They walked into the waiting room to a sea of sobbing faces. Dom and Lucy left almost immediately.
Mark went to Jen first and held her for a moment and spoke a few words of thanks to her parents. He told them about the autopsy coming up after the long weekend and to expect a funeral service the following weekend. Jen mentioned wanting to have a candle light vigil the following Tuesday, when school resumed, and he thanked her for her thoughtfulness. He knew Allie would’ve appreciated that.
Mark felt emotionally detached, which felt a bit inappropriate to him. He was eerily calm. He felt phony and awkward talking to these worried and absolutely distraught people. He went through each conversation like he was reciting a rehearsed speech, person after person.
“Thank you so much for your kind words, Allie would appreciate that. I’ll let everyone know as soon as I learn of anything new. I‘m very grateful, that she had you in her life. Thank you again for your condolences.” That was basically the speech in a nut shell.
It was after midnight by the time everyone dispersed; all except for one.
She sat huddled in the corner, looking out the window. Her legs were curled up to her chest, covered by her jacket. She turned her head to look at him as she wiped her reddened puffy eyes with a stiff napkin she’d gotten from the lobby’s coffee station.
“Aw, shit, Jule’s? I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry. I would have come over sooner to speak with you as well,” Mark quickly walked over to her, offering her his hand as she sluggishly tried to stand.
“I already know what you’re going to say, Mark, there’s no need for you to recite it all for me,” she smiled a half smile and stood to greet him. She got to her feet and looked into his eyes. Not caring what it may look like to anyone else, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.
Mark felt compassion for her… and was reminded of how he oddly felt nothing for himself. He wondered if he were in shock, and thought that the normal grieving feelings would come soon enough.
“And Nick, is he here too?” Mark stepped away from Julie and pretended to look around. Mark hadn’t seen Nick since the party, back at Angelo’s Restaurant.
“No, he’s not here. He took my car home to get some sleep. He drove your car here though, so you’d have it. He has an early morning but, wanted to give you his deepest condolences,” she shook her head and her brow crinkled, like she was annoyed by what she had just said.
“Oh, I understand. That was… very thoughtful of him to bring my car. What about you, though? Do you need a ride home then?” Mark asked.
What a peculiar thing to do, Mark thought. It was nice of his friend to bring his car, but to leave his wife without? Mark was tired and was probably over thinking things again... so he let it go.
“I had planned on taking a cab, but I would like that very much, thank you,” Julie stared at Mark like she was sizing up a stranger. “Are you ok to drive, Mark?” Her voice came out sounding weak and shaky. “Maybe we should split a cab.”
“I‘m okay, Julie, as good as could be expected, you know? I can drive. I promise I won‘t kill us,” he tried to joke around, but the joke fell flat. Once again, he realized how inappropriate he seemed to be acting.
Mark noticed the sudden tears welling up in Julie’s eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry. That wasn’t funny, I’m sorry. Don’t worry about me, though, it must be adrenaline or something. I’m not going to wreck us, I promise,” he said reassuringly.
He absentmindedly put his arms around her. For a brief second, he put his hand on the back of her head, feeling her soft blonde hair, and tenderly held her to him. Then he abruptly let her go.
She stopped crying, and cleared her throat.
“I have confidence in your driving abilities. I’m pretty tired and I just don’t know what to say except, I‘m sorry. My brain isn’t functioning, I’m so sorry,” Julie rambled.
She was weeping as she fumbled with her jacket, and mumbling something about her hands not doing what she wanted them to do. She struggled to pull her coat up over her shoulders. Mark saw this, and helped her.
He realized that she was taking this pretty hard, much worse than he appeared to be handling it. He knew that she had loved Allie like her own daughter. They had grown very close over the years.
“You don’t have to keep apologizing, Jules, really. I know you’re exhausted. Let’s just get you home, huh?” He tried his best to reassure her, and gave her the best smile he could muster.
Julie suddenly burst into tears, as she cried out…
“I saw her! I snuck in after you and talked to her. I had to say goodbye and I think I had to make sure she was really gone!” She was choking on her words. Julie covered her eyes with her hands, like she could block him from seeing what she had seen…
“Shhh… it’s okay,” he whispered quietly to her. “That’s just fine, it’s more than fine, and I understand why you did that. I did it too.” He pulled out the wad of extra tissues from his pocket, offering them to her. Hugging her close to his side, he slowly proceeded towards the elevator doors. They walked by the nurse’s station for the last time. Mark looked up to thank them, but instead saw new, curious faces. Must have been a shift change, he thought. So with a respectful goodnight nod, they walked on by.
CHAPTER 4
THE CALL OF DUTY
“Oh, no,” Julie mumbled. She sat up in the passenger seat. She had closed her eyes and drifted off for a moment.
“What is it? What’s the matter?” Mark turned his head slightly, not taking his eyes off the road.
“I needed to go back to the restaurant, but never mind that, I’ll go there first thing in the morning. There’s no reason for you to go back there. Everyone’s pro-probably gone anyway,” she stammered.
“No, it’s fine actually. I’ll take you. Did you leave something behind?” Mark asked curiously.
“Yes, my cell phone. I must have left it there on the table in all of the…um…commotion. Like I said, I‘ll just get it in the morning,” she nodded convincingly and tried to smile, “Or, I could ask Nick to grab it for me,” Julie mentioned.
“It’s not a problem Julie. I’m sure the police are still there, It‘s only been a few hours. I was headed there anyway.” He was thinking about the crime scene, and wanted to see it. He might still be able to talk to the investigators. Mark was more than willing to take her there, he was eager.
Julie nodded and replied, “Okay, thank you.” All though, she couldn’t imagine why he’d want to go back there.
As they pulled into the parking lot, Mark realized that almost everyone HAD left. A couple police cars remained; one of them was unmarked. “Probably, a homicide detective,” Mark thought.
There was also a service van of some kind and Julie’s car. They parked around back to go in through the service doors. Mark took out his personal work keys and tried the door, but it was already unlocked. He quickly entered, expecting the alarm to start beeping, but it didn’t.
This was unusual, and it annoyed Mark. The back door was supposed to be locked at all times. Maybe, Mark thought, the alarm had been shut off to accommodate the police detectives. He guessed it made sense that they be able to come and go as needed. Mark quickly rationalized this, and let it go. He realized how paranoid he had become, and should probably cut himself some slack.
Mark slowly lead Julie inside, and looked around. An unfamiliar looking janitor looked up at them, as he mopped the floor. Mark and Julie carefully made their way through the slippery kitchen and went out into the main dining hall. There were a couple of temp-workers vacuuming and taking down the lights as well.
Mark glanced over to what was once “Allie’s table” and saw nothing but a tidy place setting. He couldn’t smell the flowers anymore; not even a trace of them. It was almost as if they had never been there; never existed.
“Mark? Julie? What in the hell, are you guys doing here?” The sound of Nick’s voice brought him back to reality. Nick was shocked to see Mark
standing there. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.
Nick had just come out of Dom’s office and was walking down the hallway with a much taller man.
“Mark, um… this is the cop that’s doing the investigation, he just had some questions, and so, I handled it,” Nick straightened his back, proud of his contribution.
“Thank you, Nick. Also, thank you for bringing my car to the hospital earlier, I appreciate that very much,” Mark said.
“Oh, yeah, you’re welcome. It was nothing,” Nick smiled. “Anything I can do to help, man.”
“I think I might have left my phone on the table,” Julie said from behind Mark.
“Oh, yeah, I put that in the office,” Nick said. He was still staring at Mark. “Go ahead and grab it.”
“Mark… Anderson?” The investigator asked.
“Yes, sir, I‘m the father of the young girl who died here this evening,” Mark answered nonchalantly.
The background noises and the whirring of the vacuum had stopped.
The two workers had apparently been eavesdropping on their conversation, as they were now staring at Mark with large, frightened eyes.
“Yes, sir, I‘m aware of that, and I’m very sorry for your loss,” the man said kindly.
“My name is Detective Williams,” he introduced himself and extended his hand. Detective Williams was a tall man, a couple of inches taller than Mark, actually, maybe 6’3”. His most notable attribute, however, was his firm handshake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Detective Williams. Thank you for your kind words,” Mark glanced at the woman who had been vacuuming, as she quickly turned it back on and looked to the ground.
“I’m curious to know where the investigation lies at this point. If you don’t mind taking a walk with me, I would like to hear about it and learn of how everything has developed so far,” Mark turned his back towards Nick and escorted Williams to the dining room.
Julie was encouraging Nick to start making their way towards the office to retrieve her phone. She was saying something about wanting to get home, while Nick ignored her, still trying to listen to Mark and the Detectives conversation.
“The crime scene team has been here already and has taken pictures, collected certain evidence and I’ve been interviewing witnesses. I was just finishing up with Mr. Butler actually,” Detective Williams added.
Mark glanced back at the two women vacuuming, to make sure that they had, indeed, gone back to work.
“What kinds of “certain evidence?” Mark inquired.
Detective Williams continued to walk along side Mark as he explained.
“There were a few perishable items that needed to be tested, and some finger printing, but that is a standard in any case,” he said, modestly.
Mark came to a stop in front of the main table and folded his arms. “I understand,” Mark scratched the back of his head. “Please excuse my sudden impatient nature; I’m usually not like this,” he lowered his voice as he spoke directly to the Detective.
“But, between you and me, I’m familiar with the standard procedures of an investigation. If you don’t mind, I would like you to be frank with me and explain it as if you were speaking to a fellow officer. I hope you understand,” Mark stated.
Detective Williams looked at Mark for a moment; his blue eyes squinting. He understood completely.
“Alright then, Mr. Anderson, I do,” Detective Williams cleared his throat.
“The certain “perishable items” that I mentioned, were slices of cake taken from each of the cakes, the victims, and the main birthday cake intended for the guests. We felt it needed to be examined and tested immediately. Also, wine glasses, cups and silverware were printed, and most of the waiters and waitresses were interviewed. Many dispersed quickly after the incident, but we were able to attain thirteen eye witness accounts. Some of these statements were from wait staff, some were guests. Perhaps, we could get a list of ALL of the people that were working here tonight, just in case we need to further question anyone, all though it may not be necessary…” Detective Williams chose his next words carefully.
“However, things seem pretty straight forward at this point,” he averted Mark’s eye contact.
“I’ll have Nick get you a complete list of the staff’s names in the morning. I would also kindly ask, for you to call me, personally, whenever you are privy to any new information,” Mark asked. Detective Williams nodded in approval.
“My daughter’s autopsy won’t be conducted until sometime after Monday, so I won’t have their findings or a definitive cause of death at least, until then. But, I would appreciate any information that you have beforehand. Also, with all due respect, Detective, this case is anything but straight forward,” they began to walk again reaching the main dining hall.
“Absolutely, Mr. Anderson; I meant no disrespect. I’ll call you if there are any changes,” Detective Williams hesitated, “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but might I ask you a few questions? I mean, tomorrow, obviously would be a better time. It’s just that with the nature of the events, it’s best to get the freshest recollection possible from a witness. I can imagine you would like to get some rest though,” Detective Williams glanced at his watch. It was damn near one o’clock in the morning.
“No, I don’t mind at all. Now, is just as good a time as any, please… have a seat,” Mark said collectedly. He gestured towards an empty chair.
“I appreciate your willingness to accommodate my requests. If there’s anything I can do to help you, then I have all the time in the world,” Mark said truthfully.
Mark heard Nick jingling his keys as he and Julie entered the main dining hall; they were heading home. Julie walked up to them and handed both Mark and Detective Williams, a bottle of water.
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Detective Williams said.
Mark smiled and nodded at her kind gesture. “Thanks, Jules,” he glanced at Nick.
“And thank you, for answering the Detectives questions and helping out extra at the restaurant this next week. I appreciate it. You should go home and get some rest now,” Mark said sincerely. Nick hugged him quickly… and awkwardly.
Nick assured Mark he would be there in the morning, and would “definitely” provide Mr. Williams with a complete list of the wait staff from the temp agency. Nick walked out, with an exhausted Julie in tow. Mark thanked them again for all their kindness and said good night as he locked the door behind them. Mark returned to the table, and for the first time all night, he sat down.
Mark politely and honestly answered a series of random questions leading up to the tragic event itself. Detective Williams was very respectful in his questioning.
Mark had just gotten up again to let out the last of the cleaning crew, when he came back to the table and stood for a moment, deep in thought.
“You seem like a thorough detective, Mr. Williams,” Mark said, respectively.
“Thank you, Mr. Anderson. I like to think so,” he smiled and took a drink of his water.
“Please, call me Mark,” he said as he took his seat across from Detective Williams.
“I would like to ask YOU a few questions now if that’s alright,” asked Mark.
“Oh, of course,” Detective Williams straightened up in his chair. “Any questions you have, just feel free to ask. I‘ll answer whatever I can, Mark.”
Mark had already anticipated this. He thought the Detective to be very forthcoming.
“Do you have a family of your own, Detective?” Mark asked bluntly.
Detective Williams was surprised by the sudden personal question. He had just assumed the questioning would be regarding the investigation.
“I …am divorced. I have a daughter, but she lives with her mother,” he said honestly.
“Aw... a tell-tale sign of a devoted Detective,” Mark smirked.
“I suppose so,” Williams stared at him intently. “What does this have to do with the investigation?” Detective Williams asked.
“Do y
ou get to see her much? Your daughter, that is,” Mark continued.
“No. Well, I used to get her every other weekend until her mother moved to Washington State about a year ago. She doesn’t come down that often anymore,” Detective Williams looked uncomfortable.
“That’s a shame, I’m sorry to hear it,” he said sadly. “How long have you been a Detective?” Mark asked curiously.
Detective Williams took a deep breath. “Well, I was a police officer for eleven years, and I’ve been a homicide detective now, for almost five-” Williams paused.
“And how about you, how long were YOU an officer, Mr. Anderson?” He asked cautiously, reversing the questioning back to Mark.
Mark smiled wide and laughed out loud. Mark was entertained by Williams’ impressive observation.
Detective Williams smiled as he waited for his answer.
“It seems like it was a very long time ago,” Mark said calmly.
He was suddenly aware of how dry and parched his mouth and throat had become. Mark opened his bottle of water and drank most of it down in three, large gulps.
Mark absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck as he remembered. He put down the bottle carefully, and began to answer the question. “I joined the Army in ‘90 and served during Operation Desert Storm. I took some metal shrapnel in my neck, and lower back, courtesy of a tank explosion. Somehow, all my major arteries and organs were spared and I was sent home a few months later with an honorable discharge. My mother was so thankful that I wouldn’t be going back. I secretly felt like I was being benched on the side lines of a championship game. So, I decided I wanted to “serve and protect“. I was a regular beat cop, patrol, and an aspiring narcotics agent right out of the academy and I had a great partner. I called him Sarge. I did well, despite being so young. They said I had a knack for reading people, and had sharp survival instincts,” Mark looked intently at Detective Williams.
Detective Williams listened carefully, intrigued by his story.
“My father was never around. He and my mother divorced when I was eight. I saw him maybe once after that. It was just me, my mother, and my little sister Alice. She was only three years old when he left. I did the best I could to help take care of us. I stayed in school and when I turned twelve, I worked any job I could get to help put food on the table. I thought if I joined the Army, I would get my college paid for, and get out of Jersey. That only lasted a year. My mother had found out that she had breast cancer and didn’t tell me about it until after I had gotten home from the war. She died nine months later, just after I graduated from the Academy.”
Vendetta Page 5
