Shadow by the Bridge

by Suzanne Zewan

  “Okay. Do you need anything else while I’m there?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  I set the pies on the seat next to me. The smell of apples and cinnamon filled the car. As I drove off, my mouth began to salivate just from the aroma. I pulled up to the front of the store and saw Merle standing at the door.

  “Hey, Merle, do you have any copies of theDailyleft, the four o’clock?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “The John Doe proceeding… Keller’s statement is supposed to be in there.” I grabbed the two pies from the car and ascended up the four steps. Merle held the door for me. I set the pies on the counter. “These are from my mother: one’s for Martha and Gerry, and the other is for Helen and Travis.”

  “When Helen was here earlier she was talking about the proceeding. Keller interviewed her too; you knew that, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he interviewed just about everyone around here except my mother. Keller didn’t bother with her.”

  “Well, I’m sure that having an assistant district attorney as her caller probably had something to do with it.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. But just the same, she didn’t have anything to say. She only knows what people tell her.”

  Merle glanced over at the newspaper sitting on the back counter. “I already read the article. Keller stated that… wait; I have the paper right here.” Merle walked around the front counter and picked up the folded newspaper. “Here it is! Let me find the paragraph… right here! I’ll read it:

  District Attorney Keller said that the John Doe Hearing failed to bring out anything of importance in the search for the murderer, but that it served to completely clear the persons whose names are mentioned in the statement. He said that each one of those persons had a perfect alibi and they were able to establish that they were in other places than the vicinity of the Kingsley home from the time that Miss Kingsley was last seen alive until her body was found.”

  “Let me see that paper!” I grabbed it out of Merle’s hands and read it for myself, then tossed it on the counter next to the pies. I sat there for a moment, just shaking my head. “I can’t believe it,” I said under my breath.

  “I don’t like it either, Fritz.” Merle shook his head.

  “So does this mean they don’t have any suspects, at all?” I asked. “We both heard what came out of Anton’s mouth that night—even though I have a hard time believing he was evil enough to commit murder, he still said it.”

  “I know. And I told Keller what he said, and I wasn’t the only one. So, I have no idea if they have any other suspects. Maybe you should ask Joseph that question. He would know.”

  “Yeah, he would,” I said as my words faded.

  I heard the back door open. I looked toward the back of the store.

  “Why hello, Fritzy,” Martha said with a smile as she carried a tin pail of sloshing milk. “Helen and I were just talking about you.”

  “You were?”

  “Yes, we were talking about the interviews with the district attorney. Your mother told us that you were over at the courthouse yesterday.”

  “Yeah, I was there.”

  “How’d it go?” Martha set the pail of milk by the stairs that led to their living quarters.

  “According to the paper, it was a waste of everyone’s time. Did you read Keller’s statement?”

  “No, I haven’t had a chance. I’ve been upstairs with my mother most of the day. What did it say?”

  “The John Doe Proceeding that was supposed tohelp figure out who killed Florence actually cleared everyone of interest.” I pointed to the article. “Everyone has an alibi.”

  “And all that talk about Junior and that other one down the road.” Martha waved her finger toward the door.

  “Anton?”

  “Yes. It’s hard to say a kind word about him after the way he spoke to Gerry the other day, so I won’t say any.”

  “What did he say?” I asked.

  “Nothing out of the ordinary… he was cursing about his order not coming in when I told him it would. It’s just who he is,” Martha said while shaking her head. “He wouldn’t be so popular with you boys if it wasn’t for the cider, and I’m talking about my own son, too,” she added with aggravation.

  Merle and I nodded with agreement, and a feeling of guilt came over me. Martha was right: we liked to drink his cider.

  “He’s not that bad of a fellow, Martha,” Merle said in Anton’s defense.

  Martha glanced over at Merle with disagreement in her brown eyes. “Ask me in a month or two, and maybe I’ll agree with you,” Martha said as the squeak of the back door opening broke the tension. We all turned to see who it was.

  “Martha, I forgot to buy coffee earlier,” Helen said as she approached us.

  Martha stepped behind the counter and began rummaging through the shelves that were filled with spices, flour, and kitchen items. “I thought I had a couple of pounds out here. Did you sell it today?” she asked, looking at Merle.

  “Yeah, I did. I meant to restock it, but I must have forgotten.”

  “That’s all right, honey: let me go grab it. I’ll be right back,” Martha said and headed to the storage room in the back of the store.

  “Hello, Helen,” I said. “I have an apple pie for you. My mother made one for you and one for Martha.”

  “Thank you. Travis loves your mother’s apple pies. I’ll call her after supper to thank her.”

  “Is there anything else that you need, Helen?” Merle asked.

  “No, just the coffee. Travis can’t go to work without having his coffee,” Helen said.

  “It’ll be forty-seven cents,” Merle said and hit the cash register keys.

  Helen placed the money in his hand, and Merle placed it into the cash register.

  “Did you read the news today?” I asked Helen.

  “No, Travis was reading the paper when I left. Why do you ask?”

  “You’ll want to read it. There’s an article about yesterday’s proceedings.”

  Helen nodded. “I’ll read it when I get home then. Most of my conversation with District Attorney Keller was about Anton, which was not a surprise to me. We all know that he’s up to no good most of the time. Did he ask you about Anton too?”

  “Yeah, just a few questions. I figured that he had a good reason for asking about him,” I replied as I pulled the stool away from the counter and sat down, eager to hear what Helen had to say.

  “Well, I saw him the night of Florence’s murder.” Helen gave a slow nod that seemed to assure me that she did, in fact, see him. “I met up with Jill as she and the kids were leaving Anton’s mother’s house. She told me that they’d just finished supper over there. I was on my way to the post office, and I walked down the road with them. I was curious why she was walking alone, just coming from her mother-in-law’s, so I asked her where Anton was. Jill told me that he had left a few minutes before they did to go finish the chores and do the milking. Then, as we came down the hill, we saw Anton standing by the bridge waiting for them.”

  “Then that explains his alibi,” I said quietly.

  “I told them that I saw Anton standing by the bridge. It was starting to turn dark, but it wasn’t that dark. It was him. I even spoke to him,” Helen said with assurance.

  “Did Keller ask you if you thought Anton murdered Florence? Because he asked me.”

  “Yes, he asked me. And I told him that I don’t believe things until I know it is so. And it is so that he was standing by the bridge waiting for Jill and the kids.” She glanced over at Merle and then back over at me. “I also told them that I don’tmeddlebecause I want to keep myself out of trouble.”

  My eyes were on Merle, who was standing behind Helen. He rolled his eyes and kept shaking his head in disbelief.

  “No, I never knew you tomeddle,Helen,” I said with a straight face.

  “There’s no point in it. Meddling just leads to trouble,” Helen said.

&nbs
p; Merle covered his mouth. I watched his shoulders bob up and down as he held in his chuckling. He turned and walked toward the back of the store, passing Martha along the way while trying to contain his fit of laughter.

  “Helen, here you go,” Martha said.

  “All right, I’ll grab my pie and be on my way. Travis is probably wondering where I am.”

  “Pie?” Martha asked.

  “Ella made them for us,” Helen said.

  “I thought I smelled apple pie,” Martha said and then glanced at the counter as Helen strolled over to where the pies were sitting. “They smell delicious. Would you please thank her for us, honey? I’ll call her later, too.”

  I nodded. “I’ll tell her.”

  “Well, I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Helen held the pie in one hand and the tin of coffee in the other. She left out the back door as the loud whistle of the 6:50 train passed through Linden, rattling the glasses on the back shelf.

  “I’d better be going. My mother has supper waiting for me.”

  “Don’t forget to thank your mother for us.” Martha smiled.

  “I’ll tell her,” I said as I rose from the stool and pushed it back toward the counter.

  “Fritz, I’ll follow you out,” Merle said.

  “Merle, can you lock up on your way out?” Martha asked. “Gerry should be home any time, and I need to set the table.”

  “Yeah. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Merle opened the door, and we stepped out onto the porch. The half-moon hung in the deep blue sky. The scent of burning birch filled the brisk evening air.

  “I didn’t want to ask in front of those two, but Anton stopped in earlier and asked if a few of us wanted to play some cards tonight. Ya want to go?”

  I turned and looked through the store window. I didn’t see Martha. “I don’t know,” I said with hesitation.

  “What’s the problem? He didn’t do it, Fritz! You heard what Helen said.”

  “I know… I heard her. But I don’t know... I mean, I don’tthink he did it either. I even told Keller that. But I don’t know... I’m not so sure—”

  “Helen just told you, she saw him that night. Anton was with his family.”

  “It just makes me wonder… I don’t know what to think anymore,” I said with frustration. “If he was having supper at his mother’s and wasn’t by Flo’s farm, then—”

  “Have you taken a gander at the vagrants that get off the train here? Maybe it was a robbery gone sour.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “It could have been.” I placed my hands in my front pockets.

  “So are you coming to the Mill tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’ll probably head over there after I see Valerie.”

  “Is she still staying over at old lady Adleman’s?”

  “Yeah, she’s there every night. Valerie has been doing all the chores and cooking all of her meals. Mrs. Adleman’s son pays her weekly for staying there.”

  “That’s good. Valerie has a job and it also helps Mrs. Adleman out. All right, I’m going to lock up. I’ll see ya in a little while,” Merle said as he opened the wooden screen door.

  I left the porch, headed toward my car, and opened the car door. “Yeah, ’bout 7:30 or so,” I said, and shut the door. I pulled away from the store and headed home.

  I drove into our driveway and turned off the car. Out the car window, I could see two deer grazing just beyond the trees in our backyard. There was a time when I’d want to run inside and grab my shotgun. I just didn’t feel the same way about hunting anymore. My desire was gone. I stepped out of the car and ambled toward the steps.

  “Mom!” I knocked on the door and saw my bowl sitting on the table waiting for me.

  “Just a second,” my mother yelled from the parlor.

  She placed the key in the keyhole and let me in. “What kept you so long?”

  “I was talking to Helen and Martha. They said thank you for the pies,” I replied as I set my hand on the wall and shook my boots off. “Smells good! I’m starving.”

  My mother picked up my bowl from the table, filled it, and set it back down. “I already ate. I wasn’t sure when you would be home.” She sat down.

  I sat down across from her. “Did Valerie call?”

  “No, but she did stop by on her way to Mrs. Adleman’s. She wants you to call her.”

  “I’ll stop over there when I’m done.”

  “So, what did the paper say?”

  “Nothing other than that everyone that Keller talked to who might have been a suspect had an alibi.”

  “So what does that mean? Do they have any other suspects?”

  “The paper didn’t say. But honestly, I don’t think they have any idea who did it.” I placed a big spoonful of soup into my mouth. “Even though I don’t think Anton could ever kill someone, I still question it. But he wasn’t anywhere near Florence’s house that night; he was with Jill and the kids at his mother’s house. Then, I guess, he left his mother’s house a little bit before Jill and the kids did to go finish the chores, and waited for them by the bridge. Helen saw him herself, standing by the bridge waiting. She was walking with them.” I placed another spoonful of soup into my mouth.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if it was someone that got off the train passing through. I’ve seen some of them, and they don’t look too trustworthy,” my mother said.

  “That’s what Merle said, a vagrant. If Keller and Dawson can’t figure out who did it after talking to everyone, then maybe you’re right.” I slurped some turkey broth.

  “I’m still keeping your father’s shotgun close by.”

  “I’m not so sure I trust you using dad’s gun.”

  My mother’s eyes widened. “Honey, I can assure you I know how to use it.”

  “I was talking to Joseph about that. Knowing you, you’d be too nervous and not be able to find the trigger or something, or even drop it.”

  “I think just having it pointed at someone would scare them. And then I’d hit him with it.”

  “Hopefully, none of that would ever happen.” As I thought about those words, the idea of my mother having to point a gun at someone to save her life made me sick to my stomach. I imagined the whole scene in my head so that I could see his face. But all that I could see was the back of him walking up our stairs. I nodded my head and sipped the last spoonful of my soup, then tipped the bowl up to drink the rest of the broth.

  “Would you like another bowl?”

  “Nah, I’m full. That was good.”

  “Do you want any pie?”

  “I do, but I’ll have some later, after I get back.”

  “So you’re just going over to see Valerie?”

  “Well, after that, I’m going to go play some cards with Merle.”

  “At the Mill?” she asked in an irritated tone. “And with Anton?”

  “That’s where we play.” I avoided looking at her and did not respond to the second part of her question. I felt the heat of her eyes on my face.

  “You’re becoming more like your father every day, and right now, I don’t mean that in a pleasant way.”

  “I’m my father’s son.” I flashed her a grin.

  “With all that’s happened, and after all this talk about Anton’s remark last week, you’re going over to the Mill to drink with him?”

  I stood there trying to come up with an answer. “It’s been a long week, and I want life to go back to the way it was.”

  “I understand, but it’s going to take some time.”

  “Besides, I want to hear what Anton has to say about the John Doe Proceeding. I know he was interviewed.” I grabbed my bowl and spoon off the table and placed them into the sink. “I’m going to go change.”

  “Remember to take your key tonight. I don’t want you banging on the door at eleven o’clock for me to let you in.”

  “All right, I won’t forget. Is Joseph coming over?”

  “No, he has a hearing to prepare for. He’ll be here tomorrow night.�
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  After I washed up and changed, I headed back downstairs. I could hear my mother washing the dishes in the kitchen.

  “Where’s the key?” I asked as I grabbed my shoes by the back door and slipped them on.

  My mother pulled the key out of her apron pocket and set it on the table.

  “I won’t be too late.” I gave my mother a kiss on the cheek.

  “Okay, honey, love you. Are you taking the car?”

  “Love ya too. And no… I’m gonna walk.” I grabbed my coat off the hook and stepped out the door. The cool air felt good after being in the warm kitchen. I saw that the light was on at Mrs. Adleman’s house, so I ambled down my driveway and knocked on the door. It took a minute, but then the porch light flicked on; Valerie peeked through the front window and smiled, then opened the door.

  “I stopped by earlier and your mother said that you were over at Morgan’s.”

  “Yeah, sorry I missed you,” I said and leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “Can you come out here for a few minutes? And could you turn off the light?”

  “Okay, let me check on Mrs. Adleman first. I’ll be right back.”

  The light turned off and Valerie stepped out the door with her coat on. “She’s fine. She’s listening to the radio show.”

  “Good. I’ve wanted to do this all day.” I threw my arms around her, kissed her soft lips, and slowly walked her to the side of the porch wall, away from the window. Slowly, I opened my mouth a little and gently slipped my tongue inside her mouth. Our tongues swirled together as one. As I kept kissing her, my body heated up. I felt my heart speeding up, sending blood pulsing though my veins. I pressed my hardness against her.

  Valerie pulled away, giggling. “Oh my! I wasn’t expecting that!”

  “I missed you,” I whispered and kissed her again.

  “I missed you, too.”

  I kissed her again.

  Valerie slowly closed her lips and pulled away. Strands of her hair were blowing across her face from the cool breeze. A strand was stuck to her moist lips. I reached my hand up and pulled it off of her lip. Her eyes were on mine and read of seriousness. “Okay… okay. I’ve been waiting to talk to you. What did the paper say about the proceedings?”