BLOODY BELL

by Jeremy Waldron

  “Wait,” Erin held up one hand and froze, “did you hear that?”

  I turned up the volume and, when it came through again, I repeated what I heard, “Double homicide. Congress Park.”

  “It’s worth a look.” Erin’s eyes sparkled. “Who knows, could be Cameron Dee.”

  Chapter Six

  “Yes, I called about the dog.” The neighbor’s name was Andy Crowe and his eyes were shifty as they passed between King and Alvarez. “If you were me, you would have done the same.”

  Andy snarled in the same manner King and Alvarez had seen the Shepard do when taken away by Animal Control. King couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Andy and the dog when trying to get to the bottom of what might have happened to the Browns tonight.

  “That thing won’t shut up.” Andy was a dramatic, speaking with his hands, chomping at the bit. “All day. All night. It’s a menace and needs to be put down.” He stomped his foot for effect.

  King listened to the thud echo off the adjacent roof and travel up the quiet street. “How well did you know the Browns?”

  “Look, I was only calling about the dog. I didn’t expect to be questioned like a criminal.”

  King exhaled a deep breath and shifted his feet on the step.

  Andy’s facial expression pinched with a hint of paranoia. “What is going on here?” He folded his arms and let his gaze travel over King’s shoulder toward the Browns’ house. “This response seems excessive for only having to deal with a dog.”

  Alvarez jumped in and shifted the conversation before assumptions starting flying off Andy’s top shelf. It didn’t take long for him and King to get the approximate time Andy called and made the complaint.

  “Do you make this call often?” King asked.

  Andy stretched his neck like a giraffe going for the leaves at the top of the tree. “Should I call my lawyer?”

  “It’s a simple question, Mr. Crowe.” Alvarez was growing impatient. “We could do it here, or you could come down to the station and make your complaint official.”

  Andy’s eyes volleyed back and forth before saying, “Perhaps more than I should. But the response has never been anything like this. If I knew you were going to send the infantry, maybe I would have let it go tonight.”

  “Besides the persistent barking of the dog, did you see anything out of the ordinary tonight?”

  “Yeah. Take a look around. I’d say everything I’m looking at right now is out of character for this neighborhood. We’re working class. We go to work and come home. Then do it all over again.”

  Alvarez shook the loose coins in his pocket. “What my partner meant was, did you see anything suspicious that might be cause for concern?”

  Andy rolled his eyes back to the Browns’ house and stared before shaking his head. He was still wearing only a t-shirt and King noticed goosebumps stand his arm hair straight. Andy didn’t seem to mind the dropping temperature. When he dropped his heels back to the pavement, Andy scrunched his nose, lowered his voice, and asked, “Are they dead?”

  King palmed the small notepad he was holding and glanced to his notes. “You noticed the dog barking around 7:15PM, halfway through your show.” King lifted his eyes. “Did you notice any other activity at the Browns’ around that time? Maybe people coming and going, cars parked out front that you’ve never seen before?”

  Andy shivered for the first time. “The Browns all seemed to be swinging friends in and out of their house. It was an active household.”

  “So, is that a yes?”

  “I can’t say for sure.” Andy’s initial defiance was beginning to wane. “I’m not a stalker, it’s just that stupid dog interrupts my TV and it really got to me tonight.”

  King scribbled a couple lines of notes.

  “Know if the Browns entertain, like to party?” Alvarez’s bottom lip curled as he bobbed his head up and down like a buoy rolling with the ocean’s waves.

  Andy shook his head.

  “From your perspective, would you guess their marriage was healthy?”

  “I don’t know.” Andy shrugged. “I always took them for the type of people who put on whatever face they thought you wanted to see.”

  “And what face did they put on for you?”

  “They smiled but I always assumed they didn’t have much good to say about me.”

  “You didn’t like their dog much.” Alvarez narrowed his gaze.

  Andy’s eyes lit up. “Yeah.”

  “What about their daughter, have any interaction with her?”

  Andy pursed his lips and whistled. “A feisty one, that is. Given too much freedom, if you ask me.”

  “Do you have children, Mr. Crowe?” Alvarez asked.

  “No.” Andy’s eyes rounded into coins as he tucked his chin into his neck. “Thank God.”

  King’s thoughts churned, thinking back to what he’d seen inside the Browns’ house, the daughter’s room. “What constitutes too much freedom in your eyes, Mr. Crowe?”

  “Hung out with more boys than girls.” Andy paused. “Not sure what that says about her, but…” He gave a look as he slowly nodded his head. “Mmm-hmm, you catch my drift.”

  “Did you see her here tonight?”

  “Didn’t see her here tonight.” He drew his thick eyebrows together and glanced to the street. “But something tells me much of their unhappiness recently was the result of the choices Tracey made.”

  “Tracey?”

  “Yeah, the daughter.” Andy gave a quizzical look. “Tracey Brown. That’s who we’re talking about it, isn’t it?”

  “You think the Browns were an unhappy household?”

  “Lots of screaming and yelling and slamming doors these last couple of months. Not to mention that stupid dog.”

  “Any idea what that was about?”

  “You kidding? None of my business. I prefer to stay out of people’s lives with hopes they will do the same for me.”

  King imagined rolling his eyes at the irony of Mr. Crowe’s statement as he fished out his business card and handed it to him. “If you remember anything else that you think might be useful to us, give my number a call.”

  Andy took the card and stuffed it into the palm of his hand. Pushing himself up on the tips of his toes, he asked, “How long until you all are gone?”

  King and Alvarez didn’t bother to respond as they turned and walked away.

  Andy yelled after them, “It doesn’t make the rest of us look good, you know.”

  Chapter Seven

  The police had the street blocked off by the time we arrived. We stepped out of the car and stood at the hood with our hands in our pockets. The air buzzed with activity and lit up the house in question. Erin nudged my arm with her elbow and jutted her jaw toward the gathering of press already here.

  “Slow news night or could this story just be that good?” Erin ran her tongue over her front teeth, debating whether to join them or not.

  News vans from all the local stations had their floodlights pointed on their reporters. They had their gear out, mics on, red camera lights flashing. It didn’t take long to find Nancy Jordan reporting. I thought it best we join the flock before someone saw us.

  “C’mon, let’s see what the story is,” I said, taking the first step toward my colleagues.

  The moment we stepped into the light, eyes flicked in our direction. Microphones were lowered and jaws loosened. It seemed everyone was staring as if they were witnessing a crime—or seeing their favorite celebrity for the first time.

  “This is totally weird,” Erin whispered under her breath.

  I continued walking with my hands in my pockets, pretending like I hadn’t noticed all eyes on me. My mind swirled and I could only think that it must have been a while since we’d all wanted to tell the same story because this certainly wasn’t the reaction I had expected to receive.

  We passed the first crew and their envious eyes followed us to the next.

  “It’s your reputation, you know
,” Erin said into my shoulder.

  “And what reputation would that be?” I flicked my eyes to the sides.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe for solving crimes faster than the police.”

  I rolled my eyes and gave Erin a look of disbelief.

  “It’s true. But if you’re not careful, these same people will soon have no choice but to either resent or envy you.”

  “And what are they doing now?”

  “Deciding which side to take.”

  “They shouldn’t do either.” I kept walking. “Don’t forget, my success is your success. We’re in this together.”

  Erin hooked her arm through the crook of mine. “But I’m not the one dating a cop.”

  I poked my tongue into my cheek and glared at Erin. Suddenly, I heard my name being called.

  “Samantha!” Nancy Jordan called the moment she saw me coming. “Over here.”

  I forced a smile. My relationship with Nancy was a series of ups and downs. We were competitors, colleagues, and confidants. We weren’t exactly the best of friends, but we were on speaking terms and occasionally helped each other out.

  “I was waiting for you to show up to the party.” She smiled.

  We greeted her and her crew. “Any official statement from the cops?”

  Nancy shook her head. “The reports we’ve received are saying a husband and wife committed suicide.” We asked their names and professions and Nancy knew them both. “Other than that, we’re still waiting on the juicy details to be shared.”

  I looked toward the house. Something told me that was it for tonight. There wouldn’t be a press conference for a pair of suicides unless they were celebrities—which they weren’t. So why was everyone here? There had to be more to it than this.

  “This isn’t our story,” I said to Erin, hoping she would convince me otherwise.

  Erin was gazing off in the distance. “Animal Control?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Nancy said. “The Browns’ dog was taken away. Put up a good fight, I heard.”

  I kept sifting through the crowd. King had to be here somewhere. And as I searched the faces around the coroner’s van, I kept thinking there was a secret waiting to be told.

  As if reading my thoughts, Nancy said, “I saw Alex at the neighbor’s not too long ago.”

  I closed my fingers around my cell phone inside my pocket and pulled it out. Nudging Erin’s arm, I said with my eyes to follow me. We left Nancy with her crew and, without making a scene, I discreetly messaged King again.

  I’m at the Browns’. Then I told him where my car was parked in as few words as possible, asking if he could meet us there.

  “Samantha.” When I heard Nancy call out my name, I stopped and turned. “I hope you share whatever inside secrets you’re about to learn.” She flashed me a knowing smirk that caused my stomach to flex.

  My lips pinched as I turned back around without responding. We moved in the dark, bypassing the herd of reporters that had stared on our way in. My cell chimed with an incoming message from King. Give me 15 min.

  “You’re serious?” Erin asked. “We’re just going to leave?”

  “Not yet.”

  “But we’re heading back to the car.”

  “I messaged King. Unless he gives us something good, our focus needs to stay on Cameron.”

  Erin agreed and we waited at my car without speaking. With our backs pressed up against the side, fifteen minutes passed in silence before I heard footsteps sneaking up from behind. When I turned to look, King latched onto my hips and pulled me into his solid chest. I yelped and smacked the flat of my hand onto his sternum.

  “Why do you always insist on scaring the crap out of me?”

  King laughed and pecked at my lips.

  They were warm and inviting but this wasn’t the place to get romantic. We were parked away from the action but he still managed to cover his tracks when sneaking away from the scene.

  “Did you get my message earlier?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry. I haven’t had time to respond.” King held onto my hips and lifted his gaze to Erin. “Is that why you’re here?”

  “We caught the activity on the scanner.” I pressed the tips of my fingers into his sports coat.

  “Nancy Jordan filled us in on the public details,” Erin said.

  “Anything else you can tell us?” I asked.

  King’s hands left my hips and I watched his gaze travel up the block toward the Browns’ residence. Red and blue lights flashed in the trees. “Their neighbor, Andy Crowe, called complaining about a barking dog. Apparently, this type of incident happens fairly frequently.”

  “Is he a suspect?”

  “Not at this time.”

  “But you haven’t canceled him out yet either?”

  “No. He claims he doesn’t know much about the Browns, but his story told me something different.”

  “We heard it might have been a suicide,” Erin said.

  “Everything we saw inside says it was.” King’s eyes were back on mine. “We’ll see what the ME comes back with.” Suddenly, his cell phone started ringing. “It’s Alvarez. He’s probably wondering where I went.”

  I chewed my lip, wondering if I could find a reason to stay.

  “Look, I’m not sure there is much of a story for you, Sam. I’m already jeopardizing mine and the department’s reputation by meeting with you now.”

  I knew as much, but why did it seem every reporter in town was here?

  “At least not until the lab results come back and we speak with their teenage daughter.”

  Erin stepped forward and I felt my head float to the sky. “Wait, you’re looking for their teenage daughter?”

  “Yeah.” King’s thick brows knitted. “Why?”

  “Suspect?” I asked, suddenly finding myself stretching for a connection to Cameron.

  “No. Person of interest.” King had a suspicious sparkle in his eye that made me question if he’d even bothered reading my text earlier.

  “How old?” Erin pressed.

  “If I had to guess, old enough to drive.” Alvarez called King again. King didn’t answer. I shared a knowing look with Erin, thinking this had to be it. “If there is a story here, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “Sounds like the daughter is the story,” I said as King leaned in to kiss my cheek before leaving. “What’s her name?”

  King pulled back and began backpedaling away. “Tracey Brown. But if anyone asks, you didn’t get it from me.”

  Chapter Eight

  We allowed King’s words time to sink in before we began speculating if Tracey’s and Cameron’s cases were somehow related. “But King never said Tracey was missing, just that he wanted to find her,” Erin reminded me from the passenger seat.

  With one hand on the wheel, I drove, not sure where exactly I was heading. “The women are about the same age.”

  “And we can choose to chase ghosts or keep with what we know.”

  I knew Erin was right. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, making our story bigger than what it actually was. But I couldn’t get Ms. Dee’s sad eyes out of my head. If we stopped now, tomorrow would be the third day Cameron was missing. This wasn’t just about the story. I wanted to help. Make a difference. And hope that the story ended well.

  Erin yawned and mumbled, “It’s getting late and I still have to edit this week’s podcast.”

  As difficult as it was for me to call it quits, I knew we could pick it up in the morning.

  “Sam, this week’s podcast is one you have to listen to.” Erin pushed herself up in her seat as if finding her batteries suddenly recharged. “Remember how I told you about that woman who was in a vegetative state?”

  I flicked my eyes in her direction and nodded.

  “Well, she’s pregnant.”

  My heart kicked up a notch. “I’m listening.”

  Erin told me the woman’s condition, and how no one knew she was pregnant until she was close to eight months along. But the m
ystery behind the story was how no one could explain how she got pregnant. The story was interesting, if not a bit disgusting considering what had to happen to get from point A to B, but Erin was right, this show was going to explode with the listeners.

  “And, get this,” Erin’s eyes flashed, “I’ve had some people call in who worked at the facility.” She paused to raise both her eyebrows. “And they were willing to go on record.”

  “Do they know who did it?”

  “There is certainly a lot of suspicion around one man in particular, even a couple pieces of damning evidence. But until a judge orders DNA testing, it will remain only a rumor.”

  Erin had been working tirelessly on this bizarre story out of Pueblo while I had been trying to keep up with both our website and my duties with the Times. I hadn’t given it much thought until tonight, but I was blown away. I loved Erin’s approach of letting the story unfold organically. It kept her work exciting and I knew her listeners were going to love it, too.

  I dropped her off at home, promising to call in the morning, and then turned around and pointed my car toward my own bed. My muscles were tired and my head was drifting. I thought about calling Allison just to say goodnight but it was close to midnight by the time I pulled up to the curb in front of my house.

  I gathered my things from the backseat and was looking forward to spending an evening alone when I heard my own dog, Cooper, bark from the front window.

  Someone was there.

  My heart jumped into my throat.

  I stopped breathing when I saw the dark silhouette of a woman sitting quietly on my front porch. Her face was hidden in the shadows. Thank God, Mason was away.

  Cooper stopped barking. His tongue dangled out of his mouth. He looked to me, then back to the woman. I knitted my brows, thinking Cooper knew who the person was.

  Gathering up the courage to finally step out, I rounded the car and kept my cell ready to call Erin in a moment’s notice. The woman said something and I immediately recognized the voice in the shadows.

  “What on Earth are you doing here?” I asked my sister, Heather Garret. I gripped my shoulder strap and ran up to the house. “Why didn’t you call?”