by VC Angell
Jim went back to the newspaper office, very pleased with himself.
* * *
Christmas came and went. Jim had found a small ceramic Christmas tree and put it on a table in the living room. That was his sole Christmas decoration for the year. He decided he would wait until New Year’s had come and gone before putting it away.
* * *
It was New Year’s Eve day when Jim found Laura at the Country Kettle. He invited her to spend New Year’s Eve with him, and she accepted. Jim was glad because Carol was once more going home for the holiday. Laura and Jim decided they could reminisce after he finished his shopping. He stopped the hardware store for a new extension cord, did some grocery shopping, and went to the town’s liquor store.
On the way out to Jim’s place, Laura said, “You’ll have a bad reputation being seen with me as you shopped.”
“You’re my friend. Let them talk all they want.”
Laura shrugged, “You’ll find there are some nasty people in this town.”
“So be it!”
* * *
“I saw Jim Waterman at the liquor store with Laura Peterson,” Pam said.
Ted Erickson frowned and said, “Doesn’t he know what she is?”
“I’m sure he does. He might be horny.”
“You shouldn’t use that kind of language.”
“Geez, dad, I’m an adult. I know the facts of life. I was married. He’s only human,” Pam said.
* * *
Laura helped Jim with supper. She peeled some potatoes and helped with the salad. Jim fried the pork chops they’d have for supper while Laura set the table. After the pork chops were done, Jim made gravy using the pan drippings, flour, and some water.
They ate in silence. The silence seemed too intimate for Jim.” What did you do for Christmas?”
“I have a customer whose wife died several years ago. He has been such a consistent customer that I promised him I would spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with him as my Christmas present to him.”
“That was nice of you.”
“It was Christmas. I didn’t have anything or anyone to give a present to, so to make it feel more like Christmas, that’s what I did.”
“Are you going to make any New Year’s resolutions?”
“No, it will be the same old same old for me. How about you?”
“I guess it’s the same for me because I promised to learn how to run the Journal. I can’t screw things up, or the will paper fold,” Jim said.
“You were always smart in school. I’m sure you’ll do okay.”
Jim admired the single-minded approach Laura had with the food in front of her. He had the unvoiced question of when she had last had a good meal. He said, “How about we make some brownies after supper?”
Laura looked at Jim instead of her plate, “That sounds like fun. I don’t remember the last time I had a brownie.”
“It’s just a mix in a box right now, but it is a name brand, so it should be good.”
After supper, they cleaned up the table, and Jim got out the box of brownie mix. “It calls for a 9 x 9-inch pan. I am not sure where the baking pans are kept. Why don’t you look over there near the stove? I know I saw some pans here in the cupboard,” Jim said, pointing.
It was Laura who found the pan. Her childlike delight at finding the pan and helping with the brownie mix disturbed Jim. He wondered, “How could her very adult occupation leave her so childlike?”
Laura was blissfully unaware of Jim’s thoughts as she set about greasing the pan for the brownies. It didn’t take them long to prepare the next and put it in the oven.
Laura asked, “Could we have some milk with the brownies when they come out?”
“Sure, I got a whole gallon today. That’s a great idea. It’s better than coffee. It’ll remind me more of when I was a kid,” Jim said.
“Me too! Getting out the pan and mixing up the brownies made me feel like a kid again.”
They waited five minutes after the brownies came out of the oven before trying to cut them. The brownies were still quite warm and gooey. Laura managed to get goo from the brownies on her upper lip. She giggled at that, and Jim once more wondered about her childlike reactions.
After they finished their brownies and milk, they went into the living room and turned the TV set on. The New Year’s Eve count-down show had not begun. They reminisced about their high school days until the show started. Jim asked, “Since it’s New Year’s Eve, would you like something to drink?”
“No, I don’t like the way it makes me feel. My world is fucked up enough without that.”
“You wouldn’t mind if I got some scotch on the rocks for me?”
Mischievously Laura said, “I know where your bedroom is. I’ll put you to bed and tuck you in if you get too much to drink.”
“I won’t drink that much. It just seems that New Year’s Eve calls for a drink.”
Jim got his drink, and they talked about the celebrities on the New Year’s Eve show. They watched the New Year arrive in New York. They decided they’d stay up until it reached midnight in Minnesota.
“While we wait, would you mind if I took a shower?” Laura said.
“No,” Jim said, standing up, “Follow me, and I’ll get you towels and things.”
There was a linen closet between the bedroom and the bathroom facing the hall. Jim opened it and said, “Pick whatever towels you need. There’s a bottle of shower soap in the shower. It’s easy on the skin. That’s why I like it. Anything else?”
“Do you mind if I take a washcloth?”
Again, Jim was reminded of the childlike nature of Laura. “Go ahead. If you need anything else, just holler. I’ll be in the living room.”
In a quiet moment on the television show, Jim thought he could hear Laura singing. He picked up the remote and muted the TV. The song was familiar, but Jim couldn’t remember its name. He continued to listen until he heard the shower stop along with her singing. He unmuted the television. He was watching the New Year’s Eve proceedings when he heard, “Jim?”
He turned towards the hall leading to the bedrooms and bath. Laura was standing there with a towel wrapped around her head and nothing more.
“If I’m going to spend the night here, I’ll need a T-shirt or something to sleep in. What have you got?” Laura asked.
Jim appeared to be in thought when he was looking at the many bruises on her body in actuality. Some were fresh, and some were the sickly yellow-green of healing bruises. He got up, “Why don’t I see what I can find for you?” As he passed Laura, he could smell the bath soap. He motioned her to follow. Once in the bedroom, he opened a dresser drawer and asked, “Will one of these do?”
“Let’s see,” Laura took the T-shirt and held it up in front of her saying, “It looks good. Before I put it on, do you want to fuck me?” Then Laura quickly added, “It’s free for you. It will always be free for you.”
Jim was too surprised to answer immediately. He realized he should’ve told Laura that his offer to spend New Year’s Eve with him didn’t include sex. What came out of his mouth next surprised him as much as did Laura, “I could never fuck you. I would want to make love to you in the best way I know.”
Laura’s lips formed an O. Then Jim could see tears starting to form. Without thinking, he put his arms around Laura and held her. He could feel her tears falling on his shirt. She hugged him even closer. “What had he said?” Jim thought. Laura held him tight for what seemed like a long time. His shirt was getting wet with her tears as he could feel her warm body pressed up against him.
Finally, Laura leaned back and looked up at Jim and said, “I’m sorry I’m crying. I know I’m just a silly girl.”
“You’re not silly. What did I say that made you cry?”
“You said you wanted to make love to me. When we dated in high school, that’s all I wanted from you on every date. Nobody’s ever made love to me. They just fuck me.”
Jim didn’t answer her dir
ectly but instead asked, pointing at bruises on her breast, “Are these from your customers?”
“Sure, I couldn’t figure it out at first. I finally got the computer and looked at porn to see if there was something I could learn. I figured that’s how guys learn nowadays. Have you ever looked at porn?” Laura asked.
“Yes, I think everyone has.”
“I think you hit the nail on the head. Guys get the idea they have to slap your ass, squeeze your tits hard like squeezing an Apple, or fuck you in the ass, or choke you. That’s how I got the bruises.”
Jim couldn’t believe how quickly Laura had gone from a crying little girl to a hard-nosed woman. He said, “It never made sense to me either. If you’re making love to someone, you want to be gentle and considerate and give them the best experience you can.”
Jim’s comments were the catalyst for another round of tears. Laura hugged him so hard he could feel her sobs throughout his body. He said, “I did it again. Didn’t I?”
Laura said something that Jim couldn’t make out. More out of instinct than reason, Jim gently put his hand under her chin and lifted her face before kissing her on the lips. She returned the kiss with a ferocity that he had never felt before.
After the kiss, Laura looked at him and asked, “Would you make love to me tonight?”
Jim’s reply was to lean down and kissed her nipple and then gently suck on it.
Laura said, “Let’s go into your bedroom.”
Chapter 7
The following day as they ate breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, Laura said, “Thank you for last night. I enjoyed it, and even more, I appreciated it. I don’t think anyone has ever treated me that gently before.”
“I guess I owed it to you as I didn’t realize what you wanted when we were in high school,” Jim said.
“You know we can’t fall in love, don’t you?”
“What do you mean? Why can’t we fall in love?”
“I’m the town whore, and you run the newspaper. It’s okay if people think you’re just fucking me because you are single. If they think there’s something serious between us, you will lose all the respect of the town,” Laura said.
The innocent little girl Jim thought so much of was gone again and replaced by the hard-edged woman he was learning to hate. He said, “I’ll have to think about that.”
“If it makes it any easier for you, you can have me anytime for free,” Laura said.
* * *
When he returned to work after the New Year celebrations, Jim was soon overwhelmed by work at the newspaper. The paper couldn’t fail. It was near the end of January when the sheriff called Jim.
“Mr. Waterman, I have some bad news,” the sheriff said.
“It’s Jim, please. What’s the bad news?”
“Okay, Jim. The toxicology report came back. Your brother had something in his stomach and in his bloodstream that would have rendered him unconscious. Someone shot him while he was out. We’re not sure if he was shot in the woods or if he was killed elsewhere. Either way, it’s murder. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” the sheriff said.
Jim tried to process what the sheriff had told him before answering, “That’s okay. You’re doing your job. God! Damn! It doesn’t make any fucking sense!”
The sheriff replied, “I think it was that editorial.”
“I read it. Why would somebody kill my brother? He didn’t mention names. I can’t even figure out who he might be talking about after reading everything I found here at the paper.”
“That editorial spooked someone enough for them to kill your brother, so it’s probably a good thing you can’t figure it out. Would you be willing to turn over everything you found to me?”
“Certainly, you know more what’s going on than I do. Maybe you can make sense out of the things I found,” Jim said.
“I’ve got some resources I can tap to help me. If nothing more, they can tell me what we might need to make an arrest and get a conviction.”
“Alma is such a small town. I looked at all the people on the redevelopment committee. They would all benefit in one way or another, even me, if the town grew. That makes sense. I would think it would take major bucks to murder someone. The dollars just aren’t there from everything I read. I’ll be glad to give you the big file folder I have. Do you want me to bring it over to you?” Jim asked.
“No, I’ll send a deputy to pick it. I know you run a newspaper. Do you want the autopsy made public?”
“I don’t see any reason not to. It might even make somebody nervous.”
“I tend to agree with you. Send one of your reporters over to see me. I’ll give them a good story.”
They chatted for a few moments, and then both went on their way. Jim picked up the phone and asked Helen to have Will come to see him.
“You wanted to see me?” Will said, standing in the door.
“Yes, have a seat. I got a call this morning from the sheriff, and the toxicology report showed that my brother was killed not by accident but on purpose. It was something in his blood and stomach they picked up on. The sheriff’s agreed to be interviewed about the autopsy report.”
Will shook his head, “Damn, that’s gotta hurt. What do you want me to do?”
“Who would be best to go interview the sheriff about the autopsy?”
“It would be Julie. She’s got a real knack for drawing people out in an interview. This is gonna be a big story, so I think we should send Joe along to get some pictures.”
“Whatever you think is best. Remember, I’m still a rookie here. The only reason I’m sitting in this chair is the stock I own in the paper,” Jim said.
Will smiled at him, “I have a feeling your rookie status won’t last long. Anyway, this story will be the biggest thing in years.”
“I agree. I have to see Sally as soon as possible and give her the news before reading the paper. They might have been divorced, but I got the feeling that Sally still had feelings for Alex.”
“I never understood how that happened. They went from a happy couple to divorce overnight. It’s just plain screwy,” Will frowned and shook his head.
“I don’t know either. I tried to talk to Sally, but she wouldn’t say anything.”
Will stood up and said, “I’ll go talk to Julie and Joe. If they go over to the sheriff’s offices today, we can rearrange the front page and lead with her interview and any pictures we can get.”
Jim watched Will leave. He picked up the phone and dialed Sally’s number.
“Good morning Sally, this is Jim. I got news from the sheriff this morning, and I would like to see you and pass it along. Can I come over?”
There was a pause before Sally said, “Yes, I think I know what you’re going to tell me.”
“I’ll be right over,” Jim hung up the phone. He wondered what Sally thought the sheriff had told him.
* * *
Sally greeted Jim with a stony face and led him into the living room.
“I’m sorry, Sally, but there’s no way to break this news to you gently. Alex was murdered. He had been given something that would make him unconscious. The sheriff isn’t sure if he was killed elsewhere and dumped in the woods or if he was dumped in the woods and then shot.”
“Alex thought he was in danger. It is the reason we divorced. Alex insisted on the divorce, so no one could use me to influence him.” Sally said, not looking at Jim.
“Did he say who might put you in danger?”
Sally shook her head no and said, “He wouldn’t even tell me who he found. He told me the less I knew, the better it would be for me.”
Jim sat and thought before answering, “We are going to do an article on the autopsy and its findings. I’ll make sure the article says that you knew nothing about the editorial. That should protect you.”
“You are an awful lot like your brother. You are both kind and considerate of everyone around you, but there’s a fact that you need to know. I still loved him,” Sally said.
“No, nothing I can think of,” Sally said.
Jim could see Sally was on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry to be a bearer of bad news for you. If there’s anything I can do – anything – don’t hesitate to call me. I think I should get back to the paper.” On his way to the car, Jim thought, “What the hell is going on. She still loved him? It doesn’t make sense.”
* * *
Back at the newspaper, Jim stopped by Will’s desk, “We have to make it clear that Sally didn’t know why Alex had said what he did in the editorial. With a killer on the loose, we have to protect her.”
Will nodded his agreement and said, “That makes sense. I’ll tell Julie she can work it in something like, ‘His ex-wife said she doesn’t know anything about the editorial,’ and something like they haven’t communicated much since the divorce.”
“That should work.”
* * *
The Journal’s front-page article about the autopsy with pictures of the sheriff was a shock to the town. Even the television news team from the Twin Cities area sent a news crew to interview the sheriff.
Elsewhere in Alma, a well-respected community leader realized some loose ends needed to be taken care of very soon.
* * *
The kerfuffle over the autopsy results faded, and life for Jim settled into a routine. He was no closer to solving the problem of saving the Journal. He and Pam had spent other nights together. A real friendship was developing between them. They called it friends with benefits. He saw Laura off and on around the town. She insisted she must keep her distance from Jim. It seemed to Jim that it was hard ever to have another date with Carol. She always seemed to be busy. Jim decided she wasn’t interested in him and stopped asking her for a date.
One morning the sheriff called Jim. “I’d like to get that file back to you that you let us have.”
“Did you find anything to help?” Jim asked.
“No, it is the opinion of the investigators that there’s a key piece of information missing. They say that because there’s no motive, they can’t discover for his killer.”