by Tim Tingle
“No, I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble, Mum! I’ll be right back!”
“Someone tell him that I am not an invalid! I don’t need a wheelchair!”
“You don’t have to be an invalid to ride a wheelchair.” Travis said. If you don’t want it, I’ll ride it!”
“You’re not crippled either!”
“You don’t have to be crippled, Mom, just get on the thing and ride!”
“I don’t even drive a car. How can I drive a contraption like that?”
“It’s the easiest thing in the world. Here he comes already.” The bus driver was driving the wheelchair, which looked more like a scooter. When Lois saw it, she was adamant. “I can’t drive that thing!”
“Yes you can. The driver will show you how.”
“Here you are, Mum! Come sit down right here. It steers like a bicycle, but you don’t have to peddle, and you don’t have to worry about it falling over. You go forward by turning the hand grip forward, and reverse by turning it back. You don’t turn it either way, and it stops. Nothing could be easier!”
“Okay, I’ll try it.”
Soon she had gotten the hang of it, and was zooming back and forth in the parking lot, jeering those slow-pokes who still depended on bi-peddle motivation to get around. It was clear that she was enjoying her new freedom. “I am going to have to get me one of these things when I get back home!”
While Lois was pushing the limits of her new-found toy, and becoming a menace on the sidewalks, the rest of the group went to explore the old lighthouse and a small adjoining museum, containing relics found there. Afterward, they climbed the hill to Dover Castle.
As they climbed, Fred explained the European mind-set of castle building in the Middle Ages. “As you can see, Dover castle is an imposing structure. Imagine how it must have looked to people in the Middle Ages? Castles are usually thought of as defensive structures, but in fact, they were considered to be more offensive structures. If your enemy builds a castle on the border next to you, it means he has a forward position from which to launch an attack deep into your territory at any time. Any territory that was within a couple days march of a castle was vulnerable. It would be like the Russians sending an aircraft carrier off the coast of Los Angeles. It would have the potential to attack and threaten anything within the range of the planes based on the carrier. A castle was a safe haven for a standing army, and to build a castle too near your neighbor was considered an act of aggression.”
Travis had never been to an authentic English castle, so this one was fascinating to him. Inside the main keep, which was the last line of defense from attacking enemies, he saw names and dates scratched on the walls from the 1500’s, no doubt from bored soldiers once stationed there.
“I wonder if it’s haunted?” Audrey asked.
“All old castles are haunted,” Fred said, “Some to greater degrees than others.”
When they got back to the bus, they discovered that Donna had caught back up with them. She was bubbling over with excitement from her adventure, and was eager to tell the other girls about her cool night with her new British friends. Dr. Foust was not back from the castle yet, so there was time for Fred to give her a little warning. “Donna, let me fill you in. Steve is very up-set that you left the way you did last night. You know how he is, so don’t take it personally when he gets here and wants to bawl you out. He’s close to having a breakdown, and seeing you right now might send him over the edge.”
“I don’t care what he says! He’s not my dad!”
“Let’s not be confrontational. We are going to our bed and breakfast now, to stow our things, before going to lunch. Go ahead and get on the bus, and sit in the back. Don’t let Steve know you are back yet. We’ll break it to him gradually.”
She had a vulgar comment about that, which brought laughs and snickering from her friends, and Fred just shook his head. “Kids! Who understands kids these days?” Donna and her friends got on the bus, as Dr. Foust appeared from the restroom. He had the countenance of a man on deathwatch.
“How are we going to explain this to her parents, Fred?”
“Explain what, Steve?”
“The fact that we lost their daughter? They are going to hold us responsible, you know that, don’t you?”
“You mean Donna?”
“Of course! Who else have we lost?”
“We didn’t lose her, Steve. She is 18, and she made the conscious decision to depart from the group. She said she would join us here in Dover.”
“So where is she? We are in Dover, and where is she? Does she know where we are staying? Did the little tramp even take the time to find out where we are staying? No, she just called and said she was leaving!”
“Things will work out, Steve. Trust me! Things will look a lot better after you have had lunch.”
“That’s what you said about breakfast!”
“Just get on the bus, and we’ll talk about it. And sit up front! We need to discuss a few things.”
As they got on the bus, someone asked what they were having for lunch.
“A choice of chicken or mutton.”
“What’s mutton.”
“I think it’s sheep.”
That didn’t sound appetizing to Travis. He had already seen how the English could ruin chicken, and he thought chicken was one meat that anyone could get right. He didn’t even want to try the mutton. His observation so far, was that folks didn’t come to England for the food. Fish and chips were unbelievably greasy, and the blood pudding? He did not even consider that to be a food. As he was getting on the bus, he saw a familiar car pull up beside the bus. It was Angel. Travis went to see why she was there.
“I came to escort you to your book signing, of course!”
“I could have taken a taxi.”
“Our #1 selling author taking a taxi? I think not! Get in, and we will be on our way!”
“But we haven’t even been to our bed and breakfast, so I don’t even know where we are staying yet.”
“So get the address, and I will bring you back there after the book signing.”
“Okay, one minute.” He went to get the address from Fred, and while he was on the bus, his mom asked him, “Who is the woman?”
“It’s someone Jester Books sent to make sure I get to the book signing on time. Remember, I was late for my first one?”
“They sent a pretty woman to escort you to your book signing?”
“Apparently so, Mom.”
“Perhaps I should go with you to this book signing?”
“You mean, to keep an eye on me?”
“That’s what Janice said, ‘Keep an eye on Travis! Don’t let some British woman steal him away’!”
“Mom, if Janice really said that, I’m sure she was joking. But if you don’t think so, then come on, the car’s waiting. We’ll be there until six this evening. It might get a little boring for you.”
“And,” Mrs. Parker added, “If you go, you’ll miss seeing Canterbury Cathedral, where Thomas Beckett was murdered by soldiers sent by the king!”
“I don’t want to miss seeing that.”
“Besides, Travis is all grown up now, and he will be all right on his own.” Mrs. Parker said this, winking at Travis.
“You behave yourself, Travis.”
“Okay Mom.” He got the address from Fred, and returned to the car with Angel.
“Was there a problem?” she asked.
“Yes, my mom wanted to know, who is the beautiful woman taking me to the book signing?”
“Did you tell her I am your British lover?”
“No, I wouldn’t tell her something like that, even as a joke, because she would take me seriously. I have two strikes against me already. One more and I’m out.�
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“Sometime you should tell me all about these strikes against you.”
“All misunderstandings, I assure you. That, plus my mom is always suspicious of her kids’ behavior. If she suspected that one of us had done something that we shouldn’t have, then we might as well have done it, because in her mind, we were guilty as charged.”
“So, Mr. Lee, may I take that as an offer?”
“No, you may not. Let’s roll.”
“They are watching us, right?”
“Yeah, my mom is doing her best to read our lips.”
“Then perhaps I should lean over and give you a sloppy kiss!”
“Don’t you dare! I have never killed a woman before, but you would be the first!”
“Oh pooh! You are such a kill-joy!”
“Drive, or we will be late.”
“Have you had lunch?”
“No.”
“Then let’s eat a bite, then go on to the book store. I know of a lovely place near the book store.”
They ate lunch, then Travis endured the drudgery of another long book signing, while his fellow travelers were having a fun-filled day in Canterbury.
* * *
While Travis was at his last book signing in Dover, Miranda was getting up to check the level of her pool. It still wasn’t full, but it would be before the day was out.
She could only wonder what the police might have found at Lennie’s house. The police tape was still up, though the cars were gone. She watched the morning news to see if there was mention of Judge Rosewood. Nothing yet. She knew that something should happen soon, because the police had to have found Leon’s wallet in Lennie’s pocket. That alone should raise questions about the Judge, and should get someone looking for him, if for no other reason, than to return his wallet.
Again today, she expected the police to knock on her door just any time. She was sure they had her under surveillance, to see if she was behaving strangely. Now would not be a good time to do something stupid. (As though any time was a good time.)
What she couldn’t believe, was the fact that there had been no news. Not even a mention that Lennie had been hit and killed. Didn’t things like that usually make the news? Neither the Tuscaloosa, nor the Birmingham local news stations mentioned anything about it. She bought a copy of the Tuscaloosa News, and found a small, one paragraph article in the ‘Around the County’ section. It read, ‘KELLERMAN RESIDENT DIES’. It was simple and to the point. It said, ‘Lifelong Kellerman resident, Lennie Kellerman, was struck and killed by a pick-up truck Wednesday evening. No charges were filed.’ No other details were given. Miranda had to know more, so she called the Tuscaloosa County police department to ask about Lennie. She was told that no one had come by to claim the body, so the county would bury him on Saturday morning at the Tuscaloosa City Cemetery, where the man’s parents were buried. A local pastor would conduct a simple ceremony for the lonely man. Miranda felt that the least she could do was be there. She ordered a nice spread of flowers for his funeral.
She knew that by doing this, she could be noticed by the police, and could be questioned as to why she took such an interest in an otherwise friendless man. She would point out the fact that he was a neighbor, and even a social outcast deserved to have a mourner at his funeral.
If Travis had been there, he probably would have advised her against it, but the fact was, he wasn’t there.
She didn’t even have a black dress to wear to the funeral, so she left the water running in the pool, and went to town. She stayed in town and ate lunch, and also watched to see if she was being tailed by police detectives, but she saw no one. She saw no life at Lennie’s house, but the police ‘do not cross’ tape was still up.
She returned home in the afternoon, and found the pool full, and turned off the water. As she rolled up the hose, she noticed what a hot day it was, and how inviting that pool full of clean, clear water appeared. Well, it’s MY pool, I should be the first one to use it! She went to the bathroom to put on her one piece bathing suit. She stopped to admire herself in the full length mirror. Oh yes! You still have it, Girl! And now I have a POOL to go along with this incredible body! Until now, she had been so engrossed in other things, that she had not let that little fact sink in. She had a new pool, of her very own! To her, that was a status symbol that she had arrived! Her lottery winnings had changed her life in a lot of ways. She no longer had to make decisions based on whether or not she could afford something. Now she just did it.
And to think that she had almost blown all that, by messing with the Judge, who was a married man! She knew that he was married from the very start, so why did she do it? She thought she could trust him to be there for her. Granted, the heart attack was entirely unforeseen, and she could hardly blame him for that. But she blamed herself, for dealing with it the way she did. She had millions of dollars, but what good would it do her, if she went to prison, for what the police would have construed as murder? True, she had not killed Leon, but Travis was right when he told her that by covering it up, she would seem to be a murderer, because realistically, why would someone cut up a body and hide it, if they hadn’t murdered him? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Yes, even stupid Lennie had called it right, when he said that it was ‘just plain stupid not to call the police’ right after this happened. Now it was clear. Now she got it. She had a way of not thinking clearly in a panicked state. And having Leon drop dead, while she was naked and hand-cuffed to his wife’s headboard, was not a position she wanted to be in. Her reckless behavior, and bad decisions were not to cover a murder, but to cover her embarrassment over getting caught in that position. But now that it seemed to be over, she was thinking more clearly. Seemed to be over, was not the same thing as being over, she knew that all too well, but at least right now she had some breathing room, and was starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The real test was going to be when Mrs. Rosewood got home, and she missed her husband. As Travis so colorfully put it, that was when the ‘shit was going to hit the fan’.
Looking back, Leon seemed to be the perfect fella for her, except that he was married. But he had told her that he was planning to leave his wife anyway, and that seemed to make it all right in her mind. What a fool she had been! He told her that he had bought a nice hacienda near Rio, and he hinted that when he left his wife, he was going to fly to Brazil to live, if he could find a soul mate to go with him. He never actually said it, but he hinted in dozens of ways that he was considering her to be that person. And from the way their relationship had been going, she was sure that he was going to make that pitch to her very soon, probably while they were gone out west. Their ‘spontaneous fling’ to the casinos of Mississippi, and Las Vegas, would be where he would probably make the proposition to her.
But she knew how men could change in their attitudes, and treatment of women, once they had a commitment. Like the way Gene Austin had changed, after she agreed to marry him, she knew that Leon could change the same way, especially after they got out of the country, where she would be less capable of getting away from him if she wanted to. Half of her was saying that this would be a good move for her, but the other half was saying to go slow, and make no commitments that she couldn’t back out of. She knew that when the chips were down, she would probably say ‘no’ to his proposition. And it would be for the same reason that Lennie gave for not wanting to leave the country. This was her home. She had traveled extensively, and enjoyed seeing exotic places, but she could never consider a foreign country to be ‘home’. Her rejection of marriage to Gene Austin had been mainly for that reason. She did not want to live in Colombia, or in Rio. Temporarily maybe, but not to live permanently. But the two or three week fling out west with Leon would have been fun.
Unfortunately, it had started out badly for both of them. Leon dropping dead from a heart attack (probably brought on by the Viagra), and for her, finding herself helplessly
naked and hand-cuffed to the headboard. But it could have been worse. Looking back at the tragic incident, it was fortunate for her that it had happened at home, and not on the road somewhere, say in Biloxi, or Vegas. If it had happened on the road, who would she have called? Certainly not Travis. It was fortunate for her, that Travis was available and willing to help her. As she gazed into the clean blue depths of her new pool, she sighed deeply. Why did he have to be married? That is just my luck.
She stepped down on the first step inside her pool, and felt how cool and inviting the water was, so she stepped down into the waist-deep shallow end. She held her breath and went under, to wet her hair, then took a deep breath and went down and pushed off the side, swimming underwater to the far end. She came up for air, thrilled with how good it felt.
She blew out all her air and pushed down to the bottom of the deepest part of the pool. When she touched bottom, she opened her eyes and looked up, seeing the sun sparkling through the clean water. She looked down beside her feet, and saw a bloody, headless torso suspended in the water beside her, the lifeless arms reaching upward, in seeming supplication to God.
She gasped, she couldn’t help it, sucking in water instead of air, and made a desperate scramble to push back to the surface. But then, the dead arms came to life, and tried to grab her! The icy dead fingers tried to close around her ankles, but she kicked them away, as she thrashed and struggled to reach the surface! She finally popped up, coughing and hacking to get the water out of her lungs. Her arms and legs were thrashing and she scrambling to get out of the pool, where that thing was! She was finally able to hoist herself out, and flopped over on the new concrete and expensive tile, as she continued coughing up water out of her lungs. She hacked and gagged so hard that she almost blacked out. She had to open her eyes to see if what she was hacking up was water or blood. She lay on her side and recovered, but had only one thought.
How did it happen?
How did Leon’s torso get through that concrete and reinforcement rods?
How did he get into the pool? And then she had another thought:
