Page 43 of Accidental Murder
Pulling out of the parking lot at break-neck speed, she raced to Sausalito.
At the onramp to the Golden Gate Bridge, Ashley’s cell phone rang. Kayla pressed the telephone icon on the steering wheel and answered.
“Miss Macintyre?” a woman said. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m the headmistress from the Jewels of the World Academy.”
“Is something wrong with Veronica?”
“No, dear, however, she has been fixated on you ever since the memorial service. She wants you to assist her with a science project.”
Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. Veronica had accepted Ashley as a replacement. Remarkable. “Which project?”
“Plants, specifically.”
“I could come tomorrow or the day after.”
“Is it at all possible you could see her today?” the headmistress asked, sounding slightly embarrassed. “I don’t like to give in to the whims of the children, but in this case, with Kayla’s death and all?—”
“I’ll come this afternoon.” Kayla couldn’t let Veronica down. A one- or two-hour delay of her somewhat stalled investigation wouldn’t hurt. Besides, helping Veronica would boost her spirits.
But Cindy first.
Halfway across the historic bridge, traffic in the right lane stalled. Kayla glanced in the left side-view mirror and changed lanes. A silver Mercedes mimicked the move. Was the driver tailing her? She couldn’t get a solid look at him. She could tell he was blond and suntanned—not a guy with dark, curly hair.Perhaps she was wrong about him pursuing her, the same way she’d been mistaken about the grip and the UPS delivery guy. Possibly, he’d worked the Maybelline shoot and wanted to ask her on a date. Kayla recalled Ashley going on and on about men who took dramatic measures to get her phone number.
“If you believe everyone’s out to get you,” Kayla said aloud, “you might be right.”
Eve would’ve laughed at that.
Kayla pressed the telephone icon and asked to connect to Eve’s number. When the call rolled into voicemail, she said, “I finished the Maybelline gig. Call me.”
She shifted to the right-hand lane and saw the Mercedes copy the action. To be certain, she veered left again. The Mercedes matched the move. Adrenaline kicked into high gear. The exit for Sausalito would appear seconds after departing the bridge. If she made the turn and the Mercedes followed, she would be trapped on a road that ended in town. Her pursuer would be able to corner her at the first traffic light. She had to come up with another plan.
Spying a Day-Glo green grocery truck ahead, she pounded the accelerator. She cut in front of it. The driver blasted his horn. She ignored the warning and tore down the ramp toward Sausalito.
The Mercedes, unable to overtake the truck, missed the exit.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Megan couldn’t referto Ventano by name any longer. Now, he wasthe victim. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she watched the photographer take pictures of him from every angle. Even though years had passed, she hadn’t been able to forget other cases that had gone haywire. A kid caught in the crossfire who lost a leg. A prostitute who’d wanted to quit the business but OD’d before she could. And now this. Megan considered handing in her badge and reenrolling in college. She could find a career that would make her happy. She could. A job where she could leave her emotions out of the process.
Drawing in a cleansing breath, she approached the guard who had been on duty at the time of Ventano’s death. His story hadn’t varied. He was sitting on a chair, his arms folded across his beefy chest.
Rodrigo trailed her. “Ease up, Megan.”
How could she? She would take the brunt of the blame. She was the one who hadn’t seen the signs with Ventano. No, that wasn’t true. She had seen them, but she had ignored them. The confession had come too easy. If only she’d shown up an hour ago, she might have prevented his death.
“The guard isn’t at fault,” Rodrigo persisted.
She wrenched away. “Sir,” she said brandishing a hand at the guard. “Let’s go over the events one more time from the beginning.” There was an edge in her voice, but she didn’t curb it.
“C’mon, Megan,” Rodrigo cautioned. “Listen to me. We catch more flies with butter.”
“More bees with honey,” Megan corrected.
Rodrigo grunted. “Fine. Your way.” He snarled at the guard. “Why weren’t you sitting in your chair when my partner entered?”
“I went to take a leak.”
“You’re lying.” Rodrigo swore in Spanish.
