by A. L. Jambor
“Hey,” she said.
Conner turned and looked surprised to see her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“It’s a long story.”
“I got a search warrant,” he said smiling.
“How?” she asked.
“I’ll catch you up later,” he said. “Is that your car?” he pointed to her rental.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Would you move it? We have more cars coming.”
“Are you gonna arrest him?”
“Depends on what we find.”
Mel had left her purse inside Marge’s home and went back to retrieve her keys. She moved the car to the main road running through the park, then went back to Marge’s.
“You want to sit on the porch?” she asked Marge.
“Not without Maurice.”
“The cops are going to search Audrey’s home.”
“Yeah? Let’s sit on the porch.”
Another cruiser arrived, then a K-9 cruiser car with a white dog in the back seat. Conner was knocking on the door of Audrey’s home. She could see inside the porch and saw Jason opening the sliding glass door. He saw the police car and went back inside.
The deputy with the dog got out of his car. He took the dog out. The dog was pulling on his leash. He went straight to the driveway and barked when he reached the space under the kitchen. One of the deputies was taking notes.
Conner was banging on the door. Jason finally answered and Conner handed him the paper warrant. He must have asked Jason to step outside. He did, and one of the deputies stayed with him while three went inside.
“He’s shitting in his pants,” Marge said. “Dog killer. You’re gonna get yours now.”
Sharon appeared on the sidewalk coming toward Marge’s home. She looked annoyed.
“I had to park way up the street,” she said when she got to the porch. “What’s going on?”
“He’s getting his,” Marge said.
“They’re searching the house,” Mel said.
“Is it drugs?” Sharon asked. “I always smelled marijuana when I came here. I’ll bet that kid sells it.”
“Pot head asshole,” Marge said.
“Marge!” Sharon cried. “Language.”
“What? Like she’s never heard it before?”
“Thank you for staying,” Sharon said.
“No problem. Do you mind if I stay for a little longer?”
“You want to see what happens?”
“If you don’t mind,” Mel said.
“How much longer?” Sharon asked.
“Go do your shopping,” Mel replied.
Sharon left, promising to return within an hour. A half hour after she left, a car arrived and parked in front of number 300. Two people in uniform got out. The car had “Forensics” written on the side.
Mel had seen several episodes of CSI and knew why they were here. She felt sadness overwhelming her. Marge had fallen asleep. Mel tried to focus on seeing Audrey sitting in a lounge chair on the deck of a ship sipping one of those drinks with an umbrella in it, but the image vanished when Conner and another officer came outside carrying a large piece of wood.
Conner walked across the street and up to the porch.
“We found something. The forensic team is going to start digging. You should probably leave now.”
“I promised Sharon I’d stay with Marge. I want to be here.”
Conner nodded. “Mel, it doesn’t look good.”
She started crying again. Conner put his hand out and she took it.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s not over yet,” Mel said.
“I gotta get back.”
“Okay. I’m okay.”
Her phone rang and she took it out of her pocket. It was Nana Grace. She couldn’t talk to her now. She let it go to voicemail.
Mel watched the forensic team carry shovels into the house. She decided Conner was right – she didn’t want to see what would happen next. She went inside Marge’s home and turned on the TV. She was tired. She had been up late with Lisa and woke up too early. Despite her growing anxiety, she fell asleep.
Mel woke up when Sharon arrived.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Mel said.
“I’m here now if you want to go.”
Mel nodded and got up. She grabbed her purse. She reached into her pocket and handed Sharon Marge’s cigarettes.
“Thanks for staying with her,” Sharon said. “Merry Christmas.”
Mel had forgotten it was almost Christmas. “Merry Christmas.” She’d also forgotten to cancel her flight home.
As she walked outside, she saw two people carrying something out of Audrey’s home. It was a large, black bag. A body bag. Mel began to sob. The deputy with the dog came to her.
“Are you Mel?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said between gulps of air.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “We think we found someone.”
She nodded.
“Conner just took the man living here to the sheriff’s office. He asked me to stay and tell you.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“We won’t know for sure until they do an autopsy. Are you gonna be all right to drive?”
She nodded, but she wasn’t sure herself.
“I can take you.”
“No. I’ll be all right. We don’t even know for sure it’s her.”
“Please don’t drive until you calm down. I really shouldn’t let you.”
“I’m fine. I’m going to stay a few more minutes.”
He put his hand on her shoulder, then went back to his cruiser. He waited until Mel went to her car and got inside before driving away. She cried for a few minutes before pulling herself together and starting the car.
As she drove to the park entrance, her phone rang. She parked on the side of the road and looked at it. It was Lisa.
“Hey,” she said when she answered.
“Hi,” Lisa said. “Where are you?”
“I’m at my aunt’s park.”
“Oh. Are you coming back here? You sound kind of down.”
Mel started crying again. “I think they found my aunt.”
“Oh, Mel. It’s gonna be all right.”
“I know. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Just come back. Be careful driving.”
“I’m fine.”
Chapter 20
An unrepentant Jason Frye sat in the interrogation room. His hands were cuffed. Conner was watching him from behind the mirrored panel that separated them. Jason hadn’t said a word while being taken to the sheriff’s office, even after he was informed they had found a body buried under his mobile home.
A detective, Jerry Klein, arrived and went into the interrogation room. Jason looked up, but he didn’t look scared. He was smiling. Conner felt like punching him in the face.
“So, we found a body buried under your trailer,” Jerry said. Jason didn’t reply. “And we think we know who it is. Why did you kill her, Jason?”
“I didn’t kill her,” Jason said.
“Then why bury her under the house?”
“I didn’t kill her,” Jason repeated. He looked at Jerry’s pocket. “Can I have a smoke?”
“Later. Right now I want to know why you buried her under the trailer.”
Jason put his hands on the table. “I liked her. She was nice to me.”
“You must have liked her a lot to keep her with you so long. The coroner said she must have been under there for months.”
“She was old, you know?”
Jerry sat back in his chair. He looked at Jason. His rap sheet included a possession and some traffic tickets. Jerry was trying to figure out what would make this guy kill someone.
“But it’s hard living with an old person, isn’t it, Jason? They are so needy.”
“Audrey was nice to me. She was no trouble at all. She liked me.”
“Then why d
id you kill her?”
“Is that what the coroner said?” Jason cried. “Did he say I killed her?”
“We won’t know until he’s done with the autopsy. Did she piss you off? Did you hit her hard enough to knock her down? Maybe she hit her head and you didn’t know what to do.”
“I want a lawyer,” Jason said. “And I didn’t kill her.”
Jerry kept hammering Jason, but the kid had clammed up. He didn’t say another word.
When Jerry emerged from the interrogation room, Conner stopped him.
“Was she hit on the head?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I was just fishing. The medical examiner is backed up. It may have to wait until after Christmas.”
“What did forensics say?” Conner asked.
“Not much. Jeannie said she didn’t see any cracks in the skull, but the victim was old. She could have bled out from a wound without cracking her skull.”
“Why do you think he did it?” Conner asked.
“Between us, I think she died and he panicked. He had a nice setup there. A roof over his head and her Social Security coming in every month.”
“Did they find blood anywhere?”
“Jeannie said no.”
Conner frowned. “I have to talk to her niece. Is there any way to get the autopsy pushed up?”
“Not with Christmas. The doc won’t work on the holiday.”
“He has assistants, doesn’t he?”
“Conner, this isn’t the crime of the century. Let it go. He’ll get it done.”
Jerry walked away, leaving Conner alone in front of the window. Jason was tapping his fingers on the table. He didn’t look worried, and that worried Conner. Either the kid was a sociopath, or he didn’t kill Audrey.
He could be charged with unlawful burial and fraud regarding the Social Security, and that might put him away for a while, but it didn’t seem right. When Audrey’s family found out, it would be devastating. He deserved to go away for a long time.
A deputy came and took Jason out of the interrogation room. He’d take Jason to a cell. He’d be transferred to the Pinellas County Jail and put in general population. When the state attorney decided what he’d be charged with, he’d be arraigned, assigned bail, and given a public defender.
Conner wondered how he had gotten out of jail that morning. He’d been arraigned on the animal cruelty charge and someone must have bonded him out. He went to his desk and looked at the court docket. Jason was bonded out by a bail bondsman on 49th Street, a block away from the jail. He dialed their number and found out that Susan, Jason’s girlfriend at the water company, had paid the ten percent on Jason’s thousand dollar bond.
“And I thought you didn’t see him anymore,” Conner said out loud when he hung up the phone.
“Did you catch that body under the trailer case?” Jim, the deputy at the next desk, asked.
“Yes. I was following up on the missing persons I got the other day.”
“That was dumb luck, wasn’t it? I guess you found ’em.”
Sadly, Conner hoped so too, although he would have preferred finding out she was in Europe.
Chapter 21
Lisa was chattering, but Mel wasn’t listening. They were sitting on the porch. The sky was overcast and it looked like it would rain soon.
“So, what do you want to do for Christmas?” Lisa asked.
“I’m sorry,” Mel said. “I wasn’t listening.”
Lisa smiled. “That’s okay. I just don’t know what to say to you.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Just be here.”
“How well did you know your aunt?”
“That’s just it. I didn’t know her well at all, but I’ve been close to my grandmother and I know this will hurt her terribly. I don’t want to have to tell her, but I’m gonna have to.”
“It might be better if you just do it and get it over with. She should know.”
“But I’d rather tell her after Christmas, you know? Won’t it ruin Christmas for her for the rest of her life?”
“Yeah, I guess it would. Your aunt didn’t just go to sleep. She was buried under that place.”
Mel glared at Lisa. “I know.”
“Sorry. I’m not real good with things like this. Would you like me to leave you alone for a while? I could run to the store and get stuff for later.”
“I wish Conner would call,” Mel said.
“It’s Christmas Eve. Is he working?”
“I thought he would call last night. I left a message on his voicemail. I don’t want to call again or he’ll think I’m stalking him.”
“One call doesn’t make you a stalker. Call him again.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to tell me what happened. Maybe it’s so awful he can’t say the words.”
“He’s a cop. He has to be busy.”
“But he’s called me all along. Why stop now?”
“Mel, call him. I’m going to the store. Do you want anything?”
“Bring ice cream,” Mel said. “I need chocolate.”
After Lisa left, Mel grabbed her phone from the table between the loungers. She noticed the call from Nana Grace and felt bad she hadn’t called her back. Lisa had given her a Benadryl when they came back to the condo and Mel had slept for hours. She would call Nana Grace after she talked to Conner. She dialed his number. This time he picked it up.
“Hi,” Mel said.
“Sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been trying to get someone to do the autopsy and I’m hitting walls.”
“They haven’t done it yet?”
“No. I’m afraid it won’t be until after Christmas. I’m sorry, Mel. I really tried to get someone on it.”
“So I can’t call my grandmother yet because we don’t even know for sure it is my aunt.”
“Nothing positive yet. But by the end of next week, we will know.”
“That means I have to stay here another week.”
“You don’t have to stay. I can call you.”
“But I can’t just leave her here.”
“Oh. Well, no. Listen, I’m off tonight. Do you want to do something?”
“Lisa and I are staying in.”
“Can I come over? My family lives in the Midwest.”
“You can come, but I don’t know if I’ll be good company.”
“Give me the address.”
Mel gave him the address and hung up the phone. She looked at the water and sighed. She still didn’t know if she should call Nana Grace. What if it wasn’t Audrey’s body? She would upset the old woman for no reason. She decided to wait. She’d have to call tomorrow to say Merry Christmas, but she’d have to say she still didn’t know anything. She hoped Nana wouldn’t press her for more information.
Lisa returned carrying a small, decorated Christmas tree that she set on the kitchen table.
“I saw it and couldn’t resist,” she said. “It lights up.”
She plugged it into the outlet next to the table and smiled when the different colored lights came on.
“See,” she said, “it’s Christmas!”
Mel smiled. She was glad Lisa had brought it home. It did make it feel like Christmas.
“I have to call my grandmother tomorrow,” Mel said. “I’m not sure I can keep this from her.”
“You’ll do fine. You’re stronger than you think.”
“I am when it comes to myself, but when it comes to her, I don’t know. I don’t know if I can stand to hear her cry.”
“She’s probably stronger than you think, too. Didn’t you say she got a divorce? That was like a hundred years ago. It was hard to get one back then. She’d have to be strong to do that.”
“It was sixty years ago. I guess she would have to be strong to do that then. I’m just chicken, I guess.”
“Well, you don’t have to do it until tomorrow so let’s talk about something else.”
Lisa emptied the bag of groceries and showed Mel the two half gallons of ice cream she had bought.
“The store had a buy one get one free sale. I got you rocky road and for me, vanilla fudge.”
Mel took the half gallon of rocky road from Lisa’s hand and took a spoon out of the drawer.
“I’ll get you a bowl,” Lisa said.
“I won’t need one,” Mel said. She took the half gallon to the living room.
“Okay, then.”
Mel was able to eat half the carton before she surrendered to her full stomach and put the rest in the freezer.
“I feel sick,” she said.
“You want to walk around the block?” Lisa said.
“Why would I want to do that? I said I feel sick.”
“It would move it through your stomach.”
“I don’t think that will work. It feels like a brick in my stomach.”
“I got nothing else. So, do you want to go to a movie tomorrow?”
“We could. I just have to see what happens when I talk to my nana.”
“How old is she?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but I know she’s in her nineties. My mother is in her forties, and my grandmother is in her sixties.”
“What happened with your mother? I remember she used to visit you once in a while.”
“I don’t see her,” Mel said. She thought about her mother. “Did I ever tell you about her? She got pregnant when she was in high school and when I was born, my grandmother raised me while she finished school. I don’t think she had any interest in being a mom. She would come home on holidays and talk to me like I was one of her friends. It pissed me off. She treated my grandmother like shit.”
“I remember the one time I saw her, she was trying to dress like you. Why didn’t your grandmother tell her off?”
“Because grandma didn’t want her to mess with the custody arrangement. My mother still had parental rights. Grandma didn’t want her to pull something stupid like taking me away from her.”
“But if she didn’t want you, what difference would it have made?”
“There was something between them I never understood, and neither one of them would talk about it.”
“That sucks. But I’m glad you stayed with your grandma because I wouldn’t have met you if you’d been with your mother.”