Her Own Drum

by Ali Franklin

  Ryan nodded. “It’s because she was the victim’s ex-girlfriend.”

  “She was the victim’s ex…” His comment faded. Ryan watched his face.

  Wrinkled nose, tight lips: disgust.

  The big man placed both meaty hands on his desk and stood. “Ms. McCabe, I’m sorry you drove all the way out here for nothing.” He moved around the edge of the desk and gently motioned for Ryan to stand.

  “What?” she asked, blinking.

  “This is a state office. I cannot comment on anything to do with an ongoing criminal investigation. I’m sure you understand.”

  He ushered her out of his office and into the reception area.

  “Mr. Alcon,” she said. He shook his head and walked her to the front door. He looked at her again.

  “I’m sure you understand.”

  18

  Ryan spent the rest of the workday replaying the conversation with Todd Alcon in her head. On two occasions, Helen had walked into Ryan’s office to find the dean with her elbows on her desk, chin cupped in her hands, staring out the window.

  “Ryan,” she said the second time, snapping her fingers. “You have to let go of that conversation. You don’t even know the detectives would have listened to him. You haven’t lost anything.”

  “It feels like I have.”

  “I hope you find something useful soon,” Helen said. “It will be a lot harder for you to spend time helping Grace when summer classes start next week.”

  Helen was right. Ryan needed something big, something concrete she could hand to Trainor before her “mini-vacation” ended.

  She got up and started pacing, thinking back to nine days ago, the day she discovered Cora’s body. Ryan knew Grace had been working from home that afternoon and that Abby’s whereabouts were unknown at the time in question. Ryan wasn’t particularly fond of Abby, but was the campus controller really a viable suspect?

  Who else did not have an alibi? Who had the detectives neglected to ask? She walked in circles around her office, thinking about everyone she knew who might have had something against Cora, but five o’clock arrived with no other suspects coming to mind.

  Helen knocked on her door to say good-night. Ryan was glad for the interruption. She packed up her laptop, said goodnight to a few other staff members, and drove to the county jail.

  On this visit, she was shown into a large room with multiple tables and chairs, all of which were empty. Grace entered, hands cuffed in front of her. The guard took up a position just inside the door.

  Ryan stood to give her friend a hug. It was returned as well as could be expected, considering the restraints. They held hands as they sat across the table from each other.

  “It is so good to see you,” said Ryan. “It feels like it’s been a long time. I’m sorry.” She remembered the guilty feelings she had experienced at lunch with Teddy the day before.

  “It’s good to see you, too,” said Grace. “Thanks for coming. One of the weirdest things about this place is how boring my days usually are. This is a wonderful surprise.” Grace looked up at the clock. “They’re only supposed to give us fifteen minutes, but I’ve kind of gotten to know that guard. If we don’t cause any trouble, she will probably let us stay a little longer.”

  Ryan smiled. “Making friends?”

  “Ha, ha,” said Grace. “In the big house,” she said with a wink, “ya gotta do whatchya gotta do.” Then her face turned serious. “I haven’t talked with Sam since Monday. Have you found out anything new about the case?”

  “No.” Ryan paused, forehead creased. “I went to see Todd Alcon today.”

  “You did?” said Grace, eyes wide.

  “I thought he could be a good character witness for you. I thought if he would talk to Trainor and Prieto, they might stop thinking of you as Public Enemy Number One.”

  “What did he say?”

  Another visitor was shown into the big room. He sat at the table farthest from the two women. Ryan took a deep breath.

  “Does Todd know you’re a lesbian?”

  Grace shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I haven’t actively kept it from him, but it never came up in conversation.”

  They watched as another prisoner was brought in. She must have been accused of a lesser crime than Grace, as her hands swung free. She strutted slowly across the room and joined the man at the other table. They sat in silence. Grace switched chairs so she and Ryan could speak more privately.

  “I might have outed you today,” said Ryan. A look flashed across Grace’s face and was gone in an instant. Narrowed eyes, crinkled nose: anger. It passed almost instantly, leaving Ryan wondering if she had misread it. “I’m really sorry if it causes any problems at work.”

  “I don’t think it will,” said Grace. She forced a smile, but the markers for happiness weren’t there.

  Ryan told Grace about the abrupt ending to her conversation with Todd that morning. Grace frowned, then patted Ryan’s hands.

  “It’s done, and you couldn’t have known he would react that way.” Grace glanced at the clock. “Besides, I have a feeling things are going to turn out all right.”

  “Really?” said Ryan. “Sorry. I mean, yes, I think so, too. I just got the feeling the other day that you were kind of down about how things were going.”

  “I was,” said Grace. “It’s easy to get depressed in here. But let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about what we’re going to do when I get out of here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I want to take you on a date,” said Grace, squeezing Ryan’s hands in hers. “The kind of date you will never forget – one that lands at the top of your ‘Best Dates Ever’ list.”

  Ryan’s eyes went wide. This woman had a way of making her blood run faster.“Wow. What do you have in mind?” They spent the next few minutes debating the merits of dinner and a show versus breakfast and a hike.

  “Who says we can’t do both?” asked Grace. “Dinner, a show, a nice evening, then breakfast and a hike when we wake up?”

  They discussed walking on the beach versus climbing mountains. They talked about a quick trip to Mexico. In the end they decided they would take things as they came.

  “You’ll spoil me,” said Ryan, squeezing Grace’s hands again.

  “I’ll try.”

  They sat grinning at each other until the guard stepped over to tell them their time was up. They stood and embraced. Grace reached up and lightly touched Ryan’s cheek. She leaned in and pressed her lips gently to Ryan’s. Ryan’s lips tingled as she leaned in.

  The guard coughed.

  Ryan drove home with butterflies in her stomach. She hadn’t felt excited about going out with someone in years. She hadn’t even wanted to go out with someone in years. But Grace was different somehow. She and Grace were so compatible, so in sync.

  Ryan didn’t have any illusions that she and Grace would never disagree. But it was nice that they felt so comfortable together. And now they were planning they time they would spend together when all this was over. The thought made her smile.

  Teddy left the top down as she pulled her Mini Cooper into the garage that night. She jumped out and reached into the back seat for the groceries. She’d picked up red snapper and fresh vegetables for dinner. On a whim, she had stopped at Kincaid’s for a key lime pie. Tonight was going to be fun; she and Summer were going to plan their big trip to New York City later in the summer.

  Fred and Ginger heard her entrance and were now daintily pacing along the back of the big yellow couch in the living room.

  “Hello, my beauties,” she said, “I hope you had a lovely day.” She walked over to the couch and ran her hand down each cat’s back before returning to the kitchen. “I brought you a treat tonight. Fresh tuna.”

  They leapt to the buffet in the breakfast nook, licking their lips and circling their bowls. Teddy unwrapped the butcher paper around the tuna steak and broke off a few pieces for each of them, cutting the larger ones wit
h a fork as she checked for bones. The felines were surprisingly patient as she went through these motions, but dug in as soon as her hands were clear of the bowls.

  “Wow,” she said, laughing,. “Poor fish didn’t have a chance.”

  The snapper and asparagus wouldn’t take long to cook, so she decided to set the table before starting. And because she wanted Summer in an agreeable mood when she pitched her idea to stay in New York for an extra week this year, Teddy set out the good china. Summer always said, “What good are good dishes if you don’t use them?” Tonight they would.

  Teddy brought out the silver candlesticks for good measure. After filling them with new white tapers, she set out the silverware and napkins. Everything looked beautiful. She connected her speaker to her phone and set it to play Lake Street Dive. The music would provide a nice background to their dinner and negotiations.

  Teddy walked down the hall to her study and retrieved the brochures she had gathered. Summer was always so good about going to shows every day and night while they were in the city because she knew how much Teddy liked them. This year, Teddy wanted to surprise her partner with ideas for other activities that were more Summer’s style.

  Teddy had requested visitors’ guides from the tourism office and been flooded with ideas including historical tours, lesser-known museums, and even kickball for visitors. There was a long list of activities Summer would enjoy. Teddy would also appreciate them, though she might not participate in every one (she had already decided against the bungee-jumping option).

  When she was sure the table was perfect and all trip-related information was at hand, Teddy returned to the kitchen to start dinner. She glanced at the clock. Summer should be home in about fifteen minutes. That gave Teddy enough time to prepare the food. Everything would be piping hot and ready by the time Summer had changed her clothes and drank her first glass of wine.

  “Oh, wine!” she said, walking to the refrigerator. She couldn’t remember if they had any white. She tapped the viewscreen and clicked the “View Inside” icon. The cameras showed two bottles of sauvignon blanc chilling inside. Satisfied, she turned back to the counter to prepare the fish and asparagus.

  Teddy heard the garage door open sooner than expected. She turned on the stove and set the two burners to their respective temperatures. She heard the door open and Summer call out.

  “’Ey Lucy, I’m ho-ome.” Summer had the worst Cuban accent, but the joke never got old.

  “Hi, honey,” Teddy called back.

  “I’ll be out in a minute,” said Summer. “I’m just going to change my clothes. Do we have any wine?”

  Teddy smiled. She loved their routine. She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled the handle. Nothing. She pulled again. Still nothing.

  Oh, she thought, I must have accidentally locked it again. She clicked the viewscreen pressed the lock icon. She heard a click, then pulled on the handle again.

  The house fell into darkness. Summer heard a noise, then one of the cats meowed.

  “Teddy?” yelled Summer from the bedroom, “What are you doing?” There was no response. She finished getting dressed, assuming Teddy had again turned on too many appliances at once. “I’ll get it, honey,” she said, heading for the study. She felt her way into the closet with the fuse box and flipped all of the switches back to their normal positions. The lights and music came back on and Summer returned to her room to put her dirty clothes in the hamper.

  “Everything okay out there, babe?” Summer called. She was surprised Teddy still hadn’t said anything about the outage. “Teddy?”

  Summer walked out to the living room. “Where are you?” No answer. She walked into the kitchen.

  Teddy was lying on the floor next to the refrigerator.

  “Teddy!” Summer fell to her knees beside her partner.

  Teddy was breathing but clearly unconscious. Summer looked around, then grabbed Teddy’s phone from the counter and dialed nine-one-one. She couldn’t tell the dispatcher anything except that Teddy was unconscious on the kitchen floor. The dispatcher told her not to move Teddy and that help would be there soon.

  After unlocking the front door, she returned to Teddy’s side. Sitting on the floor, she picked up Teddy’s hand and held it in her own. As she leaned her head back against the kitchen island and told herself not to cry, the viewscreen on the refrigerator caught her attention. A note flashed in the memo section. Summer blinked, trying to clear the tears so she could read it.

  “That can’t be right.” She squinted, then stood to get a better look. It was really there:

  Theodora,

  Cora got what was

  coming to her.

  Now it’s your turn.

  Goodbye.

  She jumped, startled as an EMT burst through the front door.

  19

  Ryan woke Thursday morning with a feeling that something good was about to happen. Grace’s optimism — and their kiss — made her more determined than ever to prove Grace’s innocence. Overnight, Ryan had decided she was going to march into Trainor’s office that morning and demand to know why the detectives weren’t following up on the leads she had given them about Abby.

  She inhaled two cups of coffee and a piece of toast while she considered her strategy. She didn’t know what time Trainor usually got to work, but Ryan was prepared to wait as long as it took. She called Helen to tell her she would be late to work, then raced toward the Sheriff’s office. She smacked her hand against the steering wheel as she drove. She was going to get some answers.

  Ryan entered the Sheriff’s station and was directed to the detectives’ “bullpen,” a large room humming with activity. Pairs of desks faced each other throughout the room. About half of the workspaces were occupied and most of the detectives present were on the phone. Every few seconds, a detective would jump up from a desk and run to another desk to pass along information. Sometimes a detective would write on one of the three large white-boards at the back of the room.

  Ryan stood in the doorway, not knowing where to go. Detective Prieto noticed her and beckoned her toward the doorway of an interrogation room. He joined her in the room and closed the door.

  “Good morning, Dr. McCabe. What can we do for you?”

  “I want to talk to you and Detective Trainor about the case.”

  “As you can see,” he gestured to the busy room through the window, “we’re a little busy this morning.”

  “Trying to put another nail in my friend’s coffin,” said Ryan. “But I want to talk about the other leads.” She was not going to be put off. She needed to help Grace.

  When Prieto didn’t answer, Ryan looked at him more closely. Dark circles were etched under his eyes. A dribble of mustard marred the front of his wrinkled shirt and his tie hung loosely around his neck. Looking back out into the bullpen, she noticed most of the detectives looking equally disheveled. Something was up.

  Maddie Trainor stalked into the big room and looked around. Prieto tapped on the window of the interrogation room, motioning her over. Maddie frowned when she saw who was in the room with her partner. She held up a finger in a “one moment” gesture and walked over to her desk. Prieto sat and gestured for Ryan to take the other chair.

  “Like I said, this might not be the best time for a visit. We’re working a lot of leads right now.”

  “Is all of this activity related to Cora’s death?”

  “Well, that and the new case,” he said, cocking his head. “You don’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  They were both startled by loud rapping on the window of the little room. Maddie was motioning for Prieto to come out to the bullpen. He did, motioning for Ryan to stay seated. Ryan watched the two detectives talk. The lead detective gestured, alternately poking her finger at Prieto’s chest and pointing toward Ryan. Finally, she said something that made Prieto throw up his hands and walk away. Maddie looked at Ryan through the window and took a deep breath. Then she reached for the doorknob.

&n
bsp; Ryan stood, bracing herself for the patronizing tone she was sure would come. Maddie closed the door softly and waved a hand for her to sit back down. Then the detective reached over and closed the blinds covering the window.

  “Dr. McCabe, Detective Prieto tells me you came down here to talk about your friend Grace Loh.”

  “That’s right. I want to know what other suspects you have, what other leads you are following in Cora’s death.”

  “I clearly told you to leave the investigating to the professionals.”

  “But I care about my friend.”

  Maddie exhaled as she practically fell into the chair Prieto had vacated. She looked just as tired as he did, but she had clearly touched up her light makeup and her clothes looked pressed. She looks…nice, thought Ryan. She chewed on her bottom lip as she considered the detective. Her friends were right: Maddie was pretty. Ryan felt her shoulders begin to relax. Then she realized that the Maddie was talking again.

  “Grace Loh was released this morning. She is not completely cleared, but based on the events of last night, we had to let her go.”

  “Last night?”

  “Last night there was another murder attempt,” said Maddie. “We have reason to believe the new attempt and the death of Cora DeLuca are related.”

  “Related?”

  The detective’s face betrayed her struggle to remain patient.

  “Wait.” Ryan’s brow furrowed. “Grace is out? When?”

  “Two or three hours ago.”

  Ryan frowned, wondering why Grace hadn’t called. “Are you sure?”

  “Dr. McCabe.” Maddie blew out a breath. “I cannot stress enough that you need to stay out of this. Other people are now being hurt. I don’t want you to be next.”

  Ryan was still wondering why Grace hadn’t called to say she was out of jail. Her curiosity was quickly turning to anger. She pointed at Maddie. “Listen. If you would just find the killer, none of us would have to worry about being hurt.”