Dead of Autumn

by Sherry Knowlton

  Alexa decided she would stay on high alert until they found whoever shot Doc and was terrorizing the clinic. And she wouldn’t apologize to anyone, including that jackass, Starke. “Understandable,” Alexa lisped aloud and laughed hysterically.

  Melinda knocked on her door, puzzled when she saw Alexa sitting alone in her office laughing. “Corporal Branche and Trooper Taylor are here to see you, Alexa.” Shutting the door behind her, Melinda whispered, “Is everything OK? You’ve been getting all of these visits from the police. Everyone out front is worried. You aren’t in trouble, are you? Should I call Graham?”

  Alexa smiled ruefully. “Thanks for your concern, Melinda, but I’m not in trouble. You know I volunteer at the Cumberland Clinic. Dr. Crowe, one of the staff doctors, has been shot. The police are just talking to me as part of the investigation. No need to call Graham. He and my dad are both aware of this.” Alexa deliberately avoided the fact that the state police were here primarily because of Elizabeth Nelson’s death. At this point, Alexa’s connection to the case was still not public knowledge.

  When the investigators asked Alexa about her contact with the living Elizabeth Nelson at the clinic, it became clear that they had already considered a possible connection between the murder and the shooting of Dr. Crowe.

  “I only saw her that night very briefly from the back. I never even saw Elizabeth’s face. I organized her signed paperwork, scheduled a cab to pick her up, and then left the clinic.

  “Last night, it occurred to me that there could be a connection between Elizabeth’s murder and Doc getting shot. You’ve probably thought of this, but the notes coming to the clinic say ‘You will be the third to die.’ What if they considered the baby to be the first, Elizabeth the second, and Dr. Crowe the third? Maybe the father or someone is opposed to abortion and wanted to punish Elizabeth and Doc for what he considered killing the baby?”

  Corporal Branche nodded his head. “We have been exploring that possibility.”

  Alexa filled them in on her encounter in the supermarket parking lot. “They may not have meant me any harm, but I erred on the side of caution.”

  “We’ll talk to the borough police about the incident. Maybe it was nothing more than two guys wanting to talk to a pretty young woman, but you are right to be on guard. You were at the clinic the night that Elizabeth Nelson got an abortion. You found her body, and you may have seen witnesses or the perpetrators of the crime. Like it or not, Ms. Williams, you are involved in this case. I advise you to use caution at all times and call us at the slightest hint of danger.”

  “You’re on my speed dial now. And, I will certainly be careful. However, no one knows that I found Elizabeth’s body so I shouldn’t be a target from that angle.”

  Trooper Taylor told her, “Yes. We have protected your identify for that very reason. But, in our experience, news like this often leaks out, even inadvertently. Family tells a friend. The friend tells someone else, and soon the whole world knows. So, be careful.”

  “Have you found Elizabeth’s family or her boyfriend?”

  The corporal answered that question. “Her family is coming to town next week from Oregon. Her mother and father have only had sporadic contact with Elizabeth since she moved east, so they had no idea that she was missing. Apparently, it was not unusual for two or three weeks to go by between phone calls. Since they had spoken to her only a few days before her death, they weren’t alarmed that they hadn’t heard from her.

  “Elizabeth told her parents that she was thinking about quitting her job and coming back home to Oregon. She said she missed the Portland scene. Her mother sounds like a pretty sharp woman. She read between the lines and figured that things with Elizabeth’s latest boyfriend had ended badly. The mother thinks that the move back to Oregon had as much to do with putting distance between Elizabeth and the boyfriend as it did with coming home.

  “Apparently, the Nelsons weren’t all that close to their daughter anymore. They characterized Elizabeth as ‘having an independent streak.’ Still, this news hit them hard. They clearly loved their daughter and were distraught to learn that she was dead. They were broken up to hear that she had been murdered and died alone in a place so far from home.”

  “I still don’t understand why no one identified Elizabeth earlier or reported her missing.”

  “It is puzzling. She’s lived in this area for a while and must have interacted with a lot of people during that time. We did find out where Elizabeth worked and why they didn’t miss her. Turns out that she was some kind of child prodigy computer whiz. Her parents danced around the subject but eventually told us that she had been a hacker in high school and didn’t need college to land a job.

  “She worked for Technostorm in Harrisburg, developing computer software programs. That’s why she moved here from Portland to begin with. They offered her a deal big enough to justify a move across the country. Like most of their employees, Elizabeth spent most of her time working at home. She only checked into the office a few times a month.

  “The supervisor says that many of their computer geeks don’t even know each other because they work at home and set their own schedules for visiting the office. He said that Elizabeth got more attention than most because she was so pretty. But, as a group, the boss said that his people are not big on current events so, it’s possible none of them saw the coverage of her murder. The supervisor said that he doesn’t watch the news. He spends most nights reading tech blogs, whatever they are.

  “He told us that Elizabeth had given notice at work, but the date was sort of open-ended because she agreed to complete her current project before she left the job. He expected to hear from her sometime later this month when the new software program was finished.

  “The boyfriend is still a wildcard. We don’t know who he is or why he didn’t recognize her picture in the news.”

  After the state police investigators left, Alexa ate a sandwich at her desk and processed this new information. Finally, it made some sense why it had taken so long to identify Elizabeth. The original sketch published in the paper had not been the best likeness, and a lot of people didn’t even read the local newspaper or watch local news on TV anymore. Many of the people she knew got their news online or tuned into Fox, CNN, or MSNBC because the local news was so lousy. Like her friend, Melissa, said, you could only read so many stories about bears, car accidents, and school board meetings before you cancelled your subscription to the local newspaper and fled to cable. The unfortunate result was declining revenues to the local news media and coverage that became even less meaningful.

  Despite the news gap factor, Alexa couldn’t understand why Elizabeth’s boyfriend, other friends, or neighbors hadn’t stepped forward. She had been a striking young woman, unusually pretty with her Scandinavian coloring. It seemed impossible that Dr. Crowe was the only person who had seen that picture and recognized Elizabeth. The big question was: Why hadn’t those people stepped forward?

  Chapter Eighteen

  While she dressed for her date, Alexa ran through the breakup speech another time. She shouldered all the blame. She just wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. She had been burned too badly by her failed romance with Trent. She had enjoyed their time together. She knew that Caleb wanted more of a commitment, but she didn’t want to lead him on.

  She would leave out Caleb’s parents, hunting, religion, conservative politics, and all the things that were the real issues.

  “So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu.” Alexa burst into the familiar refrain from the Sound of Music. “OK, OK. You have totally lost it, girl,” she said to herself in the mirror. “Let’s just get this over and done with. We’ll go to dinner. When the time is right, I’ll say my piece and that will be it. Goodbye, Caleb.” The intense feeling relief surprised her.

  When Caleb parked in front of the cabin, Alexa grabbed her coat and headed to the door. She couldn’t conceal her shock when she opened the door to find Caleb standing there with an Antonio’s
Italian Ristorante bag in his hand.

  “What’s this?”

  “I thought we could eat in for a change. I brought you penne carbonara. Isn’t that your favorite?” he said with a tight smile. “I have something important to discuss with you, and I thought it would be best to do it in private.”

  “Yes,” Alexa stammered. “What a surprise. What would you like to drink?”

  “Water is fine for now.”

  “I think I’ll have a glass of wine.”

  As Alexa got drinks, she dithered about how to deal with this unexpected development. All her careful planning was blown.

  Go with the flow, she decided. You can’t just dump him the minute he walks through the door—especially since he went to the trouble to buy dinner.

  Perhaps it was the forced intimacy of the quiet cabin. Perhaps it was Alexa’s anxiety about the bombshell she was about to drop. But, the conversation seemed strained. She chattered desperately about neutral topics like her latest yoga class and local news.

  “I took an extra yoga class this week. The studio had a yogi from India who taught several classes. He really emphasized the spiritual side of the practice. It was a great experience,” Alexa said.

  “I don’t get this whole yoga thing. How can you call an exercise class spiritual?”

  “Yoga is so much more than exercise. I’m always so busy at work. Taking a class at the end of a hectic day is so calming.”

  “A lot of things keep you busy.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Alexa decided that this was going nowhere fast, so she searched for another topic. “I read that the college is expanding again. They bought that old warehouse near the campus.”

  Caleb seemed to pay little attention to Alexa’s mindless chatter. He barely spoke and seemed withdrawn. A few times during dinner, Alexa saw him rock back and forth in his seat. Baffled by his unprecedented decision to eat in and his increasingly strange behavior, Alexa couldn’t fathom his mood.

  “How was your week, Caleb? Did your business trip go well?”

  “Fine.”

  “We had good weather here. Chilly in the morning, but warm by the afternoon.”

  “Perfect for hunting.”

  As the tense meal drew to a close, Caleb still hadn’t broached the important item that he wanted to discuss. Could he have sensed that she was going to break things off? Was he going to break up with her?

  Alexa rose to clear the dishes. She fed a few scraps of Italian bread to Scout, who had spent the entire meal glued to her side. Then, she let the dog out into the night for a run. She almost had to push the big mastiff out the door.

  “Do you want a piece of this tiramisu?”

  “Dessert can wait.” Caleb pinned Alexa against the kitchen counter. He brushed her hair aside and kissed the back of her neck. “I had a different type of sweet in mind right now.”

  Alexa giggled. “Has that line worked for you at any time, ever?” She debated how to handle this second unexpected turn of events. Nothing this evening was going as planned.

  Against her better judgment, Alexa allowed Caleb to lead her to the living room. Finding the right time to deliver her breakup speech was getting harder and harder. Doing it now, while Caleb had romance on his mind, just seemed too cold. Maybe afterwards when Caleb was on his way out the door?

  Caleb stopped in the middle of the room. Without speaking, he brought his lips to hers and kissed Alexa with a fiery intensity. Alexa responded to Caleb’s passionate embrace and arched her body closer. When he broke off the kiss, Caleb shocked Alexa by ripping off her blouse. Turned on by Caleb’s urgency, Alexa melted into his arms.

  From there things heated up quickly, and Alexa pushed that breakup conversation to the back of her mind. Sex with Caleb had always been electric.

  Why not have one more for the road, Alexa rationalized as she surrendered herself to the moment.

  Caleb’s kisses were greedy as he ran his hands up and down Alexa’s body. He paused long enough to unfasten her bra and fling it to the floor. He tangled his fingers through Alexa’s hair, arching her head back until her neck was exposed. She moaned as his tongue drifted from the hollow of her neck to the cleft between her rising breasts.

  Caleb was still completely dressed. When Alexa reached to unfasten his belt buckle, he grabbed her wrists and pushed her hands away. He slid Alexa’s panties down her hips until they cascaded into a silken pool at her feet. When Alexa was fully naked, Caleb placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down onto the sofa. The chill of the leather couch on her bare skin telegraphed Alexa’s vulnerability, a sensation that was both unnerving and exciting.

  Alexa watched with impatience as Caleb unfastened his belt buckle. Instead of disrobing, Caleb unzipped his fly to expose his rigid member. He took a condom from his pocket and ripped open the foil. He dropped the wrapper to the floor and slowly and deliberately rolled the condom over his erect penis.

  Light from the kitchen cast Caleb’s shadow onto the wall. Drawn by the dark motion, Alexa studied the elongated silhouette. A massive, hulking shadow-beast pranced on the wall, brandishing an angry penis. Alexa felt a frisson of unease.

  Caleb hovered above Alexa, lying nude on the wide couch. Disoriented, Alexa thought the shadow-beast had stepped down from the wall. Then the creature snarled in Caleb’s voice, “I think you’re going to like this new game.”

  When Caleb leaned in, Alexa knew that something was wrong. Towering over her, Caleb’s eyes were stormy. For an instant, Alexa could see her apprehension reflected in the gray opacity of his gaze.

  When he lowered himself to the couch and straddled Alexa’s body, things turned rough. Caleb grabbed Alexa’s arms and swept them above her head. With one hand, he held her wrists so forcefully that Alexa could barely move. With his other, Caleb clawed at Alexa’s breasts and brutally pinched her nipples.

  “That hurts,” Alexa cried trying to twist her body away from the mauling. But, pinned beneath Caleb’s muscular legs without control of her arms, Alexa could find no leverage. Ignoring her protests, Caleb closed his teeth over her nipples in a series of sharp painful bites. With a grunt, Caleb forced Alexa’s legs apart with a knee and swiftly entered her.

  Alexa’s initial passion had turned to dust. His pounding shaft felt like sandpaper in the dry tissues of her delicate sex.

  Sweat dripping from his body, Caleb continued to ride Alexa, seemingly oblivious to her distress. With Alexa now lying motionless beneath him, Caleb’s punishing thrusts intensified until he groaned loudly in climax.

  Within seconds, Caleb pulled away and rearranged his clothes, his back turned.

  It took some effort for Alexa to peel herself from the couch. Haltingly, she stood and picked up her clothes from where they lay crumpled on the floor. After one look at her torn blouse, she used the strips of fabric to wipe Caleb’s stale sweat from her chest and tossed it down. Then she slipped on a bulky sweater from a chair near the steps.

  As she dressed, Alexa surged from shock to anger. “What was that all about? It might have been good for you, but it sure as hell wasn’t good for me.”

  Caleb looked at Alexa without remorse. “I thought your type likes it rough. I just didn’t know your type until now.”

  “What are you talking about? My type? And that was about as far from consensual sex as you can get. You were the only one having sex here a few minutes ago. No one has ever treated me like that. And I certainly didn’t like anything about it.”

  Caleb sprawled into a chair and gestured insolently for Alexa to sit opposite. She lowered herself gingerly to the couch. She was still reeling from this entire experience, which felt more like an assault than an experiment with a little soft-core bondage or S&M.

  In the lengthening silence, Alexa waited for Caleb to reply. When he said nothing, she realized that this encounter had crystallized her resolve. This jerk was history.

  Just as Alexa opened her mouth to end the relationship, Caleb began speaking in a hollow tone. “Y
ou know what type of woman you are. But why didn’t you tell me? All this time you have been working at that clinic, and you never bothered to mention that you were involved in killing unborn babies. I thought you were a good person. I know that you engage in promiscuous sex and have some crazy liberal ideas. But, I thought that, beneath it all, you were a good, clean Christian woman. Now I find out that you are part of that filth and desecration. You work at that charnel house that rips innocent babies out of their mothers’ wombs. And you kept it a secret from me.

  “If I had known, I would have never introduced you to my parents. I thought we could have a life together, but you have ripped that future to shreds with your godless actions. I can’t believe I took you to meet my mother and Reverend Browne. They may never forgive me.” His voice rose until, by the end, he was shouting.

  Alexa sat in shock at this unexpected onslaught of words. She had no idea who this man was—standing here, ranting about abortion and God. She shrank back into the couch as Caleb leapt up and grabbed her arm. The gray of his eyes shimmered like shards of glass.

  “You whore. You need to be punished for your sins against children and against God.”

  Alexa collected herself enough to say, “Caleb. I want you to leave. We can discuss this some other time, but I didn’t deliberately keep my volunteer work at the clinic secret. I just never thought to mention it.” She unsuccessfully tried to twist her arm from his grasp and rise to her feet.

  “I’ll gladly leave. But, you needed to be taught a woman’s place.” Caleb shoved Alexa back onto the couch.

  “Caleb, you are out of control and I want you out of my house. Now. Get your coat and leave right now.” Alexa’s unease morphed into fear. Outside, Scout was barking and crashing his body into the door.

  Caleb grabbed Alexa’s hair. “You are a whore just like Rebecca was. God will punish you, too, you bitch. You’re a whore and a liar, and you should be ashamed for shedding the blood of innocents.” With that final insult, Caleb released her and moved away.