Fatal Footsteps

by Brenda Donelan

  Marlee laughed, glad he wasn’t aware that she didn’t have a car. “So, we have a deal? We share information, and nobody needs to know where we got it?”

  “Works for me. As soon as I have something, I’ll let you know.” The officer stood up and zipped his coat.

  “But wait! I have a couple of questions. When will the autopsy be done? And were there any injuries to Beth’s body?” Marlee asked.

  “We should have the autopsy results on Monday. As far as injuries, the coroner couldn’t determine much at the scene. I wasn’t there the whole time, so I don’t know much about it. Again, we’ll know a lot more after the autopsy.”

  Officer Stevens left the room, while Marlee remained to think over their discussion. It was quiet and isolated in the study room and allowed her some quiet time to process what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. An announcement was made that the library would be closing in fifteen minutes.

  Marlee took her time exiting the building. She didn’t want to return to the dorm. She knew Jasmine and Kristie would wonder where she’d been. Since she made a deal with Officer Stevens, she would have to keep anything she learned to herself. What was she going to tell her friends? And how would they react when they inevitably found out she had been keeping secrets from them?

  Boyfriend? Define boyfriend.

  Chapter 6

  The only topic of discussion in the dorm that weekend was the death of Beth Van Dam. A large piece of posterboard featuring Beth’s photo was placed near the communal bathrooms. Below the photo, students wrote their memories of Beth and condolences. It was the only way they knew how to pay tribute to a deceased dorm mate.

  In addition to Polly’s claim that Beth died from alcohol poisoning, an assortment of other theories presented themselves. In a twenty-four-hour period, Marlee heard that Beth was killed by a professional assassin because she knew government secrets, she was strangled by an enraged ex-boyfriend, and a gang of teenage thugs had beaten her to death when she refused to hand over her money. Because Marlee had sworn secrecy to Officer Stevens, she was not able to refute any of the outlandish claims. All she could do was listen, ask questions, and write down everything she heard.

  “What are you writing?” Jasmine asked after watching Marlee intermittently scratch in a blue notebook on Saturday.

  “Um, I need to get a paper ready for my history class, and I’m just jotting down some notes. They don’t make much sense, but at least it helps me keep my mind off of Beth.” Marlee felt like a heel for lying to her roommate.

  “Are you going for supper tonight?” Jasmine asked. She and Kristie already discussed going at 6:00. “You can join us, or I can bring something back for you.”

  “Thanks. If you could bring me a chicken sandwich and a large orange juice, that would be great. I’ll pay you back on my meal card another day.”

  Jasmine and Kristie had no sooner left than Marlee hid her notebook, put on her coat, and left the room. She needed to hear first-hand what had happened at Stairway to Hell. The best way to do that was walk over there and talk to the guys who lived there. She didn’t know what she hoped to find out, but doing something, anything, was better than sitting around the dorm room.

  Tim let Marlee in after she had knocked for a solid minute. “Hey, sorry I didn’t hear you at first. I was downstairs.” Tim was clad in gray sweatpants and a black crew-neck sweatshirt.

  “I just wanted to come over and see how you guys were doing. It has to be a hell of a shock to have someone die at your house,” Marlee said, easing into the conversation.

  “It’s hard to believe. Things like that don’t happen around here.” Tim led Marlee downstairs. He had been sitting at the bar, a can of Bud Light resting on the bar top and the stereo tuned to the local rock station.

  “Where are your roommates?” It seemed eerily vacant in the house.

  “John went home for the weekend, and the other two went to the bar. I wasn’t in the mood to go out,” Tim said.

  “But your roommates were?” Marlee asked, trying not to sound too judgy.

  “They thought it would help them get their minds off it.”

  “So, what do you think happened to Beth?” Marlee asked.

  “Don’t know. She was buzzing around the house that night and was drunk, but not out of control. Beth was loud and drinking quite a bit. She was just being her usual self,” Tim recalled with a hint of a smile.

  “Did you see her leave the house? Was she with anyone?” Marlee persisted.

  “No, I didn’t see her leave. She spent her time talking to a few different people that I recall,” Tim said.

  Not sure how to play her hand, Marlee finally blurted out, “Someone saw Beth go upstairs with one of your roommates. I don’t know his name, but he’s the guy with the black pony tail and the mustache.”

  “Blake?” Tim asked, surprise registering on his face. “I never heard anything about that.”

  “Had you heard anything about them seeing each other?” Marlee asked.

  “No. Blake had some weird chick from your dorm stay over the night of the party,” said Tim. “But he has different girls over here all the time.”

  “What kind of guy is he?” Marlee asked.

  “Oh, no! Don’t tell me you’re interested in him too,” Tim said with an eye roll.

  “No, not at all. I heard he was kind of creepy. I was just wondering what you thought of him,” Marlee said.

  “He’s a ladies’ man, that’s for sure. He pays his share of the rent and cleans up after himself. Sometimes he can be a jerk, but I get along with him. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I’ve had roommates that are a lot worse than Blake.” Tim reported.

  “I assume the police interviewed you,” Marlee said and Tim nodded. “Did you hear what your roommates said when they were questioned?”

  “No, the cops talked to us separately, but we all talked about it after the police left,” Tim said, taking a swig from the beer can. “None of us knew what happened.”

  “I know how everybody likes to talk and try to make sense when something bad happens. What were some of the theories you guys had?” Marlee asked.

  “Everybody knows Beth is a big partier. No offense, I know she’s a friend of yours, but she drinks a lot and usually gets really drunk at parties and out at the bars. She doesn’t seem to know her limit. A couple of the guys thought she might have drank so much that her body shut down,” Tim said. “That she killed herself accidentally by drinking too much.”

  “Then how did she get outside?” Marlee asked.

  Tim shrugged. “I thought maybe she was walking back to the dorm, stumbled in the yard, and froze to death.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Marlee said, realizing Tim’s assumption was entirely plausible. “Did you see her laying in the yard?”

  “Yeah. After I found her I started yelling, and everyone came running. We called an ambulance and the police, but we could tell she was already dead.” Tim finished the last of his beer and crushed the can with one hand.

  “Can you show me where she was found?” Marlee asked.

  Tim led her to a door off the side porch, which Marlee didn’t even know existed. He flipped on the outdoor light, and they stepped outside. “She was right over there.” Tim pointed toward an area that had been covered with a light layer of snow but now was marked with foot prints, tire marks, and other marks. “Beth was on her stomach with her arms spread out and she was facing toward the tree.”

  Marlee shivered, not just because of the cold, but because she envisioned Beth’s last moments alive. “Why would she be out here? I mean, if she was walking home, she would go out the front door. This is in the opposite direction from our dorm.”

  “Maybe she got confused. She had a lot to drink.”

  “Do you guys use this door very much?” Marlee asked.

  “Not really. I think I’m the only one who uses it. I let my dog out here because nobody cares if he craps over here where no one ever goes
,” Tim said.

  Tim and Marlee walked back inside and talked for a half hour before she finally left. He had no other information to share, yet seemed relieved to have someone to talk to about the death.

  Before she left, Marlee turned to Tim. “I don’t think you should mention to Blake what I said about someone seeing him and Beth going upstairs together. I don’t know if it’s reliable information.”

  On the chilly walk home, Marlee had ample time to think about her conversation with Tim and his description of how Beth’s body was found lying in their yard. Tears inched down her red cheeks as she pictured her friend, helpless, in the snow. “If only I’d stuck around. I could’ve walked back with her,” she thought. Had anyone else walked out the side door they might have discovered Beth before it was too late.

  When Marlee walked in the door, she was instantly confronted by an irate Kristie and a teary-eyed Jasmine. “Where were you?” Kristie demanded.

  “I went for a walk. I just needed to clear my head,” Marlee said, not feeling entirely like a liar since part of the story was true.

  “I was scared. I thought somebody kidnapped you or something,” Jasmine said, always the first to jump to wild conclusions. “We asked everybody on the floor if they’d seen you, and no one had.”

  “Sorry, guess I should have left a note. I didn’t think I’d be gone but for a little bit, but then I just kept walking and walking. With so much going on, I just needed some fresh air and exercise to help me think.” Marlee knew if either of her friends asked if she went back to Stairway to Hell that she’d have to confess. It was way too easy for either of them to find out she’d been over to visit Tim.

  Luckily, the conversation took another turn. “Guess what we found out at supper?” Jasmine asked, snapping back into her usual good mood.

  Before Marlee could fathom a guess, Kristie blurted out, “Beth just got dumped by her boyfriend because she was pregnant!”

  “What? Who told you this?” Marlee demanded. “I didn’t know Beth was serious about anyone.”

  “Cami, a girl who worked with Beth at 7-11. She said Beth confided in her that night before she left to go to the party,” Jasmine reported. “Cami lives in this dorm. On third floor.”

  “Who’s the boyfriend that dumped her? Anybody we know?” Marlee asked.

  “Nope. He doesn’t go to college. He’s an older guy and travels a lot. Cami didn’t know exactly what he did, but she thought he might be in a band,” Kristie said.

  “Were Cami and Beth good friends? I’ve never seen them together. It seems kinda odd that Beth would confide something so personal with a coworker,” Marlee observed.

  “She just told me that Beth was really distraught that evening and went into the bathroom crying. Cami went in to see what was wrong, and Beth told her about the breakup and the pregnancy. She made Cami promise not to tell anyone, but she told the police everything when they questioned her,” said Jasmine.

  “I guess Cami doesn’t have any qualms about repeating the story now, huh?” Marlee was disgusted that Cami was telling Beth’s private information all over campus.

  “Well, she has a big mouth. Beth must have been really upset to tell Cami anything at all,” Kristie said. “She said Beth called their boss to tell him that she was sick and needed to leave work.”

  “We need to find out who the guy is that broke up with Beth. He might have a lot of information about her. I wonder if he’s been questioned by the cops yet?” Marlee asked.

  “I don’t know. That’s all Cami knew,” Jasmine said.

  “Who else heard this conversation?” asked Marlee.

  “Polly sat with us, so she heard the whole thing,” Kristie said.

  “Well, if Polly knows, then everyone else will too,” Marlee said. Jasmine and Kristie nodded in agreement. Cami was a gossip, but Polly put her to shame with her ongoing commentary about anyone who wasn’t in the room.

  “Thanks for bringing me a sandwich. I’m gonna run down to the day room and warm it up in the microwave. I’ll be right back.” Marlee grabbed her chicken sandwich and headed down the hall. She passed the day room and went to the pay phone in the lobby where she placed a call to Officer Stevens.

  On the third ring, a male voice answered and turned her over to Barry Stevens. “Hey, I just wanted to update you on some new information.” Marlee relayed the details of her conversation with Tim from Stairway to Hell and also what Kristie and Jasmine told her about Beth being pregnant and getting dumped by a boyfriend.

  Barry thanked her for her information and suggested they meet again in the library the next day. The library didn’t open until noon on Sundays, so they agreed to meet in the same location at 2:00 pm. As Marlee was turning to leave the pay phone, she bumped right into the two people she really didn’t want to see.

  “Who are you talking to? And why didn’t you make the call from our room?” asked Jasmine with an irate Kristie by her side.

  What happened? Who hasn’t landed face down in a yard after a party? Except most people don’t have any help in hitting the ground.

  Chapter 7

  Frack! Marlee wasn’t sure what to do. She knew she had to keep her promise to Officer Stevens, but she also had an obligation to her friends. Taking a deep breath, she pulled Kristie and Jasmine closer so they wouldn’t be overheard by people walking by them in the lobby. “I can’t tell you what I’m doing because I’ve made a deal with somebody who has inside information. The only way I can find out what’s going on is by not telling anyone else. So please don’t ask me anything else, okay?”

  “Inside information? About what? You think this wasn’t an accident?” Jasmine furrowed her brow.

  “I don’t know, but I think it’s something we have to consider.”

  “You’re not in any trouble, are you?” asked Jasmine, already leaping to conclusions in her mind.

  “No, not at all. I found someone who was willing to trade information with me about Beth’s death, but I can’t tell you who it is or what that person shares with me. Just know that I’m doing everything I can to find out what happened to her,” Marlee said.

  “So, you won’t tell us anything you find out?” Kristie huffed, none too pleased with the arrangement. “How would you like it if we kept secrets?”

  “Kristie, I’m trying to find out what happened to Beth. We all are. It just so happens that someone I know is in a position to trade information. What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

  Jasmine and Kristie looked at each other, their expressions unreadable. Taking a deep breath, Jasmine said, “I understand. It’s just frustrating knowing that you won’t share your information with us, but we’ll tell you everything we find out.” Kristie nodded, unhappy with the arrangement, but deciding to keep her mouth shut rather than delve into her true feelings.

  “Thanks for understanding, you guys. When everything’s out in the open, I’ll tell you everything I know. Keeping secrets was not my idea, but the person I’m in contact with insisted on it,” Marlee said.

  The trio walked toward their wing of the dorm. Marlee stopped off at the day room to heat up her sandwich, taking plenty of time to give Kristie and Jasmine time to discuss their conversation. When she got back to the room, only Jasmine was there.

  “Kristie’s pissed at you,” Jasmine said.

  “I know. How about you?” Marlee asked, upset that her friends were unhappy with her.

  “No, I’m not pissed. I just wish you could tell us what you know. We’re trying to get a handle on this too. Secrets aren’t helping anyone,” Jasmine said, looking at the floor.

  “If I tell you and Kristie, or anyone, and my contact finds out, the shit will hit the fan. Not only will I be cut out of the information loop, but I can probably expect all kinds of trouble for the next few years until I graduate and leave this town,” Marlee said.

  Jasmine took a deep breath and waited a full minute before she spoke. “Just promise me that you won’t put yourself in any danger.”
r />   “You said something before about thinking I was kidnapped. Where is this danger thing coming from? Do you think someone killed Beth?” Marlee asked.

  “Maybe. I mean, we can’t rule it out, right?”

  “It’s a possibility. We won’t know much until the autopsy results come in. That will tell us how Beth died. At this point, we don’t know if it was accidental or intentional,” Marlee said.

  “What do you mean by intentional? You think Beth killed herself?” Jasmine was incredulous, hardly believing what she just heard.

  “At this point, I don’t know what I think. But if Beth was pregnant, and her boyfriend, who I would assume was the father, just dumped her, then maybe she drank herself to death. Maybe that was intentional, and maybe it was accidental. Or maybe she was going to walk home, since she was too drunk to drive and fell down. She might have passed out and then frozen to death. Or, someone may have killed her, although I haven’t heard anything yet that pulls me in that direction.” Marlee said.

  “You know, that could have been any one of us. We’ve all walked home drunk after a party. Any one of us could have fallen down and been injured or frozen to death.” Jasmine’s tears were back now.

  “I know. Let’s promise right now that we will never walk alone when we leave a party or the bar,” Marlee said, emotion bubbling up.

  “Pinky swear?” Jasmine asked as they linked fingers.

  “You never said what you thought happened to Beth,” Marlee said as she swiped away tears with the back of her hand. She realized nearly everyone had voiced an opinion so far except Jasmine.

  “It’s probably alcohol-related. I don’t think there’s any crime to be solved,” Jasmine said, “but I still worry when you disappear.”

  “What would you do if you found out you were pregnant and then your boyfriend left you?” Marlee inquired.

  “I have no fucking idea,” Jasmine said. “You?”