Chapter 14

“REVA SHOULD DIE NEXT”

“Y ou’re dead, Reva!” a high-pitched voice cried out. “You’re dead meat!”

Reva stumbled and fell to her knees on the hard marble floor.

“I’ve got you now!” the voice cried. “You’re dead, you’re dead, you’re dead!”

“Huh?” Reva spun around.

Her little brother stood over her, a savage grin on his face. His ice blue eyes widened in anticipation as he raised the knife again.

“Michael, no!” Reva scrambled to her feet. “What are you doing?”

“Killing you!” Michael yelled. He raised the knife higher, then plunged it toward Reva’s chest.

Gasping, Reva threw up her arm to block it.

The blade slammed into her forearm.

And collapsed into the handle of the knife.

A retractable knife! Reva realized. A toy!

Furious, she grabbed Michael’s hand and wrenched the knife loose.

“Ow! You twisted my finger!” he wailed.

“Serves you right!” Reva snapped. “What do you think you’re doing? You scared me to death!”

“Good!” He grinned again. “That’s what the Evil Avenger is supposed to do!”

“Listen, Michael, I’m totally upset and exhausted!” Reva said. “I’m definitely not in the mood for your stupid games!”

“It’s not a game!” he protested. “The Evil Avenger never plays games!”

As Reva scowled at him, footsteps sounded behind her. She jumped and spun around.

The droopy-haired maid stood in the living room doorway.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Reva snapped.

“Sorry, Miss,” the maid muttered. “I came to tell you that you have visitors. They’re waiting for you in the living room.”

“No kidding.” Reva rolled her eyes. Daddy absolutely had to get rid of this one! “Next time I’m not here, don’t let anyone come in and wait for me.”

“Sorry.” The maid blew a strand of hair away from her face. “Shall I tell them you’re here now?”

“Not yet,” Reva said impatiently. “First, I’m going up to my room. I’ll be back down when I’m good and ready.”

As Reva turned away, Michael dove after her. Laughing wickedly, he snatched the fake knife from her hand and raced up the stairs.

Reva stared after him. Talk about a disturbed kid! No wonder Daddy is worried. Ever since my kidnapping, all Michael does is act out these violent fantasies.

I’m glad that’s all they are—fantasies!

• • •

Pam sat in one of the big wing-chairs near the fireplace in the living room. “I wish Reva would hurry up,” she declared.

Willow snorted. “I have the feeling she’s going to take her sweet time about coming down to see us.”

“The maid said she looked upset,” Pam reminded her. “I don’t blame her. I mean, she’s the one who found Traci.” She shivered. “Not even Reva could stay cool after finding a strangled girl with a pole jammed through her back. Maybe she’s lying down for a few minutes.”

“A few long minutes,” Willow complained, glancing at the clock on the mantel. “Look, what happened to Traci is awful. But it’s not like she was Reva’s best friend or anything. Right?”

“Hardly,” Pam said. “They couldn’t stand each other. I think Uncle Robert forced Reva to hire Traci to model the scarves.”

“To model our scarves, you mean.” Willow paced back and forth in front of the windows. “Come on, Pam. Reva might be upset. But that’s not why she’s hanging out in her room right now.”

“You’re probably right,” Pam agreed, sighing. “She likes to keep people waiting. Especially me—her own cousin!”

“We’ll just outwait her, that’s all.” Willow continued to pace, her face hard and determined. “We have to get her to make that business deal with us.”

“I know.” Pam felt annoyed with herself. They should never have let Reva get her hands on those scarves until they had some kind of contract. “I feel like such a jerk. I mean, I know Reva! She uses everybody, and now she’s using us.”

Willow laughed harshly. “Not for much longer. You can count on that.”

Pam stared at her. Dressed in black, pacing back and forth, Willow reminded her of a panther on the prowl. “What do you mean?” she asked. “If she doesn’t make a deal with us, do you think we should take the scarves back or something?”

“Maybe,” Willow muttered. “Or maybe—” She broke off as Reva entered the living room.

Pam jumped up from the chair. “Reva, hi. How are you?”

“Oh...” Reva sighed and shook her head. “Still kind of in shock, I guess. I really need to rest.”

“It’s terrible about Traci,” Pam agreed. She cleared her throat. “Listen, Willow and I know this is a bad time. But we have to work out a business arrangement with you. We need some sort of contract.”

“Are you crazy?” Reva’s blue eyes blazed. “There was a murder! I’ve been through a total nightmare! I found the body, remember?”

“Like you’re really going to let anybody forget,” Willow muttered.

Reva frowned at her, then turned back to Pam. “I can’t believe you two actually came here to talk business when one of my models is dead!”

“You don’t have to shout,” Pam told her. “I feel awful about Traci. But we still have to think about the show.”

“The show?” Reva asked sarcastically. “You can probably forget the show. The murder happened in the middle of Dalby’s, in case you’ve forgotten. Daddy is probably going to cancel the whole thing!”

“Oh, no!” Pam felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Cancel the show? After all the work they had done? “Reva, do you really think he’ll—”

Before Pam could finish, Robert Dalby strode into the room. He nodded a greeting to Pam and Willow, then held his arms out to Reva. “Honey, are you all right?”

“Daddy!” Reva cried, rushing over to him. “I’m so glad you’re here! I’m so upset about Traci!”

“It’s terrible—terrible!” Mr. Dalby agreed, hugging her. “I was so worried about you when I heard the news!”

“I’m fine,” Reva assured him. “I mean, it was awful and everything, but I’m okay.”

“Thank goodness.” Mr. Dalby gave her another hug.

“Daddy, what about my fashion show?” Reva asked. “Are you going to cancel it?”

Robert Dalby frowned. “No,” he said thoughtfully. “I don’t see any real reason to.”

Pam exchanged a glance with Willow. Willow tilted her head toward Uncle Robert and mouthed the words, Tell him now.

Pam nodded. “That’s really great, Uncle Robert,” she said. “Now Willow and I can go ahead and work out our business agreement with Reva.”

Her uncle stared at her in surprise. “Why, Pam, are you involved in Reva’s scarf show, too?”

• • •

Reva’s scarf show! Pam gritted her teeth and took a deep breath as she and Willow drove away from the Dalby mansion a few minutes later.

Uncle Robert still didn’t have a clue that she and Willow had designed the scarves. Just as Pam had started to tell him the truth, the maid interrupted. He had an urgent call from New York. Uncle Robert rushed upstairs to take it.

And Reva—still pretending to be freaked out over Traci—told them she had to lie down. “We’ll talk business some other time,” she promised.

Sure, Pam thought.

Some other lifetime.

“Can you believe it?” she asked, glancing at Willow. “Reva didn’t even tell Uncle Robert that we’re making all the scarves. She’s taking credit for everything!”

“I can believe it.” Willow gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Reva should die next,” she declared in a harsh, angry voice. “She really should.”

“Willow!” Pam cried, shocked. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t ever talk like that again. I mean it!”

Willow’s lips curved in a grim smile, and her eyes flashed with a cruel anger.

A chill ran up Pam’s spine as she gazed at her friend’s expression.

I haven’t known her that long, Pam thought. She’s tough, I know that much. Very tough.

But she isn’t really capable of murder.

Is she?

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20