by Laurèn Lee
Janice nodded.
“That’s great. Can you tell me about your sister, then? Was she seeing anybody? Did she have any enemies?”
Janice scoffed and for a moment regained her composure. “Jackie was the sweetest woman you’d ever meet. She wasn’t seeing anyone and didn’t have any enemies.”
Earl took a few notes and nodded for Janice to continue.
“She volunteered at the hospital and spent her time with the older patients. She’d play card games with them, read stories, or just watch TV.”
“Was she ever married?” Earl asked.
“No. Jackie never wanted to marry. She liked her independence,” Janice stated firmly.
“Did she ever go on dates?”
“Sometimes, she’d meet a guy from church for dinner or a drink. She liked to be alone, but she also enjoyed company from time to time,” Janice said.
“Do you know which bars she’d go to most often?”
“She went to The Stolen Leaf sometimes,” Janice said.
A stab of recognition passed through Earl; The Stolen Leaf was one of his usual haunts in town. It was a hole-in-the-wall pub, but their cook made a mean burger, and the bar offered plenty of cheap beer. Earl shook off the thought and continued to question Janice.
“Did she have any kids?”
“Nope. Not unless you count her cats as children.”
Earl nodded and wondered where the cats were hiding. He didn’t remember seeing any at the scene. “Can you think of anyone who’d want to hurt your sister?”
Janice sighed and wiped away a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “I can’t think of anyone who’d want to hurt Jackie.”
“Why were you at her house this morning?” Earl asked.
“We were supposed to go to the market together. You know, that farmer’s market off Route 33?”
“I know it,” Earl said.
“Anyway, I called her this morning to see if she still wanted to go, but she didn’t answer. I figured maybe she didn’t hear the phone or had missed my call when she was in the shower or something. I decided to stop by, and well, then I found her,” Janice trailed off.
“Where were you last night, Mrs. Rhodes?”
Slightly stunned by the question, Janice responded defensively, “You think I might have had something to do with my sister’s murder?”
“Of course not. It’s simply a routine question,” Earl assured her.
She continued to eye the sheriff suspiciously. “I was at home with my husband. We watched a movie and then went to sleep.”
“Will your husband be able to confirm this?”
“Absolutely.”
“Great,” Earl said. “Is there anything else you can tell me that may help us in the investigation?”
“I honestly don’t know, Sheriff Davis. I just want you to find my sister’s killer.”
“I understand, and we’re going to do our very best. I promise you that.”
“Will I be able to start planning the funeral?” Janice asked sadly.
“Our team is still at the scene and will be conducting a thorough analysis of the evidence, including your sister’s body. We have an autopsy scheduled for tomorrow, and once we are finished with that, we will be able to release Jackie’s body back to you for the funeral.”
Janice nodded. “Can I go now?”
“Yes, of course. Here’s my card in case you think of anything else,” Earl said.
“Thanks, Sheriff,.” Janice strode out of the interrogation room.
Earl leaned back in his chair and tapped his thumbs against each other within his folded hands. Something felt odd about this case, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Janice had brought in a recent photo of her sister, and Earl couldn’t help but feel as though he recognized her. He glanced at the picture again, and a wave of sadness crashed against him.
Jackie smiled broadly for the camera, and her long brown hair had a few streaks of gray. She had bags underneath her eyes, but she wore them proudly. He couldn’t help but think he’d seen this woman before, and then he remembered: he had seen her at The Stolen Leaf just last night. He may have been one of the last few people to see her alive.
Five
Last Night
Earl walked into The Stolen Leaf around eight o’clock. He’d only just left the office as he needed to finish up the arrest reports from the weekend. Usually, he’d let someone else handle the paperwork, but tonight, he wanted to manage the information himself. Some reports had come back sloppy in the past few weeks, and he wasn’t too keen on letting it continue. Sometimes, when you wanted things done right, you needed to do them yourself.
However, deep within his heart and soul, Earl knew the real reason he’d wanted to distract himself with work. Earlier in the day, he’d received a less-than-pleasant phone call. His mother had been diagnosed with late-stage uterine cancer, and she’d been given a death sentence: only a few weeks left to live. His mother and he hadn’t been close in many, many years, but the idea of her death had sent shock waves through his body. He needed a distraction. Any distraction. Earl couldn’t rely on his father for comfort either. He’d been estranged from both parents for quite some time.
Earl promised himself he’d finish the reports from the previous week. On Saturday, he’d arrested three fellas who participated in an out-of-control bar fight across town. Then, naturally, there were a few domestic disputes. Typically, there wasn’t too much crime in Stone City, Illinois, but enough to keep Earl employed. He’d been voted Sheriff almost ten years ago after serving faithfully on the force since he’d graduated from college with a Criminal Law Degree.
He hadn’t excelled in college, but he scored well enough to squeak by. College had been a bittersweet experience for Earl. While he enjoyed learning and furthering his education, socially it’d been a nightmare. He’d had trouble making new friends on campus, and most girls steered clear. He’d been extremely shy and hadn’t ever summoned the courage to talk to a girl he had a crush on. But, he became accustomed to the loneliness, and soon after his first semester or two, he didn’t even notice.
Earl had managed to find a girl willing to talk to him, though. During his senior year, a shy girl, like himself, asked if he wanted to be her partner for a class project. No one else asked him, and the girl was beautiful. She had long, wavy blonde hair and eyes as green as the lushest trees in summer. He said yes, and before the end of the semester, they began to date. Samantha was kind, polite and religious. She didn’t believe in sex before marriage, which seemed like a foreign concept to Earl, but he played along nonetheless.
They dated for about a year and beyond graduation, but when Earl had earned a job in the Sheriff’s office, Samantha found a job on the West Coast as a nurse. Earl didn’t want to leave the Midwest, and Samantha didn’t want to stay. They broke up, but it was a mutual decision. They still wrote letters to each other occasionally, but they had dwindled in frequency over the years. Samantha married a man she met in California, and they had three lovely children only a few years after she and Earl had broken up. Earl felt happy for his former lover, but a twinge of remorse always hung in his gut. What would his life have been if he went out West with Samantha? Would they have married and had children? Would he be a father or even a grandfather?
Earl dated on and off over the years, but wasn’t able to find “the one.” He assumed he’d never find her, and that was okay. Maybe soulmates didn’t exist in real life. Maybe Hollywood and fairy tales had tricked him. He loved his work in law enforcement, though, and felt more attached to his badge than he could be to any woman.
Plus, living in a small town wasn’t always ideal for prospects. He knew everyone, or at least knew of them. Living in a small town also meant knowing everyone’s business. He knew who’d been arrested, who’d been harassed, and who’d been in jail. No secrets were safe with the sheriff.
When he’d walked into The Stolen Leaf, Earl sat down at his favorite booth in the back of the dark and crowd
ed pub. The waitress, Shelly, brought over his usual: a double bourbon with a basket of peanuts.
“Where’s your sidekick?” she asked.
“I don’t bring him with me everywhere I go, ya know,” he snickered.
“I like that boy. He’s got a kind heart.”
“I agree. Happy to have him on my side. He’s my buddy,” Earl replied shyly.
Shelly smiled and strolled over to another table to serve the newest patrons in the place.
No one bothered him here; he could relax and people watch without having to make any conversation. Most people didn’t even notice the sheriff looming in the background but went about their nights with loose lips and booze in hand.
Earl sipped his bourbon and kept his hat low over his brow. The peanuts tasted extra salty tonight, and it was just the way he liked them. He glanced over the crowd in between sips of his drink, and for a moment, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
Standing at the bar was a woman with gorgeous, dark locks and a smile that could kill. She looked exactly like his mother, only a few decades younger. The similarities were earth shattering, and Earl stole a double-take to see if he’d been dreaming.
The woman caught Earl staring and returned his gaze. He promptly looked away and back down toward his drink. After a minute or two, the woman took a seat across from him in the booth.
“Do I know you?” the woman asked as she twirled her bouncy tendrils.
“No, Ma’am,” Earl said. Nervously, he took off his hat and ruffled his hair.
“You were staring.” The woman smirked.
“Uh, yeah. Sorry. I thought you looked like someone I know.”
“Maybe I could be someone you’d want to get to know.” She smiled.
Earl, not comfortable with flirting, simply smiled back at the woman and finished his drink.
“Can I buy you another, officer?”
“It’s Sheriff, actually,” Earl stated as he pointed to the bright, gold star on his chest.
“My apologies,” the woman said as she mockingly bowed her head.
“S’all right,” Earl mumbled. He looked everywhere besides into the woman’s eyes.
“I’d still like to buy you a drink if you’d like?”
“I think I ought to be going,” Earl announced as he stood from the booth.
“What? So early? I was hoping we’d get to know each other.” She reached across the table and grazed Earl’s hand with hers.
Earl pulled away and put his hat back on. “Another time.”
“Not a problem. Here’s my card, though, if you change your mind. I plan on going home very soon,” she hinted as she slid the colorful cardstock across the table.
“Uh, yeah. Thanks. I’ll let you know,” Earl replied awkwardly.
“All right. I’ll hold you to it!”
Earl nodded and walked toward the door. He quickly realized he forgot to pay his tab. He’d have to remember to pay Shelly extra next time. Just before he opened the door and left, Earl turned back to see the mysterious woman had resumed her position at the bar. A flock of eager men had already surrounded her. He couldn’t blame them; she was gorgeous. He imagined one of those guys would get lucky tonight, but he wouldn’t be one of them. He looked down at the woman’s card and saw her first name, Jackie, had been delicately scrawled in a flowery font. According to her card, Jackie had an Etsy shop where she sold hand-crafted quilts and afghans.
Earl left the bar. He tossed the card in the cigarette butt disposal outside and went home to watch the news and doze off in his Lazy Boy as he did every night like clockwork.
Six
“Ma-ma-mama?”
“Yes?” Meghan asked as she lay on the hospital bed breathing methodically, her dark hair soaked with sweat.
“Is Da-da-daddy going to ca-ca-come?”
“I don’t know, Kit,” she said. “He might be stuck at work.”
The hospital smelled overly sanitized, and the bleakness of his mother’s room bored him. Kit had brought his teddy bear and faithfully sat by his mother’s side.
A doctor strolled in and peeked underneath the sheet covering his mother’s legs. A smile was strewn across his face as he commended Meghan on her progress. “Excellent! Excellent!”
Kit closed his eyes and looked away. He didn’t understand why this stranger was looking at his mother’s private parts. Didn’t babies come from the belly?
“Will your husband be joining us? I believe you will be crowning very soon,” the doctor reassured her.
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Meghan sighed.
“Excuse me?” The doctor asked.
“Oh, nothing. And, no, I don’t think Jim can make it.”
“Ah, I see,” the doctor began. “Not a problem. Kit, are you going to help your mother deliver your baby sister?”
Kit stared at the doctor questioningly. How could he possibly help; he was only in the first grade? “I dun-dun-don’t want to,” he managed to say.
The doctor nodded, gave Meghan one last smile and left the room.
“You’re going to be a big brother, Kit. Are you excited?” Meghan asked.
Kit shook his head and buried his face in his bear.
“I’m going to need your help, sweetie. Will you help Mama take care of the baby?”
Kit shook his head again. He feared having a baby sister would ruin his life. Would his Mama still love him? Would she still want to walk him to school and take him to the park on the weekends?
Reading his mind, Meghan said, “Everything will be okay, sweetheart. I promise.”
Less than an hour later, Kit sat on the same chair in his mother’s room, but instead of holding his teddy, he held his baby sister.
“Wh-wha-what’s her na-name, Mama?”
“Her name is Gabriella. Do you like that name?”
Kit smiled for the first time. Maybe having a baby sister wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Seven
“Hi, Doc,” Earl said as he shook the hand of the town’s Coroner, Henry Willows.
“Howdy, Sheriff. How are you doing today?”
“Could be better. Considering the circumstances,” Earl said as he nodded toward the cold, steel table.
“Very, very sad business today,” Henry agreed.
“Well, what do ya have for me?” Earl asked eagerly.
“The victim didn’t have an easy death. That’s for sure,” Henry began. “She suffered three skull fractures, a broken rib, several hits to the face, and it appears she was sexually assaulted. And, of course, both eyes had been cut out as you already know.” Henry hung his head and mouthed a silent prayer.
“She was raped, too? Jesus Christ,” Earl gasped. “How about the blood tests?”
“Her blood levels showed twice the legal limit, and she had traces of cocaine and marijuana in her blood.”
Earl nodded.
“It gets worse, though,” Henry said.
“Worse? How?” Earl questioned.
“She was pregnant.”
“Are you sure, Doc?”
“Positive. She was about three months along. Almost into her second trimester, if I had to guess.”
Earl’s stomach felt foul as though he may be sick. It was one thing to murder an innocent woman, but to kill a child, too? “Monster” certainly didn’t seem to cover the slate on this one.
“What was used to hit her in the head?” Earl asked. He tried to shake the vision of a deceased baby in the woman’s womb.
“Looks like the perp could have used a hammer. When I looked at the wounds and compared it to a hammer I keep in my drawer, they almost matched exactly. Whoever killed this woman intended her to die a painful death.”
“What’s the official cause of death, then? Blunt force trauma?”
“In my expert opinion, yes. I don’t see how she could have survived the wounds on her head. The eyes were cut out posthumously, and the sexual assault happened just before she was murdered.”
“H
ow do you know he assaulted her before death and not after?”
“The lividity in her body shows the body wasn’t moved after death and the muscles had already bound together. The entry of the, uh, assault, shows it wasn’t forced upon the woman. Therefore, she was still alive when it happened.”
“Can you estimate her time of death?”
“Sure. I’d say about midnight, maybe one or two in the morning.”
“Thanks, Henry,” Earl said as he shook his hand again.
“No problem, Sheriff. I hope you catch this asshole.”
“Me, too.”
Earl left the Coroner’s office and made a call to his forensics team. They said they’d concluded their search of the house and collected all the evidence they deemed important. Earl asked them to meet him back at the station to go over their discoveries and to work up the case. He didn’t want to let Janice down, and he certainly didn’t want to let Jackie down, either.
On the way back to the station, Earl stopped to buy flowers for Mary, his receptionist. Today was her birthday, and he wanted to brighten her mood in light of all the darkness hanging over their heads.
“Howdy, Sheriff,” Kelly, the local florist, chirped. “How can I help you today?”
“Need a dozen tulips, dear. Yellow if you have ‘em.”
“‘Course I do! Would you like them wrapped up with a card?”
“That’d be nice. Thanks, Kel.”
Earl wandered around the store front and soaked up the beauty all around him. It felt like a fairy tale in Kelly’s store. He stopped and smelled the roses, literally. Any time life provided a sweet moment to stop and enjoy nature, Earl took it without hesitation.
“How’s Jaz?” Earl asked.
A few months ago, Kelly’s daughter, Jasmine, was diagnosed with ALS. The community banded together and helped raise money for Jaz’s treatment.
“She’s hanging in there,” Kelly said sweetly.
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Oh, no, Sheriff! You helped organize her benefit. I couldn’t ask for more than that.”
