Human Sacrifice

by Cindy L Hull

George rearranged his glasses again and thought. “Tanya left first. She said she had a headache and wanted to return to her room. We all signed for our meals and I signed for Tanya’s. Jamal left next, then Brad. I had ordered coffee, so I stayed for a few minutes longer and then went up to my room.”

  “Does everyone in the Keane College group have rooms on the same floor?”

  “Yes. We’re all on the third floor.”

  “Are your rooms along the same hallway? I’m just trying to understand the room placement.”

  “They are all along the same corridor. Madge, Claire, and my rooms are to the right of the elevator as you exit. Jamal, Brad, and Tanya’s are to the left.”

  “Did you see anyone in the hallway?”

  “I don’t know why this is important,” George protested. “She didn’t die in the hotel.”

  “No, but she got sick in the hotel, at some point. I am just trying to—how do you say—set the scene.”

  George sighed. “I saw Jamal in the hallway, walking from his room toward Tanya’s or Brad’s. He had a bottle of wine.”

  “Do you think he was taking a bottle of wine to Brad’s room?”

  “Well, they are friends, but probably not.”

  “Were Jamal and Tanya involved romantically?”

  “I think so. I’m the department chair and not likely to be informed on these types of matters.”

  “Were they having difficulties or worse? Arguments?”

  “I’ve heard they had problems, but I can’t put Jamal in the role of murderer.”

  “Nevertheless…”

  George reasoned, “If he were thinking of murdering her, why would he be taking wine to her room?” As he said this, he considered the possibilities of such a gift, and looked away from the detective.

  “Did you call out to Jamal? Talk to him?”

  “No. I went to my room and rested. I watched a few minutes of a news program and decided to check on Tanya before heading to the Casa Montejo.”

  “You went to her room?”

  “Yes, but Brad was there already.”

  “Brad? Not Jamal?”

  “Yes, I wondered about that.” George shrugged, “Brad was pacing the room. Tanya was dressed to go out. I asked her how she felt, and she said she felt much better now.”

  “Now?” Salinas asked.

  “She held up a prescription bottle and shook it. She said something like, ‘This will get me through.’”

  “How did Brad react when he saw you?” Salinas asked. “It must have appeared strange for him to be there. Did he act embarrassed? Nervous?”

  “No,” George responded, “he said he stopped by to see how Tanya was feeling. He didn’t think she should go to the reception. I thought she looked pale, but she seemed excited. She said she wanted to celebrate.”

  “Celebrate what?”

  “She said she had received good news.”

  “Did she explain the good news?”

  “No, and Brad didn’t offer any elaboration. He kept looking at his watch like he wanted to leave. Tanya put the pill bottle on the dresser next to her purse, went into the bathroom, then we all left together.”

  “Did you see the wine that Jamal brought?”

  George thought. “Yes. It was on a table in the corner of the room. It was about three- fourths full and had been recorked. I noticed two glasses placed upside down on a towel next to the bottle, as if they had been used and rinsed out.”

  “Did anything else in the room look unusual?”

  “There were two small liquor bottles, like you get on airplanes, on the dresser near the pill bottle.”

  “It seems like a lot of alcohol and pills in her room,” Salinas mused.

  Salinas paused to let Garza catch up, and George used these minutes to think about the scene in the room. He readjusted his glasses and confessed. “I’m a fool,” he said. “There were two pill bottles—the one she placed on the dresser didn’t have a label. I wondered what kind of pill she had taken. But there was another bottle with a prescription label next to the bed.”

  Salinas sat straight in his chair. “Was the unlabeled bottle still on the dresser when you left? Could she have put it in her purse?”

  George furrowed his brow in thought. “She might have, but I don’t remember seeing her do it.”

  “Did you see if the small bottles were still there when you left?”

  “I don’t remember,” George said, pursing his lips. “Won’t her room be searched?” he asked.

  “It is being searched as we speak,” Salinas said. “Did you all leave her room together?”

  “Yes. We arrived at the Casa Montejo around seven o’clock. Brad was in a hurry to meet with Eduardo. He went directly to the kitchen when we arrived.”

  “And what did you and Tanya do?”

  “Tanya saw someone she knew and wandered off to talk to him.”

  “Do you know who it was?”

  “I’m not sure. It might have been the archaeologist she worked with in Chiapas…at Palenque.” George paused. “I don’t remember his name, but it seemed that he had been waiting for her or looking for her.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I went to the bar. The bartender had lined up red and white wines alongside the margaritas, so I took a glass of wine and stood aside for others.” George cleared his throat, thinking. “Eduardo and Brad came out of the kitchen. Eduardo had a glass of wine and walked toward the parlor, greeting guests. I hadn’t had a chance to thank him for his gift, so I followed him there.” He furrowed his brow. “Brad approached the bar as I walked away.”

  “Had anyone else from your group arrived?”

  “Brad joined Jamal at the bar.” George’s brow furrowed again. “This might not be important, but I think Jamal saw Tanya talking to that other man. He was talking to Brad, but he was watching Tanya.”

  “Did you see Jamal give the margarita to Tanya?”

  “No, but I did hear her speak from time to time.”

  “Did you hear what she said to Cody?”

  “Jamal told me later. I was in the parlor by that time.”

  “You were in the parlor when Ms. Lorenzo brought Tanya through to the bedchamber.”

  “Yes, around quarter-to-eight. Tanya looked pale. She mumbled about something…it didn’t make sense.”

  “Can you be more specific?”

  “She said that Madge would be upset, but she didn’t care.” George resettled his glasses. “When she saw me, she put her hand to her mouth as if to stop herself talking.”

  “Because?” Salinas prompted.

  “Presumably, she didn’t want to discuss Madge in front of me.”

  Sergeant Garza put her hand up and asked Salinas to translate ‘presumably,’ and to give her a minute to catch up. The two men sat quietly while she made rapid notes.

  When Garza nodded, Salinas asked, “Did Laura take Tanya directly into the bedchamber?”

  “No. We watched Tanya while she found the docent.”

  “We?”

  “A small group of local students had wandered in. I admit I was embarrassed when Laura brought Tanya in. She could barely stand, and students had to help Laura steady her. I thought she was drunk.”

  “Did Tanya say anything more while Laura was gone?”

  “No. I offered to take her back to the hotel, but she said something about a special day.”

  “Then Laura returned?” Salinas prompted.

  “Yes. She said that the docent was setting up the bed for her, and she led Tanya into the bedchamber.”

  Salinas paused, folding his hands again. “Do you remember a glass of water?”

  George thought. “I think Laura was holding a glass of water when she brought Tanya into the parlor. She must have put it down somewhere when she went to fi
nd the docent because she didn’t have it when she returned to the parlor to get Tanya.”

  “Where was Jamal when this was happening?”

  “He came in with Madge just after Laura put Tanya to bed. When Laura came back into the parlor, she asked that no one bother Tanya, but Jamal paced a bit then went in anyway. When he came out, he said that Brad was with her.”

  “Did you see Tanya’s archaeologist friend go into the bedchamber?”

  “No, but he could have gone in through the sitting room.”

  “Did you remain in the parlor most of the evening?”

  George said, “Yes, but I went out for air with my colleagues, Perez and Gonzalez. When I came back inside, I heard the ambulance.”

  Salinas turned a page in his notebook as if to change the subject. He looked at Sergeant Garza, then settled his gaze on George. “Doctor Banks,’ he said, “Doctor Aguila has observed your conversations with your archaeology colleagues. Do you have any updates for me?”

  George looked at Garza, then at the detective. Salinas turned to Garza. “Why don’t you take a break? We will be ready for Dr. Kennedy when you return.”

  Garza frowned, narrowed her eyes and placed her notebook on the chair. After she left, George took his small spiral notebook from his pants pocket. He said, “I have found out a few things that I think will be very interesting to you.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Jamal Kennedy entered the parlor hesitantly and looked toward the closed door to the bedchamber. He sat in the metal chair and avoided eye contact with the detective. Salinas thought he was a striking young man, with delicate facial features and deep piercing brown eyes.

  Salinas cleared his throat to bring Jamal’s attention back to him. “Thank you for your patience, Doctor Kennedy. I know this is very difficult for you.” He reintroduced himself and Sergeant Garza.

  “Is she…still in there?” Jamal asked the detective, nodding his head toward the door to his back.

  “Yes, I suspect they will take her away after we all leave.” Salinas watched Jamal carefully, noting how he ran his fingers through his micro-braids and fiddled with his tiny earring. He took Jamal through the dinner that he had shared with Brad, Tanya, and George.

  “After dinner, when did you see Tanya again?”

  “At the reception.”

  “I see.” Salinas folded his hands on the table. “What did you do during the time between dinner and the reception?”

  “I went for a walk and arrived at the Casa Montejo a few minutes after seven.”

  “Were you the first from your group to arrive?”

  He fingered his earring. “George, Brad, and Tanya arrived before me. I just learned that they came together.”

  “Did you talk to Tanya when she arrived?”

  “Not right away. I joined Brad at the bar, then Tanya came over.”

  “So, you didn’t see Tanya until she came up to the bar?”

  Jamal pressed his lips together. Salinas waited patiently for his response. “I saw her,” he said simply.

  “But you didn’t speak to her?”

  “She was talking to someone…an archaeologist.”

  “Someone you knew?”

  Jamal sat back in the chair. “I just met him at the conference. His name is Tom Freeman. Tanya worked with him at Palenque.”

  “Ah,” Salinas said, and Jamal turned dark wary eyes toward the detective.

  “They knew each other a long time ago,” Jamal said, his voice rising.

  “Do you have a temper, Doctor Kennedy?”

  “No.”

  Salinas frowned. “What happened when Tanya came to the bar?”

  “Nothing. She said she wanted a margarita, then wandered away.”

  “How did she seem?” Jamal looked confused. Salinas added, “Happy? Depressed?”

  “She looked ill,” Jamal said.

  “But you took a drink to her?”

  “Yes. We talked about the lecture. Claire came up to us, and she and Tanya went off together. Later, I heard Tanya say something loud, like ‘I don’t believe you’ or ‘I don’t believe what you did’ or something like that. I saw Cody with her, and I went to see if he was bothering her. Tanya seemed agitated again, and Cody just walked away.”

  “Did you ask her why she said those words?”

  “She insisted Cody was talking nonsense about Paul’s death. I tried to calm her—she said, ‘it has to be him,’ and then she started to mumble. I offered to take her to the hotel, but she refused.”

  “What did you do then?”

  “I was frustrated with her behavior, so I left her there and went back to the bar.”

  Salinas put his pen down. “Weren’t you concerned about your friend? She was agitated, perhaps ill, and you left her alone?”

  “You didn’t know her. I thought she wanted attention.”

  “Oh?” Salinas said and tipped his hand. “Can you explain?”

  “It’s not important.”

  “Are you sure? She is dead.”

  “It had nothing to do with me.”

  “Then who?”

  Tears came to Jamal’s eyes. “I wouldn’t hurt her.”

  “Did you argue?”

  “Earlier, but we had settled it.”

  “We’ll come back to that later, then. Did you happen to see what happened to the margarita glass?”

  Jamal clenched his fist on the table. “That was hardly on my mind, Detective.”

  “Did you follow Ms. Lorenzo and Tanya into the parlor?”

  “Yes, with Madge. Tanya was in the bedchamber. I went into see her…” Jamal put his hands over his face. When he pulled them away, tears had formed in his eyes. “Brad was with her.”

  “Who told him about Tanya?”

  “I have no idea.” He wiped his eyes on his shirt.

  “Did you hear their conversation?”

  “They were whispering, but Brad left so Tanya and I could talk.” Jamal wiped tears from his eyes. “She refused to return to the hotel.”

  “Did you notice a glass of water on the table, or anyplace in the room?”

  “No.”

  “When did you check on her again?”

  “Several times, but the last time, she looked different. She lay on her back and she looked…terrible. I grabbed Laura in the atrium. She checked on Tanya and called the ambulance.”

  Salinas turned toward Garza, who was writing rapidly in her notepad. She looked up and nodded at Jamal. Salinas asked, “Doctor Kennedy, are you sure you didn’t see Tanya between dinner and the reception?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  The detective’s question startled Jamal. He sat up straight and his head turned quickly toward the sergeant, then back to Salinas.

  “What?”

  “You said you went for a walk. Are you sure you didn’t visit Tanya’s room first?” Jamal looked at the sergeant again, at his own shaking hands, and then at the detective. Salinas continued, “You were seen in the hallway after dinner, walking toward her room with a bottle of wine.”

  He slumped in his chair. “I wanted to talk to her.”

  “About what?”

  Jamal shrugged. “It’s personal and has nothing to do with her death.”

  “You broke off your relationship, and now she’s dead. I have the authority to ask.”

  Salinas put his hands on the small serving table and drummed his fingers. “Perhaps she broke up with you, and you were not happy about it?” Salinas shrugged casually. “Is that possible?”

  “No!” he said aloud, then lowered his voice. “That’s not how it was.” He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “I thought she had been using me to advance her career.”

  “Was she?”

  Jamal sighed, “I recently learned that
she had an affair with a married professor in graduate school, and that she used him to get her Ph.D.”

  “And was this faculty member the man you saw her with tonight? Doctor Freeman?”

  “Yes.”

  “When did you learn this about Tanya?”

  “I had heard rumors before, but Freeman confirmed it Sunday, at the Uxmal reception.”

  Salinas started. “Really? He told you he had an affair with your girlfriend?”

  “He didn’t know that.” Jamal insisted. “We met at the reception and started talking. When he learned I taught at Keane College, he said he knew someone there—Tanya Petersen—and that she had destroyed his marriage.”

  “Did you tell him about you and Tanya?”

  Jamal’s head shot up. “Of course not. I was too stunned.”

  “What else did he say?”

  “He said to be careful of Tanya. That she had a history.”

  Salinas cocked his head and looked at Jamal. “And you had heard of this before? From whom?”

  “No one in particular.”

  “This could be construed as a motive,” Salinas said, tipping his hand upward.

  “I didn’t kill her!”

  “Did you see Doctor Freeman anytime later this evening, or see him leave?”

  Jamal thought. “I don’t remember seeing him again.”

  Salinas tented his fingers. “You said you thought she used you. What could you offer her?”

  “She wanted me to influence George to change his mind and support her as curator of the museum…except that couldn’t happen. Madge would be formally appointed once the museum was established.”

  “So, after breaking off your relationship, you took a bottle of wine to her room to—how do you say—smooth her over? Or did you change your mind and want her back?”

  “We say, ‘soften the blow,’ and I guess that was my idea. I felt badly for how it turned out. She was hurt and angry.”

  “Did you share the wine with her?”

  Jamal shook his head. “She didn’t want me to stay, but I insisted. I had a corkscrew and opened the bottle, but she wouldn’t drink anything. In fact, she seemed anxious for me to leave. She said she wanted to rest, but I had a feeling she might be meeting someone because she wasn’t dressed for bed.”