A Deadly Fall (3 page)

“I wouldn’t eat anything besides potatoes and spaghetti until I was in college!” Sarah admitted. “I finally planted a garden last year, nothing like what Mom and Dad had, but it’s a start. And fresh vegetables are so much better than anything you can buy in the store! I had no idea they were feeding us the best!” We both laughed.

“Red or white?” I asked, opening the cupboard door and seeing the options for wine.

“Red. Not warm enough yet for white.”

I took out a bottle with a dog on the label thinking it must be good. I judged wine by the label, not the way true wine connoisseurs were supposed to.

“Marissa, I really can’t thank you enough for coming out at the last minute to stay here. I know you don’t come often, and then to come when we aren’t even going to be here, we really appreciate it.”

“I promise, I wanted to come. So say thanks and let’s move on,” I said, searching for wine glasses.

“Here.” Sarah handed me two. “And thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Have you let anyone know you’re in town for two weeks?” Sarah asked.

“Like who? Even last year at your wedding I hardly saw anyone I knew. It’s been too long and would be too much work to pickup old friendships. We’re completely new people now. When I left after high school, I didn’t look back. You were still only in middle school and you had a great group of friends that you kept in touch with through college. But once Mom and Dad left after you graduated, I had no reason to keep coming back. Until, of course, you moved back after college. It sounds like most of your friends are still here too?” I asked. I didn’t want the spotlight on me and my failed friendships. I knew it was only a matter of time before she asked me about any new relationship in New York. The story was always the same.

“Yeah. Some people tried out other places, but this is home. Always will be for me anyway. Judy, remember her? From the wedding? I don’t know if you knew her before then.” I nodded that I remembered. “She hasn’t stayed. And of everyone I know, I wish she had!”
“Where’d she end up?” I asked.

“She hasn’t ended up anywhere for longer than a few months yet. She’s constantly on the move. Comes back between each move for a little bit, but can’t seem to sit still. She finished college and then hasn’t been able to stay put.”

“Sounds exhausting,” I said, thinking about living out of a backpack. Maybe when I was 20, but not now that I’m 30. “How’s Jack?” I finally asked. I hadn’t seen him since their wedding a year ago and Sarah and I talked infrequently enough that I hardly knew what he was up to.

“He’s good. Works a lot. More than I’d like. But I guess that’s what you do when you get a job, right? He seems to be happy enough with it, but this trip is a much needed break. For both of us. He spends so much time at the office that sometimes I feel like we don’t get to talk for even a couple hours some weeks! I know he’s doing what makes sense to him—it’s his way of taking care of me, and that’s what he thinks I expect of him. That’s what his dad did—worked his life away. But I think I’m getting closer to making him understand we really are in this together and I’m happy to pickup more shifts at the assisted living center. I can do four long days a week and still work less than him!”

“But after the first year of marriage, you’re happy right?” I asked, thinking I shouldn’t even have to ask it, but I couldn’t tell as she talked about Jack’s obsession with working.

“Of course! I couldn’t imagine my life without him! We’re only 23. We’re still figuring this whole thing out. Not, being together, but making a life together. We talked about having kids the other day and I think we’re both ready. We’re going to take this trip to play hard and then see if we still feel that way. We’re so happy together, and bringing another person into the world to share that happiness with just makes the most sense.”

“That’s great!” I said, not knowing what else to add. The more she talked, the less I felt I knew about my little sister.

***

“OK, fine, I’ll meet you in a half hour,” I conceded over the phone. Lynn had always been the outgoing friend who kept me involved in the social crowd. I loved her, but our paths had diverged a long time ago. I don’t know how she’d found out I was even in town. I didn’t use Facebook, I didn’t have her number.

She was dating Judy’s older brother. I couldn’t remember his name, just that he existed. He was a couple years younger than I was and his family had moved to town in my senior year of high school. I got to know Judy, but not her family. Sarah must have let Judy know I was in town, even though she wasn’t, and to let Lynn know to reach out to catch up.

I raided Sarah’s closet. I hadn’t brought anything that would even remotely pass for getting dressed up and going out to a bar. I’d packed jeans, sweats and hiking clothes for my two weeks. And it’d only taken three days to get invited to something I didn’t really want to go to.

Her closet was full of a huge variety of clothes. What did she have with her? This closet looked packed and she’d taken so much with her. I was sure I could find something reasonable that fit.

I settled on my jeans and a tight fitted black tank under a maroon scoop neck sweater. It was a surprisingly warm night for April in the White Mountains. The winter could last into May sometimes. This year happened to have an early thaw. Or a temporary early thaw—there was no guarantee the warm stretch would last.

“Marissa! It’s so good to see you!” Lynn shouted as soon as she saw me enter The Lazy River. The evening crowd hadn’t started yet so Lynn’s small group of friends was easy to spot.

“You too, it’s been ages!” I agreed as we embraced.

“You’re never around anymore. Come meet everyone. You remember my boyfriend, Sam,” she said, starting introductions.
Sam, that’s his name, Judy’s older brother
, I thought to myself. “And Ryan, Stephanie, Joey and Helen. Everyone, this is Marissa. We go way back.”

“Hi,” I said with false enthusiasm. I was happy to catch up with Lynn but I had no interest in attempting to make any new friendships during my short stay at Sarah and Jack’s. I sat down next to Lynn and she jumped right back into where we’d left off the last time we’d seen each other—I don’t even remember how long ago.

“Sarah and Jack must be so excited to be going on this trip!” Lynn bubbled with enthusiasm.

“It seems so,” I agreed. “It sounds like he works quite a bit so this will be a good chance for them to have uninterrupted time together.”

“Winter backpacking will be great for spending that time together! Sam mentioned they’re even booking a helicopter to get to some of the more remote areas. Sam, do you know if they were able to book the helicopter before they left?” she asked, turning to her boyfriend.

“I think they could. It sounds incredible, the itinerary they have planned.”

“That’s great! Jack must be good at convincing Sarah to try new things. She was never a daredevil!” I told Lynn.

“We had a really snowy winter and they tried some winter camping, so they should be prepared at least!” Lynn said. Sam turned back to the others, all laughing about some inside joke. “But,
you
, what have you been up to, Marissa? I never hear from you, and when I ask Sarah, she doesn’t seem to know anything I don’t know already. How’s work? Any new man in your life?”

I smiled. It was always the same questions, and I always had the same answers. “Nope, no new man.” I started with the easy answer. “Works going great. I designed a new course for the upcoming semester. It combines forensics with my normal psychology class. I’m team teaching it with a visiting professor. I’m really excited about it!” I stopped there, knowing I bored most people to a near catatonic state when I went into too much detail.

“That’s great!” Lynn said, the normal response.

“Is everyone ready to order food?” Sam asked, pausing our conversation. I quickly glanced over the menu and made my decision in the time everyone else placed their orders. I was optimistic about a good evening reconnecting with my past.

Sam – September 2009

“Catch me up, Captain,” I said as soon as I walked into the office the following day. Even though I’d only really taken half a day off, there were probably plenty of developments that could lead us to identifying the body and starting our investigation if necessary.

“Bad news, Sam. Our team ID’d the body last night. I knew as soon as I saw her face after you and Allen left the scene, but I couldn’t tell you earlier, you know how it is. Procedure. And I wanted you to hear it in person. You should sit down for this,” he said and then actually gave me time to sit.

“Allen said you thought she was a local.”

“She is. She’s Sarah,” he said matter of factly. Judy’s best friend. I’d been part of the force long enough for Captain Edwards to know who was closest to our family and to keep an especially close eye on them when anything seemed amiss in town.

“Oh no,” I said as reality struck. “I can’t believe Judy didn’t recognize her. I know it’s been a while since she’s been in town, but they were inseparable for so long. And they had just been together last Friday. Why hadn’t Sarah’s name come up in a missing persons report?”

“We don’t know yet. We’re still trying to contact Jack. He’s been away on a business trip and is flying back right now. It looks like a hiking accident. There was a bad storm on Sunday, and the time of death is Sunday afternoon. If she was hiking and got caught in the rain, no telling how slippery the rocks and roots were, or how bad the visibility was. The location of her body looks like a bad fall that killed her.”

“But Judy is always talking to her when she’s in town. Just about every day. We found her on Tuesday, today’s Wednesday. Judy would have tried calling her between Sunday and now. She would have known something was up if she wasn’t hearing from her. Can we pull phone records, credit card purchases?”

“It was only two days between her death and when you found the body. We can’t pull that stuff yet. You know that. We need to find Jack. Why don’t you take another day. You’re too close to this. Take Judy out somewhere. I’m sure she’s still reeling from yesterday even if she doesn’t know it’s Sarah yet. You won’t want her to find out from the news. We haven’t released the name yet, and we won’t for a day at least. We have to notify her family first. But break the news to her in person, gently.”
 

“I need to be here. I’ll talk to Judy, make sure she’s with someone who can help her deal with this, but I need to be here. I need to work on this case. It’s my job and I can add information that others probably can’t.”

“Tomorrow you can start. That’s an order.”

I walked out of the office in a daze. Judy was going to be devastated. Hell, I was devastated. Ever since our family had moved here at the beginning of high school, Sarah and Judy had been inseparable. By the time they were in middle school and I was getting ready to leave for college, Judy was always tying up the phone lines with Sarah on the other end. She’d get off the school bus and immediately pick up the phone, continuing whatever conversation they’d been having. I never did understand how girls talked as much as they did.

Even with Judy traipsing all over the country, their friendship never seemed to be put on hold. Judy always came home for Sarah—her wedding and both miscarriages and seemingly insignificant life events as well. At least seemingly insignificant to an outsider. To them, everything was significant.

Judy always stayed with me when she visited, but it was Sarah who she was really visiting. I would get the short version of all of the events, including Judy’s personal struggle with changing her lifestyle and heading back to school. It was ultimately Sarah’s joy in her settled down life with Jack that convinced Judy that single traveling wasn’t going to fulfill her life’s mission.

And where was Judy now? I sent her a text,
Let’s meet for an early lunch.
And then it was a waiting game. I needed to figure out how to break the news while offering as much support as possible. She was going to be put through hell by having to give a statement and possibly testify if any viable suspects were dug up.

Sounds great. How ‘bout The Lazy River?
she wrote back.

Meet you there at 11
. Now we had a plan. I just needed to make my own plan. And fast. Somehow it was already past ten.

***

“What’s up, how’s work going today? Any progress on the ID of the body?” Judy asked as our food was placed in front of us and we both started to dig in. I’d had to make small talk and avoid work related topics until she had some food in her. I knew she wouldn’t be able to eat once I dropped this bomb on her.

“You never ask about work,” I said with a smile, not letting anything away just yet. I wanted to give her another few moments of thinking life was all good.

“I don’t usually show up first on a crime scene,” she laughed.

“Actually, there is progress. I was sent home. Captain told me to take today and start working again tomorrow,” I said, seriousness creeping into my voice and body language.

“Sam, what’s going on?” she asked, worried. She’d always been able to read me like an open book, even before we were close.

“Judy, there’s really no easy way to tell you this—” I paused. It was too much.

“Sam, you’re scaring me.”

“Judy, the body we found was Sarah.” There, I’d said it. Let the terror take over.