Paws and Effect

by Sofie Kelly

  We sat like that for maybe a couple of minutes and then Marcus said, “I have to tell John.” He stared down at the table. “And I have to find Travis.”

  “I’m coming with you,” I said. “Maybe John will know where he is.”

  “You don’t have to come,” Marcus said.

  “I’m coming,” I repeated. He gave my hand a squeeze.

  I scrambled eggs with the last sausage patty I’d gotten from Burtis Chapman and served them with toasted English muffins and more coffee. Marcus ate every bite on his plate but I think I could have cooked the eggs shells and toasted the bag the muffins had been in and he wouldn’t have noticed.

  “Hope’s taking the lead on this one,” he said, pushing his plate back and folding his hands around his cup. “I just thought it would be easier for everyone if I was the one who broke the news to John and Travis.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong.”

  “No, you’re not.” I put my arms around him. “I liked Dani. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her better. Would you, maybe later, tell me more about her?”

  He nodded. “I’d like that. I think maybe the two of you would have been friends.”

  “I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance,” I said, and even though I’d barely known Dani I had to swallow down a sudden lump in my throat.

  I went upstairs to finish getting ready for work, leaving Marcus with Hercules, who had been sitting next to his chair in silent sympathy from the moment he’d arrived. When I came back down Marcus was talking to the cat in a low voice, not the first time I’d seen that kind of thing happen.

  “John is staying out at the Bluebird Motel,” I said.

  Marcus slipped something to Hercules, trying to be surreptitious about it. I let it pass. I could get a hint of the unmistakable aroma of stinky crackers and I knew one or two wouldn’t hurt the little tuxedo cat.

  “I texted Maggie,” I continued. “She was planning on taking John out to Wisteria Hill. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her why I was asking.”

  Marcus pulled a hand over the back of his neck. “Thanks. Hope is looking for Travis.” He got to his feet.

  “Are you ready?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. I linked my fingers though his and we left anyway.

  A red SUV was parked in front of John’s room at the Bluebird Motel. There was a rental company sticker in the top right corner of the windshield. The tailgate was open, which told me that John was up, getting ready to start his day. Marcus knocked on the door and then lifted my hand and kissed it before letting it go.

  “I should be out of here in about ten minutes and you can—” John opened the door as he stuffed papers into his messenger bag. He looked up, surprised to see Marcus and me instead of the maid he’d probably been expecting. “Hi,” he said. He looked at us and his expression grew serious. “What did Travis do?” he asked. “Is he all right? I swear I’m going to kick him when I see him. He didn’t come back last night and I had to rent a car this morning so I can get everything done. Lucky for me I found a place that opened at seven thirty.”

  I felt my chest tighten as though a giant hand were squeezing me. This was part of Marcus’s job and I wondered how he did it over and over again.

  “Marcus, is Travis all right?” John asked a lot more insistently.

  “As far as we know,” Marcus said. He was in police officer mode. His voice was strong and steady.

  “What do you mean as far as you know?”

  Marcus ignored the question. “John, it’s Dani.”

  John grinned. “Let me guess. She got nabbed for speeding again.” He looked at me. “Dani has a lead foot.”

  “Could we sit down for a minute?” Marcus asked.

  “Sure.” John took a couple of steps back. “C’mon in.”

  I followed Marcus into the room. It looked just like any other motel room I’d ever been in: bed, nightstand, dresser, flat-screen TV above the desk. There was a large duffel bag on the end of the bed.

  John gave Marcus a puzzled smile. “So what’s up?”

  “Dani was out looking at the land around Long Lake,” Marcus said.

  “Yeah, I know. I talked to her yesterday afternoon. She said she might stay in town last night. She didn’t want to run into Travis out here.”

  “John, she had an accident,” Marcus said. I could see the tension in his shoulders and the stiff way he held his body.

  John’s gaze darted between the two of us. I stuffed my hands in my pockets because they suddenly felt huge and clumsy. “What kind of an accident?” he asked slowly.

  “She fell. There was an embankment not that far from the lake. It looks like she was taking core samples.”

  John swore. “Is she in a hospital here or back in Minneapolis?”

  For a moment Marcus didn’t say anything, and when he did it was just a single word: “Johnnie.”

  John closed his eyes. I could see from the set of his jaw that his teeth were tightly clenched together. He let out a shuddering breath. “When?”

  “Last night,” Marcus said. His right hand moved sideways and I caught it, giving it what I hoped was a comforting squeeze before letting go again.

  John opened his eyes again. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said. “Not to Dani.” He looked at me. “You didn’t know her, Kathleen, and I know this is the kind of thing people always say when someone dies, but she was special.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her,” I said, feeling more than a little helpless in the face of both his and Marcus’s grief. “I liked what I did know. I’m so sorry.”

  He gave me what passed for a smile for him right now. “Thank you.” Then he turned to Marcus. “We have to find Travis. He can’t hear about this from a news report or from some stranger.”

  “I’m working on that,” Marcus said. “Do you know where he is?”

  John shook his head. “Like I said, he didn’t come back here last night. I got the maid to check his room. The bed hadn’t been slept in. I just assumed he’d stayed in town . . . like I thought Dani did.”

  Marcus’s phone buzzed then. He pulled it out. “It’s Hope,” he said. “She might have something.” He stepped just outside the door.

  “Hope is Marcus’s partner,” I explained to John. “She’ll be in charge of the investigation. Don’t worry. She’ll find Travis.”

  John put a hand over his mouth for a moment. “I know what a jerk he was yesterday but he shouldn’t have to hear this from a police officer, a stranger.”

  I shook my head. “He won’t.”

  “I should go with him.” He meant go with Marcus to give Travis the news, I realized.

  “I think you probably can.” I hesitated, and then laid my hand on his arm for a moment, hoping there would be some comfort in the gesture.

  “It wasn’t supposed to end like this,” John said, glancing toward the door. “We were supposed to be friends again. Why don’t things work out the way they’re supposed to?”

  He was talking to himself, not me, which was good, because I didn’t have any answers.

  Marcus came back in with the news that Travis was in Red Wing.

  “I’m going with you,” John said. He looked at me. “Kathleen, could you . . . explain to Maggie. Please tell her I’m sorry. And I was going to call Rebecca.” He made a helpless gesture with one hand.

  “I’ll take care of all of that,” I said. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Marcus put a hand on my shoulder and leaned down to kiss me. “I’ll call you or I’ll come in to the library when we get back. I don’t know how long this is going to take.”

  I nodded. “I wish this hadn’t happened.”

  “Me too,” he said.

  I’d driven my truck up to the Bluebird Motel. Marcus and John got into his SUV and turned in the direction of Red Wi
ng and I headed back to town. I had my things so I just went to the library even though it was early. I parked at the far end of the lot, the way I usually did, and as I walked across the pavement to the front entrance I couldn’t help thinking that it felt wrong somehow that it was such a beautiful day given what had happened to Dani. Once I got inside I put on a pot of coffee and while I waited for it I called Maggie. This wasn’t something I could do in a text.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Is John okay? And Marcus?”

  I leaned against the counter. “They’re all right. Sad. Shocked.”

  “What can I do?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. I have to call Rebecca, but other than that, I don’t think there is anything we can do. She was out there by herself, so there’ll be an investigation. Hope’s in charge given that Marcus knew Dani.”

  “What if Brady and I went out to Wisteria Hill? I could try to find that plant again. Brady knows that whole area, too.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I said. I had no idea what effect Dani’s death would have on the work of the coalition of environmental groups. I wasn’t sure how John and Travis would feel about staying in the area and continuing their work without her. I knew they felt strongly about stopping the development.

  Maggie promised to take pictures of anything that seemed promising and we said good-bye. I knew she was right about Brady. He and his brothers had grown up in the woods in and around Wisteria Hill. His father, Burtis Chapman, had worked for Idris Blackthorne, Ruby’s grandfather and the one-time area bootlegger. A lot of things had happened at the old man’s cabin on his stretch of land adjacent to Wisteria Hill, but the trees told no tales.

  I called Rebecca and explained what had happened to her as well. She expressed her sympathy and I promised to be in touch if she could help in any way. “John was out here last night after supper,” she said. “I’d found two more of my mother’s books. He spoke about his friend. It sounded like she was a nice person.”

  “I think she was,” I said.

  * * *

  Marcus came into the library just after eleven. He’d been home to shower and change. He was wearing a white shirt with dark trousers, he’d shaved, and the ends of his hair were still damp.

  “C’mon up to my office,” I said. Susan was at the circulation desk. “I need a few minutes,” I said to her.

  “Take your time,” she said. As usual, there had been a reporter from the Mayville Heights Chronicle out at the scene of Dani’s accident. The story was already online at the paper’s website.

  Once we were in my office Marcus hugged me. “How are you?” I asked, leaning back to study him. He still looked tired but he was in police officer mode and his emotions were firmly in check.

  “We found Travis,” he said.

  I waited, holding both of his hands in mine. There wasn’t anything I could say to erase the pain in his eyes. I would have given anything to be able to do that.

  It was then that I noticed the beginning of a bruise on the left side of his jawline. I let go of his hand and touched it gently with two fingers.

  He winced.

  “He hit you,” I said softly.

  Marcus nodded. “He still has a pretty good right cross.”

  “You let him?” Marcus was strong, with fast reflexes. He’d clearly taken the punch instead of avoiding it.

  He looked away for a moment and a flush of color came into his cheeks. “I don’t expect you to understand, Kathleen,” he began, “but he needed to.”

  “I do understand,” I said. “Do you want some ice?”

  “No, I’m okay.” He worked his jaw from side to side. “It looks worse than it feels.” He let out a slow breath. “He cried, Kathleen. He swung at me and then he started to cry.”

  I felt the prickle of tears myself but I swallowed them away because this wasn’t about me. “What do you need?” I asked.

  He let go of my hand so he could rake his own through his hair. “They’re both coming over to the house tonight. We, uh, we want to do something—I don’t know, maybe some kind of memorial service for the people she worked with and her friends. I thought maybe we could plan something.”

  “That’s a nice idea,” I said. “What about Dani’s family?”

  “There’s just an older brother and her grandmother. John is going to try to contact the brother.”

  “So how can I help?”

  “Will you come tonight?” he said. “I know you didn’t really know Dani but—”

  I cut him off before he could finish the sentence. “I would be honored.”

  He smiled and I saw some of the stress ease in his face. “I have to get to the station,” he said. “Hope is waiting to find out when we can expect the medical examiner to be finished.”

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll see you tonight. If you need me before then—”

  “I’ll call, I promise.”

  I laid my hand gently against his cheek. “I love you,” I said.

  He swallowed hard, pushing down some emotion. “I love you, too,” he said.

  I walked Marcus downstairs and after he left Susan came around the desk to me. “I heard about Marcus’s friend,” she said, touching my arm. “I’m so sorry. If there’s anything you need to do we can hold down the fort here. I can call Mia in.”

  News spread quickly in Mayville Heights, but I could see the genuine concern in her eyes and once again I realized how lucky I was to be in the small town with people who genuinely cared about me. As much as I sometimes missed my family back in Boston, Mayville Heights was my home now.

  I had to clear my throat before I could answer her. “Thank you, Susan,” I said. “There isn’t anything I can do right now, but I might take you up on your offer later.”

  She nodded and then wrapped me in a quick and unexpected hug before going back to the desk. I went upstairs to my office and once the door was closed didn’t even try to stop the tears from sliding down my face.

  I drove out to Marcus’s house about four thirty with a crock of soup and two dozen of Rebecca’s whole-wheat donuts. Hercules had had another gazebo “meeting” with Everett, and Rebecca had walked him home. “Please tell Marcus we’re thinking about him,” she’d said. “Everett asked me to pass on his sympathies and to tell you that if Marcus or his friends need anything please let him know.”

  “Thank you,” I said, wrapping her in a hug and thinking how such a simple gesture made me feel a little better, giving or receiving. “I think they just need some time.”

  Rebecca nodded. “It isn’t just that they all lost a friend—which is devastating enough—they’ve also lost another connection to a time in their lives when everything seemed possible.”

  “How did you get so smart?” I asked her.

  Rebecca laughed. “I’ve been around long enough to pick up a thing or two—plus I drink a glass of warm water with lemon every morning.”

  “I’ll keep both of those in mind,” I said.

  Micah was sitting on the swing on Marcus’s back deck when I came around the side of his small house. She jumped down and meowed as though she’d been waiting for me, all her attention fixed on the bag of donuts. Owen had been the same way, clearly disgruntled because I wasn’t leaving any of them behind for him. To express his displeasure he’d disappeared from the kitchen—literally—and I’d been extra careful when I got in the truck in case he decided on another stealth ride.

  “Donuts are not for cats,” I said firmly. Micah wrinkled her whiskers at me. She was much politer about expressing her unhappiness with me than Owen was. “I did bring you something, though,” I said, patting the pocket of my sweater.

  She made a soft sound of happiness and rubbed her face against my leg. The back door opened then.

  “Hi,” Marcus said. “I thought I heard someone out here.” He’d changed into a gray sweatshirt a
nd jeans.

  “Hi,” I said. “Micah and I were just talking about donuts.”

  “Cats aren’t supposed to eat donuts,” he said.

  “And you’ve never broken that rule with my cats,” I said. I handed him the canvas bag I was holding. “These are from Rebecca. And Everett offered his help if there’s anything you or John and Travis need.”

  “That’s really nice of them,” he said as Micah and I followed him inside. “I don’t think there’s anything that needs to be done. Once the medical examiner releases her . . . body, the family is planning a service. And I think there’s also going to be another one in Chicago for the people she worked with.” He put the donuts on the counter and took the soup crock from me. “John talked to Dani’s brother. He’ll get in touch when their plans are finalized.”

  “That’s good,” I said.

  Marcus looked around the kitchen. “I feel I should be doing something.”

  “Like what?” I asked. I took off my sweater and hung it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

  “That’s the thing,” he said, swiping a hand over his neck. “I don’t know. Hope is taking the lead on this.”

  “So let her,” I said, reaching for his hand and pulling him toward me. “Let the world turn without you for a little while.”

  Marcus and I had half the soup for supper and I put the rest in his refrigerator. John and Travis showed up about seven o’clock.

  “Hey, Kathleen,” John said. He’d changed into a white shirt with his jeans. He looked tired but his emotions seemed to be under control. I gave him a quick hug and he managed a small smile.

  Travis, on the other hand, looked broken. There was dark stubble on his cheeks and his face was drawn as though he’d lost weight in the brief amount of time since I’d last seen him.

  “Travis, I’m so sorry,” I said.

  His mouth moved but at first no words came out. Then he said, “Kathleen, I owe you an apology. The last time I saw you I . . . I was an asshole.”

  “You don’t need to apologize,” I said. His behavior at the restaurant didn’t seem like such a big deal now.

  His eyes met mine. They were sad behind his glasses, and there were lines on his face I hadn’t noticed yesterday. “I do,” he said. “I can’t apologize to Dani. Please let me say the words to you.”