Wicked by Joanne Fluke Page A

the patio chairs and sipped her soda. It was a hot night, but it was slightly cooler out here than it had been in the library. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled as she heard several birds chirping sleepily in the trees. It was quiet and peaceful, and Tracie was glad she had this time to relax before the meeting.
    Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and Tracie’s eyes flew open. She was out here alone, in the dark, and she wasn’t really frightened at all. Angela had been right and Tracie could hardly wait to tell her. Writing about her reaction to Cheryl’s death had helped her get over her fear.
    * * *
    Wicked stood at the deep end of the pool, watching Tracie relax in her chair. There was a redwood deck that ran all the way around the portable pool, with eight steps leading up to the deck. Although it was a large pool, it was shallow, with only six feet of water at the deep end. Since Tracie wasn’t tall, that would be enough water for Wicked.
    Tracie was a nice enough person, and Wicked liked her, even though she was sometimes silly and superficial. Her preoccupation with romance bordered on the obsessive, but Wicked thought she’d probably grow out of it in a year or two. Unfortunately, Tracie wouldn’t live that long.
    It was a pity, but it couldn’t be helped. Tracie was the next victim in Angela’s book. Wicked had to make sure that Angela’s talent was appreciated, and there was only one way to do that. Angela’s fiction had to be accurate, and that meant the real world had to parallel her writing.
    It was time. Wicked moved quietly, inching along the redwood deck to the portable stereo that Scott had left on a small table near the edge of the water. They only had one set of batteries. Scott had told them that. And it was dangerous to run an extension cord up to the deck, where it might short out if it got wet.
    Wicked clicked on the stereo and gradually increased the volume until it was audible. Tracie didn’t react, and Wicked turned it up another notch. When Tracie heard the stereo playing, she’d come up here to shut it off. And that was when Wicked would kill her.
    * * *
    Tracie’s eyes opened with a snap as she heard her favorite song on the radio. But who was playing music? And why was it so loud? Tracie turned to stare at the bedroom windows that bordered the courtyard. Someone must have a radio in their room. But then she realized that the music was coming from the deck behind her. And she remembered that Scott had brought his portable stereo out to the pool this afternoon.
    They only had one set of batteries, and they couldn’t go out to buy replacements. Tracie remembered how Scott had checked his stereo to make sure that it was turned off before he’d gone upstairs to work. But why was it on now?
    Tracie sighed. The answer was very simple. Someone must have come down here to go for a swim. They’d turned on Scott’s radio and they’d forgotten to turn it off when they’d left. Although it wasn’t really her responsibility, Tracie got up from her chair. She’d turn off Scott’s stereo to save the drain on the batteries. They couldn’t go out for more until the quarantine was lifted, and everyone liked to hear music while they were lounging around the pool.
    It was dark up on the deck, and Tracie thought about going back inside to turn on the courtyard lights. But that was silly. There was a full moon tonight, and all she had to do was shut off the radio. She headed for the steps and began to climb them. And then she heard a soft rustling up on the deck.
    â€œWho’s there?” Tracie called out, but no one answered. It was probably a bird, pecking at the crumbs from Eve’s pizza, or a squirrel, rummaging for food. Tracie climbed up the second step, and then the third.
    There it was again! Tracie stopped, her foot on the fourth step, but everything was silent. She told herself there was nothing