The River Waits for Murder

by C. Ruth Daly

  Donna nodded in agreement and with a yawn, “Yeah, why don’t we head out tomorrow and check things out. Glynda…I just don’t know what to do with Evan. I was such an idiot for taking him with me those three years ago. I somehow felt responsible—or bad for him. He seemed like such a sorry bastard at the time. You felt bad for him too, didn’t you? Now he’s sucked my mom in to making a place for him to stay, and you know that she’s older and how much trouble Evan would be for her. He’s a mess, Glynda.” Donna looked into her friend’s eyes and with a final plea, “I don’t know if I can deal with him anymore, Glynda. I…I need a break.”

  Glynda nodded, “Yeah, but I had these boys and Rodney and I didn’t need no one else to take care of. Thanks for taking him, Donna. We all need to stick together after what we’ve gone through. Uh, wait a second, Donna, you don’t want me to take him, do ya?” Glynda’s eyes narrowed on her friend.

  “Hey. Glynda, I’ve kept him for these past years and supported him half the time. Evan worked odd jobs here and there and gave me cash once in a while but, well…he’s over stayed his welcome, ya know? I don’t know how many of his drunken binges I had to put up with. Granted he slept outside all of the time—even when it snowed a little or it was kind of cold, but I just can’t put up with him anymore. I thought that once we hit the Burgenton line—or maybe I hoped, Evan would just say ‘Donna, I’m home so let me out anywhere and thanks for all you’ve done. But have I ever received one word of thanks from him? Never!” Donna voice rose with fury. “And now he has manipulated my mother and she’s back at the house preparing a room for him. There’s no way he can leach off of her. She doesn’t have the stamina to deal with that. Please, Glynda, can you help him out for a bit? Can he at least stay in your garage until he gets a job and his own place?” Deep down Donna knew the truth: Evan didn’t have the gumption to find a job on his own or even get enough money for a place. And then there was the drinking. It seemed to never stop, she thought, and who’s going to hire an alcoholic? She wondered if her brother-in-law Gil Rolf would put him to work, but Donna thought it was someone else’s time to take Evan.

  “How long are we going to look after him, Donna?” Glynda asked. “It’s been how many years now? I don’t feel bad for him. I’m a mom and I know how wrong it is to leave your kids, but it ain’t my fault that Evan’s mom was such a bitch that she up and left him and just turned Evan away like she did. You need to get rid of that social worker brain of yours and stop thinking you can solve the world’s problems, Donna, no one can. It ain’t our fault that we met up with Ned Hollis. It ain’t our fault that Hollis killed Evan’s sister; not our fault that his dad died. It is our fault that we nosed around in Hollis’s business, but I guess that was a good thing. I dunno.” Glynda leaned forward, scrunched her shoulders and distinguished the cigarette onto the inside of the bean can. “But yeah, he can stay here for a bit. Maybe he can stay up in Rodney’s apartment, but I don’t want Evan to get Rodney to drinking. He’s just starting to get it together and feel better about himself now that he went to Indianapolis and got himself a new eye.”

  The two got up from their seats and went through the living room where Glynda’s boys were watching TV. Donna could see Evan and Rodney ahead through the open front door, leaning against the walls of the screened in porch and talking away.

  “Hey you guys,” Donna began, “Evan, I’m going to head back to the house and then Glynda and I are going to go and check out her job at the Laundromat tomorrow,” Donna’s eyes bore into Glynda’s so she would go along with the lie, “and Evan, Glynda has something to tell you.” Donna nodded at Glynda and stepped back.

  Evan turned to Rodney and then to Glynda. “Evan, why don’t you just stay here until you can get your own place and a job? Rodney, you don’t mind if Evan stays up in your place for awhile. Do ya?” Glynda put her hand on her little brother’s shoulder, but Rodney didn’t need coaxing.

  “Sure, Ginda, me and Eban get along real good so I think it’s not a prob’em.” Rodney smiled.

  “Ahhh, Glynda, now Donna’s mom’s xpectin me to stay at her house.” Evan was flattered by all of the attention.

  Donna was quick to break in, “Hey Evan, my mom is older now and it might be too much for her to have two of us in the house with grandkids coming in and out all of the time. Glynda doesn’t mind at all, and I’ll take you for breakfast once in awhile, okay?”

  Evan crossed his arms and stared at the floor then turned to Donna, “Well, okay Donna, if you think it’s best. Ralph and I will stay here.”

  Glynda had forgotten about the dog and turned to Donna, “Uh Donna, I don’t have room for a dog. Your mom has more room at her place. Do you think Ralph could stay at your house?”

  The decisions were made and Donna left Glynda’s house without Evan and with Glynda’s oldest boy Bo who would retrieve Evan’s one duffel and take it back to the house.

  The two walked the short distance down the alley for the half-block to the McNally house. Donna was as relaxed as she had been in a long time, and she thought about all the stress Evan had brought to her. They entered through the back door of the house and Donna remembered the warmth that the home brought to her. Saying goodbye to Bo, she headed up the stairs to sleep off the drive—and the last three years, she thought.

  Chapter Five

  The morning sun was bright as it shined through the windshield while Donna and Glynda headed northwest out of town toward Trevor’s development. Glynda was driving because as she had told Donna, “You’ve driven all those miles to get here, Donna, and I know where I am going. You know, things don’t always seem the same after three years.” Glynda was right, Donna thought as the two of them rounded the bend along the river and there it was: Trevor’s monolithic sanctuary for stressed-out socialites and business people from the cities. The woods that once sheltered Evan while he stood guard over the gold and the woods where fourteen years earlier, Donna and Glynda entered, searching for a Halloween adventure and what did they get? The terror of a lifetime. One that forever will haunt my dreams, Donna mused, and what about Glynda? She glanced at her friend as the two exited the car. Does Glynda have the night terrors like she or does Donna only experience them because of the chase: the near-death encounter with Ned Hollis. His fateful scream pierced the night and it still filled her mind during restless sleeps. Or was it the head injury she had incurred? After all she was unconscious for the entire night. Donna shook her head slightly and marveled at the sight and sounds before her as they walked slowly up the freshly paved road littered with dirt and mud clumps from the trucks and bulldozers that were finishing off any work on Trevor’s dream. The last of the dump trucks were hauling away dirt dug up from the woods.

  The row of houses where Trevor had grown up had been diminished and bought up as Glynda told Donna the story of the development, by Trevor. The peaceful homes along the rippling Tippecanoe had been leveled and turned into offices for Trevor’s business. What was once a thicket of woods was now sliced into sections of pseudo-cabins that more resembled some nice ranch homes covered in cedar with cobblestone walkways leading to each door, and through the woods where she and Glynda had to fight through the thickets of bushes and trees, were paved trails leading to hot tubs surrounded by manmade fountains with rushing waterfalls clipping the sides of each one, and centered in the middle of the hot tub retreat was a circular bar, with a fake thatched roof and a neon sign on top of it, “The Oasis.”

  Donna felt sick to her stomach to see what Trevor had done to the sacred woods. Glynda turned to her and asked, “Now do you see why I said not to bring Evan? Can you imagine what he’d do to Trevor if he saw this?”

  “He’s going to see it eventually.” Donna said, her mouth parched from the shock of the view. “I think we need to break this to him, Glynda.” Donna looked down at her friend and continued, “He needs to know. You know, he wanted to come here to see if Trevor would put him up, when I you know, tried to ditch him at the Burgenton line. Evan is still n
aïve, which is probably one reason why I took him with me to Arizona. He trusted Trevor so much that I thought Evan would “trust” Trevor to use his portion of the gold. Speaking of the gold, Glynda, what do you want to do? Did I tell you I asked a professor friend to research the gold and it appears to be authentic? Professor L—anyway, this doctor or professor I worked with over the past few years has a few connections and he and they determined the gold is the real deal. How do you think Trevor cashed in his share, Glynda? Surely he did it illegally—I mean to take a national treasure like the Confederate gold and sell it, well—like attracts like, right? Trevor is dealing with someone who’s a thief just like he is. We better watch him—and watch Evan, too.” Donna sighed and then muttered, “I’m so sick of watching Evan.”

  Glynda turned to Donna and with a smirk, “Yeah, I know. You had to take him, Donna. Even though I didn’t quite get it at the time, we know you had to remove Evan from Trevor. We’ve already lost Lori Bell—or at least I think we lost her. Maybe she’s out here?” Glynda scanned the offices and the construction site for any sign of Lori Bell when out of the main office walked Trevor. Interestingly, the main office stood in the spot where the Morreli house used to be and where in 1974, Glynda made her way out of the woods and dropped the semi-conscious Thelma Carson onto the driveway of the Morreli house where she went to seek help while Donna lay unconscious by the Tippecanoe and the murderer Ned Hollis was dead, face down in the river.

  Trevor spotted Glynda and waved like a politician. He turned to a foreman next to him and said something then suavely walked over to where Glynda and Donna were standing. Donna could not but notice his pristine white slacks, clean white leather shoes, pinstriped shirt unbuttoned to mid-chest and the glistening gold chain that hung around his neck, peeking through the open shirt beneath which curls of dark chest hair so carefully held the chain in place. Trevor’s hair was neatly in place and Donna wondered if he used hair spray on it for the wind was picking up a little and his hair did not move with the gust.

  “Oh great,” Donna muttered to Glynda. The two stood there as the antithesis of Trevor: Glynda in an oversized navy blue t-shirt, light blue polyester pants and her pink flip-flops while Donna wore the same jeans she had on since she left Arizona with the coffee stain on the leg. At least my t-shirt is clean, Donna thought as she glanced at her Phoenix Suns shirt with its faded emblem. Her brown loafers were weathered with time and dust.

  “Glynda, is that you?” Trevor bellowed and reached out to give her a hug. And Donna? Donna McNally? I wondered if I would see YOU again,” Trevor said with a bitter sound in his voice. He extended his hand and gave Donna a firm shake. “My fiancée would love to see you two girls!” He spoke again but this time with a tone of pretention.

  “Oh, you mean Lori Bell,” Donna quipped as Glynda passed a sharp look in her direction.

  “Yes, of course, Lori. You know she has dropped the Bell in her name. It is you know—childish. Wait till you see her. Right now she’s at the big house prepping for our wedding in August. Three months from now and she will be Mrs. Morrelli!” Trevor chuckled and gave Glynda a wink.

  Donna watched to see what that was all about, but Glydna just stood there, dumb-struck. “So when will we be able to see Lori B—Lori, Trevor?” Donna asked.

  “Why don’t you two step into my office and I’ll give the girl a call,” Trevor said as he motioned for the pair to follow him. He stepped before them and Donna and Glynda trailed behind with Donna mouthing ‘the girl?” to Glynda who just shrugged her shoulders and followed Trevor. He continued to speak. “How is my boy Evan doing, Donna? Say, what was with the two of you? You taking him off with you to Arizona? People talk my dear about what kind of a relationship you two have going on,” Trevor chuckled. Donna knew he was deliberately trying to irritate her and kept her mouth shut. “Why didn’t Evan come with you today? Or did you leave him in Arizona, Donna? Hey, he isn’t dead is he?” Trevor stopped and stared at Donna as if the thought almost appealed to him.

  “No, Trevor. Evan is alive and doing just fine,” Donna answered then sighed. “He’s back here trying to find work—honest work, Trevor. Do you know where he can find honest work?” Donna’s irritation with the man had hit a peak and she had only been with him for less than ten minutes. Yes, it was a good thing Evan went to Arizona with me, Donna reassured herself as the three of them entered Trevor’s office. Trevor would have used Evan. After all, Evan is Trevor’s boy.

  The inside of the office was plush with brown leather furniture and thick tan carpet covered the floor. There was a couch to their right and Trevor’s desk was before them. It was a heavy thing made from cherry wood and a long sheet of glass spread across the top. Beneath it were pictures of the area before the construction, pictures during the stages of construction, and recent photos of the almost complete project. Lori Bell’s picture was near the bottom of the rest. It was an 8 x 10 glossy photo of her in a pink bikini standing in front of The Oasis Bar. Her silky, straight brown hair was no longer, and now it fell in permed curls about her face and on her shoulders. Big rhinestone sunglasses covered her face. In the photo she leaned against the building with her seemingly surgically enhanced breasts sticking out and her legs crossed, one hand on her hip and the other gesturing to the door of the bar, inviting one and all to enter in the hope that they may meet someone as beautiful as she or become as beautiful as she upon entering The Oasis. Obviously a marketing tool, Donna thought as she continued to stare at the picture, wondering what had happened to her friend over the past three years. Probably Trevor happened to her, she thought.

  “I see you found my girl, Donna?” Trevor looked down at Lori Bell’s picture, then put his index finger to his lips, kissed it, and placed the finger on Lori’s Bell’s face. Then, “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? We are living at the farm you know. I’m going to give her a call now. I bet she’s tanning by the pool.”

  Donna glanced over at Glynda then back to Trevor, wondering when in the past three years a pool was built at the family farm.

  “Hello my dear,” Trevor began, “Do I have a surprise for you?” He laughed, “No, sweetheart, no, not another gem—something you might like almost as much,” then he grinned at Glynda and Donna, “but not as glimmering as a diamond or your sapphires. Oh, of course I will tell you what I have for you. It’s Glynda and guess who else; no, guess again. It’s Donna. Yes, darling, Donna is here all the way from Arizona. She came here just to see my work. Yes, yes, I’ll put her on.”

  Trevor handed the wireless receiver to Donna who stood there, mouth agape at the sickening conversation she had just witnessed. “Hi Lori Bell,” she said, but Trevor interrupted by leaning into the receiver, “I told them to call you just Lori, okay?” His tone had changed to one of submission, and Donna was surprised by the man’s demeanor. She also wondered if Lori Bell still had the intelligent spunk of her teen years and who had power over whom in the relationship. Donna continued talking to her friend, “Sorry, Lori, I am here at Trevor’s development and Glynda and I were wondering if we could come over and see you. It’s been a long time.” Donna’s voiced dropped with the last sentence for the three years and the night when they all parted had divided the friends she had thought at the time—forever, and now, through this short phone conversation she was beginning to understand why. She directed her gaze to Trevor who was now seated in his leather swivel with a nail file in hand, swiping away at his already perfectly curved nails. “Yeah, Glynda and I will be over in about ten or fifteen minutes. Sure, coffee sounds good. Graduate school? Yes, I completed that over a year ago. No, no more education for me. Yeah, Lori, we will see you soon. Donna handed the phone to Trevor and she and Glynda said their goodbyes then went out the door to Glynda’s station wagon.

  “Well, that was a crock of shit, don’t you think Donna?” Glynda asked when they were a safe distance from the office. “I hardly ever see Lori Bell and l sure haven’t seen the two of them together—in action. Hell, Lori Bell sounds like a
bitch and Trevor acts like his head’s shoved so far up his ass that he don’t even stop to think about what their whole relationship really means.”

  “Yeah, it is a bunch of crap, Glynda. Let’s head out to Lori Bell’s and see how the new Lori is doing. I also want to find out about the gold and see if she will tell me anything about how she and Trevor sold it—or if she sticks to the local lore that the vacation development is only a result of Trevor’s astute business practices.”

  The women were in the car now and gliding down the perfectly paved road with its tree lined splendor. It was a silent ride over to the Jameson farm as they traversed over multiple country roads, Donna spent the minutes gazing out the window at the freshly planted fields with copses of trees at the end of each one. She wondered about the Confederate gold and questioned Glynda’s plans for it. “Hey, Glynda.” Donna turned to her and asked, “What about you? What do you want to do with that gold, Glynda? You told me you were keeping it for safe keeping but— do you want to tell me what you plan to do with it?”

  Glynda was silent and introspective, “Ya know, Donna, I never got the chance to go to college or do anything like leave Burgenton and see other places like you and Lori Bell did. Sometimes I feel just stuck and in the same old rut—same old house my grandma and mom grew up in and then lived in, and then here I am, right where they started—raising kids alone in the house. ‘Cept my grandpa was killed in an accident when my mom was little and my boys, well their dad was a loser—and, and I was just stupid. I always never thought someone would fall in love with me and well…I was right. That son-of-a-bitch didn’t love me.” Tears came to Glynda’s eyes and she wiped them as she tried to keep her eyes on the road. “Donna, I want for my boys what I will never have or never have had. I don’t want to give them a hand-me-down house—not that I don’t appreciate what Grandma did for me, but I want my boys to go to college, live in a nice house, have nice things, grow old with the same wife,” she sighed, “so Donna, that’s what I want to do with the gold. For me, I don’t need much. I’m actually kinda afraid of it. It just seems dirty like Ned Hollis was dirty. Maybe it’s karma, Donna, but Ned Hollis touched the gold and now it’s spoiled. There’s something evil about it. After all, wait till you see Lori Bell and well, Trevor, who knows? He was always a dick—even when we were in middle school when I first meant him. He is still giving me a hard time about my appearance. He did it today on the phone with Lori Bell, and you too, Donna. He don’t like us—never has.”