Murder is Academic

by Lesley A. Diehl

  “No. I thought you could use all the help you can get.”

  “Ha, ha. Now help me make a salad, and I’ll start the chicken in a marinade.”

  “What’s the scoop around campus about the murder? I was too busy in the studio today to bother talking with anyone.” She tossed her sketchbook on the table, and we entered the kitchen.

  “Let’s wait until everyone is here, and we can exchange information. That way I don’t have to repeat my story.”

  At that moment, I heard the motorcycle pull up, followed by the sound of a car turning into the drive.

  Guy and Der entered the house together. To my great relief they seemed to be getting along well. Their topic of conversation was not the murder, but rather motorcycles.

  “I had a Harley when I was in college, then I got too busy with the job. And, well, no time for riding now.” Der screwed his mouth up in a look of regret.

  “Always time to ride. You’ve got to make it for yourself. Tell you what. When this murder thing gets resolved, let’s take a trip to Syracuse to the Harley dealer there. I might just consider trading mine for one. Or at least looking at the Valkyries put out by Honda.”

  “They’re bonding.” I was delighted. Hmm. I’d just discovered something important about men; testosterone levels can be reduced in the human male by substituting one sexy lust object for another, in this case, motorcycles for women.

  “How about a topic in which we all can participate?” I did not want to be left out.

  “Oh, right.” Guy held up two bottles of wine. “Red or white?”

  I gave a loud sigh of frustration. “Not wine. Murder.”

  “Yuck,” said Annie, “not before dinner.”

  We ate first, had both red and white with the chicken, and the food was wonderful. Well, it was passable. By the time I ran to the convenience store to buy the propane I forgot for the grill, we were all so starved that we would have considered any food, even Twinkies, gourmet. Actually, I don’t mind Twinkies, although I prefer Devil Dogs. The chocolate, you know. I rushed everyone through the meal so that we could get to dessert, dessert being what Der knew about Talbot’s murder.

  “I spent most of my afternoon at the country club, talking with the three guys Talbot played with the morning of the murder. I thought I might find out something that would give a spin on the rest of his day. My investigators informed me that his schedule in the late afternoon was vague.” Der looked troubled.

  I nodded in agreement. “Just that meeting with Pruitt and someone else in science.”

  We all moved out to the deck to enjoy the sunset over the lake.

  “I guess we’ll have to talk with the entire science faculty to see with whom he met,” Der said. “By the way, I haven’t had a chance to interview Pruitt yet, but the team member who talked with him briefly said he seemed quite broken up over Talbot’s death.”

  I almost spit coffee out my nose. “He was no fan of the president. Anything from Talbot’s golf buddies?”

  “They were all from the state, his political cronies. Their conversation concerned the upcoming elections in the fall and the proposed public boat launch on the lake just north of those fancy condos. The state is proposing a cooperative program between the college and the State Conservation Department to collect data on water quality and the impact of the launch on fish and plant life in the lake. I guess Talbot did well with state officials. This cooperative venture should be a real plum for the college.”

  “Any leads on where Talbot might have been killed?” Guy’s question indicated he was not only interested in the investigation but several steps ahead of me in thinking through the murder.

  “His car was found in a faculty parking lot, which might suggest he was killed on campus, but his shoes had traces of lake mud on them, so we can’t rule out the possibility that he was killed on the lake. Maybe he rode out there with someone,” Der said.

  “Now there’s a motive for murder.” Guy smiled that funny lopsided smile of his. “Faculty does in president for taking up space in faculty designated lot.”

  “Not so funny,” I said. “It’s a hot topic because there’s talk we’re going to be charged for parking space, and there’s damn little of it available to faculty.”

  The solar lights around the deck came on.

  I sighed and stretched my arms over my head as if reaching for the big dipper hanging in the night sky over the lake. “I wish these summer nights would last forever, but before we know it, the heat will be gone, the leaves will fall, and it’ll snow.” Three other sighs joined mine, and silence followed.

  “Well then, I guess I’ll just mosey along.” Der yawned. “Until I find the murderer I’m not going to be getting much sleep. You leaving too, Guy? You, Annie?”

  “Yep.” Annie picked up her sketchbook and moved toward the driveway with Der.

  “I think I’ll stick around and help Laura clean up here.” Guy put his arm around me.

  Der looked embarrassed. “Oh, how thoughtless of me. I’ll help, too.”

  How dense was he or was he being an intentional pain in the ass, I wondered. Annie tugged on his sleeve and then began to prod him toward the driveway.

  “Goodnight,” she said. “Say goodnight, Der.”

  He grunted something and left.

  *

  Guy and I took coffees down to the dock. Not a breeze was blowing, and the reflection of the moon off the surface of the lake was a perfect twin to the one rising in the summer sky.

  “Nice place here.” Guy took my face in his two giant, callused hands and gently kissed my lips. “Moon’s up and I know a place with the best viewing seats.”

  “Take me there.” I turned my face into his shoulder.

  Soon we stood bathed in the silvery path of moonlight as it entered through the skylight in my bedroom.

  “This could get to be a habit.” I sighed again, this time with pleasure not weariness.

  “A very good one.” His kiss made the pleasure turn to passion.

  Chapter 4

  I hopped out of bed the next morning as the sun topped the ridge on the other side of the lake. Heavy mist hung over its surface obscuring the distant shoreline.

  “Why so early?” Guy’s eyes were heavy with sleep as he watched me dress.

  I pulled on heavy socks and my hiking boots and buttoned a long-sleeved flannel shirt over my tee.

  “You forget. I’m in training. Stay as long as you like. I’ll leave coffee in the pot downstairs.”

  “You surprise me.” He pulled the sheet up over his head. I jerked it down.

  “Explain what you mean by that.”

  “You don’t seem like the kind of woman interested in sports.”

  “I wasn’t until recently. Maybe sex gives me energy.”

  I left him snoozing in the rumpled bedclothes. I should have been exhausted, but I was ready to take on miles of the river. I hoped Annie felt the same.

  She didn’t. Her call came as I waited for her on my back deck and watched the fog swirl and rise off the lake’s surface.

  “Frank gave me such a workout yesterday I can hardly move. I’m going to pass this morning.”

  “You seemed fine last night.” I was disappointed.

  “I think it took a while before my muscles seized up. We’ll go out tomorrow.” With a groan, she disconnected.

  Frank left to visit his new granddaughter yesterday, so I knew he wasn’t available. I could paddle by myself, but that didn’t sound like much fun, more like much work.

  Der’s cruiser pulled into my drive. Hmmm.

  “Got a cup? I’m glad to see you up so early. I’ve got a favor to ask of you.” He loosened his tie as he approached the deck.

  “Great. I’ve got one to ask you.” I headed toward the kitchen door, but when Der followed me, I held up my hand. “Stay right here on the deck.”

  I grabbed the canoe paddles from the storage room off the kitchen, poured Der his coffee in a thermal carry mug and was back before he
had a chance to sink into one of my comfy deck chairs.

  “Let’s go.” I handed him the cup and a paddle and propelled him down the path toward the lake.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Canoeing.”

  “No we’re not. I’ve got my good suit on and new shoes.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just hold the canoe steady while I get in. Here, I’ll take your cup and paddle. I assume you know how to do this.”

  The expression on his face told me I’d insulted him. “Well, of course, I do. But I’m warning you, if you tip this thing on me, you’ll pay for cleaning and replace these shoes.”

  Our paddles broke through the still water creating ripples across the glassy surface. I guided us out of the inlet by my dock, and we headed toward the river. As we caught the current and moved against it, paddling became difficult, and soon sweat soaked my shirt. I pulled it over my head and flung it into the bottom of the canoe. Der must have been hot, too because he paused to take off his suit jacket.

  I smoothed out my rhythm, and Der followed my lead. Soon we were paddling in sync as if we’d been doing it together for years.

  “So where were you so early?” Typical nosy me.

  “Professor Pruitt, Chair of Water Resources, and I got together early this morning. He was one of the people that met with the president the afternoon of his murder.”

  I nodded my head and kept stroking.

  “Six was the only time he could fit me into his busy schedule. No downtime for you faculty sorts, eh?”

  I chuckled and used my paddle as a rudder to steer us around some debris floating ahead. “Don’t be misled. It was his way of letting you know how little this counts in his life.”

  By now the sun had swept away all the mist, and it reflected brightly off the surface of the water.

  “Let’s pull into the stump lot and rest. There’re some giant carp worth watching.” I said.

  We steered away from the main river channel and into the backwaters. When the dam had been built at the turn of the nineteenth century, the river spread out to form the lake and to flood the tree-filled area. All that remained of the beech, ash, pines and maples were their broken-off trunks. It was a favorite hangout for local fishermen.

  Der grabbed one of the stumps to hold us steady. Through the clear waters I spied an eighteen inch carp lying on the muddy bottom. Above him, a few bluegills swam in circles, the colors of their flat bodies shining iridescent blues and green in the sunlight.

  Der continued his story. “Our get-together was worth the early hour. Although Pruitt told me he didn’t know who Talbot was meeting with after him on the day of the murder, he was eager to let me in on the topic of his meeting with Talbot. It was about the Biological Field Station the college operates further north on the lake. He said the president was moving it under his supervision.”

  “What?” I turned so suddenly that the canoe tipped to one side, almost wrenching Der’s grasp off the stump.

  “Watch it. Remember the clothes and shoes.”

  “Pruitt’s lying. Talbot would never do that.”

  “Needless to say, Professor Pruitt is very upset at Talbot’s demise. There’s nothing in writing, and it appears no one else knew of his decision. Talbot told Pruitt he decided on the move earlier that day.”

  “Did Pruitt ask him why the sudden change? No, probably not. All Pruitt would care about was that the decision was in his favor.”

  “I guess you don’t care much for Dr. Pruitt.” Der ran his fingers through the water. The carp ignored the ripples, but one bluegill appeared enchanted with Der’s fingertips. I watched with fascination as it moved closer to investigate.

  “No wonder he’s so upset over Talbot’s death. The president was killed before he could make a public announcement about the change in the station,” I said.

  “Convenient. Who didn’t want it known that Pruitt was to supervise the station?” Der continued to wiggle his fingers in the water.

  I didn’t reply to his question immediately, but took my time over it. My answer could point to someone with a motive to kill. “I wonder if the president had time to tell Will Stanford, Director of the Station, he would be reporting to a new supervisor and not directly to the president anymore.”

  “And?”

  “It’s a long standing feud between the two departments as to whether the station should remain housed in biology with Will Stanford or moved under the supervision of Rudolf Pruitt in water resources. Will has been director for years. The president liked him.”

  “What are you saying, Laura? Be more specific about this feud.”

  I turned around in my seat to look at Der just as he snatched his hand out of the water.

  “He bit me! The blasted fish bit my finger.”

  His sudden movement tipped us to one side. I shifted my weight to the other, hoping I could hold us upright, but I wasn’t quick enough. As if in slow motion, I felt the canoe slide away from under us, dumping us into the lake. I gasped at the shock of the chilly water, held tight to my paddle and struggled to stand up on the muddy bottom.

  Der had gotten his balance more quickly than I. Now he was holding his paddle like a weapon and brandishing it at the offending bluegill who skittered away with a flash of its fins. The large carp moved a few feet to the left taking up a new position behind a larger stump. Our efforts to right the canoe while we blamed one another for the mishap seemed to provoke in it only fishy world weariness. Or was that a smirk I detected on its scaly face?

  *

  With the exception of Der’s grumbling about his ruined suit and shoes, neither of us spoke as we paddled home. But as we stepped out of the canoe and pulled it ashore at my dock, Der broke the silence.

  “If what you were implying back there was that Will Stanford was the unidentified science person who met with the president and killed him, you’re wrong. Talbot’s office schedule indicated he had a meeting set up with Stanford early the morning after the murder. It looks as if he never had the opportunity to break the news to Stanford before he was killed.”

  “So the mystery remains as to the identity of the ‘science’ person on his schedule. I guess you’ve got a whole lot of footwork to do today.” I walked behind him listening to the squishy noises emanating from his footwear with each step up the path to the house.

  “Not in these.” He pointed at his shoes. “And not dressed this way. I’ve got to get home and change. Why didn’t you tell me those fish would bite? I may need a Band-Aid.” He examined his finger, which looked undamaged to me.

  “If you’re so scared of fish, you shouldn’t be out on the water.”

  He stopped walking for a moment, squared his shoulders and squished on.

  We were almost at the top of the path, when I heard laughter. I looked up to see Guy standing there, hands on his hips, mouth wide open as he guffawed at our appearance.

  “What did she do to you?” Guy asked.

  “Me? He’s the one who tipped the canoe because a little fish nibbled on his finger.” I pushed some tendrils of wet hair off my face and tried to look dignified. My sodden pants crept up between my legs, making it difficult to walk.

  “Never mind about the fish.” Der pushed past Guy.

  I left the two of them on the back deck with coffee while I ran to the linen closet and got towels for Der to put on the seat of his cruiser.

  I walked with him to his car.

  “You’ll be at the funeral tomorrow, you and Annie?” He threw his wet suit coat in the back of the cruiser. “Can you kind of circulate at the house following the burial? Keep your ears open?”

  I leaned into the car window and clasped my hands together in delight.

  He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Better jump in the shower before you get too close to Guy. You smell like fish.”

  Der backed out of the drive, waved to me, then rolled down the car window before he took off. “I’ll send you the cleaning bill.”

  The shower seemed l
ike a good idea, and since Guy had a few minutes before he had to leave for work, I convinced him we should get pruney together.

  *

  I was working in my downstairs office when Annie arrived.

  “I see you can still walk.” I shut down my computer.

  “It’s not the walking that’s the problem. It’s the arms and back that are sore. Don’t you ache?”

  “A little, but I worked out the kinks this morning.”

  Annie pushed a lock of damp hair off her forehead. “It’s been so hot lately I could go for a dip in the lake.”

  “I already took one this morning.” I explained to Annie about her paddling stand-in and his encounter with the fish.

  “Der complained all the way home, but I think I’m the one who’s suffering most. I’ve been plagued with these earaches this summer, so I haven’t felt much like swimming. And the last thing I needed this morning was an ear full of water. As a matter of fact, I have an appointment with the doctor this afternoon. She prescribed antibiotics several weeks ago for the infection, and I seem to be better, but she wanted me back for a check. Want to come with me?”

  “Sure. I’ll take a quick dip while you get ready.” Annie grabbed a towel out of her car and headed down to the lake.

  *

  Dr. Marion Davis’ tall frame hovered over me as she looked into my ears. I asked how her two kids were doing this summer.

  “Kids’re at camp and hubby is off again on one of his consulting gigs in the city.” She stepped back and removed her stethoscope from her pocket.

  “Your ears look much better. You know, I’ve had too many cases of earaches this summer. I always suspect rivers, pools and lakes. Let’s see how the old ticker is doing. Deep breath.” She placed the instrument on my chest and listened.

  “I know the lake is safe because the BFS tests the water every day.” She worked her way from my chest to my back. “Many more bacterial infections, and I’ll ask the state to step in and take a closer look at all the water sources in this county. You finished the full round of antibiotics, so let’s just be cautious for the time being. Stay out of the water, any water.”