High School Reunion Read Online Free Page A

the scent of gardenias floating around her.
    “That’s Wendell Vance.”
    “Vance? Where do I know that name?”
    “He died that night.”
    A vague memory surfaced. “He hanged himself.”
    Her nod stirred the air near his cheek. He picked up one of the photos and looked at it more closely under the light.
    “Notice anything odd?”
    “No. I barely remember him.”
    “Look at his face.”
    “Okay. His face is red. Embarrassed?”
    “You don’t remember what happened that night? What the CeeGees did?”
    He shook his head. He’d been at Ole Miss when Laurel’s class graduated. “The CeeGees?”
    “The Cool Girls. You know, Debra Evans, Kathy Hodges, Mary Sue Nelson and Sheryl Posey. Their mission in life was to prey on shy girls and geeky boys.”
    The girls who’d played the prank on her.
    “They taped a sign to his back during graduation that said Wendell Vance has a pencil in his pants. ”
    “Ouch.” He suppressed a grin—almost.

    “It’s not funny.” Her hazel eyes sparked.
    “Yeah. It is.”
    She propped her fists on her hips. “They humiliated him in front of his parents, his teachers, his classmates.”
    He nodded. “I remember Dad talking about it. He thought that was the reason Wendell killed himself.”
    “So did everybody. But look here.” Laurel tapped the snapshot with a trimmed manicured nail.
    He squinted. “A girl’s hand on his shoulder. So?”
    “Not just any girl’s hand. That’s—”
    “Cade!”
    Laurel jumped. Cade looked toward the door. Oh, damn. It was Debra, Fred Evans’s daughter.
    “Dad told me something happened to Misty. What is it? Can I do anything to help?” Her eyes darted around the room and came to rest on the blood in front of the couch.
    “Oh, my God!” She turned white as a sheet, then scurried into the room, a plump hand covering her mouth. “I think I may throw up.”
    Laurel eyed her. Interesting that she had rushed toward the bloodstain as she threatened to throw up. But then Debra had always been a bit of a drama queen. Based on how she was acting, Laurel would wager that the former CeeGee knew exactly what she would find in Misty’s living room. The only thing that wasn’t fake was her pallor.
    In two long strides, Cade reached Debra’s side. “Deb, your dad’s a police officer. You know better than to cross crime-scene tape.”
    “But—why would anyone hurt Misty? Was it a burglary?” She turned and spotted Laurel. “Who—?”
    Laurel saw the blank look on Debra’sface. She’d expected it—she looked a lot different without braces and thick glasses. Still, it sent that ridiculous knee-jerk reaction through her—disappointment that someone who’d known her didn’t recognize her. She thought she’d left those high-school insecurities far behind.
    “I’m Laurel Gillespie, Debra.”
    “Laurel? Oh, Laurel Gillespie. So you’re not married yet? I guess you’re here for the reunion?”
    Laurel nodded.
    Debra turned to Cade. “Why does she get to be here?”
    Cade stepped closer. “Because she’s an FBI special agent.”
    Debra’s face drained of color again. “FBI? Cade, oh, my God. Did you call in the FBI?”
    Cade put his hand on the small of Debra’s back and guided her toward the door. She smiled up at him and put her arm around his waist.
    Laurel clamped her jaw. This wasn’t high school. So why was she letting these small-town divas get to her?
    Just as Cade guided Debra into the foyer, she glanced back at Laurel. For a microsecond her eyes narrowed and dropped to the photographs in Laurel’s hand. Then she looked her straight in the eye. Laurel saw something in her gaze—something she couldn’t put her finger on.
    She was sure of one thing, though. Debra wasn’t as shocked and faint as she pretended to be.
    Cade came back in, shaking his head. “There are still a few folks outside, watching the house like vultures. This is the biggest crime Dusty Springs has seen since old man Rabb shot his son-in-law in the