File M for Murder

by Miranda James

  As I stood there, inwardly fretting and watching my daughter closely, Laura said quietly, “I’m okay, Dad. This is horrible, but I’ll get through it.”

  “Okay, honey,” I said. “But if you feel like you need to get away from here, tell me.”

  I’d kept one eye on Kanesha Berry while I spoke to Laura, and now the chief deputy moved forward. She stopped a couple of paces in front of me.

  “Mr. Harris, I can’t say I’m pleased to find you here.” Kanesha’s expression was impassive, but her voice was tart. “Would you care to explain just why you’re here?” She glanced at Laura. “And this is your daughter, I take it?”

  “Yes, this is Laura. She’s teaching at the college this semester.” I introduced Kanesha to Laura before I continued with my explanation. “I’m here because Laura called me and asked me to come. She was upset over what she found, and naturally I responded.”

  Kanesha nodded. She glanced around the courtyard. “There’s a bench in the shade.” She gestured with her right hand. “Why don’t y’all wait over there? I’ll have more questions for you in a few minutes.”

  “Sure.” I was suddenly conscious of the heat again. Shade was a welcome idea. When Laura and I sat, I wasn’t surprised to see that Officer Grimes had followed us. He took up position a few feet away inside the shaded area.

  Laura and I remained silent as we watched the apartment door. Kanesha had gone inside with her deputies while Officer Williams remained outside. The EMTs came out and found another shaded spot where they could wait until they could remove the body.

  Kanesha’s “few minutes” passed, and she was still inside the apartment. Patience has never been one of my virtues, and I was feeling more and more anxious. Laura, on the other hand, was the epitome of calm. She sat beside me, her hands lying relaxed in her lap, her eyes closed, her breathing even. She was meditating, I supposed, something I’ve never learned but probably should.

  I decided that watching the apartment door only served to exacerbate my temper. Instead, I focused my gaze on a border of shrubbery beneath the windows of the apartments down the walk. I ignored the presence of Grimes.

  I’m not sure how much time passed, but I felt some of my tension ebb away while I stared at the shrubbery. The tightness in my neck and shoulders returned quickly, though, when I heard Kanesha Berry call my name.

  I stood and gently placed a hand on Laura’s shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at me. Her gaze slid past me to focus on the chief deputy. I felt a slight tremor in her shoulders before I removed my hand.

  Kanesha walked slightly past us before she stopped, and we were forced to turn to face her. I thought it odd but then I realized she had deliberately pulled our gaze away from Lawton’s apartment. They were probably about to remove his body. I appreciated her sensitivity. Laura had seen enough horror for one day.

  “Miss Harris, how well did you know Mr. Lawton?” Kanesha’s tone was clipped.

  “Pretty well.” Laura paused. “We were in a relationship for several months earlier this year, but we broke up in May.” She paused again, then added in a rush, “We stayed friends, though.”

  Kanesha nodded. “You’re teaching at the college this fall?”

  Laura explained the facts of how she was hired for the job and Lawton’s connection to the process. I was getting impatient again, because I told Kanesha all this when I spoke to her over a week ago about Damitra Vane. But Kanesha was nothing if not methodical in her investigations. She would go over every point as often as it took to find a solution.

  “Why did you come to Mr. Lawton’s apartment this afternoon?” Kanesha’s question was one I wanted to hear answered myself.

  “He called and asked me to come over. He wanted to talk to me about the play he’s, um, was writing.” Laura frowned.

  “When did he call you?” Kanesha asked.

  “I think it was around four-thirty,” Laura replied. “Wait, I can tell you exactly when he called.” She pulled her cell phone out of her skirt pocket and touched the screen several times. “It was four thirty-three.” She held the phone out to Kanesha, who examined the screen for a moment, then nodded.

  “What time did you arrive here?” Kanesha pulled out a small notebook and jotted something down.

  Laura’s brow furrowed as she considered the question. “Sometime after six.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember exactly. I just know it was maybe five minutes before I called Dad.” She consulted her cell phone then held it out again for the chief deputy’s inspection. “It was six-fourteen when I called Dad, so it was probably about six-ten when I got here.”

  Kanesha made further notations before she asked another question. “How did you get into the apartment? Was the door locked, or do you have a key?”

  “I don’t have a key.” Laura’s denial was swift. She colored slightly. “The door was slightly ajar when I got here, so I just walked in. That’s when I found him.” She glanced away.

  Kanesha waited a moment before she continued. “Tell me exactly what you did after you entered the apartment.”

  “I think I called out something like ‘Connor, I’m here’ after I shut the door.” Laura closed her eyes, and I figured she was visualizing the scene. She normally had excellent recall, honed by her acting experience, but I hoped she would soon be able to block this from memory.

  “There was no answer, of course.” Laura opened her eyes. “So I walked on into the living room and saw him lying there on the couch. At first I thought he had been drinking so much he’d passed out, and I was getting angry. He was a heavy drinker, especially when he was in the middle of a new play.” She paused a moment, shut her eyes briefly, then opened them again. “Then I realized something was wrong. He wasn’t breathing. Usually when he’s drunk and asleep he snores, and he wasn’t making a sound. I went a few steps closer until I could bend down and look at his face. It was horrible. That’s when I knew he was dead.”

  I put my arm around her, and she sighed heavily.

  Kanesha gave Laura a moment to regain her composure before she asked the next question. “What did you do next?”

  Laura’s right hand crept up, and she massaged her earlobe with her thumb and forefinger. I frowned. Ever since she was a small child, Laura did that whenever she was about to tell an untruth or a partial truth.

  “I just stood there, I’m not sure how long, and then I called my father.” Laura looked straight at Kanesha as she spoke, but those fingers kept working her earlobe.

  What wasn’t she telling Kanesha?

  “Excuse me, Deputy Berry.” An officer I didn’t recognize stepped into view.

  Kanesha frowned. “What is it, Townsend?”

  “Ma’am, there’s something I think you’ll want to take a look at right quick.” Townsend, a hulk of a man who had to be at least six-seven and a good three hundred pounds, had a deep, rumbling voice that reminded me of Diesel’s purr.

  Kanesha gave her subordinate a sharp nod. “Be right there.” She regarded Laura and me. “Sorry about this, but I won’t be long.” She strode away, Townsend trailing in her wake like a battleship after a canoe.

  Laura and I sat down, and I realized that Officer Grimes was still with us. I had forgotten his presence briefly, and I was glad to be reminded of it before I said something potentially damaging to Laura.

  I frowned at my daughter, but she seemed to be studiously avoiding my gaze. That was another indication that she had either lied or omitted something from her last response to Kanesha’s questioning. I’d have to wait until we were alone before I tackled her about it. I hoped she wasn’t going to cause trouble for herself down the line.

  Followed by Townsend, Kanesha returned shortly with a small bag in one hand. Laura and I stood again. The chief deputy didn’t speak, and I noticed she was staring intently at Laura’s face. Laura remained impassive while Kanesha pored over her features.

  “Your ears aren’t pierced,” Kanesha said finally.

  What an odd
thing to say, I thought, as I glanced at my daughter. Laura wore her hair in a short style that kept her ears exposed. What did pierced ears have to do with anything?

  “No, they’re not.” Laura frowned. “I hate needles, and I’m not fond of earrings either.”

  “Have either of you ever seen this before?” Kanesha held out the plastic bag she’d been holding, letting it lay flat on her palm.

  Laura and I both leaned forward to examine the contents. Inside the bag was a long, dangly earring made of what looked like gold in a series of interconnected geometric shapes. The hook at the top meant it was for pierced ears.

  “I’ve never seen it before,” I said.

  Laura didn’t speak for a moment, but then shook her head. “It looks kind of familiar, but I’m not sure.”

  “If you happen to remember where you’ve seen it, I want to know.” Kanesha handed the bag to Townsend, who lumbered off.

  A loud, braying voice interrupted our conversation. “What’s going on here? Where’s Connor?”

  Kanesha, Laura, and I turned to see Damitra Vane walking rapidly toward Lawton’s apartment where three deputies stood at the door. She halted a few feet from them, her rather large chest heaving. The officers seemed riveted on the sight.

  Then Damitra Vane spotted Laura and headed toward us. “What the hell’s going on here? Has something happened to Connor?” The last few words came out in a wail.

  I scarcely heard her, because my attention was focused on her left ear. Hanging from it was the mate to the earring Kanesha had shown us only moments before. Her right ear was bare.

  FOURTEEN

  “I’m Chief Deputy Berry of the Athena County Sheriff’s Department.” Kanesha stared hard at the newcomer. “Who are you?”

  “Damitra Vane. Connor’s girlfriend.” Vane darted a poison-laden glance at Laura. “If something’s happened to Connor, you can bet she’s responsible.” She jabbed a finger with a two-inch nail, painted bubblegum pink, in Laura’s direction. She swayed slightly on her high-heeled espadrilles, and for a moment I feared she might topple over. She was rather top-heavy—a match for Dolly Parton, at the very least.

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Mr. Lawton is deceased.” Kanesha spoke more gently than I’d ever heard her.

  Damitra Vane goggled at Kanesha. “Diseased? Well, he sure as hell didn’t get it from me. I’m clean.” She scowled at Laura. “That tramp probably gave it to him.”

  “You dimwit.” Laura shook her head in disgust. “Not diseased. Deceased, as in dead.”

  “Dead?” Damitra practically screamed the word. She launched herself toward Laura, claws extended, but Kanesha stepped in front of my daughter. Damitra recoiled, but not quite fast enough. Her nails raked against Kanesha’s uniform, and several of them snapped off.

  Townsend stepped forward and clasped Damitra’s shoulders in his almost dinner plate–sized hands. “You need to calm down, ma’am.” He guided her gently backward a couple of steps.

  Damitra shook his hands loose. “You big moose, don’t touch me. I’ll sue you for police brutality.”

  “Miss Vane, that’s enough.” When Kanesha used that tone, even big guys like Townsend quailed.

  Damitra swallowed, her gaze focused on Kanesha like a cobra facing a mongoose.

  “That’s better.” Kanesha maintained the laser stare. “Now, Miss Vane, I’d like you to accompany Deputy Townsend here. He’s going to take you down to the sheriff’s department, where I’ll be talking to you soon. I have some questions, and I’d prefer to talk there.”

  Damitra nodded. I expected more attitude from her, but I reckoned she’d finally realized she was no match for the chief deputy. She darted a final hate-filled glare at Laura before she let Townsend lead her away.

  Kanesha waited until the voluptuous blonde was well out of earshot before she addressed Laura and me again. “You called your father, you said.”

  It took a moment for the question to register with me. Then I realized Kanesha had returned to the point in her questioning we had reached before Townsend called her away to show her the earring. And that reminded me: What was the significance of that earring? Did it somehow implicate Damitra Vane in Lawton’s death?

  She had obviously been in Connor’s apartment. Perhaps this afternoon?

  Laura cleared her throat. “Yes, I called Dad. I sort of panicked, I guess, and couldn’t think what else to do. Dad calmed me down and said he’d come over. Then he told me I should call 911. So I did.”

  “What did you do while you waited for your father and the emergency response personnel to arrive?” Kanesha had her small notebook out again.

  Laura’s expression went blank, and her right hand came up to her ear again. “I stayed on the phone for several minutes, but I finally hung up on the 911 woman. She kept badgering me to touch Connor.” She shuddered. “I told her I wasn’t going to. Then I guess I waited outside, because I was so freaked out by…well, you know.”

  That disconcerted me, and I hoped it didn’t show on my face. Laura was definitely lying this time, because when I arrived she was inside the apartment. Why was she lying? My stomach started churning. I couldn’t believe my daughter was involved in Connor Lawton’s death, but her actions made me terribly uneasy. I had to get her alone to question her.

  Kanesha regarded Laura in silence for a moment. I couldn’t read the deputy’s expression. Had she already picked up on Laura’s body language?

  She might well have done, because Kanesha was sharp and experienced. I had witnessed her in action enough the past year to know that much.

  I began to be more afraid for my daughter. If only I could warn her not to lie to Kanesha or mislead her. Then I realized the irony of that. I hadn’t always been precisely truthful with Kanesha myself, though I had tried to avoid outright lies. Like father like daughter, I reflected ruefully.

  Kanesha focused her attention on me. “Mr. Harris, what about you? What did you do when you arrived on the scene?”

  I needed to choose my words with extreme care. “The first thing I did, of course, was to assure myself that Laura hadn’t been harmed. Then I went inside to determine whether Lawton was still alive.” I described my actions while I was in the apartment. “Then, when I was about to go outside again, I heard the two policemen talking to Laura.”

  Kanesha finished jotting in her notebook, closed it, and put it and her pen away. “Thank you, Mr. Harris. Now, Miss Harris, I’d like you to accompany me to the sheriff’s department for further questioning.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I spoke before I considered the implications of my words. Then I stumbled over my explanation. “I mean, Laura’s had quite a shock. I think she needs to go home.”

  “I understand your concern,” Kanesha said. “But I’m afraid I have to insist.”

  “It’s okay, Dad.” Laura moved close and threw her arms around me. Her sudden action threw me slightly off balance, and I turned about thirty degrees to the left, away from Kanesha. I steadied myself and held my daughter in my arms.

  To my great surprise I felt Laura’s right hand slide inside my left pants pocket. Then she pulled her hand out and pushed away from me.

  “I’m ready to go with you.” Laura addressed Kanesha with composure intact.

  I hoped I wasn’t standing there with my mouth hanging open. I had to squelch the urge to reach into my pocket to retrieve what Laura had put there.

  Kanesha shot me a glance with narrowed eyes. I thought she suspected there was something odd about that sudden embrace, but she didn’t question it. Instead she said, “You can come too, Mr. Harris, but you can’t be in the room during my interview with your daughter.”

  “I understand,” I said. “Honey, I’ll be there to take you home.”

  Laura nodded, and then Kanesha led her away. I followed them out of the courtyard onto the street and watched—stomach still churning—while Kanesha put Laura into a sheriff’s department car. When the door closed and the v
ehicle pulled away, I walked to my car, my mind racing with questions.

  I waited until I was inside the car, though, with the air conditioner running full blast, before I delved into my pocket to find out what Laura had hidden there. The shape felt familiar. I pulled it out and opened my palm, and there it was, an ordinary computer thumb drive.

  I stared at it blankly for a moment. Was this from Connor Lawton’s apartment? Was this device the reason Laura lied to Kanesha?

  I’d have to wait for Laura to explain herself and tell me why she thought this thumb drive was important enough to indulge in covert action to give it to me. What was on it that she didn’t want Kanesha to know about?

  After a moment I stuffed the device back in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. Before I headed to the sheriff’s department, I ought to call Sean and tell him what was going on. If Laura should need legal representation, Sean might as well be on the spot.

  Sean answered quickly. “Hey, Dad, where are you? Justin said you tore out of here without an explanation.”

  “Sorry about that,” I said. “But I didn’t really have time to explain anything. Are you at home now? Because I need to talk to you, and I don’t want you driving and talking on your phone.”

  “I’m home,” Sean said. “Fire away.”

  I leaned back against the headrest and tried to relax. My entire body felt tight and tense. “Connor Lawton is dead, and Laura found him.” Then, before Sean could start firing questions at me, I gave him a precis of the situation. When I finished, Sean didn’t respond for a moment.

  “Bloody hell.” I heard him expel a sharp breath. “I’m on my way, Dad.” He ended the call before I could respond.

  I tucked my cell phone away and put the car in gear. My hands trembled slightly, and I gripped the wheel more firmly. I tried not to think about Laura being arrested for murder on the drive to the sheriff’s department.