“All right, Callie. Tell me.”
She sits back down as a server finally comes to clean up the margarita mess.
“Would you like another drink, ma’am?” he asks.
“No, thank you. A Diet Coke, please.”
“Right away.” The server dashes away.
“Ten years ago,” Callie says, “your sister was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning.”
I cock my head. “Boy, I haven’t thought about that in ages. Right after homecoming.”
“Yeah. You and Jesse were announcing the game. Rory was the homecoming queen. I was the attendant for the sophomore class.”
“Right. And Diana was the attendant for the freshman class.”
She nods. “Someone spiked the hairy buffalo at the bonfire that night. Your family offered a reward for any information regarding who had done it.”
“Did we? I’m sure my parents probably did.”
“Yes. Ten thousand dollars. But no one ever came forward.”
“Not surprising.”
She clears her throat then. Pauses a moment. Her eyes are still glassy, and she sniffles. “I found out who spiked the punch that night.”
I widen my eyes. “You know who did that to my sister?”
She sighs, nodding. “I do.”
“Who the hell was it? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because…” She swallows. “The person who did it tried to destroy Rory and me.”
CHAPTER NINE
CALLIE
Donny’s cheeks turn red, and the anger flows off him in waves.
Yes. This will definitely test his love for me. The Steels are all about family, and I could have helped them avenge one of their own.
But I didn’t. I didn’t because to do so would have dragged my sister and me, and consequently our entire family, through the mud.
After doing some research, I borrowed my mother’s mortar and pestle and ground up just enough Benadryl tablets to get Pat Lamone in a sleepy state but not harm him.
“You’re going to have a window of about fifteen minutes,” I tell Rory, “until he falls asleep.”
“Got it. I know how to handle a man, Callie.”
I nod. My sister does. I certainly don’t. Probably never will. Being the ugly duckling of the family and all. Still, being invisible has its perks.
“After you’re done, we’ll let him sleep it off. Between you, me, and Jordan, we should be able to drive him somewhere and then let him wake up on his own. He may not even realize what happened.”
“And then…we give the evidence to the Steels, and ka-ching,” Rory says.
I nod. “It’s a good plan. He deserves to be caught.”