Dead of Autumn

by Sherry Knowlton

  Scout roused himself from a mat and walked over to say goodbye to Reese.

  Reese obliged the dog with a vigorous scratch behind both ears while he replied to Alexa. “Perhaps it was a little of both, distraction and hiking. But, I had fun. Would you be willing to introduce me to a few more of your favorite local hikes?”

  “Sure. Are you always off on the weekends?”

  “It depends. There aren’t that many of us, so the rangers rotate shifts.”

  “Well, I’ve got plans for next Saturday, but I could do something on Sunday. Have you been over to Three Square Hollow yet? There are one or two trails I like over there.”

  “I won’t know if I am free Sunday until later in the week. By then we’ll also know if the weather will be good. How about I give you a call by Thursday or stop by? I’m living in a farmhouse just east of the state park. I’m not far away.”

  As Alexa watched Reese’s Jeep drive away, she smiled. “He’s a nice guy, isn’t he, Scout? You sure seem to like him. He’s pretty easy on the eyes, too.”

  I feel comfortable with Reese, she thought. I think we could become good friends.

  Chapter Nine

  Accustomed to the protestors milling and chanting across the street from the clinic, Alexa mostly regarded them as background noise. As she approached the entrance on Wednesday, however, the group seemed unusually subdued. The reason for their uncharacteristic restraint became clear when she noticed the Carlisle police car parked in front of the door.

  “What’s going on?” she asked Tanisha when she breezed through the clinic door. “Are the police here?”

  A patient, little more than a teenager, with a small child clinging to her hand walked up to the reception desk. “Miss,” she said. “How much longer am I going to have to wait? I need to get to work for my three o’clock shift, and I’m starting to worry that I’m going to run late.”

  Tanisha rescheduled the young mother’s appointment for later in the week, apologizing profusely for the delay. “Dr. Kearns is tied up unexpectedly. I’m so sorry that everything is backed up.”

  Shaking her head as she turned to Alexa, Tanisha said, “What a screw up. The police are back there with Barb, Dr. Kearns, and the other clinical staff. The doctor got a death threat this morning.” Tanisha’s gray-flecked cornrows jiggled back and forth punctuating her agitation with the situation. “Barb opened the letter. It looked like a joke, this piece of paper with letters cut out of a magazine to form words. In fact, that’s what Barb first said when she opened it. She said, ‘Look at this. Someone watches way too much TV.’

  “But, when we read what it said, it wasn’t so funny anymore. We showed it to Dr. Kearns, who mentioned that she’s been getting this spooky feeling lately like someone is watching her. She hadn’t said anything before because she thought she could be imagining things. But this letter put things in a different light.”

  “What did the letter say?” Alexa asked.

  “I wrote it down.” She pushed a piece of paper across the desk. Scribbled on it were the words, “RETRIBUTION IS MINE SAYETH THE LORD. YOU WILL BE THE THIRD TO DIE.”

  Alexa’s glance out the window was involuntary. “Do you think it was one of them? I’ve always thought of them as misguided, not to mention a real pain in the ass. But, I never thought they were dangerous.”

  “Yes, honey. They look harmless enough. There’s a whole world of harmless looking people out there, but all it takes is one. Look at that Roeder man who killed Dr. George Tiller in Kansas. That was only four years ago. He shot the doctor at point blank range in church. Murder in God’s house. I bet everyone thought that man seemed pretty harmless, too, right up until they arrested him for murder.”

  “I’m not sure he’s a good example, Tanisha. Scott Roeder had psychiatric issues. He had been associated with a number of militant fringe groups in the years prior to that shooting out in Wichita. But, I get your point.

  “In some ways, we’ve been lucky here. I just read an article about abortion clinic violence. Since Roe vs. Wade in 1973 there have been something like 200,000 incidents of violence and disruption at clinics in North America.”

  “Yes.” Tanisha nodded. “Every single person who works here knows about the seven clinic workers who were murdered before Dr. Tiller. Dr. Kopp, shot in his own kitchen in New York. Those two receptionists in the Boston clinics. The two doctors and the clinic escort in Florida. The security guard killed by a bomb in Alabama. Not to mention all the other assaults, kidnappings, stalkings, bombings, and arsons. Believe me, this job is not one that any of us do lightly. But we’ve never had any real problems here.”

  “I know. And, I guess it’s too easy to lay the blame on our friends across the street. We all know that abortion is a divisive issue. But, the majority of people in the pro-life movement would never resort to criminal behavior.”

  “Honey, can you go back and find out something for me from the doctor and the police?” Tanisha asked. “Just ask them how much longer they expect to be. If the police are gonna be here for a while, we might need to send all these ladies back home and reschedule them for another day. Some of them are pretty jumpy just seeing a police car sitting out front.”

  After checking with the group closeted in Dr. Kearns’ office, Alexa and Tanisha decided to close the clinic and send the patients home. It took about a half an hour to reschedule the six women sitting in the waiting room. Tanisha had a nice, reassuring way of handling the women, several of whom were pretty upset. Some had been sitting out there for nearly two hours and were not happy that they had to leave without seeing the doctor.

  Alexa helped get birth control supplies from a physician’s assistant for a couple of young women who needed immediate refills. Then, she began calling to cancel the rest of the patients on the schedule.

  When the frenzy died down, Tanisha said to Alexa, “I know that Dr. Crowe really deserves a vacation. That man works so hard that he absolutely needs two weeks on a tropical island. But the timing sure is bad. If he was working, he would have been able to see all of these women today. At least he’s back this weekend.”

  Alexa silently agreed that having Dr. Crowe back in the clinic would be for the best. He was the head doctor and physician administrator for the clinic. When Frank Crowe was around, everything seemed to run more smoothly. He had an air of calm that seemed to soothe everyone who came into contact with him, especially Dr. Kearns.

  Elise Kearns was a wonderful, dedicated doctor, but in Alexa’s opinion, she could also be a bit of a flake. Not that a death threat wasn’t a legitimate cause for a freak-out, but when Alexa had poked her head into Dr. Kearns’ session with the police she could tell that Elise was out of control.

  “How about I put the CLOSED sign on the door? We’ll still be here in case someone missed their phone message, but maybe it will send that crew across the street away,” Alexa said. When she flipped the sign hanging on the door, Alexa stood there a minute looking at the protesters. There were ten today, and they looked like the same group as always. She recognized some of the faces, but their dress was what she really recognized. Most of the protestors looked like Mennonites or maybe settlers from an old movie about how the West was won. The men wore black trousers and plain, long-sleeved shirts. The women wore cotton dresses that dipped below their knees. Today, most of them wore sweaters or jackets against the crisp autumn air.

  As she was about to turn away, Alexa noticed two younger men wearing jeans and lightweight fleece jackets join the group. She thought the one guy might have been the man she had seen last week, but she wasn’t really sure. The other was a tall, thin African-American who looked totally out of his element.

  When Alexa walked back to the desk, Barb emerged from the back to tell Tanisha that the police wanted to talk to her. Barb seemed visibly upset. In her early thirties, she was much younger than Tanisha. Barb strived to look like a tough cookie with her black outfits, heavy make-up, and the Celtic cross tattoo that crawled out of her shirt collar
and up the right side of her neck. Alexa thought of Barb’s look as Carlisle Goth, slightly shocking for this small town but one that would barely be noticed on a New York City street. Today, Alexa could see Barb fighting back tears, so she busied herself at the desk to give the young woman some space.

  A few minutes later, Dr. Kearns appeared. She had taken off her white lab coat and wore a fashionable loose blazer, probably Eileen Fisher or another designer from her beloved Bloomingdales. Elise was a tall, thin woman with pale skin and ash-blonde hair who was always well dressed and usually quite striking. Right now, her skin was chalk white and even the normal bright luster of her hair seemed to have dimmed. She looked totally distraught.

  “I’m going home for the rest of the day. You can call me if there is a real emergency, and I’ll be here tomorrow. But this whole thing has just been too much for my nerves.”

  “Do you want me to call your husband for you?” Barb asked, pulling herself together as the doctor entered the room.

  “No. He’s got a full day of surgeries scheduled. He’ll be home soon. I just need to rest for a while.” She continued speaking as she walked toward the front entrance. “My car is parked down the street because there was a UPS truck blocking the staff lot this morning.” The doctor’s voice lost energy as she spoke.

  Alexa jumped up from her chair and offered to walk the doctor to her car. She thought that the least she could do was run interference with the crowd across the street if they hassled Dr. Kearns. She felt a little guilty for thinking of Elise as a flake and over the top in her reaction to the death threat.

  After all, she thought, I didn’t react too well to finding a dead body. We all cope with trauma in different ways.

  “What do the police think?” Alexa asked the doctor as they walked down the street. She asked the question mainly to distract Elise from the chanting across the street. It was unlikely that the police would have offered any conclusions yet.

  “They really didn’t have much to say. Just that this note could be a real threat or it might just be someone yanking my chain. I told them that it’s felt like someone has been watching me for the past several days. I don’t think the police took that part very seriously. I asked them if I needed police protection. Hah, police protection in Carlisle. They probably never had anybody ask for that before. Since I don’t live in the borough, they said that they would tell the state police to patrol by our house at night.” Apparently, the doctor had regained her energy. She sounded pretty pissed.

  “I know this must be scary,” said Alexa. “You need to be cautious.”

  “Yes, I will be cautious,” Dr. Kearns replied. “But I can’t let this take on a life of its own. This could just be one of those crazy anti-abortion fuckers playing with my head. And if I believe in a woman’s right to choose, I can’t let some half-wit intimidate me with a few letters pasted on paper like some kid’s kindergarten project. Crazy fuckers. This threw me for a loop, but I’ll be OK by tomorrow.”

  Alexa was glad to see that Elise was beginning to pull herself together and get angry, but she was still concerned. As the doctor climbed into the car, Alexa told her, “Stay mad at this creep and get some rest. But be careful, too.” She thought of her recent experience in the forest as she said, “Crazy fuckers can be both crazy and dangerous. So, be on alert until the cops figure this out.”

  Walking back to the clinic, she thought about the irony.

  One of the reasons I came back home was to get away from all the madness of the city, including the danger and violence. And, look at this. A dead body and a death threat. Maybe I should go back to New York City for some peace and quiet.

  When the police officers finally left, the nurses and physician’s assistants checked out, too. Alexa, Tanisha, and Barb were soon alone in the quiet clinic. They wrapped up some filing, rehashing the day as they worked. The threatening letter had obviously made an impression on the two clinic staff members, despite their attempts to shrug it off.

  Barb usually affected a bored attitude at all times. Today, she was jumpy, shifting from one foot to the other as she described for at least the fourth time what happened when they opened the letter. The young woman had just gotten to the part where she and Tanisha had taken the threatening message to Dr. Kearns.

  Alexa had a sudden thought and interrupted Barb’s tale. “It’s sort of strange that the threat came to Dr. Kearns. Dr. Crowe is the one who performs most of the abortions here. So, why would they send a threat to Elise but not Frank? It’s weird.”

  “It is strange, now that you mention it,” Barb agreed.

  “How did you know that the message was for Dr. Kearns?” Alexa asked, seeing the look on Tanisha’s face. “It was addressed to her, right?”

  “Oh, my Lord, child. I think we made a mistake.” Tanisha said. She turned to her co-worker. “Barb, didn’t the envelope just say DOCTOR? It was in those cut out letters, too, just like the note. We just assumed it was for Dr. Kearns because she was on duty in the clinic.”

  Barb nodded her head in agreement and added hastily, “We gave the envelope to the police, but I’m not sure Dr. Kearns saw it. Oh, my. This threat could be for Dr. Kearns, but what if they were threatening Dr. Frank? And he’s over there in Hawaii and doesn’t even know that this is happening.” By the time Barb had finished she was almost wailing in consternation. Clearly, Barb was much more concerned about the beloved Dr. Crowe than prickly Elise, who had a more uneven relationship with the office staff.

  “Ladies, ladies,” Alexa tried to calm them. “You were upset when you opened that envelope. Dr. Kearns was on duty today. The letter itself didn’t specify who was being threatened. Everyone was on edge. It was an honest oversight. Tomorrow, one of you should call those officers and make sure they know that another doctor works in the clinic. You should tell Dr. Kearns that the envelope was not addressed specifically to her. Tanisha, maybe you want to call her at home now?

  “Don’t disturb Frank while he’s on vacation. I doubt that the person behind this threat followed him to Hawaii. But you ladies or Dr. Kearns should let him know about this as soon as he steps back into the country. He should be on his guard. You all need to be on guard, actually.”

  Around four o’clock Alexa suggested that they leave. Emotionally exhausted, Barb and Tanisha agreed with little hesitation.

  Driving home, Alexa reflected on the bizarre communication.

  Although a letter like the one today could just be a crackpot blowing off steam, Alexa’s recent brush with homicide made her realize that this threat should not be treated lightly. She hoped that the police would be able to quickly find the person who had sent the note. She admired the clinic’s two doctors for their dedication to a difficult job and worried about their safety. Alexa made a mental note to check in with Elise Kearns the following day to see how she was doing.

  Friday evening, Alexa and Scout went to Graham’s house for pizza night. About once a month, Graham and Kate hosted a family evening. Scout was always welcome. When Alexa’s parents weren’t somewhere roaming the globe, they often hosted the get-together. The routine never varied. The Williams family ate takeout pizza from Rocco’s, with Scout begging some crusts from the kids. Then they played board games until the children’s bedtime.

  “What game shall we play?” Graham asked when the pizza boxes were empty.

  “Chutes and Ladders. Chutes and Ladders,” six-year-old Courtney yelled.

  Her seven-year-old brother, Jamie, protested, “That’s a baby game.”

  “How about I make you a deal, kiddo,” Alexa intervened. “If you agree to Chutes and Ladders, I’ll read you a story while Courtney gets her bath.”

  After two rounds of the game, Kate gathered Courtney up in her arms and lifted her off her chair. Alexa wondered how much longer her petite sister-in-law would be able to lift her daughter. Courtney, with her tumble of honey curls, took after Graham, who was tall but sturdy.

  “Come on, princess, it’s time for a bath and then be
d.” Kate deposited her daughter on the floor and steered the reluctant girl toward the stairs. As they reached the top of the steps, Courtney wailed, “But Jamie is staying up. It’s not fair.”

  The young man in question was already standing at the corner bookcase. Jamie seemed tinier than most seven-year olds. Alexa knew that Graham fervently hoped that his son would grow by leaps and bounds as he got older, reaching the six-foot threshold achieved by most of the Williams men. He adored Kate and her petite frame but shuddered to think that his son would favor his mother in stature. Jamie had already inherited her strawberry-blonde hair.

  When they finished reading from Hank the Cowdog, Graham told his son that it was time for bed.

  “Goodnight, Aunt Lexie.” Jamie gave her a kiss and ran upstairs.

  Graham turned to Alexa. “How are you doing? I see that they still don’t know who that dead girl was.”

  “No, as far as I know, they still haven’t identified her.” Alexa told Graham about remembering the van on the road that morning and her conversation with the state police. “I know you were concerned about me getting involved without a lawyer, Graham, but there is no way they suspect me of anything. I just happened to be the one who found her dead body.” She didn’t mention the question regarding her whereabouts on the day of the girl’s death.

  Graham ran a hand through his sandy hair. Alexa knew this gesture.

  “If you speak to the police again, whether you call them or they call you, I want you to make sure I am there. For Christ’s sake, Alexa. You’re an attorney. You know the rules.”

  “Speaking of police,” she interjected, knowing that the brotherly advice was just getting started, “I had an encounter with the borough police this week as well.”

  “Speeding ticket? Or maybe they just pulled that rust-bucket Land Rover over on general principles,” Graham jibed. He loved to tease Alexa about her Defender, a family hand-me-down with well over two hundred thousand miles on it.