She looked at him. Shrugging her shoulders, she replied. “So.”
Her heart palpitated briefly, and she could feel the tension in her neck and shoulders begin to mount. Without being able to take a Xanax, her mind scrambled to think of some other techniques she had been taught to help. Grounding herself became the next option she wanted to try. It was something she could do while listening to the detective and answering his questions.
“So, your past amuses me, but before I get to that, let me remind you of your Miranda rights.”
“Okay.”
As he quickly went through that spiel, Laura hung her head down.
“And that’s that. Let’s get to my questions now, shall we?”
Laura raised her eyes to look at him. “Fine. I have nothing to hide. Ask me what you want.”
“You seem on edge. Would you like some water?”
Kudos to him for trying to care about her, but she wasn’t buying it. And who in the world wouldn’t be on edge when being examined by a detective?
“I’m fine.” Her shaky voice said otherwise.
“Well, then let’s just start. I want to go over what we already know.”
Laura shifted in her seat a little, getting ready for a long conversation. One they’ve already been through numerous times. Or so it seemed. All she did know was that she heard it all already. She also already explained everything the best she could. But if he needed to hear it yet again, so be it. Maybe one of these times he’ll get it through his thick skull she was actually innocent.
Detective Kojak slapped a picture down, making Laura jump.
“And that is?” she asked, a little uneasy looking at a picture of someone who was dead.
He put his pointer finger on the picture, leaving it there. “This is Trey Cooper. His body was found at Tommygun Tavern. He’s your first.”
“My first?” A hand flew to her chest.
“Your first.” The detective cleared his throat before moving on. “We have video footage of you dancing with him. Later, we can see you walking off with him toward the bathroom area. The time stamp of when that happened is just minutes before his time of death.”
“But you don’t see me actually killing him, do you?”
“Well, we don’t see that, but as you’ll soon see, it makes sense.” He looked at her pointedly before continuing. “And according to what you have to say, you don’t remember that night, and have no credible alibi.”
Laura’s eyebrows furrowed.
The detective slapped down another picture. This time she knew who this was.
“And now we come to your second murder, Ben Dahlman.”
She sighed, brushing a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.
Detective Kojak’s eyes grew dark and serious. “Everyone we’ve talked to has said that the two of you didn’t get along. So, we know that you knew each other. We know you didn’t like him. We know you fought.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’d want to kill him,” Laura interjected defensively.
“And again, no alibi.” The detective moved on. “And this is Parker Manscotti, one of your students, your third.”
Laura cringed a little. His death had been tough on many. Then again, all the deaths were probably tough on many.
“We once again have video footage of the night that he died. You two were the only ones inside the gym and pool area that night.”
As she crossed her leg over her knee, she also crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s true you were with another student that night. I believe her name is Cassie.”
“Cassie, yes.”
“But,” he said, putting his finger in the air, demanding attention, “According to Parker’s time of death, he died before you both claimed to have met. His time of death was actually sometime after you left the locker rooms, but before you and Cassie supposedly got together. And you have no alibi for the in between.”
Detective Kojak slammed down a fourth picture. This time it was a little more stern than before. “Here is Sammy Jo Brevelin. Your neighbor, a.k.a., your fourth kill.”
Laura looked at him. “Can you stop saying these deaths are mine?”
“It is what it is, Laura. Or should I say, Louisa?” His eyes made her back down. He continued. “We know that the two of you have ties from the past. We also know that you’ve complained about him and –”
Laura leaned forward in her seat as she interrupted. “Wait a minute, who said I complained about him?”
“That doesn’t matter. The point is, you did. So, there’s a motive, and surprise, surprise, no alibi for the time you were at home.” His eyebrows raised, waiting for her to contest.
She didn’t.
Down came the fifth picture. This one of Chris Peterson, a fellow professor from Capstone University.
Laura’s stomach turned a little. The more she looked at these men, the sicker she felt. And it didn’t help that her anxiety exaggerated the situation.
Finger on the picture, Detective Kojak said, “He died just a couple of days ago. After talking with the dean and other staff members, it was the same day he had been chosen to become the new dean. A position you were in the running for, I hear.”
A position I would have had if it weren’t for whoever the killer is!
He continued. “You’ve barely worked this whole week. The dean, Mr. Thomas Hilton, said you complained of a headache?”
“Yeah, I haven’t been feeling well.”
“Or so you say. With no alibi, I think you used the time off for other activities.”
Her eyebrows scrunched. What he said was the craziest thing she had ever heard.
The detective got out two more pictures. By this time, he was almost to the end of the rectangular table.
Seeing the faces of the dean and his wife made her eyes mist up. They didn’t deserve to die. They were some of the best people she had ever known. Whoever was behind all this was a monster.
“Where were you last night?”
Laura thought for a moment, her eyes staring at the floor as if the answer were written somewhere for her to read. “Home.”
“You were home? Anyone with you?”
She rolled her eyes. “No.”
“No surprise there,” the detective replied sarcastically.
Laura’s fists balled up. She banged one on her knee. “Look! I know what you believe. But you’re wrong! I may not have an alibi that can be proven, but I do know I’m not a murderer!”
“Well, the courts are going to have to decide that one now.”
A strand of hair fell before her eyes. She removed it and went back to her original stance of arms crossed over her chest.
Detective Kojak sighed. He rested his arms on the table and began to move them around as he started talking. “Now look, it’s not just the fact you have no proven alibi. There’s the fact you knew all of these men and –”
“Wait a minute,” she said, shaking her head. “I didn’t know him.” Her finger pointed at the first picture, Trey Cooper.
“You may not have known him, Laura, but the tapes don’t lie. You were at least with him the night that he died.” Seeing as she didn’t say anything further, the detective continued. “There’s also the fact that while we searched your home, we found evidence consistent with characteristics of each death.”
“Like what exactly?”
“Potassium chloride for one.”
“A lot of people use potassium chloride as a water softener!” Laura threw her one arm in the air.
“Maybe that’s true,” he contemplated. “But large doses used in the body causes heart attack and death. Being a science professor, you’d know what dosage that would be.”
“You could search the internet and find out as well,” she rang out, her eyes enlarging.
The detective moved on. “And there’s the lipstick!” He was beginning to grow louder, frustrated at all the rebuttals. “Cherry Passion by Only One You is a match for what is used on the
cards left with each body. As you know, it’s not exactly a popular brand and or one that is sold in many stores.”
“But that still doesn’t mean I did it,” she partially whined.
“And then I’d say one of the greatest findings, as of today, is your real name.”
Laura was confused. “What does my name have to do with anything?”
“Each body came with a card signed by Margaret. Your middle name is Margaret, correct?”
She sighed, placing her hands over her face and smearing it. Things just went from bad to worse. “Yes.”
“So, as you can see, we have every reason to believe you’re the one behind all these deaths.” He paused for a few minutes, letting that sink in.
The air was silent and heavy. Laura didn’t even know what to say.
Shifting in his seat, Detective Kojak leaned back. More calmly than the previous minutes, he said, “Now we also found out your past isn’t exactly clean. You obviously don’t go by your birth name anymore. Care to share what that’s all about?”
Laura looked at him. A part of her thought there wouldn’t be a point to sharing her past. She never wanted to rehash it anyway, and it wouldn’t make a difference on what he believed about her. But another part of her did want to share, to provide some context as to some of her ‘health’ issues and behaviors as of late.
The detective started to tap on the knee of the leg he just crossed. “Or do we need to wait for the hearing?”
“No, no. I’ll share. I just – I’m not exactly sure how to start.” She took some time to gather her thoughts before continuing. Having an audience did not help with the nerves. To concentrate, she looked down. “It was the morning of May 16. Graduation day. What promised to be the best day of my life thus far only got better when my boyfriend proposed.”
“What was his name?” the detective gently asked.
“Charlie. Charlie Richards. We had been together almost our entire college career. We were so in love. Or at least I thought we were.”
The detective’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Laura took a deep breath to try and steady her voice as she answered. “After graduation that day, there was a party. Naturally, we wanted to go. Not only to celebrate the fact we were done with school, but to share with everyone the big news of our engagement.”
“Sure.”
Her eyes went left and right, sifting through the events of that night. “I remember there being a lot of music, loud music. People were laughing, eating, drinking. Just having a great time. I was having a great time. Until I got sick.”
“Sick? What kind of sick?” he asked.
“I, um, started to feel queasy. The room was spinning, and I suddenly got weak and tired.”
“Laura, were you drugged?”
She looked at him. “I must have been. I mean, I was healthy. I usually am. But this just came on suddenly.”
Detective Kojak nodded in understanding.
Looking back down, Laura continued. “Anyway, Charlie, my fiancé, noticed and took me to a bedroom so I could lie down. He closed the door. It was dark, but I could still see everything around me spinning like a record. The music was muffled, but I could still feel the beat of it in my chest. I just felt very weird overall. Like I was there, but not there, all at the same time.”
“And did Charlie get some help? Or?”
She shook her head. “No, he didn’t leave. I asked him to help, but he…” Laura kept shaking her head, her eyes filling with water.
“Laura? Are you okay? What did he do?”
One tear after another rolled down her cheeks. She took a deep breath. “The next thing I knew, as I was lying on the bed, he was on top of me. Not in a fun way, but forcefully. My arms were pinned, and he wedged his body between my legs. I had bruises for weeks!”
“Did anyone come for help?”
“I tried screaming, but he slapped me or covered my mouth. I tried wiggling my way out of his hold, but he was way too strong.” She sniffed. The walls around her began to close in on her. Her body began to shake as she said, “I couldn’t stop him! I tried, but I couldn’t.”
“Laura, did he rape you?”
The tears ran faster. She nodded.
The detective allowed her to weep.
After calming down, she said, “And when he was done, do you know what he said?”
Detective Kojak cocked his head to the side. “What did he say?”
“I’m going to seal this with a kiss.” She sniffed twice. “Then he walked out of the room as if he scored big time. He never looked back. Never brought any help.”
“I take it the two of you had never been intimate before?”
She shook her head.
“And did someone finally find you?”
“I did my best to dress myself and crawled out of the room. Someone finally helped me up and brought me home, yes.”
The detective switched which leg was crossed over which. “I’m assuming you brought this to the police?”
“Yes, of course. And obviously broke off the engagement.”
“Good for you. Then what happened?” he asked.
“Well, he was convicted and sent to prison. I developed anxiety and spent a ton of time in counseling. I know back at my place you saw the Xanax. Well, that’s one medication I’m able to take that helps calm me down when I have panic attacks.”
He nodded in understanding. “And the new name?”
“Well, first, you need to know that I’m from Bennington Hills. That’s where all of this took place.”
“Got it.”
“Seeing as I was now done with school, I came here for a job. I needed to get away from all the bad memories. And I decided to change my name because I didn’t want him to ever find me again.”
“I see. But you know there are still ways he probably could, right?”
Laura shrugged her shoulders. “Probably, but I just didn’t want to be known as Louisa Margaret anymore. It resembled the past and all that happened.”
“Okay,” he said quietly.
She added, “I just wanted a fresh start.”
“Right, right, right.” Detective Kojak uncrossed his legs and sat forward again. “Look, I’m sorry you had to go through that. I really am.”
“Thank you,” Laura said, wiping her eyes of any trace of the river she cried.
“But…”
She hated when there was a ‘but’.
“You know what I think?”
An inkling insider her told her they were now back to the matter at hand. This was no longer about her past. “And what is that?”
“I think that because of your rape, you no longer trust men, and are looking to get back at them. Show them who’s boss, so to speak.”
“Well, you’re wrong. If I didn’t trust men, why would I have a boyfriend?” Her eyebrows arched, begging the detective to find an answer for that one.
He shrugged. “It could just be part of your plan.”
“Ugh!”
“Look, Laura, you’re using the name Margaret because you figured no one from Crimson Shores would figure out that is you. You mentioned the whole ‘seal this with a kiss’ and that’s exactly what these cards are. They have a kiss on them!” He tried to be sympathetic but needed to assert the obvious.
Laura whispered an expletive at him.
“Excuse me?”
She repeated it, loud and clear.
The detective raised his eyebrows.
She didn’t respond. Just crossed those arms tighter against her chest and looked away. He didn’t know her. He had no idea what he was even talking about.
“Is there anything else you want to say? Anything at all? Now is the time.”
“No.”
“Okay then. Well, the arraignment will be first thing Monday morning. That’s when you’ll be appointed a lawyer seeing as you don’t have one. You’ll also get to make your plea.”
“Fine.”
“In the meantim
e, I’m going to have you provide a signature and lip print.”
“Whatever.”
The two of them sat in silence. Laura could feel the heat of Detective Kojak’s gaze on her.
“Okay. We’re done here then. We’ll get those tests, then head back to a holding cell.”
Both stood up simultaneously, the sound of the metal on the tile cringe worthy.
“Follow me,” the detective ordered.
The two of them left the examining room and went further down the hall. In another room, Detective Kojak had Laura quickly sign her name on a card. He also had her provide a lip print. When that was over, he brought her through a door secured by a code from a keypad. The third cell on the right was hers. After she entered, the detective locked it up. And then he walked away. Much like the way Charlie did when he ravaged her body, claiming it as his own, all those years ago.
They can all just rot in their graves.
It didn’t take long for her to look around at what was now her living space. A small square box with a metal-framed bed was all it really was.
Laura walked to the bed and sat down. The metal springs creaked. It felt stiff. She didn’t know what to do. How did she even end up here?
Burying her face in her hands, she cried once again.
Chapter 3
C
assie Seaver spent a good portion of her day driving around, thinking. Since she and Laura had parted ways from the library earlier in the day, she didn’t know where to go or what to do. All she did know was she had to find a way to help. The rumors going around about Laura couldn’t be true.
Though it was proving to be a wearisome task, it was still one she was eager to do. Not only was Laura one of her favorite people, but there was a puzzle that needed to be solved. Cassie loved putting pieces together, creating a masterpiece out of a mystery.
When going to class was out of the question, she drove into town. She took some time walking the streets, hoping something would jog her memory or become obvious. And when her legs didn’t feel like walking, she drove down to the beach. Surely all the fresh air would help.
But the gray clouds grew darker, the wind picked up, and then it rained. Not only did her clothes get wet, her brain and heart poured forth discouragement, hopelessness, and defeat. Nothing made sense. Nothing was coming to mind.
A Kiss Revealed Page 2
