A Kiss With Death

by Frances Hoelsema

  But then he second guessed himself. What kind of detective would he be if he didn’t absolutely make sure it was the same? In his gut he knew it was the same. But as a professional, he had to be sure. Opening the contents up one more time, he double checked to see if there was a card. He wasn’t seeing one. His eyebrows inched inward.

  The phone rang. Detective Kojak put the folder down and answered. “Detective Kojak.”

  “Detective? It’s Betsy Knox.”

  Why would the medical examiner be calling him? “What can I do for you, Betsy?”

  “Have you seen the report on Parker Manscotti yet?”

  “I was just looking it over. Why?”

  “I forgot to add a few of his things. I’m sending them over now. You should have them by this afternoon.”

  “Okay. Great. Thanks. Anything important?”

  Betsy was silent at first. “Um, well, there is one thing you’ll want to see. A card.”

  Another card? “Okay. Well, thanks for letting me know.”

  “No problem.”

  Detective Kojak hung up and took another sip of his coffee. He set Parker’s file aside to remind himself more would be coming later. The next few things from the stack of papers on his desk were of nothing important. Not anything that required his attention at this moment anyway.

  Then he saw the report from forensics about the lipstick. He opened it in a hurry, knowing this was going to be interesting. Results were conclusive. The lip color that had been on the cards signed by Margaret were Cherry Passion by Only One You.

  Detective Kojak picked up the phone. When the officer on the other line answered, he said, “It’s Kojak. I have a lipstick color I want you to track down.” He went on to give the name and manufacturer. Finally, he ended with, “I want you to see what stores all sell this particular lipstick, and then see if you can figure out who has all bought it.”

  The officer was hesitant, stating that this would give them a large pool of suspects.

  “Just do what you can. When we consider the victims and video footage, hopefully we’ll get lucky.”

  He hung up, and leaned back in his chair, tapping his pointer finger on the arm rest. He had a plan. After sorting the mail out, he was going to run over to Capstone University. The dean would be the first person he would talk with. And who knows? Maybe he’d get lucky there, too.

  The detective drank the rest of his coffee in big gulps as he finished what was left for him to do in his office. Putting on his jacket, he grabbed his keys and briefcase, and started making his way out the door.

  Once he got to Capstone University, Mr. Hilton was quick to see him. They shook hands and took a seat in Hilton’s office. The dean was more than happy and willing to answer any questions. Detective Kojak could tell he was very somber. He’s sure it couldn’t have been easy to find out one of the students from his school had been found dead.

  “Could you do something for me?” Detective Kojak asked, nearing the end of his inquisition.

  “Sure. Anything,” the dean replied.

  “I’d like a class list for Parker. It’ll give me a chance to talk to all the teachers, and even some of the students.”

  “Absolutely. Anything else?”

  “You wouldn’t happen to have any security tapes or anything over by the pool building, would you?”

  The dean’s eyes watched the ceiling for a moment, seeking an answer. “I do believe so, yes.”

  “Great. I’d like to see that as well.”

  “Sure. Let me get the class list for you and inform the security team. I’ll be right back.”

  The detective sat in the chair, tapping his finger once again. Since when did he feel the need to keep moving just to stay busy? Maybe it was the coffee. It was hard telling how many cups he has lived off of the last two days.

  A few minutes later, Hilton came back, handing him a sheet of paper. “If you go to the security office, they’ll have a disc ready for you within the hour.”

  Detective Kojak took the proffered paper. “Thanks. I’ll look at this and make sure to stop by their office soon.” Upon standing up, he thanked the dean for his assistance and walked out.

  He slowly made his way down the hall while he glanced over Parker’s schedule. It didn’t appear that his workload was too tough. Lucky kid. Although he wasn’t too lucky now. Then he saw it. A smile formed on his lips. Looking up, he knew exactly where he was going next.

  It was time to talk with Ms. Laura Keaton.

  * * *

  Laura got to school that day feeling off. It was a little hard to imagine what class would be like without Parker in it. His empty seat would be weird. She didn’t even know if she’d be able to teach anything. And the students? Those that didn’t skip to take advantage of free counseling would probably feel awkward once she said something. Scared and uncomfortable even.

  There was yellow caution tape around the entrance to the athletics building. Nothing could have shouted ‘Crime Scene’ more. She got the heebie-jeebies just seeing it. And if she wasn’t mistaken, she was pretty sure she saw a detective’s vehicle. That came as no surprise, though. And she also wouldn’t be too surprised if she had to talk with him again. She rolled her eyes, sighing. This was not what she needed at this point.

  When Laura got to class, she tried to act normal. She did her best at the lesson she had prepared for the students. And afterward, she drew in a sigh of relief. It felt good to get done with her first class. The next hour or so she had free time.

  But that’s when Detective Kojak came knocking at her door. At least his timing was appropriate, and she didn’t have to try to explain to the students why a cop wanted to speak to her. Not that she had anything to hide. It was still something she didn’t want to do.

  “Ms. Keaton, I see you have an empty class.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, my next class isn’t for another hour or so. Nice to see you again.” She offered her hand.

  He shook it. “Do you have time to talk then?”

  “Sure. Have a seat.” She spread out her hand to indicate he had the pick of the litter as to where he wanted to sit.

  “Thank you.”

  “I suppose you’re here about Parker?”

  “I am.” The detective straightened out his blue tie and got comfortable, his notepad and pen handy. “But first I want to talk about a couple of other men.”

  Laura’s eyebrows scrunched in. Who was he even referring to? “Oookay.”

  Detective Kojak brought up Ben Dahlman first. He explained how all the people he had contacted seemed to have said the same thing, that she fought with him all the time. He then brought up Trey Cooper, to which Laura had no idea who that even was.

  “Trey was at Tommygun Tavern. He died almost a week before Ben. Were you there?”

  She racked her brain for a moment. She did remember going there with Marissa the night she got the news of a possible promotion, but didn’t remember any Trey.

  “Did you dance with anyone that night, Ms. Keaton?”

  “I, uh – it’s possible. I actually don’t remember much from that night.”

  The detective went on to share what the security footage revealed. Then said, “Finally, that brings me to Parker.”

  Great. What does he know? Who has he talked to?

  When he had finished everything he had to say or ask, Laura stated, “If I’m not mistaken, you think I’m guilty, don’t you?” She sat back, upset that he could apply such a thing.

  He scribbled something down on his paper. “We don’t have any hard evidence, but it’s not looking good. Now would be the time to confess if –”

  “Excuse me? I didn’t do it!” Her voice had risen an octave.

  His lips pursed. “Mm-hmm. Well, sooner or later we’ll find out.” He stood up and brushed something off his suit. “Until then, I’ve got others to talk to. We’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he stopped her with his hand held up. “Unless you
know of someone else or have any other information?”

  Laura shook her head.

  “Good day, Ms. Keaton.” He left.

  She plopped onto her chair, burying her head in her hands. What was she going to do?

  * * *

  Detective Kojak appreciated Laura’s willingness to answer his questions, but that was far from proving she was innocent. He was almost one hundred percent certain she had to be the one. All he needed to do was get some concrete evidence. If he couldn’t find it anywhere else, he would ask for a search warrant.

  One by one he crossed off more teachers on Parker’s class list. None of them fit the mold of all that he knew already. They also didn’t have any other information that could be useful.

  When he was done talking with the teachers, he grabbed the security footage the dean had promised would be ready. Then he was fortunate enough to talk with some teammates of Parker’s. Apparently, he was a lacrosse player. He had spent more time on the bench than anything else, but the team liked him. Some admitted he was often cocky and a huge flirt. But everyone seemed to be shocked to hear of his death and had no idea who would want to hurt him.

  After he caught wind of who two of Parker’s best friends were, he spoke with them immediately. These men had nothing but the best things to say. One thing they did mention caused the detective’s ears to perk up, though. They had both shared that Parker had a huge crush on one of his teachers. When asked who, it was no surprise that Laura’s name came up again. Everything always pointed back to Laura.

  “Parker once had a thing with her, too,” the taller friend said, pointing to a woman behind them.

  Detective Kojak turned around and found a woman digging through her backpack for something. He smiled at the two friends. “Thank you for your time.”

  He walked toward the woman before either of the friends could say something back. He was hoping she would have some information.

  “Excuse, me, ma’am,” the detective greeted.

  She looked up, clearly startled. “Oh, hi.”

  He offered a hand, introducing himself. “What’s your name?”

  “Cassie Seaver.”

  “Did you know a Parker Manscotti?”

  Her eyes looked down. “Yeah. I, uh – we were, uh – him and I had a thing going a few years ago.”

  Detective Kojak nodded slowly. “But you were no longer together?”

  “I wouldn’t say we were together. But, no, it was a short fling and ended long ago.”

  “Did it end on good terms?”

  “I’m not bitter, if that’s what you mean.”

  The detective half-smiled. He asked a few more questions, and then shifted into talking about Laura. “Do you happen to know if it’s true that Parker had a crush on Ms. Keaton?”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. “He probably did. He was a big flirt.”

  “Have the two of them ever been together?”

  “You mean Ms. Keaton and Parker?” Cassie’s head cocked backwards.

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Not sexually, I don’t think. Ms. Keaton has a boyfriend, and she’s not the type to cheat.”

  Detective Kojak took the pen out of his mouth. “And how would you know that?”

  “She’s my teacher, and also happens to tutor me. I’ve gotten to know her really well.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Have they ever been together alone, that you know of?”

  At first, Cassie hesitated, unsure on whether to share the following information. But thinking it wouldn’t hurt, she said, “Well, one time after class I had to come back and get the sweater I had forgotten. When I did, Parker had his hand on Ms. Keaton’s face, but –”

  She was interrupted by Detective Kojak’s phone.

  “Sorry about that. I’ve got to get this, though.” He answered it, turning away from her.

  The news he received was disheartening. He faced Cassie and said, “Sorry, ma’am, but I’ve got to go. Thanks for your time.”

  Detective Kojak swiftly left the building. He wasted no time getting into his vehicle and exiting the parking lot. There was a place he had to be. Another murder he had to attend to.

  * * *

  The rest of the day dragged on for Laura. But thankfully, it was now the last class of the day. If she could just get through this one, she could get home and take whatever measures necessary to relax. The only problem was, this was the class that Parker used to be in. This would be the most trying time of the day. Probably even more so than when Detective Kojak talked with her.

  As she predicted, the students filed in on time. There was a different atmosphere about them, though. Usually there was some joking or talking amongst themselves. This time it was quiet. People didn’t look at one another. Most of their faces were downcast. Nervous even. Laura would have to tread the waters lightly.

  Before she addressed the class, right before the bell rang, the only seat open was Parker’s. This was awful. It was the worst thing she had to do in her entire career.

  One friendly face was present, though. Laura was a little surprised that Cassie had shown up. After what Cassie had told her, she thought for sure she’d be missing today. But this was typical of her. She took her studies very seriously.

  The bell chimed. Laura looked over everyone and offered a small smile. “Good afternoon, everyone. I’m just going to address the elephant in the room a minute.” She gulped a golf-size ball down before continuing. “As you know, Parker died last Friday night. We here at Capstone University could not be more shocked and saddened by his untimely death.” She sighed. “If any of you are having a difficult time, I do want you to know that this campus has a counselor who would be more than happy to sit with you and talk things over. Mr. Barry has many years of experience in this area and would be able to offer tips on how to cope.”

  Laura let that sink in with the students before continuing. When she felt ready, she began going over the lesson for the day. She reminded them of the upcoming test, and then the class was finally over.

  When everyone was dismissed, she sat down at her desk. What a long day! She never thought she would have gotten through it. Not wanting to sit at the school longer than she had to, she grabbed what she needed and headed for her car.

  On the ride home, she contemplated her future. She had no idea what it held now. A few weeks ago, she was excited for the possibility of her dreams coming true. Now she was a target for the deaths of three different men. How could things have changed so quickly? And what was she going to do? She had to think of something. Even though she didn’t have a good alibi for any of the deaths, according to the detective, there had to be something that could prove her innocence. But what?

  CHAPTER 16

  O

  n his way to the crime scene, Detective Kojak made a few calls. The most important one was to Betsy Knox, the only medical examiner that has worked on all related cases. He also called in the forensics team. If this was indeed the fourth killing, which he felt was true, there was no more messing or waiting around. Answers had to be found fast. Nothing was going to be left undone or unturned.

  The detective pulled up the driveway to where he was told to go. Though the night sky was settling in, he could see it was a duplex on the beach. The unit itself looked nice, but the yard was a little trashy. Where the others had parked told him it must be the left side that the body was found. He parked next to another police vehicle.

  Walking up the cement walkway, Detective Kojak saw the door on the left was ajar. He opened the door all the way after giving a quick knock to signal his arrival. The others looked up to him. He spoke first. “So, what do we have?”

  One officer solemnly replied, “It looks the same as the others, sir.”

  Detective Kojak looked around the room. It was a bachelor pad for sure. No sign of a woman living there. Lots of CDs, tapes, and even records lined the walls. There was an expensive sound system, as well as a few instruments. The place smelled of smoke. Seeing the cigar box on the table in
dicated why.

  He crouched down by the dead man’s body. “Is this how he was found?”

  “Yes, sir,” replied one of the female officers.

  The man was on his side, eyes wide open. His black hair was hanging down, and he was completely naked. A towel was a few feet from him, giving Detective Kojak the idea the man had just gotten out of the shower or something.

  Another knock on the door. It was Betsy.

  “Thank you for coming, Betsy.”

  “No problem.” She put on her gloves and knelt down right away, getting to work.

  Detective Kojak let her examine him a little. When the body was lightly put on the back, the dead man’s legs separated slightly, revealing a small business card.

  “May I?” the detective asked.

  “Sure,” Betsy replied, continuing to make observations.

  The card said it all. This poor man was the fourth victim of Margaret. Because no other mysterious dead bodies had shown up, Detective Kojak was certain Parker Manscotti was indeed the third. He quickly showed Betsy. She didn’t look surprised.

  Around him the forensics team looked for fingerprints and other clues as to who was behind all of this. A female officer interviewed the person who called in the death, getting more information on who the dead man was. Betsy continued her exploration. Everyone was staying busy. And he? He tapped the card on the palm of his other hand, silently begging for a single clue.

  “Look at this, sir,” one of the crime scene technicians stated.

  Detective Kojak got up to look. It was hair.

  “There’s no way this is his hair.”

  He agreed. “Good. Take it and see if we can get a DNA sample.”

  The technician had already started to bag it, knowing full well how to do his job. After, he kept looking for more.

  Betsy stood up, sighing.