Party Perils by Patti Benning (the chimp paradox TXT) 📕

fridge and freezer revealed nothing but untouched casseroles. The cupboards didn't hold anything of interest either, though she spotted a lone epinephrine pen on one of the shelves. If Lacey was hiding secrets, they were hidden deeper than Hannah was prepared to look right now.

“Hannah!”

Caroline’s shout made her jump. Guiltily, she shut the cupboard she had been looking in and turned, hurrying toward the doorway that led toward the living. Caroline’s voice had sounded panicked, and Hannah was halfway down the hall before she realized she should have grabbed some sort of weapon. If Bucky really was the one behind the Edward’s death, they could all be in danger.

“Caroline, what’s –”

She broke off as soon she stepped into the living room. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing. Lacey was on the ground, struggling to breathe. There was some sort of powder around her, and a plastic jar on the floor spilling out more of it. Caroline was struggling with Rebecca, of all people, who looked like she was trying to get to the door.

“Stop her!” Caroline shouted. Hannah ran toward the door and turned the deadbolt just as Rebecca broke out of Caroline’s grip. She froze, realizing she was trapped between Hannah and Caroline, with no way out.

“What’s going on?” Hannah demanded.

“It’s her fault,” Rebecca snarled, pointing at Lacey. Caroline’s eyes widened when she saw the state the other woman was in and she hurried over to kneel beside her. Hannah twitched, wanting to help too, but decided to keep her place by the door. They needed to figure out what Rebecca had done.

“What are you talking about?”

“Edward,” Rebecca said simply. She took a deep, shaky breath and Hannah realized that she was crying. “It's her fault he died. She killed him.”

Hannah’s eyes widened and out of the corner of her eye she saw Caroline look up at Rebecca, gaping.

“She – no, she loved him. She would never have done something like that.”

“She made him eat the soup,” Rebecca said.

Hannah remembered the dinner, when Lacey had urged Edward to try the soup to see if it was too spicy for her. She drew in a breath and looked at Caroline, who shook herself and returned to trying to help Lacey, her face set in a worried frown.

“Why would she want to kill him?” Hannah asked. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you, Rebecca, I just don’t understand.”

“She should have just taken the first bite,” Rebecca said, not quite answering her question. “I thought I could distract him long enough for everyone else to start eating. He would have been fine. As soon as Lacey reacted to the soup, he wouldn’t have touched it.”

“Wait,” Hannah said. “The soup… Did you know it was contaminated? Are you the one who put the peanut oil in it?”

“Edward and I were meant to be together,” Rebecca sniffed. “I knew as soon as I saw him. He was my soulmate. I just had to get her out of the way to make him realize it. With her gone, I would be the one to comfort him. I would help him get over the loss of his wife and then he would turn to me and we would have a future together. Lacey is the one who messed up all of my plans. She made him eat the first bite of soup, and now he is dead and she’s still walking around.” She gave a harsh laugh. “But not for long. She's going to pay for what she did.”

“What did you do?” Caroline shouted. “She can’t breathe.”

“I did what I should have done during the dinner party,” Rebecca said. “I shouldn't have tried to be sneaky. I shouldn’t have taken a chance with Edward’s life.”

“But what did you do to her?” Caroline asked. She reached over for the plastic container that had spilled powder everywhere and gasped. “Powdered peanut butter. Hannah, it’s the same brand as the peanut oil I found my garbage.”

“All I had to do was ambush her and throw a handful of the stuff in her face. I never should have risked the soup,” Rebecca said, her shoulder shaking as she began to cry harder.

“She’s in shock,” Caroline said, ignoring Rebecca. “ She’s going to die, Hannah, just like Edward.”

“No,” Hannah said. “I saw an EpiPen in her cupboard. The second one from the fridge, middle shelf. You can’t miss it. I’ll keep an eye on Rebecca.”

Caroline leapt to her feet, running out of the room without looking back. Rebecca made to follow her, but Hannah stepped in her way, grabbing the other woman’s shoulders and shoving her back.

“Do you think Edward wanted this?” she asked. “Do you think he would’ve wanted you to kill his wife?”

“It doesn't matter what he would have wanted,” Rebecca said. “He's dead! I'm just fixing my mistake.”

She lunged forward again, intent on stopping Caroline, but Hannah was ready for her this time and managed to get her arms around her in an awkward grapple. Rebecca's foot caught her ankle and they went down in a heap just as Caroline returned to the room. Her friend didn’t even spare them a glance as she hurried over to Lacey and administered the epinephrine.

It took a couple of seconds, but gradually Lacey’s breathing eased.

“No!” Rebecca tried to squirm out of Hannah's grip. Caroline waited just long enough to make sure that Lacey was okay for the time being, then stood up, her eyes roving around the room. Her gaze landed on a lamp and she yanked it off the end table, shattering the bulb. Ignoring the broken glass, she pulled it over and with Hannah’s help used the cord to tie Rebecca’s wrists together.

“It won’t hold for long,” Hannah warned as she got to her feet, looking down at the struggling woman.

“It will last long enough for the police to get here,” Caroline said, panting. “We need to call an ambulance. The epinephrine will keep her breathing for now, but she needs treatment.” She paused,