Back to Salem

by Alex Marcoux

  “This is fine. Thanks.” Jessie dunked a tortilla chip in guacamole and took a bite. She was starving and was reminded that she did not have lunch being at the police station all day. “So, where’s Travis?”

  “Well, that’s a fine how do you do,” Alison said.

  “I’m sorry, Alison. I’ve just had an incredibly tough day. I’m actually looking for Taylor. I was told that she went with Mark Rutledge on a rafting trip. I know that Mark got the information on this trip from Travis. Where is he?”

  Alison stared back at Jessie before she answered. “So you’re trying to find out where they went?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you can go after Taylor?” Alison pried.

  “It’s important that I speak with her.”

  “You guys break up?”

  Jessie wasn’t surprised that Alison heard about their relationship. The rumors were obviously circulating. “There’s been a misunderstanding. It’s important that I clear it up as quickly as I can. How can I reach Travis?”

  “Jessie, Travis is on the rafting trip with them.”

  Jessie felt a sick feeling in her stomach. “Travis went on the rafting trip, also?”

  “Yeah. Yesterday Travis asked me to call the rafting company to see if another person could be added. I didn’t know I was adding Taylor.”

  “Do you remember the name of the rafting company?”

  “Yeah. It’s Grand Canyon White Water. Their phone number is real easy, too: 1-800-RAFTING.”

  Jessie wrote the information on a napkin. “How long have you been working with Travis?”

  “Almost ten years.”

  “Do you remember an actress by the name of Stacy Hopkins? From what I understand, she worked with Travis on the movie Aces.”

  “How could I forget her? She was the blond that had a drug overdose and died about six years ago.”

  “What do you remember about all that?”

  “Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  “She was a young thing. Aces was her first big project. She loved Travis. She used to follow him around like a puppy dog.”

  “Really? Were they ever involved?”

  “Oh, probably. I don’t know how Dana put up with him all those years. If you ask me, she really got the short end of the stick.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She got nothing in the divorce.”

  “How?”

  “I guess Travis is pretty close to broke.”

  “Broke?”

  “He has a gambling problem.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. But I have to give him credit. He seems to be trying.”

  “How so?”

  “He used to take hefty cash withdrawals against every check. Then he just stopped, cold turkey, at the end of last year. He said it was his New Year’s resolution.”

  “Did he tell you he had a gambling problem?”

  “No. Dana learned about it during a divorce proceeding. That’s when she realized he was broke. She was devastated. She’s been married to him for twenty years, she gave up her career when they married, now she finds out he’s totally broke and she has to start over.” Alison took a sip of her beer. “Why the sudden interest?”

  “No reason,” Jessie lied. She sipped her beer. “Kurk Warner was in Aces, with Stacy Hopkins, wasn’t he?”

  “Yeah. Actually, I think that was the first time Travis and Kurk worked together. Since then, Kurk has been Travis’s leading man in most of his movies.”

  “They must work well together.”

  “Not really. But Travis knew Warner got butts in seats. Why all the questions?”

  Jessie looked at Alison. She wondered if she could trust her. Then she remembered the police car sitting outside the bar.

  “Do you have a choice?” Her little voice asked.

  “I’m in trouble, Alison,” Jessie confided. “The police suspect me in the Kurk Warner murder and now Taylor does, too, but she’s in Arizona. There’s an unmarked police car outside; I know I’m being followed. I need to go to her. Would you help me?”

  “You really love her, don’t you?”

  Jessie nodded. “Very much.”

  Jessie waited patiently for Alison’s response. “I’ll help you, Jessie, with one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When all this is worked out, if you and Taylor don’t reconcile…have dinner with me.”

  Jessie smiled.

  Hours later, when it was dark, she left the bar and walked along the sidewalk. From her peripheral vision she saw the dark unmarked car parked across the street from the Lexus. She saw a silhouette of a man sitting behind the wheel. With the keyless entry, she opened the Lexus, and got in. She turned the ignition and pulled out of the parking spot. In the rearview mirror, she watched the dark car pull out behind her.

  Alison whispered to herself, “It worked.” She smiled as she drove by the bar entrance where Jessie waited in the shadows.

  When Jessie saw the car tailing her Lexus, she started to search for Alison’s Honda Civic. Jessie and Alison had exchanged clothing and keys. Jessie found Alison’s car, beginning a new journey.

  Jessie knew she needed to get out of the metro area before the police realized they were tailing the wrong person. Before she got on the Santa Monica Freeway, she stopped at an ATM for cash. With about $700 and Alison’s credit card, she set out for the Grand Canyon.

  Based on the information from Alison, she knew that the rafting trip started on Sunday morning in Marble Canyon, Arizona. Almost 600 miles separated Jessie from Taylor, and Jessie knew she had to get to the Grand Canyon before the rafting trip.

  About ninety minutes later, Jessie’s cell phone rang.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, it’s me,” Alison said. “I’m at your house. Everything is fine. The cops followed me all the way back. They’re parked down the street watching the house.”

  “Make yourself at home. Maxwell’s food is in the kitchen pantry.”

  “Yes. I’ve already taken care of him. I’ll plan on hanging out here until Monday morning, Jessie. Then I’ll have to get to work.”

  “That should give me enough time to get there and talk with Taylor. I owe you Alison.”

  “Yes. Dinner…if it doesn’t work out with Taylor.”

  “Thanks. I’ll only use your credit card if necessary, and you have my word I’ll make good on it. I have some cash. I just don’t want to leave a trail. You are being very trusting, Alison. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Travel safely…and good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  Hours later, Jessie was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. The lights from the passing cars had a mesmerizing effect on her. She stopped at a rest area and purchased coffee and snacks. The coffee helped bring her back to reality. Back on the road, her mind reviewed the events of the past few days. So much had changed. Her racing mind brought up a conversation with Linda Speller that afternoon, after the detectives had left them to talk.

  Detective Roth and Bradley had just left the interrogation room. Jessie looked over at Linda; her head was in her hands. The room was silent and Jessie waited for Linda to say something. Linda’s head finally lifted. “We have a lot of work to do.”

  Linda paced the small room while Jessie remained seated. She ran her fingers through her short blond hair. “This is over my head, Jessie. I’m not a criminal attorney.”

  “You think I’m a criminal?”

  “I didn’t say that.” She rolled up her sleeves and sat in front of Jessie. “I don’t think they have enough to arrest you or they already would have. Jessie, you’ve got to level with me. What’s going on?”

  Jessie remained silent.

  “You’re not going to tell me?”

  Jessie shook her head. “I don’t know what to tell you, Linda.” Jessie sat staring at the table.

  “Jessie, you have to give me something to work with. I know you. You’re not a murder
er—but that’s not your defense. You have to level with me. For starters, why did you lie when you were questioned about the break-in at Taylor’s house?”

  Jessie was pensive. With her fingers, she delicately rolled a pencil on the table in front of her until Linda could no longer stand it and slammed her hand on top of the pencil. Jessie jumped, and her eyes met Linda’s.

  “Is this just between us?” Jessie asked.

  “Yes.”

  Jessie sighed and leaned backwards in her chair. “I don’t know where to start Linda.”

  “How about at the beginning?”

  “That’s just it—I don’t know where the beginning is.”

  “Talk to me.”

  “Have you read my novel Deceptions?”

  “I saw the movie last weekend.”

  “Does anything strike you as odd about Deceptions and what’s going on in my life?”

  Linda’s eyebrows scrunched together. “In the movie, Nicole is framed, sent to trial and convicted of murdering her girlfriend’s husband.” Linda paused momentarily. “Do you think you’re being framed?”

  “Linda, there have been a number of things that have happened to the characters in my story that have happened to both Taylor and me over the last year.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m not sure. What would you think if you wrote a story and years later it seemed to become your reality?”

  “That’s not going to help your defense, Jessie.”

  “I’m starting to wonder if my story was somehow precognitive insight into my future. And…if it is, I’m being framed for the murder of Kurk Warner.”

  “How long have you been wondering this?”

  “It’s been in the back of my mind since I saw the preview of Deceptions.”

  “Why did you lie to Bradley about not going to the house that afternoon?”

  “It was stupid. I know. I got scared, Linda. When I got there, I saw the note that pretty much implicated me, then the rose petals on the stairs and all over the bed…I got scared.”

  “What about the peanut allergy file they found in your desk?”

  “When I started seeing the connections between my own life and Deceptions, I started investigating Kurk’s death. One of the things I looked at was peanut allergies. I was trying to theorize how Kurk came in contact with peanut protein.”

  “You need a criminal attorney. Let’s set up a conference with Lyle Fallon. He’s the best criminal attorney at our firm. But before we do, is there anything else you want to tell me?”

  Jessie shook her head.

  “I don’t understand this precognitive stuff. But if it’s indeed becoming your reality, aren’t you a little concerned? After all…wouldn’t that make Taylor the murderer?”

  Jessie stared back at Linda, then nodded. “In the movie, Dillon murders her husband and frames her lover for the murder.”

  The blast of an air horn from a semi startled Jessie back to reality. Shaking, she pulled over and drank the rest of her coffee.

  Chapter 27

  That Friday afternoon,Taylor, Mark, and Travis flew from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, then they caught a commuter shuttle to Marble Canyon. As they stepped off the airplane, a blast of hot desert air welcomed them to Arizona.

  “Oh, my God. It’s so hot!” Taylor said.

  “Yes,” the pilot agreed. “It’s 112 degrees.”

  The group looked around the dry desert. High mesas and the Vermillion Cliffs surrounded the area. Across the street from the landing strip was the Marble Canyon Lodge. “That’s our stop,” Travis said.

  They checked into the quaint lodge, had dinner then enjoyed a stroll to the canyon rim. Here, they walked over the pedestrians’ Navajo Bridge. A new bridge ran parallel to the original bridge allowing transportation over the canyon and the Colorado River from 467 feet above. Even at nightfall, the view of the canyon was impressive.

  Mark knew that Taylor was not all that enthusiastic about the rafting trip. He also knew she was preoccupied. As they walked back to the lodge from the rim, he tried to cheer her up. “Taylor this is going to be fun. I’m glad you decided to come.”

  “And you’re lucky, too, Taylor,” Travis added. “These trips get booked up so fast. What are the chances that there’d be a last-minute cancellation?”

  “It isn’t luck,” Mark added. “Taylor was meant to come.”

  “How long have you guys been planning this trip?” Taylor asked.

  “I made reservations at the beginning of the year,” Mark said. “I was originally coming with a buddy of mine from law school. But he was having a trial this week.”

  “So I substituted for him,” Travis said. “I loved the trip last time.”

  Taylor smiled and walked along in silence.

  “I called LAPD earlier today,” Mark announced. “They brought Jessie in for questioning this morning.”

  “Have you heard how the search went yesterday?” Taylor asked.

  “Bradley didn’t tell me a lot, except they had sufficient evidence to bring her in for questioning. From what I understand, she brought an attorney with her to the interrogation.”

  “Do you know if they found the box of stuff about me in the crawl space?”

  Mark shook his head, “I don’t think so. I heard they found her stationery and a file on peanut allergies.”

  “Peanut allergies?” Travis interrupted. “My God, do you think she really did it?”

  Mark shook his head. “I have a hard time with this. I can’t believe Jessie is capable of killing someone.” Mark raised his hand to Taylor’s back and rubbed it affectionately. “But I’m glad you’re here with us, Taylor. Try to enjoy yourself this week. Hopefully by the time this trip is over, everything will have sorted itself out.”

  As they arrived back at the lodge, Mark took a seat on a bench outside. Taylor joined him.

  “I think I’m going to head in,” Travis said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Good night.”

  Mark and Taylor sat silently in the summer heat. Although it had cooled off some, it was still in the 90s. The moon was almost full, providing enough light to see the magnificent Vermillion Cliffs behind the lodge and trimming the canyon rim.

  Taylor stood. “I think I’m going to head in, also.”

  Mark knew that Taylor was preoccupied. He stood next to her. “It’s going to work out, Taylor. Don’t worry.”

  Taylor looked at Mark. There was a sparkle in his eyes that she had never noticed before, and yet it seemed familiar. She smiled. “You’re sweet, Mark. Thank you for everything.” She looked away then returned to Mark’s eyes. “What would I have done without you?” Taylor approached Mark and placed her lips on his cheek, but she wasn’t prepared when he turned his lips to meet hers.

  The contact caught Taylor off guard and she instinctively backed away. “I’m sorry Mark, I can’t.”

  “No. I’m sorry,” he said clearly embarrassed. “I was out of line. I apologize.”

  “Good night, Mark.” Taylor smiled slightly, then turned and walked to her room. As she placed the key in the doorknob of her room, she closed her eyes momentarily. “How come things just seem to get more complicated?” she whispered.

  The following morning, Taylor joined Mark and Travis in the Marble Canyon Lodge’s restaurant for breakfast.

  “Good morning,” Taylor said as she sat at the table.

  “Good morning,” the men chorused.

  “So what’s on the agenda today?” Taylor asked.

  “We need to do a little shopping, and then we have the orientation tonight. Other than that, we can drive out to the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.”

  “Shopping? What do you need?” Travis asked.

  “Taylor needs just about everything on our ‘what to pack list.’”

  Taylor shook her head. “I still can’t believe I dropped everything to camp in the Grand Canyon.”

  “Trust me, Taylor. I’m not a camper either. But this is cer
tainly the way to go,” Travis said. “We don’t have to worry about food. The rafting company’s staff prepares the meals. Eventually, you get used to the lack of running water.”

  “What are you talking about?” Taylor asked naively.

  The men just stared back at her.

  “Are you telling me that there will be no restrooms for the next five days?”

  “The rafting company sets up portable toilets at the campsites each night,” Travis said.

  “What about washing up?”

  “You use the water from the river,” Travis said. “Eventually the 48 degree water is bearable.”

  “Oh, God! What have I gotten myself into? No shower for five days?”

  The trio spent the morning shopping at the Trading Post and picked up Taylor’s essentials. Then they rented a car from the lodge’s manager and drove up to the dam and Lake Powell. That evening they met the group of people that would accompany them on their five-day excursion. There were 23 people at the orientation, excluding the rafting company’s six staff members. Four paddle rafts were to be launched, each holding six passengers and led by a trained guide. Two oar boats, run by staff members, would take the luggage, food, and sleeping gear throughout the journey.

  When the group realized that a celebrity was among them, Taylor became the center of attention. Eventually they all settled down when the staff asked everyone to introduce himself or herself. At the end of the meeting, the staff handed out small river bags for everyone to repack their gear. The entire crowd was excited when they broke up, each looking forward to starting their new adventure.

  Jessie arrived early at the parking lot of the Marble Canyon Lodge the following morning. The staff was busy tending to last-minute details and waiting for the arrival of the vacationers. Jessie approached a staff member who seemed to be in charge.

  “Hi, I’m Alison Townsend,” Jessie said. “I missed the orientation last night. Pat, from your office, suggested that I meet up with Ted.”

  “That’s me.” The man gave Jessie a warm smile, revealing his white teeth against his bronze skin. “We covered a lot of material last night. It’s too bad you missed it. Have you ever done any rafting?”

  “I’ve taken a few trips down the Arkansas River.”