by H L Bur
“Don’t be silly,” Quinn fired back, “we’ve been ready for weeks and I can do the last minute stuff by myself. I can even see if Sam is free to help me.”
“Uh…”
“Perfect,” Fletcher jumped in.
I chugged the rest of my drink.
We ate our food in silence, which I was eternally grateful for, and for a few moments some of my ire and humiliation waned, as I got lost in the fresh flavors of my salad. I washed it down with a glass of water and quickly waved the waitress over for our bill.
We paid our checks and made our way to the exit, Fletcher holding the door open for us. Quinn and I made a left to head back to the bookstore to get our cars, while Fletcher unlocked his charcoal grey Ford F150 that was parked in front of the bar. I glanced back and Fletcher was still watching us walk away, a shit-eating grin on his face if I’d ever seen one.
“I seriously cannot believe you!” I shrieked once Fletcher was inside his truck and there was no risk of him overhearing me. “You are dead to me. I disown you. I will spit on your grave.”
Quinn just laughed. “Whatever, he is so hot and he may actually be Mr. Perfect. I’m not going to let you screw this up for yourself just because you’re scared.”
“Screw what up for myself? There is nothing to screw up! I don’t even know him. Besides, I have sworn off men and I am not interested in Fletcher a.k.a. ‘Mr. Perfect’ Collins,” I huffed.
“Cady, he has more than four letters in his name. I really think he could be your person.”
I had this theory that four-letter named guys were not good for me. Not that they were not good in general, just not good for me. My track record: Jack, Matt, Mike, Robb (yes with two b’s), Brad, Kent, Zach, and Zack. In no particular order: cheater, liar, fraud, cheater and liar, cheater, liar, liar, and just plain psycho. Clearly, my theory held merit.
“Obviously you remember my theory about men with four letter names, but that does not mean that I am open to men with longer names…or shorter, for that matter.”
We walked the rest of the way to our cars in stubborn silence. I was so distracted when I pulled away from the bookstore that I didn’t even notice the black SUV turn its lights on behind me and follow me away from the store.
Chapter Five
Ξ
I awoke with a start early the next morning. The house seemed even quieter than usual. I grabbed my glasses and glanced at the clock. Seven twenty-five.
Better than yesterday, I thought. At least there was no screaming coming from downstairs.
I stretched and sat up in bed. I pulled on my fuzzy boots and my cozy sweater and made my way downstairs. The house was empty, but there was already a pot of coffee brewed.
Quinn must be avoiding my wrath, I realized.
I decided to go for a quick run before I had my morning coffee. I had so much to do today to prepare for the festival this weekend, but I knew if I didn’t do some sort of physical activity I would regret it.
Once again, I jogged my way down Elderberry Lane, taking in the tall maple and birch trees clustered on each side of the road. There weren’t many houses on our street, so big chunks of woods crept up to the edges of the pavement in certain areas. I jogged through Littlefield Park once again and into the woods. About halfway along the trail through the woods, I caught a whiff of something foul. The smell was somehow foreign, but horribly familiar at the same time. It was semi-sweet but rancid. I stopped and glanced all around, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. I walked a few more steps along the path and realized the smell was getting stronger. That’s when I noticed a huge swarm of flies by a large tree stump about fifty feet off the trail. I glanced around again to make sure nobody was around. I slowly picked my way through the trees and brush. As I neared the large stump, I noticed a large mound of leaves with corners of a blue tarp showing beneath the leaves. I inched closer, the smell becoming practically unbearable now. I waved off some flies and edged closer still.
That’s when I noticed a red tennis shoe. Then, I noticed the pale leg that was attached to it. My gaze followed the leg, which disappeared under the large mound of leaves. It was on the other side of the leaf pile that I first saw her. A face mottled due to lack of blood flow along with matted blonde hair turned black and red with dried blood. Her lifeless blue eyes matched the color of the blue tarp that she was lying on and they stared emptily up at the fiery autumn canopy above. I realized I was screaming and it also registered why the smell had seemed vaguely familiar to me. Throughout nursing school and during my nursing career, I had encountered the smell of death before. I didn’t bother checking for a pulse. There was no point in attempting CPR. This poor woman was long past help.
I stopped screaming, wiped tears from my eyes, and pulled myself together. I made a quick mental note of the crime scene. I didn’t recognize the victim. Now that I was looking for it, I could easily make out trample marks through the dirt and brush where the tarp must have been dragged, heavy with the weight of her body. I saw a long twine of rope curled up by the tree stump, disappearing under the leaf pile. I knew better than to touch anything.
I turned on my heel and made my way back to the trail as quickly as I could, picking my way over brush and bushes, not even feeling when the branches scraped at my legs as I ran by. I cursed myself for not having my cell phone on me, but I never brought it when I jogged. I liked to think of my jogging time as my time to think without the distractions of real life - I might be rethinking that from now on. My breath was quick and labored. On the verge of hyperventilating, I forced myself to slow my breathing. I ran as fast as I could back through the park. Of course when I needed a stranger around the park would be deserted. I picked up my pace as I reached the road. I didn’t pass a soul on my way back to the house or I would’ve flagged them down to call 911. I made it home in less than ten minutes and I sprinted upstairs to grab my phone off the charger. I shakily punched in 9-1-1 on my keypad and waited for the operator to pick up.
“911, what’s your emergency?” said the calm female voice on the other end of the line.
“This is Cadence Kline,” I said, my voice quaking. “I just found a dead body in the woods behind Littlefield Park.”
“What is your current location?” Her voice remained calm and steady.
The tears started to roll down my face again, but I steeled myself. I gave the voice my address and explained that I had to come back to the house to call. The voice said she was sending an officer now. The voice asked if I could meet the officers back at the park and show them to the crime scene. I nodded a silent agreement that the voice could not hear and pressed the end call button on my phone.
I grabbed my keys and hopped in my SUV. I sped back towards the park, heart pounding. I was aware enough of my own mindset to realize that I was in shock. My mind raced, jumping from one thought to the next: What in the actual hell? This doesn’t happen in Riverton. It could’ve been me. It could’ve been Quinn. I was just there in that same spot yesterday.
I beat the police back to the scene, but stayed in my car with the doors locked. I texted Quinn just to let her know I was going to be late. I didn’t want to go into details over a text message, so I just left it at ‘Running late, be there as soon as I can.’
Her reply was quick with ‘Okie dokie, no prob.’
A police cruiser pulled up and I quickly recognized the chief of Police as he got out of his vehicle. Chief Kowalski approached my vehicle as I climbed out to meet him. My family had known Myron Kowalski for as long as I could remember and he was one of my father’s closest friends. I would recognize that grey, bushy mustache anywhere. I watched him as he made his way over to me. By the looks of it, he had been indulging a little too much in his wife’s amazing cooking. His once trim waistline was now hanging slightly over his belt, and it looked like the years on the job had put some strain on him. I could see the creases of frown lines in between his eyebrows, likely from years of worry. The sight of him warmed me instantly.
>
“Cadence. Quite a morning so far, huh?” he said in his best consoling manner. Chief Kowalski wasn’t exactly the sensitive type.
“Hey, Chief. I just can’t believe it. I didn’t recognize her. I wonder if she was a tourist? Who could do something like this?” I rambled on.
“We’re going to wait for the new homicide detective to arrive and then we’ll have you lead us to where you found the body. After that, I think you should go home and try to calm down some,” he offered.
“I don’t think I can be alone right now. I’ll probably go down to the bookstore and try to keep as busy as possible.”
As I was about to describe the events of the morning to the chief, a dark charcoal grey F150 pulled into the parking lot and drove up to where we were standing.
My jaw literally hit the ground.
I didn’t understand what I was witnessing as Mr. Perfect himself climbed out of the cab.
“Fletcher, what are you doing here?” I asked as my face distorted in confusion.
“Detective Collins,” he answered, a little too arrogantly for my taste, flashing me a badge.
“Wait, I’m confused,” I stated densely.
“My name is Detective Fletcher Collins. I am the new homicide detective for Northern Lower Michigan,” he answered curtly.
“Am I missing something, here?” Chief Kowalski interrupted. “How do you two know each other?”
“I met Ms. Kline the other day at her bookstore.”
“Ah,” the chief responded, as if that solved everything.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a detective?” I asked, accusingly.
“Well, for starters, you never asked.”
He had a point. But I still felt like it was a lie by omission.
A second police cruiser pulled up and the new arriving officer got out of her vehicle and headed our way with her German shepherd partner.
I pointed them in the right direction and we made our way toward the trailhead as I filled them in on the events of my morning. We had just started on the trail through the woods when the K-9 unit took off towards the scene. Moments later, we all caught the nostril-stinging odor. I looked to my right through the trees and spotted the large stump with the mound of leaves covering the body. I pointed them in the right direction.
“You stay here and don’t move. Chief Kowalski, why don’t you stay with Ms. Kline while I go secure the scene?”
The chief nodded his agreement.
I watched as Fletcher, or rather Detective Collins, made his way toward the body, assessing the scene as he went. After several minutes he barked, “Get forensics down here! Now!”
The chief said something into his radio and a loud “10-4” replied back through the device.
Detective Collins began cordoning off the area with a wide radius of bright yellow caution tape. When he finished, he made his way back toward me and I stood numbly on the path.
“What were you doing out here?” Detective Collins inquired.
“I was going for a morning jog,” I stated simply.
“How did you find her way off in the woods like that?”
“I told you, I smelled a rancid decaying odor and then I saw a big swarm of flies. Besides, it’s not that far off in the woods.”
“So that made you go traipsing through the woods looking for what most people would assume was a dead animal?” he asked a little harshly.
“What are you trying to imply?” I snapped.
“It just seems a little strange and convenient that you found her so easily,” he quipped.
“I’ll have you know?”
“Okay, okay, everyone just hold on a second,” Chief Kowalski interrupted. “Now, Detective, I’ve known Cadence since she was a child and I do know that she jogs this trail often and she is also very intuitive and curious by nature. I don’t think we need to go making any premature accusations.”
I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. “You should be thanking me. If I hadn’t found her, it could’ve been days before anyone else did and with how warm it’s been, there’s no telling what shape the body would’ve been in before she was found,” I defended myself. “I jogged this same trail yesterday and there was no foul smell, so either it happened yesterday or she was moved here.”
“What would you know about decomposing bodies and timelines of murder?” the detective pressed.
I opened my mouth to front an attack when the chief interrupted me again. “Cady, I think it’s time I escort you to your car. Detective, we can discuss this later if you don’t mind.”
The chief led me back to the parking lot. “Cady, we really do appreciate your help. I’m very sorry you had to come across this this morning. The station does provide counseling for traumatic events if you want to talk to someone.”
“Thanks, Chief. I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll be okay. I just can’t believe that guy!”
“He’s just new to the area and wants to make good on his reputation for being the best.”
“My heart just breaks for that girl and her family. Do you think the community needs to be on alert?” I questioned, worriedly.
“I think it’s too soon to tell what exactly happened here, but I will keep you posted as best as I can. In the meantime, I would prefer if you didn’t go anywhere alone, especially after dark…and carry some pepper spray with you. Tell the same to Quinn.”
“I will. Thanks again, Chief.”
I climbed back into my SUV and rolled the window down.
“Do you think you could find time this afternoon to swing by the station and give me your formal statement on what happened here this morning?” the chief asked.
“Yes, of course. I can come by later.”
With that, I pulled out of the park and absentmindedly drove home. I wanted to take the hottest shower I could possibly stand and wash away this horrible feeling. I was hoping the steaming water would help to warm the chill that had sunk deep to my core.
I felt marginally better after my shower, but was still a little shaky as I climbed back into my SUV and headed to the bookstore.
As I walked through the front door of Gigi’s, Quinn and Sam were behind the counter, sorting books to display at the festival booth this weekend. They were absorbed in their task and didn’t look up when I first walked in.
“I was starting to think you weren’t coming in today. Did you see Gigi this morning? She wasn’t downstairs when I left for work, she wasn’t meddling through any of my belongings, and I didn’t hear her making any sort of fuss so I’m just a little concerned.” Quinn glanced up to look at me. “What’s wrong?” she asked immediately after seeing the look on my face.
I walked behind the counter and pulled up an extra stool. “Well…um…I sort of found a dead body this morning,” I said quietly, not knowing quite how to act.
“WHAT?” Quinn and Sam shouted in unison, Sam’s head snapping around to join Quinn. They were both staring at me with looks of horror plastered on their shocked faces.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Quinn said hopefully.
“I wish,” I said, slouching down as I flung my arms on the counter and rested my head on my forearms. Henri sauntered over, rubbed up against my leg and then sauntered back the way she came, headed to her window perch.
Sam went and poured me a cup of coffee, and then we all moved to the café.
“Thank you,” I said, accepting the hot mug of heavenly goodness from Sam.
“Was it Grandma’s body that you found?” Quinn asked, warily.
“Quinn, Grandma has been buried for a long time. No, I didn’t find her body.” I narrowed my eyes at her and wondered if she was going insane. Sam was in on our secret-ghost-roommate situation, so she didn’t bat an eye at the unrealistic thought of me finding my dead grandmother’s body. I wonder if that speaks to just how weird and messed up my circle of friends and I really are.
“Right, sorry. Okay, so tell us what happened! Whose body did you find?” Quinn tried aga
in.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I didn’t recognize her. I went for a morning jog through the park and headed out towards the lakeshore like I usually do and I found her off in the woods.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s awful! What did you do? I can’t even imagine, Cade. I’m so sorry.” Quinn patted my shoulder in sympathy.
I sipped my coffee before continuing on. “I ran back home and called the police. Then, I drove back to meet Chief Kowalski to show him where she was.”
“Wow, that’s crazy,” Sam said. “Do you know what happened to her?”
“No, I saw some blood on her head, but she was mostly covered with leaves and brush, like whoever did this was trying to hide her, but didn’t do a very good job.”
We sat there in silence for a while. Before long Sam had to leave for school. We told her to be careful and not to go anywhere alone. She agreed and promised to check in with us later today.
As the door swung shut behind Sam, I turned to Quinn. “We probably shouldn’t have talked about that in front of Sam. Sometimes I forget she’s just a kid.”
Quinn winced. “Yeah, I know. I’ll talk to her dad later and let him know to keep an eye on her.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked expectantly.
“Um, about what?” she asked, confused.
“We have to figure out what happened to that young woman.” I stood up and started pacing back and forth in front of the large bay window. “I just keep thinking about her poor family. And you know me, I’m not going to be able to rest at night until I know for sure there’s not someone out there lurking, preying on women,” I declared.
“Cade, we don’t even know who this girl was or how she died. This is a job for the police. Chief Kowalski has been doing this a long time. He’ll figure it out,” she reassured me, “and in the meantime, we just need to be careful and stay alert. It’s not like we are in danger or anything,” Quinn reminded me.
“I know you’re probably right, but I don’t think I can just let this go, Quinn. I kept thinking what if it was you?”
