Read Online The Best Man to Trust by Kerry Connor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kerry Connor
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just how much worse this kept getting.
The killer wasn’t just careful and methodical. He—or she—was prepared. And if this was what happened on the first night, there was no telling what the killer had planned for the next few days.
She struggled to think of something, anything that might indicate who could have done this. “Do you think it’s a man?” she asked numbly. “It would have taken some strength to move the body, right?” Neither Rachel or Jessica was particularly big. She couldn’t see either of them having much in the way of arm strength.
Ellen, on the other hand...
Meredith tried to shut down the thought before it could form, not wanting to go there, even as a little voice deep inside whispered that she was going to have to at least consider the possibility.
All eyes went to the woman on the floor. “Not necessarily,” Rick said after a moment. “She’s not very big. It wouldn’t have taken much to move her. All the killer would’ve had to do is grab her under her shoulders and drag her out here.”
Meredith slowly raised her eyes to look at him, unable to resist the impulse. Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed Tom do the same.
Rick held up his hands, no doubt picking up on what they were so obviously wondering. “I’m just guessing here. I know about moving stuff. I’m saying that’s how I would do it, not that I did.”
“Nobody thinks you did, Rick,” Meredith said automatically, shaking off her momentary doubts and doing her best not to glance at Tom. “So it could have been anyone.” Even Rachel or—
Another thought occurred to her. “I didn’t see any blood on Jessica, did you?” Meredith asked Tom.
Tom was silent for a moment. Whether it was because he was thinking about it or because he didn’t like having to consider Jessica as a suspect, Meredith couldn’t tell. “No, but there’s always the possibility she quickly changed, then came back into the hall and started screaming to make it look like she’d just discovered the body.”
Her screams had seemed genuine, Meredith thought, the memory of them enough to send her skin crawling again. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything. “She is an actress, isn’t she?”
Tom met her eyes with clear reluctance. “Yes.”
“She was awful quick to start throwing accusations around,” Rick said.
Meredith couldn’t argue with him about that. He was right, and he hadn’t even been there when Haley’s body had been found and Jessica had first started accusing people. “I don’t know her well enough to know if that’s suspicious or typical of her personality.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say, either,” Tom said. “Like Haley, I hadn’t seen her in years before today. I admit she’s a lot more unpleasant than I remember, but I don’t know how much of that is just an indication of how much she’s changed over the years.”
Meredith swallowed. She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.
Tom cleared his throat. “I guess we should finish what we came here to do. The others are going to be wondering what’s taking us so long.”
He was right. She surveyed Haley one more time, considering how to proceed. “There’s an empty room down the hall,” she said finally. “We can put her in there.”
“Sounds good,” Tom agreed.
Retrieving a sheet from a nearby closet, Meredith spread it out on the floor. Working together, Tom and Rick placed the body on the sheet and gently wrapped it. Meredith moved ahead to open the door to the room, stepping out of the way to let them carry the body inside. They quickly did so, wasting no time stepping back out once the task was done. As soon as they were back in the hallway, Meredith locked the door.
When they were finally done with the grim task, no one seemed to be much in the mood to talk. They made their way back to the living room in silence.
Everyone gathered in the room looked up at their entrance. No one said anything, but the question was
The killer wasn’t just careful and methodical. He—or she—was prepared. And if this was what happened on the first night, there was no telling what the killer had planned for the next few days.
She struggled to think of something, anything that might indicate who could have done this. “Do you think it’s a man?” she asked numbly. “It would have taken some strength to move the body, right?” Neither Rachel or Jessica was particularly big. She couldn’t see either of them having much in the way of arm strength.
Ellen, on the other hand...
Meredith tried to shut down the thought before it could form, not wanting to go there, even as a little voice deep inside whispered that she was going to have to at least consider the possibility.
All eyes went to the woman on the floor. “Not necessarily,” Rick said after a moment. “She’s not very big. It wouldn’t have taken much to move her. All the killer would’ve had to do is grab her under her shoulders and drag her out here.”
Meredith slowly raised her eyes to look at him, unable to resist the impulse. Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed Tom do the same.
Rick held up his hands, no doubt picking up on what they were so obviously wondering. “I’m just guessing here. I know about moving stuff. I’m saying that’s how I would do it, not that I did.”
“Nobody thinks you did, Rick,” Meredith said automatically, shaking off her momentary doubts and doing her best not to glance at Tom. “So it could have been anyone.” Even Rachel or—
Another thought occurred to her. “I didn’t see any blood on Jessica, did you?” Meredith asked Tom.
Tom was silent for a moment. Whether it was because he was thinking about it or because he didn’t like having to consider Jessica as a suspect, Meredith couldn’t tell. “No, but there’s always the possibility she quickly changed, then came back into the hall and started screaming to make it look like she’d just discovered the body.”
Her screams had seemed genuine, Meredith thought, the memory of them enough to send her skin crawling again. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything. “She is an actress, isn’t she?”
Tom met her eyes with clear reluctance. “Yes.”
“She was awful quick to start throwing accusations around,” Rick said.
Meredith couldn’t argue with him about that. He was right, and he hadn’t even been there when Haley’s body had been found and Jessica had first started accusing people. “I don’t know her well enough to know if that’s suspicious or typical of her personality.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say, either,” Tom said. “Like Haley, I hadn’t seen her in years before today. I admit she’s a lot more unpleasant than I remember, but I don’t know how much of that is just an indication of how much she’s changed over the years.”
Meredith swallowed. She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.
Tom cleared his throat. “I guess we should finish what we came here to do. The others are going to be wondering what’s taking us so long.”
He was right. She surveyed Haley one more time, considering how to proceed. “There’s an empty room down the hall,” she said finally. “We can put her in there.”
“Sounds good,” Tom agreed.
Retrieving a sheet from a nearby closet, Meredith spread it out on the floor. Working together, Tom and Rick placed the body on the sheet and gently wrapped it. Meredith moved ahead to open the door to the room, stepping out of the way to let them carry the body inside. They quickly did so, wasting no time stepping back out once the task was done. As soon as they were back in the hallway, Meredith locked the door.
When they were finally done with the grim task, no one seemed to be much in the mood to talk. They made their way back to the living room in silence.
Everyone gathered in the room looked up at their entrance. No one said anything, but the question was
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