Page 84 of Marked By Shadows

Chapter 24

Unfortunately, drama was what greeted us at the backdoor in the form of raised voices.

“You all are a bunch of fucking psychos,” I heard Melissa shout. We entered the kitchen, finding the group scattered between the kitchen and the dining room filling plates of food and readying for the day. Melissa stood near the entryway, bags and things piled at her feet. “I hope you all know you’re staying here with a murderer.”

“The police said it was an accident,” Julie said.

“Shot by Joe. Nicked a vein or something,” Nicole added.

“Can we not talk about this during breakfast,” MaryAnn asked.

“Fucking psychos, all of you!” Melissa screamed. “Byrony is dead, and you’re all about fucking breakfast?” She pointed at Freya. “Don’t you realize how insane she probably is?”

“I’d prefer if you wait for your taxi outside,” Freya said.

“I’d prefer you go jump off a cliff,” Melissa snarled at her.

“Woah,” Alex said putting his hands up and crossing the room to Melissa. “Let me help you with your bags okay? Some air will be good for you. Breathe. I know you’re upset and you have reason to be.” And that easily he took over, leading Melissa outside to the front porch, carrying her things. He glanced back at me, but I nodded to him that I was fine.

Chad was the only one not in the kitchen. I realized a moment later it was because he’d been talking to the police because he appeared with Manning beside him while I was gathering up fruit for Alex. Manning headed toward MaryAnn next. She gave him a warm half-smile and nodded as he led her to the craft room.

Grace paced the kitchen. “You okay?” I asked her.

“It’s not Freya,” Grace said in a huff. “That man wants to pin this on her. But it’s not Freya. This whole thing is a mess that started with that Byrony girl.”

It sounded like this had begun a lot sooner since two other girls were found, but I didn’t point that out. “I think the police are looking for whoever did this.”

“The police are monsters,” Grace said.

“Some of them I’m sure. But Alex’s brother is a police detective. He’s a good guy. It sounds like Detective Manning is looking for the right person, asking questions and trying to get the facts straight. If he wanted simple, he could have arrested Freya already because she’s the only one of us that lives here in Texas. But he’s asking questions, talking to everyone, and researching. I don’t believe it’s her either,” I admitted. “But getting in the way will only make his job harder. Someone is out there hurting people. We can’t let that go on, right?”

Grace let out a long breath. “You’re right. You always were one of the smarter ones in the group.” She patted my hand. “Let me get you a portable bowl for all that fruit. I’m assuming you boys want to get on your way.” Since I had filled a small bowl with berries, topped it with a couple of bananas and was trying to figure out how to wrap it with paper napkins to keep everything in place while Alex calmed the masses, she must have read our intentions.

“Thank you,” I said. “Alex loves bananas.” Which actually sounded like more than affection for the food when I thought about it. Nicole, who stood nearby, snickered. “Nothing out of you,” I teased her.

“Didn’t say a word,” she said with her hand on her heart. She handed me the banana she’d taken too. “Give him this one too. Poor boy needs to eat.”

“I’m feeding him up,” I protested, like his malnourished state was somehow my fault.

“Mhmm,” Julie joined us. “Too busy feeding him your banana to give him real ones.”

I gaped at her.

“Girl,” Jonah said entering the kitchen to fill his plate with eggs. “Plenty of protein comes from that banana. Protein makes a fine strong man.”

Both girls laughed.

I groaned at the bad joke. “We just stopped in for breakfast to get the details on when and where we need to be for the costumes later.”

“The show is at two,” Freya said from the doorway to the dining room. “At the Haut Apparel booth. There’s a dressing room area behind it, but I’d say be there early enough to get changed. If you drop the costumes off here at the house before you go, I’ll bring them to the convention for you, so you don’t have to worry about going back out to your car to get them.”

“That would be great,” Julie said. “We always end up in the bus lot anyway and having to take the bus over. It would be such a hassle to get out to the car and back.”

“I have a vendor parking badge,” Freya said. “Since I’m doing classes all day. It’s easier to leave a lot of the supplies in the car when it’s parked right next to the building.”

“Thanks,” I said. “We’ll drop them off. I didn’t pay extra for the vendor parking.” I’d thought about it, but the extra cost when I knew I wouldn’t have to haul big boxes around hadn’t seemed worth it at the time. The separate bus lot would be fine as it was only a ten-minute ride over to the convention center.

Alex reappeared in the kitchen. I held up my stack of accumulated bananas for him. Grace returned to give me a big take-out type salad bowl for the fruit.