leaving the terminal. When they reached Tom’s
unmarked car, Tom opened the back door for Rose and
Alexis, and he asked Mike Howard if he wanted to sit in
the passenger seat.
Tom loaded their luggage in the trunk of the car, and
soon they were on their way to the hotel. The silence in
the car was almost palpable, as nobody could think of
anything that should be said. There was a lot Rose
wanted to know, but ignorance felt—right now—better
than any truth she was afraid she might hear. Mike sat
silently in front, mostly pretending he was staring at the
view outside the window; Alexis just lay back against
the seat, her eyes cast downward toward her hands,
which were clasped on her lap. After a 20-minute ride
on Interstate 40, they hopped onto the Beltline and,
within minutes, they exited onto Capital Boulevard.
Traffic was horrific—Capital Boulevard had been
described by at least one member of the Raleigh 2030
Planning Commission as an example of a poorlyplanned traffic corridor—and Mike wondered if the area was always this congested. It was lunchtime after all,
and many people were taking their breaks.
The hotel appeared nice enough from the road;
Mike was relieved they were finally here. He hoped
Rose was correct in assuming that the body found
wasn’t Tracey’s, though he didn’t really put too much
faith in that possibility. But, if it was Tracey, they could
at least bring her home with them and give her a proper
burial.
Tom pulled his car directly in front of the main
entrance, cut the engine, and walked around to the trunk
for the Howards’ luggage. He and Mike rolled the bags
in, while Rose and Alexis followed behind. Kathy
walked in just as the desk clerk was handing them their
keys. She knew she was early for their appointment, but
since she was done with errands and she saw Tom’s car
when she drove by, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to meet
him in the lobby instead of the restaurant. She smiled
and waited for Tom to introduce her.
“Mr. and Mrs. Howard, this is Kathy Spencer. She
will make sure that all your needs are met. I have to
leave in the next few minutes to attend to some police
business, but Ms. Spencer can assist you and maybe
take you to lunch. We are scheduled to meet with the
Medical Examiner at his office at 4 p.m. and, if it is
okay with you, I will come and pick you up at 3:15.
There is a little paperwork we need to take care of, but it
can wait until after you’re settled in.”
Mike and Rose Howard nodded in unison. Kathy
shook their hands and smiled at Alexis. “Hi, what’s your
name?”
The little girl raised her eyes to look at her, and
responded timidly. “Alexis,” she said, but her voice was
barely a whisper.
“You must excuse her, Ms. Spencer. She is quite
shy, and I think she is a bit tired from the trip.”
Kathy smiled wider. “Oh, I understand. It’s perfectly
okay and certainly to be expected. My major was in
child psychology.”
Rose looked at Kathy with renewed interest, and her
eyes focused on Kathy’s face as if she had just now
realized Kathy was standing in front of them. “How
interesting, Ms. Spencer. Children are amazing.”
“They are indeed. I don’t practice psychology—I
am a photographer, but I really enjoyed working with
children during the years of my training.”
“I am sorry to interrupt, but I really need to run,”
Tom said softly. “Mr. and Mrs. Howard, I will see you in
two hours, and Kathy…thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Kathy smiled as Tom left.
“Well, it’s just us. Would you like to freshen up first, or
would you like for me to show you where you can eat
lunch?”
“The front desk can probably store our luggage.
Would you like to join us for lunch, Ms. Spencer?”
Kathy thought for a moment. She didn’t want to
intrude, yet there was something about the dead young
woman that profoundly called to her; maybe talking to
her family could shed some light on why she felt so
touched by this case. “Sure, I would love to.”
After securing the luggage in the storage area, they
walked outside. At this time of day, the heat was at its
highest and very intense. Capital Boulevard was
congested with cars slowly streaming past in both
directions, and the muffled reverberation of a hundred
engines was only briefly punctuated by the siren of a
fire engine in the distance.
“There are many restaurants around here; what is
your preference?”
“Anything, really,” Mike Howard replied. Mrs.
Howard confirmed with a nod of her head. Alexis was
quiet and kept her eyes down. Kathy smiled at her.
“What would you like to eat, Alexis? We have an
Applebee’s within walking distance. I hear they have
fantastic chicken tenders and french fries.”
Alexis looked up from her shoes and her lips
formed a tiny smile. Kathy’s heart went out to her—this
was so hard for a child so young to process, and Alexis
was probably very confused and scared. Feeling
included was something she definitely needed right now,
even if all she got to do was to choose the lunch venue.
Mr. Howard picked up on it immediately. “Well, you
love chicken tenders and french fries, don’t you, Alexis?
It sounds like the perfect restaurant.” Alexis nodded
softly and smiled at Kathy again. Mrs. Howard’s eyes
locked with Kathy’s for a moment, and Kathy was sure
she detected a silent “thank you” in them.
The four of them walked next door to the restaurant
and were seated almost immediately. The food was hot
and delicious, and—if only for a brief moment—it
provided a sense of normalcy in a day that felt, for the
most part, surreal.
True to what Mr. Howard said, Alexis cleared her
plate in record time. With a full belly, her voice
appeared to have surfaced again, and she started talking
non-stop about her school in St. Louis, and about the
spelling bee she had won just two weeks before.
“It sounds like you are a good student, Alexis. Do
you like school?”
Alexis twisted her little nose to one side and
appeared to be weighing the question. “Yes, I guess so.
It’s fun sometimes. Sometimes it is boring.”
Everyone at the table chuckled, and the sound of
laughter was like a healing balm for everyone, Kathy
included. Her heart ached for this family, and she
wished she could do something to alleviate their pain.
She knew Rose Howard was doing her best to keep up a
brave front, and she was sure a part of her was in firm
denial. Mr. Howard’s eyes were infused with sadness
and worry, and he often looked out of the window near
their booth in an almost-reflexiv
e way that, to Kathy’s
observant eye, telegraphed his anxiety.
“You mentioned that you are a photographer, Ms.
Spencer. What made you want to pursue this type of
career if you had a degree in psychology?” Mrs. Howard
asked.
Kathy thought for a moment before she replied. “I
think I have always been intrigued by expressions.
There is something magical about a person’s eyes, and
the way they convey so much about their feelings and
personality. I have a passion for capturing different
expressions. I specialize in portraits—weddings, school
photos, ceremonies of different kinds.”
“I love to take pictures!” Alexis volunteered. Her
enthusiastic response warmed Kathy’s heart.
“It’s true.” Mrs. Howard confirmed, with a fond
look at the child. “Alexis takes pictures of everything.
Thank goodness for digital cameras—we couldn’t afford
to buy or develop all the film she would use up, without
them!”
“Well, Alexis,” Kathy offered, “Maybe you can
come and visit my studio before you go back home. You
can try different pieces of equipment and see which one
you are more comfortable with.”
Alexis’ eyes widened in surprise. “Really?! Would
you let me use your camera?” Her head jerked from one
parent to the next. “Mom and Dad, please…please,
please…can we go?”
After her sulking mood of the past few days, Rose
and Mike Howard felt like they had just witnessed a
small miracle unfold. “If it is okay with Ms. Spencer, I
don’t see why not.” Mr. Howard smiled kindly at his
daughter.
“Mr. and Mrs. Howard, if you wish, Alexis can stay
with me at the studio this afternoon, while you go with
the police.”
Rose and Mike Howard exchanged looks and
thought for a moment. Mr. Howard spoke for both of
them. “Alexis has already been exposed to enough, Ms.
Spencer; I was worried about taking her with us this
afternoon. We would be extremely grateful if you could
show her your studio.”
Kathy smiled. “That’s wonderful. I will let you rest
for a while after we leave the restaurant. I have an
errand to run, but I will be back around three to pick
Alexis up. Of course, Lieutenant Lackey has my contact
information already, but I will be happy to give you my
mobile phone number before you go, in case you want
to talk to Alexis while she is with me.”
They made small conversation and ate a little. Mrs.
Howard, still in denial, ate more than her husband, who
barely picked at his plate of blackened tuna and steamed
vegetables. There were many questions Kathy wanted to
ask, but the tension was so high that she held back. She
didn’t want to say anything that might break the thread
of balance she felt certain Rose Howard was clinging to
at the moment. After they were finished, Kathy walked
them back to their hotel and left. When she got in her
car she started the engine, and her eyes fell on the folder
filled with the strange photos she had developed earlier.
Is it you in those pictures, Tracey? What were you trying
to tell me?
In her heart, Kathy knew that something incredible
was getting ready to happen.
Chapter 5
“Mrs. Howard, we are ready.” The young woman
dressed in blue surgical attire smiled softly when she
made her announcement. She appeared to be about
thirty years old, with blond hair tied in a short ponytail
and green eyes framed by long lashes. She barely made
a sound as she walked toward Rose, Mike and Tom,
who were sitting in the waiting area, and Rose wondered
if the unnerving quietness of her steps was connected to
her extremely petite size, or to self-training—working in
a place such as this, where every tiny sound echoed
against the white-washed walls and the hard floors, one
had to feel a bit self-conscious about making any noise.
Rose felt dizzy when she stood up, so she closed her
eyes and touched the edge of the seat to restore her
balance. A voice screamed inside of her head, telling her
that within minutes her world would crumble, but Rose
silenced it quickly; she felt relieved when a sudden rush
of adrenaline released in her bloodstream and stiffened
her spine. She locked eyes with the young woman—
Jacqueline Worth, her name tag said—and walked
resolutely toward the door the woman was holding open
for her. “Very well, let’s go.”
“Rose, I can go in your place. Why don’t you wait
here?” Mike called out, but Rose ignored his desperate
attempt to shield her from trauma and continued to
walk.
She followed Ms. Worth down a starkly white
hallway, completely oblivious to the fact that Tom was
following behind and, as they walked, they passed
another employee pushing an empty gurney. Like Ms.
Worth, he was very young—too young, almost, to work
in a place like this, where one came face to face with
death every day. They stopped by a closed door to the
right, and Ms. Worth knocked softly.
“Come in.” The voice from inside sounded older
and throaty. An older man…
When they entered, Rose saw a gurney pushed
against the wall, only a few feet away from a large
window covered by white blinds. On the gurney was a
white sheet lined with blue at the edges and the shape of
a human body beneath the sheet captured Rose’s gaze
and her breath, momentarily. She suddenly felt her
hands shake; her breathing became labored. Ms. Worth
laid a small hand over her arm, to ground her and make
her feel less alone, and she gently helped Rose walk
closer to the gurney. Rose wanted to close her eyes and
scream, as the reality of what was happening hit her
square in the chest and she felt her heart break in a
thousand sharp pieces.
“Mrs. Howard, would you like to sit down?” The
older gentleman who spoke had hair and a beard as
white as the pristine world that surrounded him.
Rose shook her head and bit her lower lip. “No, I’m
okay. Thank you.” She attempted to smile, but her face
felt riveted to the silhouette under the sheet. She saw the
man nod almost imperceptibly to the young woman;
after what felt like hours, Ms. Worth’s tiny hands
gripped the edges of the sheet and lowered it to expose
the face of the young woman laying lifeless on the cold
metal gurney. The face of her Tracey. Seeing the blond
hair tidily arrayed…noticing the pasty white color of her
daughter’s once peach-toned complexion…something in
Rose’s head shut off. Her mind desperately tried to erase
the image her eyes transmitted and, when it was unable
to do so, Rose felt a sudden rush of heat flowing to her
cheeks. Then everything went dark.
Rose didn’t know
where she was when she regained
consciousness. All she heard was Mike’s voice speaking
softly to her, against the background of a loud buzzing
that seemed to surround the entire room. “Rose, I’m
here, Sweetheart. I’m here.” Mike brought her limp
hand to his lips and kissed it gently, and when Rose
looked into his eyes, she saw a reflection of her own
pain. She briefly glanced at Tom, who stood a respectful
distance away against the wall and said nothing; then
she turned away and closed her eyes, thankful for the
numbness that had taken her heart hostage. The illusion
she had clung to for the last few days had shattered in a
matter of seconds. The detectives were right: The dead
young woman was Tracey.
When the white-haired man she had noticed earlier
came into the room, Rose turned toward him, her
expression telling the old doctor and the Lieutenant
what they were waiting to know. Although Mike had
volunteered to ID the body when he was informed his
wife had fainted, Dr. Greer’s reply indicated he saw no
reason to inflict that type of pain on both parents. While
Dr. Greer obviously didn’t know that Mike was not
Tracey’s natural father, Mike chose not to press the
issue.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Howard. Losing a child is
devastating. I will have a nurse come in and take your
blood pressure before you go, but I have to ask you to
sign these papers for me, to confirm that you positively
identify the body as being your daughter’s.” Dr. Greer’s
voice was much more subdued and respectful than what
Rose first heard when Ms. Worth had knocked on the
door.
Rose didn’t answer, but Mike nodded and took the
papers. Dr. Greer exited the room quietly and Tom
followed him outside. The nurse must have been right
behind the door, for when the doctor left, she arrived
within seconds. Her hair was a warm caramel color,
pulled back into a soft bun from which a few rebellious
curls had escaped. Unlike Ms. Worth—who looked as if
she could stand a few extra meals—this nurse was
plump and motherly, and Rose wondered if Dr. Greer
reserved her for moments such as this, when someone’s
world had entirely collapsed.
“Doctor Greer sent me to take your blood pressure,
Mrs. Howard.” The nurse said with a soft, melodious
voice as she placed two fingers on the inside of Rose’s
wrist to gauge her pulse, as well.
Killer in Sight (A Tom Lackey Mystery) Page 5
