Read Class Reunion of Murder for Free Online Page B

and mutual attraction. They weren’t together because there was no one else. They weren’t together because the town was small and they were bored. They were together because they wanted to be, because they cared about each other, because they liked each other. They were together because they couldn’t stay apart. “We have a good thing going,” she insisted. Kimber shrugged. Lacy fought a flicker of annoyance. She had known the relationship would come as a surprise, but not this much of a surprise, not an unbelievable incongruity.
    The door opened and Riley let herself in. She shocked them both by throwing her arms around Kimber and bestowing a warm hug. Riley and Kimber had barely said a handful of words to each other over the years. To say that Kimber wasn’t a fan of Lacy’s spoiled little sister would be putting it mildly. Even before the Robert debacle, there had been no love lost on Kimber’s side. Now Riley was acting like they were long-lost best friends. Kimber sought Lacy’s eyes over Riley’s shoulder.
     
    “She’s crazy now,” Lacy mouthed, winding her finger around her ear for emphasis. Kimber nodded and awkwardly patted Riley’s back.
    “Hey, Riley,” she said.
    “It’s so good to see you,” Riley said. “Welcome home.”
    “Uh, thanks. Lacy tells me you’re married now. Congratulations.”
    “Thanks,” Riley said. She let go of Kimber and plopped on the bed.
    “What’s your husband like?” Kimber asked.
    “He’s…tall and…I don’t know. He’s just Tosh.”
    Lacy’s heart squeezed painfully. Tosh was so much more than tall. Did Riley still not understand the treasure she possessed?
    “He’s not coming until later tonight,” Riley continued. “I thought maybe I could go to the party with you guys.”
    “Okay,” Lacy drawled. Until the present moment, Riley would rather have worn a bag over her head than show up at a party with her older sister. “Aren’t any of your friends coming?”
    “I don’t know,” Riley said.
    Weirder and weirder, Lacy thought. Riley had been the queen bee of her social group. This reunion should have been a highlight for her, a chance to reconnect with former admirers who doted on her. Now the girl who loved nothing more than being the center of attention was acting like she couldn’t care less about the spotlight.
     
    “Are you ready?” Lacy asked Kimber.
    “Now or never,” Kimber said.
     
    “Let’s go,” Riley said. She slipped off the bed and led the way out of the room and down the hall. They weren’t first in the ballroom, but neither was it crowded. People had been trickling into town for days, but Lacy had no idea how many of them were set to attend the party. There were much bigger events to come; tonight was a warm-up. If she had known in advance that Jason wasn’t able to make it, she probably wouldn’t have gone to this particular party. She was much more interested in the alumni band, the football game, the governor’s presentation, and the class mini-reunion at the end of the weekend.
    People of all ages congregated in small groups around the room. Some were teachers Lacy recognized. Some were students from other classes she didn’t know. And then there were those she recognized and wished she could forget.
    “It’s the beautiful people,” Kimber whispered, her eyes following where Lacy’s led. “None of them got fat.”
    If possible, they looked even prettier than they had almost a decade ago during high school. These were the people of Jason’s ilk, football players and cheerleaders who had been in the upper echelon of popularity. Lacy could have forgiven them their perfection if they had at least been nice, but they weren’t. They were horrible to her, to Kimber, and to every other kid they deemed less. If the looks being sent their way by everyone in the room were true, then they had deemed everyone as less.
     
    They stood in the center of the room, circling each other like wagons on a hostile pioneer