An Invitation To Kill

Chapter 2-2

“That clown was terrifying,” a woman's voice turned me around to two women behind me. I faced someone from my past.

“Brianna Bryde?” I sputtered. We both made the little screams of realization and delight, and threw our arms around one another for a hug.

“I have not seen you since I lived in DeWitt,” I said, drawing back to look at her. She was what you would call beautiful. Her dark hair was more styled now than I remembered, and I remembered the large mole on her neck. It made me think of my writing class in how to make a character stand out in the memory of your reader.

“I thought that was you, Lainey!” she said. We both laughed.

“Are you going to school here too?” I asked.

“Yeah. I also work here. In the Bursar's Office.”

“Oh, really? Congrats!”

“Just part time.” She shrugged it off.

“But it's a good job, right?”

She made a delicate snort. “You wouldn't believe how office people are. Some of them are absolute sharks. But I don't mind Mrs. Taylor. She's nice to me.”

“Mrs. Taylor? She must be married to my creative writing teacher,” I said, wondering what she looked like.

“Might be. They have the same last name. What's he look like?”

“Tall. Handsome. Probably thirty-something,” I said.

She nodded. “Yep. I've seen them together. They make a cute couple.” We chuckled.

She grasped my arm and said, “Lainey, I'm sorry about your parents. I wanted to come to the funeral,” she said. “But I had something come up I had to go to. Sorry.”

“No problem.” I looked away. The mention of my parent's accidental death always put a downer into my day. I was getting better at riding over my emotions after two years, but it was still difficult when someone out of my past said something to me.

“But wow! How crazy to run into you like this here,” she said, brightening.

“What did you say a moment ago about the clown?” I had to confirm something.

“Oh. Wasn't that you in the hallway?” she asked.

“And I take it that was you running past me like a ghost was chasing you, along with two other girls?”

“Yes!” She chuckled lightly. “This guy in a clown mask popped out of nowhere and scared the poo out of us. Didn't you see him?”

“I did. A guy with a mask playing a stupid joke,” I said unimpressed.

“You haven't seen what he's been posting on-line?”

I shook my head. “I've heard.”

She looked down at her phone. “I can't seem to stop looking at it.” She looked up and said, “He's been threatening specific teachers as well as students as a whole. This was the first time anyone saw him. I tried to get a video, but I just couldn't work the buttons fast enough. I just wanted to get the hell away from him.”

“I saw him,” I said. “I mean without his mask.”

Her eyes popped. “Really? What did you do?”

“I watched him take off his mask.”

Her blue eyes still huge, her perfect mouth became unhinged. “You didn't!”

“He went outside, right afterwards. I watched unnoticed from above. I know what he looks like.” I didn't get a chance to say he'd seen me, too.

“You should go to someone in the main office and tell them!”

I put up my hands. “If things get out of hand, then I will. So far he's just made threats and scared a few people.” I still didn't know who he was.

“Well, I should go, my break is almost up. My schedule is brutal. I'm here all day, have classes in between work.” She stepped away. “Nice to see you, Lainey.”

“Yeah. Nice to bump into you again, Brianna, we should get together!” I called after her.

“Hey, that would be great!” She was in a hurry and so I let her go. Checking the clock on the wall I now had twenty-three minutes before my art class, and it lasted a total of an hour and a half. I would have to go outside to get my art bin and sketch pad. I wondered what we'd do in art on the first day.

Someone said my name and I twirled to find Brett at a table with Moon and a few other people, two of the guys towered over everyone. Brett motioned to me and I stepped over.

“Lainey,” Moon said as I strolled up and Brett put an arm around me. “So, how are you liking college life?” Moon's hair style had changed drastically since I'd last seen him. Shaved on the right side, the longer left side was died black and about four inches long. He constantly had to shake it back, or left it hanging over his left eye. The real color of his hair was more like his sister, Nadine's, a mousy brown. He also had added black plastic rimmed glasses. I wasn't sure if he actually needed glasses, but it was stylin'.

“Well, give me a week to decide. I haven't even finished up one day, yet,” I said on a chuckle.

“By then you'll hate it and will have become as cynical as the rest of us,” he said.

I laughed. “We'll see.” I looked up at Brett.

“You know where your art class is?” he asked.

I'd bitten into my candy bar and could only nod as I chewed.

“No, you dumb s**t. That's not a banana spider. That's a Wandering Brazilian Spider. A full grown can wrap it's legs around your head. It's bite can kill you in two hours!” Someone's voice made me turn around to find it was the large hairy guy who had been in my creative writing class. He was with a slightly shorter, thinner guy, but anyone would look short compared to him.

Brett and Moon turned to the two. “Ellwood! Ham!” Moon greeted the tall, thin guy and went through some sort of weird hand bumping and hand slapping with him. The large hairy guy wore a Stephan King T-shirt with all the titles of his books. Obviously a fan.

“This is Ellwood,” Moon said, motioning to the largest guy. “You have him walk anywhere beside you and no one will bother you.” He leaned over and in a lowered voice said, “I sometimes slip him money just so that happens.”

“Oh, good to know,” I said, smiling as the others chuckled. I could definitely see why and wondered if he wasn't serious. Ellwood had to stand six-six, was as wide as a redwood, and the fold in the middle of his brows made him look like an ogre.

Ellwood looked over at me and pointed. “Oh, wait. You're in my creative writing class. Wait. I thought you were a freshman.”

“I am,” I admitted shyly.

“Only sophomores can take creative writing. How did you get in?”

“My English teacher wrote a letter to Mr. Tyler.” Warmth in my face told me I must have been turning a bright shade of pink.

Ellwood smiled. “Aw, she still blushes!”

“Nickel for your thoughts,” Ham said.

Ellwood turned on him and said, “Being a d**k won't make yours any bigger.”

Ham made a fluttering hand gesture. “What-ever.” Then stepped away.

“Good that we understand each other, motherfucker!” he yelled at Ham. I had been under the wrong impression they were friends. Ellwood turned to me. “Don't mind me. I don't go crazy. I am crazy. I just go normal from time to time.” He laughed and a few others around the table chuckled possibly to avoid the same sort of verbal abuse.

I was finding that the color was gradually going out of my face. In fact it was probably going white with shock. I hadn't been around guys like this before. In fact, I did my best to avoid them. The rough language was something I would have to get used to here. I wasn't in high school any more where teachers monitored us.

“But let me warn you, Mr. Taylor is tough,” Ellwood said to me.

“I'm sure he is,” I said. “But he's easier to look at than Ratner.”

Everyone chuckled at that. Chalk one up for me. I knew if I wasn't accepted into this rough crowd I'd become the target. I'd seen it many a times in high school. Girls who are teased mercilessly by guys like Ellwood, who, for whatever the reason, chose to pick on them.

“Oh, yeah. The last time I saw something like her, I flushed it down the toilet!” The others agreed with hilarious laughter. I stepped away, having had enough of this crowd. I noticed Moon and the one who'd taken Ellwood's insult, Ham, both now sat at a separate table.

“I hope they don't decide to do Romeo and Juliet again,” he said to Moon.

Moon rolled his eyes. “God, give me strength!”

“Hi, Moon. I don't believe I know your friend,” I said, my glance going to the taller guy with the red bow tie.

“Brad Hamilton,” he said. I thought his white button shirt and red bow tie was a bit of an oddity, but maybe he wanted to look as nerdy as possible. “Everyone calls me Ham.”

“Nice to meet you, Ham.” I shook his hand, since he'd extended it. His hand was cool and the handshake was weak.

“Oh, by the by, Lainey, Nadine told me you saw the clown,” Moon said.

I wished he hadn't said that so loud. Several people from nearby table looked over at us.

“The clown?” Ham burst. “You're kidding me! I heard he chased a bunch of girls earlier.”

“I was there—”

“Really? Did you scream and run?” Ellwood had turned around, his voice challenging. He chuckled demoniacally, throwing his head back.

I met his eyes. “No. I actually watched him run in the opposite direction and take off his stupid mask. I know his identity.”

“No s**t?” Ellwood looked impressed.

“Uh, guys, let's hold it down a bit, okay?” Brett's caution brought the other's voices back to a lower key.

“You mean you know who he is?”

“No. I don't know who he is. I only know what he looks like. If I get a picture of him, I'll be able to match his face with a name.”

“That should be easy enough. I've got a Whitney graduation book from last year at home,” Moon said.

“That would work,” I said. “How do I get it from you?”

Moon thought on it for a beat. “I think Nadine has a night class. So, I can't give it to her.”

“Are you working tonight?” I asked.

“Yeah. From five till closing.”

“Perfect. Maybe I can meet you at The Huddle?” I looked up at Brett hopefully.

“I've gotta work,” Brett said. I made a disappointed sigh. He worked at Pizza Wheel.

“Bring the book to work with you, I'll come by and pick it up,” I suggested.

“Why are you thinking he'll be in last year's graduating book?” Ellwood asked.

“Because he knew his way around really well. Not like someone who's never been here. This place has a lot of hallways. He knew exactly where to scare the girls and then went out an exit door, down into a courtyard below to escape being seen when he took off the mask.”

Moon smiled up at Ellwood who's brows had disappeared underneath his unruly dark hair. “Lainey here is our resident Sherlock Holmes,” he said proudly.

“Really?” Ellwood wasn't convinced.

“She solved two murders just this past summer,” Brett added with a beaming smile.

Embarrassed, I let my gaze drop. “I had help.”

“Sure, but if it weren't for your bringing everyone to the scene of the crime, we wouldn't have found out who really killed Arline,” Moon said. “Wish I'd been there.” Looking wistfully, he shook his head. “I heard you got Comb to confess all.”

“It sort of was a given, since she had Arline's phone and her jewelry right there in her car and was wearing her gold bracelet. But both Lisa and Bridget killed her,” I said, feeling the heat of stares from Ellwood and Ham.