Minneapolis
Instead of going home from Dan’s, Sofia called Cecile.
“If Jason asks, you and I are driving to the casino. We are staying the night there at the hotel and gambling and drinking and having a good time.”
Cecile didn’t skip a beat. “Sure. Of course. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
Sofia exhaled with relief.
“Thank you.”
“Sofia? It’s none of my business and you know I’m good to cover your ass, but do you need my help? You know I will be there for you. No matter what.”
“I know,” Sofia said. “Right now, this is what I need. I’ll tell you more later.”
“Okay.” Cecile said right before Sofia hung up.
Until she knew for sure the neighbor did it, Sofia needed to eliminate other possible suspects. She texted Jason and told him she’d call him later tonight from the casino.
Within thirty minutes, she was in the department store bathroom stall changing into her new purchases: black leather pants, ankle boots, and a tight black tee-shirt that said Nirvana.
She applied the new burgundy lipstick and lined her dark eyes thickly with kohl before she stuffed her faded mom jeans and polo shirt in her shopping bags and headed toward the car.
She had a few more stops to make.
Outside Lucky’s she paused, steeling herself to go in. As she did, a couple about her age, came out. Stepping inside, she saw other patrons who looked older than college age and this reassured her. She didn’t want to be too obvious.
Flashing the bartender a smile, she slid into her seat and ordered a rum and Coke on the rocks. A rowdy group of college guys had taken over a corner table within her eyesight. Surreptitiously she eyed them to see if any of them looked familiar. She caught her breath. There he was. Jake Walker. His hair was longer than the pictures on his Facebook profile and he had a five o’clock shadow, but it was him. She recognized the strong jawline and thick eyebrows over his crystal blue eyes.
She scowled, remembering the way his arm wrapped around her daughter, in a possessive manner. Sofia examined him. He looked like a dick in person, too. A predatory animal, just like she suspected. Sofia’s resolve hardened. She would do whatever it took to find out who killed Kate. Sofia stared until he looked up. Then she smiled and looked away. After another round of this, his friends were nudging him. A few seconds later he was at her elbow.
“What are you drinking?” His voice wavered a bit and she saw him swallow.
In a split second, she discarded her previous plan to play hard to get. He was easy prey.
She turned her smile on him and tried to act shy. “Rum and Coke.” She kept her voice low, so he had to lean in to hear.
He cleared his throat and gestured for the bartender. “Two rum and Cokes here.” He tried to sound commanding, she could tell, but his voice betrayed him. He was nervous.
After the bartender brought their drinks, she turned to him and lifted her glass demurely. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He slid onto the bar stool and downed his drink, signaling for another. “Keep ’em coming, buddy.”
He turned to her. “That guy sucks. I mean, he didn’t even ask if we wanted more. I swear this place has the worst service ever. Dude is totally not getting a tip from me.”
She swallowed her retort and smiled, even though it felt like a sneer.
“I haven’t seen you here before?” He tilted his head.
“I’m from Chicago. I just got in from the airport. I have a meeting on campus in the morning, but couldn’t sleep and wanted a drink.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“I’m staying over at the inn across the street.” She gestured behind them. “I was feeling a little lonely.”
He couldn’t help it, it seemed: He bit the corner of his lip slightly and tried to hide a small grin, relaxing into his seat, and downing his second rum and Coke.
Hook. Line. Sinker.
If only he would go to the bathroom or leave his drink for a second.
“Would you mind doing me a favor?”
“Sure,” he said, but seemed annoyed.
“Can you go check if there is a silver car outside? It’s this weird ex-boyfriend. I doubt he’s here but just in case he heard I was in town and followed me from the airport.”
Puffing up his chest, he stood and walked to the window. Immediately Sofia realized it wouldn’t give her enough time. She took her hand out of her purse and put the vial in the pocket of her jacket.
Besides there were too many eyes here.
“What’s your name?” he said, throwing his shoulder’s back. The alcohol had filled him with confidence.
“Kate.” She watched him carefully between her lowered eyelashes.
For a split second, his forehead crinkled and then he shook his head.
“And yours?”
“Sorry.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Jake.”
She took his hand. He didn’t let hers go, rubbing her palm with his middle finger.
What the fuck? Was that supposed to turn her on? She fought her impulse to yank her hand away.
“Do you come here often?” She nodded toward the table where his friends were. “It seems like you know a lot of people.”
He puffed up a little and ordered another drink. “Yeah. Those are my boys. We come here every once in a while. The food’s good.”
“Are you in school at the U?”
“Yep. Senior. Hospitality.”
“Hospitality?” Sofia scrunched her face. Oh, his major.
“Cool.” She leaned over and took another sip of her drink through the tiny straw. The two other drinks he’d ordered for her sat neglected.
He pointed at them. “Drink up. Those things are expensive.”
Dumb and charming.
She downed the first drink and then the second two he’d ordered for her. She was feeling woozy, but pretended that the alcohol had hit her hard. She clutched his arm. “I’m sooo buzzed. Good thing I only have to walk across the street. Although that’s starting to seem like a long way away right now …” she purposely slurred her words.
His friends came by. “Dude, we’re hitting the CC Club. You in?”
He made a face and jutted his chin at Sofia. “What do you think?”
The guy looked over at Sofia and smirked. “Right on. Catch you later, Romeo.”
Sofia pretended not to hear. “I think I need to go lie down. I’m feeling really drunk.”
He was off his stool in a second, helping her down.
She grabbed her purse. “Just give me a second.” She headed toward the bathroom before he could respond.
Locking the door, she blasted the cold and hot water taps and extracted a small bottle of ipecac syrup. She swallowed a few tablespoons and yanked her hair back into a ponytail. Within five minutes, she’d vomited not only her three drinks, but the bagel she’d had at the mall for dinner. She heard a knock.
“Just a minute.”
Quickly, she fixed her makeup, brushed her teeth and applied lipstick, taking her hair down and practicing her smile.
When she opened the door, Jake wasn’t there.
Shit.
Then she saw him a few tables down talking to a cute brunette who didn’t look old enough to drink. Obviously, Kate and Lily weren’t the only ones who got away with fake IDs in this bar. When Jake saw her, he winked, leaned down and kissed the girl near her mouth and took his time making his way over to her.
“Sorry, that was my sister’s friend.”
“Can you walk me across the street? I’m a little worried about that ex I was telling you about,” Sofia said, purposely slurring her words.
He touched her elbow and directed her to the door.
Outside, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders the same way he’d done in that picture with Kate.
The cold night air hit Sofia’s face and suddenly she was stone cold sober. His arm around her neck hurt. For a split second, she wondered if she’d made a mistake. He wasn’t much bigger than her, but the weight of his arm made her realize he could overpower her pretty easily. She’d have to play this right.
As soon as she thought this, she was shoved up against the brick wall of the building so hard her head hit and bounced off, making her see white for a few seconds. Jake had pressed his body up against hers, kissing her hard. His tongue thrust into her mouth and she tried to turn her head.
Just when she was about to knee him in the groin, he pulled away.
“Let’s go to your room. I’m getting stage fright.” He gestured to his groin and grabbed her arm, dragging her across the street to the side door of the inn.
At the door to the inn, he paused. “Where’s your keycard? You know, your room key?”
She remained silent trying to stall. He yanked her arm again. “Where is it?”
Grabbing her bag, he dumped its contents on the sidewalk and began nudging them with his foot, keeping one hand on her arm as he looked down.
“What the fuck are these?” He nudged the handcuffs with his toe.
He looked at her with narrowed eyes? “Are you a cop?”
She didn’t respond. His fingers pressed down hard into her wrist. “Are you?”
She cocked her head. “Why? Have you done something wrong? Something a cop might want to know about?”
There was no mistaking the guilt that flashed across his face. “No.”
He leaned down and scooped the handcuffs up. They were lined in pink fur. He laughed. “You aren’t a cop, are you?”
She smiled.
“This is a sex thing, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Now if you’re a good boy, I’ll explain it all to you inside.”
He stood. She kneeled and gathered up her things, shoving them in her bag. Relieved she’d put the vial in her pocket earlier. That was too close.
Once they were inside the room, he threw her on the bed.
She playfully pushed him off. “Hold on. I need a drink.”
“Those things are expensive. The inn charges like ten bucks for those tiny bottles.”
“It’s on me, sailor.”
“Right on!” He headed toward the mini bar. She put her hand on his arm.
“I used to tend bar. I’ll handle it. Besides, I want to take a shower, freshen up. Will you go start the water while I mix our drinks?”
He looked confused.
She pulled him by the hands. “Over there. Go get the bathroom steamy for us. I’ve got plans.”
He stood and stumbled toward the door as she unwrapped two plastic covered water glasses for their drinks.
Quickly, she dumped a big slug of Rohypnol into his drink. It seemed like too much. She swirled the liquid with her finger. She smelled the drink. It seemed normal. But shit, she had dumped so much in. More than she had intended. She didn’t want to kill him—at least not yet—but she also needed it to work right away. Otherwise, she’d end up raped.
Stripping off her clothes, she slipped into the bathroom with both drinks.
His eyes bulged out when he saw her in the red bra and panties she’d picked up at the mall.
He grabbed at her boob, but she dodged his reach and stuck the drink in his hand. “This is the good stuff. Have a drink. Let’s loosen up a little. We have all night, sailor. Try this and tell me what you think.”
She was hoping to appeal to his snobbish side. It worked. He downed it. Perfect.
“Yeah, this is way better than that swill at the bar,” he said.
She grabbed his hand and led him to the bed. He stumbled as he walked, cracking his knee against a dresser.
“God damn. I thought … the shower?” he said. She put a palm to his chest and pushed and he fell back on the bed, laughing. “Okay. Okay. I get it.”
She straddled him putting her mouth on his. She fought back a gag reflex. He repulsed her. His breath. His mouth. His smell. Every cell of his being.
But he was a means to an end.
The room was filling with warm steam.
“Let me go turn off the shower. It’s getting hard to see your handsome face,” she said, trying to get away, but he had her pinned.
“You’re not going anywhere baby. I like how steamy it’s getting in here.”
Hang in there, Kennedy. His kisses were getting slower and sloppier as if the drug was starting to work. It had better. After a few horrific minutes of him groping and probing her with his fat fingers, he passed out. Thank fucking God.
She found the tote bag she’d hidden under the bed earlier when she’d checked in. She took out the lengths of rope and tied him securely to the legs of the bed so he was spread eagled. She placed the wrench on the nightstand and headed toward the bathroom.
The mirror was too steamed up for her to see her own reflection and she was glad. She was disgusted. She used the entire mini bottle of mouthwash on the counter, swishing it in her mouth over and over and spitting it out, trying to rid herself of his taste.
Her hands were shaking.
Steeling herself, she got dressed, pulled up a chair near the bed and waited in the dark.
When the green numerals on the clock struck midnight, Sofia closed her eyes and said a small prayer. When she was done, she walked over to the minibar, poured three of the bottles of alcohol into one large cup and raised it in the dark.
“Happy birthday, dear Kate.” She downed the contents of the cup in one gulp and then leaned back.
The first light of dawn was seeping through the thick drapes by the time he woke.
Sofia took a sip of the coffee she’d made with the in-room coffeemaker. She’d texted Jason earlier saying she was sorry she had to be drunk with Cecile at a casino on Kate’s birthday but that’s how it was.
He’d replied that he understood and was shitfaced himself and going to bed.
Now, she felt a wave of guilt for lying, but it was what it was.
The boy in bed grumbled and tried to move, but his arms and legs were pinned. His eyes popped open in alarm.
“What the fuck?”
“Hey, sailor.”
“What?” he arched his neck and saw he was bound. “This isn’t cool. Let me go.”
Sofia took another sip of coffee. She’d changed into a dress with stiletto heels. She clambered onto the bed above him, her legs straddling his waist, her heels digging into the mattress. “We’re going to have a little talk first.”
Crouching down on his chest, she put all her weight right about where she thought his lungs were and shoved the photo of Kate into his face. “What did you do to her?”
He scrunched his face violently. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He tried to turn his head away, but Sofia grabbed his chin with her fingernails and held it straight. “Look at her. Do you remember her?”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah. I think so. She was that girl who died, right? Her picture’s been in the paper.”
Sofia slapped him so hard his head reeled to one side.
“Her name was Kate. You were friends with her, asshole. Today is her birthday and she’s dead in the ground.”
She held up her phone and showed him the picture of him with his arm around Kate.
Recognition dawned on his face. “Oh, the Pat’s fan. Yeah, I remember her now.”
“Did you hurt her?”
“What?” He genuinely seemed confused. “No. I never even touched her. We never even kissed. I wanted to, believe me. I wanted to get in her pants, but her friend told me she was a prude.”
Sofia swallowed, trying not to show any emotion. “What friend?”
“That one she’s always with. The one with that spot on her face.”
Lily.
He chuckled. “Her friend sure wasn’t a prude.”
Sofia slapped him again. “Shut up. I ask questions. You answer.”
“This is fucking crazy. This is some god damn fucked up mother fucking shit.” His eyes were watering a little from the blow. “Isn’t this like fucking illegal restraint or something?”
“No. You paid me to tie you up, sailor. Remember?”
“What?”
“It’s right here on my phone.” She hopped off him and held out her cell phone. It showed a text from his number to her. It said: “We agree, then? $400 bucks for you to tie me up and slap me around a little? Nothing that will leave a mark. And I need to be done by eight so I can get to class on time.”
“What the fuck, you fucking crazy bitch.”
“I actually usually charge much more than four hundred for what you wanted done, but I saw that was all you had in your wallet, so I agreed,” Sofia flashed the money at him and plopped his empty wallet on his bare chest.
“You bitch.”
He tried to spit at her. It came back down, and landed on his cheek, sliding down his face. She leaned over him, glaring.
“I’m going to ask you one more time: Did you hurt Kate?”
He shook his head.
“No. No fucking way. I never touched her.” She took the wrench and put it between his bare legs, the cold metal against his shrunken penis making him jump. “I swear. I swear I never laid a hand on her.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” She pushed the metal harder. He winced in pain.
“I swear, lady. I swear.”
She moved the wrench. “You’re lucky. When you were unconscious, I found some texts on your phone from the night she was killed. It looks like you were across town. It would’ve been pretty hard for you to make it over here to hurt her. I’m not saying you didn’t, but it would’ve been tough.”
He exhaled loudly. “See, I told you.” He struggled to sit up. “So, are you gonna let me go now?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know.”
“You might not have hurt Kate, but it sounds like you haven’t exactly been a gentleman to other young women you’ve met.” She hit the wrench on her palm where it made a satisfying thud.
He winced and swallowed. The whites of his eyes showed as he looked to the side.
“So, the rumors are true.” She stated it as a fact.
“I’m done with all that. I swear.” He met her eyes.
She watched him, and nodded. “You better be. Next time, if there is a next time, there will be no warning. I’ll come for you and you won’t be walking out of the room when I’m done.”
“I swear. I’m done with all that.”
She leaned over and held his chin up, putting the water glass with bourbon up to his lips. “Drink this.”
At first, he kept his lips shut tight.
She put the wrench back to his groin. “Do it. You’ll be awake by check out time.”
He sipped the alcohol, slowly, neck raised, draining the glass.
She leaned over again, watching his eyes grow heavy, and held out her cell phone in front of him, scrolling through a few photos she had taken in the night.
His eyes grew wide.
“If I hear a word of what happened here tonight … one word, these pictures will be all over every piece of social media real estate in the universe.”
When she heard him snoring, she undid his ties and put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door before she slipped away.