Naked Frame Part 24

"We understand, Henry," said Rebecca. "It's not your fault."

Gabby was about to back out of the gate and leave when Henry said, "I shouldn't tell you this, but Ms. Thagery usually makes a fast food run at about this time. She'll probably be driving out of here at any minute."

Rebecca said, "Oh, that's great. Maybe we'll grab a bite with her. Thanks so much, Henry."

Gabby backed up the car and drove away.

"Let's park somewhere in the dark. We don't want to spook her. If we're lucky, Henry will forget to tell her about us," said Rebecca. "Oh, and did you notice Henry's uniform?"

"Yeah. It was like the one Phillipa's friend was wearing."

"Right. He's not military. He works here as a guard."

They sat in the car waiting for twenty minutes.

Gabby said, "Maybe she's not going tonight."

"There she is."

They saw Phillipa walking to her car. She got in and drove out the gate. Henry could not have told her anything, since she didn't even slow down.

Gabby followed her car at a distance. He and Rebecca bet on where she would go. Gabby chose McDonald's. Rebecca went with Wendy's.

But they were both wrong. Phillipa drove into a ritzy neighborhood.

She pulled into a gated driveway, rolled down her window, and swiped a key card. The gate opened and she drove in.

"Well, isn't this interesting?" said Rebecca.

The name on the gate: Smotherburn.

CHAPTER 40 - Wednesday, 12:36 a.m.

"Are you sure you want to climb this fence?" said Gabby.

"Yes. We've got to see what's going on in there."

"Here comes a car."

They snuggled up to the metal fence, hiding in the shadow of a brick column.

It was a taxi. A man wearing a hooded sweats.h.i.+rt got out, and the cab drove away. The man took out a key card and swiped it. He walked through the gate and up the driveway toward the front door.

"Now's our chance," whispered Rebecca.

She and Gabby slipped in just before the gate closed. They stayed back a few yards, hiding behind a tree.

The man rang the doorbell and waited.

He rang it again.

Finally the door opened. It was Kimberly. "What the h.e.l.l?"

"You thought I was dead, didn't you? You hoped I was dead."

"No. Of course not. I was worried about you."

"Then why didn't you come over to check on me. Or call the police."

"Well, I..."

The man walked into the foyer, and the door closed.

Rebecca turned to Gabby. "That sounded like Wiley."

He nodded.

They ran up to the door and listened, but couldn't hear anything. Rebecca tried the door. It was unlocked. She opened it a couple of inches.

The distance of their voices convinced Rebecca that Kimberly and Wiley had walked out of the foyer into another room. She pushed the door open further and peeked in. Looking back to Gabby, she whispered, "They won't see us. Come on."

They slipped inside and closed the door.

Kimberly and Wiley were in the living room.

"You keep saying you want me," said Wiley, "but you won't ever let me come over here."

"What are talking about, Wiley? You were here last night."

"I was here for five minutes. Once you got the stuff you wanted from me, you pushed me out the door."

"I had a headache."

"You know what I think, Kimberly? I think you've got another boyfriend."

"No, I don't, Honey. I promise you I don't."

"And now you're afraid, aren't you? Afraid I'll go to the police and tell them how you planned my dad's murder."

Rebecca shot Gabby a raised eyebrow.

Kimberly said, "Why would you go to the cops? You're the one who killed him."

A more distant-sounding female voice said, "Baby, what's taking you so long?" Phillipa stepped into the rear archway, and flinched when she saw Wiley.

"Phillipa!" said Wiley. "Now I get it. So, you were telling the truth, Kimberly. You don't have another boyfriend. You've got a girlfriend. You s.l.u.t."

"Don't be silly. Phillipa and I are just friends."

"Then why is she wearing a negligee?" said Wiley. "Is this how all your female friends dress when they come over for coffee? Or, only the ones who come after midnight?"

"Okay. I'm sorry," said Kimberly.

"You were hoping I'd blow my brains out," said Wiley, "now that you've got everything you wanted from me. You're nothing but a user."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"She's probably using you too, Phillipa," said Wiley. "What did she talk you into doing? Did you have to kill somebody too?"

Phillipa said, "Kimberly..."

"Phillipa, don't listen to him," said Kimberly. "He's just jealous."

Wiley said, "You turned out to be exactly what I thought you were when my dad married you: a manipulative b.i.t.c.h."

Rebecca stepped into the doorway and began speaking-which shocked the threesome. "That's exactly what she is. She talked you into killing your father. Then she made a deal to sell Cafe Nue to Joey Ketrousie in exchange for him having you murdered."

Wiley stepped back, drop-jawed, shaking his head at Kimberly.

"So, you'd better be careful, Wiley," said Rebecca. "There's a bullet or a knife out there somewhere with your name on it. And you won't even see it coming. But it's coming."

"Get out of my house," yelled Kimberly to Rebecca.

Rebecca ignored her. "And, Phillipa, Kimberly convinced you to murder Carly Cinaway with one of your experimental TENS units, so she couldn't sue the company."

Phillipa blurted out, "I didn't kill her. Harvey Hamstel did."

"Shut up, Phillipa," screamed Kimberly.

Phillipa said, "You talked him into it, didn't you, Kimberly? Harvey didn't think I would ever get it perfected anyway. He told me that. He had no respect for me or my work. So, it was probably easy for you to convince him to steal a unit out of my lab and use it to murder Carly Cinaway. Then you told me what he'd done-like you had nothing to do with it."

"He was framing you for the murder," said Kimberly. "That's why I told you about it."

Rebecca said, "Yes, Phillipa, and that's why you talked your lover into killing Harvey."

Kimberly frowned at Phillipa. "Lover?"

Rebecca said, "Yeah. He's a guard at Smotherburn Technologies. A big, handsome black guy."

"Mandibul?" said Kimberly. "You've been humping that big oaf and then coming into my bed?"

"He didn't kill Harvey," said Phillipa. "He's a d.a.m.n coward. I had to do it myself."

"Stop talking, Phillipa," yelled Kimberly.

"I thought you loved me, Kimberly." Phillipa stormed out through the hallway, back toward the bedroom.

Kimberly glared at Rebecca. "You don't have proof of anything."

"No," said Rebecca, "but I have confessions."

"Confessions?"

"That's right," said Wiley, as though he had just remembered. "Cameras. Dad had cameras installed all over the house."

"And guess what, Kimberly?" said Rebecca. "Your husband is not really dead. He and Wiley set you up."

Kimberly turned pale. "Is this true, Wiley?"

"Yes, it's true, b.i.t.c.h."

"So, he's been watching the whole time? Even the bedroom?"

Rebecca said, "Especially the bedroom. And now the cops will know what really happened. They'll see how you planned everything."

"You never really loved me at all!" Phillipa was back in the hallway, pointing a pistol at Kimberly.

Kimberly turned around. "Phillipa..."

Phillipa shot Kimberly three times, rapid-fire, in the center of her chest, and she collapsed.

She immediately pointed her gun at Rebecca.

"Die, b.i.t.c.h!" It was Gabby's voice-coming from somewhere across the room.

Phillipa lost focus for a moment, trying to locate the source of the voice, giving Rebecca enough time to reach for her gun.

Just as Phillipa's eyes returned to Rebecca, a bullet ripped into her right shoulder. She stumbled backward, dropping the pistol.

Gabby ran across the hallway and picked up the gun.

Wiley rushed to Kimberly's side, and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry, Kimberly. I'm so sorry."

Phillipa said, "She never loved you, Idiot."

Wiley screamed, "Why did you have to kill her?"

Rebecca holstered her pistol, and took out her phone. "Good job, Gabby. I'm calling the cops."

Gabby looked at Phillipa's b.l.o.o.d.y shoulder. "Better ask for an ambulance too."