Murder at Broadcast Park

by Bill Evans

  Lisa’s thoughts started taking her out of the conversation. She remembered Dugan cleaning up the kitchen the other night when she came over. It got her attention because it appeared that there were enough dishes for three and she saw lobster claws with the scraps of food. That would have been David Pedderman’s last night alive.

  “Lisa, are you still there?” The voice on the phone brought her back to reality.

  “Sorry, I was distracted for a minute. Let me know if the coroner comes up with anything else.” Flipping the cell phone closed, her mind started putting together the little bits of information she had picked up on over the past several weeks. Is it possible that Stewart’s involved? Lisa had that reoccurring thought several times during this ordeal, but she always discounted it. Now she wondered if she should confront Stewart with her suspicions. Or could that put her life in jeopardy? No, there’s no way he’d ever hurt me, she thought. Then again, if he was capable of murder, then maybe I don’t know him very well at all.

  Lisa asked herself what part Dugan might have played. “He would have had known. No, there is no way these thoughts have any bearing to the truth.” Lisa caught herself saying these words out loud as Stewart walked into the room.

  “What are you mumbling to yourself about?” he asked.

  “Oh, nothing.” She was startled to find Stewart standing there. She wanted to ask him. She wanted to tell him everything she was thinking. She just didn’t know if she could trust her instincts. She wanted to trust that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her if she was uncovering the real truth.

  “Dugan has prepared breakfast for us on the patio. Shall we?” Stewart held out his hand to the lady he had spent the past twenty years with. What would she think if she knew the truth about him all these years? What would she think if she knew his involvement with Steve, Jesse, and now David? Stewart’s whole life was a mystery to those not only on the outside but on the inside as well, and that was how he liked it. The price of wealth, she thought.

  The two walked hand in hand through the house to the outside patio area. It was a beautiful day in Santa Barbara and the sun was warming. For a moment, Lisa’s thoughts about Stewart disappeared as she let the sun hit her face.

  ***

  Sitting in the sun drinking hermosas made the real world seem a thousand miles away. Dugan had prepared a small feast of soft boiled eggs, salmon, bagels, and some very fresh fruit. The Sunday paper was on the table but neither Stewart nor Lisa picked it up. The two seemed to be lost in their own thoughts until Stewart broke the silence.

  “Do you know what today is?” It was a happy question and she noticed he was smiling when he asked it.

  Lisa thought for several moments but nothing registered. “I’m afraid I don’t,” she replied.

  “Well, think back. Think back twenty plus years. Today was the date we first made love.” Stewart seemed very proud of remembering this date. Lisa and Stewart never seemed to recognize any specific anniversaries or dates that might actually mean something to most couples. But then again, they weren’t your traditional couple.

  “Oh, my god, how did you remember that particular date?” Lisa was impressed. She wondered if Stewart had just made up the date knowing she wouldn’t know if it was accurate or not. It didn’t matter because right now she believed him, and it made the morning very special to her.

  “I remember all our important dates.”

  Over the next several minutes, Stewart rattled off some key dates that had occurred over the years of sharing so much intimate time together. Lisa was in tears by the time Stewart had finished. It dawned on her that Stewart had the same feelings for her as perhaps she had for him. Today her tears were happy tears.

  Stewart reached over with his left hand and wiped the tear drops that began to run down her cheek. As he did this, his right hand came up to the table and put down the box every woman recognizes from Tiffany’s. This was very out of character for Stewart. He never gave her jewelry because he was sensitive about Tom’s feelings and didn’t want to put it in his face. Lisa could hardly contain herself when she saw the turquoise box.

  “What is it?” she questioned as if knowing Stewart wouldn’t tell her.

  “Open it. I wanted to give you something very special to commemorate our time together. I’ve never told you what you mean to me and I wanted to do this for you.”

  Lisa’s hands couldn’t move fast enough as she removed the ribbon to open the box. Earrings or a ring, or maybe a very expensive brooch? Whatever it was it didn’t matter, and explaining anything to her husband, Tom, was the furthest thing from her mind right now.

  She carefully opened the box to find a gold key. It was on a Tiffany key ring inscribed, To My One Love, Lisa.

  “Stewart, what did you do?” Lisa looked at Stewart with a deep love.

  “I got you something special. The key fits a new Maybach that is sitting in the driveway waiting for you.” He reached over and touched her hand. She was in shock and couldn’t believe Stewart’s generous show of love and affection. He was always generous, but this was different. His emotions were different and even his words were different.

  “Twenty years is a long time. We’ve had some great moments and you are the one true love of my life. I want you to know that.” Stewart was talking from his heart maybe for the first time in his life.

  Lisa was overwhelmed and stood up from the table to hug her lover. The two then walked through the house to the front entry and out to the circular driveway. There with a huge bow on top was her new, $400,000 blue with black trim Maybach. She had never seen such beauty before in a car. Then she noticed the license plate read, “20YEARS.” For a brief moment she thought, Perfect, this is how I explain this to Tom. Lisa knew that Stewart had already thought of that.

  “Stewart, it is fabulous.” She walked around it as if to notice every little detail. She sat in the driver’s seat and laughed. She looked at Stewart and knew this man, this generous, lovely man was everything she thought he was. Amazing, strong, smart, and the love of her life. Not in the least involved in any crime. Ever.

  The two returned to their patio table. They were both very content sitting in the sun and daydreaming in their two very different worlds. Lisa thought back twenty years ago to that time when she first met Stewart Simpson. She had started her broadcast career as a reporter at the ABC station in Palm Springs, California.

  The memories flooded her head as she remembered what seemed like every detail. No one would believe the life she lived.

  Dugan refreshed the hermosas and then quietly disappeared, much like he entered the room. It was his job to take care of every single detail for Stewart Simpson. A job he did incredibly well and was paid handsomely for. He knew that he was paid for his silence as well. That didn’t keep him from writing in his daily diary. That was his insurance; a nuclear bomb that could destroy his boss, himself, and probably a few very important businessmen and politicians in the country. For now, and probably forever, Dugan would keep those journals a secret, allowing his boss to kill again.