File M For Murder

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” I said in a mild tone. “My plan is to lay it all in front of Kanesha and let her handle it from there. I don’t want any more incidents—” I broke off, remembering too late that I didn’t want to bring up the attacks aimed at Laura in front of a reporter.

Ray was quick to seize on my gaffe. “Incidents? Like what?” He paused for an answer, but when none of us responded, he continued. “That must be why the police are watching your house. Unless, of course, one of you is a suspect.” He eyed each of us in turn, then fixed his attention on Laura. “You knew Lawton pretty well, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did,” Laura said. “But I didn’t have anything to do with his murder. And neither did anybody else in this room.”

Ray focused his gaze on me. “I really don’t think one of you is a murderer, although you do seem to have a knack for getting involved in murders. Tell me, then, why are the police watching your house?”

I figured I couldn’t hold out any longer. “There have a couple of attacks aimed at Laura. She was assaulted in her office on campus, and earlier today there was an envelope in the mail, addressed to her, that might have been a letter bomb.” I left out the attempted arson.

Ray whistled and looked at Laura. “Somebody’s sure got it in for you. Why?”

“We don’t know,” Sean said curtly. “Whoever’s behind it must think she knows something incriminating.”

“Something that Lawton told you and no one else.” Ray was still focused on Laura.

Laura shrugged. “I have no clue what that could be. Anything that seems pertinent I’ve already discussed with my father and my brother.”

Ray turned back to me. “You know, the more I think about it, the odder it seems. You’ve got old man Norris, death by drowning in a bathtub, right? And then Lawton, how did he die?”

“Suffocation, I think.” I wondered where Ray was going with this.

Ray nodded. “Okay. Then there’s this Damitra Vane woman. She has to be connected, right, because the only reason she was in town was because of Lawton, correct?”

I nodded.

“She had her throat cut.” Ray looked thoughtful as he continued. “Then your daughter was attacked in her office. You also tell me that she got sent what could have been a letter bomb.”

Again I nodded. There was also the arson, but I still didn’t bring it up. I was beginning to see the point he was trying to make.

“Two men suffocated to death. Nasty, but not really violent, right?” Ray gazed at us each in turn, and we all nodded. “Then you have a stabbing, an assault, and a bomb. All really violent.”

He paused, and again we nodded.

“Don’t you see?” Ray asked. “Looks to me like we’re talking about two very different people committing these crimes.”

FORTY

I wasn’t as surprised at Ray’s assessment of the murders as the others appeared to be. I had no idea whether he was right, of course, but he had picked up on something that had been bothering me.

“I believe that’s a valid point, Ray,” Sean said. “Murder is a violent crime, but there are levels of violence. I wonder what a profiler would make of the three murders, an assault, and a letter bomb?”

“A profiler might look for someone with a history of violence,” Ray replied. “Like Levi Norris. He’s been in and out of trouble since he was a kid. Increasingly violent trouble, including attempted rape.”

“We know about some of that,” Laura said. “Dad found references to it in the newspapers.”

“The police and the sheriff’s department know all about Levi’s history. He’s been pretty clean, as far as I know, for the past ten years or so. But it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he was behind the stabbing, the assault, and the letter bomb.”

“I want to put a stop to any more violence and protect my family.” I spoke in a fiercer tone that I intended, but I supposed my subconscious feelings of fear for my family’s safety came through. “Kanesha’s going to have to listen to me about all this.”

“That’s probably my cue to leave.” Ray Appleby stood and put his notebook and pen away. “She wouldn’t allow me to hang around anyway, even if she does agree to talk to you.” He glanced at Stewart in what I thought was a studiously casual manner. “Besides, dinner’s waiting for me at home.”

“How sweet.” Stewart arched both eyebrows and tilted his head slightly. “Who is it this week, Ray?”

The reporter’s face turned fiery red, and I thought he might stroke out right in front of us. Stewart offered an angelic smile, while Laura and Sean both turned their heads away. Ray stood there, silent a moment longer, and then the red faded away. He nodded to me. “I’ll check in with you later, after the sheriff’s department has issued some kind of statement. I really think you’re on to something with Sarabeth and Levi Norris.”

I escorted him to the front door, and when I returned to the kitchen the others were laughing. “I can’t believe how bratty you can be.” Laura shook her finger at Stewart. “That wasn’t a nice thing to do.” She grinned.