Death Sung Softly

by David Archer

  “No, probably not, but I thought it was odd enough that I should tell you right away. By the way, are you gonna be home soon? Kenzie wants you; I told her you were working and she said that's fine, she'll wait, but she really needs to tell you something, and she won't tell me what it is.”

  That got a chuckle out of him. “Tell her I'll be there within the hour,” he said, and then added, “and tell her I love her!”

  Indie was silent for a couple of seconds, then said, “Okay, I'll tell her. Bye!”

  Sam said, “Bye,” but he heard the line go dead before he got it out. When he put the phone back into his pocket, Dan was staring at him.

  “You said, 'Babe,' and then you said, 'Indie.' Is that the girl you had me check out a couple weeks ago?”

  Sam nodded. “Yeah, and before you start in, we just got around to realizing we like each other over the past couple days. I woulda told you sooner or later.”

  Dan grinned. “I'm not complaining! I'm just glad to see you coming back to the world of the living! I didn't think I'd ever see you with a woman again, at least not one you really wanted to hang onto, but this sounds kinda serious. Is it?”

  Sam smiled sheepishly. “I don't really know yet, Danny,” he said, “but it's definitely looking good so far! She's beautiful, and smart as they come—a lot smarter than me, I can tell you that—and she's got the most adorable little girl you ever laid eyes on, who thinks I should be her Daddy.”

  Dan shook his head, laughing. “Old Buddy, all I can say is I wish you the best! You deserve it, Sam, you really do. But I wanna meet her, and soon!”

  Sam grinned. “Well, since that cat is outa the bag, let's go for another one. Come down to Herman's Hideaway this Saturday night, and you can meet her while you watch me make a fool of myself. I'm the new lead singer for Barry Wallace's band, and we're playing there this weekend.”

  Dan looked shocked. “No! You're lying! Man, you haven't been on stage in how many years? This I gotta see, make sure you get me a seat!” He turned and shouted to the whole room. “Hey, everybody! Sam's gonna be singing at Herman's this Saturday night! Let's all go and make him proud!”

  The entire narcotics division exploded into applause, and Sam blushed as he waved to everyone. Several of the people there, detectives and other staff alike, came over to ask if was true and congratulate him. He didn't get out for another ten minutes, and had to push the bike through back streets to get home as soon as he'd said.

  Kenzie, still in her pajamas, was waiting for him at the door when he got off the bike, and opened it for him as he came onto the porch.

  “Sam! Sam, guess what!”

  “What?” Sam asked, his eyes wide with pretended anticipation. “What is it, Kenzie? What?”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, then rushed him into the kitchen. “We've got a mouse!” she said loudly, then dropped her voice to a whisper. “But don't tell Mommy, she's scared of mouses!”

  “We've got a what?” Indie shrieked. “Where's a mouse?”

  Kenzie showed them both where she insisted she'd seen a mouse under the edge of the kitchen counter, and when Sam got down and looked, he did indeed find a mouse hole.

  “Well,” he said. “Looks like we need to get something.”

  Kenzie was nodding her head vigorously, and Indie whispered, “Oh, no,” but she was too late. The little girl smiled up at Sam and said, “Yeah, we gotta get a cat!”

  Sam's eyes popped wide open, and he looked at Indie. “A cat?” he asked her. “She wants a cat?”

  Indie nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “I hadn't thought about it to tell you, but when we had our apartment, we got a kitten, and when we lost the place, we lost the cat, too. We couldn't take it with us, so one of our neighbors adopted it. She's asked me a dozen times if we can get another one someday, and all I ever said was, 'yeah, someday, maybe.' I didn't think she was still thinking about it, though.”

  Sam grinned. “I may not know a lot about kids, but one thing I'm sure of is that they don’t forget much of anything, if it's something they want.” He winked at her. “I don't know about a cat, though. I mean, a cat is a pretty important decision. Someone has to make sure to feed a cat, and then there's making sure it gets to play a lot—cats need a lot of playing, you know. I'm not sure I've got time to feed and play with a cat, every day, Honey, do you?”

  Indie caught on, and smiled. “No, I don't think I do. If we got a cat, someone would have to do all that, but who would we get to do it, Sam?”

  “Me!” Kenzie screamed at the top of her lungs. “Me! I'll feed it, and I'll play with it! Please? Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please can we get a cat?”

  Sam and Indie smiled at each other, and Sam reached down and scooped Kenzie up into his arms. “If we get a cat, Kenzie, do you promise to take care of it and feed it and play with it?”

  She nodded her head so fast that Sam almost thought she was going to fall out of his arms, but he held on. “I will, I will, I will!”

  He looked at Indie. “Well, it sounds to me like we're off to the animal shelter, then. Why don't you go get ready, Kenzie, while Mommy and I talk for a minute?” He set her down, and she ran up the stairs to change her clothes.

  Indie stared at Sam. “Do you even like cats?” she asked.

  “We had them when I was a kid,” he said, “and I always got along with them. I'd even thought of getting one after I wasn't on the force anymore, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it. It was one of those 'maybe I oughta' things that run through your mind, but never seem to materialize, y'know? If you're asking if I'm good with us getting a cat, I am. Are you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I'm a cat lover from way back, Sam, so yeah. But I feel like maybe we're pushing you into things you might not want, and I don't want to do that. I—I like where this seems to be going, and I don't want anything to mess it up.”

  Sam took her into his arms. “I don't think anything's gonna mess it up, Babe,” he said. “If I wasn't such a coward, I'd already be talking about college funds and fixing up the other bedroom and stuff like that, but I don't want to push you, either.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I get the feeling you and Kenzie are the best things ever happened to me, Indie.”

  Indie rested her head against his chest for a moment, and sighed. “I know I could gt used to this. And I understand about being scared, Sam, I'm a little scared, myself. This almost seems too good to be true, and I keep waiting for something to go wrong, or I'm afraid I'll make you mad and you'll toss us out—except I don't think you'd do that, even if I did make you mad.” She wrapped her arms tighter around him and squeezed. “You're something, Sam Prichard. Something pretty special. Now, where were you four years ago, when I was falling apart?”

  Sam was quiet for a moment, but then they heard Kenzie coming back down the stairs, so he leaned back and looked into her eyes. “I've got a feeling I was right on the path that I was supposed to beon, so I'd be here when you needed me most.” He kissed her lips quickly, and let go just as Kenzie came running into the room.

  “I'm ready!” she announced, and they all headed out to the van. Indie got Kenzie buckled into the car seat, climbed in, and they were off.

  The animal shelter was out on West Bayaud Ave, just off of Highway 87, and it took them about a half hour to get there. “An old friend of mine told me a while back,” Sam said, “that if I ever needed a pet, I should come here because they don't have all the red tape you have to go through with other places. No waiting periods, in other words; if we find a cat we like, we can take it home today.”

  “Ah,” Indie said. “Sounds like a good idea, then.”

  They got out of the van and went inside, and only a few moments later they were being shown all of the cats that were available for adoption. They looked at alley cats, tiger stripes, Persians, Siamese and every other kind of cat you could imagine, but Kenzie just kept shaking her head at each one.

  “I'll know it when I see it,” she said, and Sam and Indie coul
d only smile and follow her. She walked through row after row of cages, and Sam had to lift her up now and then to peer into one that was too high for her to see, but still she shook her head.

  Finally, the lady showing them around said, rather testily, that all that were left were some that might need minor medical care, and Sam nodded that they would look at those, too. “Might as well cover all the bases,” he said, and they were led into the last room.

  Kenzie instantly pointed at one cage that was on top, and said, “That's the one!” Sam lifted her up and she stuck her fingers through the chain link of the cage, and a small cat came to sniff at them. A moment later, it licked her fingers, and Kenzie said again, “This is the one!”

  Sam put her down and turned to the lady. “What’s the story with this guy?” he asked.

  The woman smiled for the first time in twenty minutes. “Actually, that's Samson,” she said. “He doesn't actually need any medical care, but he does have a special situation. He had distemper when he was a kitten, and managed to survive it, but it left him with a neurological problem; when he tries to run, his back legs sort of pass his front legs, and he'll end up tumbling head over heels every time. We named him Samson because he was strong enough to overcome the distemper; most cats don't live through it, but he did. If you want to adopt him, you need to know that he may get hurt now and then, from his problems. But there's not a more loving and loyal cat in the world, I can tell you that about him. I'd really love to see him go to a good family like yours.”

  Sam looked at Indie, and she nodded her head. “Looks like Samson has a new home,” he said, “but if I hear one joke about him being 'Sam-son,' somebody is sleeping in the van!”

  Indie laughed. “I hadn’t even caught it til you said that!” she said. “But don't worry, I won't say a word about it.”

  “Yeah,” Sam said, “I believe that! We'll take him home with us!”

  They filled out all the paperwork and Samson got to ride in Kenzie's lap. He didn't seem to mind, and spent a good deal of the time just nuzzling her hands. They stopped by a small pet store and bought a litter box, litter, cat food and a number of toys, as well as a carpet covered stack of boxes for Samson to climb on and play in, hopefully saving the furniture from his claws.

  He was obviously content as they drove the rest of the way home, purring in Kenzie's lap. Indie sat sideways in her seat so she could watch them.

  “He's gonna be good for her,” Indie said. “I hope we just did the right thing.”

  Sam looked at her. “If he's good for her, then why would it not be the right thing?”

  “Sam, we just went out and got a cat together,” she said. “Just like an actual family; what happens if things don't work out between us? Kenzie is feeling happier and more secure than she's ever been. If anything goes wrong and we don't make it work—I'm just worried about her, that's all.”

  Sam smiled, then reached over and took her hand into his. “One day at a time, okay?” he said, and she smiled back and nodded.

  She sighed. “One day at a time. I'll be okay.” She pulled his hand up and kissed it.

  They got to the house and took Samson inside, and all three laughed as he explored the house. More than once, they got to see his physical problem, as he would get excited and try to run. He'd make it about four strides before his back end passed his front end, and suddenly he was tumbling and rolling. When he stopped, he'd shake his head as if wondering what had just happened, then get up and walk slowly for a bit, but sooner or later, he'd forget and take off running, only to have it happen again.

  As noon approached, Indie made them a lunch of tuna salad. Samson got part of Kenzie's sandwich, which she dropped under the table to him, but Sam and Indie pretended not to notice.

  Kenzie didn't want to go to rehearsal that afternoon, preferring to stay and play with Samson (“That's my job, remember?” she asked them), so Indie stayed home with her as Sam got on the bike and rode off to Stan's house. Sam was glad they stayed home. He had a number of questions to ask the band when he got there, and he wasn't sure how some of them were going to go over.

  He parked the bike in the driveway, and walked into the open garage. Only Candy and Janice were there at the moment, and he smiled as he said hello.

  “Janice,” he said, “could I talk to you privately for a moment?”

  Candy got up and said, “Hey, I gotta go to the little girls' room, anyway, and I'll see what the guys are up to. Back in five.” She walked into the house, leaving Sam and Jannice alone in the garage.

  “What's up?” Janice asked.

  “Does the band know you and Barry got married?” Sam asked her softly.

  Tears instantly fell down her cheeks as she shook her head in the negative. “No. He said we needed to keep it a secret for now. I wanted to tell them all, but he said Chris would get nervous if he knew, so we didn't tell anyone. That's why I said he was like a big brother.” She laughed and wiped tears away. “It was so lame, pretending we were just friends, but a lot of people thought I was bad news for him, cause of my problems, y'know? But he loved me, and I loved him, so we went and got married secretly. We were gonna tell them pretty soon, just not yet.”

  “And you were in favor of the two of you getting his daughter from his sister?”

  She looked at him, surprised. “Wow, you found out about that? Yeah, he told me about her, and said if he was married, he could get his sister to let him have her back, but when he told her we'd got hitched, she freaked out and started yelling. Said he'd never be able to support a child, and she wasn't gonna let the kid grow up with a druggie stepmom. It was a big fight, and I felt like it was all my fault, so Barry wanted to take her to court and force it. I guess that's how you found out?”

  Sam nodded. “The court filing is public record, so it turned up when I had a computer search done. If you want to keep it all a secret, I'll keep my mouth shut, but that's up to you.”

  She looked down at the concrete floor. “I was gonna tell all of you today. His funeral is Monday, and there's no way I'd be there and pretend I wasn't his wife, y'know?”

  Sam put a hand on her shoulder. “I can understand that. I'll try to help keep everyone calm about it. Do you know the story behind Barry's daughter?”

  She shrugged. “With Barry, you only know what he tells you. He said she came from an old girlfriend in his senior year in high school, and his sister adopted her since he wasn't makin' much money, driving pizzas around.”

  Sam nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I'll let you bring it up when you’re ready.”

  Candy and the two men came out a couple of minutes later with cans of pop, and Sam asked them all to sit down while he explained about Samantha Harris and how Barry had gone to talk to her the day he vanished. He told them that Barry had apparently called Jimmy Smith from her phone, saying he would not leave the band, and then told them about the voicemail message that seemed to be from Jimmy, and the envelope and its contents.

  Janice started crying at that point, and Sam stopped talking. He looked at her, and she nodded.

  “Listen, guys,” she said, “there's something I gotta tell you.” She went through it all, then, how Barry had told her he loved her, that he wanted to get his daughter back and that being married would make it more likely his sister would agree, but that they shouldn't tell the band just yet. “I guess it doesn't matter now,” she said, “but I just wanted you all to know before the funeral.”

  Chris and Stan both looked at her, their faces calm. Chris said, “I knew he loved you, that was obvious, and I asked him once if you guys were gonna get married. I wish he'd told me, but it's too late to cry over that now.”

  Stan nodded. “Yeah, I told him more than once he should keep you,” he said. “He never let on, but I'm glad you guys were together before...”

  Candy just smiled and took Janice's hand. “You would have made him happy,” she said. “I'm glad you got to marry him, even if it was only for a little while.”

  Sam tol
d the band about the police investigation into Barry's death, and that the lead investigator was looking hard at Jimmy Smith. With the evidence of Samantha's phone message and her statement that Barry did call Jimmy from her phone to decline the contract, it was looking more and more like Jimmy may have killed him.

  “Not all the facts are in, yet, though,” Sam said, “so we can't jump to any conclusions. Especially in something this serious, we have to be absolutely certain.”

  “He did it,” Chris said. “I know, wait till all the evidence is in, but I've been on the receiving end of his temper before, and I'm bettin' on him! I think he did it, just cause Barry wasn't doing what he wanted.”

  “I think he did it,” Stan said. “I've never dealt with him personally, but I know other people who have, and he's been pretty rough. He's certainly capable of it. If Barry really told him that day that he wasn't gonna sign, then I think Barry got him to meet up or something, and did him in.”

  Sam nodded. “I tend to agree with you, both of you,” he said, “but unless we find some proof, there isn't a lot that can be done about it. What we've got now is only circumstantial evidence, unless they find his prints on the envelope with the hair in it, or they find more evidence when they search his place. If he really did have Barry's head there somewhere, most likely the CSI team will find some trace of it. That's what I'm counting on, physical evidence.”

  Chris sighed. “Well, the sad part is that Barry's gone. I can't really believe we'll never hear him sing again, but it's true whether I like it or not.” He raised his can. “To Barry; Heaven's got a new voice singing up there today, and it's one that will outshine a lot of the angels!”

  “To Barry,” they all echoed, raising their cans high.

  Chris set his can down. “Now, let's make some music. We've got a gig to get ready for, with a brand new lead singer!”

  Everyone agreed, even Janice, and they got up and started running through the songs Sam had learned the day before. He had them down pat, so they spent a couple hours on the next four songs, then went on to another four. The show on Saturday night would run four hours, from seven to eleven, with a few breaks interspersed in it, so they had another dozen songs to learn before they were ready.