Fatal Footsteps

by Brenda Donelan

  “But we don’t know where he is now. That’s the mystery,” Marlee said.

  “So, where do we go from here?” Jasmine asked.

  “I want to talk to Grandpa Edgar. He’s senile, according to Tim’s sister, but I’d like to see if he has theories. Maybe he’ll be coherent when I talk to him and maybe he won’t, but I need to at least try,” Marlee said.

  They both jumped as the phone rang. “You answer it,” Marlee directed Jasmine. “And if it’s Barry or Doug, tell them I’m in classes, and you don’t know when I’ll be back.”

  Jasmine answered the phone and it was, in fact, Barry. He was feeling better and wanted Marlee to drive over and return his car. With some hesitation, Jasmine relayed the information Marlee told her.

  “Barry wants you to call him the minute you get home. He’s feeling better and wants his car back. He wanted to know where you parked, and I told him I didn’t know. I think he was going to get somebody to bring him over and pick up his car if you weren’t around,” Jasmine reported.

  Marlee slid the notebook under her mattress just in case someone walked in and started snooping around while they were gone. “He must have an extra set of keys. I better get out of here with his car before he starts scouring the parking lots. I really like having my own wheels.”

  “It sure beats walking everywhere,” Jasmine agreed.

  Marlee found Grandpa Edgar in the second nursing home she looked. Golden Arms was a single-level facility built in the shape of an L. If she didn’t know better, Marlee would have thought it was a motel. She parked the car, and feigning confidence she didn’t possess, she marched up to the front desk. Introducing herself to desk staff as his granddaughter, Marlee was shown to Edgar’s room.

  “Edgar, it’s your granddaughter, Marlee,” said the orderly in a soothing tone. He sat in a padded easy chair facing the television, his twin bed in the corner of the room.

  “I don’t have a granddaughter by that name,” Edgar said. Marlee felt bad for what she was doing, but thought it was necessary.

  “Oh, Grandpa. You remember me, don’t you?” And then in a whisper to the orderly, “He must be having a bad day. I’ll just sit with him for a while.”

  The orderly nodded with a knowing look and left the room. As soon as she left, Marlee wasted no time. She pulled up a hard-backed chair so she could face Edgar. She kept her explanation simple, not knowing if Edgar would understand who she was and what she was doing.

  “Tim? Yeah, he was here a couple days ago,” Edgar said as he sipped from a cup of coffee resting on an end table. “Why?”

  “Did he say anything about a fire? About his rental house burning down?” Marlee questioned.

  “Nooooo, I think I would have remembered that,” Edgar said with some hesitance. “What happened to his house?”

  Marlee ignored the question, knowing she had limited time before Edgar faded or the staff discovered she was not a relative. “Did Tim say where he was going or where he had been staying?”

  “Nooooo, he really didn’t say.”

  “What did the two of you talk about?” Marlee asked.

  “The weather and how we’re both ready for spring. And how the days are getting longer and there’s more sunlight. And he asked about the key to the old shed,” Edgar said.

  “What old shed?”

  “The old shed on the edge of the farm. I always kept it locked after the accident.”

  “What accident? What happened?” Marlee asked, but it was too late. Edgar began to fade.

  “Accidents can happen anywhere. The lady across the hall had an accident at supper,” Edgar said, his eyes wandering.

  “What about Tim? Did you give him the key?”

  “What key?” And Edgar was gone. No telling when he would return. For now, Marlee had to make do with what little the old man shared with her. Whether or not it was factual was up for debate. And even if what Edgar said was true, he may have confused Tim with someone else or the locked shed could have been torn down twenty years ago.

  “Thank you, Edgar,” Marlee said as she left the room. He was back to gazing at the television although it was doubtful he could recall what he saw five seconds ago.

  Driving out to the farm, Marlee decided she needed to ask Pam a few more questions. Specifically, she wanted to know if there was a locked shed, and if they could go look in it. It was possible Edgar’s account had been true and rational, but it could just as easily be false.

  When Marlee arrived at the farm, there was no one in sight. She pounded on the door, but no one answered. She even went back to the car and honked the horn, thinking Pam might be taking a mid-morning nap or in the back part of the barn. Still no answer. She decided to look around the outbuildings to see if there really was a shed.

  The barn was larger than the house and was flanked by two smaller buildings. One building housed a John Deere tractor while the other smaller structure held gardening tools, a lawn mower, two bicycles, and other items. Both were unlocked, and neither looked as though they held a clue to Tim’s whereabouts.

  She pulled her crocheted scarf tighter around her neck to keep out the brisk, icy breeze. Marlee took off at a steady pace, hoping to find the locked shed soon. She walked and walked, keeping the fence around the front of the property within her eyesight. Finally, she had to turn and walk behind the tree belt. That’s when she saw it. A rickety old building set far enough beyond the house that no one would know it was there unless they went looking.

  Marlee approached the structure, careful not to make noise as she walked in the snow. If Tim was inside, she didn’t want to give him advance notice of her arrival. As she neared the side of the shed, a strip of a tattered curtain blew out of the broken window and glass crunched beneath her feet.

  As a kid, I found peace and comfort at the farm. Spring was a particularly fun time there with planting crops and the birth of baby pigs. Those memories will always hold a special place in my heart. I’d hoped those fun times would continue, but I was wrong.

  Chapter 18

  The shed was more of a shack, barren of paint and with a broken window. Why it was kept locked was a mystery, since it didn’t appear to be of any value. She crept closer, trying not to be creeped out by the howling wind and the eeriness of the setting. The door was ajar, giving doubt to Grandpa Edgar’s assertion that the shed was locked. More of his demented thinking, Marlee guessed.

  She pushed open the door and gasped. Tim was on the floor, and he was a bluish color. Marlee raced to him and felt for a pulse. He was ice cold to the touch. Even though she knew he was dead, she ran as fast as she could back to Pam’s house. Again, she knocked and knocked, but there was still no answer. She hopped in Barry’s car and sped down the road to the nearest neighbor. Through tears and babbling, Marlee was able to communicate that an ambulance and the police were needed at Pam’s farm.

  After the neighbors placed the calls to the officials, Marlee called Barry. “You need to get to Pam DeWitt’s farm right away. Tim’s dead. I found him in a shed on the edge of the property!”

  Against the protests of the neighbors, Marlee went back to Pam’s farm alone. She wanted to be there when the police and the ambulance arrived so she could take them directly to Tim. Nothing could be done to bring the student back to life, but she wanted to honor him by being there when the authorities arrived.

  Sirens were heard in the distance within minutes, and then they rolled into the farm yard. Marlee directed them to follow her to the shed. In rambling and sometimes incoherent sentences, she told the police officers what little she knew of Tim’s demise. Once they arrived at the shed, she was not allowed to go within several feet of the structure since the cops were roping off the surrounding area to secure the crime scene.

  Marlee felt shock when she learned of Beth Van Dam’s death. She also experienced shock when she learned about Beth’s life as a prostitute. But nothing prepared her for the feelings that overcame her after she found Tim’s lifeless body. She began shaki
ng uncontrollably, and the ambulance attendants placed her in the back of their vehicle. Marlee knew what she saw and was clear on why she had come to the farm, but none of that could be communicated through words.

  “Give her time. She’s in shock,” an EMT said to Barry as he opened the door to the ambulance and climbed in beside her. He placed his arms around her in a big bear hug, not asking any questions at this point.

  When she was able to talk again, Marlee spit out bits and pieces of the story. Barry listened quietly, letting her tell her story in her own way. Since he was not on duty until that evening, he could take on the role of friend rather than investigator. Soon, a responding officer approached Marlee and asked if she was able to answer some questions.

  They sat in the front seat of the patrol car while Officer Dawn Frentz asked questions. The car held a faint smell of cigarette smoke and vomit from previous drunks, criminals, and suspects. The distinct smells made Marlee want to puke, but she did her best to hold up. She told everything about talking to Grandpa Edgar at the Golden Arms Home that morning and then coming to Pam’s farm to look for the shed.

  “When I touched him, he was cold,” Marlee said, her voice barely audible as she thought how helpless her friend looked as he lay on the floor of the shed. “I knew he was dead before I pushed up his coat sleeve and felt for a pulse. His face was an odd color. A weird shade of light blue. And he was in a position that I’ve never seen anyone in before. His leg was twisted behind him and his neck was angled in a strange way.” She realized as she relayed the information that she had stopped using Tim’s name and just referred to him as “he”.

  “Do you know where his sister, Pam is?” asked Officer Frentz as she jotted down notes in her notepad.

  “I knocked when I first got here and then again after I found the body. Tim’s body. There wasn’t any answer, and I didn’t see any sign of Pam,” Marlee said, consciously using his name now.

  After a few more questions, Officer Frentz ended the interview. “Do you know how he died?” Marlee asked. She went on to tell the officer about Tim’s fall down the stairs on Monday night, even though she was sure all law enforcement personnel in the area already knew the details leading up to Tim’s disappearance.

  “We won’t know until the coroner makes a ruling. There may be an autopsy to determine what happened. We won’t know for a while,” the officer replied.

  In her mind, Marlee replayed what she saw when she walked in the shed door which was ajar. She didn’t see any blood and did not notice any gunshot or stab wounds. Tim was clad in his heavy winter coat, sweatpants, and tennis shoes. The hood to his coat was pulled up over his head, obscuring much of his face and neck. There were no signs of bruises on what little of his face was exposed.

  Could it be another case of a college student freezing to death? Beth had frozen after she had too much to drink and then fell down as she walked home from a party. At least that was the conclusion of the coroner and the cops. Tim may very well have perished after wandering out into the cold due to his head injury.

  After the police allowed Marlee to leave, Barry drove her to Fryin’ Pan for a meal and a chance to talk. She held her head in her hands, not believing the events of that morning. “I knew Tim would be found, but I thought he’d be alive. And I never thought I’d be the one to find him.”

  “So Tim’s grandpa tipped you off about the shed and that Tim had asked for the key recently?” Barry asked, even though Marlee had already briefed him on her conversation with Grandpa Edgar. She realized Barry was checking to see how reliable of a witness she really was.

  “Yes, he said Tim asked for the key to the shed. Edgar said he kept it locked since the accident but when I questioned him, he began to fade. I asked when he had the conversation with Tim and a few other questions, but Edgar was completely out of it. I wasn’t even sure that there was a shed on the farm, but thought it was at least worth checking out,” Marlee said as she sipped her hot tea.

  “Why would Tim want to get inside a locked shed? It looked like it should have been torn down years ago.”

  “I thought the shed was in poor shape too. And why would he need a key to get in if the windows were broken? What could have been in the shed that he was looking for? Or was it merely a place to hide out?” Marlee wondered. She thought back to the shed, trying to recall what was inside. Try as she might, Marlee could not recall anything other than Tim’s body lying on the floor.

  “I’ll go in to work early and see what I can find out about any accidents that may have happened at the shed,” Barry said. “Of course, it could just be the rambling of an old man.”

  “Seems like more than coincidence that Grandpa Edgar told me about the shed and then that’s where Tim was found. At least some of Edgar’s story is on-target. We just don’t know how much of it. When we were at the shed, did any of the cops on duty tell you anything?”

  “Nothing other than what you’ve told me. It didn’t appear to be a death from a beating or a shooting. Not much could be determined, and I suspect we won’t know until after the autopsy,” Barry said. “Did you see anything that would suggest the cause of Tim’s death?”

  “No, I didn’t. And another thing that’s really bothering me is that his dog was found dead outside of town. Did someone take Tim and his dog from Stairway to Hell and then kill Rufus and bring Tim out here?”

  “Or maybe Tim just wandered out here, still delirious from his fall down the stairs. That could happen. I’ve heard of people doing strange things when they’ve suffered a head injury,” Barry reported.

  Barry dropped Marlee off at her dorm and went home to catch a few hours of sleep before he reported for work. She had the unenviable task of breaking the bad news to Jasmine.

  “Tim’s dead?” Jasmine’s jaw dropped and the tears began to roll. “How do you know? What happened?” She sank onto her desk chair to steady herself as her legs began to wobble.

  Marlee relayed the story of finding Tim’s body, her interview with the police, and her talk with Barry. She felt her own legs begin to go weak and slumped in her chair. The roommates faced each other, both without words to describe their feelings. This was the second death of a friend within the past week. Nothing in the college brochure could ever prepare them for the tragedy that befell two of their college friends.

  Once again, Marlee and Jasmine turned to the notebook to record the new information about Tim. The notebook was becoming not only a source of factual information, but a catharsis in dealing with the trauma of two deaths. After discussing and then writing down everything they could think of pertaining to the events of that day, Marlee closed the notebook with a thud.

  “I wonder if the cops will come to the same conclusion with Tim as they did with Beth.” Marlee said.

  “What was your gut feeling when you saw Tim?” Jasmine asked. “Did it look like foul play or another case of exposure to the elements?”

  “There were no obvious wounds, but that doesn’t automatically make it an accidental death. Any number of things could have happened,” Marlee replied. “His leg was twisted and his neck was at an odd angle.”

  “Was there anything to indicate that Tim took his own life?” Jasmine asked.

  “No! I mean, I don’t think so. Why would Tim commit suicide?”

  “I don’t think he would, but if he was out of his mind from head trauma, who knows what he might have done. And if Tim started the fire, he might have felt so guilty about it that he killed himself,” Jasmine added.

  “Arson is a serious felony, but no one was killed. Even if he set the fire on purpose, I think Tim would be given some consideration for his head injury. Barry said he’s heard about people doing all kinds of weird things after they hit their head. The cops and courts would have to cut Tim some slack if he set the fire. There’s a difference between knowingly and intentionally starting a fire versus setting a fire when you’re not in your right mind,” Marlee said, ticking off the reasons in support of Tim’s innocence.


  “Yeah, I suppose. But maybe he heard about the fire and remembered he set it. And then he didn’t know if everyone got out or not. Tim might have thought he killed his roommates. He’s such a kind-hearted guy that I don’t think he could stand knowing he killed someone.”

  “True, we don’t know what Tim knew about the fire. Maybe he didn’t know anything. It could have happened after he left the house,” Marlee said. “Until the fire investigators determine the cause of the fire, we won’t know whether it was intentional or accidental. And even then, we may not know the actual cause.”

  “Of all places, why would Tim go to that old shed?” Jasmine mused.

  “I wondered the same thing. It didn’t appear to have heat or electricity. The window was broken out, so there wasn’t much difference between the temperature inside the shed and outside. The roof and walls blocked some of the wind, but not much,” Marlee said.

  “I wonder if his sister would have let him hide out at the farm house if he asked. Even if there was some bad blood between them,” Jasmine said.

  “The riff seemed to be one-sided, according to Pam. Tim was mad at her and their parents over Pam taking over the farm. It didn’t seem like any of them were holding a grudge against Tim. In fact, Pam said she offered to turn the farm over to Tim after he graduated from college.”

  “So he could have stayed with Pam or the parents?”

  “I think so. The only thing holding him back was his ego. He made it clear that if he couldn’t have the farm then he didn’t want much to do with the rest of the family. Grandpa Edgar was the only one he associated with very much,” Marlee said. “I get the feeling that Tim felt he and his grandpa were both forced into things they didn’t want to do. Tim was forced to go to college, and Grandpa Edgar was taken off the farm and put into an old folk’s home.”