by Clara Nipper
“Well, we’re on skeleton staff right now,” Britney said.
I put my hands on the counter, leaned to within three inches of her face, and repeated, “I need all available badges and an isolated cell.”
Britney paled and ran off in search of help. Deputy Cooter smiled, putting a toothpick in the space of his missing front teeth, and pointed outside. “Who you got out there? Timothy McVeigh is dead.” Then he guffawed.
I just stared at him.
Chapter Thirty-nine
In her cell, Perryman grinned like a shark at me. “I never thought I would say this, but thank God for this weather, otherwise, my….temporary incarceration…would be a media circus. And Jim isn’t ready with his press conference and not much press around to film it. Lucky break, eh?”
I clicked my Zippo and watched her without blinking.
Perryman continued, “You know…I had heard of you before my promotion. I studied your methods. I was convinced I wouldn’t be caught.” She spat on the floor near my boots. My mind raced incoherently to the misdemeanor charge of “Placing Bodily Fluids on Law Enforcement Officer.”
“You broke my heart,” I told her, and then, shocked by the squirt of water to my eyes, I stared at the ceiling.
“Fuck off,” Perryman said, flopping on her bunk with a sigh. “I’ve got bigger worries now.” She rolled to face the wall.
After leaving the jail, I called the homicide division to see if there were any working computers. Only one, I was told, but I could get in line. When I got there, I pulled rank to view the photos on the pet cam. There were 500 shots on the memory card. As I scrolled through whopper-jawed images of birds, pictures of whiskers looking out from under vehicles, views of neighborhood crawl spaces, shots from high up in trees and a near-capture of a squirrel, I saw evidence of Perryman murdering Wanda. I couldn’t believe it!
My heart began pounding and my breath came quickly. That crazy cat Jonathan had caught the murder on his digital camera! It had happened outside, about an hour before sunset, so the light was good, and Jonathan must have been very interested in whatever was happening because he stayed put long enough for the camera to get the entire crime. A shooting only takes a second, so Jonathan just as easily could’ve run by and missed the entire thing. But after studying the images more closely, I saw what had kept the cat interested. There was a possum hiding in a tree hollow a few yards from Perryman’s feet. The possum’s eyes fluoresced in the photos.
The dismemberment was not on the pet cam, and I was grateful for that. Thank God for curious cats. I printed the crime scene photos, bagged and labeled it all, and turned it in to forensics. This was another first.
After leaving the office, I drove slowly to the cemetery, something I did when I needed to feel close to Kendall. I was surprised to see the gates open and the drive clear and sanded. There were many cars already there. I supposed the weather brought out the sorrow and thoughts of mortality in a lot of us. I parked and walked carefully to Kendall’s burial plot. I passed a family putting toys on a child’s grave, an old man chipping ice off of a tombstone and a woman struggling with a child’s sand shovel and pail to unsuccessfully clear the ground around a monument.
At Kendall’s gravestone, I saw that someone had been there before me and had left a bouquet of roses. I walked around the monument and saw someone had spray-painted “sueeee” on the marble. I was instantly enraged, but like almost everything else, cleaning off the graffiti would have to wait until warmer temperatures. I took off my parka and draped it over the tombstone to cover the word painted in lurid red.
“How are you, Papa?” I said, then checked to make sure I wasn’t overheard. The cemetery was pristine. Not a single branch, twig, or tree out of place. Anger at the tombstone defacing kept me warm without my coat. “I don’t know how I’m doing.” I paced in a tight circuit as I spoke. “You know about all this mess?” I gestured to the threatening gray sky. “All this ice. Christ. The hospitals and nursing homes were in real danger for a while. The jail was too, but we don’t care about that, do we?” My laugh was a bark. “But other states delivered a shit ton of giant emergency generators, so no one died from loss of power. Just from murder.” I snorted another small laugh. “So that’s how the town is. I think I’m getting better. I believe I may actually be recovering after…after you…I mean…after you died.” I was able to say the word aloud, which was an improvement. “I just wish you hadn’t. Don’t you know I still need you?” As soon as I said it, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that I didn’t. I was okay on my own and that I was ready. Kendall left me in charge and I could do it. My knees gave out, and I sat in front of Papa’s stone, indifferent to the ice. “Well, I’ll miss you forever, you sumbitch.” I crossed my legs and sat smoking until the falling ice forced me to leave. I left my parka on the tombstone.
Epilogue
One bright morning, twenty-seven days after the initial ice storm, the sun emerged and stayed. People who had fled the state for the holidays returned home. The temps soared to the mid-thirties, and the ice melted like heavy spring rain. The gutters ran deep with icy rivers; the streets steamed with evaporation; the waterlogged dirt turned to soggy mud; people carried umbrellas in the sunshine to protect themselves from the melting downpour.
The airport opened at last, and Sophie and I chauffeured Alistair to his flight.
The ice moved east; turning to thunderstorms over the mid-southern states; the meteorologists gleefully predicted temperatures above freezing for the next two weeks.
Tulsa was stranded, a disaster area, sopping, soaking wet, and still mostly powerless. About a million and a half people were still without electricity. The interstate power crews remained on three round-the-clock shifts. The massive cleanup of the arboreal holocaust began. Chainsaws ran day and night from every direction. City parks were used as impromptu green dumps, and mountains of discarded wood grew. The tons of dead trees became so massive, they began to attract tourists. Insurance companies worked around the clock. Every person in Tulsa had at least one claim for damage. I packed a bag and unpacked it at Sophie’s, using one slim, shallow, hard-won drawer. Jesus Jim was caught in a sting of his own involving sex with men in the bathrooms of the courthouse. A new sheriff was appointed, and I made no effort to meet him.
My new phone rang. “Rogers!” I barked, clicking my Zippo and enjoying a smoke on Sophie’s shining, soaked patio. My coffee mug sent delicious curls of heat into the dripping air. Tree limbs crashed around me.
“A murder,” Chief said, “Little Mexico. Head over there now.”
“Yes, sir. On my way.”
The End
About the Author
Clara Nipper is a writer, and when not writing, she makes desserts and enlarges her certified wildlife habitat garden which is home to both humane beehives and happy hens. Clara installed a Little Free Library to serve the community with free books anytime. Clara also skates for Roughneck Roller Derby under the derby name Cat Owta Hell, and she sculls with Tulsa Rowing Club. Additionally, she has established Sounds Good Studios for which she is both narrator and producer. Like writing, Clara loves the work because she loves words and stories. www.claranipper.org
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
A Reunion to Remember by TJ Thomas. Reunited after a decade, Jo Adams and Rhonda Black must navigate a significant age difference, family dynamics, and their own desires and fears to explore an opportunity for love. (978-1-62639-534-3)
Built to Last by Aurora Rey. When Professor Olivia Bennett hires contractor Joss Bauer to restore her dilapidated farmhouse, she learns her heart, as much as her house, is in need of a renovation. (978-1-62639-552-7)
Capsized by Julie Cannon. What happens when a woman turns your life completely upside down? (978-1-62639-479-7)
Girls With Guns by Ali Vali, Carsen Taite, and Michelle Grubb. Three stories by three talented crime writers—Carsen Taite, Ali Vali, and Michelle Grubb—each packing her own special brand of heat. (978-1-6263
9-585-5)
Heartscapes by MJ Williamz. Will Odette ever recover her memory or is Jesse condemned to remember their love alone? (978-1-62639-532-9)
Murder on the Rocks by Clara Nipper. Detective Jill Rogers lives with two things on her mind: sex and murder. While an ice storm cripples Tulsa, two things stand in Jill’s way: her lover and the DA. (978-1-62639-600-5)
Necromantia by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When seeing dead people is more than a movie tagline. (978-1-62639-611-1)
Salvation by I. Beacham. Claire’s long-term partner now hates her, for all the wrong reasons, and she sees no future until she meets Regan, who challenges her to face the truth and find love. (978-1-62639-548-0)
Trigger by Jessica Webb. Dr. Kate Morrison races to discover how to defuse human bombs while learning to trust her increasingly strong feelings for the lead investigator, Sergeant Andy Wyles. (978-1-62639-669-2)
24/7 by Yolanda Wallace. When the trip of a lifetime becomes a pitched battle between life and death, will anyone survive? (978-1-62639-6-197)
A Return to Arms by Sheree Greer. When a police shooting makes national headlines, activists Folami and Toya struggle to balance their relationship and political allegiances, a struggle intensified after a fiery young artist enters their lives. (978-1-62639-6-814)
After the Fire by Emily Smith. Paramedic Connor Haus is convinced her time for love has come and gone, but when firefighter Logan Curtis comes into town, she learns it may not be too late after all. (978-1-62639-6-524)
Dian’s Ghost by Justine Saracen. The road to genocide is paved with good intentions. (978-1-62639-5-947)
Fortunate Sum by M. Ullrich. Financial advisor Catherine Carter lives a calculated life, but after a collision with spunky Imogene Harris (her latest client) and unsolicited predictions, Catherine finds herself facing an unexpected variable: Love. (978-1-62639-5-305)
Soul to Keep by Rebekah Weatherspoon. What won’t a vampire do for love… (978-1-62639-6-166)
When I Knew You by KE Payne. Eight letters, three friends, two lovers, one secret. Can the past ever be forgiven? (978-1-62639-5-626)
Wild Shores by Radclyffe. Can two women on opposite sides of an oil spill find a way to save both a wildlife sanctuary and their hearts? (978-1-62639-6-456)
Love on Tap by Karis Walsh. Beer and romance are brewing for Tace Lomond when archaeologist Berit Katsaros comes into her life. (987-1-162639-564-0)
Love on the Red Rocks by Lisa Moreau. An unexpected romance at a lesbian resort forces Malley to face her greatest fears where she must choose between playing it safe or taking a chance at true happiness. (987-1-162639-660-9)
Tracker and the Spy by D. Jackson Leigh. There are lessons for all when Captain Tanisha is assigned untried pyro Kyle and a lovesick dragon horse for a mission to track the leader of a dangerous cult. (987-1-162639-448-3)
Whirlwind Romance by Kris Bryant. Will chasing the girl break Tristan’s heart or give her something she’s never had before? (987-1-162639-581-7)
Whiskey Sunrise by Missouri Vaun. Culture and religion collide when Lovey Porter, daughter of a local Baptist minister, falls for the handsome thrill-seeking moonshine runner, Royal Duval. (987-1-162639-519-0)
Dyre: By Moon’s Light by Rachel E. Bailey. A young werewolf, Des, guards the aging leader of all the Packs: the Dyre. Stable employment—nice work, if you can get it…at least until silver bullets start to fly. (978-1-62639-6-623)
Fragile Wings by Rebecca S. Buck. In Roaring Twenties London, can Evelyn Hopkins find love with Jos Singleton or will the scars of the Great War crush her dreams? (978-1-62639-5-466)
Live and Love Again by Jan Gayle. Jessica Whitney could be Sarah Jarret’s second chance at love, but their differences and Sarah’s grief continue to come between their budding relationship. (978-1-62639-5-176)
Starstruck by Lesley Davis. Actress Cassidy Hayes and writer Aiden Darrow find out the hard way not all life-threatening drama is confined to the TV screen or the pages of a manuscript. (978-1-62639-5-237)
Stealing Sunshine by Tina Michele. Under the Central Florida sun, two women struggle between fear and love as a dangerous plot of deception and revenge threatens to steal priceless art and lives. (978-1-62639-4-452)
The Fifth Gospel by Michelle Grubb. Hiding a Vatican secret is dangerous—sharing the secret suicidal—can Felicity survive a perilous book tour, and will her PR specialist, Anna, be there when it’s all over? (978-1-62639-4-476)
Cold to the Touch by Cari Hunter. A drug addict’s murder is the start of a dangerous investigation for Detective Sanne Jensen and Dr. Meg Fielding, as they try to stop a killer with no conscience. (978-1-62639-526-8)
Forsaken by Laydin Michaels. The hunt for a killer teaches one woman that she must overcome her fear in order to love, and another that success is meaningless without happiness. (978-1-62639-481-0)
Infiltration by Jackie D. When a CIA breach is imminent, a Marine instructor must stop the attack while protecting her heart from being disarmed by a recruit. (978-1-62639-521-3)
Midnight at the Orpheus by Alyssa Linn Palmer. Two women desperate to make their way in the world, a man hell-bent on revenge, and a cop risking his career: all in a day’s work in Capone’s Chicago. (978-1-62639-607-4)
Spirit of the Dance by Mardi Alexander. Major Sorla Reardon’s return to her family farm to heal threatens Riley Johnson’s safe life when small-town secrets are revealed, and love may not conquer all. (978-1-62639-583-1)
Sweet Hearts by Melissa Brayden, Rachel Spangler, and Karis Walsh. Do you ever wonder Whatever happened to…? Find out when you reconnect with your favorite characters from Melissa Brayden’s Heart Block, Rachel Spangler’s LoveLife, and Karis Walsh’s Worth the Risk. (978-1-62639-475-9)
Totally Worth It by Maggie Cummings. Who knew there’s an all-lesbian condo community in the NYC suburbs? Join twentysomething BFFs Meg and Lexi at Bay West as they navigate friendships, love, and everything in between. (978-1-62639-512-1)
Illicit Artifacts by Stevie Mikayne. Her foster mother’s death cracked open a secret world Jil never wanted to see…and now she has to pick up the stolen pieces. (978-1-62639-472-8)
Pathfinder by Gun Brooke. Heading for their new homeworld, Exodus’s chief engineer Adina Vantressa and nurse Briar Lindemay carry game-changing secrets that may well cause them to lose everything when disaster strikes. (978-1-62639-444-5)
Prescription for Love by Radclyffe. Dr. Flannery Rivers finds herself attracted to the new ER chief, city girl Abigail Remy, and the incendiary mix of city and country, fire and ice, tradition and change is combustible. (978-1-62639-570-1)
Ready or Not by Melissa Brayden. Uptight Mallory Spencer finds relinquishing control to bartender Hope Sanders too tall an order in fast-paced New York City. (978-1-62639-443-8)
Summer Passion by MJ Williamz. Women loving women is forbidden in 1946 Hollywood, yet Jean and Maggie strive to keep their love alive and away from prying eyes. (978-1-62639-540-4)
The Princess and the Prix by Nell Stark. “Ugly duckling” Princess Alix of Monaco was resigned to loneliness until she met racecar driver Thalia d’Angelis. (978-1-62639-474-2)
Winter’s Harbor by Aurora Rey. Lia Brooks isn’t looking for love in Provincetown, but when she discovers chocolate croissants and pastry chef Alex McKinnon, her winter retreat quickly starts heating up. (978-1-62639-498-8)
The Time Before Now by Missouri Vaun. Vivian flees a disastrous affair, embarking on an epic, transformative journey to escape her past, until destiny introduces her to Ida, who helps her rediscover trust, love, and hope. (978-1-62639-446-9)
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