Incident on Ten-Right Road

by Randall Silvis

  Blyler: Not hardly. I was thinking about going up to the bar and ripping that guy a new asshole.

  DeMarco: But you didn’t.

  Blyler: He was setting there with his back turned, hunched over the bar. So I finally got up and went outside to get her.

  DeMarco: You didn’t know that the two of them were texting back and forth?

  Blyler: When?

  DeMarco: While she was outside.

  Blyler: That’s bullshit.

  DeMarco: I read the texts.

  Blyler: You serious?

  DeMarco: One hundred percent.

  Blyler: What did they say?

  DeMarco: I can’t tell you that.

  Blyler: Why the hell not? I have a right to know, don’t I?

  DeMarco: Actually, you don’t.

  Silence. Then the sound of the car door popping open.

  DeMarco: Hold on a minute, Tad. You said you filled your tank up that night? Was that before or after you went to Taco King?

  Blyler: What did the texts say?

  DeMarco: Calm down for a minute. We’re almost done here. Do me a favor and pull the door shut; you’re letting all the cool air out.

  Blyler: I know you think it was me did that to her. It wasn’t. I loved that girl.

  DeMarco: Just tell me when you filled up your tank—before or after the Taco King?

  Blyler: What’s that have to do with anything?

  DeMarco: I’m putting together a timeline. Pull the door shut and let’s figure this out together, okay?

  The sound of car door shutting.

  Blyler: It was after.

  DeMarco: So you have an angry young woman in your truck, you’re angry, and you still take the time to get gas?

  Blyler: What did you expect me to do—run out halfway home? You can get gas and still talk, you know. Ever hear of a window?

  DeMarco: So what did you talk about?

  Blyler: What did she say in those texts you claim she wrote?

  DeMarco: No deal.

  Blyler: Then fuck your questions. I need to get back to work.

  DeMarco: So you weren’t aware that ever since they broke up after high school, they were still hooking up every month or so?

  Silence.

  Blyler: Is it legal for you to make shit up like that? Just to see if I lose my temper or not?

  DeMarco: That’s not what I’m doing.

  Blyler: You’re feeding me a lot of bullshit, I know that much.

  DeMarco: You never suspected there was still something going on between them?

  Blyler: I still don’t.

  DeMarco: Then why were you so angry when you saw her talking to Gessler?

  Blyler: Because it wasn’t respectful, that’s why. People in a relationship need to have respect for each other.

  DeMarco: On the ride back home in your truck, did she happen to say that she was through with you?

  Blyler: No.

  DeMarco: That she wanted to be with Alex instead?

  Blyler: Hell no! We argued about her talking to him, that’s all. Couples argue all the time. It’s no big deal. (pause) She’s the kind that likes to push people’s buttons, you know? I mean Jesus, she even argued with the guy at the truck stop. She was an argumentative person.

  DeMarco: What was the argument at the truck stop about?

  Blyler: I’m not even sure. She went in while I was getting gas because she said she was hungry. By the time I got inside, she was bitching out the guy behind the counter. Something about the pizza oven and hot food tables all being closed. Not even a hot dog left to buy.

  DeMarco: She made a scene over a hot dog?

  Blyler: More or less. And after I’d already bought her a nice dinner she hardly touched.

  DeMarco: And the truck stop guy was angry too?

  Blyler: Oh, he was giving it right back at her. Some gay guy. It was like watching a couple of alley cats spitting and hissing.

  DeMarco: Can you think of anybody else she might have ticked off in the recent past? Somebody she made seriously angry?

  Blyler: I don’t know. Just that shit-for-brains ex-boyfriend of hers. Plus she was scared to death her mother would be waiting up for her when she got home.

  DeMarco: Scared how? What did she think her mother would do?

  Blyler: Hide the truck keys. Ground her. She’d done that before.

  DeMarco: Was she afraid of violence?

  Blyler: From her mother? You mean like hitting and punching? Not that I know of. Junie isn’t like that.

  DeMarco: Did Meghan ever talk to you about her neighbor?

  Blyler: Who? Mr. Dick?

  DeMarco: So you heard the rumors too?

  Blyler: They weren’t no rumors, man. The guy’s a pervert.

  DeMarco: You didn’t attend that school, right? So how would you know?

  Blyler: Why would I not believe her?

  DeMarco: So you heard about it from Meghan. What exactly did she tell you about him?

  Blyler: Just what I said, he’s a pervert. Got hand jobs and blowjobs from some of the girls. She knew several who’d done it.

  DeMarco: Did that surprise you?

  Blyler: That girls like sex too? You been living under a rock all your life?

  DeMarco: Did you ever suspect that Meghan and Mr. Hickman were involved in some way?

  Blyler: Why would you even ask something like that? That’s sick.

  DeMarco: She never told you she was one of those girls in the closet with him?

  Blyler: Man, if you didn’t have that uniform on, I would punch you right in the mouth.

  DeMarco: Sometimes we don’t know people as well as we think we do.

  Blyler: Well I know this. She wasn’t outside the bar trading texts with Gessler. She wasn’t hooking up with him. And she thought Hickman was a joke. You can take all that to the bank.

  DeMarco (after a pause): Here’s what I keep getting hung up on. After leaving Taco King, you were alone with her in the truck for over 30 minutes. If none of what I told you is true, why were you both still so angry when you dropped her off?

  Blyler: I never said we were.

  DeMarco: Others said it.

  Blyler: You telling me people were watching us at a quarter after one in the morning? That’s another laugh. Don’t think you’re going to trick me into saying I did something I didn’t.

  DeMarco: After you left her off at the house that night, you were so angry that you burned rubber 20 feet down the highway.

  Blyler: If it’s illegal to burn rubber, arrest me. Otherwise….

  DeMarco: Are you sure Meghan didn’t say something on the ride home that made you lose your temper?

  Blyler: What if she did? You already said you know I dropped her off and left. And that’s the last I seen of her.

  DeMarco: How did Meghan gain entry into her house? Did she carry a key?

  Blyler: Now you want to talk about a fucking key? After what you said about her?

  DeMarco: Did you stay long enough to watch her go inside the house?

  Blyler: I don’t know, I probably did. I always did every other time.

  DeMarco: Was the door unlocked, or did she have to unlock it? Or did her mother open it for her?

  Blyler: They had a key hid in that plant hanging from the rafter.

  DeMarco: So you saw her reach in and get it?

  Blyler: That night? I don’t know for sure. Maybe I did, but maybe I was peeling out by then.

  DeMarco: But you knew where the key was?

  Blyler: How could I tell you it was there if I didn’t know it was there? It was always there.

  DeMarco (after a pause): How would you have reacted if Meghan had told you she was pregnant?

  Blyler (chuckling): I would’ve laughed.

  DeMarco: And why is that?

  Blyler: Because I always wore a raincoat, that’s why. She wouldn’t let me do it otherwise.

  DeMarco: So if she were pregnant….

  Blyler: Oh fuck this bullshit. I don’t know what y
ou’re trying to pull on me, man, but I’m done with it. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

  Sound of car door popping open, then slamming shut.

  End of interview.

  Notes:

  The water bottle from which Blyler drank was left behind by him in the car, and was turned in to the lab for DNA sampling. I made the decision not to ask him for a voluntary sample, sensing that he would become uncooperative and terminate the interview, which he did anyway.

  Question: What did Meghan tell Blyler in the truck on the ride home from Taco King? If she told him the truth about her relationship with Gessler, all bets are off. If she told him she was pregnant by Gessler, all bets are off. However, his surprise when I told him about her relationship with Gessler seemed genuine. On the other hand, even telling Blyler only that she did not want to see him anymore, and leaving Gessler out of it, would probably have been enough to set him off.

  What was her intention in bringing Gessler and Blyler together in the bar? Did she hope to incite Gessler to make their relationship permanent? Did she hope Blyler would beat him up? Did she simply want to make a side-by-side comparison of the two for her own benefit? Or did she just like to cause trouble?

  Would the coroner be able to differentiate between bruises made a few hours apart? I’m thinking about when Blyler “escorted” Meghan back to the booth. Did he leave any bruises on her arm? Were there any older bruises visible on her body? It’s worth asking the coroner to take another look.

  Add Love’s gas station attendant to list of potential witnesses. He might have observed some interaction between Blyler and Meghan.

  This much is certain: Blyler is known for having a short temper. Blyler knew the layout of the Fletcher home. Blyler knew the location of the house key. Blyler’s Amish upbringing and attitude toward women would have flown in the face of Meghan’s more liberated attitude. Apparently she feared his response had she admitted to being in the closet with Mr. Hickman, and so kept that information to herself. But then why would she have brought her two boyfriends face-to-face?

  I have to ask myself why a girl like Meghan would ever allow herself to get involved with a guy like Blyler. To tick off Gessler? Or does it all come back to her father, just as Missy suggested? I do not know. Though wasting time on that question is a zero-sum game if ever there was one. Sixty-two women in this state alone dead of domestic violence this year. A lot of bad choices are being made out there. A lot of reasons that nobody will ever know.

  Time to track down Boyfriend #2.

  Interview with Alex Gessler

  DeMarco: This interview with Alex Gessler is taking place in the living room of the Gessler family home at 34 Oak Tree Court, West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. Mr. Gessler is a student at Denison College—do you start your senior year this fall?

  Gessler: Yes sir, in a couple of weeks. On the 27th of this month.

  DeMarco: Mr. Gessler is a senior at Denison College. Today is August 14th, and the time is 5:10 p.m.

  Gessler: It’s Denison University, actually.

  DeMarco: Okay, thanks. Are you employed somewhere this summer, Alex?

  Gessler: No, Dad wanted me to spend the summer working on my game. I play golf at school.

  DeMarco: What fairway are we looking at out there?

  Gessler: That’s number 14. It’s a 493 yard par five, dogleg right.

  DeMarco: Do a lot of balls find their way into your back yard?

  Gessler: Not as many as you’d think. We’re at just over 300 yards here, so most guys hit short, then pop an iron over the water.

  DeMarco: You must have quite a game to play on the college team.

  Gessler: I’m fairly steady in the high 60s, low 70s.

  DeMarco: Do you plan to play professionally?

  Gessler: I’m not good enough for that. But it’s a good game to play, and play well, in the business world.

  DeMarco: That’s what you’re studying?

  Gessler: Security and risk management. That’s where the big money is.

  DeMarco: Sounds like you have it all figured out.

  Gessler: I hope so.

  DeMarco: It’s a beautiful house you have here. You said your mom and dad are away for the weekend?

  Gessler: We have a place at Put-in Bay. They go out almost every weekend. Should be home later tonight.

  DeMarco: I’m sorry I missed meeting them. You have any brothers or sisters?

  Gessler: One sister. Jenna. She’s six years older than me. She’s in pediatrics in Chicago.

  DeMarco: She’s a nurse?

  Gessler: Doctor of Pediatric Medicine.

  DeMarco: That’s impressive. (pause) Meghan was studying to be a nurse, wasn’t she?

  Gessler: Yeah, I think that’s right.

  DeMarco: You’re not sure?

  Gessler: No, I am. It’s the, uh, associate’s in applied science degree. Sorry; I’m just nervous, I guess.

  DeMarco: There’s no need to be nervous, Alex. I’m just trying to fill in the gaps, you know? I appreciate you agreeing to meet with me.

  Gessler: I’m glad to help.

  DeMarco: What makes this so difficult is, by all accounts Meghan was very well-liked. No enemies whatsoever. You, of course, must have been very fond of her.

  Gessler: I was, yeah. Yeah. I was.

  DeMarco: How long did the two of you date?

  Gessler: She was in 10th grade when we started, I think. I was 11th. So two years.

  DeMarco: You broke up the summer after you graduated?

  Gessler: Yeah, we just, uh…. We agreed it would be the best thing for both of us, seeing as how I’d be away most of the year.

  DeMarco: How far is Denison from here? We’re basically sitting on the state line right now, so it’s got to be what, three hours?

  Gessler: A little less on a good day. But she’s another…her house is another 20 minutes east.

  DeMarco: You’re right, though; it’s true. Long distance relationships seldom work. Especially at that age.

  Gessler: That’s sort of what we figured.

  DeMarco: And after that, she started dating Tad Blyler. And how about you? Do you have a girlfriend?

  Gessler: I’ve just sort of been, you know, playing the field.

  DeMarco: But after three years of college? There’s nobody special in your life?

  Gessler: Not really.

  DeMarco: Well, that’s your business, not mine. Let’s go back to Tad for a minute. Did you know him at all?

  Gessler: Only through what she told me about him.

  DeMarco: And what did she tell you?

  Gessler: I know he’s a good bit older than her. Mid-20s, I think. Used to be Amish. Works as a carpenter. Just general things like that.

  DeMarco: She never said anything about their relationship? How serious it was? How he treated her? You ever talk about anything like that?

  Gessler: She did say he has a bad temper. Tends to blow up over little things.

  DeMarco: So you and Meghan must have kept in touch after you broke up. Is that correct?

  Gessler: Yeah, we, uh, you know, stayed in touch by text. Talked on the phone now and then.

  DeMarco: Never got together face-to-face?

  Silence.

  DeMarco: Is that a difficult question to answer, Alex? (pause) Alex?

  Gessler: Who all have you talked to so far?

  DeMarco: All that matters is that I’m talking to you right now. Since you and Meghan broke up, you’ve never gotten together to reminisce about old times?

  Gessler (after a pause): So how much do you know?

  DeMarco: What I need to know is everything. Everything you know. If you want to help me find out who did this terrible thing to Meghan—and you do, right?

  Gessler: Of course I do.

  DeMarco: I know you do. So listen. I’m not here to judge anybody. My only job right now is to find out who killed Meghan and why. I’m sure you would like to know that too.

  Gessler: Yeah, but I don’t see what
our friendship has to do with any of that. She must have been involved in stuff I never knew about.

  DeMarco: What kind of stuff?

  Gessler: I don’t know, maybe drugs? Her father was into drugs, using them and selling them, I remember her telling me that. Maybe he came back or something. Nobody seems to know what happened to him after he left.

  DeMarco: Did she ever give you any indication that she was in touch with her father?

  Gessler: No, I’m just saying…I don’t know. Maybe it’s a possibility.

  DeMarco (after a pause): So here’s the thing, Alex. I am aware that you and Meghan never stopped seeing each other. I know you saw her at the Taco King on Friday night. And I know she texted you that same night.

  Gessler: I didn’t get any texts from her!

  DeMarco: This isn’t going to go well for you if you lie to me, Alex.

  Gessler: I swear! I don’t have any texts from her on my phone!

  DeMarco: May I take a look at your phone?

  Gessler: I, uh…I’m not sure I, uh….

  DeMarco: You were holding it in your hand when you answered the door. Is that it in your pocket?

  Gessler: Yeah, yeah I guess it is.

  DeMarco: Do you mind letting me have a look? (pause) You can either say sure, why not, or I can dig into your phone records. Your choice.

  Gessler (taking cell phone from his side pocket): There are no texts from her, I swear. Nothing all week, actually.

  (He handed me the phone, and I checked the text message log. Last text exchange with Meghan was ten days earlier. Back-and-forth joking about a 7-Eleven customer she thought looked like Steven Tyler with a dead cat for a hairpiece.)

  Gessler: There, you see? Nothing from her at all.

  DeMarco: Nothing from anybody that night except your mom. Does that strike you as unusual? Because it strikes me as unusual.

  Gessler: I don’t know what you mean.

  DeMarco: You’re a popular guy. Dozens and dozens of texts on every day except last Friday. And your contact list is a mile long.

  Gessler: Why are you looking at my contact list? Can I have my phone back, please?

  DeMarco: Here you go. (pause) So do you have an explanation as to why Meghan’s phone shows several texts to you on Friday night, and yours shows none? (pause) Alex?