The Room Where It Happened

by Jason Letts

  Whether or not her new partner was ones of those kinds of people too was yet to be determined. When her shift started, Lieutenant Sanders quickly teamed her up with a veteran of the force by the name of Harold Dreck. He was no-nonsense and she immediately knew that slipping away from him wasn’t going to happen. Considering the loss of a man, their territory was now stretching to include a good chunk of Englewood until they could find some more people. As it was and considering the recent attack, they were told to take particular care about safety.

  Dreck was quiet and kept to himself. Her attempts to talk as they rode around didn’t amount to much. They responded to a few calls, including one for a drunk driver who’d smashed his car into a building, but for the most part it was routine and Tera finished out her week wondering how she’d ever make any progress for Kim unless more people were able to go out of their way to help her.

  If there was a silver lining to going to a funeral, it was that Tera got to wear one of her killer black dresses. This wasn’t a nightclub or a party, so the super short one, the one with the low neckline that made her feel like she wasn’t wearing anything, and the lacy one were all out. She’d have to skip the violet flecks to her hair as well, but the eye shadow was still a go. And the black dress with the horizontal waves would do just the trick.

  Kim’s funeral was at the First Baptist Church, a fairly large place that would likely be packed to capacity with all of the people heading in. Like most people, going to a funeral wasn’t Tera’s favorite thing to do, but considering Johnny’s was to be the following weekend—one she was scheduled to work through to boot—she figured she’d better get used to it.

  It was late afternoon on a hot day, and all of the people crammed into one building were only likely to make it hotter. Word had obviously gotten around about Kim’s passing. Tera glanced around at the faces, wondering who else she’d see from her past. After exchanging a nod with Kendra, she saw Kim’s father, Robert, who recognized her instantly despite being out of uniform and came right over.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said.

  “Quite a gathering here.”

  “What can I say? A lot of people loved Kim.”

  Tera bit her lip, wondering what she should say about the investigation. Even if she didn’t have all that much to speak of, would it really be that bad to give him some hope in a hard moment like this? The only thing holding the man together was his suit.

  “We’re making good progress with a couple solid leads, Mr. Parkinson,” she said, and even that seemed to trigger some strong emotions.

  “You’re doing great work,” he said, wiping his nose and turning away.

  It wasn’t until Tera had spent a fair amount of time hunting for an open seat that she found Kim’s mother, who except for the dyed blonde hair could’ve passed for a sister to her daughter. It was noticeable that the mother and father were on opposite sides of the nave with as many of the polished wooden pews between them as was possible. Maybe they’d separated or just taken different paths among all of the people here, but it was striking that they didn’t even seem to be comforting each other.

  “I’m devastated about Kim and so sorry for your loss,” Tera said to her friend’s mother, whose name was floating just out of reach of her memory. Lucinda, that was it.

  “That’s so sweet. Thank you for coming,” she said, seeming to only recognize Tera about halfway through speaking. “Kim always thought very highly of you.”

  Tera smiled because the feeling was mutual, and for a second it felt like a relief that all Lucinda knew her as was Kim’s old friend and not the police officer who was struggling to come up with anything that might help the murder investigation of her daughter.

  “She meant the world to so many of us. Has anyone had any thoughts about who might’ve done this?”

  It was difficult for Tera not to slip back into her role as a police officer. She wanted to find out who the killer was and put him away so badly, and if the information had to come from a grieving mother at the victim’s funeral, so be it. But the question strained Lucinda, and she immediately regretted it.

  “I hear some people are looking into it. All I hope for Kim is that she’s at peace.”

  “I’ll always carry her in my heart,” Tera said, happy to let it go if it eased Lucinda’s mind a little.

  Some movement on the transept made finding a seat more urgent, and Tera and Kim’s mother shared a brief embrace before moving on. Tera ended up squeezed in tight between a couple of people she didn’t know somewhere in the back third of the church. The girl to Tera’s right was barely in her teens, and she annoyingly kept looking farther down their row to the right even though the pastor had begun speaking directly in front of them.

  It took Tera a couple of minutes to realize the girl wasn’t the only one whose attention seemed to be drawn to something on her right, and eventually her curiosity got the best of her. She leaned forward a tad to glance in that direction only to feel an electric jolt shoot through her body at the sight of a suave, sexy young man who happened to be looking right back at her.

  Tera straightened up and looked forward, but the image of him near the center aisle was already burned into her retina. The gelled dark-brown hair, the kissable lips, and the smoking eyes, it was attraction at first sight. More than that, she was aware of who he was too, and he wasn’t drawing others’ attention just because of his looks. He was Lawrence Asper, the track star seemingly bound for the Olympics and also one of the two men Kendra had said were recently in Kim’s orbit.

  She’d done well for herself, unless of course if he killed her.

  Tera had to wonder whether his attendance at the funeral made it more or less likely that he was involved in her death. Was it an act of bravado to show up for the mourning of the woman he killed, or was he just going along with what was expected because of their relationship? She had to wonder if all of her speculation was for nothing. There were few people she could think of with a future brighter than his, so why would he throw it away doing something violent at all? Despite the lack of logic, people throwing away their lives with acts of violence wasn’t that uncommon. The bigger question was what this guy who’d scored a free ride into college was doing around here with a girl from the block at all.

  Eulogies from a number of people, the parents, teachers, and close friends managed to wrest Tera’s attention back to Kim. Between the touching memories and the uniformly heartfelt praise for the poor girl, Tera couldn’t help but think that there was a part of her friend that was missing from all this. Nobody was perfect.

  It made sense to sanitize people’s memories in a circumstance like this, but Tera enjoyed having fond memories of her own about getting up to some late night mischief with Kim, a few times when they’d drank too much and done stupid things, and even ginning up rivalries with other girls in a way that her current self as a police officer would definitely not approve of.

  But for all that it was such a tiny sliver of Kim’s life, not enough for her mother to even know Tera’s name. The way to fix that was to find Kim’s killer, and the next step in achieving that was getting a chance to talk to Lawrence Asper alone.

  She managed to slip outside quickly as the funeral services were winding down and camped beside the trunk of an oak tree next to the sidewalk leading from the church to the street. A hearse was ready beside the building to take Kim and her closed casket to her final resting place.

  People started passing by in a steady trickle, mostly couples, families, and other small groups. Despite the attention he got, Asper sauntered out on his lonesome, though for the way he looked he could’ve been traipsing along a red carpet at a movie premier. Confident and strong, it almost looked like he had to hold himself back from going at top sprinting speed with every step.

  Tera took a deep breath and prepared to approach him, which shouldn’t have been so daunting considering he was a couple of years younger than her, but as it happened he drifted to the side of the walk and came
to a halt before she could move a muscle. He knew she was there and that he had her attention.

  Lawrence clasped a branch of the tree overhead, never looking in her direction.

  “I’m heading downtown,” he said. Tera knew that wasn’t just a casual statement; it was an invitation, almost a command. She continued to take in his appearance while he couldn’t be bothered to look at her.

  “You’re not going to the burial? What’s your hurry?” she asked. A grin came to the man’s face that made her wonder what he was about to say.

  “That’s rich coming from the person who dashed out of the funeral first only to plant yourself by a tree outside and let everyone else pass.”

  “It was hot in there.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have worn that dress.”

  Tera bit her lip, the perfect combination of flattered and flustered that made her think maybe being choosy had its downside, especially if it meant missing out on the charge that accompanied heavy flirting with a foxy stud who obviously had only one thing on his mind. She’d met plenty of guys like him before, but none of them seemed able to pull it off the way he did.

  “I thought you were seeing Kim,” she said, and this time he did roll his head in her direction to give her a look with eyebrows raised. She felt flushed as his gaze lingered to take in her different parts, and it was definitely putting some thoughts in her head.

  “You may not have noticed, but I’m pretty sure that’s over.”

  “Pretty quick mourning then?” Tera asked, but she knew she was losing her edge with that one. It wasn’t like they were married. Odds were they’d only hooked up a few times over the past few weeks since the semester ended and even then it probably hadn’t been exclusive. But Lawrence shifted his eyes upward as if to genuinely think about it.

  “I’m always quick.”

  “Always?” She crossed her arms over her waist and he snorted.

  “Well, sometimes coming in first means coming in last.”

  “That sounds like a lot of coming.”

  He gave her another look, openly ogling her breasts this time, before releasing the tree branch and adjusting his tie.

  “The Underground,” he said, moving on, but from the sounds of it he would’ve skipped the nightclub part for the bedroom part with just a single word from her. She imagined him repeating the cycle by trying to pick up another girl after her own funeral in the near future, but considering her petite circle of friends he wouldn’t have much to choose from. Tera’s body was already saying yes yes yes, but there was that one little detail in the way about whether or not he was a murderer.

  She went through with attending the burial, but upstairs in her head she was already hooked on Lawrence. And every time she tried to think seriously about whether or not he was ready to move on so quickly because he’d killed his girlfriend, her thoughts got lost in his brown eyes, thick upper body, and powerful legs.

  After the burial, she returned to her apartment to grab something to eat and prepare for the evening. The dress would stay since he’d evidently liked it so much, but this time she could add the violet flecks to her hair, plus something light but noticeable in the way of lipstick. The hardest part turned out to be waiting around for a respectable time to go, and she didn’t really believe he’d be going right there either.

  Around 9 PM she got a ride into downtown and then approached the club with a steady stream of others enjoying the city’s nightlife. The bouncer had a scanner to check ID’s, but before she could even open her purse to get her license out he faintly waved the little device around her bag and told her she could go in.

  King Von was playing inside and the place was jumping, colored lights flashing this way and that over people’s faces in a way that reminded her of Brady in the alley with the red and blue squad car lights on him. But he’d made his choice about who he wanted to spend time with, and she wasn’t going to waste another thought thinking about him. As for Lawrence, if he was somewhere in here, she didn’t need to worry about finding him.

  The bar had a little more light. She took a seat and within two minutes the man she’d been flirting with at the funeral set his forearms on the bar next to her and gave her a cute smile, dragging his thumb along his jawbone. He had the same suit on, but the tie was loosened. He may have been dancing for a while, but he’d find more energy in the tank if she wanted to spend some time shaking it.

  “I didn’t think you’d come,” he said.

  “And why’s that?”

  “I’m usually not that lucky.” Doubtful.

  “Maybe you’re not,” she said, starting to feel more acclimated being here and having to strain her ears.

  “What are you having?”

  Tera considered for a moment. Fruity drinks were something to be had with other girls. What was going to help her relax without making her a sloppy mess? Tequila always had a special place in her heart, but she doubted he could hold it as well as she could, and it was usually a recipe for things going completely sideways.

  “Vodka on the rocks.”

  “I’m game,” he said, flagging down the woman bartending and raising a couple of fingers at her. She gave him a smile that seemed to imply more than that she was hoping for a nice tip, and Tera felt like she needed to raise her own game or risk losing his attention and missing out on the information she needed.

  “I figured someone like you with a ticket out of here would never want to come back,” she said. He had a good-natured laugh, probably the result of already being a couple of drinks in. She liked how it felt being next to him in a place like this.

  “This’ll always be my home,” he said. “Keeps me grounded. Can’t forget where I came from when I’m running with the rich kids at Illinois State while I’m on scholarship.”

  That scholarship would be the first thing to go if he got into any trouble.

  “Is that why you got together with Kim?”

  He shrugged and looked around.

  “I’m not going to pass up a chance for some good loving on summer vacation. And her curves did the trick,” he said. Tera was tempted to ask what he thoughts about hers, but she was going to have to keep it in her pants a little longer, as the saying went.

  “Have you ever been to her apartment?”

  “Nah,” he said without hesitation. “I’m in and out of town so much that I just shack up at the Hilton while I’m here. Sheets get cleaned every day and just a couple of blocks from here.”

  She got a whiff of the cologne he was wearing, and she felt like she was having trouble thinking straight.

  “Staying at the Hilton? Where do you get the money for that?” she blurted out. When she was getting her associate’s she could barely scrape together enough change for laundry. Living in a hotel seemed like a dream that none of them could’ve imagined when they were younger.

  “D1 athletes don’t get a salary, but we find a way to get paid,” he said, smirking. That was certainly suspicious but not necessarily incriminating of murder, and it was not at all her problem if he managed to sneak some cash from endorsements or other opportunities related to his running that might’ve been afoul of NCAA rules or whatever.

  The bartender passed them their drinks, and after clinking their classes Tera drank more than a sip. The vodka burned as it passed down her throat. This wasn’t the cheap stuff either.

  “How did you hear about Kim’s death?” Tera asked. Lawrence sucked his teeth after his sip.

  “You’re just a question machine aren’t you? I heard a couple of days ago. A kid jumping rope down the street was saying he saw someone get carried out of her building in a body bag and then the light in her apartment ain’t been on since.”

  Tera watched him carefully, but gauging his truthfulness was difficult when he had his eyes on her and she could feel the magnetism between them.

  “Just one more question if you’re tired of them.”

  “You can fire off as many as you like,” he said.

  “Where were y
ou at the beginning of the week?”

  He took another sip and so did she.

  “I spent the last week at a Nike training camp out in Aurora. Been busting myself in half trying to get ready for some of these trials. I wish I could say I’m about to breeze through, but it’s going to be close. Some fast dudes out there. So what do you think, you ready to take me in?”

  Tera blinked, caught between evaluating his alibi and the question at the end that caught her by surprise, which she couldn’t decide was either a self-invite to her apartment or something crass about penetration.

  “Take you in where?”

  “To jail. You ready to throw the cuffs on me and lock me up for killing Kim or what?”

  Her thoughts were sluggish and it took her far too long to gather that he knew she was a police officer and probably her name, though how he knew those things was an unknown. But more than anything she felt a flush of shame that she’d been caught flat-footed by his turn in the conversation. She knew how to talk the talk with men but was not reaching her usual standards.

  “No,” she said, though whether or not there was a training camp and he’d actually gone was an open question. “But I’ll show you where I’ll take you.”

  Leaving their drinks behind, she pulled him out onto the dance floor, where they put their bodies to work moving to a heavy beat. She felt like she was able to make up for her subpar performance at the bar with her dancing, and before long she was able to feel how hard he was through his pants. That gave her the opportunity she was looking for, and she whispered in his ear that she’d be right back after going to the bathroom.

  Ducking into a dingy, smelly stall with a toilet that she had no intention of sitting down on, she pulled out her phone and started trying to check up if there was actually a Nike training camp. As she searched, she wanted it to be true. Sometimes her body spoke to her, and right now it was saying it would never forgive her if she went home alone.