The Scholarship

by Jaime Maddox

  “I don’t think so. I think this is my dream job.”

  Her friend looked at her with love and admiration in her eyes. “Then good luck,” she said, and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

  “That’s one big moving van,” her friend Leah said as she placed a kiss on Ella’s cheek.

  Ella’s jaw dropped. “I know, right? I thought I’d be able to pack everything in the convertible, but was I ever mistaken. I couldn’t even fit my fall wardrobe in the car. That left three other seasons, plus pictures and books and artwork…I’m basically a hoarder.”

  “I guess it’s good that you’re moving, then. It gives you a chance to start over.”

  “I’m leaving all the furniture, and the tenant is very appreciative.”

  “Who’d you rent to? This happened so quickly!”

  Ella had been delighted when someone had answered her post on the university’s e-bulletin board within hours. A newly minted associate professor had rented her place based solely on the photos she’d placed online and was in the process of moving in at that very moment. They’d exchanged money and keys in the driveway before Ella drove off to Gary’s for her farewell party. It was hard to believe that she’d been able to orchestrate a move in only two weeks, but she had. She’d packed everything in her home and her office, transferred her clients to other development officers, transferred the utilities to her tenant, and was ready to go. It was tremendously helpful that she had no responsibilities with the house in Scranton. All she’d had to do was transfer a few bills—things like credit cards and car insurance—and she was set.

  “A new prof. He’s a bachelor, so I’m hoping he’ll stay for a few years and help me pay off the mortgage.”

  “You could get lucky there. He probably won’t want to buy anything until he gets tenure. How long does that take?”

  “A few years, I’d imagine.”

  “It does sound perfect.”

  “Yes, and Gary has agreed to do the maintenance, just like he does now.”

  “It’s a good situation in Scranton, too. You’re a lucky lady, Ella.”

  Ella smiled and sipped her champagne. She felt lucky. After confirming the job with Mary Ann Bingham, she’d received a huge fruit basket from her new colleagues in development, as well as a small bouquet from the president herself. They’d sent her a check for moving expenses and told her to provide them a receipt if she needed additional funds, so she was way ahead there. The moving van would cost only a few hundred dollars, and even after she bought Gary and his partner dinner, she’d still have hundreds of dollars to spare. She was surrounded by lovely people who obviously cared about her, even if she was a rotten friend. And she was about to begin an exciting new job. She was very lucky indeed.

  Glancing at the group of gathered friends, some single and some coupled, she wondered if a romance was in her future. It wasn’t something she craved, but she wasn’t opposed to dating, either. It had just become difficult, because of her strange hours and the travel demands of her job. Most normal nine-to-fivers couldn’t handle a relationship with someone who was never around. Unless she was in a relationship with someone she didn’t want to spend time with, having a girlfriend was difficult. And if she hadn’t found one in Philly, how could she ever hope to in the mountains? Yes, she knew lesbians lived there, but statistically speaking, there had to be less of them.

  Finding Mrs. Right wouldn’t be easy after the move. She was sure of it. And she was okay with that knowledge, too. No matter if she had a woman to share her success with or enjoyed the company of friends or colleagues, Ella was content. Leah was right. Ella was lucky.

  * * *

  Sunday afternoons were always family days for Reese. Even though she had a perfectly functional washer and dryer at her house, she’d carry a basket with her and wash, dry, and fold during the few hours she spent with her parents and sister. If she worked the day shift, they’d have a late dinner and watch sports on TV. If she worked the evening shift, they’d have an early dinner and watch sports on TV.

  Today had been a little different, since the RailRiders were in town, and Reese had volunteered to transport Cass to and from the game. She picked her friend Karen up first, then drove by for Cass. She was waiting on the front step when Reese pulled up in her Jeep.

  “Hi, sis,” Reese said.

  “Karen!” Cass shouted, completely ignoring Reese as she gave Karen a big hug and then climbed in back. It was a beautiful sunny day, the top was down, and Reese didn’t let her sister bother her.

  “Buckle up, so I don’t dump you on the corner.”

  “Reese is a bad driver,” Cass said.

  Karen nodded. “I know.”

  Reese shot a look at Karen before turning her eyes back to the road. “I’d be happy to turn the keys over to you. Then I can sit back and enjoy a few beers at the game.”

  “No deal. But thanks for the invite.”

  Cass usually gave her free tickets for being an usher to Reese and her parents, who went as a couple. Reese had a few friends who enjoyed baseball and accompanied her on game days.

  “Cass, thanks for the tickets.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “You could say thanks for the ride,” Reese teased her.

  “Thanks.”

  Reese dropped Cass off at the curb and then found a parking space not too far from the stadium’s main entrance. After presenting their tickets, she and Karen checked to make sure Cass had made it to her post and then headed to the outfield. They grabbed two beers and sat on the grass to watch batting practice.

  “So, how’s life?” Karen asked as she rested on an elbow. The knoll beyond the centerfield wall was perfect for reclining, and Reese mimicked her posture.

  “It’s good. How about with you?”

  “I hate my job, but other than that, I can’t complain.”

  Karen was one of the young prosecutors in the DA’s office, and the cases she was assigned usually lacked glamour and excitement. Her dedication to putting away the bad guys was genuine, though, and Reese thought she’d be a lifer.

  “You love it and you know it.”

  “I’m not so sure anymore.”

  Reese sensed she was serious and leaned forward, letting Karen know she had her attention. “Why?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Constant chaos. Daily doses of death and destruction. No thanks for a job well done, but plenty of criticism for whatever goes wrong. Too much to do and not enough hands to do it.”

  “Wait. That sounds like the ER!”

  “I guess you can understand, then. Any suggestions from my older, wiser friend?”

  “Have another beer.”

  They laughed, and Reese offered her bottle in toast. “If beer made it better, we’d be fine.”

  “Guess who’s getting the Stephanie Gates murder?”

  Reese brought her bottle to her lips and took a long pull to settle her stomach before answering. The topic of Stephanie Gates always unnerved her. “So it’s true? I heard a rumor, but…” Shrugging, she looked off toward the baseball field.

  “There’s more than three months until the election, but the DA thinks reopening the investigation now will give Bucky some momentum.”

  “What do you think? Are there any new leads?” Doing her best to appear polite rather than interested, Reese rested back on her elbows as she waited for Karen to reply.

  “You remember the case, don’t you? You were her classmate. They didn’t have any leads then and won’t find any now.”

  Reese blew out a sigh of frustration. How could a stranger break into someone’s house and murder them without leaving a single clue? That was the rumor back then, and apparently, it was true. Reese never knew for sure, had never talked to anyone about the case. She’d had her reasons for keeping her distance back then, and they still held true. Getting involved was not a good move for her, but she would still like to know what was happening with the investigation. “Steph was a good friend of mine, but I never really knew anything a
bout the case. All I know is her killer was never caught.”

  “I’m afraid that’s about all there is. No physical evidence at all. No witnesses. No motive. Nothing, nada, nicht.”

  Reese laughed and drank her beer. “If anyone can do it, you can.” Reese hoped Karen could find something other investigators had missed, but she didn’t hold out hope. After almost twenty-five years, the killer would probably never be caught.

  “I’ll keep you posted.”

  “I’d appreciate that. And if you need anything from me…I’d be happy to help.”

  Karen nodded, and they were silent as a young girl surely destined for greatness performed the national anthem. She had a voice that left the crowd of five thousand fans screaming. When the excitement died down, the RailRiders took the field, and Karen turned to look at Reese.

  “How’s your love life? Are you seeing anyone?”

  Reese had known Karen for more than a decade, since meeting at a party when Karen first arrived back in town after law school at Villanova. They’d always been friends, nothing more, but Karen loved meddling in Reese’s love life. “Not at the moment.”

  “This has been a long moment.”

  Reese smiled around her beer bottle. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Well, let me see if I can refresh your memory. Memorial Day party—no date. New Year’s Eve party—no date. Halloween party—no date.”

  “I see your memory hasn’t suffered from the stresses of your job. What about you? Who are you seeing?”

  “Ah, deflection. We’ll come back to you. Who am I not seeing?”

  “Okay, then. Let me see if I can think of anyone.” Reese knew Karen had suffered a devastating loss when her first lover had been killed in a car accident. That pain, and the strength and humor with which she endured it, were big reasons why she liked Karen so much. In the years since her lover’s death, Karen had never gotten serious again. She hadn’t missed out on dating, though, bringing a different woman to each of the events she’d mentioned. Reese knew Karen was protecting herself. She understood.

  “Do you have anything going on with Portia?”

  Karen shook her head solemnly. “I don’t want to piss Ellen off.”

  “I think that’s wise. Besides, there are so many other fish in the sea.”

  Karen’s eyes flew open wide. “Yeah, aren’t there? Did you see the new helicopter babe?”

  Reese knew just the woman Karen was speaking of. A seasoned flight medic had left the field to work in administration, and his replacement was a beautiful brunette with curves that filled a flight suit like Reese had never seen before. On their first few encounters, Reese had been very impressed by the woman’s professionalism. Now she seemed to be flirting with Reese, and for some reason, it was a big letdown.

  “She’s a hottie.”

  “I saw her first,” Karen said.

  “Where?”

  “At Suzie’s party on the Fourth. You should get out more.”

  “Oh. I had to work. The ER never closes, and someone has to reattach the fingertips that the fireworks blow off. Good party?” Had it really been that long since she’d talked to Karen? Maybe she did need to get out more.

  “Well, her name is Deb, and I want her. Bad.”

  Thinking of her less-than-professional comments in the ER, Reese frowned. “I think she’s a bigger player than you are.”

  “Oh, I can play big. I’ve got game.”

  Reese laughed and touched her bottle to Karen’s once again. “I have no doubt.”

  They were quiet for a moment. “You can have her, if you want.”

  Reese looked at Karen and saw genuine concern in her friend’s eyes.

  “No, no. I’m not looking. Really. Sometimes it’s nice to be single.” In truth, Reese had spent most of her life unattached. She dated, but only for fun and sex. She let her eyes wander along the bleachers to where she saw her sister, watching the game instead of the crowd, and she knew she could never get serious. Her sister was her responsibility, and no way would she ever find a woman willing to take on both Ryan women. A woman like that didn’t exist. So Reese kept it casual, and so far, it had worked out great.

  Their easy banter continued, and it wasn’t until the middle of the game that they made their way to their assigned seats in Cass’s section. Reese bought a bottle of water from the vendor and handed it to Cass, who gave Reese a hug. “This is my sister,” Cass proudly announced to the crowd. They all cheered for Reese, and she tipped her cap and waved to the fans in Cass’s section. Most of them were season-ticket holders, and they saw Cass at every game. Every season, in fact. They were like family to her.

  Reese settled into her seat and enjoyed the sunshine, and the baseball, and the easy conversation with Karen. When the RailRiders rallied to win in the bottom of the ninth, she cheered wildly, along with the other five thousand fans in attendance. It was a beautiful day, and they’d all stayed for the exciting finish. When they arrived back at her parents’ house to drop off Cass, Reese was momentarily surprised to see a moving van in the driveway. Then she remembered that Pip was going to California and someone from PMU was going to live in her house for a few months.

  Then the someone stepped through the threshold, and Reese was mesmerized. She looked toward the van, a smile peeking through the corners of her mouth, then turned and tossed a long mane of blond hair over her shoulder. The spell was broken when she reached to the man behind her, a tall, well-built guy in a Phillies cap, and kissed him.

  “Is that the new neighbor?” Karen asked.

  Reese swallowed her disappointment. The kiss—the blatant display of heterosexuality—had come so quickly she didn’t even have a moment to enjoy the jolt she’d gotten from the sight of such a lovely woman.

  “Must be,” she said as she pulled around the corner and into her parents’ driveway, out of sight of the kissing couple in front of the house.

  Chapter 6: Cold Sweat

  He disconnected his phone and threw it at his couch, where it bounced off the back and landed harmlessly on the seat. He would have screamed, but odds were good someone would have heard him, and the last thing he wanted—or needed—was attention.

  What had been an innocent, friendly phone call to schedule a golf outing had turned his day into a disaster when his childhood friend had shared the current gossip. The investigation into Stephanie Gates’s murder was being reopened. Why? What hope could they have after all these years? It was the damned television, he thought. All those cold cases, decades old, solved in an hour of prime-time TV. Their improbable success inspired cops and prosecutors and parents to look into their own freezers, hoping for answers.

  He wished he could give them the answers, tell them it had just been an accident, but of course, he couldn’t do that. They’d never believe him. They’d never understand how Steph’s death had ruined his life, too. How he thought about her every day. How now, sitting in his office, thinking of her, he was drenched by a wave of guilt that all the years hadn’t been able to assuage.

  Not a day went by without a thought of Stephanie somehow woven into it. If it was a sunny summer day, he thought of her at the lake, sunbathing or swimming, or racing her boat across the choppy surface to the little cove where they all parked, out of sight of parents and other adults. In the fall, he thought of her at school, the serious student who tried so hard—and succeeded—at all her academic pursuits. Top of the class. Student council president. She would have been homecoming queen if she hadn’t denounced the event. She could have done anything.

  He thought of her in the pool, working to improve her times, and in the gym, lifting weights to gain the strength that would help her swim faster. There were parties on snow days and ski trips where they gathered by the big fireplace in Elk Mountain’s lodge or, better yet, the overnight trips to Vermont where they had so much fun. He remembered the first night they spent together there, awakening to find her sleeping beside him. It had been one of the happiest moments of his life.
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br />   Spring was the hardest for him, when the world was coming back to life after the cold, northeast winter. The world was coming back to life, and Steph had died. She’d died because of him, and spring would never be the same.

  Burying his face in his hands, he shook off the image of her vacant eyes staring at him. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his shirt and sighed. He’d never meant to hurt her. He had no reason to feel guilty. Besides, she’d provoked him. It wasn’t her fault, and he knew she didn’t mean to hurt him, but she had. And he’d reacted badly, in anger. He hadn’t gone to her house that night intending to hurt her; he’d only wanted to talk, to convince her to change her decision. Her mind had been made up, though, and he couldn’t change it. It had been over before he got there, only he didn’t know it.

  He could hardly even remember reaching for the statue. One minute Steph was turning her back on him, and the next, she was lying on the ground, dead.

  No one could really blame him, could they, if they knew how it had happened? No. No one was to blame. It was an accident.

  He still felt badly, though. Stephanie had been a bright, beautiful, young girl, with so much potential. He had no doubt that, if she’d lived, she would have done wonderful things, made the world a better place, as he had.

  He’d often reflected on the accident and realized he carried an added burden after her death. Not only did he feel responsible to make his own way in the world, but he felt the need to do extra well, to contribute the things Steph couldn’t. It pushed him, made him work harder to be the best he could be. He was kind and generous. He gave back to the world that had not always been so kind to him.