Free Murder In Her Dreams by Nell DuVall

his own justice.
    He looked back at the note and crushed it in
his hand. McLeod would pay. Oh yes, he would pay. Brad couldn’t
afford discovery now, not when he was so close. He would have to be
even more careful. He clenched his fingers in a tight fist.
    No one must interfere with his plans for Ian
McLeod.
    He had worked too long and too hard to fail.
Vengeance lay within his grasp. Then, once he finished with McLeod,
he could get on with his own interrupted life.
    For a brief moment, he considered his plan.
That McLeod would not know who had killed him or why, he regretted.
His own safety demanded secrecy. If the police had no motive, they
would also have no suspects. He had laid a false trail, and he
expected the hounds of the law to circle in vain looking for their
quarry.
    He started to toss the crumpled ball back
into the trash and then stopped. Rubbing his chin, he considered
the possibilities of the note. False trails. Umm, maybe he could
use this to lay one more trail. The rabbit might be useful after
all.
    He laughed and shoved the crumpled ball into
his pocket. Picking up the scattered debris from floor, he scooped
it and the envelope back into the trash. He glanced around the
office again to make sure he had left no trace of his presence.
Satisfied, he carefully locked the office and left by the back
door.
    He whistled as he started his motorcycle.
Fate had played into his hands. Yes, things definitely were going
his way.
     

 
    Chapter
Seven
     
    Friday came before Cassie realized it. No
need to worry about fashion at Tula’s parties because casual ruled.
Tula lived in Victorian Village, north of downtown Columbus and
just south of the Ohio State University. The area of old Victorian
houses had undergone some renovation and investment but still
represented an eclectic mixture of students, professionals wanting
the proximity to downtown and the galleries of the Short North,
long time older residents, and even some less desirable elements.
Its student population varied with the seasons, lowest during the
summer and highest in the fall.
    Cars lined both sides of Tula’s street, so
Cassie had to park on a side street a block away. Good food and
lively people attracted a diverse crowd including professors,
students, artists, poets, and authors. No one went away hungry or
bored.
    Tula’s house, a red brick, had a wide front
porch. Despite the chill in the crisp air, a number of young people
lolled about smoking and talking. While Tula liked a wood fire and
candles or an occasional joss stick, she refused to allow smoking
in her home. As Cassie climbed the steps and crossed to the front
door, she nodded to the group on the porch, none of whom she knew.
The heavy oak door stood open. Two young men and a girl came out to
the join the others on the porch.
    Having met Rod at one of Tula’s parties,
Cassie had hesitated about attending this one. Even Tula never knew
who would come to her gatherings. However, in a crowd, it would be
easy to avoid Rod if he came. Being with a lot of people would make
her forget dreams. Besides, with the note mailed, she no longer had
to worry about Ian McLeod and the black rabbit. This time she had
taken action.
    Inside, the crowd milled in the square entry
hall and split into two streams. One spilled over into the large
front parlor and through the wide square arch to the dining room.
The other wound up the stairs to the rooms above. Carried forward
by the people entering behind her, Cassie found herself on the
staircase. Seeing no one she knew among those lining the stairs,
she climbed up to the second floor. The landing at the top formed a
large square hall with doors to four rooms and a bath opening off
it.
    Through the door to her right, a group of
people clustered about a dark haired woman in a gold silk blouse
seated cross-legged on the floor in front of an overstuffed sofa.
Books lined three walls of the room with windows on the fourth
wall. A tall lamp lighted the room and cast