The Room Where It Happened

by Jason Letts

  Tera looked into the young woman’s eyes and smiled, trying to make a good first impression.

  “I care about our neighborhood and this was the best way I had available to me to help.”

  “Seems like most people are only trying to help themselves,” she said to herself.

  “Look, I needed to talk to you…”

  But before she could finish, Kendra squinted at her.

  “Was that you with Kimmy’s phone? Is she around with you? What is going on?” Kendra had noticed something was off, and there was nothing to do but come straight out with it.

  “Kendra, Kim’s dead, and I need your help,” she said, which was enough to make her close her mouth and pause, but only for a second.

  It took a moment, but Kendra’s expression softened and the reality of it started to hit home.

  “Kimmy’s really gone then? Geez, I can’t believe it. Not my Kimmy,” she said, suddenly getting emotional. Tera was tempted to touch her on the arm and offer some comfort, but it had been a long time since they’d seen each other. She’d be open to whatever Kendra needed from her.

  “What I need help with is knowing what was going on with her life. Who was she with, what was she up to? Let’s be real. Who were the guys hanging around her lately?” Tera asked. Maybe the most tragic thing of all was that it was a given that the cause of death was murder.

  Kendra looked around and leaned against a nearby chainlink fence, her fingers closing around the wiry bits of steel. She pursed her lips as if she couldn’t spit out the words. A group of young guys passed by, and she eyed them warily as if they might’ve been the ones who did it.

  “I can’t say for certain every man she’s been with, who can? But I know I’ve seen her with Lawrence Asper and Wayne Chechy. I don’t know if that means anything, but that’s who I’ve seen her with,” Kendra said, barely able to bring her eyes to meet Tera’s.

  Nodding and feeling optimistic that she now had something to go on, Tera’s mind started to get to work. Lawrence Asper was actually a name she recognized. He was a track star though a few years younger than them, one of the people everyone was sure would ride athletic ability right out of the O-Block. If he was still hanging around here with Kim, there was a fair chance he didn’t, but she’d need to follow up on both of those guys.

  “Thank you. I mean it,” she said. “I’m going to find out who did this so Kim can rest easy.”

  Kendra snapped out of her grief for long enough to give Tera another once-over. Perhaps she was really getting it that Tera had the ability to do some good with her job.

  “Hey, looks like you made the right career choice,” she said.

  Tera expected Kendra to turn away, but a moment later she’d extended her arms for a hug. They’d both lost someone they cared about, and the only way to fight through the grief was to act.

  The rest of the night was busy enough with incidents and emergencies that Tera didn’t have a chance to follow up more right away, and when her shift ended she went back to her apartment and crashed. Waking up barely before noon as she usually did between work days, Tera prepared to spend her few remaining free hours before it was back to work.

  As she did a couple times a week, this involved stopping in to visit her Mama, but she was barely able to step out the front door of her building before a three ten-year-old girls playing double dutch called to her.

  “Hey Tera, jump with us!”

  She shook her head at the girls, named Lena, Aimee, and Estephanie. They knew she couldn’t resist, and a moment later she was watching the ropes swing and then hopping in, the whipping ropes cracking against the sidewalk as they passed under her feet. For a second it was like she was that age again, until one of the ropes caught her ankle as she tried to get fancy with a spin move.

  “I’m sorry about that. I’m not as young as you,” she said, taking a breath as they laughed and started up again. “Do you know who turned double dutch into a sport?”

  “Uhh, the Dutch,” Estephanie answered.

  “Actually it was police officers in New York City. Have fun!” Tera said, waving to them as she started for her car. In her heart, she couldn’t look at any of the kids around here and not hope that what she was doing would make living easier for them than it was for her. So innocent and precious, they deserved the world.

  Tera’s Mama deserved better too, but at least she had an apartment in one of the better sections of the neighborhood despite not being able to work because of foot problems. This meant that half of Tera’s paycheck went to covering her mother’s expenses, and then after her own were accounted for saving up more than a couple hundred dollars at any given time was a distant dream.

  No wonder so many cops found ways to make a little more on the side, and as Tera pulled up to the tall gray building that roll of bills in Kim’s apartment started to tempt her, but that was a road she didn’t want to go down.

  When the door with number 102 on it opened, Tera was treated to a bright smile and a warm welcome by her mother.

  “Mi amor, you look thin as a rail. Come in here and let’s get you something to eat. How about some arepas with grilled chicken?” she asked in the middle of a tight squeeze. Tera couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I appreciate that but I actually just ate.”

  “Some torta negra then for dessert.” Eliza Caldera raised an eyebrow at Tera, who bashfully nodded. It seemed like everyone today knew how to get through her defenses, but who could pass up some of Colombia’s traditional chocolate cake?

  “I’ll permit myself a single slice.”

  “Aren’t you judicious,” her mother said while closing the door.

  Despite being in her early forties, Eliza Caldera acted much older and was gaining weight, but it wasn’t the chocolate cake. The lack of activity was taking its toll on a woman who was once a vibrant inspiration. Now mostly all she had to enjoy were Tera’s visits.

  Tera tossed an envelope with the rent money on the kitchen counter as her mother went behind it and dug in the fridge for the long dark-brown cake covered in saran wrap. Also on the counter were enough gadgets for making coffee and tea to fill a Starbucks.

  “I keep thinking one of these times you’ll show up and have somebody with you.”

  “If it’s that important to you, I’m sure I could drag somebody along,” Tera said, causing her mother to shake her head.

  “You know what I mean. Now what’ll it be? The Italian Roast or the Colombian Supremo?”

  “I’ll have your favorite,” Tera said quickly. “Or whatever’s the least trouble. And you don’t have to worry. I’m sure I’ll bring someone by when the time is right.”

  Eliza navigated around a big easy chair to get behind the kitchen counter, where she lumbered to duck down for a bag of coffee beans, which she poured into the top of a grinder and clicked on the lid.

  Eliza cast a sympathetic look at Tera. Her mother was way too young to be trying to vicariously live through her like this.

  “I’m sure you would, but are you sure you’re not holding out on me?”

  Her mother flipped on the coffee grinder, preventing Tera from responding. All they could do for a full two minutes was stare at each other amidst the incessant cacophony.

  “There are more men out there than just ones that I’d bring by, you know. But since you’re so curious I met someone new yesterday.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  Tera set her jaw. Saying that she’d met someone was suggestive of something more, and she didn’t want to get her mother’s hopes up, but now she had to say something.

  “He’s a detective who just transferred in from somewhere or other. It’s great because we could really use the help. Went to Yale for college, works out, has kind of a Chris Hemsworth thing going.”

  Eliza raised an eyebrow and smirked. It might’ve been strange if she hadn’t been attempting to manage Tera’s love life for the past thirteen years, longer than she even knew she had a love life.

  “Is he in
to you?”

  Tera thought for a moment. A better question was if she was into him.

  “Only time will tell,” Tera said, getting a dubious look in return. “And what about you? When are you going to get back out there and find someone?”

  Eliza’s eyes widened as if she were now on the spot, and she quickly went back to the coffee machine and added a little cream to a mostly-filled cup.

  “Please, I’m past my prime,” she said, but Tera kept imagining that a flicker of romance might inspire her to finally get her foot taken care of and start getting herself back together.

  “You’re not dead yet. You’d be surprised,” Tera said, accepting a cup and taking a sip. It was delicious bordering on rapturous—her mother was a true coffee wizard—but whoa the caffeine.

  “Knowing my luck I’d find somebody else like your father. Easy on the eyes but up to no good half the time, and then all of a sudden have him ripped away,” Eliza said, slowly returning to the recliner and settling down.

  Tera took a seat on a lightly padded chaise with dark brown tassels running along the upholstery. At least she liked hearing about her father, despite his troublesome side.

  “But that was just bad luck, and I’m sure it wouldn’t work out like that again. And besides, better to have loved and lost than never loved at all, right?” Tera asked, a grin taking shape on her lips of its own accord. Eliza set her head back and glanced at the ceiling.

  “Easier to say that than believe it, even after all this time. I don’t know what was wrong with that man, but sometimes he was too short-tempted, too prone to accidents if we’re being kind. But really he had a tendency to be careless. Sometimes I see a lot of him in you,” she said with another judgmental nod of the head.

  For Tera, more information about her father was irresistible.

  “But that was only one mistake. You can’t tar and feather him for that.”

  Eliza’s eyes widened.

  “One mistake is all it takes when you’re working at an auto parts plant. I still remember the day I got the call from the hospital that he’d pressed his thumb into one of the machines and it got severed clean off. And wouldn’t you know he screwed something up and didn’t get a dime of worker’s comp. If I didn’t feel so badly for him I would’ve left him right then, ’specially considering he’d vanish for weeks or months at a time anyway.”

  Tera pursed her lips as a feeling of melancholy took hold. All of the best stories of her father were ones that were hers alone. Times they went for ice cream or just ran in the parks. The simple moments when they felt free were the sweetest.

  “But there were some good times too,” she said, mostly to herself. Eliza adjusted the gown she was wearing and looked away.

  “Oh, I’m sure there were worse fathers out there. I can’t imagine putting myself through something like that again. That’s why I don’t wan’t you to make the same mistakes I did.”

  Tera brought the cup to her lips and took another sip. Talking about the old days was bittersweet, especially when her mother needed to be out there making new memories. At least thanks to Tera’s job she wasn’t on any assistance that could get yanked out from under her.

  “I’ve got to get going, Mama. I love you. I’ll come back soon. No, don’t worry about getting up,” Tera said as her mother’s eyes widened.

  “I know you’ve got to get ready for work,” she said, suddenly reticent. Tera bent over for another hug.

  Eliza nodded, and Tera reached over to adjust a stray strand of her mother’s hair. She still had her looks. Tera finished the rest of her coffee and set the porcelain cup in the sink. It was time.

  Taking the steps up to the precinct two at a time, Tera already felt like she had a million things to do. Juggling an investigation alongside all of her regular duties was a lot, but even in only two days she’d already heard of a trio of other murders in the city that were basically on ice until someone found the time to deal with them.

  But doing things alone meant that there were a lot of loose ends to tie up, particularly when it came to managing Kimberly Parkinson’s affairs. Once she’d settled in at her desk, she’d picked up the phone to call Kim’s place of employment, Clearwater Bank. As she dialed the numbers, she noticed Olivia again camped out at the coffee counter with a contemplative look on her face.

  Considering how much time Olivia spent lounging around the station, Tera would never think twice about double parking again. A receptionist picked up on the other end of the line.

  “Hi, I’m Officer Tera Caldera with the CPD. Can you please connect me with the direct supervisor of Kimberly Parkinson, one of the tele-representatives? Thank you.”

  When Tera glanced up again, she noticed the new detective, Brady, drift over to the coffee counter next to Olivia and begin perusing the assortment of flavors next to the Keurig machine.

  “What’s good around here?” he asked, tilting his head to the left far enough to get in a good glance at the blonde. Olivia acted like she hadn’t realized he was right next to her.

  “We have a really robust community outreach program, and the department softball league is completely delicious.”

  “I was talking about the coffee.”

  “Oh, right!” Olivia laughed, shaking her head so that her curls rolled over her shoulders as she shifted closer to him. “Let’s take a look. What are you in the mood for?”

  Now that her moment had come, Olivia was reeling in her catch. Tera watched like it was a TV soap opera, not least of all because she’d just told her mother that she and this new detective might have something going on. But despite his statuesque figure and handsome face, it was looking like she could quickly mark him off as an option if Olivia got to him first. Tera almost missed it when someone got onto the call.

  “Hi, sorry about that. Yes, perhaps you’ve noticed that Kimberly Parkinson has been missing work or been difficult to reach. I regret to inform you that she’s been the victim of a homicide that we’re currently investigating, and I was hoping to get a few minutes of your time to find out if anything unusual might’ve been happening lately in terms of her work that could be related.”

  Casting another glance at the coffee counter, Tera noticed that Olivia and Brady were still talking, though she’d lost track of their conversation. Neither appeared at all about to be going anywhere soon.

  “Of course,” a man with a wheezy voice said on the other end of the line. “It was a shock when Parkinson didn’t log on for work. Very unlike her. But other than that I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary. With these work-from-home positions, it’s hard to know what could be going on. I hadn’t physically seen her in months.”

  Tera ran her hand through her hair, stressing if this would be another dead end. Maybe Perry and the rape kit would have something for her soon, negating the need to try to make these cold calls.

  “So she didn’t mention anything new she was involved in or even what she might’ve been doing over the past week? Was there anything notable about her habits or preferences? Any recent changes to her behavior that got your attention?”

  In a way, Tera was impressed with Olivia’s restraint. It had always seemed like she’d be a lot more handsy with a guy like Brady, reaching out to fondle his tie or touches to the shoulder or wrist. There was plenty of eye contact, and the two of them were having way too much fun, but Olivia wasn’t even acting all that different than Tera would have in the same position. She must’ve liked him.

  “I’m afraid I can’t speak to that much at all. We rarely had communications that might be considered personal in even the broadest sense. Mostly it was all about work, and if something was going on with her I’d be the last to know,” Kim’s supervisor said.

  “What about her relationships with other employees at the bank? Any conflict? Any enemies?”

  At this point, Tera was going through the motions with the call and mostly keeping her attention on the scene developing in front of her. Kim never had any enemies, and Oli
via and Brady were definitely at the beginning of something. It was only a matter of time until they started leaving work together. Then there’d be the pink lip gloss suddenly appearing on his collar in the middle of the day after finding a vacant room and a few minutes for sex.

  “Sure, no problem at all. I appreciate your time and I’ll let you know if we need you for anything else,” Tera said, hanging up the phone.

  She started to get up in order to gather the rest of the supplies needed for taking fingerprints in the room where it happened, and Olivia and Brady finally took their drinks and left. It was hard for Tera not to feel a tiny bit of loss as something with Brady that never existed in the first place seemed to vanish nonetheless.

  Right as she was getting ready to go, her partner Johnny Rittigen appeared. He had a big grin on and was adjusting his belt.

  “Time to get going,” he said. “These streets aren’t going to sweep themselves.”

  Tera had to look at him, a little thrown off by his unusual enthusiasm.

  “Why don’t you take it easy? It can take a couple of days to get over seafood poisoning. No need to push yourself.”

  But Johnny shook his head, unperturbed by her attempts to put him off.

  “It may take other people days, but I’m feeling right as rain. Better than ever actually. Let’s get a move on.”

  Grumbling, Tera couldn’t think of another way to keep her partner from coming with her, but she comforted herself with the thought that he’d change his tune as soon as they got over to the O-Block where it would be dark and scary.

  They pulled into the same alley they’d parked at before when Tera had discovered Kim’s body, and she grabbed her pack with the fingerprinting supplies and started to get out. To her surprise, Johnny opened his door too and set his feet on the pavement. With him around, getting into Kim’s apartment was not going to work at all.

  “Whoa, what’s this about?”

  “What?” Johnny said, shrugging as he stood with his hand on the open door. She had to wonder if his sudden desire to come along with her and do his job was inspired by what had transpired between Olivia and Brady, which he had no doubt also witnessed. But the last thing Tera wanted was for Johnny to increase his pressure on her just because another guy in the department looked like he was on the verge of scoring.