by J A Whiting
“Tell me what you’re looking for in an apartment.” David clicked at his laptop.
“Well, I’d like one or two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a nice kitchen, preferably white. An outdoor space would be wonderful. I don’t need parking. I’d also like the kitchen to be open to the living area.”
“What part of the city would you prefer to be in?” David asked.
“Back Bay, or over in the Fenway. Maybe Beacon Hill.” Nell was enjoying playing a wealthy young woman looking for a place to spend weekends.
“And what is your budget?”
Nell made up a figure and the real estate agent looked pleased about what she planned to spend on rent.
“I have several nice apartments I think you’d like.” David adjusted his screen to show the sisters the available places.
“Those look great,” Nell said as David paged through the online photos. “Those might be something I’d like.”
Violet asked, “How did you get involved in real estate?”
“I graduated college last December and answered ads. I’ve always been interested in real estate. It’s like being an entrepreneur or a business owner. It’s the perfect career for me. I get to meet so many different people and I enjoy finding the right home for a client.”
“Where did you graduate from?” Nell asked.
David told them the name of the Boston university.
“A very good school,” Violet said. “Did you happen to know that professor who got killed recently on the North Shore? She taught at that college.”
David seemed to stiffen and he sniffed. “I knew her.”
“Did you?” Violet questioned. “Were you in one of her classes?”
“Yes, I was.” David’s upper lip tightened.
Nell asked the name of the class and David told her what it was.
“Did you enjoy the course?” Violet questioned. “It sounds really interesting.”
“The course was fine. The instructor was not.” David sat straight in his chair.
Violet leaned forward pretending everything she heard was new information to her. “What was wrong with the professor?”
“She was a terrible instructor. Her exams were ridiculous. She took issue with everything in the answers we wrote. She was very nit-picky. The grades she gave out did not reflect the knowledge her students had acquired and demonstrated.”
“Did you complain to the university about Dr. Forrest?” Violet asked the young man.
“Of course, I did, and it was to no avail. They wouldn’t look into my complaints. They allowed my poor grade to stand. It kept me from receiving offers from several well-known firms. Pepper Forrest was a terrible instructor. Honestly? She ruined my career prospects. I would have liked to do the same to her.” David’s face had changed from professional and pleasant to angry and indignant.
“Were other students disgruntled about their grades?” Nell asked.
“Sure, but I didn’t care about them. I cared about myself and how the poor grade would impact my job prospects,” David said adjusting the pewter cufflink on his sleeve.
“Did you speak with Dr. Forrest about the grade she’d given to you?” Violet watched the young’s man’s expression.
“Yes, many times. She blew me off. Can you imagine? A professor so uncaring that she would blow off a student’s questions and comments. She was unfit to teach,” David said. “She should have been fired.”
Nell could see the flush of anger on David’s cheeks as his face hardened and he began to rant about Dr. Forrest’s incompetence.
David said, “I’m not sure she was actually incompetent, but she was lazy and arrogant and didn’t care what some lowly undergraduate student had to say. It made me feel used and powerless. She held all the cards. I was less than a pauper. I had no rights at all. I’m glad to be out of there and in a place where I can be judged on my merits.”
“It sounds like you made the right choice in accepting an offer here.” Nell thought the young real estate agent was getting overly excited about his past professor and wanted David to calm down before his emotions got the best of him.
“I could have done better.” David steamed. “You know what? Dr. Forrest got exactly what she deserved.”
“You really don’t mean that,” Violet suggested.
David stared at Violet with hate in his eyes.
“It was an unfortunate situation you had to deal with,” Violet said. “But something positive may have come out of the difficulty. Perhaps it made you more resilient.”
David’s face was now the color of a beet. “What a bunch of hogwash. That’s what losers say when something bad happens and they can’t maneuver their way out of it.” He added in a sickeningly sweet and mocking tone of voice, “You must have been empowered by being treated like garbage. It must have made you stronger.” He pounded the table with the palm of his hand. “It didn’t. Get it through your head. Nothing positive came out of it.”
Nell’s blood began to boil. “How dare you speak to my sister like that. We came in here looking for an apartment, not a fight. We simply brought up someone we knew who worked at the university, but you decided to have a rant.”
David stood up and leaned menacingly across his desk.
Nell stood and stared directly into the man’s eyes. “We’re done here.”
Violet followed her sister’s lead.
“You come in here and waste my time,” David raised his voice.
“You wasted our time by obsessing over someone who has nothing to do with you or your life anymore,” Nell explained evenly. She did not like David’s behavior one bit, and she felt intimidated by his negativity and his bizarre outburst.
Suddenly, David’s body and clothes were covered in a deep shade of green. The color shimmered over him for several seconds, and then turned to black.
Nell took several quick steps back while she watched the colors change from black to green. Reaching for her sister’s arm, she tugged on it. “It’s time to go,” she told Violet and they backed out of the office.
“I’ll thank you not to waste my time ever again.” David gave them a menacing look.
Nell slammed the door to the man’s office and she and Violet stormed away.
* * *
Sipping coffees a few blocks away, the sisters sat shaken by the interaction with David Belk.
“That guy is certified looney.” Violet rubbed her neck. “We only asked an innocent question about a former professor and he went off the deep end. That nutty obsession with her and his poor grade. He graduated. It’s over. He can’t let it go. He could easily be the one who drove that car into Pepper.”
Nell took a deep breath. “I saw colors on him.”
Violet looked at her sister. “What colors?”
“Green and black.” Nell felt slightly woozy from the meeting with the real estate agent.
“What do those colors mean? What do they stand for?” Violet’s voice sounded a little bit shaky.
“Remember colors don’t mean the same things in every society? They have different meanings in different cultures.”
“Like what? Tell me some of them,” Violet said.
Nell read from the notes she’d made on her phone. “Black can mean mystery, and death.”
Violet’s shoulders moved back and she groaned. “Does it ever stand for something else?”
“It can also stand for life, and resurrection.”
“Two completely different things.” Violet pushed a strand of hair from her eye. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess the black color doesn’t represent life in this case. It’s more apt to mean death. I hate to ask, but what does a green color mean?”
“Green can stand for wisdom or rebirth,” Nell said reading from her phone. “It can mean envy, too.”
“I think the green on David Belk would indicate envy,” Violet said. “I hope Chief Lambert or another officer from Bluewater has questioned David. You’d better ask him. This is a guy that law enforceme
nt needs to be aware of.” Violet lowered her voice. “Can’t you picture David committing a crime? He seems full of himself and he seems to lack empathy. I wonder where he was on the afternoon of Pepper’s accident.”
“David frightened me,” Nell admitted.
“He frightened me, too. He shouldn’t be working with the public if he can’t control his emotions.”
“He was so helpful and nice when we first got there, and after we asked him about Pepper, he completely transformed. It was like he couldn’t stop himself,” Nell said.
Nell frowned. “Not being able to control yourself isn’t a very good characteristic to have. Depending on the severity of the issue, losing control could lead someone to commit a crime.”
Violet eyed her sister. “You mean like murder?”
16
Nell, Violet, and Dani were dividing the check for their dinner at a town pub when Nell noticed Rob and the new researcher, Atkins Murray, standing at the crowded bar. Rob waved and gestured for them to join him and Atkins.
“Why is Rob with Atkins?” Dani asked with a sniff. “What if that guy is Pepper’s killer?”
“Let’s go find out why they’re out together,” Nell suggested.
The young women went over to the bar to greet the men, and Atkins was introduced to Dani and Violet.
Once conversation started up, Nell leaned close to Rob. “Why are you out with Atkins? Aren’t you suspicious of him?”
Rob said, “I am suspicious, but we don’t have any facts or details to link him to Pepper’s accident. Atkins asked me if I’d like to go out for a couple of beers. I agreed in order to get to know him better. Talking to him more will either confirm he’s Pepper’s attacker or it will make our working relationship better … so here I am. It’s win-win.”
“I guess so.” Nell didn’t like the idea that Rob was socializing with a potential criminal. “Have you learned anything from him?”
“We’ve haven’t even been here for fifteen minutes,” Rob said. “We’ve barely found a place to stand, it’s so crowded in here. We just ordered beers. I haven’t had a chance yet to ask Atkins if he’s Pepper’s killer.”
“Ha ha,” Nell deadpanned.
Atkins looked over at Rob from his discussion with Violet and Dani. “Did you say my name?”
“What?” Rob stammered, attempting to keep his tone even and innocent. “No, I didn’t. You must have misheard.”
Atkins returned to his conversation with the two young women.
“Don’t ask me anything more about him when he’s standing only a few yards away,” Rob whispered.
“Oh, don’t be so fussy,” Nell said. “He can’t hear what we’re saying to each other.”
Rob gave Nell a look that told her he didn’t think much of her comment.
Just then Peter and Detective Michael Gregory walked over, and as Peter leaned down to give Dani a kiss, the detective introduced himself to those he didn’t know and gave Nell an especially warm greeting.
“I hear you and Peter went on an outing together?” Gregory asked Nell.
“Did we?” Nell knew the detective was referring to her and Peter’s visit to the rental car agency. “I seem to have forgotten.”
“Did you find out anything helpful when you were there?” Gregory asked.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” Nell pretended to be confused about what Gregory was alluding to.
Detective Gregory chuckled. “You don’t need to be so wary around me. I don’t bite, and anyway, we’re on the same team.”
Nell gave Peter a quick a look and said to the detective, “I’m not on a team.”
“I know you’re working with the police, Nell,” the detective told her. “I know it’s some informal thing and I’m not going to ask you questions about your involvement, but we need to help each other so this thing can get solved.” A sincere smile crossed the man’s lips.
“Okay, Detective,” Nell said feeling warmth creep up her neck. “I wish I had discovered some earth-shattering news, but I didn’t. Otherwise, I’d share with you.”
“Call me, Michael.”
“Michael.” Nell’s cheeks felt like they were on fire and she wished the detective didn’t have such an effect on her. “Do you have anything to share?”
“Not really.” The detective reached for the bottle of beer the bartender was handing to him. “It’s like the driver of that car has vanished into thin air and isn’t coming back.”
“No leads?” Nell asked, as she accepted a drink from her sister.
“Plenty of leads.” Michael Gregory leaned against the bar. “They’re all good for nothing though.”
Nell thought for a few seconds. “If the killer lived in Bluewater, he could have been back at home in a very short amount of time. He probably parked his own car near the mall, ditched the rental car there after he hit and killed Pepper, then got into his own vehicle and calmly drove home.”
“Yeah. Sort of like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Michael said. “No prints were found in the rental car. There was nothing at the rental company except a video of the man renting the car wearing a disguise … so no clues there either. The guy wore a disguise when he was driving the car so witnesses couldn’t get a good look at him. The fake ID used to rent the vehicle led nowhere. Unless we get a tip or find something new, I’m afraid the death will go unexplained and the person responsible will go unpunished.”
“Are you always this cheery?” Nell joked with the detective to lighten the mood.
“Always,” Michael kidded. “My colleagues call me Cheerful Mike.”
Nell laughed. “So what do you do in situations like this? Seriously.”
“We hope, we might say a prayer, we keep looking until a tiny thing leads to a bigger thing.” Michael took a swallow from his beer bottle.
Nell told the detective about her and Violet’s trip to Boston earlier in the day. “Has anyone talked to you or the local police about a former student of Pepper’s? His name is David Belk. He put up a stink when Pepper gave him a bad grade. He stalked her for a while.”
Michael stood straighter. “Who told you this?”
“Professor Janis Littleton. She was a friend of Pepper’s.”
Michael nodded. “I read the notes about her visit to the station. She didn’t mention anything about the student stalking Pepper.”
“She told us she’d been thinking things over and over and David Belk worried her.”
“A university administrator told us about the student and his behavior. Some officers had a talk with Mr. Belk. He claimed his disappointment in his grade was overblown and he’d never stalked Dr. Forrest. He acted indignant about it.”
“Did Belk lose his temper when the officers spoke with him?” Nell asked.
“There wasn’t any mention of that,” Michael said.
Nell reported how Belk had behaved with her and her sister when they met with him. “When we brought up Dr. Forrest, he changed into a fire-breathing dragon. His loss of emotional control was a little frightening.”
“And why did you and your sister go to talk to him?” Michael asked.
Nell looked at the detective with a sideways glance. “We were interested in renting an apartment in the city.”
“Why?”
“It would be nice to spend some time there,” Nell said.
“You aren’t planning a move to Boston?”
“No, Bluewater is our home, but we thought it might be nice to have a place to stay in the city.”
“And you just happened to be at the real estate agency where David Belk works?” Michael gave Nell a disbelieving expression.
Nell sighed and admitted, “We looked him up. We didn’t think it would hurt to talk to him.”
“It didn’t hurt for you to talk to him. In fact, it was helpful. His behavior warrants another visit from us.”
“Did Belk not lose his temper when the officers talked with him about Pepper because they were law enforcement?” Nell qu
estioned. “Was Belk being more careful not to reveal his true feelings because he was talking to the police, but with Violet and me there was no reason to rein in his emotions so he let loose?”
“That’s probably right. He did a good job hiding his feelings in front of law enforcement when they went to talk to him.”
“We also heard about an accident Pepper and her fiancé had been in,” Nell said.
“Yeah. Months before their wedding, they were involved in an accident. They were badly injured and there was a fatality.”
“A fatality?” Nell nearly shuddered.
“A woman was killed. She was in the other car,” Michael said with a nod.
Before Nell could ask anything more, Rob interrupted the discussion between Nell and the detective. “How about you two join in with the rest of us. What’s all the whispering about?”
“We’re not whispering.” Michael smiled and turned around to the others. “If we were, we wouldn’t have been able to hear one another with the music and all the chatter in here.”
The group stood together talking for about ten minutes before they split again into conversations of two or three. Nell, Rob, and Atkins discussed the research the men were conducting at the hospital and Nell hoped Rob wouldn’t bring up doing an evaluation on her ability to see emotions in front of Atkins.
When Rob stepped to the bar to order some drinks, Nell and Atkins stood awkwardly with one another.
Nell said, “The police still haven’t found the driver of the car that hit Pepper Forrest.”
Atkins eyes clouded over. “That’s unfortunate.”
“I can’t stop thinking about the day. My sister and I were standing near the window. I saw that car tearing away from the curb and heading right for her.” Nell’s shoulders trembled. “Were you at the lab when you heard about the accident?”
“I heard about it at home when I watched the news,” Atkins said.
“Had you been in the lab that day?” Nell worked at getting Atkins to tell her where he was when the accident had happened.
“I don’t remember the day. I’m usually in the lab in the mornings.”
