Last But Not Leashed, page 11
A body.
Chapter Seventeen
A woman screamed, her shriek drowned out by the crowd. Horns still blew, couples still kissed. For a moment, I thought this was part of the New Year’s show until blood began to trickle onto the confetti-strewn floor.
Luke pushed his way toward the body. I followed close behind. Since he was a former police officer, his emergency training automatically kicked in. With his right hand, he reached out and pressed two fingers on the person’s exposed neck—a neck twisted into an impossible angle. Glass crunched under Luke’s shoes.
The spotlights kept moving, blue lights now illuminating a horrible sight.
A gradual change in the revelers’ noise signaled something was wrong. The celebratory sounds became patchy. Nearby faces reflected disbelief, horror. Luke cautioned the crowd to back away as he dialed 911 on his cell phone.
In the garish light, the body looked like a grotesque child’s toy, arms hanging over the tabletop. Head embedded in the glass. Someone began to cry.
The body was that of a woman. I recognized the dress, the tightly curled red-purple hair. She’d been dancing the cha-cha only an hour ago.
Posey, the chatty clerk at the local Circle K, had fallen from the Hay Barn Gallery catwalk to her death. An accident? A suicide?
Or murder?
Although Judy made an announcement for everyone to stay put, many of the crowd took off, not wanting to start their New Year with a police interrogation. When Police Chief Bobby Garcia arrived, he quickly closed the back exit, designating his rookie to make a list of all the remaining partygoers. Many clustered in silent groups, watching the first responders like motorists gawking at a car wreck. Others formed a slow-moving line that snaked toward the front door. Luke walked toward one of the officers. Unsure what to do, I headed back to our table, looking for Mari. The festive tables, strewn with silly hats and empty glasses, didn’t know that the party was over.
My last conversation with Posey played in my brain on an endless loop. Another movement high above caught my eye, but this time law enforcement looked back. Several officers moved slowly on the catwalks and rafters above the crowd, tiny as leftover Christmas elves. Judy, appearing pale and shocked, sat in a corner with the chief, shaking her head and pointing to the soaring ceiling.
Mari broke through the crowd. Her shoulders slumped with exhaustion.
“Time to go?” I asked.
“More than time to go.” She answered. Her eyes darted in the direction of the body, then back again. “Let’s get our coats.”
When we reached the alcove containing the coatracks, I noticed a police officer stationed outside the restrooms. Although he seemed vaguely familiar, he didn’t speak to either of us. As I slipped my coat on, I remembered how Colin had appeared at my side, debonair, on the prowl. Strange how he’d suddenly disappeared just before midnight. Maybe he, like me, had come with a date.
We wove our way around a makeshift barricade toward the front door. The long line I’d observed began to move faster. Mari and I stood silently, waiting our turn.
Two police officers sat at a table, each with a laptop, entering names. Another person in plainclothes took a passport-style picture. It felt very formal, very impersonal. After adding our names to the list and pausing for our pictures, Mari and I headed out to her truck. The icy night air tasted good after the stuffy air inside. I noticed my throat felt dry and scratchy.
We trudged along, trying to avoid patches of ice.
“Kate.” I heard Luke call and turned around.
When he reached me, I hugged him closely, resting my head on his chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern in his eyes and in his voice.
“Yes.” There wasn’t time to tell him how I really felt.
“I’ve got to drive a few more people home than I thought. Rainbow can hardly walk, and my sister is too shaky to drive.”
Behind him, a small group of somber faces stared back at me.
This was the Luke I knew. Someone strong. Good in an emergency. Responsible.
“Fine. Go.” I gently kissed him. “Talk to you tomorrow. Happy New Year.”
Mari drove slowly, concentrating on the dark road in front of us. All I could think about was the friendly woman at Circle K, doing a thankless job, optimistically writing her book. What did she call it—an Edwardian romance, with a sci-fi subplot? She hadn’t seemed the least bit suicidal when I’d last spoken to her, but then you never knew.
“What was she doing up in the rafters?” Mari suddenly asked. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
The SUV’s headlights illuminated a deer standing by the side of the road. Its eyes glinted a goblin green.
“I agree.” I turned my head to search for any others. “Be careful,” I cautioned as I noticed a small herd of deer about twenty feet away, staring at us.
The SUV slowed down, tires crunching in the gritty snow. A flash of the high beams bathed the scenery in icy-blue light. “There’s a meadow over on your side that the deer all like to hang out in. We’ll be past it in a few minutes.”
Mari was like a living GPS with narration here in the Hudson Valley, where she’d lived all her life. The only sign of stress was her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, knuckles a bony white.
“Did you know her?” I asked.
“Enough to say hi and chat. Posey worked part-time at that Circle K for at least the better part of five years—usually the night shift.”
“She was on the night shift when I last spoke to her. I’d stopped for gas and decided to go inside for something. We started talking, and she mentioned Mr. Pitt and Cindy and you and offered to put up a poster for us.”
“Yeah.”
After that we didn’t speak at all until Mari pulled up at my apartment door.
“I’ll wait until I’m sure you’re inside with the door locked.” The SUV idled a little high, and exhaust flowed back inside the cab when I held open the door.
“Happy New Year?” I asked her.
“I certainly hope so,” she answered. “Can’t get much worse than this, can it?”
When I woke up the next day, my head pounded and my throat burned. Buddy licked my hand in sympathy. I remembered taking both dogs for a late walk before I crashed for the night. Although I wanted to go back to sleep, they needed to go out. As I opened my eyes, the room appeared to lazily spin until the memory of Posey’s broken body brought me to my senses.
The phone rang. I’d slept until just before eleven. Caller ID forced me to sit up in bed. Regardless of how I felt, I had to pretend to be bright and alert and happy for my Gramps.
“Happy New Year,” I answered in someone else’s gravelly voice.
“Happy New Year, honey,” he answered. “You sound like you just crawled out of a dumpster. I take it you enjoyed yourself at Judy’s party?”
My Gramps and Cindy were Facebook pals. From the lilt in his voice, he hadn’t heard about our bloody midnight surprise.
Yeah, I wanted to say. Judy knocked them dead.
“Let me get some water,” I told him as I dangled my feet over the side of the bed, trying to make the room stop spinning. “There was a lot of smoke in the air last night. My throat is scratchy.”
Former fireman Gramps expressed his dismay. “Wasn’t the party held in a hay barn? That’s a complete violation of every fire code I can think of.”
“No hay in the barn anymore,” I rasped before grabbing a water bottle off the nightstand. “It’s an art gallery.” I eagerly gulped down the tepid water. “Sorry. A bunch of people were smoking weed near me.”
“Everyone’s gone a little crazy now that our state made it legal.” Gramps gave a slight cough, a reminder of the smoke damage to his own lungs he’d suffered over his years of service. “I even smelled some pot here last night.”
“What?” Gramps lived in an assisted living community.
“Katie, you’d be surprised at all the CBD and hemp oil around here. Plenty of seniors use medical marijuana and all kinds of drugs for pain or anxiety. Plus alcohol. Lots of drinking, of course, to lubricate our old joints.”
While he spoke, I got up and pressed the button on my coffee maker. The best smell in the universe started wafting from the kitchen. I’d filled up the refrigerator, anticipating Luke stopping by, so for once I had plenty of yogurt, fruit, and eggs. My stomach signaled that coffee and yogurt was all it could manage.
“Are you there?” Gramps asked, concerned because I hadn’t said anything.
“Yes.” After another gulp of water, my voice sounded more normal. “Listen, can I call you back? I’ve got to walk Buddy and our pit bull. They’ve got their legs crossed.” I watched Buddy trot up to my side, eager to start his doggy new year.
Gramps laughed and said, “I know how that feels. Call me later?”
“Will do. Happy New Year, Gramps.”
“Happy New Year to you too, Katie.”
My Gramps was the only person left who called me Katie. The hospital staff all called me Kate. My father called me Katherine. My mom and brother had called me Katie.
Sad thoughts overwhelmed me—not the way to start a new year.
I threw my coat over my pajamas, slipped on a pair of boots, and let the dogs out into the dog run. The parking lot was deserted. Only a few cars passed by on the road in front of the hospital on this brand-new January first.
As the dogs chased each other over the crusted snow, a familiar snowplow pulled into the long driveway next door. Pinky gave two taps on the horn by way of a greeting. I hadn’t noticed him at Judy’s party. He must have been working last night, since the front of the plow was caked with snow and gravel. I waved before he disappeared into his oversized garage.
“Come on, boys,” I called out. “Let’s get inside.”
With a couple of weak yips, the dogs waited for me to open the door. Inside they kept up their playing. I admired their energy. Crawling back into bed sounded like a better option.
Then the ping of a text message changed everything.
It was Cindy, wishing me a Happy New Year—and giving me a heads-up that her brother-in-law, also known as the Oak Falls chief of police, was going to be contacting me soon.
I had a suspicion Chief Garcia wasn’t going to offer me a Zoom meeting.
Steam swirled around in my tiny bathroom as I tried to get mind and body up to speed. I’d taken ibuprofen for my wine headache, and after the second cup of coffee I felt somewhat human again. Drying myself off, I noticed the message light on my cell signaled a voice mail. While I’d been washing my hair to get the funky smell out, the chief of police’s office had reached out.
Someone had scheduled an interview between me and Chief Garcia without asking. I had ten minutes to get down to the station. Problem was the police station was twenty-five minutes away. Since I didn’t want to start the New Year with a speeding ticket, I called the police station back and told the truth: I just got out of the shower and couldn’t get there for at least a half an hour to forty-five minutes. She tersely accepted my terms.
No doubt I’d pay for that.
Before I left, I checked to make sure the animals all had extra food in case I got arrested or detained. My hair finally felt dry, which was good because otherwise it would freeze when I stepped outside. I texted Cindy back and wished her a Happy New Year. My phone chimed with another text message on my walk out to the parking lot.
Probably Gramps, I thought while I opened the driver’s-side door. I hoped he hadn’t seen any of the newer Oak Falls Facebook posts about last night. The truck roared to life after a few false starts. I put on the heat, hoping not to freeze from the initial blast of cold air. My teeth chattered and my phone pinged again. Since I never text while driving, I figured I’d check it now, before heading over to the police station. I revved the engine a bit, trying to speed up the warm air.
The message was from Luke.
Already running late, I decided to wait and call him later. As I drove, I took deep breaths, trying to focus my energy for my interrogation. For some absurd reason, I felt a little guilty for Posey’s death, as if I knew a secret. Which I didn’t. A crimp in my neurological wiring often made me feel guilty for things I had no control over. It was the same reason I felt uneasy when a police car pulled alongside me at a light.
I took it slow. All the people who normally sanded and salted the roads were home enjoying the holiday.
Arriving at the police station, I figured delaying my appearance another few minutes wouldn’t hurt, so I dialed Luke’s number.
“Good morning,” he answered, sounding a lot more alert than me. “How’s your head feeling?”
“Not too bad,” I lied. “Chief Garcia has summoned me to the police station for an unknown reason. I don’t think he’s hosting a New Year’s Day brunch.”
“Crap.” I heard voices in the background. “That’s actually what I was going to do. Remind you of my family brunch this afternoon. Listen,” he continued. “When are you meeting him?”
“Now.” The engine’s temp now in the normal range, I turned the heat to low. Warm air continued to spew out of the vents.
“I’ll meet you there,” he declared. “Hopefully, I can speed up your interview. Then afterward you can follow me back to my grandmother’s place.”
I started to protest that I didn’t need his help, but he cut me off. “This is nonnegotiable. Meet you at the station.”
He’d hung up on me. As I opened the truck door, I checked the time—about eleven minutes late. The Oak Falls chief of police’s demeanor toward me in the past ran the gamut from gracious to grumpy. Maybe Luke’s presence and friendship with Chief Garcia would smooth things over.
When I pushed open the door of our Oak Falls Police Station, I found a mostly empty reception area. Since there was no sense in explaining why I was late, I simply told the receptionist my name and who I was there to see. She, in turn, looked royally pissed off about spending New Year’s Day at work.
“He’s busy at the moment. Take a seat. I’ll tell him you’re here,” she said curtly. Clearly this middle-aged person with the side-buzzed hair wanted to be anywhere but here.
I didn’t blame her. I felt exactly the same way.
An older man slumped in a corner chair, sort of propped against the wall, snoring away. I wondered if he was waiting for a ride. Since there was nothing to read, I busied myself on Facebook, where floods of good wishes had been posted to the Oak Falls Animal Hospital page. I knew Cindy took care of most of the social media postings, but since I had time, I decided to answer as many as possible.
Someone with familiar shoulders appeared silhouetted at the door.
Luke wore a new coat, much smarter than the familiar ski jacket he usually wore. This coat was three-quarter-length, made of wool dyed a dark gray—very unlike his regular student gear.
“Hi, Gigi,” he said to the receptionist. “Sorry Garcia roped you into this.”
With a grin, the previously dour receptionist rose and gave Luke a big hug. “When did you get into town?” she said. “Are you a lawyer yet?”
After the quick embrace she jerked her head in my direction. “Dr. Kate’s over there.”
“Happy New Year,” he told her. “Ask Garcia for a raise.”
She punched him on the arm, squinted her eyes at us, and went back to her paperwork.
Luke looked a lot better than I felt. I felt frazzled while he looked as though he’d had nine hours of blissful, uninterrupted sleep.
He turned away from the reception desk, stood in front of me for a long moment, then leaned down and kissed my nose. “Great way to start the New Year,” he commented, and sat down in the chair next to me.
I put away my phone. Last night’s awkwardness intruded again.
Before we could speak, Gigi interrupted. “The chief will see you now, Dr. Kate.”
With a feeling of dread, I stood up.
“I’m going in with you. After all, we were together the whole night.” Luke’s eyes stared into mine, giving me a signal. One I wasn’t sure I should follow.
I opened the reinforced steel door of Chief Garcia’s office. His initial staid look changed when he saw Luke follow me in.
“Good morning, Dr. Kate. Luke.”
I could see from his expression he’d been taken by surprise.
“Luke, it’s great to see you. But I’d like you to wait outside while…”
It took guts to interrupt the chief, but my boyfriend did it smoothly and confidently. “Chief, Kate and I were together all last night at Judy’s party. I figured it would be easier to interview us both at the same time. Between the liquor and whatever the Angus brothers were smoking last night…well, you know.” He turned and squeezed my shoulder. “Together we might remember everything a bit clearer. I’m sure you understand.”
The chief laughed, and Luke joined in. I didn’t. Luke was a designated driver last night. He didn’t really drink anything, except a swallow of white wine during our toast. Plus, I barely saw him the whole night.
Was I supplying him an alibi?
The two men soon became sidetracked with memories of previous New Year’s Eves. Bobby was older than Luke, but I knew they’d worked together as law enforcement officers and played in the same softball league. Didn’t that qualify as some kind of prejudice for the witness? But then I wasn’t the one becoming a lawyer.
While they continued to chat about the good old times when Luke was a member of the Oak Falls police force, I took out my phone. I felt guilty I hadn’t called Gramps back, but my dismay didn’t last long. Two new texts waited for me. In terse language Gramps implied I’d spent New Year’s with a corpse. Which technically was correct.
I texted back everything’s fine and that I’d explain later.
