The Professor's Predicament

by Dianne Harman

  "Anytime, Kat. Have a great rest of your evening."

  After Kat had ended the call, she stared at the still-muted television, trying to make sense of everything Nick told her. Had Jodie Morris become deranged after Geoffrey White had called off their relationship? If so, was she the one who had murdered Courtney?

  Kat was jolted from her musings by her ringing phone. Deborah White's name and number appeared on the caller ID.

  "Hi, Deborah. How are you doing? Are you feeling any better?"

  "No, if anything, I'm doing worse," Deborah replied. "Is there any chance you could come over right away? I was just going through Geoff's desk before he got home from work, and I found several letters on letterheads that say 'From the Desk of Dr. Jodie Morris,' and they're all signed in her name."

  "What are the letters about?" Kat asked.

  "They ramble on and on almost incoherently, which is surprising coming from a woman who teaches English. Basically, she keeps saying something about how Geoff told her he'd never leave me for her, no matter how many times she asked, and how he'd said that she wasn't quite his type. Apparently she interpreted that to mean she was too old for him. She actually makes thinly veiled threats in these letters about how she plans to get rid of me."

  Listening to Deborah, Kat felt stunned and chilled from head to toe. Nick's words kept running through her mind. All of this led her to the conclusion that Dr. Jodie Morris seemed to be a very dangerous woman.

  "But that's not all, Kat," continued Deborah. "I've had two phone calls in the last half hour, and they were both hang-ups. That never happens."

  "Were they on your cell phone or the house line?" Kat asked, feeling increasingly concerned.

  "On the house phone."

  That makes sense, Kat thought. Jodie would know the Whites' house number, but probably not Deborah's cell phone number.

  "Is anyone there with you?" asked Kat.

  "No, no one is here. That's why I was hoping you could come over," Deborah continued. Kat could tell from her voice that she was crying. "Kat, I've never been so scared in my life. Geoffrey has a faculty dinner tonight, and I'm here by myself. I'm terrified right now."

  "Okay, don't worry. I'll be there in a few minutes. Listen, Deborah, don't answer the house phone again, and don't open the door. If I need to call you, I'll call you on your cell phone. I'll bring my Rottweiler, Rudy, with me. He's a guard dog and very intimidating. I think you met him when you were here."

  "Thank you so much, Kat. See you soon." The line went dead.

  CHAPTER 18

  As soon as she ended the call with Deborah, Kat dashed for her shoes and purse, calling the dogs' names as she hurried through the house. She quickly texted Blaine where she was going and why, telling him that she hoped to be home in time to finish cooking dinner for him. She then secured Jazz in her kennel and ushered Rudy into the back of her car. A few moments later, Kat was zipping through the neighborhood on her way to Deborah's house.

  When she was about a mile away from her destination, the Bluetooth function in Kat's car indicated an incoming call from Frank Moore, the local police chief.

  "Chief Moore! This is a pleasant surprise. I was actually planning on calling you in the morning," said Kat. "I have some leads to share with you about the Courtney Adams murder."

  "Listen, Kat, that's exactly why I'm calling," said the chief. His tone was brusque and urgent. "I just talked to Blaine, and I need to tell you something. I received a call a little while ago from a psychiatrist who has been treating Dr. Jodie Morris, one of the English professors at the university. As I'm sure you're aware, psychiatrists have a confidential relationship with their clients, and they're not legally allowed to release any information unless they believe a patient may be a danger to themselves or others. I'll skip the details, but Dr. Morris's psychiatrist believes she may be a threat to Deborah White."

  "I'm actually on the way to her house right now," Kat said.

  "That's what Blaine said. I was meeting with him when I got the call from the psychiatrist. I told him I had to cut our meeting short because I'd just gotten a lead on the murder of Courtney Adams--and that's when he mentioned you'd just texted him that you were on your way over to Deborah White's house. I have to warn you to be very careful."

  Kat's heart started racing. She'd hoped she only needed to keep Deborah company for an hour or two, but now she wondered if she was walking into a minefield. Before she could say anything, the police chief continued.

  "Blaine says you have that big Rottie with you, right? Be sure you take him into the house with you. Stay on your guard, Kat. I'm heading over there as well with a few of my officers. We plan to provide around-the-clock protection for Deborah until this thing gets resolved. Understood?"

  "Yes, Chief. Thanks for the warning. I'll see you soon."

  *****

  Kat drove in silence, not even turning on the radio, trying to make sense of everything, until she arrived at Deborah's house. She pulled up a long, winding driveway lined with tall, dark green hedges and parked on the side of the house next to where the kitchen door was only a few feet from the right side of her car. The sun had already slipped below the horizon, and the late fall sky was beginning to turn a deep, dark blue. Without much light left outside, Kat could only make out the area near the kitchen door where a halo of light shined down from an outside light mounted on the side wall of the house.

  She opened her car door, got out, and had her hand on the handle of the back door, intending to let Rudy out, when she heard a menacing female voice behind her.

  "Stop right there." Kat felt something hard shoved against her back. "Leave the dog where he is and walk over to the house. I want you to knock on the door and let Deborah White know you're here. What you feel in your back is a gun, and if you alert the professor in any way that I'm standing behind you, I'll pull the trigger and kill you both. Do you understand? Just nod yes if you do."

  Kat nodded, indicating that she understood that the woman would first kill her, then Deborah, if she did anything other than tell Deborah she was at the back door. Rudy remained in the car, the rear door closed. Kat's body clenched in fear as the woman jammed the gun even harder into her back and shoved her towards the kitchen door.

  Kat turned her head slightly and looked directly at the woman whose eyes appeared deranged. Involuntarily Kat blurted out, "You're Jodie Morris, aren't you?"

  The woman snarled back at her. "That's right Miss Whoever You Are. I don't know who you are or why you're here, but you better get moving or I'll kill you right here and now."

  With a gun pressed against her spine, Kat had no choice but to do what she was told.

  CHAPTER 19

  Kat inched towards the kitchen door, taking small steps, hoping to buy some time. Despite the chilly weather, Kat always opened one of the rear passenger windows for Rudy because he loved sticking his massive black and brown head out the window and into the fresh air whenever they drove somewhere. She couldn't remember whether she'd left the window all the way down or only cracked it open. And if it was all the way down, she wasn't sure whether Rudy's large frame would fit through it, so he could get out of the car and come to her rescue. She willed him to try.

  At the kitchen door, Jodie stood to the side just out of sight, the gun now firmly pressed into Kat's ribcage. She motioned to Kat, who then knocked lightly on the door.

  "Who is it?" Deborah called out. Kat could hear her walking quickly towards them on the other side of the door.

  "It's me, Kat. It's okay to open the door." Kat's breathing was shallow and she felt terrible about how she was unintentionally leading Deborah right into Jodie's trap. Her heart pounded harder and felt like it was about to explode when she heard Deborah slide the dead bolt on the door to unlock it, and then turn the door knob.

  The last thing Kat remembered was the door swinging open, releasing a flood of light from Deborah's kitchen into the shadowy area where she and Jodie stood. What happened next was a blur. Somethi
ng caused Jodie to lurch forward and tumble into Kat, and they both fell across the threshold on to the kitchen floor. As they hit the floor, the pistol in Jodie's hand went skittering across the kitchen floor past Deborah's feet.

  Kat quickly rolled to one side and looked at Jodie. What she saw was an amazing and wonderful sight. There stood Rudy, all one hundred twenty pounds of him, standing over Jodie, baring his teeth, and growling menacingly, his massive mouth only inches from Jodie's face which was paralyzed with fear.

  "Deborah! Grab the gun!" Kat yelled, scrambling to her feet.

  Deborah rushed to the corner of the kitchen where the gun had come to rest along the base of the cabinets. She picked it up but fumbled when she tried to hold it, not sure what she was supposed to do with it.

  "Kat. I've never held a gun before. I don't know what to do with this thing."

  Kat quickly grabbed the weapon from Deborah and turned to point it at Jodie, who was still pinned on the floor by Rudy.

  "Don't you dare move, or I'll give Rudy a command to do something you'll regret and I can guarantee you will not be pleased," Kat warned, while Deborah dashed for the cordless phone on the kitchen counter. Kat kept an eye on Jodie and a steady hand on the gun as she listened to Deborah call 911 and ask for the police.

  "Hear that, Jodie?" asked Kat. "The police are on their way. You're about to be arrested for attempted murder. But what I don't understand is why you would throw away your whole life and career by doing something like this. Why did you do it? And you killed Courtney Adams, didn't you?"

  Jodie glared at Kat defiantly for a moment, and then her wild, bloodshot eyes rimmed with tears. Between Rudy, the gun, and her imminent arrest, Jodie seemed to know she was defeated. Her shoulders slumped, and she rested her head on the cold kitchen floor.

  "I've loved Geoff since the first time I saw him," Jodie began. "We were lovers until just a few weeks ago, but then he broke it off. He said I wasn't really his type, that it would never work out. I knew what he really meant is that I'm too old for him. Actually, I'm younger than he is, but everyone knows he has a thing for young female students. I killed Courtney because I hated the young women he had as lovers--one after another."

  Kat glanced sideways to gauge Deborah's reaction. Deborah clutched the cordless phone, listening to the emergency dispatcher give updates on the estimated time of the police's arrival. As far as Kat knew, Deborah had only known about Geoff's affair with Courtney, which he called a one-time thing. Now she was hearing that there had been many other women besides Courtney. Kat didn't know how much more Deborah could take. Deborah was shaking, but she stayed silent.

  Jodie grew angry again. Her voice cracked with bitterness. "After I killed Courtney, I told Geoff we could get back together, but he told me he and his wife were going to try and get past his affair with her. He said he was a changed man. That's when I knew I had to kill Deborah, too. With both of them gone, Geoff and I could be lovers again. He'd told me he'd loved me once. I knew I could make him love me again."

  Kat glanced at Deborah, who had tears streaming down her face. Just then, the sound of sirens filled the air, and two police cruisers raced up the driveway, slamming to a stop just behind Kat's car. Chief Moore and two other officers dashed through the open kitchen door, guns drawn and pointed at the women inside.

  Chief Moore took one look at the scene before him, and said, "Kat, what's going on here?"

  Kat responded, "The woman on the floor is Dr. Jodie Morris. She had a gun and threatened to kill both of us."

  "Mark, cuff the woman on the floor," the chief said. "Kat, call off your dog. We'll take it from here."

  Kat gave a hand motion to Rudy, who immediately moved away from Jodie to Kat's side and obediently sat down on the floor. She watched the officer named Mark put handcuffs on Jodie, and then he and his partner lifted her by each arm until she was standing. Chief Moore stood next to Kat as they watched the two officers lead Jodie out to their police cruiser and push her into the backseat.

  Kat put the safety back on Jodie's pistol and set it on the kitchen counter. She turned and put her arm around Deborah's shoulder, and Deborah began to weep openly. As Kat comforted her friend, she heard another car arrive, followed by the sound of a door opening and slamming shut. Moments later Blaine came running through the kitchen door.

  "Kat! Are you all right?" he asked, rushing over to her. "What in the heck happened?"

  "Blaine, how about we do this one at a time?" suggested Chief Moore. "I'm sure these ladies are both rather frazzled by everything that's just happened. We'll let them each tell us what went down, and that can serve as their statements. That way they only have to tell their story once."

  Blaine put his arms around Kat and looked down at her pale face. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was worried sick the whole way here."

  The police chief called out the door to his officers. "Mark, Rex, you guys take Jodie Morris to the station, and read her Miranda rights to her. Then I want you to book her for the attempted murder of Deborah White and Kat Dunham. I'll be there as soon as I can. I have quite a few questions for her about what happened here and also about her role in the murder of Courtney Adams. She's our top suspect at this point."

  "You'll be charging her for murder soon enough," Kat said. "I'm ready to give my statement and tell you everything she said to us, including the fact that she admitted she murdered Courtney Adams."

  "How about if we go into the living room to talk?" Chief Moore suggested.

  Sitting next to Deborah on the sofa, Kat told the police chief everything that had happened since she'd arrived at Deborah's home, as well as all the information she'd learned in the course of her investigation into the murder of Courtney Adams. Throughout their conversation, Deborah was helpless to fight back the tears that consumed her, unable to speak as anger and grief continued to overcome her in waves.

  Kat's heart was heavy for her friend. It was hard to imagine that someone who said he loved his wife could cause so much pain to her. Not only had Geoffrey been unfaithful many times, he was also the reason his wife had been the target of a murderer. The whole situation seemed completely unfair to Kat.

  About an hour later, just as the two women had finished giving their statement to Chief Moore, Geoffrey White came home from his faculty dinner. He rushed into the room and stared incredulously at Kat and Deborah who were talking to Chief Moore.

  "What's happened here? Is everyone okay? What's going on?" he asked in an anxious voice.

  "Your wife was almost murdered by your former mistress, that's what's going on," Chief Moore stated, his dislike for Geoffrey evident in his voice and in his words. "It was the same former mistress who apparently killed your other former mistress, a young student by the name of Courtney Adams."

  Geoffrey's face fell. He looked pale and ashen and grabbed the back of the sofa for support. When he finally spoke, his voice was unsteady. "Oh, Deborah, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. This is all my fault. I will never forgive myself for putting your life in jeopardy like this."

  He tried to sit next to his wife and comfort her but she pushed his arm away. "Don't touch me," Deborah said in a low voice. "I will never forgive you for what you've done, Geoffrey. Our marriage is over."

  Not long after Geoffrey had returned home, Kat, Blaine, and Chief Moore walked out the side kitchen door to their cars. From the driveway, they could still hear Deborah shouting at her husband. Geoffrey continued to apologize and ask for her forgiveness, swearing it would never happen again.

  As he was getting ready to climb into his cruiser, the chief turned to Kat and Blaine. "You know, it's not the first time I've heard something like what's going on in that house right now. I sure hope Deborah gets a good divorce lawyer. Geoffrey White deserves everything he's about to get handed to him."

  CHAPTER 20

  Blaine wanted to drive Kat home after everything that had happened, but Kat assured him she was well enough to drive her own car back to the house. She followed him home, st
ill feeling shaken by Jodie's vicious and almost murderous attack. This time of night the city was quiet, the dark streets punctuated by an occasional street light and the faint gleam of light coming from inside peoples' homes. Kat was really worried about Deborah and wondered how her friend would get through the days to come. It was a small town, and she knew Geoffrey White would be at the center of many of the conversations that were bound to take place.

  Once she and Blaine had pulled their cars into the garage, Kat breathed a sigh of relief. She was getting Rudy out of the car when Blaine let Jazz out of her kennel to join the family. The dogs greeted each other as if they'd been separated for years rather than for a few hours, and they joyfully followed Kat and Blaine inside the house.

  Blaine took Kat's coat and hung it up in the hall closet. She winced as she rolled her shoulders.

  "Kat, are you sure you're all right? Did you get hurt when you fell onto the floor of Deborah's kitchen?"

  She shook her head. "I'll probably have some bruises, but I'm fine. I didn't cut or break anything."

  Blaine put his arms around Kat and pulled her close. "I was out of my mind when Frank called and told me you were in danger. I think I ran at least three red lights on my way to Deborah's house."

  Kat laughed for the first time all evening. "Good thing you're such a friend of the court. How about a glass of wine?"

  "I think we could both use a glass," Blaine responded.

  He walked into the kitchen and pulled out a chilled bottle of chardonnay from the refrigerator, as Kat settled down in her usual seat at the table. While Blaine poured them each a glass, Kat said, "Blaine, I have dinner all prepped and ready to go, but I don't feel like cooking now. I'm sure it'll hold until tomorrow, even the dirt cake."

  "Don't worry about it. Let's order a pizza and just take it easy, however, I might just finish it with the cake I see on the counter. I assume that's the dirt cake."

  "It is, and I think you'll like it."