Running in Circles

by Laurèn Lee

  “Come on, there’s gotta be something I can help with?”

  Kelly bit her lip. “Well, there might be something.”

  “Anything,” he insisted.

  “Some kids at school are giving her some problems,” she responded solemnly.

  “Bullying?” Heat rose within Earl’s cheeks.

  “Yeah,” Kelly said and wiped away a tear. “She comes home crying a lot. I don’t know what to tell her to make it better.”

  “Do you have names?” Earl asked fiercely.

  “She’s told me a few. I tried talking to the teachers and principals, but since none of them have witnessed any abuse, they haven’t done anything.”

  “Gimme the names and I’ll talk to the kids and their parents. No one will be bothering sweet Jaz again. I can promise you that.”

  “Thank you, Sheriff Davis. You truly are a wonderful person.”

  Earl waved his hand and dismissed her compliment. “Just doing my job to keep our town safe is all.”

  Kelly handed Earl a beautiful bouquet of tulips as requested. “On the house!”

  Earl smiled and left her a fifty dollar bill, anway. Kelly shook her head and giggled.

  “Have a nice day, Kel.”

  “You, too!”

  Eight

  “All right, folks. We’re going to start the meeting in about ten minutes,” Earl announced once he’d gotten back to the station. “ Grab some coffee or a few donuts; do whatever you need to do, but be back here at ten sharp.”

  The forensics team, Ricky, and a few other officers nodded and left the main floor of the station. They dispersed quickly to handle their business. Once Earl had set a time for a meeting, that meant you better be there before he closes the door, or you’re out of luck.

  “Earl?”

  “Yes, Mary?” Earl called to the foyer from the meeting room.

  “It’s Janice Rhodes on the phone. She’s asking if you have an update about her sister.”

  “Tell her I’ll give her a call a little later. Our meeting is about to start.”

  “Absolutely, sir,” Mary replied. “Oh, and thank you for the flowers! They’re lovely!”

  “It was my pleasure, dear!”

  The clock struck nine fifty-nine, and Earl waited for the mad rush of footsteps to return to the room. As expected, all the men rushed through the door before the top of the hour struck. Unintentionally, all of the officers at the Stone City Sheriff’s Station were male. The only woman on the force around here was Penelope Sanders, a member of the forensics team. Earl never discriminated when it came to hiring fellow officers, but not many women applied out here. Maybe it was the small-town culture, or maybe the female officers wanted a bigger piece of the action and moved to the city.

  The group obediently took their seats before Earl with pens in tow and notebooks ready to be ravaged with details of the case.

  “All right, folks. This is a grisly one as you already know. I talked to the coroner, and we have a time of death of approximately midnight until two in the morning. Cause of death is blunt force trauma to the head, and she was sexually assaulted posthumously.”

  Ricky, a few other deputies and a couple of the forensics teams groaned.

  “Now, I know it’s not easy,” Earl began. “But we need to keep our heads together. Okay, team?”

  They nodded, and a few jotted down in their notebooks.

  “Penny, what did your team find at the house?”

  “Well, from what we could tell, this killer is very disorganized. He didn’t clean up after himself or move the body, as far as we know; there wasn’t any indication of a blood trail around her body. The murder could have been a heat-of-the-moment type of crime.”

  “That seems about right. Henry agrees the body wasn’t moved due to the lividity and position of the limbs. Did you find any pieces of evidence you feel would lead back to our killer?”

  “No, sir,” Penny said somberly. “While we can conclude the killer wasn’t necessarily prepared to kill, or at least he didn’t plan the murder in depth, he did take the knife used to cut out the eyes out of the victim. He must have had some semblance or acknowledgment of what he’d done. He didn’t try to hide the body, but he made sure the murder weapon wasn’t left at the scene either.”

  “What about fingerprints? Footprints?”

  “The only footprints we were able to successfully identify were the sister’s, yours and Ricky’s. The sister has an alibi, right?”

  “Yes, I checked with her husband, and she was home all night. We aren’t ruling her out yet, but there’s no reason for us to believe she was involved,” Ricky answered.

  All throughout the meeting, Earl wrote on the station’s giant dry erase board with red, blue and green markers. The markers streaked across the board with fury, and the ink appeared vibrant. Hell, it might have been the first time Earl had ever needed to use the markers. He wrote key notes and also a timeline of the attack in his illegible scrawl. It’d be a miracle if his team could keep up.

  “Was there a forced entry?” Earl asked the group.

  Matthew, another one on the forensics team, spoke up next, “We don’t believe there was a forced entry. No windows were broken, and the lock was intact.”

  “So, it’s safe to assume she knew her assailant,” Earl said.

  “Sheriff, was Henry able to find any match of DNA from the sexual assault?”

  No, unfortunately, the perp didn’t finish. There were no traces of semen or skin cells. He must be very clean,” Earl hypothesized.

  “Seems pretty odd,” Penny said. “He didn’t plan to kill and yet he made sure not to leave any traces of him behind.”

  “Very odd. And the fact we don’t quite understand him yet is very dangerous for us,” Earl said.

  “Do you think it was a one-time thing, sir?” Ricky asked.

  “I honestly don’t know, but I sure as hell hope so,” Earl replied. “What about the murder weapon? Did any of you find a hammer at the murder scene?”

  “Nope. We didn’t find any weapon,” Penny said.

  “Damn. This guy is either a dumb psychopath or a smart lunatic,” Earl mumbled.

  “What’s next, sir?” Ricky questioned.

  “Well, we gotta figure out the last person who saw Jackie alive and go from there. Luckily, I have a lead,” Earl said.

  “You do?” Penny asked, and the others murmured.

  “I saw Jackie the night she was murdered,” Earl said. The group gasped immediately. “I didn’t know it was the same woman at first when Ricky and I got the call, but after seeing a photo of her, I knew I’d seen her at The Stolen Leaf. A few guys swarmed around her like flies before I left. I say we take a ride down to the bar and find out who those fellas were. What do you say, Ricky?”

  “I’m ready when you are, Sir.”

  “Keep your radios close, team. I’ll let you know if we need any backup.”

  The group nodded. Ricky and Earl grabbed their coats and left the station in a flash.

  Nine

  Kit hadn’t been excited to start the first grade. His stutter had progressively worsened, and he feared to speak at all in fear of humiliation. His mother begged him to keep trying, but whenever Kit’s father heard the stuttering, he’d laugh at the boy and call him a blubbering idiot or a mumbling pussy.

  The boy had learned to keep his mouth shut, but now, it’d be much harder to do so at school. What would he do when his teachers called attendance? What would he say if a kid asked him a question? And, recess… What would he do at recess?

  Meghan had called the school before the first day and talked to Kit’s teacher, Ms. Baker, and told her about Kit’s “little problem.” Ms. Baker promised to be sensitive to Kit but also wanted to try and coax him out of his shell.

  “Best of luck to you,” Meghan had said. “He won’t even talk to his baby sister or me.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Ms. Baker confirmed. “Maybe we can enroll him in speech therapy, too?”

/>   “Oh, heavens no!” Meghan cried. “It’s just a phase. He’ll get over it sooner or later. It’s not a real issue.”

  Ms. Baker felt otherwise but didn’t say so. It was hard enough to communicate with parents, let alone try and convince one her child needed special help.

  Kit didn’t have any friends or know any of the other students in his class, so he kept to himself the first day. Lucky for him, his peers kept their distance, too. Well, almost all of his peers.

  During recess, Kit swung by himself on the rusted set outside of his school. A few boys sauntered over and called out to Kit. “Hey! Why don’t you come down off there and play kickball with us?”

  Kit stared at the boys but didn’t respond.

  “Hey, are you deaf or something?” One boy asked as the others snickered.

  Kit shook his head but kept swinging.

  “Don’t you want to come play?”

  Kit tried his best to ignore the boys and continued to pump his legs higher and higher. The boys, frustrated, started hurling insults at Kit, hoping to get a rise out of him.

  “Did someone cut your tongue out?”

  “Are you a pussy?”

  “Yeah! Come play with us, pussy!”

  Kit closed his eyes, continued to swing and hoped the boys would grow bored and go play on their own. One boy tossed a sharp rock from the ground and hit Kit squarely in the gut. He opened his eyes and started to cry.

  “Look the baby’s crying!” One boy called out.

  Kit slowed down on the swing. He knew he couldn’t hide from the boys, so he’d have to run. The boys continued to taunt him and toss stones and rocks his away. He wanted nothing more than for his mom to come pick him up from school, but that would require asking his teacher or the nurse to call home. He feared if he talked, even to an adult, they’d mock him endlessly.

  Kit jumped off the swing mid-flight and landed on the ground painfully. The boys descended upon him, and Kit sprang up and away. Even though he felt God had cursed him with stuttering, he’d rewarded him with speed. He ran and wove around the playground equipment and outpaced the other kids. He jumped over the end of a slide like his life depended on it.

  It didn’t take long for the bullies to give up and play kickball on their own. However, before they marched to the field, they each took one last turn tossing more rocks Kit’s way. A few landed short; one was easy to dodge, but a few small stones rained down on Kit’s head. He covered his eyes just in time.

  Kit hid in the tunnel by the large crimson slide for the rest of recess and prayed the remainder of the day would go by quickly. He wanted his Mama more than anything in the entire world.

  Ten

  Earl hadn’t visited The Stolen Leaf in the daylight for quite some time. He didn’t think it’d be the best look for the town’s sheriff to be day drinking while on the job. Today was different, though. Today, he’d be hunting information instead of hunting a cocktail.

  “Hiya, Shelly,” Earl said as he greeted his favorite waitress.

  “You’re here early, Earl,” she said as she smiled pleasantly.

  “Here on business, I’m afraid.”

  A frown appeared on Shelly’s worn face, and magically, the bags under her eyes grew even heavier. “How can I help?”

  Earl pulled out the photograph of Jackie, the one where she was alive, of course, and showed it to Shelly. “You remember seeing this woman here a few nights ago?”

  Shelly carefully took the photograph to study it closer. “Yeah, I think I remember her. She was quite popular with the other patrons.”

  Earl nodded. “Yes, I noticed that, too.”

  A wave of recognition rolled over Shelly’s face. “Is this the woman?” she whispered. “From the news?”

  “I’m afraid it is,” Earl replied.

  “Do you think someone from the bar could have done it?” Shelly asked, appalled.

  “I can’t discuss too much as it’s an ongoing investigation, but I was wondering if you knew the men hanging around her that night.”

  Shelly pursed her lips and tried to remember the group of guys who’d swarmed Shelly at the bar.

  “Hey, Jacob?” she called to the man behind the bar. He must have been newer because Earl didn’t recognize him.

  “What’s up?”

  “May I?” Shelly asked Earl.

  Earl nodded, and Shelly walked over to the bar with the photograph of Jackie in hand. “Remember this woman?”

  Jacob smiled. “Oh yeah. She was easy on the eyes, that one.”

  A flash of Jackie’s cold, bloodied body crossed Earl’s mind. He remembered someone had cut those very same eyes out of Jackie’s skull.

  “Do you remember any of those guys who were hanging around her?”

  “I think so, yeah,” Jacob said, and Earl’s ears perked up.

  Earl walked to the bar too with Ricky at his heels. “Do you have any names for me?”

  “I can’t remember their names, but I do remember they’d all rung up quite a tab and paid with their cards. Let me check the receipts from that night for their names.”

  “Thank you. That’d be a big help,” Earl said. He felt relieved Jacob was so willing to hand over information without requesting a warrant. He’d have no problem getting one, but it would, of course, delay the investigation.

  Jacob took a few minutes to sort the receipts stored in a chestnut leather briefcase under the cash register behind the bar. Earl looked around and wished he could stay for a drink. The lights had been turned on which illuminated The Stolen Leaf’s interior. The walls held wood paneling along with photographs of scenic areas around town. Earl felt more at home here than he did in his own house. There was comfort and solace at The Stolen Leaf, and he remembered the first time he’d come in.

  It was his first day on the job, and after being promised over and over it would be a quiet, cozy gig, there’d been a bank robbery that morning. Earl went on his first high-speed chase. The thief jumped out of the moving vehicle, and Earl had enough wit about him to throw the car in park and chase the suspect. He caught the guy on foot before he made off with a duffel bag stuffed full of fifty dollar bills.

  The entire station cheered his return with the perp in cuffs. To celebrate, his boss took him to The Stolen Leaf after his shift. Ever since that day, the bar had been a place he’d come to celebrate, or just have a casual drink. Even though most of his superiors from the beginning of his career had long since retired or even passed away, the establishment still held a very special spot in his heart. When he needed a friend, the booth at the back held his place. When he needed a break from the job, the bottle provided the distraction.

  “Here they are,” Jacob announced. “There were four of them. Here are their receipts.”

  Earl grasped for the wrinkled pieces of paper, a few with beer stains across the top, and looked over the names. He recognized a few of the names but he would grow much more familiar with them in the days to come.

  Eleven

  Earl and Ricky made their way to the first potential suspect’s house, which happened to be only a few blocks from Earl’s three-story Victorian. The guy lived in a residential neighborhood about ten minutes from the station, too.

  Earl knocked on the door while Ricky stood next to him at attention. No one answered after the first knock, but Earl saw the Ford in the driveway and knew someone had to be home. He knocked again and heard rapid shuffling from inside.

  A man answered the door, and a look of fright glazed over his face upon seeing the town’s sheriff on his doorstep.

  “Are you Tony Smith?” Earl asked.

  The man nodded. “What can I do for you?”

  “Mind if myself and my lieutenant come in? We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  “Do, uh, do I need my lawyer?”

  “Do you think you need a lawyer?” Earl asked suspiciously.

  “No, of course not. Come on in,” Tony said. He stepped aside to let Earl and Ricky enter his home. He led them
to the living room and ushered the men to sit across from him on a gray leather love seat.

  “What can I help you with?”

  “Well, we need to know if you remember this woman from a few nights ago.” Earl pulled out the photograph of Jackie for a second time that day.

  Tony looked at the picture, and Earl waited cautiously for any signs Tony would lie about meeting her. He already knew Tony had been talking to Jackie, but whether or not this guy told the truth would be important as hell.

  “Yeah, she was at The Stolen Leaf. I remember her,” Tony said and gave back the photograph to Earl. “Did something happen?”

  “Have you seen the news lately?” Earl asked.

  “Yeah, why—?” Then, the realization dawned on Tony just as it had done with Shelly. “She was the one who was killed?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. We’re trying to track down the last person to have seen her alive. How long were you at the bar before you left?”

  “Aw, Jesus,” Tony said. “I was more than half in the bag that night, but if I had to take a guess I’d say I left around eleven? I had work early in the morning and wanted to try and get some sleep.”

  Earl took out the bar receipt with Tony’s name on it and saw the time at the top read, “10:53 pm.”

  “Was Jackie still there when you left?”

  “Yeah, she was talking to some of my friends. I knew they all wanted to take her home,” he smirked.

  “Did you?”

  “Did I what?” Tony asked, confused.

  “Did you want to take her home?”

  Frightened, Tony answered, “Oh, absolutely not!”

  “Why? She was pretty and available,” Ricky asked with narrowed eyes.

  Tony looked somber and pointed to a photo on the mantelpiece. “My wife died a few months ago. I was just looking to have a night out with my guys. Wasn’t looking to bring anyone home.”

  Earl nodded and made a few notes on his miniature pad. “Can anyone else corroborate your story of coming home after the bar? You did come home right after you left, correct?”