Wicked by Joanne Fluke Page B

cooler.”
    â€œI think you’d better. If you don’t come along with me, how will you know I checked it? I could just say I did, and you’d never know the difference. Of course, you could always call one of the guys and ask him to go with me. All you’d have to do is say that you were afraid to go in there.”
    Angela sighed. “All right. I’ll go with you.”
    â€œCome on then.” Eve hid a grin. She’d managed to beat Angela at her own game, and she was very pleased.
    Angela looked thoroughly freaked as they walked down the hall and went into the kitchen. Eve switched on the lights and headed for the cooler door. “Are you with me, Angela?”
    â€œI’m right behind you.”
    Angela’s voice was shaking slightly, and her face turned pale as Eve opened the cooler door. Of course Tracie wasn’t there. Eve hadn’t expected her to be. And Cheryl’s body was right where they’d placed it, on the floor next to the back wall.
    â€œShe’s not here.” Eve turned to face Angela, who was hanging back slightly. “But I do notice something different.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Angela took a step closer to the door.
    â€œIt’s Cheryl’s body. I think Tracie’s right. It looks like she moved slightly.”
    Angela’s mouth dropped open and she turned to run for the door. That was when Eve started to laugh. “Relax, Angela. I’m just kidding. Cheryl’s body didn’t move at all.”
    â€œThat was mean!” Angela stopped just outside the cooler door to glare at Eve.
    â€œI know. I was just paying you back for making me go in the cooler at night. That was mean, too.”
    Angela had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “You’re right, Eve. I’m sorry. Can we call a truce?”
    â€œSure. But how long do you think it’ll last?”
    Angela laughed. “I don’t know. We really got off on the wrong foot, didn’t we, Eve?”
    â€œYes, we did.”
    â€œDo you know why?”
    â€œYou bet I do!” Eve took a deep breath. She’d been waiting a long time for this moment. “You’re trying to impress us with your money and your famous parents. It might work with the others, but it won’t work with me.”
    â€œAnything else?”
    â€œYes. You’ve been trying to steal my boyfriend, and I don’t like it.”
    â€œIs that all?”
    Eve didn’t like the tone in Angela’s voice. She had the feeling that Angela was toying with her, the very same way a cat played with a mouse right before the killing blow. She was seeing another side of Angela, and that side was very disturbing. “That’s about it.”
    â€œGood. Now that you’ve got that off your chest, you ought to feel much better.” Angela gave Eve a perfectly innocent smile. “Come on, Eve. Let’s go find the others.”
    Eve followed Angela down the hall and out into the courtyard, frowning. Her criticism had bounced right off Angela’s back. Angela hadn’t said she’d stop trying to buy their friendship or impress them with her famous family. And she hadn’t said she was sorry for trying to steal Ryan. This wasn’t a truce. It was just a temporary ceasefire before the hostilities started again.
    * * *
    â€œDid you find her?” Angela headed straight for Ryan the moment they got out the door.
    â€œNo. We started with the garage. It’s filled with stuff so it took us a while, but there’s no sign of Tracie. Where were you two?”
    â€œWe checked the walk-in cooler.” Angela smiled up at him.
    â€œYou did? I know it probably didn’t bother Eve, but that was really brave of you, Angela.”
    Angela shrugged. “It was no problem. Where are we going to search next?”
    â€œThe west side of the house. There’s an old kennel and a dog run there.”
    â€œYou think