Running in Circles

by Laurèn Lee

  Sixteen

  Earl and Ricky took Mick back to the station in cuffs. Earl read him his rights before they put him in the back of his sheriff’s cruiser. Mick remained silent the entire ride back to his holding cell at the station.

  “Aren’t we going to talk to him first?” Ricky asked.

  “Naw. Let’s have him spend some quality time alone first. Maybe it will inspire him to do some talking. Plus, I have some reports to finish up,” Earl said.

  “Fair enough,” Ricky responded.

  “Why don’t you make sure all the paperwork on your end is done for the day?” Earl suggested.

  “Not a problem, Boss. Let me know if you want some help questioning him a little later.”

  Earl stalked back to his office to work on a few things. He knew he had plenty of time to delay, about seventy-two hours to be exact. Not only had Mick nearly confessed to some involvement with stolen cars, but he was still a person of interest in an active murder investigation. Even if he asked for a lawyer, the law would be on his side.

  The sheriff wished the piles of paperwork on his desk would disappear with the snap of his fingers, but it had to be done. The work, however, did give him the opportunity to focus in solace in the quiet of his office. The best part of having his own work space? He had a few mini shooters in his desk when he needed a pick-me-up. Of course, he never got too tipsy to where he couldn’t work or go to a call if need be, but he appreciated the opportunity to be able to loosen up when the circumstances allowed it.

  After a few hours of mandatory data entry, Earl decided to call it quits. He needed a real drink, and The Stolen Leaf was calling his name. Although, this time, he figured he’d invite Ricky. He could use some company. After all, he still hadn’t talked to his mother or his only sibling about their mother's cancer. Earl tended to bottle everything up instead of letting his feelings come out. Maybe some casual banter at his favorite bar would ease his tensions a bit.

  “Ready?” Earl asked.

  “Absolutely,” Ricky responded.

  The men headed out of the station and into Earl’s cruiser. Earl had his personal vehicle back at home, a 2002 Chevy, but he preferred to ride around in his sheriff’s car. He liked the miniature ego boost it gave him while he rode around town. Sometimes, he'd flash the lights to avoid heavy traffic, too.

  They pulled into the bar’s lot and parked farther away from the other vehicles. Earl had always been intent on keeping his precious cruiser spotless. That meant not parking near other careless people who might ding his baby when they opened their doors.

  Earl and Ricky entered the bar, and Shelly spotted them instantly. Another look of panic painted her face, but Earl gave a friendly wave.

  “Did something else happen?” Shelly asked as she brought the men menus and glasses of water.

  “Here on personal business today,” Earl winked.

  “Oh, phew. Thank God!” Shelly’s playful, relaxed gaze reappeared.

  “The usual, Earl?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  “What about you, Ricky?”

  “Can I have a few minutes?”

  “No problem, sweetie. I’ll be right back with your drink, Sheriff.”

  “What’s good here?” Ricky asked.

  “Well, I always get the Rodeo Burger. It’s pretty damn good. Although, I’m not so sure it’s good for my ticker here.” Earl smirked.

  “That does sound pretty tasty,” Ricky agreed.

  “You see Mick before we left?” Earl asked.

  “Yeah. He was pacing in the holding cell. He certainly looked suspicious of something.”

  Earl nodded.

  “Do you think he could have killed Jackie?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I mean, he could have. Anyone is capable of committing a horrific crime if they’ve got the means and the passion.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “It’s a hard pill to swallow,” Earl agreed.

  Then, Shelly brought over Earl’s drink and took Ricky’s order, too. He decided to have the Rodeo Burger with a side of freshly cut fries.

  “Coming right up!” Shelly promised.

  Earl took a swig of his drink, and familiar chills ran down his arms and spine. Nothing else ever felt quite like the first sip of whiskey.

  Earl felt grateful for Ricky’s company. In fact, he hadn’t thought about his dying mother the entire time they posted up at The Stolen Leaf. It was a rare occasion when Earl could push aside his demons and enjoy the company of a coworker and friend.

  “So, tell me a little more about yourself, Ricky,” Earl encouraged after he wiped a dab of barbeque sauce off his chin.

  “Eh, there’s not much to tell.” Ricky shrugged.

  “Everyone’s got a story. How about where you grew up?”

  “Iowa,” Ricky began. “Didn’t have the best childhood.”

  “Yeah, who has?” Earl agreed.

  “I had trouble fitting in at school. Got teased a lot.”

  A pang of sympathy rose within Earl. He, too, understood what it felt like to be bullied as a child.

  “Kids are assholes,” Earl mumbled and offered a feeble smile toward his lieutenant.

  “You can say that again. But, I got over it soon enough,” Ricky said. “It was harder to get over feeling bullied by my teachers, though.”

  Earl nodded. He finished his burger, quickly flicked away the crumbs caught in his beard and rubbed his belly happily.

  “Your teachers stuck it to ya, too?”

  “Oh yeah,” Ricky confirmed. “I could see it in their eyes, they thought I was beneath them. Not worthy. Less than human compared to the other kids. I tried to keep to myself and stay quiet. Although, there was one incident in school I try to forget about.” A dark look crossed Ricky’s eyes.

  “Well, seems like you grew out of whatever they’d given you trouble for,” Earl said.

  “Thank God.”

  “So, you got an old lady at home?”

  “Nah. Not anymore,” Ricky said sadly.

  “Not anymore? Something happen? Sorry if I'm too forward.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind sharing,” Ricky replied. “We were high school sweethearts and had plans of getting married, having kids, a white picket fence, the whole deal.”

  “So, what was the problem?”

  “Well, she didn’t want to move here with me right away. She wanted some time to process it. Didn’t want to leave her job. I figured that would be fine. Ya know, give me the time to get our house all settled and finished by the time she did move here. Only, it never happened.” Ricky hung his head low.

  “She still in Iowa?”

  “Yes. Apparently, she’s already engaged to another guy we went to high school with,” Ricky said.

  Earl grunted. “Sounds like a piece of work. No offense.”

  “If it were meant to be, it would have worked out. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.”

  “Sounds like a Bed, Bath, and Beyond print.” Earl grinned.

  Ricky returned his boss’s smile with one of his own. “I’m happy to start fresh here, though. A clean slate and all.”

  “Don’t take it for granted, kid. Not everyone has the chance to start over,” Earl said knowingly.

  “What about you, sir? Are you married?”

  “You see a ring on this fat finger?” Earl chided. “Naw. I’m not the marrying type.”

  “Maybe someday it will happen for us?”

  “I’m not going to hold my breath,” Earl said.

  “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “What always happens, son: life. I fell for a girl who didn’t love me as much as I loved her. She brought peace to my life after years of turmoil. She brought light to my dark past, and I thought I’d finally be able to leave all the sadness behind. I still think of her sometimes, but it’s probably for the best we’re not together.”

  Ricky nodded, understanding all too well the cruelness of fate, l
ife and love.

  The two men raised their glasses and toasted to new beginnings and staying away from women.

  Seventeen

  Earl and Ricky stayed at the bar until ten, or so. They both felt slightly tipsy, but not drunk enough where they might have a hangover the next day. It was the perfect combination. Earl paid the check and made sure to leave a few extra bills to cover the night he disappeared abruptly after meeting Jackie. He thought back to that night and of the mysterious woman who caught his eye. Jackie had seemed so carefree, so jubilant, so alive. He wondered, though, why Janice assumed her sister was so hellbent on staying single. Her behavior at the bar explicitly said otherwise. Earl couldn’t imagine why she’d want all that male attention just to go home alone. Someone else must have noticed this, too. And maybe, just maybe, that person is who decided to kill her.

  “You alright to drive, Boss?” Ricky asked.

  Earl shook the flashback out of his head and came back to reality. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  They walked toward the cruiser in the back of the parking lot and noticed another car parked a few spots away. A tingling feeling crept down Earl’s body, and he couldn’t help but wonder why another vehicle would be parked so far away from the main lot. There were plenty of open spots near the bar’s entrance.

  Earl noticed the windows of the blue Ford Focus were fogged up, and the car rocked slightly.

  Ricky started to snigger, and Earl looked over to him crossly. Ricky stopped and returned to looking suspicious and somber.

  “Kind of an odd place to make it. Right?” Ricky asked cautiously.

  Earl sneered and felt bile rise in his throat. What kind of decent human beings fucked in a parking lot and next to a sheriff’s vehicle no less?

  Ricky opened the cruiser’s passenger door, ready to leave, but Earl loitered behind the rocking car.

  “Boss?” Ricky asked.

  Earl stepped closer to the car and rapped on the steamed window with his nightstick. Giggles erupted from the inside, and Earl noticed a sense of urgency in the air. He assumed they were trying to redress as soon as possible.

  The window rolled down and revealed a teenaged girl with long, flowing brunette locks. Once she saw the town’s sheriff standing before her, she immediately covered her bare chest with her hands.

  “Sherriff? Is everything okay?” The girl asked timidly.

  Earl chuckled maliciously. “What do you think? Do you think it’s okay to fornicate in a public parking lot?”

  The boy inside the car leaned over the girl to greet Earl, too.

  “I’m sorry, officer. We didn’t mean no harm,” he said sincerely.

  “License, registration, and proof of insurance,” Earl demanded. "Oh, and it's Sheriff, not officer."

  Ricky cleared his throat and looked at Earl questioningly. He had no idea why his boss cared so much. It was just a couple of kids fooling around. They weren’t hurting anybody.

  The boy inside the car climbed from the back and into the driver’s seat. He opened the glove box and pulled out his registration and insurance card. He grabbed his wallet for his license, too. The girl cried, which didn’t influence Earl to lighten up in the least bit. He stepped around the car to the driver’s side to accept the requested documentation from the boy.

  Earl peeked into the back seat and saw the tears shimmering in the moonlight against the girl’s cheeks. He couldn’t help but think to himself that she was a disgraceful slut, and she should be ashamed of herself.

  “I’ll need your license, too,” he said to the shivering girl.

  She nodded and asked her companion to grab hers out of her wallet as well.

  Earl took the paperwork back to his squad car.

  “Don’t you think you're being a little too critical?” Ricky whispered.

  Earl shot him a loathing gaze.

  “I mean, uh, sir?”

  “What they’re doing is against the law.”

  Ricky knew he wouldn’t be winning this battle and zipped his lips. However, he couldn’t quite understand why this angered his boss so much.

  Earl looked up the boy’s information and quickly realized he was squeaky clean. He'd never even been issued a traffic ticket. His good fortune would end tonight, though. Earl printed two tickets for public indecency and handed one to the girl and the boy.

  “Now, I don’t want to catch either of you doing something as shameful as this again. Understand?”

  The couple nodded sorrowfully and kept their heads down.

  Earl drove Ricky home and said he’d pick him up bright and early for the next day’s shift. Ricky wished his boss goodnight and exited the cruiser.

  The sheriff drove himself home and couldn’t wait for one last drink before he hit the hay. He pulled into his newly paved driveway and parked the squad car behind his truck. He stumbled out of his vehicle and held onto the door to regain his balance. He cleared his throat, grabbed his house keys and made his way to the side door.

  Earl turned on the lights and immediately went into the kitchen to pour himself another glass of whiskey. After this drink, he’d surely be intoxicated if he wasn't already.

  A few hours later, Earl finally dozed off to sleep. His dreams were plagued with scenes of the naked girl inside the car and Jackie’s cold, dead body. They intertwined within his mind and morphed into one cold, stiff corpse.

  Eighteen

  Kit's principal acted swiftly after the stabbing incident. The police arrived at the school to take his statement, but unfortunately, Kit refused to speak. The entire debacle had caused a fit of fear and frenzy among the other educators and school staff.

  The principal called Kit’s parents and kept him locked in the office until they arrived. Kit’s mother entered the school frantically with baby Gabby on her hip who wailed, too. Kit’s father came shortly after his wife arrived. He didn’t know yet that Kit stabbed his teacher in the throat with a newly sharpened pencil.

  Meghan ran to Kit once the principal unlocked his office. Kit sat stoically in the seat across from the principal’s leather chair. He gazed off into the distance and daydreamed as he looked out the window.

  Meghan set Gabby down and pulled Kit into her arms. “What happened, baby? Tell Mama. I’m here for you, baby!” she cried.

  She also didn’t know what happened, only that there'd been an incident at school. She didn't realize at first that her son had been the one who caused the commotion.

  The principal walked in with a few police detectives, and Jim trailed behind them. The office grew crowded very quickly, but Kit didn’t seem fazed. He still hadn’t spoken or mumbled a single word since the stabbing.

  “Police? Why are the police here, Mr. Mumford?” Meghan asked the principal with furrowed brows.

  “Why don’t you two sit down?” Mr. Mumford suggested to Kit’s parents.

  Jim and Meghan looked at each other suspiciously. They sat on either side of Kit, and Meghan grasped her son's hands tightly in hers.

  “Are you going to tell us what happened, or what?” Jim accused. “I left work for this bullshit.”

  “Kit? Would you like to tell your parents what you did?”

  Kit didn’t move a muscle and watched the birds zooming around outside.

  “What do you mean, ‘did?’” Meghan asked. “You said there was an accident.”

  “Meghan, Jim,” Mr. Mumford began. “Kit assaulted his speech therapy teacher this morning.”

  Meghan gasped, and Jim didn’t react but stared intently at Mr. Mumford and the police behind him.

  “What are you saying exactly?” Meghan asked.

  Mr. Mumford sighed. “Kit stabbed his teacher with a pencil. She’s been rushed to the ER and is in critical condition.”

  “Excuse me?” Meghan asked, aghast.

  “We will be expelling your son. I’m sorry, but my hands are tied.”

  “You’re telling me that my son stabbed his adult teacher?” Meghan questioned slowly.

  “Yes, ma’am,”
Mr. Mumford said.

  She turned to Kit. “Honey, did that woman hurt you first?”

  Jim sat silently and stared at the principal, who profusely expired. The room felt as though the heat pumped full-blast.

  Kit didn’t move or look at his mother.

  “Kit. Answer me,” she demanded sternly. “Did that woman hurt you? Were you defending yourself?”

  “Now, now,” Mr. Mumford interrupted. “Mrs. Spencer never laid a finger on any of her students including Kit. I can promise you that.”

  “My son has never hurt a god damned fly!” Meghan shrieked. "And, how do you know what happened for sure? Were you in the classroom?

  “I’m sorry, Ma’am. I was not in the classroom, but I trust my teachers and staff. Kit is no longer a student at George Washington Elementary School. We ask that you help him collect his things as soon as possible.”

  Meghan’s jaw dropped, and steam nearly escaped her nostrils. How could they say her son hurt his teacher? Her wonderful, sweet boy who dragged his teddy bear everywhere he went. How could they say her son who rocked his baby sister to sleep every single night could physically harm another human being? It wasn’t possible.

  “You cannot do this!” Meghan shrieked.

  “Shut up, Meghan,” Jim finally said. “We don’t want our son being taught at this piece of shit school, anyway.”

  Jim grabbed Kit by the elbow and dragged him out of the principal’s office and out of the building. Meghan, with Gabby on her hip again, chased after her husband and son. She wondered if this was all a nightmare.

  Later that evening, Kit still hadn’t spoken a single word to his parents. Meghan didn’t know what to say to her son, but couldn’t believe he'd done what the principal accused him of doing.

  Meghan cooked beef stroganoff for dinner and hoped to see Kit open up a little more about the incident at school. She knew this dish was her son's favorite.

  “How’s your dinner, sweetie?” she asked cautiously.

  Kit nodded as he slurped down a large mouthful of noodles. Jim hadn’t said a word either since they left the principal’s office. However, as soon as they’d gotten home around three, he started pouring from the bottle of booze in the fridge. They only had vodka left, but he didn’t discriminate when he needed a stiff drink.