Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 04 - Politics is Murder

by Carolyn Arnold

  “Right. She was talking about a tax hike and losing a family business that had been around for generations.”

  “We both know from our ‘adventure’ in New York City how deep emotions can run in that situation. Seems to me like we should go talk to the dry cleaning woman and her husband.”

  “It’s a good idea, but I’m wondering if we should start closer to Halie’s home.” He paused, ensuring he had her full attention. “If this was about the mayor, don’t you think he would have received some sort of call, blackmail, or request for ransom by now?”

  “Hmm. Good point.” She got up from the table. “Guess it’s off to Virginia. I’ll go pack.”

  Dreams Come True

  SEAN HAD CALLED AHEAD LAST night to get the jet ready. No ransom demand had come in overnight so they were still heading to Virginia, and they had a beautiful day to do it. Even though there was a subtle nip to the air, for the most part, it was warm and the sun was shining brightly.

  As they walked down the tarmac, Sean spotted the silver plane. Written in big blue letters on the fuselage was the name Believe All Things are Possible.

  “Here, we own a plane and people are starving in the world.” Sara hoisted up on the bag she had strapped over her shoulder.

  Sean took it from her, adding it to what he already carried. “You’re going to take this moment from me, darling?”

  She laughed. “Sean, you’ve had so many lately. You’re getting spoiled.”

  “If you don’t like the feeling, I could go alone, but I would miss you terribly.”

  Her tongue flicked out and touched her top lip. “You would die without me. We both know it. Two years and I thought—”

  He dropped the luggage to the ground and swooped her up, spinning her around.

  “Sean,” she squealed out amidst laughter.

  He set her back down, drew her in tight and kissed her. “As if I could ever leave you behind.”

  She pressed her hands to his chest. “Like I thought.”

  “I still can’t believe we own a plane.” He let her out of his embrace, his thoughts skipping about without pure direction, yet with only one driving agenda—the plane represented its name perfectly. All things were possible and dreams did come true. He was living proof of it. Sean picked up the luggage and took off down the runway, his eyes not leaving the sleek body of the jet.

  The door was open and at the base of the stairs a uniformed man in his mid-thirties watched them approach. “Good day, Mr. McKinley.” He offered a smile and an extended hand. The energy in his handshake matched that of the sparkle in his eyes, and fit the spunky nature associated with his red hair.

  “Good day.” Sean figured the man must know who they were from their pictures in the media, but proceeded to gesture to Sara. “This is my wife, Sara.”

  She extended her hand. “How are you?”

  “Just fine, ma’am.”

  Sean noticed Sara tuck her chin to her shoulder, the address seemed to make her feel older than her years, but he knew the man said it with nothing other than respect as its intent.

  “My name is Anthony Vargas.”

  As he spoke, Sean’s energy calmed slightly, his eyes going to the uniform, and that’s when he noticed the wings. “You’re the pilot?”

  “He likes to think so anyway.” A man of stockier build came down the stairs, and appeared to be ten years older than Anthony.

  Anthony turned back to Sean and Sara, smiling politely. “Allow me to introduce the pilot, Samuel Reynolds.”

  “Nice to finally meet the two of you.” Samuel extended his hand to each of them. “Tony here is my co-pilot, and he’s also in the role of steward today as Bethany is under the weather.”

  Sean smiled at the two of them, not doubting that his expression appeared goofy. He was living in heaven. He had a jet. He had a pilot. He had a co-pilot. There was nothing he didn’t have.

  “Looks like spring might be here to stay now. The weather is clear, and we’re ready for takeoff when you are, sir.”

  “Please, just call me Sean.”

  “Sara,” she added with a smile.

  Sean put his arm around her.

  “All right then, welcome to your plane. Tony here will get your luggage.” Samuel led the way back inside the craft, and Sean let Sara go ahead of him and then followed behind the pair. Tony took up the rear with the luggage.

  With each step, Sean’s stomach swirled, not from fear of flying but from elation and battles with belief. All of this was his and Sara’s.

  Inside the craft, it resembled the lobby of a luxury hotel. White and black made the space crisp and modern. There were six plush leather chairs, and a matching couch that would sit another four.

  His breath caught as his eyes went over every inch.

  Sara touched his arm. “Darling?”

  He turned to her and pulled her against him, taking her mouth with hunger and passion. When they parted, her cheeks were a flaming red and her eyes narrowed to slits. She bit on her bottom lip.

  Tony cleared his throat. “Sit anywhere you like. We will take off shortly then?”

  “Yes.” Sean’s mind took him and Sara straight to the couch. He wanted to make love to her there, but would have to settle for snuggling with her—the boundaries imposed by the fact they weren’t alone.

  When he took the seat on the end, he noticed a bottle of chilled champagne and a silver tray full of chocolate-dipped strawberries.

  He poured a glass for each of them and handed one to Sara. She took it from him with a strange expression on her face.

  “It’s only nine o’clock in the morning.”

  “And your point, darling?” He kissed her, nearly upsetting her champagne in the process. He pulled back and lifted his glass to hers. “To us and to our future.”

  She conceded, smiling at him. “Suppose I can’t fight that.” She clinked her glass to his. “To us.”

  Dorm Room Trouble

  “WE NEED TO LOOK AT her dorm, but first we need directions.” A student was hurrying by them and Sara went over to him. He stopped walking the second he saw her. He shifted the books, securing them in one arm against his chest. His other hand pushed the glasses up on his nose. “I’m hoping you can help me,” Sara said.

  The student glanced over at Sean and back at her. “Anything, ma’am.”

  Sean cringed inside. This was the second time today she had been referred to as ma’am, and it didn’t meet with great response the first time.

  “We’re hoping you can point us in the direction of Keller Hall.”

  The kid rhymed off directions, throwing in a quirky grin at the end and another adjustment of his glasses.

  “Thank you very much.” Sara tapped him on the shoulder and his cheeks infused a bright red.

  As the student walked off, Sean began laughing.

  “What are you doing?” Her one hand shot to her hip.

  “He was in love with you at first sight.”

  “You’re laughing at that happening?”

  “No, darling, I don’t blame him at all. I’m laughing because I’m happy you’re all mine.”

  She crossed her arms. “I still don’t get it.”

  “You don’t have to understand everything all the time.”

  “But I like to.”

  He was still laughing as he put his arm around her.

  The hallways were narrow and there was a bank of payphones at the ends. Halie’s room was on the second floor, number two hundred and two.

  Loud music droned into the hall and there was an assortment of smells lingering in the air—stale beer, colognes, food, and sweat.

  “It’s definitely coed,” Sara said, watching for Halie’s door. She knocked when they came to it. “I don’t miss this life.”

  “You in college? I can only imagine.”

  “Trust me, you don’t want to. Guys can be such pigs.”

  “Here we thought you girls were worse, but we were always willing to put up with you.”
r />   “Yeah, whatever.” She laughed, turning her attention to the door and then back to Sean.

  Sean went to slip the key Davenport gave them into the slot but stopped moving.

  “Darling?”

  “It doesn’t fit.”

  “What do you mean it doesn’t fit?”

  “Well, it’s not for this door.”

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “You have to ask that question?” He held out his hand to her. “Pin.”

  “Oh, not again.”

  “We might as well go with what works, darling.”

  She exhaled a deep breath and fished one out from her purse. “We’re going to have to get you some to carry around if our second hobby is going to be B&E.” Her abbreviated reference to break and enter went back to her years as a cop.

  Sean picked the lock while she was on the watch out. A couple female students came down the hall, giving them odd looks as they passed but they kept going.

  A male stopped and took Sara’s hand in his. “You are a goddess.”

  She detected whiskey on his breath, patted his arm and smiled.

  He lifted her hand, kissed it and took off, laughing.

  “She’s way out of your league, man.” His friend chimed in after him.

  “You never had a shortage of dates in college did you?” Sean asked.

  She blushed.

  “Ah, just as I thought.”

  “Have you got that thing picked yet?”

  Sean smirked and went back to the lock. A second later, they were in—a strong floral perfume smacking them in the face.

  “My guess is she has a roommate. I can’t see the smell hanging around this strong for days.”

  They spread out in the room. Sara went left while Sean went right. There were two single beds, a TV with surround system, a mini fridge, and a burner plate. Dishes were stacked on the counter next to it. At Sara’s side of the room, there was a desk with a pile of papers on the surface. She fanned through it and realized it was nothing more than class papers. She opened a desk drawer.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” A female student held up a bottle of mace, taking turns holding it on Sean and then Sara. “Who are you?”

  Sean held up his hands and took a few steps closer to her. The mist got him right in the eyes and sent him staggering backward. He caught his balance on the corner of the counter.

  The girl looked at Sara, wide-eyed and fired up. She had sprayed the blinding vapor once. She wouldn’t hesitate to do so again.

  “My name is Sara McKinley. That is Sean.” Sara glanced over at him and felt empathy. The liquid would be burning his retinas and turning the whites of his eyes red. Tears seeped down his cheeks and he moaned, his hands over his eyes.

  “I don’t care who you are. I’m calling the police.”

  “Please, it’s not necessary.” Sara held up her hands, but knew better than to approach a spooked college student—especially a female who found strangers rooting through her dorm room. “We’re friends of Halie’s father.”

  The mace bottle was lowered, only a fraction of an inch. “Why should I believe you?”

  “He gave us a key.”

  Sean’s guttural moan had the girl looking over at him for a second.

  “It doesn’t explain anything. I had the lock changed a while back. How did you get in?”

  While that explained the reason the key hadn’t worked, she had to figure out a way that wouldn’t result in both of them becoming incapacitated. Sara went with honesty being the best policy. “We picked the lock.”

  The girl steadied the mace higher again.

  Sara kept her palm held up, toward the girl. “We are here to find Halie.”

  Tears filled the girl’s eyes and she shook her head. “She’s dead.”

  Sara glanced over at Sean, but his eyes were still pinched shut. She knew how to help ease the pain, but until the girl got rid of the spray, she was staying put. “How do you know that?”

  “I just do, all right.” Tremors rocked her voice.

  “You were more than Halie’s roommate, weren’t you?”

  “I’m her best friend.” The mace lowered.

  “We just want to find her.”

  “Like I said, she’s dead.” Emotion contorted her chin, causing it to quiver.

  “Can we talk?” Sara pointed to the end of the beds, implying they sit down. “What is your name?”

  “Janie.”

  “Can we talk for a few minutes?”

  “I guess.” Janie wiped her hand down her face, sweeping up the rogue tears that had fallen. She pocketed the mace and headed to the bed on the right side of the room.

  “Do you have milk?” Sara asked.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  Sara went to the mini fridge, took out the half-pint carton, and poured some in a wide-mouthed mug. She knew Janie watched her, but she didn’t have time to explain right now. “A napkin, paper towel, or a dish cloth?”

  Janie gestured to the counter. “Top drawer.”

  Sara pulled out some beige napkins, similar to those from McDonald’s, and a cloth. She wet it with water. “This is going to hurt, darling, but it’s necessary. Trust me?”

  Sean nodded, but his mind must not have been prepared for the pain. He yelped when she touched the cool cloth to his face and wiped away the residue.

  “Now, this will help with the stinging.” She soaked the cloth in the milk and then dabbed it to his eyes. “Just keep your eyes shut.”

  He groaned and winced despite her delicate touch.

  “I’m sorry I did that to him, but I was scared,” Janie said.

  “I know you were.”

  “Yeah, easy for you to say.” His head turned toward her, but he kept his eyes closed as she had directed.

  “Come on, I’m going to lead you to the desk where you can take a seat. Just keep your eyes closed a few seconds longer.” She pressed some dry napkins into his hands and managed to get him across the room. She went back to Janie and sat on the opposite bed.

  “How long have you known Halie?” Sara asked while taking in Janie’s features. She had long dark hair, with chestnut eyes to match, and a wide flat nose. The dusting of freckles on the bridge softened her appearance. She wasn’t a beautiful girl but she was pretty.

  “Since the fall. We were new roommates, but from the first time we met, it was like we had known each other forever. Know what I mean? That somehow we were meant to be friends. There was just this connection, this bond. My older sister terms these relationships God’s appointments, like we were meant to cross paths when we did.”

  Sara smiled at Janie. She housed an older spirit than her twenty or so years. “Now, you said that Halie was dead. What makes you think that?”

  “I don’t think it. I know it. She had a test yesterday that she never would have missed. Ever.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “Three days ago, but I stayed with some other friends Saturday night and didn’t get here until late Sunday, so she could have been around earlier. I don’t know.”

  “Do you know if she was around on Monday?”

  “I don’t. I took off early to study before my first class.”

  “And it’s not like her to just disappear?”

  “No, she’s the most responsible person I know.”

  “What about smoking, drinking, boyfriends?”

  “No, no, and no.”

  Another groan came from Sean. He was dancing his fingertips around his eyes and they fluttered opened, white tears soaked his lashes.

  “Did she keep a journal or calendar for her appointments?” Sara asked the latter, realizing it was likely a stretch for a young woman.

  “She had a diary. If you think it will help bring her back, by all means.” Janie went over to the desk and pulled out a latched black book. She paused beside Sean. “I really am sorry.”

  “Yes, as you keep saying.”

  They left the dorm room about
an hour after arriving, Halie’s journal in hand. “At least it wasn’t a wasted trip.” Sara held up the book. “More than that, we have Halie’s class schedule without having gone to the dean.”

  “Easy for you to say it wasn’t a wasted trip.”

  She looked over at his red-rimmed eyes, which were barely open, and empathy coursed through her, but she flipped it to the positive. “At least, on the upside, darling, it wasn’t your nose getting the brunt of it this time.”

  He stopped walking and she ceased movement with him. She turned to him and he flicked her gently on the nose.

  “Hey.”

  He shrugged, a smirk on his lips. “What can I say? Misery loves company.”

  “You’re a brat.” She laughed.

  “Yes, but I’m a brat who loves you.” He pulled her in tight and kissed the tip of her nose.

  She laughed. “So, first you flick it and then you kiss it? I must say you’re confusing me, Mr. McKinley.”

  “It’s a good thing you have a lifetime to figure me out then, isn’t it.”

  “I’d say.” She caressed his arm and then his forehead, down, tracing around his temples and touching his brow line. “Poor fella.”

  “Sorry about your nose.”

  She narrowed her eyes, released herself of his embrace, and reached for his hand. “Uh-huh.”

  “I am, darling.”

  “As Dad would say to Mom, I’ll get even, and when you least expect it.”

  “Oh.”

  She glanced over at him. A smile rested on his lips, humor had returned and that meant he was feeling somewhat better. In a couple more hours, he’d be feeling almost as good as new.

  Class Is In Session

  HALIE WAS GOING THROUGH TO acquire her bachelor in literature and her eleven o’clock class was with Professor Harland. Sean and Sara arrived to the room in the middle of his lecture. He was discussing topics that soared over Sara’s head and she was starting to second-guess her ability to write a piece of fiction.

  Her thoughts drifted to her work in progress for a moment. She had left her protagonist in a precarious situation and really needed to find the time to get back to writing. She hadn’t written a word in over a month.