File M For Murder

I complied with her request, and it took me several minutes to outline the main points I wanted to make. Bates finished his task while I talked, and Kanesha motioned for him to wait in the hall. Laura kept Diesel by her side and hushed him a couple of times when he tried to contribute to my narrative. Kanesha didn’t appear amused by that, though I had to suppress a smile.

When I finally ran down, I thought I spotted a ghost of a smile hovering around Kanesha’s lips.

“Interesting.” She nodded. “Anything else?”

I decided to tell her about Sarabeth’s odd behavior during her visit just now. “What do you think?” I asked when I finished.

“Also interesting. It’s all beginning to fit together.” Kanesha nodded. “I appreciate your information, Mr. Harris.” She turned as if to leave.

“Come on, now,” I said. “You can’t just go and not say more than that.”

She turned back with an actual smile. “No, I guess not.” She glanced at Laura, then back at me. “Thanks to those little doodads in the chair, I now have pretty conclusive evidence that Sarabeth Conley murdered Connor Lawton.”

FORTY-TWO

“A sequin and two beads conclusive evidence? How?” Had they found similar items in Connor’s apartment?

“Okay, what I’m about to tell you hasn’t officially been released yet, but as the closest thing Lawton had to family, I think you should know.” Kanesha paused to stick her head out the door and confer briefly with Bates. When she finished she pushed the door closed and leaned against it.

“Why don’t you sit?” She nodded at the chair.

“Okay.” I sat, wishing she’d hurry up and start talking.

“The autopsy on Lawton hasn’t been finalized, but we do know that he was suffocated. He had a high blood alcohol content, so more than likely he was passed out when it happened, and may have died without ever waking up.”

I checked Laura and, although she had paled, she seemed composed. My heart went out to her, because I knew this was difficult for her. Having to hear the details of how a friend died is never easy.

When neither Laura nor I commented, Kanesha continued. “The pathologist at first couldn’t figure out how it was done, but she did find some odd things lodged in his nasal passages and in his beard. I had no idea where they came from until today.”

“Beads and sequins,” I said, dumbfounded. “From one of Sarabeth’s caftans. But how?”

Kanesha shrugged. “I think she maybe just wadded up part of her caftan and covered his nose and mouth with it. She was strong enough to hold him down if he roused and started to struggle.”

Laura cried out at that, and I couldn’t blame her. The image conjured by Kanesha’s words was disturbing. I got up from my chair and went to comfort Laura. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” I said softly as I squatted by her chair. I put my arms around her, and she laid her head on my shoulder for a moment. Then she pulled away to find a tissue and dab at her eyes.

“Sorry,” Kanesha said. “I know it’s upsetting, but I think that has to be the way it happened.”

“You’re right.” I shook my head as I stood. I remained beside Laura. “It’s all too easy to visualize, unfortunately. In both cases, she took the most expedient means, and the fact that she’s tall and strong made it so much easier.” Diesel rubbed hard against my legs, seeking comfort, and I rubbed his head.

“Yes. I’m going to be arresting her shortly, as soon as I can get the warrant, and you won’t have to worry about her anymore.” Kanesha smiled grimly.

“That’s wonderful,” I said. “But what about Levi Norris? Do you think he’s responsible for Damitra Vane’s murder and the rest?”

“That’s one reason I wanted to talk to you too this morning.” Kanesha sounded smug. “By the way, that was a letter bomb, and you were smart to do exactly what you did. It could have killed whoever opened it and anyone standing nearby.”

For a moment I felt like I was going to pass out, and I leaned against Laura’s chair. I managed to collect myself when I heard Laura saying “Dad! Daddy, are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” I said, though my voice sounded strained, even to me. Laura got up and insisted that I take her chair. Since my knees were still wobbly, I did, and she stood by me with an arm across my shoulders.

Kanesha, with a guilty expression, apologized. “Didn’t think you’d react that way. I shouldn’t be so blunt sometimes.”

I nodded but didn’t comment.

After a moment she continued. “You won’t have to worry about Levi Norris either. The police picked him up about an hour ago, and he’s in jail, pending charges.”

“For what?” Laura asked.

“Murder, specifically the murder of Damitra Vane,” Kanesha said. She paused for a moment. “I won’t go into the details, but Norris left evidence at the scene that I’m confident we’ll be able to link to him.”

I wanted to ask what kind of evidence, but I doubted Kanesha would answer.