by brett hicks
“I’m so very sorry for your loss Mr. Smithfield, but can you tell me anyone who might have wanted to do your ex-wife harm?”
He took a moment but finally looked up at me. His eyes were looking off into the distance as if seeing into another time and place. He finally shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but my Donna did not have any enemies to speak of, she was a bright and kindly soul. She was not like most of the Brits, she was very openminded and compassionate.”
My itch only intensified at his wording, and possible implications.
Could he have revolutionary ties? That could potentially be one reason for his wife’s death, though the murder was more a serial killer’s MO.
My thoughts spun, and I decided to shelf that line of logical thought for the time being. I needed to focus on the facts and to focus all my attention of Mr. Smithfield.
“Did she have any spurned suitors, or possibly a new man in her life?”
He shook his head vigorously and huffed, “She was not seeing anyone else!”
His vehemence was almost shocking, but his divorce seemed strange as it was. My senses were vibrating under my skin. Something was not adding up here. This was a man speaking like a husband, not an ex-husband.
“Mr. Smithfield, I’m not going to lie to you, I feel like you are keeping several pieces of this story from me.”
His eyes shifted, and he seemed to lock down, still emotional from his recent discovery of his wife’s grizzly passing. Now he looked at me like a criminal looking to elude justice.
“You want to know where I was today, right? I am a newsman, I know how the natural course of a murder investigation goes.”
Obviously, I would want to know that, and possibly speak to at least five witnesses to prove you were where you claim to be as well!
This damn man, he is clearly hiding something, and I am not sure if it is work, or private, or if it connects to his wife’s death at all! I do not like being offered an alibi just to be thrown off another scent! I could play dumb and circle back to my sizzling gut feeling later. This man was not going to spill his secrets in this conversation.
“Knowing where you were, and any persons who can testify to your whereabouts would save me a lot of time, yes.”
My tone was calm and business-like, but he could tell that he had not fooled me. No one rises at a newspaper without learning how to read people. He walked over to his desk and I kept my eyes trained on him, and on his hands. I was trained to always be alert for weapons, or any other possible spur-of-the-moment violent actions. Mr. Smithfield began to scribble on a sheet of stationary paper on his desk. I watched him, after a moment he set the pen down and strode over to me and handed me a leaf of paper.
The paper had an address, and three names on it.
“I was having lunch with a source for an article I am writing about industrial pollution from the steam-cab factories. The names listed are my two witnesses and my boss, who was listening in to decide if we had a proper story with all the details and information covered. We do not publish such potentially damaging articles without checking all the sources.”
I nodded, the names were not familiar to me, except for the last one. John Baker, he was the editor and chief of the Nexus Daily News. He was also a Brit with over two decades of work in Nexus City. He was one of the “good guys,” if such a thing could possibly be applied to a Brit.
I nodded stiffly, and I expelled a long breath.
“Thank you for your time, if you can think of anything else to add to this statement, please give me a call. You can reach me in the homicide department of Nexus City’s headquarters for Colonial Independent. I’m sure you know the building, considering your profession?”
He nodded, and he gave me a look that said that I was dull if I thought a newsman such as him did not know such an obvious location. I ignored the look and I resisted the urge to fire up my inquiries burning to get out. I would have to chase my tail a bit, I knew when someone was not going to talk freely. I just wish I knew what the hell had this man so jittery and defensive!
“Very well sir, you will hear from me as soon as I have more information. I will trust you to keep a press silence on all matters involving your ex-wife’s murder.”
He nodded, and he strode over and held the door open for me like a gentleman.
“I will, you have my word. Please, let me know what you learn, Detective.”
He looked like a grieving widower to me, one with secrets, but I nodded.
“You just come to talk to me when you’re ready. I can be a very good friend, Mr. Smithfield.”
I added, then I turned and strode out of the offices, back to the lift device.
Ten:
To say I was frustrated with the victim’s ex-husband would have been a monumental depreciation of the emotional value attributed to my current mood! Mr. Smithfield was holding back more than he was telling me by far, and I was now hoping that his alibi would be flimsy.
After traveling further up the skyline attached to the paper’s building, I spoke to his boss, and he was said to have been in full view of a full restaurant’s customers during the time of the murder. I was going to do my diligence and track down his other two witnesses, I was not one to skim on the details of a murder case—or any case for that matter!
Now, I was headed home on my steam bike at full roaring speed. The sun had set, and the night was in full bloom around me. With the setting of the sun came a new wave of energy in the city. The dense traffic from the workers headed home, and the clubbers headed out filled the streets to over-crowding. The air was thick with smog and exhaust fumes. Factories ran around my downtown apartment building as if they had no concept of time. Nexus City was always awake as if it had been built completely by insomniacs. The more the population boomed, the more alive the city seemed to become in the later hours. One could be left to wonder if humans were truly daytime creatures, considering how much of humanity seems to come alive once the lights go out. Nocturnal life was becoming of me personally, even though I had also spent several years working early shift foot-patrols as a younger officer earning my badge. Besides, who needs sleep when you have a café on every street corner?
I reached the apartment after about thirty-minutes of traffic. My landlady was chuckling and stirring a large pot of something that held many delicious aromas blended together, a stew if I was to guess. She turned as she heard the door open and she beamed a smile.
Maria Davenport was in her fifties and she was a greying-brunette. She had eyes like golden suns they were a bright honey color. She was once a very stunning beauty, and age had only seasoned her. Her wrinkles and her age-lines added character and flavor to her once smoldering appearance. She was like a fine wine, aged to perfection. Her family had mostly passed, and her children had long since left her house to make their own lives.
Avery sat at the table and she was cutting up thin slices of green peppers. She looked over at me and her eyes widened, and she bit her lip and looked around at the apartment as if to see if I was going to be angry with her. The apartment was spotless, and I could see a fresh bundle of clean laundry stacked in a wicker basket.
“Look’s good in here, did you invoke a whole bundle of pixies to help?”
I asked, lightly joking with Avery, who just shook her head and narrowed her eyes slightly. Maybe my jokes were getting old? Maybe I just didn’t know how to speak to a twelve-year-old anymore? Who the hell knows? I just knew that she looked confused and greatly relieved.
“That smells good, did you help make it?”
Avery nodded, and she bit her lip, and she kept chopping peppers. Maria snorted and shook her head slightly.
“She’s not much of a talker, but she’s a clever little lass!”
She beamed in Avery’s direction and added, “And, she’s a cutie too.”
She wasn’t wrong, even with the ill-fitting clothes, Avery was a very pretty—if a skinny—young teen girl. She was not exactly shy, but she was very
quiet, and she was extremely observant. Except for the quiet part, she really reminded me of myself, except with long brown hair and hazel-green eyes.
“Yeah, just don’t make her too full of herself, or no one will be able to stand her ego.”
Avery sniffed an annoyance and began to chop more loudly. She was a very passive-aggressive child with extremely precise control over her behavior and body language. Cunning did not do her justice, nor did clever. She could work as a spy she was so completely in control of her smallest actions.
“Easy there, kid, I’m just joking with you!”
I said, defensively and Avery blinked once, her only indicator that she had received my apology. She seemed to enjoy the little tasks like they were helping her keep her mind out of whatever hell she was stuck inside. My heart clenched at this realization and I walked over, and I patted her on the shoulder gently, careful not to invade her space too much. I have worked with traumatized youths before, so I knew not to be too overly aggressive in their personal space.
“Thanks for all the hard work around here, Avery. The place looks great, hells, I think we can officially eat in this house again!”
I smiled brightly, and Avery’s lips twitched in a slight sign of amusement, but she managed to look very impassive for the casual observer.
“Well, I’ll get out of your hair, honey.”
I said in a surprisingly maternal tone. Avery looked up at me with her big hazel eyes and my heart hurt for the lost little girl. Not for the first time today I prayed that no one had thrown her away. Even if something bad had happened, I hoped that this little girl knew how special she was!
I ruffled her brown hair lightly and she shot me a balefully sassy look. I retreated to the relative safety of Maria’s place at the gas stove. She beamed a knowing smile at me and she leaned in close and placed a motherly kiss on my cheek.
“She’s a little angel of a child. She’s been busy around here since she woke up. I practically had to force her to eat a snack earlier. The poor little lamb seems to have become used to skipping meals. That’s not going to do, not at this age. She’s a growing girl!”
Maria said with all the maternal authority afforded a mother of two grown children, who had children of their own now. Maria does not get to see her children or grandchildren much. Each had left Nexus City years ago and settled in different places. Maria’s husband Daniel passed several years ago. I had been here to console her when he passed of tuberculosis.
She had become a sort of surrogate mother to me over the years since I landed at her door to rent an apartment.
“Yeah, she seems to be a very domestic kid. Someone taught her how to clean a house and do laundry properly. I would guess she had a home at some point, and likely a decent one.”
Maria nodded slightly, and she whispered, “This is just an old bird’s opinion, but I think something unseemly befell her. She doesn’t have a home now, and whoever taught her how to clean is clearly not an option in her mind.”
Maria’s matron’s intuition could give my detective instincts a good run for their money on any day! She smiled, clearly proud of herself, I guess my surprise was naked on my face. I could be a good poker player, but I often forget to school my features around people I truly cared about. Maria is on that very small list.
“That’s about the extent of what I have gathered so far, but I will look into this, you can be sure of that.”
Maria nodded, and she turned back to her stew on the stove. She had something thickly cut, red meat from the look of it.
“There was a sale on beef cuts today, so we took two of those silver coins you set out, and we got us enough for a proper dinner. We also stocked up on some various greens and fruits that you would be wise to keep around, assuming you will be keeping Avery here.”
Maria instructed me like a cross between a mother and a school principal. I nodded dutifully to the older woman. While I was brash and snarky on the very best of days, I was not a disrespectful girl towards my elders. Being headstrong, and being an asshole are two different things.
“Has she been okay? Did anything scare her today?”
Maria thought about this question for a moment and she leaned in closer.
“She seemed very worried about being left behind. She cleaned like the devil was on her heels today, then she kept a close eye on me at the market. I think she is terrified of being left alone again. Other than this behavior, I would say she was a perfect angel.”
I felt my gut tighten and my nerves were frayed slightly. I didn’t like knowing the suffering still embedded in the girl’s mind and soul. She was hurt, even if not physically and only time would begin to resolve this.
“I’m planning to ask Sting about her, see what he knows.”
Maria snorted in amusement and shook her head slowly.
“You tell that little street rat that I’ll pull him over my knee if he dares to pick another old lady’s pocket!”
I nodded, and I looked to Avery, who was pretending not to be curious about our conversation. She wasn’t fooling me, but I had to give her credit for her reasonably good job of acting innocent while trying to listen in on us.
“I have a case, big city, constant murder.”
Maria nodded, and a grim look crossed her features.
“Yes, that is, unfortunately, the way of this cruel world. I hope you catch the one you’re chasing, and that you will be careful this time!”
I waved my hand defensively and said, “Hey, it’s not like I knew that I was going to end up with a few new holes in my jacket when I walked into that pub! Shit, I would have set up in wait outside, if that were the case! Unfortunately, criminals don’t seem to have any respect for detectives, and they seem to mistake us for a target dummy.”
She sniffed and said, “You got the dummy part right lassie.”
I gave her a wide toothy grin and narrowed my blue eyes at her.
“Yer not as funny as you think, madam!”
She waved me off dismissively and said, “And you’re not as good an actress as you would have everyone believe. Someday, I would really like to hear your real accent.”
She winked at me and smiled a secretive smile, clearly proud of herself for figuring me out. It was not exactly surprising that Maria had realized my accent was fake. She lived in Nexus City her whole life, so she knew the nuances of the accent far better than I ever would, but she was wrong, I was an exceptional actress, but most folks don’t much care if you’ve changed your accent. Some people do it when they move, just so they can blend in better.
Maybe I need to step up my vocal training?
I thought to myself, now I would be pondering this line of thought for the rest of the day! My life literally depended on never being discovered. I worked in a dangerous line of work, but that was nothing compared to the past that I was still running from.
Maria pointed to the seat across from Avery and firmly stated, ‘Sit, we will be sitting down for dinner in five minutes. You can stay here long enough to have a meal, little miss.”
Far be it of me to deny Maria when she was using that mothering tone!
Eleven:
Avery was knackered by the time we finished dinner. She curled up like a tiny stray kitten in the guest room and was snoozing while I helped scrub the dishes. I was just finishing up the dishes when Bobby called my house. I picked up the phone quickly, so as not to wake Avery. Maria was still hanging about brewing some fresh coffee in her electric coffee maker—by far the most genius invention to date if you ask me!
“Yes, put him through, please.”
I spoke to the switchboard operator from the phone company. A loud click sounded and the cacophony of noise in the background told me that Bobby was indeed at the police station.
“Julia, how did it go with the husband?”
From Bobby’s tone, it sounded as if all his leads were about as promising as mine had been. I huffed and began to regale him with my evening thus-far. Bobby was not a fan of the widow
er, or that was how his tone sounded. My retelling excluded taunting the local bobby, and the victim’s ex-husband possibly being connected to the revolutionary movement. Bobby was an amazing partner, but a girl cannot trust such dangerous details to just anyone and add to that the switch-board operator monitoring the call, yeah, not happening!
“Shit, that puts us back to chasing down every average- sized male shadow. We have no tangible evidence so far.”
Bobby growled out, and he swore in a string of curses that would make his momma smack him silly. I amused myself with that image for half-a-second and then I forced myself back to focus.
“Well, we will have more once the doctor has finished her exam of the body. Hopefully, she can tell us more about what was used to kill the victim. If we can narrow down what exactly was used to garrote the victim, then we can start to direct our focus in a more specific area.”
Bobby grunted in agreement, and he paused for a moment.
“You said the husband is Colonial, and the wife is a British immigrant, could this be some bizarre hate crime targeting her for marrying a Colonial?”
I felt an itch and I nodded to no one in particular. Sometimes I can forget that the telephone does not mean the person can see my movements.
“That’s not a bad idea, Bobby! It’s possible, but everything in how she was killed and positioned screams ‘care to detail,’ so I’m not sold.”
Bobby paused again, and I could hear a slight growl in his tone.
“This case makes no fucking sense! How in the name of the Almighty, can she be treated with such brutal and morbid care, but there be no actual motive to speak of?! It’s almost like she was picked at random! Who in the seven levels of hell would risk sneaking around the skyline to kill a random person?!”