Authors: J. C. Gatlin
A week
later...
4
A Cold Day
For Murder
Monday,
January 10, 2000
7:35 AM
“INVESTIGATION
CONTINUES OF MURDERED CONGRESSMAN, EX-MISS STILLWATER QUESTIONED BY POLICE”
screamed the headline. Kim couldn’t believe it,
picking up the morning paper from her doorstep.
Slamming
the front door, she unfolded it and scanned the article. It had been a week
since the body was found and it still shocked her. Police had questioned
her a
couple of days ago. They had stopped by the old folk’s
home where she was visiting her grandfather, and she told them everything she
knew.
Everything
except for the handwritten note she’d received.
Kim knew
the love poem was not connected to the murder, and even though Ross still
hadn’t called her or come home, he was out there. It was just a matter of time
before he came for her. And she wished that she knew where he was.
Zeus’
barking distracted her, and she put the newspaper down beside her school books
on the kitchen table. The Doberman was growling at the overalls and work boots
sprawled out on the linoleum floor, the man’s upper-half hidden under the sink.
The garbage disposal was acting up again, and the landlord swore he’d fix it
this time.
“Zeus!”
she yelled. Rushing to the sink she grabbed the dog by the collar. “I’m so
sorry! How’s the faucet?”
“What?”
his voice was muffled under the sink. He strained to be heard over the barking.
“I said,
‘How’s the faucet?’”
“Missy,
you’re a fine tenant” He flipped out from under the sink and held a ratchet in
his right hand. Like all landlords, he was simultaneously crotchety yet a
knowledgeable southern gentleman, in his late sixties and the product of
another era. Kim had known him for several years now and, in all that time, had
never seen him wear anything but the same ole blue jean overalls and weathered
straw hat. He picked the hat up off the kitchen floor and placed it on top his
bald head as he continued his lecture. “But the good Lord knows I’m seriously
considering adding a ‘No-Pets Clause’ to your lease.”
Zeus
barked again and he cringed. Kim gripped the collar to hold back the dog.
“I’m
sorry. I
gotta
get to class, but I’ll take Zeus with
me.” She dragged the dog backwards across the linoleum as he let loose a spasm
of barks, yelps and a copious string of slobber.
“What?”
The landlord cupped a hand to his ear as if he couldn't hear a thing over Zeus’
tantrum.
“I
gotta
go to class!” With one hand gripping the leash and
holding back her growling dog, Kim grabbed her text books from the kitchen
table. She left the newspaper behind.
“I can’t
hear you over the dog!” he yelled again.
And
again, Kim apologized, dragging Zeus out of the kitchen.
“Just
consider this payback for the dress your garbage disposal ruined on New Year’s
Eve,” she said to him. “That cost me a hundred fifty dollars.”
The
landlord ignored her. “I’m serious about the No-Pets Clause.”
Zeus
growled again. Kim tugged on his collar, pulling him to the front door. With
books in hand, she and Zeus were outside and walking across the lawn toward the
sidewalk leading to the gated entrance.
The
Doberman, sighing, finally complied with her direction, until he saw a
Pekingese named Rosie that lived in the townhome across the street. Mrs.
Roundtree
was walking the little dog, and Zeus immediately
scrambled in that direction. Kim yanked hard on the leash, causing Zeus to
double back.
“Come on,”
Kim said to him through clenched teeth, dragging the dog across the grass. Zeus
locked down, focused on the Pekingese and barked. Little Rosie stopped, looked
in his direction, and yelped back. Now Zeus growled, and Kim tugged harder on
the leash.
“Would.
You.
Come. On.” Kim forced the words out her mouth,
somewhere between growling herself and yelling, all the while hoping the thin
leather leash didn’t snap.
Ultimately,
her will being stronger, Kim won the tug of war and Zeus turned and followed
her to the sidewalk. They exited the gate and walked toward downtown
Stillwater, headed to the University.
*
* * * * * *
For
reasons known only to her, Kim often took the long way to the University.
Today was
no different and she walked Zeus along the out-of-way, winding, busy Morris
Munger
Road. She could have cut through downtown and made
it to class in just
under
twenty minutes. But she
rarely took that route anymore, opting instead to add a good half hour to her
trip. She had adopted this custom since her last night with Ross. And every
time she made her way down Morris
Munger
Road, she
stepped deliberately along the shoulder, staring down at her feet, staring
intently at the
viney
stink weeds, dandelions and
occasional Coke bottle.
As the
cars whooshed past, she would hesitate at the same point on the street. Stop
here every single time.
The
dilapidated sign advertising a cow pasture that was now commercial land for
sale was a significant landmark known only to her. It stood near the curb,
where Morris
Munger
curved and a long abandoned
wooden fruit stand was rotting on the other side. Many times over the past five
weeks, Kim had searched the ground there, picking through the tall grass
sprouting around the sign posts and within the drainage grate along the curve.
Sometimes, she would cross the street and search the ground around the fruit
stand.
That real
estate sign and lonely fruit stand were the only witnesses to that night Ross
left her standing on the gravel shoulder.
Today,
she held her books tightly in one arm and tugged on Zeus’ leash with the other,
holding him back as she waited for a break in the traffic. When the street was
empty, and she had looked for cars coming from either direction, Kim and Zeus
jumped out to the center of the road. There, she knelt down by yellow painted
dash marks and searched the hot concrete, ran a hand over the grains of gravel
like a miner sifting for gold.
Zeus
stared at her, his head cocked.
A brown
and tan station wagon screamed past them,
blaring
its
horn. It blew Kim’s hair and she dropped her books. Papers scattered across the
pavement as Zeus barked at the car.
Collecting
her books, Kim scooped them up and dragged Zeus back to the shoulder of the
road. She would continue her search later.
Morris
Munger
Road ran west of downtown Stillwater toward the
University campus. It cut through several blocks of two- and three-story homes
built along brick-paved streets. These had once been the residences of
Stillwater’s exclusive, upper class.
Today,
the neighborhood was student housing featuring front porches littered with
bikes and old furniture, rap music blaring from open dormer windows, and
humming window-unit air conditioners. Most of these old houses were in
desperate need of a fresh coat of paint, a handyman, and some yard work. Those
in best condition proudly displayed Greek letters beneath the eaves and college
flags strung along upper-story banister railings.
Two boys
hung over the railing of one of the dormitory homes and waved at Kim as she
walked Zeus along the sidewalks toward winding paths cutting across the campus.
Zeus saw the boys and tugged on his leash to cross the street toward them, but
Kim tugged back, leading him toward the University.
The
campus was a ten-acre forested park with twisting sidewalks that meandered past
a 100-year old brick library and a state-of-art sports facility with sprawling
athletic fields. The faculty parking lot ran behind the sports center, and Kim
found a city bus stop and pay phone. There, she dialed Mallory.
“I need
you to pick up Zeus and take him back to your place.”
“Sure,”
Mallory’s voice crackled through the receiver on the sticky
handset of the campus pay phone. “
I'll be right there.”
And all
Kim could do now was
wait
.
It was
the first day back after winter break and the start of a new semester, which
meant the
campus
was more crowded and chaotic than
usual. And Kimberly bringing her Doberman only added to the commotion. Everyone
wanted to pet him and Zeus adored the attention.
Setting
her books down beside her on the park bench, Kim waited in the university
parking lot for Mallory to arrive. When her white Mazda Miata pulled up to the
curb, Zeus barked and jumped. Holding the leash, she got up from the park bench
and made her way to Mallory's car. Zeus greeted her as she opened the driver's
side door.
“Thanks
for taking him this afternoon.” Kim pet Zeus on the head as he licked her
cheek. “With the landlord fixing the sink and this crazy animal acting like –”
“I know.
I know. What would you do without me?” Mallory grabbed her keys and tossed them
into her purse. Leaning down, she greeted Zeus and patted him on top the head.
Finally turning back to Kim, she said, “I’ve only got a moment. I have to be
back at my place by one. If KYGL calls and I don’t answer with the
phrase
that pays
, I could lose ten thousand dollars!”
“Well,
thank you. I owe you one.”
Mallory
grinned. “Yes, you do.”
Kim
paused, reading the expression on Mallory's face. “You already have something
in mind, don’t you?”
“Have
dinner with Addison and me tonight” Mallory’s
face
lit
up and she gushed. “We're going to celebrate his 50th birthday with dinner and
a movie.”
“I can't
believe you're dating a man old enough to be your father.”
“Oh,
hush. He’s hip,” Mallory tempted, leaning against her car. “We're going to see
that new Julia Roberts movie.”
“Are you
kidding?
With everything going on?”
Kim asked. She
realized that she had left her text books and notebook on the park bench. She
looked back. A boy was sitting on the bench now. He was thin, with black, wispy
hair that fell down over his eyes. She stared at him, judging whether or not to
walk back and collect her things. He looked up and their eyes met. She looked
away, turning back toward Mallory. “So have they found anything new in the
Congressman’s murder? I didn’t get a chance to read the paper.”
“I’ve
been ignoring the whole sordid affair ever since the police questioned me last
week. The whole thing’s just too horrible for words.” Mallory’s green eyes
enlarged and her lips drew close together. She took hold of Zeus’ leash,
then
changed the subject. “So come with us tonight. It’s a
birthday party and…” she paused for dramatic effect. “I invited the doctor.”
“You mean
the shrink with the obsessive personality who stood me up on New Year’s.” Kim
turned away. She looked back at the park bench; the boy was gone. Her books
were still there. Everything appeared to be okay. After a moment, she muttered,
“No thank you.”
“Addison
explained what happened. The Doctor got tied up with a patient who was having
some kind of panic attack over that whole Y2K computer scare,” Mallory
insisted. “Addison says that the Doctor feels just horrible for standing you up
that night, and on New Year’s Eve of all nights.”
Kim
hesitated, thinking about it for a moment. She searched the crowd of students
for the boy from the park bench. Giving up, she looked back at Mallory. “How
does Addison even know this man anyway?”
“Dr.
Whitman’s practice is in the same building as Addison’s insurance agency,”
Mallory explained. “And he says that he told Dr. Whitman all about you.”
“I don’t
want to meet him. I’d just prefer to get that whole night as far behind me as
possible. I mean with the murder and…”
“But he’s
sorry and he’s so cute. You two would be perfect for each other.” Mallory
waited for a response,
then
added, “He’s a doctor.”
“He’s a
shrink.”
“He makes
good money.” She paused,
then
continued slowly. “They’re
going to meet us at
Greico’s
Italian Fine Cuisine at
eight o’clock.”
“I have
bad memories of that place.”
“Because Ross took you there?”
“No, this
has nothing to do with Ross,” Kim lied. “I’m just busy. The new semester is
starting and I have to visit my Grandfather… and Melrose Place is on tonight.”