didn’t say anything for several minutes and just sat
quietly, stroking the kitten’s silky fur without uttering a
word. But right when everyone’s smile began to fade,
Alexis brought the kitten’s tiny body to her lips, gave
him a kiss and almost yelled: “Petey. His name is
Petey!”
The kitten’s loud purr was momentarily drowned by
the collective sigh that was heard around the room.
Mike hugged his mom, and Rose decided that she was
going to love cats.
From that moment on, Alexis seemed livelier. She
still spent several hours each day being quieter than
Rose liked, but as the psychiatrist suggested when they
brought her in for her first appointment yesterday,
healing from the trauma of losing a sibling requires
some time, and should be allowed to run its course.
Alexis didn’t talk about Lily at all since she started
communicating again, and Rose was happy about that –
she still hadn’t told Mike about her dream, and she
didn’t think she ever would. Mike had been a rock all
throughout this ordeal, but even he had his limits.
She gave the soup one final stir, and was ready to
turn off the burner, when the phone rang. She covered
the pot with a glass lid and grabbed the receiver at the
end of the counter.
“Hello?”
“Hey Love, it’s me.”
“Oh, hey,” Mike’s soft, even voice made her smile,
“I’m just fixing supper – black bean soup.”
“That’s Alexis’s favorite. She is going to like that,
and hopefully she won’t try to share hers with Petey the
cat.”
“It was brilliant of your mother to bring over that
kitten. Alexis did a real one-eighty when she saw him.”
“She sure did. These are the times when I truly love
my mother.”
“It makes two of us. I don’t think Alexis would have
snapped out of her stupor as easily if she hadn’t fallen in
love with that kitten.”
“I agree. Well, look, I’m on my way home. I only
need to stop and get some gas and I will be right over.”
“It sounds great. Alexis and Petey have been in her
room for the last few hours. I thought of going up there,
but I want to give her the time she needs. Dr. Harding
suggested that giving her some space to sort things out
is the best thing we can do to help her right now.”
“I agree with that. She has been through a lot, and
she needs time to absorb the shock. I’m glad she is not
talking about Lily or that woman in North Carolina –
hopefully all that will soon be part of the past.”
Rose didn’t respond. The last thing she wanted to do
now was to generate friction between Mike and herself.
She felt bad for Kathy, and she made a mental note to
give her a call the next few days. “Yes, I should go and
set the table. I will see you when you get home.”
“I’ll be there shortly. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She meant it with all her heart, and
that was probably the biggest reason why she felt so
guilty at the thought of not being completely honest
with Mike.
She pulled out her best dishes from the china
cabinet, and even arranged a small placemat on the floor
beside Alexis’s chair, on which she set a small bowl of
kitten food for Petey.
She had just finished getting everything ready when
she heard Mike unlocking the door.
“I’m home!”
His voice always had the power to make her feel
relaxed.
“I’m in the kitchen, Mike! Why don’t you go
change and call Alexis while you are up there? Tell her
to bring down Petey too – I have his supper waiting
also.”
“We’ll be down in a minute!”
While she waited for Mike and Alexis to come
down, she opened the door and stepped out on the deck.
The recent storms had caused a lot of debris to blow
around, and it all seemed to have collected on the floor
of their deck, but she didn’t feel up to sweeping right
now, so she sat on one of the lounge chairs and tried to
relax. The last few weeks had thrown her into a spin,
and she needed to ground. There were many emotions
she hadn’t explored yet, but she didn’t feel at liberty to
completely feel until she knew Alexis was okay.
Mike opened the door from the kitchen and poked
his head out.
“I thought you said Alexis was in her room.”
“She is. She was, at least. I didn’t see her coming
down. You didn’t find her in there with Petey?”
“I found Petey and he nearly assaulted me the
moment I walked in. I think he was lonely and wanted
some attention. But Alexis wasn’t in there.”
Rose’s face darkened. “I am sure she didn’t come
down. She has to be in there.”
“The window in Alexis’s room is closed, but the one
in our room is wide open…”
Rose felt her heart sink to her stomach. “Oh my
God…do you think she got out?”
Mike shook his head. “Alexis is scared of heights.
Even if it is possible to get down from there, I don’t
think she would have had the courage.”
“Call the police, Mike! Something isn’t right!”
Rose’s voice was bleeding panic, and even if she tried
her best to remain calm, she was beginning to
hyperventilate.
Mike didn’t even question the request. He ran to the
phone in the kitchen and dialed 9-1-1 while Rose ran
through the house frantically calling her daughter’s
name.
After alerting the police, Mike went outside to wait
for the patrol car and he walked around the back of the
house to check the bedroom window from the outside.
The grass didn’t appear disturbed at all, so he continued
walking until he passed the laundry room window and
felt cold air trickling out. The lock was unlatched and
the pane hadn’t completely come down to seal the cold
air in.
“Rose! Come outside!”
Before he could call again, Rose came running
around the corner and into him.
“Was this window unlocked earlier?”
“No. I was in the laundry room a few hours ago, and
I am pretty sure it was locked. It was closed, at least. I
would have felt the warm air coming in if it wasn’t.”
Before either of them could say another word, a
patrol car pulled into the driveway and they both rushed
to it. Neither one saw a cigarette lighter bearing the
emblem of North Carolina State University hidden in
the grass just a few feet away from the window.
#
The first thing that Tom noticed when Brad Johnson
was escorted into the visiting room was how the young
man no longer looked like a college student – now he
looked tired, confused and, to an extent, afraid. His
hands shook lightly as he placed them on the table to
support himself as h
e sat down.
“Thank you for seeing us, Brad. We have a few
questions to ask you.”
“Ask away, Lieutenant, but you are wasting your
time.”
“I appreciate your concern, Brad, but there are a few
things we need to clear up. You have the right to have
your attorney present during this conversation. Would
you like to call him?”
“No, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Okay…first of all, can you tell us how a T-shirt
stained with Tracey Newman’s blood ended up in your
trunk?”
“I don’t know! I’ve said the same thing to ten other
people already. I don’t know!”
“Do you recognize that shirt as your own?”
“Yes…no…I mean, it is a plain white shirt. I have
shirts like that, but I don’t know for sure that one is
mine.”
“How could someone else’s shirt be in your trunk,
Brad?”
“I have no idea! But sure as hell I didn’t put a
bloody shirt in my trunk!”
“Can you think of anyone who would?”
“No, Lieutenant. I have spent the whole night
thinking about this. I can’t think of anyone. I know there
are probably a few people who don’t consider me their
best friend, but I don’t think they would go so far as
framing me for murder.”
“Can you tell me who these people are -- the ones
who don’t like you very much?”
“Well…you’ve been digging up stuff, so it should
be of no surprise to you that the old man who was
banging Tracey doesn’t exactly love me; neither does
Jack Little -- he had it bad for Tracey. And I know that
she-man that lives with Shannon didn’t like me either
because she knew that Shannon had a soft spot for me,
and she won’t stand for Shannon liking anyone. Of
course, Shannon is part of that crowd too, since she had
romantic hopes for us but I always turned her down –
most times, at least.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing, really. There was never anything
substantial between me and Shannon.”
“Did you have sexual relations with her?”
“Just once. We were both drunk.”
“Did Tracey know about this?”
“No, she didn’t; but as I said, she was seeing
someone else too. That story between me and Shannon
is ancient history.”
Tom thought back about Jack Little’s words.
According to Little, Shannon probably killed Tracey
because she liked Tracey’s boyfriend. Shannon was now
lying unconscious in a hospital bed, but that didn’t mean
she couldn’t have murdered her friend. Mary Townsend
even mentioned that Tracey drove her car and brought it
back dirty and dented – where did she go? And then,
there was the matter of the insurance policy.
“What did you know about Tracey’s life insurance
policy, Brad?”
“I knew that Tracey had life insurance, and she had
listed me as her beneficiary in the beginning. She was
going to change that after we broke up.”
“I see. Was Shannon aware of the amendments
Tracey was considering?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“How did she feel about that?”
“I’m not sure, Lieutenant.”
“How did you feel about it, Brad?”
“I guess I was a little upset about it at first, since it
was a clear sign that Tracey had finally decided she
wanted me out of her life.”
“Did you kill Tracey, Brad?”
“No, Sir, I didn’t. And I didn’t put that shirt in my
trunk either.”
#
“It’s pretty messy in there, Lieutenant.” The young
officer widened his eyes and lightly nodded as he
ushered Lackey and Parker inside Don Russet’s
bedroom. “His wife found him when she got home from
work.”
Don Russet’s home décor spoke volumes about his
social standing, and it painted an even clearer picture of
what the hospital administrator had to lose had his
relationship with Tracey Newman surfaced to public
knowledge. Situated on an acre of green grass in the
northwestern corner of the city, and surrounded by large
privacy walls, the home had a style of its own. The
wrap-around porch galleries were reminiscent of a
French Colonial style, but the interior was spacious and
each room opened to a hallway, something not typical of
French Colonial homes. In so many ways, the property
reminded Tom of its owner – traditional on the outside
with a few surprises waiting on the inside.
Don Russet’s body was lying on its back and the
neck appeared twisted on the side – the blow originating
from his mouth had whip-lashed him and left him frozen
into an unnatural position. The cherry wood of the
headboard was dark with dried blood and speckled with
gray matter, and a broken photo frame containing a
picture of children lay on the floor at the bottom of the
bed skirt, probably knocked over by the man’s arm as it
flung back after pulling the trigger. The gun was on the
floor just a foot or so away from the picture frame.
Tom walked closer to the bed and conducted a first
examination of the body. Rigor mortis hadn’t fully set in
yet, but it was very cool to the touch. Dr. Greer would
be able to pinpoint the time of death a bit more
accurately, but in Tom’s opinion Don Russet didn’t die
too long before his wife found him.
“Where is Mrs. Russet?”
“She is in the kitchen with her sister. She is taking it
pretty hard.” The young uniform replied nodding and
widening his eyes once again. Tom wondered if he did
that for emphasis or if he had a nervous tic.
“Thank you. Dr. Greer should be here momentarily.
I am going to talk to the wife.”
Helen Russet looked disheveled and older than Tom
expected. Her bottle-blond hair which was cut for
volume appeared pasted to the sides of her head, and her
skin was a sick shade of gray with green overtones. Her
hands trembled as she tried to bring a cup of tea to her
lips, and her eyes were filled with tears.
“Mrs. Russet? I am Lieutenant Lackey, with the
Raleigh Police Department.”
She inhaled loudly and turned her eyes toward the
door to take in the first image of the man who had
spoken. She acknowledged him with a nod, and he took
her gesture as an invitation to join her at the table.
“I am sorry for your loss, Mrs. Russet.”
“Yes, having young children to raise alone makes it
a huge loss.”
“Have you found a suicide note, Ma’am?”
“None. He didn’t even have the decency to let me
know why.”
Tom swallowed the discomfort he felt in his gut and
nodded condescendingly. “Not all suicide victims do,
unfortunately. It’s possible that he didn’t plan it and just
acted upon a sudden impulse
.”
“But nothing was so wrong in our lives that he
should have felt compelled to kill himself, Lieutenant!
Why, why would he do something like this? It’s a
miracle my children weren’t with me when I came
home.”
“It would have been tragic, Ma’am. I’m glad they
weren’t. The medical examiner will be here shortly to
confirm the time of death and pronounce him dead.”
“Not too much need to pronounce him dead, is
there? Any idiot with an IQ of five could tell he’s dead.”
“I know, Mrs. Russet, but we have to follow
procedures, especially since Mr. Russet didn’t leave a
note.”
Mrs. Russet’s eyes opened wide. “You’re not
thinking that he was murdered, do you?”
“No Ma’am, I am not thinking that at all – in fact, it
is pretty obvious he took his own life, I think.”
“Yes, I would think so.”
“Did Mr. Russet have an insurance policy?”
“I think so. We started one when we first bought the
house, both of us.”
“Who are the beneficiaries?”
“The children, of course, and each other. Why?”
“Just routine questions, Mrs. Russet.”
There were many questions Tom wanted to ask Mrs.
Russet, but this moment didn’t feel like the right one.
The woman appeared genuinely distressed, and there
was no reason to cause any additional suffering. He
wanted to know if Don Russet’s wife knew about her
husband’s relationship with Tracey Newman, and he
allowed his mind to wonder if she would still be this
upset over his demise had Tracey gone to see her the
day she left the hospital after being fired. No matter
what she knew, her husband was gone, and her children
were left without a father – any mother would be upset
about that, even if her feelings for her husband were not
infused with undying love. If she knew, and she feared
being publicly humiliated, her worries were over and
she could be seen from this day forward as a respectable
widow entitled to a nice chunk of life insurance.
“I think this is all, Mrs. Russet,” Tom said, right
before Dr. Greer entered the room.
“I am sorry for your loss, Ma’am. Lackey, may I
speak to you for a moment?”
Tom followed him into the bedroom where the
technicians were still working on the body to prepare it
for its final trip away from home.
“It seems that everyone in town is using the same
gun lately. The one that killed this guy is exactly like the
Killer in Sight (A Tom Lackey Mystery) Page 23
