I owe you an apology.”
“You can take me out to dinner some time.”
Conner followed me into the living room where Lacy was listening to SportsCenter. I sat down on the arm of the tan love seat and put my hand on her shoulder, “You all right kiddo?”
She ran her hands over Baxter’s small back. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have been if you’d told me the truth. Thanks for keeping me in the dark. Really, I’m not being sarcastic. I can’t believe it. That poor girl.”
Not any poor girl. Jennifer Peppers had been Lacy’s beloved art teacher at Temple. Lacy had been the one to introduce us. I’d hoped this information would have surfaced by this juncture. I brushed a couple strands of hair off Lacy’s cheek and said, “It wasn’t just any girl, it was JP.”
Lacy gasped for air. “No. Not Jennifer. Oh, my God. Jen.”
Conner’s voice shot in from the side of the room, “ Who’s JP?”
I relayed the deceased’s relationship to both Lacy and myself and Conner said, “He’s gunning for you, Thomas.”
No, he was axing for me. Except I was still in one piece and I couldn’t say that much for Jennifer. I didn’t like where my thought process was headed and said, “I think you should get out of town for a while Lace. Go visit some friends in Washington.”
Conner and I met eyes. He seconded, “That’s not a bad idea Lacy.”
Through a fit of sniffing she said, “I’m not going anywhere. The gallery opening is less than two weeks away and I still have a million things to do. I’m not going to let MS, my blindness, or some chump dictate how I live.”
I wouldn’t exactly refer to a man who just hacked some girl to bits and more probably than not, raped her senseless, as a chump. I thought it was in Lacy’s best interest to jump ship for a couple weeks but a large chunk of me was proud of her for standing her ground.
Conner motioned for the kitchen. He turned the faucet on and whispered, “Why don’t you call up a couple of your students and see if they want to do some extra credit.”
Why didn’t I think of that? In January, I’d been offered a job teaching a course at one of the local universities (seeing as how I was convalescing in a wheelchair and wouldn’t be chasing any criminals any time soon). There were five or six guys from my class who would die for any form of police work, even if it was as arbitrary as a stakeout.
Conner and I walked back into the living room and Lacy said, “Extra credit, huh? How about Caleb?”
Lacy’s hearing had more than made up for her lack of eyesight. Conner asked, “ Who’s Caleb?
I decided to leave before the fireworks and kissed Lacy good-bye.
Caitlin only lived a short mile from Conner and by the time I found a radio station not on a commercial break, I was turning onto her street.
Caitlin lived in a cookie cutter stucco house in a neighborhood that hadn’t existed this time last year. The only thing distinguishing each house from the next was the systematic bump of the last two digits in the address. I think you had to petition the Home Owner’s Association if you wanted to open a window. I crept down the brightly lit side street, 1238, 1240, 1242, 1244, ah, 1246.
I put the Range Rover in park and felt my cell phone vibrate in my hip pocket. I withdrew the phone and saw it was the good doctor. I flipped the phone open, “Yes, honey.”
“Honey? Oh, okay. I just wanted to call and tell you that I’m home. They’re taking the body to the Penobscot County Morgue. I tried to tell them this was connected to the Eight in October murders but they laughed it off.”
“I don’t think we need an autopsy to tell us the cause of death.”
“I still can’t believe this. I’m really sorry, Thomas.”
“Yeah, I’m numb. I need to get some sleep and deal with this in the morning.”
After a slight pause she said, “If you want to stay at Alex’s that’s okay with me.”
Thanks, but you forgot to sign my permission slip. I
“You can take me out to dinner some time.”
Conner followed me into the living room where Lacy was listening to SportsCenter. I sat down on the arm of the tan love seat and put my hand on her shoulder, “You all right kiddo?”
She ran her hands over Baxter’s small back. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have been if you’d told me the truth. Thanks for keeping me in the dark. Really, I’m not being sarcastic. I can’t believe it. That poor girl.”
Not any poor girl. Jennifer Peppers had been Lacy’s beloved art teacher at Temple. Lacy had been the one to introduce us. I’d hoped this information would have surfaced by this juncture. I brushed a couple strands of hair off Lacy’s cheek and said, “It wasn’t just any girl, it was JP.”
Lacy gasped for air. “No. Not Jennifer. Oh, my God. Jen.”
Conner’s voice shot in from the side of the room, “ Who’s JP?”
I relayed the deceased’s relationship to both Lacy and myself and Conner said, “He’s gunning for you, Thomas.”
No, he was axing for me. Except I was still in one piece and I couldn’t say that much for Jennifer. I didn’t like where my thought process was headed and said, “I think you should get out of town for a while Lace. Go visit some friends in Washington.”
Conner and I met eyes. He seconded, “That’s not a bad idea Lacy.”
Through a fit of sniffing she said, “I’m not going anywhere. The gallery opening is less than two weeks away and I still have a million things to do. I’m not going to let MS, my blindness, or some chump dictate how I live.”
I wouldn’t exactly refer to a man who just hacked some girl to bits and more probably than not, raped her senseless, as a chump. I thought it was in Lacy’s best interest to jump ship for a couple weeks but a large chunk of me was proud of her for standing her ground.
Conner motioned for the kitchen. He turned the faucet on and whispered, “Why don’t you call up a couple of your students and see if they want to do some extra credit.”
Why didn’t I think of that? In January, I’d been offered a job teaching a course at one of the local universities (seeing as how I was convalescing in a wheelchair and wouldn’t be chasing any criminals any time soon). There were five or six guys from my class who would die for any form of police work, even if it was as arbitrary as a stakeout.
Conner and I walked back into the living room and Lacy said, “Extra credit, huh? How about Caleb?”
Lacy’s hearing had more than made up for her lack of eyesight. Conner asked, “ Who’s Caleb?
I decided to leave before the fireworks and kissed Lacy good-bye.
Caitlin only lived a short mile from Conner and by the time I found a radio station not on a commercial break, I was turning onto her street.
Caitlin lived in a cookie cutter stucco house in a neighborhood that hadn’t existed this time last year. The only thing distinguishing each house from the next was the systematic bump of the last two digits in the address. I think you had to petition the Home Owner’s Association if you wanted to open a window. I crept down the brightly lit side street, 1238, 1240, 1242, 1244, ah, 1246.
I put the Range Rover in park and felt my cell phone vibrate in my hip pocket. I withdrew the phone and saw it was the good doctor. I flipped the phone open, “Yes, honey.”
“Honey? Oh, okay. I just wanted to call and tell you that I’m home. They’re taking the body to the Penobscot County Morgue. I tried to tell them this was connected to the Eight in October murders but they laughed it off.”
“I don’t think we need an autopsy to tell us the cause of death.”
“I still can’t believe this. I’m really sorry, Thomas.”
“Yeah, I’m numb. I need to get some sleep and deal with this in the morning.”
After a slight pause she said, “If you want to stay at Alex’s that’s okay with me.”
Thanks, but you forgot to sign my permission slip. I
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