Violet Darger (Novella 2): The Last Victim by Vargus L.T. & McBain Tim

Author:Vargus, L.T. & McBain, Tim [Vargus, L.T.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Crime | Thriller | Mystery | Suspense
Publisher: Smarmy Press
Published: 2017-11-06T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

October 1991

The friendship between Tammy and Claire flourished over the next several weeks and throughout the remainder of rehearsals. But Claire worried that when the play was over, they’d go back to being acquaintances that sometimes said Hi as they passed one another in the hallway.

The weekend after the play was complete, Tammy called to invite Claire to drive into Vegas for a trip to the mall.

“Who’s the ogre?” Tammy asked when Claire picked up the receiver.

“What?”

“The knuckle-dragging neanderthal that answered the phone with a series of grunts.”

“Oh,” Claire made a dismissive sigh. “My stepdad.”

“Does he always sound like that? Like a pissed off cave troll?”

Claire laughed, then said, “Pretty much.”

Tammy picked her up that afternoon, and for most of the ride, they listened and sang along to one of the local oldies stations.

During a commercial break, Claire turned the volume knob down.

“What is it that you need?” Claire asked.

Tammy’s response was one of befuddlement. Fourteen creases formed on her forehead. They knew the precise number because she’d spent an afternoon counting the wrinkles in the dressing room mirror while Claire marked the hem length for Tammy’s dress.

“You mean existentially?”

“No.” Claire chuckled. “From the mall. What are you shopping for?”

Tammy’s expression changed to one of theatrical comprehension. Tammy faces were all like that. One-hundred percent, pushed to the max.

“Nothing really.”

“Oh,” Claire said, like that answer was satisfactory.

But it wasn’t. Why were they going to the mall, if not to shop? She’d seen TV shows where kids talked about going to the mall as if it were a popular hangout spot, but she didn’t think people actually did that in real life… did they?

She was still pondering this mystery when she realized Tammy had been staring at her for the last several seconds.

“Claire, can I ask you something? And I don’t want you to freak out or feel like I’m prying. I just want you to know that you can tell me the truth.”

Creeping fingers of discomfort wormed over Claire’s skin. What was this about? It sounded like it could only be something bad.

“OK,” she said, her curiosity only slightly more intense than her dread.

“Are you an alien?”

Claire grinned, saw that Tammy was only half-joking, and then giggled.

“No. I’m not an alien.”

While some people might have been offended at the implication, Claire knew Tammy well enough now to know that meeting an actual, honest-to-goodness being from outer space would have been her dream come true. It was the furthest thing from an insult coming from her.

As it was right now, Tammy had on a pair of earrings with little green alien faces on them.

“That’s just what an alien would say, you know.”

“Because if I was an alien, I obviously wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

Tammy smirked at her, like she knew Claire was only playing along and trying to pull her leg, but she was also half-hoping it was true.

Of the several malls in Vegas, Tammy chose one away from the strip.

“Too many tourists down there,” she said.

She parked the Mustang in the Macy’s lot, and they headed inside.

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