is going to do that, Brett?”
“This is between me and Avery, Vicky. You’ve always tried to poison her against me.”
“I didn’t have to do a thing. She made her own decisions based on what she experienced.
She put up a hand as she could see the old anger simmering between them. “I can’t handle this right now. Please, stop, both of you.” When they fell silent, she made her decision, which was, of course, the only one she could make. “Mom, I would love to stay with you tonight.”
Her mother looked mollified by her answer.
She turned to her father. “I appreciate you coming down here. Thank you. But I’ll be more comfortable at Mom’s. I can sleep in my old room.”
“Whatever you want, Avery,” he said with disappointment. “I’m only a phone call away.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Come on, let’s get you home.” Her mom put an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the police station.
She knew her mother was brimming with questions, but thankfully she didn’t ask any on the way to her house, which was about fifteen minutes away.
While she’d moved out of her childhood home when she went to college and had never ever really been back for more than the occasional night at a time, when she walked into the house, she felt safe for the first time in hours.
She flopped onto the living room couch, too exhausted to even try to make it upstairs to her room.
“Can I get you something to eat or drink?” Her mother perched on the edge of the armchair across from her.
“The thought of food…” She shuddered.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“Not really.”
She didn’t think that would satisfy her always curious mother, and she was right.
“I didn’t know you and Noelle had reconnected,” her mom said. “I thought you lost touch awhile ago.”
“She looked me up a few months ago. She needed a job, and I gave her a referral for a position at Nova Star.”
“What?” her mother asked in surprise. “You never told me this.”
“I didn’t think you’d like it. You haven’t been a fan of Noelle’s for a long time.”
“Because she was always getting you into trouble. But you could have told me. I hate to think you are keeping things from me, Avery.”
“It really wasn’t deliberate. You’ve been busy, and so have I. Where’s Don tonight?”
“He’s in San Diego, taking care of some family business with his sister. He’ll be back tomorrow. We’re leaving for Hawaii on Sunday.”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t know if I should go now.”
“Of course you should go. You’ve been looking forward to the trip for weeks, and so has Don.” Her mom had been seeing a very nice man for the last four months, and Avery had high hopes for their relationship. It was long past time for her mother to be happy.
“I know, but after what happened tonight…”
“That should not change your plans.”
“I want to support you, Avery.”
“You always have, Mom,” she said with heartfelt sincerity. “But you can’t do anything.” She gave a helpless shrug. “I can’t do anything. Noelle is dead, and nothing is going to change that.”
“What did the police say?”
“They were more interested in asking me questions than giving me answers. They’re going to do a thorough investigation, dig into every aspect of Noelle’s life.”
“Her mother will be heartbroken.”
“I know,” she said heavily. “And Noelle has been dating someone, too. I’m sure he’ll be shocked and saddened. I just don’t know why this happened.”
“Was it random?”
“The police don’t know if she just ran into some crazy person in the funhouse, or if there was more to it.”
“Surely someone saw this person.”
“I think there must have been cameras somewhere, but it was one dark maze inside the attraction. There were lots of people moving around in the shadows. And there were screams every other minute, coming over the speakers. I think I heard Noelle scream, but I’m not even sure. If I hadn’t found her on the ground, I might have just kept going and tried to find my way out.”
Her mother’s lips drew into a tight line. “I kind of wish you had done that.”
There was a part of her that wished that, too. But would the heartbreak be any less if she’d been outside when the cops were called, when the paramedics rolled up in the ambulance, when Noelle’s body was taken away? She doubted it. And at least Noelle hadn’t been alone when she died. Maybe that meant something.
“I’m surprised you called your father,” her mother continued.
“I didn’t. He saw the news and had this feeling I was the friend with Noelle, and I guess he must have called the police and they told him I was there.”
“When I think of all the times I wanted him to be there for you, and he wasn’t…”
“I know. I suspect he was only there tonight because he’s been trying to get closer to me in recent months, ever since I inadvertently introduced him to the new love of his life.”
Her mother blew out a breath of disillusionment. “I almost feel sorry for her. And I have to admit that I sometimes wonder if your father didn’t look you up just to get closer to the Tremaines. Brett could always sniff out money and opportunity better than anyone else.”
“He is successful now in his own right. It’s not like he doesn’t have money and he’s just a gold-digger.”
“Oh, sure. He’s a celebrity author and a motivational speaker. But there’s your father’s money and then there’s Tremaine money. We both know there’s a huge difference.”
“Believe me, the last thing I wanted was for Dad to get involved with the Tremaines, but you know how he is. He came to take me to lunch one day and suddenly he was up in the executive suite. He can be charming.”
“Don’t I know it.” Her mother paused, giving her a concerned look. “You’re very pale. Let me get you some juice or some tea.”
“Tea would be nice. Something soothing.”
“I have chamomile.”
“That sounds good.” As she said the words, she could almost hear Noelle’s voice in her head, saying, Chamomile tea? What are you—an old lady? “Noelle would be laughing at me right now.”
Her mother raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because she thought tea was an old lady’s drink. She always wanted coffee, as strong and as caffeinated as she could get it. Not that she needed more energy. She woke up bouncing off the walls.” Her lips suddenly trembled as emotion welled up in her. “I can’t believe she’s dead, Mom.”
Her mother immediately came to sit next to her, putting her arms around her. “I’m so sorry, Avery. I know how much you loved her.”
“Even when we weren’t talking, I always knew she was out there somewhere, that we’d one day be friends again.”
“It’s good you got back together before all this happened.”
“But it wasn’t enough. We were just getting to know each other again.”
“It’s never enough time, honey.”
She drew in a shaky breath. “Noelle’s mom lives in Florida now. I wonder if she’ll want to bury Noelle there. But Noelle didn’t like Florida. She said the mosquitos were bad. On the other hand, she’d probably want to be by her mom. Although, she does have a boyfriend. Maybe she would want to be with him. I need to talk to both of them. I need to help.”
“Stop,” her mom said firmly. “Breathe. You can talk to everyone tomorrow. I doubt anyone will be making decisions before then.”
“I shouldn’t have let her go into the funhouse alone.”
“This isn’t your fault, Avery.”
“It feels like it.” She paused, not wanting to talk anymore. “Thanks for being here, Mom, but I’m going to lie down.”
“Are you sure you want to be alone?”
“Yes.” She pulled out of her mother’s embrace and slowly got to her feet, which seemed to take a lot more effort than it normally did.
“We’ll talk about everything tomorrow, Avery. If you need help planning some kind of memorial for Noelle, you know you can count on me.”
“You’re leaving for Hawaii on Sunday.”
“I’ll change my plans.”
“I don’t want you to do that.”
“I’m not going to leave you like this.”
“There’s nothing you can do to make this easier; I’m just going to have to breathe through it. A wise woman told me that once after my father left.”
Her mother gave her an emotional smile. “Sometimes that is all you can do.”
“But I might need to do more than breathe.”
Her mom’s gaze narrowed. “Like what?”
“Like try to find out who killed Noelle.”
“The police will do that. You need to stay out of this, Avery. Because whoever did kill Noelle is still out there somewhere, and you don’t want to be the person who knows too much. In fact, I wonder if the police shouldn’t have someone watching you.”
“I’m not in danger. I don’t think whoever killed Noelle even saw me in the funhouse.”
“But you don’t know for sure.”
She thought about that—the terrifying chills suddenly coming back, but she didn’t want to alarm her mother. “I don’t think I’m in danger. And I’m not sure Noelle’s death was random. She was acting cagey. Something was off.”
“Something you don’t need to know anything more about. Why don’t you come to Hawaii with me and Don?”
“Don would love that,” she said dryly.
“He’d understand. We can get you your own room.”
“I’m going to be fine. Just keep your plans.”
“Only if you promise to stay out of Noelle’s business.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start digging even if I wanted to,” she said, offering her very concerned mother an answer that would pacify her. “I really don’t want you to worry.”
“That’s my job, Avery.”
“Not anymore. I’m an adult. I’ll get through this.”
“I know you will, but I still want you to be safe.”
“Me, too.” As she said good night to her mother and walked down the hall to her room, she wondered if what she’d told her mother was true—that she didn’t know where to start digging into Noelle’s life. Noelle had said something about her apartment right before she took her last breath.
Was there a clue there?
If there was, the police would probably find it, wouldn’t they?
* * *
That question ran around and around in Avery’s head as she tossed and turned all night, haunted by Noelle’s face, her eyes, her last gasping breaths.
If only she’d found her a minute sooner. If only she hadn’t let Noelle go into the funhouse alone. If only she’d made Noelle tell her more about what was going on in her life.
So many if-only’s made sleep impossible.
It also didn’t help that she was in her childhood bedroom. It was in this room where she and Noelle had had slumber parties, painted their nails, texted boys, gossiped about their friends, and told each other secrets in the dark of the night.
But there was no one talking now.
Noelle’s voice had been silenced.
It still seemed impossible to believe that someone had murdered her in the funhouse.
Was it random?
The police had questioned her regarding the relationship between Carter and Noelle, asking her if he was the kind of man who might hurt his girlfriend. She hadn’t been able to answer the question.
Noelle had told her with her dying breath that she had trusted the wrong person, but who was that? Was it Carter or someone else? And what was at Noelle’s apartment that she wanted Avery to get?
Throwing off the covers, she opened her eyes, relieved to see the dawn light peeking through the blinds.
Thank God it was morning. She’d never been so happy to see the sun come up. She took a quick shower, wishing she didn’t have to put on the same clothes, but she no longer kept anything to wear at her mom’s house. Then she went into the kitchen to find a pot of coffee ready for her as well as a note from her mom.
Early pre-Hawaii hair appointment. Eggs and bacon are in the oven. Eat something!
She smiled at her mom’s thoughtfulness. She might be thirty years old, but when she was in her mom’s house, her mother still continued to take care of her.
She poured herself a mug of coffee, retrieved the breakfast plate from the oven, and found herself surprisingly hungry.
Over breakfast, she pulled out her phone and forced herself to check the news. It wasn’t easy to read about Noelle’s death, especially since it was told in a dispassionate way, mentioning only Noelle’s name, her age, her city of residence, and her employer. There was no description of the vibrant, beautiful, outgoing person, who should have had a much longer life.
To think of everything that Noelle would never have—a wedding, a husband, a child, grandchildren—it broke her heart and her eyes swelled with tears.
She put the phone down, sadness being replaced with anger. Whoever had killed Noelle needed to be brought to justice. She’d asked the police to keep her in the loop, but she wasn’t sure they would. She wasn’t even sure they had taken her off the person-of-interest list.
She couldn’t blame them. She’d gone to the pier with Noelle, she’d conveniently stayed outside the funhouse during the murder, but then, somehow, she’d been the one to find her. It had sounded a bit odd even to her ears.
Picking up her phone again, she made the call she was dreading the most. She called Noelle’s mom, Kari Price. She’d had Noelle’s mom’s phone number in her phone since she was sixteen years old. Both their moms had wanted their girls to have their phone numbers, just in case.
The phone rang several times before Kari’s voicemail picked up the call. She sounded perky and happy. This had definitely been recorded before she’d received the worst news of her life.
“It’s me, Avery,” she said, her hand tightening around her phone. “I’m so, so sorry. I think you know how much I loved Noelle. I want to help you with whatever you need. Please call me back when you get a chance.” She let out a breath as she ended the message. In some ways, she was relieved she hadn’t connected with Noelle’s mom. Her feelings were still so raw.
Getting up, she rinsed off her plate and put it in the dishwasher. As she debated her next move, she realized she didn’t have her car. She’d gotten a ride to the pier, thinking that with Noelle there would be wine involved at some point. She didn’t want to hang around here all day, so after leaving a short note for her mom, she called a rideshare company, then went out front to wait.
A few minutes later, she was on her way home. But halfway there, the restlessness running around inside her made her ask the driver to change her destination.
She needed to go to Noelle’s apartment. It was the last thing Noelle had asked her to do. Avery needed to figure out why.