“Corner rules death a suicide”
“Investigator Bill Kantrell announced that autopsy results show that Marie Atkins, daughter of Crystal Springs Mayor Earl Atkins, died as the result of a drug overdose. Though he is still awaiting the toxicology report, Kantrell said initial findings are that the young woman died as the result of a suicide after ingesting an undisclosed amount of prescription sleeping pills.
Friends say that she had been despondent since the death of her fiancée, Lee Clark, who was killed in a boating accident last summer.
‘She just lost all interest in everything. She had been in a deep depression since Lee died. I guess we didn’t realize how deep,’ said the mayor.”
Jett got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked up the obituary for Marie Atkins. He found his answer in the first few lines: “She is survived by her mother, Edna Thorton Atkins; her father, Earl K. Atkins; daughter, Mallorie Afton Clark.”
Mallorie Afton Clark.
The ghost, apparition, or whatever that visited him earlier – was that Mallorie’s mother? Just when he thought things couldn’t get any stranger, they did.
***
Dan and Maggie approached the front door of the Bradley house. The front door was locked so Dan used his key and entered the house.
“Anybody home?” He shouted.
Maggie saw a note on the coffee table. She walked over and picked it up.
“Mom’s gone to run some errands. She’ll be back later,” Maggie said.
“There’s no note from dad is there?” Dan asked.
“Not that I can see. You might want to check the kitchen,” she said.
He walked in to the kitchen for a look around.
“Nothing in here. And the coffee pot is empty and cold, so dad hasn’t been home. His Escape is still parked outside,” Dan said as walked back into the living room.
“If you’re worried just call his cell and check on him,” Maggie said.
Dan picked up the phone and dialed the number.
“Hi. Where are you?” He asked.
Maggie saw Dan nodding and saw relax considerably.
“I was just checking. I know it doesn’t take that long to walk around the entire town, much less the campus,” he said. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later,” Dan said he turned the phone off.
“Well?” Maggie asked.
“He decided to walk down to the paper and check out a few things in the office. He’s going on over to check on Uncle Bud and then come home later,” Dan said.
“Okay, that’s one. Now we have to figure where my mom went,” Maggie said.
Dan handed her the phone.
“Your turn,” he said.
Maggie’s call sounded very much like Dan’s call to Jett.
“She’s at your Uncle Bud’s. She went for a walk and wanted to go by and have a look at the apartment. She’ll be home later too,” Maggie said, as she slowly twisted her body from the waist up in a playful manner.
“So we’re alone...at least for a little while,” Dan said as much to himself as to Maggie.
She smiled softly and walked over and embraced him. He kissed her deeply.
“What do you want to do?” He asked.
Maggie kissed him again and looked into his eyes.
“Anything you want,” she said.
Dan’s eyes widened a little.
“Anything?” He asked.
Maggie kissed him again with a little more force and allowed the kiss to linger.
“Yes, anything,” she said.
He hugged her tightly.
“I know what I want to do but we would have to hurry – and I don’t want to hurry. I want to take my time. I want to spend hours, not minutes, pleasing you,” Dan said.
Maggie felt her pulse race as well as the heat rise in her cheeks...and throughout her body.
“H-hours?” She asked, as she felt his strong arms flex around her.
“I want our first time together to be special and I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder worrying about getting caught by someone,” he said.
“We’re both over 21,” Maggie said.
“Would that make any difference to your mom? And even if it didn’t, how would you feel if you knew your mom and my dad were just hanging out downstairs waiting for us to...finish?” Dan asked.
“When you put it that way...that would be kind of creepy,” she said.
“No, that’s big time creepy. We’ll get our chance soon – I promise. Until then, is there something else you would like to do?” He asked.
Maggie bowed her a little with her eyes focused on Dan’s face.
“Promise you won’t laugh?” She asked.
“I promise. What is it?” He asked.
“Could we maybe sit down on the couch and you just hold me?” Maggie asked, chewing her bottom lip, a nervous habit she’d had since childhood.
Dan smiled and held her face in his hands.
“We can do that,” he said as he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the couch.
He sat down as he cradled her in his arms and she settled into a comfortable position in his lap. Dan squeezed her gently.
“I love you so much,” Dan said. “When do you think we need to tell our little secret?”
Maggie laughed.
“I don’t think it’s much of a secret anymore,” she said. “But I agree, we still need to talk to mom - as well as your dad,” she said.
“I wouldn’t want them to think we’re trying to hide anything from them – especially with dad dealing with it is that’s bothering him,” Dan said.
Chapter Seven
Alicia returned her telephone to her pocket.
“It seems I worried Maggie. For whatever reason my note wasn’t enough for her,” she said.
“She worries about you. That’s not a bad thing,” Bud said.
“No, I suppose not. So I understand you’re now semi-retired,” Alicia said.
“I’ll find out tomorrow when I put in a couple of hours after lunch,” he said with a chuckle.
Alicia studied his face. He certainly looked happy enough and he had aged well. She was surprised at how good he looked. Bud looked better now than he did at J.D.’s funeral just a couple of years before. Of course her memories of that time were cloudy at best.
He looked over to Mallorie who had been sitting quietly.
“Would you mind getting that glass of tea for me?” Bud asked.
“Not at all. Alicia, are you sure you don’t want anything?” Mallorie asked.
“No thank you. I had some of Jett’s coffee earlier. I only hope I sleep sometime on the next couple of days,” she said as Bud grunted.
Mallorie frowned.
“Is it really that strong?” She asked.
“It’s stronger. You, Ed, or somebody else better make the coffee at the office. You’ll regret it if you don’t,” Bud said.
“I’ll be right back,” Mallorie said as opened the screen door.
When the door closed, Bud looked at Alicia.
“I’ve been expecting you,” he said.
“I thought maybe you were,” she said.
“Seems that we’ve had some visitors lately,” Bud said.
“Yes we have. In fact, I had one last night and she suggested that I come see you,” Alicia said.
“Oddly enough, I had a visitor last night as well. He told me you would likely be by soon,” Bud said.
She considered his words.
“Jett and I came up with an idea that we think might help – at least it won’t hurt. We’ve decided to keep dream journals, to track what’s said and what we see. Would you be willing to do that?” Alicia asked.
He smiled.
“I’m only semi-retired. I wrote a few notes this morning. It’s a habit,” Bud said as Mallorie returned with a tall glass of iced tea.
“I met your daughter last night. She’s as smart as she is beautiful. You must be so proud,” Mallorie said.
&n
bsp; “I am but I can’t take all of the credit. She’s so much like her father – I’m sure Bud can vouch for that,” Alicia said.
“She reminds me of J.D. in her attitude and some of her mannerisms. But she reminds me of you as well,” Bud said.
“Speaking of J.D., thank you for allowing Maggie to use the apartment. I know he liked it there and I’m sure she will,” Alicia said.
“I’d rather let her use it as rent it to a stranger I couldn’t trust. Besides, I figure with her living up there, I’ll always have a certain strong young man around to help with any heavy lifting that needs done around here,” Bud said.
“I think you’re right about that but they’re both level headed – especially for their age,” Alicia said.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about there,” Bud said.
Mallorie’s cell phone rang.
“Excuse me, I need to get this,” Mallorie said as she walked back into the house.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Bud looked to Alicia.
“I talked to J.D. last night. If you’ll come by tonight and go to the apartment I’m sure he’ll be in touch – somehow,” Bud said.
Alicia’s eyes welled with tears.
“Did he say anything else?” She asked.
“He said he would look in on Maggie from time to time. He seemed – no pun intended – tickled to death that she’s getting his old place,” Bud said.
Alicia couldn’t help but smile as she listened to the description.
“Do you remember anything else he said?” She asked.
“J.D. said he would always be around Maggie and that you and Jett needed my help. He also said that he needed my help. He didn’t say how or what in either case. I have the feeling I’ll be hearing from him again,” Bud said.
“I have the same feeling,” Alicia said.
***
Matt and Linda Sue stood at the overlook of the riverfront walkway on the Cumberland River, which bordered Crystal Springs.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to dads and watch some TV?” Matt asked.
“No, I’m happy to stand here and enjoy the view. Besides, I’m sure your dad is home by now and would probably like to rest. And if he’s not, Dan and Maggie are there. I’m pretty sure they would love some privacy,” Linda Sue said.
“All the more reason to go,” Matt said with a crooked grin.
“Leave your brother alone. I think he’s finally happy. Let him enjoy some time with Maggie. If nothing else leave Maggie alone,” Linda Sue chided him.
Matt reached out and pulled her left hand up to his face and kissed it. He intertwined his fingers with hers.
“You know I was just kidding. I’m happy for both of them. But Dan’s got me worried about dad. The more I think about it, the more it concerns me,” he said.
“You sound like you suspect something,” she said.
“I do...but I didn’t want to say anything to Dan because he is such a worry wart,” Matt said.
“What do you think it is?” Linda Sue asked.
“I’m afraid he might be sick and I’m mean something serious. I think he’s trying to find a way to tell us. Like Dan said, he’s lost weight and he’s been distracted – a lot. I’ve only seen dad like this once. That was in the months after mom died. It’s almost exactly the same behavior. And on top of everything else Aunt Alicia and Maggie show up out of the blue,” he said.
“You think that’s why he moved back here? Why would he agree to take over the paper if he’s...ill?” She asked.
“I don’t know. It’s just guesswork on my part. I need to talk to Uncle Bud. If something is going on, he’ll know,” Matt said.
“If it would put your mind at ease, we can go over there right now if you he could answer your questions,” Linda Sue said.
“You wouldn’t mind?” He asked.
“If you think it would be a problem, you can drop me off at home first. I’d understand,” she said.
Matt shook his head.
“You’re a big part of my life now. I’m not ashamed of you and I’m not hiding you. I think it’s time you met Uncle Bud. If he has a problem with you, he has one with me,” he said.
“I don’t want to cause you any problems on top of everything else,” Linda Sue said.
“You’re not. But I would like to go by and pick up Dan – I think he should be there too. Besides, after Uncle Bud meets you, I don’t think there’ll be any more worries on your part about him or what he thinks,” Matt said while silently praying there wouldn’t be any.
***
Jett left the newspaper building and headed up Main Street on his way to Bud’s house. About halfway up the block a city police car pulled up next to him.
“You in a hurry son?” A familiar voice from inside the patrol car called.
Jett stopped and turned to the sound of the voice. He squinted in the bright sun into the city patrol car to see the officer behind the wheel.
“Al? Is that you?” He asked.
Jett’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.
Alvin “Al” Anderson had been one of his best friends in college. He was also a teammate. A defensive tackle, Anderson stood 6’4 and weighed 280 pounds in those days. Al had packed some pounds since then. Looking at him now, Jett guessed his weight to be well over 300 pounds.
After college, Al became a state trooper for the Kentucky State Police and worked his way up to detective.
The big man behind the wheel grinned broadly and stepped out of the patrol car. The two men shook hands and then Al grabbed Jett in a bear hug.
“I saw you walking up the street and I just had to stop. I wanted to show you that you ain’t the only old Lancer that can limp back home,” Al said.
“I see that. Nice ride,” Jett said looking at the gray and blue Ford Explorer.
“I’m the new chief of police. McKinley put in his papers a couple of weeks ago and Jackie wanted to come home. I left the post in Harlan on Friday. I took my state retirement and here I am. I wanted to get an early start. It becomes official tomorrow,” he said.
“I’m glad to hear it. Man, it’s so good seeing you. Where are you guys staying?” Jett asked.
“Jackie’s mom’s old house,” Al said.
“That’s still a nice place,” Jett said.
“It’s plenty big enough for me and Jackie,” Al said.
“How are Jackie and the girls?” Jett asked.
Al hesitated and then smiled warmly.
“They’re fine. All three in college up at Eastern. How are your boys?” He asked.
“Starting their senior year and getting ready for football season,” Jett said.
“That’s hard to believe. Seems like it ought to be me, you, and J.D. getting ready for the season,” Al said as he laughed and shook his head.
“I know. I look at them and wonder when those little boys became men,” Jett said.
“Listen, I need to go over to the mayor’s house. What are you doing for lunch tomorrow?” Al asked.
“No plans. Want to go somewhere?” Jett asked.
Al grinned.
“Let’s meet over at the drug store and grab a cheeseburger. It’ll be like old times,” he said.
“Noon work for you?” Jett asked.
“I’ll be there. I can’t wait to tell Jackie I ran into you. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Al said as he squeezed back behind the wheel and left.
“Well,” Jett thought, “that gives me one more thing to mention to Rose tonight.”
***
Dan softly kissed the top of Maggie’s head. The smell of her perfume filled his nostrils. Her body against his just felt natural. He could feel her heart beating and hear her soft breathing. She relaxed in his arms with her eyes closed. Maggie opened her eyes and shifted around so she could look at him.
“Danny? Can I talk to you about something?” She asked.
“Certainly,” he answered, eager to hear anything she had to say.
“I ha
d a dream last night about dad. It was so realistic, so much so that I woke up this morning about half expecting to find him sitting in the living room watching ESPN,” Maggie said.
“Was it a bad dream? Dan asked.
“No, it was a wonderful dream. As a matter of fact, you were the one of the main topics of our conversation,” she said.
“You remember the conversation?” Dan asked.
“Word for word. And I know this might sound strange, but it felt like an actual conversation – so much so that it’s been on my mind all day,” Maggie said.
“Do you want tell me about it? You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he said.
“It was odd – I mean I realize it was a dream - but it was...unusual, even for a dream; one of mine anyway,” she said.
“I understand. Please go ahead,” Dan said.
“Well, when it started I was just a little girl and dad was in his study. We talked about you. Essentially, he said he was happy for me. Dad said he knew you loved me and as long as you’re around he would never have to worry about me,” Maggie said.
“He was right about that,” Dan said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
“Then he changed...I changed. He suddenly looked like he did shortly before he died and became my age now. Then he told he would always be around me as long as I wanted him,” she said.
“It’s not unusual that you dreamed about your dad talking to you. You know as well as I do, this is a big deal. If your dad was here, you know you’d be telling him about us just like I’d be telling mom,” he said.
Maggie thought his words over.
“You’re right – we would. Why are we worried about telling mom and Uncle Jett about us?” She asked.
Dan chuckled.
“I said we’d tell them. I didn’t say we wouldn’t be nervous – or even scared,” he said.
“So we talk to them when they get home?” Maggie asked.
“Would you prefer to talk to one of them at a time or both together?” Dan asked.
“To prevent having to experience it twice, I’d say catch them together,” she said.
He nodded.
“I agree but I’m not looking forward to it. I’m afraid we’ll get the lecture about being too young or something like that. I do want you to know it’s not because I’m embarrassed or ashamed about how I feel about you - I feel like shouting ‘I love Maggie Blake’ from the rooftops,” Dan said as Maggie squeezed him tighter. She gave him a mischievous look.
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