The Ginger Suspects

Okay, you can do this, Peyton reassured herself, standing outside the master suite door. All you need to do is ask a few questions, see what the reactions are, and discuss them with Sean. How hard can it be?

"--nothing to do with--"

"--talk about--"

Lacey and Ramsey stopped their conversation immediately upon noticing Peyton entering the bedroom. The two gingers stood on the far side of the bed from the door with Lacey's back turned to her best friend. The petite redhead froze while leaning over, her head turning to stare at Peyton. Ramsey went the opposite route, her hand shooting up to her mouth, where she promptly began chewing on her thumb's nail.

"Uh, morning," the intruding blonde weakly greeted. The confidence she'd built up on the way over evaporated.

"Morning, Pey!" Lacey brightly shouted, sounding every bit a cheerleader.

"Good morning," Ramsey nervously added, her eyes darting around the room everywhere except at Peyton.

Silence followed as Peyton closed the door behind her without looking. All three stayed in their spots. Lacey continued to lean over while Ramsey ran her finger along the dresser as if looking for dust.

"You're up early," Lana's little sister said, filling the bedroom's sound void.

"I could say the same. I thought you two would be sleeping in after last night."

"Why?!" Rammy shrieked, finally swinging her head over to fearfully stare at Peyton. "I-I mean, why would you think we would sleep in?"

"Well, when I came in here late last night, you two looked exhausted. Which made sense after the way you two went at it," the blonde recounted.

"Went at--ahh!" Lacey exclaimed, losing her balance and falling over. Her shoulder banged hard into the nightstand, leading to an "Oww!"

"Went at it? We never went at it!" Ramsey denied, not evening noticing her friend on the floor.

"Yes, you did. I walked right in on it. Lana did too," Peyton insisted, struggling to keep a smirk off her face.

"What?!" both redheads screamed before turning to face each other in horror. "Lana did?" the smaller ginger added, the blood rushing from her face.

"Yeah, back when we came in to change for the hot tub. The two of you were finally making up. It looked quite emotional. Despite what I feel over the stuff with my brother, it was nice to see. You are BFFs. No boy should come between you girls," Peyton explained, waiting for the relief to flood over their faces, which it did.

"Oh, riiight!" Lace agreed happily from the floor. Then, showing off her cheerleading skills, she hopped back to her feet.

"That's what best friends do," Ramsey chimed in.

"So, if you made up last night, then what's the problem now?" Peyton inquired, waiting for their relief to vanish, which it swiftly did.

"Problem?"

"There's no problem!"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Yeah, Pey, why do you think there is any problem?" Lacey questioned while she and Ramsey comically denied any such issue. "Everything is great! Uh, well, I mean, besides Whitney and Sean getting hurt."

"Exactly," Ramsey nodded vigorously.

"You sure? It looked like I walking in on some arguing," Peyton prodded.

"Arguing? Me and Ram? Never!"

"I know what arguing looks like. Lana and I do it all the time," the older girl replied.

"We were discussing school," the studious strawberry blonde threw out there as an excuse. It was a lame excuse as school was on winter break, and Lacey knew it. She quickly shot her friend a murderous glare before attempting a better excuse.

"We were talking about tonight. Ya know, New Year's Eve, dresses, boys, all that."

"Oh, okay. Got some special plans together? Maybe hot ones?" Peyton needled.

"Hot plans with Rammy? Hahaha! You're hilarious, Pey," Lacey fake laughed, edging her way toward the walk-in closet. "My hot plans are with my boyfriend."

"Me t--I don't have anything planned. No boyfriend for me," Ramsey scrambled. She kept on trying to boot up her reporter mode to help fabricate lies, but it wouldn't turn on.

"I never said anything about plans for just the two of you. I meant, in general. Did I miss something? Is there a new boy or girl?" the elder Tarver sibling pressed. Damn, how am I supposed to bring up Sean without saying his name?

"Girl?!"

"New boy or girl? Hahaha. Why would you mention a girl?" Lacey's fake laugh started to falter. Her slow side-stepping had her nearly at the closet door.

"Competition. Perhaps a girl is trying to push her way between you and Austin. Like..." Peyton let the thought hang in the air for an excruciating ten seconds. Leveling her attention on Rammy, Peyton slowly opened her mouth.

"I gotta pee!" Lacey exclaimed, rushing toward the bathroom.

"...Bianca," Peyton finished as the door slammed shut.

"What?" Rammy responded in bewilderment.

"I said Bianca. Is she trying to steal Austin again?" Peyton offered the strawberry blonde a lifeline.

"Oh! Not any more than usual."

"What about you? Got anybody in mind for tonight?"

"Tonight?" Ramsey squeaked.

"For the midnight kiss."

"I'm not dating anyone!"

"I'm not either, Rammy. Part of New Year's Eve's fun is deciding who to kiss if you are single," Peyton explained. "It's a nice opportunity to test the waters with a person who might interest you. Perhaps someone that didn't before new events cause you to reconsider."

"Uh, no."

"You sure? Nothing happened last night to open your eyes?"

"Last night?" Those blue eyes watching Peyton warily went wide. "I have to pee too!"

The older blonde watched as the remaining teenager raced past her, exiting the room and down the hall. "Shit," Peyton mumbled. I completely blew that! What good is learning to diagnose people's health if I can't tell what they're thinking? I should've paid more attention when Finn and Sean rambled on about their mysteries.

Finding herself alone in the bedroom, Peyton stood around, wondering what to do next. The clock ticked as she couldn't, for the life of her, think of an idea. Suddenly, a light bulb sparked in her head, and she raced over to the little nook in the bedroom. There she spotted two cell phones charging. Picking up hers, the novice investigator planned to send Finn a text asking for advice. That idea abruptly vanished as she noticed a lack of any cell signal. Trying Lana's phone, Peyton typed in the obvious password that her best friend thought she didn't know. No signal either.

Stomping her foot down in frustration, Peyton felt hopeless. Moving back across the room, she swore at how embarrassing it would be to run back to her younger brother to ask for directions. Dammit, what do detectives do in movies? They interview suspects, look for clues..."Oh, for fuck's sake!" Peyton slapped her forehead. "Wake up, Peyton."

Turning with her new idea, the novice investigator realized what she needed to search for in the dressers. That pair of black lace panties might have a matching bra. Glancing back at the bathroom door, Peyton rushed over and started opening up drawers in the corner's tall dresser. The first drawer revealed men's trousers; the second one held men's undershirts, then boxers. These are all Mr. Diamonds' stuff! Crouching down, she opened the small nightstand and nearly fell over.

Inside the bottom drawer was quite the assortment of goods. First, Peyton pulled out two tubes of lubricant. Astroglide and K-Y! Dropping them back inside, she next withdrew and held up a pair of pink felt-lined handcuffs. Well, at least these are pretty normal. It's not like--oh. Peyton noticed and held out a cat's tail whip. Throwing that back inside, she saw several large boxes of condoms. Studying one, she noticed the size and couldn't suppress a giggle.

"I guess those rumors were true." Feeling guilty for invading Mr. Diamond's privacy, Peyton scanned the room. Duh! She mentally palmed her face upon seeing the long, mirrored dresser on the other side of the bed. The same one that she recalled the girls pulling their stuff from the other day.

BANG

The sound of the door slamming open behind Peyton startled her and caused her to shut the nightstand drawer that still sat open.

"My room? MY ROOM? I'm twenty-fucking-one years-old, and I don't even LIVE HERE!!!"

"What's wrong now?" Peyton asked, causing her best friend to scream and fall into the wall between the bathroom and closet doors.

"Pey! Don't scare me like that!" Lana bitched. "Why are you hiding...oh, checking through Harvey's sex drawer, huh?"

"What; no!" Peyton denied it until she immediately became suspicious. "How do you know about it?"

"I cased the room as soon as we moved in. That's how I knew the silk scarves were in the other nightstand drawer," Lana revealed with a grin. "Oh, I should make sure that JoJo puts those back. Thanks for reminding me. I don't want the master of the house to spank me, or do I?"

"JoJo? Wait, I don't want to know," Peyton remarked, imagining it had to do with Jared. "Why did you barge in here all pissed off?"

"My mom sent me--ME--to my room! I'm a grown-ass woman. I shouldn't be treated this way. And I--"

"Still live at home on school breaks," Peyton supplied.

"That has nothing to do with it!"

"Your parents pay for college."

"You're not helping."

"And Momma Rachel knows which of your buttons to push to control you."

"That's not true! I'm my own woman, and Mom can't make me do what I don't want to do!"

"That's what the screaming is about," Lacey commented dryly from the open bathroom door. "What happened now?"

"Mom sent me to my room!"

"Big surprise there," Lacey chuckled, nodding at Peyton. "What did you do now? Dent Dad's car, get caught with a boy in the living room, sneak out late at night, or throw a wild party?"

"The perfect little daughter is such a comedian. It's not fair! When was the last time you were sent to your room?" Lana questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Thirteen. I spilled nail polish all over the living room couch. Dad was furious."

"See that, Pey? She ruins a couch, and I'm the bad daughter."

"Dad did shut up after Mom mentioned some funny-smelling stains on the couch from the previous weekend when she caught you with--"

"That doesn't matter! What matters is that I'm always the one sent to my room! I'm not a little girl anymore. You should be the one sent--hold on! Thirteen? How have you never been sent to your room for YOUR parties?" Lana demanded.

"Everything I do looks tame compared to you," Lacey shrugged. "If nothing is broken, burned, or waterlogged, then Mom and Dad don't complain too much."

"You see, Pey? Do you see the favoritism I deal with?"

"To be honest, Lace makes a fair point. Your parties did cause those things, despite my efforts," Peyton recalled. Great! Now how am I supposed to search for clues?

"Um, is everything alright in here?" inquired a returning and leery Ramsey.

"Just peachy," Lacey responded.

"Everything is fucking wonderful!" Lana griped.

"So, why did your mom banish you to your room?" Peyton questioned, hoping it might be a clue.

"Aunt Gabby, your mom, and I were teasing my mom. They brought up some waterpark trip that sounded wild, and Mom flipped out; ordered me back here. As if it was my fault," Lana complained. "I'm not in the mood for this shit. I'm hungover and maybe still drunk from last night."

"I told you to take it easy last night," her BFF reminded.

"And I don't need a second mother," Lana rolled her eyes.

"You sure about that? Maybe I should've sent you to your room last night," Peyton challenged.

"Maybe you should stop acting like a prude. Or you'll end up a spinster."

"Lacey, what's our current over/under for marriages for your sister? We still at three?" Peyton called over to where Lacey and Ramsey watched the bickering best friends in awe.

"Uh, yeah, we dropped down from four after she made it through freshman year without getting knocked up."

"At least, I'm not going to marry my high school sweetheart and end up miserable by thirty-five," Lana snapped at her little sister.

"Grouchy much this morning, huh?" Lacey shot back.

"Well, if you people hadn't been in and out of the room all night, then I could've slept."

Peyton's eyes lit up at Lana's comment. Lacey and Ramsey were in and out of the room?

"I was not in and out. I used the bathroom, and I bet Rammy did too," Lacey denied.

"You know, Sean said the same thing. People kept on opening his door to peek in on him," Peyton lied, hoping to get a reaction. "Did any of you check in on him?"

"Only once," Lacey quickly replied.

"Me too," Ramsey swiftly added.

"You did? When?" Lacey asked curiously.

"Um, I'm not sure. It wasn't long after Lana came in and made a racket."

Lana merely shrugged as everyone looked at her.

"Did you check up on Sean too?" Peyton queried.

"Fuck if I know," Lana replied. "I don't remember much from last night besides telling Kimberly to fuck off and getting DPed by Finn and Nate."

"What?!" Lacey screamed.

"Eww!" Ramsey cringed.

"I definitely should've sent you to your room last night," Peyton sighed. "Poor Finn," she added, shaking her head.

"Poor Finn? I'm the one with a swore ass--hey!"

Lana's exclamation came from Lacey launching herself at her older sister. Two tiny hands went for the throat, while the taller sister used her long arms to try and hold her back. Ramsey stared in shock but snapped out of it once Peyton ran over to push them apart. That took several moments as Lana used Rammy's pulling Lacey back to land a light slap to her cheek. Finally, with Peyton in front of the older sister did the short scuffle end.

"What the hell--"

"I told you!" Lacey interrupted with a shout. "I told you not to pull your shit with Finn or Sean!"

"I was trying to cheer him up!" Lana responded with her own yell.

"By playing with his heart again? You know what happened last time!" Lacey accused, attempting to break free from Rammy's grip.

"Then you better talk to Finny yourself. He's the one that shoved his dick in my ass," Lana revealed, shutting up Lacey and causing Ramsey to flinch. "Skye called it my punishment."

"Skye was there too?" the younger sister gasped.

"Oh, Skye was for sure there and involved," the older sister grinned. "Tastes good too."

For reasons unknown to Peyton or Ramsey that caused the fight to leave Lacey's body. It seemed to get transported into her BFF's body temporarily.

"What is wrong with all you people? Why does it always turn into sex? It's always sex with you!" Rammy screeched. "Sex, sex, sex!"

You're one to talk, Peyton shook her head.

"Speaking of sex," Lana began, her attention turning toward the only non-ginger in the room. "And where exactly were you last night, bestie?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't sleep in our bed, and you still have your bikini on from last night."

"Peyton!" Lacey gasped.

"I fell asleep on the couch," Peyton answered, so wishing she could say why she did.

"Likely story," Lana scoffed, folding her arms.

"The true story. Your mom even found me sleeping and covered me with a blanket."

"Oh, sorry, Peyton," Lacey apologized sheepishly.

"You still haven't answered my earlier question," Lana said, needing always to have the last word. Peyton arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Why were you searching through Whitney's father's sex drawers?"

Ramsey and Lacey gasped in shock.

---

I swear, Lana is going to drive me into an early grave, Peyton grumbled as she climbed the last stair to the second floor. Figuring that her best friend couldn't leave the room to continue to tease her, Peyton decided to move her investigation onto Sean's best friend. As she'd told her brother earlier, Peyton couldn't have imagined JoJo as a suspect a few days prior. Now? JoJo had to be high on the list.

Sure, Jared lives in another town, so she doesn't see him that much. Nor is she anywhere near as close as a friend with him as she is with Sean. But JoJo still has gone wild with Jared, who is an old friend. If Lana's an example, then our next-door neighbor might be looking to knock down her guy friends to gain experience.

Having heard her mother's laugh downstairs in the kitchen, Peyton knew that her suspect should be alone. Checking to see if the door had been locked after her mom left, she noted the knob turned without any impediment. Deciding to shock JoJo by storming inside and keeping her off balance, Peyton flung the door open. If she's not awake, then even better.

It took Peyton several steps inside before she realized that her plan to question a half-asleep suspect wouldn't work. Instead, the tables turned, and Peyton became the shell-shocked girl in the room.

JoJo lay on the bed, legs spread, knees up. A pair of fingers pumping in and out of a dripping pussy. The big-breasted brunette's other hand palmed an ample tit, squeezing it roughly. A cry of "Sooo biiigg" rang out in the room.

As Peyton skidded to a halt, her jaw dropping open, she stared in shock at the once shy, innocent girl. Through lidded eyes, JoJo's lust barely broke as she saw Peyton's presence. Lost in her need to orgasm, she didn't break her finger pumping or tit squeezing as she spoke."

"Peyton?"

Snapping out of her disbelief, Peyton spun around. "For gawd sake, JoJo, control yourself!"

Peyton stomped out of the room, thinking back to Ramsey's earlier complaint about sex being on everyone's mind. Rammy might be a prude, but she also might be right, she mused, slamming the door shut behind her.