The landline rings insistently, pulling me out of my
thoughts. I reach for it, bringing the receiver to my ear reluctantly.
“Theresa?” A familiar voice asks.
“Yes?” I try to place the voice.
“Why didn’t you answer your cell? What are you doing at
home?” Cara’s sharp questions help me place the voice.
“I…um…” I don’t know what I should and should not tell her.
“Just get back to work.” She snaps impatiently.
“Why?”
“Something’s going on. A couple of policemen just showed up
here. They’re talking to Viviane.”
“Do you know why they are there?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ll be there shortly.” I mumble, hanging up the phone
before she can say or ask anything more.
I slip on my shoes sluggishly and grab my purse. I slam the
door in my wake and fumble through my keys. As I turn the key in the lock, my
eyes scan the parking lot. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. An old man three
doors down waves from his usual perch on his tiny, concrete stoop. I nod my
head and rush to my car.
*
By the time I reach the library, the buzz has already begun.
I walk past the front desk and shake my head as the voices of the small group
gathered behind it reach me.
“I hear he was meeting a hooker at the batting cages.”
“I always said that man needed to get married.”
“Too late for that now.”
They laugh lightly, as if they didn’t just hear that one of
their peers had been murdered. I roll my eyes and head for the narrow stairway
leading up to my office. I make it halfway across the open study
space on the
second floor before being accosted by a familiar face.
“Miss Holden, are you feeling better?” Officer Polsen and
his partner effectively block my path.
I offer a weak smile. “A little.”
He offers a disapproving look. “Did you think of something
that might help us?”
I shake my head. A skinny man with a baseball cap pulled
down over his eyes catches my attention. I quickly look back at the officer,
but my eyes wander back toward the other man. With his head tilted toward the
floor, his eyes could be peering up into the underside of his bill or at me.
“So who called you?” I turn back to the second officer, reading the name on his tag, Wason.
“Pardon?”
“Someone called you about us being here.”
A warm flush infuses my cheeks as I lower my head and
stammer out. “Yes…um…my friend…Cara Nelson.”
Officer Wason grunts in satisfaction.
“We were actually waiting for her to show us to your boss’s
office.” Officer Polsen offers me a warm smile as he takes my elbow.
I reflexively start walking toward Larry’s office. As I duck
between a couple bookshelves, I glance over my shoulder. The man in the
baseball cap has disappeared. I shake my head and turn my attention back to the
wooden door on the far side of the shelf.
“He locks his door when…” I begin.
“We have the keys.” Officer Wason jingles them to punctuate
his assertion.
“This is the door.” I gesture as gracefully as any model
trying to sell a new car.
Officer Wason offers me the first warm smile I have seen
cross his face. It passes so quickly that I wonder if I imagined it. He throws
the door open with more force than it requires, stepping into the room in a
defensive stance. I wait for him to relax before stepping into the room.
Officer Polsen joins us and begins rifling through the tall filing cabinet.
“So why didn’t they send detectives?” I ask idly as I look
around the room to see if anything looks out of place.
Officer Wason turns away from a bookshelf lined with
baseball memorabilia that includes a couple of autographed balls, Little League
trophies, and baseball cards nestled in plastic cubes.
“It’s been a busy day.” Officer Polsen offers as he closes
the first drawer.
I step closer to the desk to push a couple of sheets of
paper around with the back of my finger. My eyes skim a few lines before losing
interest. I push a few more pages out of the way to look at the last sheet in
the stack.
“Hmmm.” I lean over to inspect the page more closely as I
notice my name emblazoned across one margin with an arrow pointing back to the
text.
“Don’t touch anything.” Officer Wason steps toward me.
“I think I may know why Mr. Chase wanted to meet me at the
batting cages.” I inform him as I draw my hand back.
He reaches past me to pick up the paper with latex-encased fingers. Blue eyes scan the words on the page.
“You may have found something.” He says as Officer Polsen
comes to stand at his shoulder.
I bet you thought I wasn't going to post today. I tend to be a holiday slacker, after all. I did get this little piece ready for your consideration. Do you like it? Do you want answers? I do, too, but they aren't ready yet. Soon, my friend, soon.... In the meantime, share your thoughts below:
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Oooh, you left it hanging!!!
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