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Authors: Marilyn Levinson
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recess or something, because I
was home from college."
"Anyway, Sonia was dressed in a frilly party dress. Some cheap shiny material with
ruffles. Nothing the girls we dated would be seen dead in. It was dirty and torn. She must have
heard us call to her, but she just sat there, hunched up on the sand, hugging herself and
moaning.
"We got her into the car and Darren was all for going to the police. That's when Sonia
suddenly found her voice. She started screaming and cursing, telling us to take her home. She said
her father was out drinking, and he'd kill her if he found out she'd left the house against his orders,
even if it meant the boys who hurt her didn't get punished."
"That's when you knew she'd been raped?"
Cam was growing transparent. Their conversation would be ending soon.
"She denied it at first. Then the story came tumbling out. She'd met two guys outside the
candy store in town, and was flattered when they flirted with her. They invited her to a party. Said
they'd come and pick her up. Sure they did, only the party turned out to be four of them and poor
Sonia in a van. Real scuzzes from two towns over. We made her promise to go to the doctor."
"But she didn't, did she? And the scum got away with it." Gabbie snorted. "How
typical."
"As far as the police were concerned." Cam grinned. "But let's see... By the time June
rolled around, two of them had smashed noses, one a broken arm, and the other ended up in the nut
house after we scared him half to death." He chuckled. "We snuck into his house one night. Got up as
ghosts, actually."
Gabbie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "Did Sonia find out?"
"Darren and I let her know we took care of the bad guys, but she never said one word.
Not 'good job' or 'thanks, fellas.' After that night she was weirder than ever. At least nobody
bothered her again. If you don't count the beatings her father gave her till he died a year or two
later. A nighttime hit-and-run got him when he was staggering home drunk. No one mourned him,
not Sonia or any of his three sons."
Gabbie shuddered. "Poor Sonia."
"Just another sad CH story. There are plenty of 'em."
Gabbie looked at her watch. "I hate to chase you, Cam, but I've still some work to
do."
"Just one more thing." Cam gnawed at his lower lip. "If you're going to keep on playing
Sherlock Holmes, I'd better tell you about the money."
"What money?"
"The half million dollars arranged in neat piles, that filled the bottom drawer of the desk
you're sitting at. My traveling money, you might call it."
She stared at him. "My God, Cam! Did you usually keep sums that large in the
cottage?"
"Of course not. I'm a great believer in making your money work for you. This was cash
from a deal that suddenly came my way. When I--er came back, it was gone." He chuckled. "Not that
it matters. Like they say, you can't take it with you."
"Did you come back here immediately?"
"Time passed. About a week, I'd say."
"Then how do you know Darren didn't find the money and hand it over to your
brother?"
"I was completely disoriented the afternoon it happened, don't ask me why. I couldn't
have drunk that much, but I remember hearing someone--the murderer--rifling through the
drawerful of money. Next thing I knew he was finishing me off."
Gabbie stared at his fading figure. "Damn you, Cameron Leeds, you might have told me
this up front! Whoever killed you, did it for the money. It's as simple as that."
"Now that's precisely why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd jump to that erroneous
conclusion, right off the bat. Most likely, someone came after me for an entirely different
reason."
"No doubt for being the most infuriating, maddening creature that ever lived!"
She grabbed up her books and papers and flew out of the room. "I won't be back for
days," she shouted from the hall. "Maybe a week. And I'm beginning to think that whoever killed
you did the world a favor!"
CHAPTER NINE
Gabbie spread her schoolbooks and papers on the kitchen
was home from college."
"Anyway, Sonia was dressed in a frilly party dress. Some cheap shiny material with
ruffles. Nothing the girls we dated would be seen dead in. It was dirty and torn. She must have
heard us call to her, but she just sat there, hunched up on the sand, hugging herself and
moaning.
"We got her into the car and Darren was all for going to the police. That's when Sonia
suddenly found her voice. She started screaming and cursing, telling us to take her home. She said
her father was out drinking, and he'd kill her if he found out she'd left the house against his orders,
even if it meant the boys who hurt her didn't get punished."
"That's when you knew she'd been raped?"
Cam was growing transparent. Their conversation would be ending soon.
"She denied it at first. Then the story came tumbling out. She'd met two guys outside the
candy store in town, and was flattered when they flirted with her. They invited her to a party. Said
they'd come and pick her up. Sure they did, only the party turned out to be four of them and poor
Sonia in a van. Real scuzzes from two towns over. We made her promise to go to the doctor."
"But she didn't, did she? And the scum got away with it." Gabbie snorted. "How
typical."
"As far as the police were concerned." Cam grinned. "But let's see... By the time June
rolled around, two of them had smashed noses, one a broken arm, and the other ended up in the nut
house after we scared him half to death." He chuckled. "We snuck into his house one night. Got up as
ghosts, actually."
Gabbie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "Did Sonia find out?"
"Darren and I let her know we took care of the bad guys, but she never said one word.
Not 'good job' or 'thanks, fellas.' After that night she was weirder than ever. At least nobody
bothered her again. If you don't count the beatings her father gave her till he died a year or two
later. A nighttime hit-and-run got him when he was staggering home drunk. No one mourned him,
not Sonia or any of his three sons."
Gabbie shuddered. "Poor Sonia."
"Just another sad CH story. There are plenty of 'em."
Gabbie looked at her watch. "I hate to chase you, Cam, but I've still some work to
do."
"Just one more thing." Cam gnawed at his lower lip. "If you're going to keep on playing
Sherlock Holmes, I'd better tell you about the money."
"What money?"
"The half million dollars arranged in neat piles, that filled the bottom drawer of the desk
you're sitting at. My traveling money, you might call it."
She stared at him. "My God, Cam! Did you usually keep sums that large in the
cottage?"
"Of course not. I'm a great believer in making your money work for you. This was cash
from a deal that suddenly came my way. When I--er came back, it was gone." He chuckled. "Not that
it matters. Like they say, you can't take it with you."
"Did you come back here immediately?"
"Time passed. About a week, I'd say."
"Then how do you know Darren didn't find the money and hand it over to your
brother?"
"I was completely disoriented the afternoon it happened, don't ask me why. I couldn't
have drunk that much, but I remember hearing someone--the murderer--rifling through the
drawerful of money. Next thing I knew he was finishing me off."
Gabbie stared at his fading figure. "Damn you, Cameron Leeds, you might have told me
this up front! Whoever killed you, did it for the money. It's as simple as that."
"Now that's precisely why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd jump to that erroneous
conclusion, right off the bat. Most likely, someone came after me for an entirely different
reason."
"No doubt for being the most infuriating, maddening creature that ever lived!"
She grabbed up her books and papers and flew out of the room. "I won't be back for
days," she shouted from the hall. "Maybe a week. And I'm beginning to think that whoever killed
you did the world a favor!"
CHAPTER NINE
Gabbie spread her schoolbooks and papers on the kitchen
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