The Elephant Bowl

by Charles Prandy

  He swooped me off my feet as if he was Prince Charming and I was Cinderella. His eyes were the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The way he said my name nearly made me want to jump into his arms. I so hope that I get to see him again.

  That was it, the end of the entry. August scrunched her brow and wondered who Mia was talking about. Was it someone she knew? Three entries later, ‘April 28, 2009’, Mia titled her entry, ‘It’s Him Again’.

  Today was one of the best days of my life. I saw my Prince Charming again. He looked so mature in his suede blazer. Goosebumps ran across my body when he recognized me. We talked a bit, and he told me to call him if I ever needed anything. Today was the best day ever!

  Another short entry, August noted. The entries where she talked about her friends or family went on for a few paragraphs, but the entries about this mystery man were only a few sentences. Does it mean anything? August picked up another donut and bit into it. Who was this guy who had Mia so excited? Was it just a high school crush or something more? August read for another hour, hoping to learn more about the mystery guy. There was no shortage of entries about him. The passages became more intense as the weeks progressed, and August found it odd that Mia still never mentioned the guy’s name. When August had asked her mom about boyfriends, he hadn’t come up. It seemed likely Mia was hiding him, but why?

  August turned to another entry dated, ‘July 12, 2009’, entitled, ‘We Became One’.

  I wish that I could share this great news with my mother, but I know she won’t understand. It’d be hard for her to understand how deeply in love we are. She’d say that I’m too young to be in love, and that there’s no way we can be together. But shouldn’t love conquer all? I know that everyone has flaws, but he’s perfect for me, no matter what. Today, I showed him how perfect we were together. Today, I gave myself to him. It was the best experience I’ve ever had. My friends told me that the first time always hurts, but it didn’t for me. He was perfect. I can’t wait to do it again.

  “Wow,” August said.

  She read on for another forty-five minutes, folding pages for later reference, until she came to the final entry. She looked at the date above the last entry and saw that it was, ‘September 7, 2009’, two days before Mia had gone missing.

  “Hmm,” she said to herself. “Interesting.”

  The title of the last entry was, ‘He Loves Me’.

  Today was a beautiful day. We made love for over an hour, and he assured me that I was the only one he’s ever loved. My heart is filled with so much joy, but at the same time, I feel bad for keeping my mom in the dark. But we plan on telling everyone of our love very soon. He’s truly a blessing, and I’m not sure where I’d be without him. I told him that he was my Prince Charming and I was his Cinderella, but he told me that I was his Superwoman and he was my Superman. I can’t wait for everyone to know.

  August closed the diary. She inhaled, trying to soak in the past two hours. Mia had been having a secret relationship for a few months, right before she went missing. How could no one have figured out who this guy was? How could no one have known about him? He took her virginity, for God’s sake. August began furiously scribbling notes, but a sudden jolt of realization caused her to drop her pen.

  “Holy shit.” She went back to the last entry. “Can’t be.” She found the final entry and re-read it as if she were reading an ancient scroll. “Can’t be,” she said again.

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning, August drove back to the Clarks’ home. It was a little after 8:30 in the morning when she got there, and she noted that there were no work trucks in the driveway or along the street. She rang the doorbell, and Briley Clark answered with a warm smile.

  “Detective Miller?”

  “Hi, Mrs. Clark. I was wondering if I could speak with you and your husband for a minute?”

  “Oh, Justin’s at work, but you’re more than welcome to come in.” Briley led her into the living room and told her to have a seat. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “No, I’m fine, thanks.”

  “You caught me right on time; I just got back from dropping our girls off at school.”

  “How old are they, again?”

  “Nine and seven.”

  “That’s a fun age.”

  Briley leaned in, saying, “I’ve gotta tell you, I had the hardest time sleeping last night. I mean, nobody buys a house expecting to find a body in the backyard. Creeps me out just thinking about it.”

  “That’s actually why I’m here.”

  Briley smiled, “Okay.”

  “I found out who the remains belong to.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “She was a seventeen-year-old girl who went missing seven years ago.”

  “Missing? Seven years ago? Jesus.”

  “Does the name, ‘Mia Matthews’ mean anything to you?”

  “Was that her name?”

  August nodded.

  Briley shook her head, saying, “Can’t say that it does.”

  August studied her reaction and determined that Briley appeared genuine.

  “What about your husband? What time will he be home?”

  “Justin? Early afternoon; he only teaches two classes today.”

  “Teaches?”

  “He’s an adjunct professor at Montgomery College.”

  Hearing Briley say the word ‘professor’ triggered an idea in August’s head.

  “How long has he been teaching?”

  “Well, he’s only been at Montgomery College for about four years. He’s currently working on his PhD.”

  “And before that?”

  “He was a high school substitute teacher for a few years, while he was working on his master’s.”

  “Did he ever sub at Montgomery Blair High School?”

  “Possibly. Wherever the county needed him, he’d go.”

  August looked off momentarily and began thinking about the diary entries. A few in particular now stood out to her. He looked so mature in his suede blazer, and, The way he said my name nearly made me want to jump into his arms. I so hope that I get to see him again. August hadn’t been able to figure out why Mia never mentioned the guy’s name, but maybe now she knew.

  “Detective Miller?” Briley’s voice brought her out of thought. “Why are you asking so much about Justin?”

  “Just doing my job, that’s all. I’m gathering background information, since the body was discovered in your yard.”

  Briley nodded.

  “I understand. Kind of like how one spouse is initially the suspect, if the other ends up dead.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Well, I can assure you that we’d never been to this house until the realtor showed it to us.”

  “I figured as much, but I still need to cross you guys off my list.” August stood up and thanked Briley for her hospitality. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to come back this evening and speak with Justin.”

  “Not at all.”

  Briley led August to the door. As she walked to her car, August already knew that she had no plans on waiting until the evening.

  Chapter Ten

  On her first visit to the Clarks’, they had given August their realtor’s name. Pulling away from the house, August dialed Sunshine Realty Group and asked to speak to Diane Fable. Diane’s assistant placed August on hold, and a minute later, a soft voice with a southern accent came on the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Ms. Fable, this is Detective Miller. I understand you were the realtor who sold Justin and Briley Clark their home?”

  “Yes, I am. I saw the news yesterday, and I was in complete shock. I called and left Justin and Briley a message telling them to call me if they needed anything. Such a tragedy.”

  “Did you know much about the home, or the family who used to own it?”

  “Very little. They were an older couple who had a son. The son couldn’t afford the home after the parents passed, from what I understo
od.”

  August nodded as if she were face-to-face with Diane.

  “Who handled the estate sale?”

  “The brother of one of the owners. He was an attorney who lived out of state.”

  August sighed; she hadn’t expected to learn much from the realtor, but she’d had a glimmer of hope that maybe something would fall into her lap.

  “Okay,” August said. “Thanks for taking my call. Briley said that you worked hard at finding them this home. If you happen to think of anything, please give me a call.”

  Diane hesitated before responding.

  “Actually, Detective Miller, I didn’t find them the home. Justin Clark was the one who told me about it.”

  If August had been drinking anything, she would have spit it out.

  “Sorry, what’d you say?”

  “We’d been searching for a while with no luck. Sometimes, it’s like that. Home after home, Justin found something wrong with each one. Then, one day, he called and said that he’d received a tip about that property. He didn’t want Briley to know that the tip came from him, so he asked to keep it between us. We agreed that I’d take the credit for finding the house.”

  “Why? Did he say how he knew?”

  “No, just that the estate was about to put it up for sale.”

  August’s thoughts trailed off, so much so that she had to slam on her brakes to avoid running through a red light.

  “Thank you for your time, Ms. Fable. You’ve been a lot of help.”

  “Give my best to them, will you?”

  August nonchalantly agreed, but her mind had drifted to Justin Clark as she hung up. The light changed to green and she slowly pressed on the accelerator. Thought after thought ran through her mind. How did Justin know the house was an estate sale? How did he know the Rubensteins? Did he know Marshall? Could they have done this together? August dialed Montgomery College and found out that Justin worked at the Rockville campus. Montgomery College was a two-year college with three campuses in Montgomery County. The Rockville campus was the largest of the three.

  Her trip through Rockville took longer than she wanted, as the congestion along the roadway was at a constant high. It took her nearly thirty minutes to reach the campus, which the locals called ‘Harvard of the pike’. August wasn’t sure where the nickname came from, as Montgomery College wasn’t anything near Harvard. Once out of her car and on campus, it seemed as crowded as the roadway. She weaved through crowds of students, accepting the constant ‘sorry’s whenever someone bumped into her as they headed from one class to the next.

  She found the humanities building and took the elevator to the second floor. Down the hallway and to the right, she found Justin Clark’s room. There was a window in the top half of the door, and she stood for a moment and watched as Justin gave a lecture. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he paced the room back and forth. When he turned towards her, he glanced at the door, and the two made instant eye contact. His eyes momentarily widened, and he stopped short in what he was saying. His reaction wasn’t enough to convict him in a court of law, but it convinced August that her suspicions were right.

  The pause prompted the class to look towards the door, and August felt every eye on her. Justin attempted to continue his lecture, but every other word he would look back at August. Finally, she reached for the doorknob, slowly turned and pushed open the door. An eerie silence fell over the room, and goosebumps crawled up August’s arms.

  “Detective Miller?” Justin said.

  “Hello, Mr. Clark.”

  August heard one of the students gulp.

  “Mind if we have a chat outside?” she asked.

  Justin looked at his watch. His hand shook slightly, and he adjusted his glasses. He cleared his throat and then fumbled his first word.

  “I’ve got about fifteen minutes left. Can it wait?”

  “I have to insist it be now.”

  August glanced at the young eyes that looked at her. This wasn’t how she’d planned it, but since all attention was on her, this was how it had to be.

  “Okay,” Justin said. “Let me just grab my things.”

  He looked towards the class before turning for his belongings and giving them a half-smile, half-nod. He then turned towards his desk and fiddled with his work bag. August stepped back towards the door and was about to open it when Justin spoke up.

  “I’m sorry, Detective, but I can’t go.”

  “Sorry?” August said, not sure she’d heard him right.

  Justin reached into his bag and pulled out a black .22 caliber handgun. Some of the students screamed, while others gasped. August’s eyes widened, and she felt adrenaline surge through her body. She quickly reached for her weapon and had it aimed at her suspect within seconds. Justin raised the gun to his temple.

  “Mr. Clark,” August demanded, “put down the gun.”

  Whimpers came from the kids in the room. Justin closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

  “I didn’t mean to kill her.”

  “Mr. Clark, please, for the sake of your students, put down your gun,” she said, low and calm.

  She glanced at the students. They couldn’t hide their fear; most ducked down next to their chairs, while others placed their hands over their faces.

  “She wouldn’t listen,” he said. “I tried to break it off.”

  “Mr. Clark, whatever happened, we can work it out, but I need you to calm down. I need you to drop your weapon.” He didn’t respond. “Mr. Clark, please open your eyes and look at your students. You’re scaring them. You’re scaring me.”

  August wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but she was afraid that these kids would see a horror that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Justin Clark slowly opened his eyes. They shifted from the students to August and then back to the students. For a moment, August thought that seeing them in their frightened state might cause him to lower his gun. His face softened and his grip on the gun shifted.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Tell my wife that I adore her.”

  A loud bang shook the classroom, and the kids began to scream.

  Chapter Eleven

  August fired first, striking Justin Clark in the right shoulder and rocking him back. He dropped the gun, and August charged him, tackling him over his desk. She wrestled his arms behind his back and wrapped his hands in cuffs before he had a chance to try and overpower her.

  “Call an ambulance,” she yelled to the students.

  She leapt up and found his weapon, securing it. Only then did she gather her breath.

  “Everyone all right?” she asked.

  A few faintly confirmed they were, but most of the students were stunned. August looked down at Justin, who was lying in a pool of blood. She took off her jacket, knelt down and applied pressure to the wound.

  Lying there, he kept whispering, “I’m sorry.”

  Within a few days of the shooting, Justin Clark agreed to tell August what had happened. He didn’t want a lawyer present, saying that the murder had been eating him up for the past seven years. It had all started when he was assigned to fill in for a history teacher who taught twelfth-grade American history at Montgomery Blair High School. Mia Matthews had instantly caught his attention. She was beautiful and personable; he and Briley had only been married a couple of years, but something about Mia kept his attention.

  A few weeks had gone by, and he had again been asked to sub for the same teacher. He remembered her, and she remembered him. Against his better judgment, he’d given her his cell number and said to call if she ever needed anything. Looking back, he admitted that was the worst mistake he’d ever made. Mia called him a few days later, and he’d known what he had done was wrong, but his attraction to her had stifled any comprehensible sanity.

  The first time they’d met up had been at a small coffee shop, where they talked for hours. He’d told her that it wouldn’t look good if she said anything about their meeting; she was underage, and he
was married, and she’d agreed to keep their rendezvous a secret. The more they’d secretly met, the closer they’d become, until their casual meetings became sexual. They’d enjoyed each other for months, until Justin received news from his wife that he was going to be a father again.

  Justin had told Mia that they couldn’t see each other anymore; that their relationship had to stop. It had been hard for Mia, Justin said, but at first she understood. Days had gone by, and he hadn’t heard from her. Then she’d called and said that she couldn’t let him go. She’d restated everything that he’d said to her; all of the times he’d said he loved her, and all of the times that he’d said they’d be together, one day. Finally, she’d threatened to tell Briley about the affair, and that’s when Justin caved in. He’d agreed to meet at a secluded location, and he’d killed her.

  He’d buried her body where it would never be found; where it had laid for six years. From time to time, he’d visited the burial site, always feeling guilty about what he’d done. He’d wanted her to be found, to be put to rest, but he hadn’t known how to do it without implicating himself. Then, one day, a year before the house went to the estate, a co-worker had mentioned that a friend of his parents had passed away and that the house was probably going to be an estate sale. The house had sat empty for several months, and Justin had devised a plan to move Mia’s body to the backyard, purchase the house and then dig up the yard, in hopes that her body would be found. There was, he had decided, no way that the police would suspect him of any wrongdoing, especially when the son of the former homeowners was a convict.