Read Online Beautiful Dead 02 - Arizona by Eden Maguire - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eden Maguire
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Brandon's friend Kyle Keppler.
Kyle was so not Arizona's type - the thought hit home a second time, even more clearly than before. The car technician stood with his feet wide apart, big jawed, dirty, suspicious. Maybe the scrubs up, I told myself. 'Sure. I'm meeting my friend here,' I said to him.
Kyle tilted his head to one side, clearly scoring my tight jeans and T-
shirt and coming up with a possible nine out of ten not quite ful marks because I had no cleavage on show. 'And his name would be?' he asked.
'Logan Lavel e.' I said the first name that came into my head. Why
was Arizona's dusty SUV stil in the workshop? 'We met before,' I reminded Kyle. You were with Brandon Rohr.'
He nodded - one quick jerk of the head. 'There's no Logan Lavel e
here.'
'He didn't bring in his car for repair?' Take a look.'
'OK, I made a mistake. Sorry. What's with Arizona's car? Didn't her folks want it back?' I jumped in with both feet, because why not?
Kyle frowned. 'I said, Logan's not here.'
'I hear you. I just saw the SUV it kind of shocked me. Sorry again.'
Maybe I got through to him, or maybe he was stil admiring my skinny jeans.
'No problem. Actual y, Frank Taylor was happy to sel the car to my boss after Arizona ... you know ... passed. It needed some work.'
'Which is why she brought it here in the first place, I guess. Hey, it makes sense - you and she were an item. You work here. She'd bring it here for repair, why not?' But then she'd told me she didn't even know the name of the place, and that was clearly a lie.
Kyle's mood changed and he walked slowly and menacingly towards me. 'Did anyone tel you, your mouth could lead you into trouble?'
I backed towards the open door. 'It was only what Brandon told me. 56
You and Arizona-'
'Brandon's ful of crap,' Kyle muttered. 'What he said it was B. S.'
Tammy Wynette was pouring her heart out on the radio. Stand by your man, or don't stand by him I don't remember which.
I was confused and beginning to feel I'd stepped into a grimy paral el universe. 'You and Arizona, you weren't ... ?'
Kyle took a long, last look at me. 'What do you think?' he said,
slamming the workshop door behind me.
'I didn't have you down as a quitter, Darina.' My music teacher, Katie Jones, gave me a hard stare. I stood in the middle of a bunch of students who made up the music group. It included the usual suspects - Jordan, Hannah, Lucas and Logan. Around twelve of us had got together in early fal and planned a Christmas concert in memory of Summer Madison, El erton High's rising singing star. We missed Summer and her beautiful songs, and this would be our special way of respecting her.
'I don't have time to rehearse,' I explained. Or the focus or the desire.
'Her mind is on other things,' Logan muttered to Hannah. 'She's on her own secret mission.'
'To do what?' Scenting gossip, Hannah pricked up her ears.
'She's poking around Arizona's death. Darina's finger is on the selfdestruct button, you watch.'
I blocked them out and tried to focus on my disappointed professor.
'So who do we get to replace you this late in the semester? It's real y not fair of you to back out now.'
I sighed. 'You'l soon find someone who plays guitar better than me.'
'That sure won't be difficult,' Jordan murmured to Lucas.
And these are my so-cal ed friends. On the other hand, I was dumping them big time, so I total y got where their negative reactions were coming from.
Slowly Miss Jones walked me towards the door of the music studio. 'I had you down as a fighter, not a quitter,' she said quietly. 'Are you sure
you're OK?'
As OK as anyone else around here,' I mumbled, glancing over my
shoulder to see Logan deep in gossip with my on-off buddy, Hannah 57
Stoltmann.
Was I right to quit the concert? I went home and brooded.
This was already Friday, and since my visit to Mike's Motors had misfired, I was way down in the depths of despair. I can't hack this Arizona stuff: ran through my head like a funeral
Kyle was so not Arizona's type - the thought hit home a second time, even more clearly than before. The car technician stood with his feet wide apart, big jawed, dirty, suspicious. Maybe the scrubs up, I told myself. 'Sure. I'm meeting my friend here,' I said to him.
Kyle tilted his head to one side, clearly scoring my tight jeans and T-
shirt and coming up with a possible nine out of ten not quite ful marks because I had no cleavage on show. 'And his name would be?' he asked.
'Logan Lavel e.' I said the first name that came into my head. Why
was Arizona's dusty SUV stil in the workshop? 'We met before,' I reminded Kyle. You were with Brandon Rohr.'
He nodded - one quick jerk of the head. 'There's no Logan Lavel e
here.'
'He didn't bring in his car for repair?' Take a look.'
'OK, I made a mistake. Sorry. What's with Arizona's car? Didn't her folks want it back?' I jumped in with both feet, because why not?
Kyle frowned. 'I said, Logan's not here.'
'I hear you. I just saw the SUV it kind of shocked me. Sorry again.'
Maybe I got through to him, or maybe he was stil admiring my skinny jeans.
'No problem. Actual y, Frank Taylor was happy to sel the car to my boss after Arizona ... you know ... passed. It needed some work.'
'Which is why she brought it here in the first place, I guess. Hey, it makes sense - you and she were an item. You work here. She'd bring it here for repair, why not?' But then she'd told me she didn't even know the name of the place, and that was clearly a lie.
Kyle's mood changed and he walked slowly and menacingly towards me. 'Did anyone tel you, your mouth could lead you into trouble?'
I backed towards the open door. 'It was only what Brandon told me. 56
You and Arizona-'
'Brandon's ful of crap,' Kyle muttered. 'What he said it was B. S.'
Tammy Wynette was pouring her heart out on the radio. Stand by your man, or don't stand by him I don't remember which.
I was confused and beginning to feel I'd stepped into a grimy paral el universe. 'You and Arizona, you weren't ... ?'
Kyle took a long, last look at me. 'What do you think?' he said,
slamming the workshop door behind me.
'I didn't have you down as a quitter, Darina.' My music teacher, Katie Jones, gave me a hard stare. I stood in the middle of a bunch of students who made up the music group. It included the usual suspects - Jordan, Hannah, Lucas and Logan. Around twelve of us had got together in early fal and planned a Christmas concert in memory of Summer Madison, El erton High's rising singing star. We missed Summer and her beautiful songs, and this would be our special way of respecting her.
'I don't have time to rehearse,' I explained. Or the focus or the desire.
'Her mind is on other things,' Logan muttered to Hannah. 'She's on her own secret mission.'
'To do what?' Scenting gossip, Hannah pricked up her ears.
'She's poking around Arizona's death. Darina's finger is on the selfdestruct button, you watch.'
I blocked them out and tried to focus on my disappointed professor.
'So who do we get to replace you this late in the semester? It's real y not fair of you to back out now.'
I sighed. 'You'l soon find someone who plays guitar better than me.'
'That sure won't be difficult,' Jordan murmured to Lucas.
And these are my so-cal ed friends. On the other hand, I was dumping them big time, so I total y got where their negative reactions were coming from.
Slowly Miss Jones walked me towards the door of the music studio. 'I had you down as a fighter, not a quitter,' she said quietly. 'Are you sure
you're OK?'
As OK as anyone else around here,' I mumbled, glancing over my
shoulder to see Logan deep in gossip with my on-off buddy, Hannah 57
Stoltmann.
Was I right to quit the concert? I went home and brooded.
This was already Friday, and since my visit to Mike's Motors had misfired, I was way down in the depths of despair. I can't hack this Arizona stuff: ran through my head like a funeral
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