by Dick Waters
“Lisa, this is too hard to explain. Can I come over to see you? I have to tell you what has happened and how it might—“
I heard a click and then a dial tone. I guess I got my answer.
*.*.*
I looked at the phone and then the newspaper. I considered her call and Mike’s. I realized I was more concerned about Paddy’s status. “Son of a bitch,” I yelled out loud, tearing the newspaper to shreds. For some reason I thought of Jackie not being here any longer, and possibly losing Paddy and maybe Lisa. I wish I had her killer right now. I think I would beat him to a pulp. I couldn’t hold back the tears. This had started out to be such a good day, but it sure was ending up miserably.
*.*.*
I don’t remember much about the last hour. It was all such a blur. I felt like I was trapped and had to get some air. I went outside into the cold. It had been a cloudy day, but looking up, I could see a full moon and thousands of stars. The moon soon became blurred. I felt the tears on my cheeks.
“Scott, are you okay? I heard the door slam, wondering if it was someone else. You never did that before,” Mrs. Abbott announced.
I wiped the tears away, turning toward her. She looked so small standing there in her knee length coat and holding a flashlight. “I’m sorry Mrs. Abbott; I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“You look troubled. Is there anything I can do? How about some hot chocolate?” she said, smiling and waving me to follow her. She turned, still waving as she climbed up the front entry stairs.
I looked one last time at the moon, which seemed more orange than white now, but found myself following her. I thought about Mrs. Abbott. I never see anyone visiting her and I wonder if she has any family.
I had only been in the entryway of her apartment once, never having paid any attention to her space. Her apartment was set up like my apartment upstairs. She was busy placing a small pot on the stove. I sat down in a rocking chair, not saying anything to her. I could see a picture of her with a man, who I thought might have been her husband, standing on a scenic overlook. I could see some pictures on the wall of younger people, including children.
She hobbled over to me, and with a shaking hand, handed me a cup. “Here Scott this will make you feel better. I added some marshmallow, which is how I like my hot chocolate.” She sat down in an arm chair. “You seem out of sorts, are you having one of those days?”
I took a deep breath, then a sip of the chocolate. “This is very good. Thank you Mrs. Abbott.” I took a larger sip. “Today has been a rollercoaster of a day.” I took a deep breath to deal with things.
She studied me without saying anything. Several minutes later, she said, “I heard you yell out a while ago and well…I never hear you in your apartment. Sometimes I hear you coming and going. I noticed you have a lovely girlfriend. It’s okay, that’s your business. When I heard the front entry door slam, I was concerned something might have been wrong. I couldn’t see you from the window which is why I went outside. I knew you hadn’t driven away.” She sat back in her chair. “I’m a great listener if you care to share.”
She was being so sweet. I couldn’t help but smile at her attempt to make things better. I took a long sip of the hot chocolate, which was now more drinkable.
“Here let me freshen that up for you,” she said, walking over to me, but I met her halfway. She came back with my cup filled. I noticed there were even more small marshmallows in the cup this time.
“Scott, would you care to tell me what happened?”
Her expression I’ve seen before, but it was when my Mom realized I had a bad day at school.
I can’t for the life of me remember how I started to tell her about what I was doing, helping with the task force, the New England Strangler apprehension, the new strangler, meeting with my possibly future in-laws to the dismay of my future wife, etc. However, now I was on my third cup of hot chocolate and Mrs. Abbott seemed to be enjoying whatever I said.
Finally, it was her turn to acknowledge what I said. She spoke softly and slowly. “Scott I have learned some things over the years. I hope you will consider an old lady’s viewpoint.” She waited until I nodded my head.
“Every day is indeed a blessing. When the day brings some problems, it makes the other days that much more enjoyable. Sometimes we take for granted what we have, and those bad days give us a reason to appreciate what we have. When you get to be my age, you only remember good days.” She looked at the pictures on the wall, then at the picture beside me.
I remember not hearing part of what Lisa was telling me on the phone, but I was hearing every word Mrs. Abbott was saying.
“A few minutes ago you told me you have fallen in love. I’ve seen you when you both have come here. You didn’t have to tell me you have fallen in love…I could see it even with my bad eyes, from a distance…I could see it on both of your faces.” She looked like she was going to say something more, so I just took another sip of the chocolate.
She picked up one of the coins beside her on the table. “Life and love is like this coin, it has two sides. Sometimes its heads, and things couldn’t be better, and sometimes things are down and its tails. If it was always heads, we wouldn’t appreciate the beauty of things and we wouldn’t work as hard for it. However, the most important part of the coin is that it is one coin. And there’s only one head on it, love is not two heads any longer—it’s one.”
She tossed the coin over to me, but it landed on the floor in front of me. “It landed heads up, didn’t it?” she stated with a smile.
I tried not to cry, but when I reached over to pick up the coin, the tears just flowed. It was heads.
I thought about what Mike said to me, before he went to see Paddy, ‘Scott you need to make it a point to see Lisa right away, especially since her parents now know about you.’
I took a deep breath, wiped away the tears, and put a smile on my face. “Thank you Mrs. Abbott, I appreciate your taking the time to talk with me.”
She steadied herself getting out of her chair. “It was my pleasure Scott. You can call me ‘Gram’ if you care to…it sounds so much better than Mrs. Abbott. She smiled, noticing I was looking at the coin, and she cupped my hand with both of hers. “Please keep the coin to remember an old lady’s outlook. I hope it helps you when it’s not a ‘heads up’ kind of day. The only rule is you have to pass along another coin when the opportunity presents itself. Always save the coin you got, to remember to appreciate the good days.”
I gave her a hug. “Thanks Gram. I’m glad I went outside for some fresh air and a new outlook.” I could see tears forming in her eyes. I knew I had to leave quickly.
I also knew what I was going to do now.
Chapter 61
My discussion with Mrs. Abbott was a blessing. I’m sure things happen the way they’re supposed to, but spending a few minutes with her gave me a new outlook. Lisa’s not going to control our destiny…I am. We’re meant for each other and nothing is going to come between us—nothing!
On the way over to Lisa’s, I decided to drive by the address Mrs. Ballou gave us.
Two trips around the block confirmed the address was a vacant lot. I wanted to call Mike, but he was at the hospital with Paddy.
*.*.*
I climbed the front steps to Lisa’s dormitory. The duty guard was the one that made Lisa uncomfortable.
“Good evening Mr. Tucker. Are you here to see Miss Anderson?”
I stopped at the desk to sign the log book. “Yes, I am. Do you know if she’s in?”
His lips curled and he replied, “I know many things. She’s in.”
“Thanks.” I entered the reception area, waiting until someone acknowledged me.
“You’re looking for Lisa, right?” one of the coeds asked.
“Yes I am. Would you mind getting her for me? She’s not expecting me.”
She had a nice smile, and replied, “I’ll get her for you Scott. Just give me a minute.”
I took a seat, searching through th
e magazines for something other than Vogue. No such luck. I started through one of the Vogue magazines. The pictures immediately reminded me of Lisa. The memory of our first time together flooded my mind. I sensed someone looking at me, turning to see the guard looking in my direction, then towards the stairs. It was Lisa, standing at the top of the stairs.
I put the magazine down, waving. She wasn’t smiling, appearing miles away. I waved again. She turned and disappeared out of sight. I looked over my shoulder to see the guard smiling.
Shortly, Lisa appeared at the top of the stairs with her navy pea coat. She hurried down the stairs. She came over, grabbed my arm without saying a word, and headed toward the door. She rushed us to the sidewalk.
“Okay Scott, which way is your car?”
“It’s down here.” I started walking in that direction. “Lisa I had to see you. I didn’t want to call and have you tell me no.”
She didn’t reply, walking faster than I was. She was scanning the area for my car.
I felt like I was walking on egg shells, not saying anything more. She waited for me to unlock the car door. I opened it, and she was inside in one quick motion. Once behind the wheel, I looked at her. One wrong word and I knew she would leave. I headed to the one place I had a chance to plead my case.
*.*.*
The elevator stopped its ascent. She quickly entered the observation deck area. I followed along, feeling like a puppy dog. She went around to the airport side. I stood as close as I dared. We silently watched the planes taking off and landing at Logan.
Finally, I felt the move was mine. I turned her to face me. The tears were running down her cheeks. I immediately reacted to her look of despair. I pulled her to my chest and we just held each other. I could feel her warmth right through our jackets. I realized how well we fit together. I moved slightly, watching her tears flow. I handed her my handkerchief. She took it and dabbed at her eyes.
I took the opportunity to say, “Lisa I feel awful when I see you this upset. I don’t ever want to do anything to upset you, but I seem to be doing my share lately. I love you with all my heart. I can’t afford to lose you. My life is going to be nothing without you. Thanks for seeing me tonight. I know you’re upset about my seeing your parents, but I need to explain all of that to you.”
She turned her head away, staring again at the sights. She whispered, “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. I had pictured how I was going to have you meet my parents. It definitely wasn’t without me present.”
I didn’t respond. Her maroon turtle-neck sweater hugged her neck, contrasting nicely with her blonde hair, highlighted by the observation deck lighting. I remember kissing those same hairs along her neck. The Navy pea coat was now unbuttoned, resting on her hips against her black ski pants. Her high heel leather boots came halfway up her calf, making her legs look longer than I remembered.
“Are you done undressing me?” she announced.
I gently pulled her arm, turning her face toward me. “I would love to undress you, but I was just taking in your beauty.” I looked into her blue eyes. “I’m hoping this isn’t my last opportunity to see you, and I guess I was committing you to memory. I’ll say it again Lisa, I love you with all my heart and I’m so sorry I upset you. I hadn’t planned it. However, I can’t change what has happened; I can only try to make things better. That’s why I came over to see you; I couldn’t give you the attention I needed to on the phone.”
She turned her head to look out at the sights. “I love it up here and will always remember our first time here. You were smart to bring me here tonight, because I can’t stay mad at you…not up here.” She turned back to look at me. “Since I love you so much, I guess I need to give you the opportunity to explain what happened. I was just so shocked when my mom called. It took me totally off guard and I guess I took it out on you.” She put her hands on my chest. “Let’s go sit down.”
*.*.*
Where do I begin? We were seated. I was holding both of her hands. Our knees were the only other parts touching. “So much happened today, I almost don’t know where to begin. Paddy O’Brien is in the hospital with a heart attack. I don’t know how he is going to be.”
“Oh my God Scott that’s awful.” Her eyes were scanning mine, studying my face.
“Yeah, that’s not something that makes my day. As far as your parents go, the shortened version is we learned the counselors branded things at the camp with their initials. The murdered women were branded in the same manner. Helen Ryder, another friend of the murdered women found a piece of paper with her initial burned in it. The murderer was in her house. We needed to talk to your Mom about what she could remember about these counselors. She gave us Jimmy Ballou’s name.”
She leaned back, looked into my eyes and mentioned, “I’ve heard that name before. Do you believe he’s the guy killing these women?”
“We do. We learned he’s living near here in Boston. Getting back to your parents, your mom was resisting talking with the police. She was on the verge of calling her attorney, when I interceded, talking with your parents privately. I explained why we were so intent on finding who is killing these women. In the process, I told them I had met and fallen in love with their daughter. Well, she gave us the lead we needed.”
I watched Lisa put her hand to her forehead, but she was not saying a word.
“Lisa, things with your parents couldn’t be any better. They appreciated what I did. Everyone is really happy how it turned out. That brings it back to our conversation. Under the circumstances, I had to do what I did, and it paid off. We now believe we have a suspect. We need to track him down before he kills Helen or Charlotte.”
Lisa put her head against my chest, and her arm around me. “Scott, I’m sorry I lost it earlier. I’m glad you came to see me. I’m glad you brought me here…I love it up here…things seem to come into perspective much more clearly here…I love you.” She looked at me and I could see tears running down her cheeks. I wiped them. She smiled at me and then kissed me.
Soon we were headed to my apartment, with her nibbling at my ear. I reached for a coin on the console, handed it to her and told her I would tell her the story about it later.
Chapter 62
He was lucky they didn’t catch him at Helen’s the other night. That was a close call, but would work in his favor.
He had an outline of his script and dialed the number.
Shortly, the phone rang and a woman’s voice answered, “Hello.”
“Hello Mrs. Williams?”
“Yes, who’s this?”
“My name is Mr. Kelley. I’m calling from the National Association of Camp Management. I’m looking to talk with Charlotte Williams. Is she there by any chance?”
“No. She’s out of the country.”
“I’m calling about a job opportunity in New Hampshire. She is our top candidate. I need to do a final interview for that position. This job is not being advertised in the papers. We have done a search for suitable candidates, and your daughter was selected because of her experience. I need to talk with her as the position could be filled by someone less qualified. Can you give me her number, or call her and have her call me back?”
“Well, I think it best if she were to call you.” She paused and then added, “I guess I could give you her address and phone number, to save some time. This is so exciting. You say it’s a position in New Hampshire.”
“Yes Mrs. Williams. We understand she used to be a counselor there in New Hampshire, which is one of the reasons she was selected.”
“Just a minute Mr. Kelley, I’ll get her address and phone number.”
*.*.*
That was much easier than he had anticipated. The hook was baited, now to land the fish.
He dialed the number he was given. He had a drafted letter prepared should he need to read it to Charlotte. Oh Charlotte you bring back such memories. Of the three, you were the one who enjoyed your time with me the most, and I with you. I can’t wait to be with yo
u again, but this time the roles will be reversed.
He could feel his breathing quicken. The phone was ringing in his ear. He looked at the clock, making sure he was not calling too early.
“Hello.” A soft voice answered.
“Hello, is this Charlotte Williams?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“Please don’t hang up. My name is Mr. Kelley. I was on the phone with your mother a few minutes ago. She was nice enough to give me your address and phone number in Bermuda. I’m calling about a position in New Hampshire. Do you have a few minutes, or would you rather I call back later or just send the letter about the position?”
“You say it’s a position in New Hampshire? How did you get my name?”
“Miss Williams, may I call you Charlotte?”
“Yes that’s fine, but how did you get my name?”
“Charlotte, I’m with the National Association of Camp Management. We conducted a search for candidates who could fill a senior management position in New Hampshire. The client has facilities mostly in New England. Your name was selected by our search agency from hundreds of names. Your background and experience, including time actually spent in New Hampshire is exactly what they are looking for. The position has a salary range, not including incentives and bonuses, of fifty to ninety thousand a year. We can discuss salary if you’re interested.”
“Well Mr. Kelley I’m very happy with my current position here in Bermuda and love it here. However I do have a love for New England and the position sounds very interesting.”
“Miss Williams, I mean Charlotte, you can’t tell anyone I mentioned this to you, but the camp you’re with in Bermuda is being looked at by the parent organization to be part of our camp network. Obviously, your association with that camp could help significantly in the future as they integrate it into their network. There is one problem.”