Formula for Murder (17 page)

When questioned after the student left, Gerald provided his viewpoint, and gave Kat insight into a professor she’d known, yet not known, for years.

“Charlie was a loner, Kat. You won’t find much personal information on him because there wasn’t any. He looked for satisfaction in the laboratory. Some may find emptiness in beakers and reports but for him the emptiness was in the frivolous conversations of the social scene. He never felt at home there.”

Kat stared at Gerald, trying to discern where that loneliness fit in with his murder, if at all. As Gerald talked, he leaned back in his chair and Kat could see his rotund stomach, so round that the flesh peeped between the buttons. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand, her elbow on the arm of the chair. She wasn’t so much tired as perplexed. Maybe she was searching for clarity where there was none. Gerald’s forthrightness pulled things back into perspective. He stayed late and came in early just like Charlie. Yet everyone liked Gerald. What was the difference between them, she wondered.

“Just because he was a loner and didn’t feel comfortable in the social world doesn’t justify his orneriness nor his narrow-mindedness.”

“You’re right. I was beginning to feel sorry for him. I suppose I still can as long as I keep it in perspective.”

Gerald locked up and they discussed the murder briefly on the way down the stairs. Kat was grateful for his company and looked around warily. She didn’t see anyone lurking on the landings behind doors to the other floors. She continued her conversation as they headed out of the building, “But the murder is really getting me down.”

Before he could respond she noticed the student who had been in Gerald’s office. “Excuse me. Did you see anyone on the stairs right after you left Dr. Higgins office?”

“He looked at her a little strangely, but answered politely enough. “No, no one but Dr. Prosnerian. At least it looked like him from the back. He was walking down ahead of me. I assumed he was leaving his lab.”

“Thank you.” She turned back to Gerald as the student left. Although Gerald noticed her puzzled look at the student’s response, she didn’t confide in him, and when she continued their earlier conversation he let it drop.

“Why can’t we find any leads?” she asked.

“Maybe the police have more than they’re letting on. Give them time.”

“Point made,” she sighed.

Chapter 16

Tics indicate negative feelings like temper, anger, and hostility.

“Handwriting Analysis: The Complete Basic Book”

             
             
             
by Karen Amend and Mary Ruiz

Dawn in the mountains blushed with the rosy hues of an exuberant sunrise. The air was still, dreamy. The chatter of nuthatches and chickadees rose with the sun, replacing the cacophony of crickets from the night before. As the birdsong slackened, wind broke through the trees, rustling the changing leaves into sparkling gems. Kat admired the scene while she sipped coffee on the porch, letting the colors seep under her skin to soothe and warm. It was her Shangri-La, a balm before facing the working world.

Thoughts of the job intruded, turning from the idyllic setting to the gruesome matter of murder. Yes, the chase was intriguing, but what she’d been holding at bay was the reality of death. It invaded her thoughts now, breaking the calm early morning routine.

Charlie had not been popular. Friends weren’t lined up in tears. No family had come to mourn. A coffin had been shipped home to a father who long ago learned there was no need to visit. But death bequeathed to those left behind a film of uncertainty, of introspection, and always, of guilt for times lost and words unsaid. Murder added fear, bravado, and suspicion. Kat didn’t like facing any of it, but knew that for her, finding the killer would put to rest some of those feelings. She set aside the breakfast dishes and left for work.

The sun glazed a path through the treetops with a Midas touch as she drove down from the mountains. It was time to wrap up some of the mundane chores related to her job on campus, finish the freelance feature that was due at the magazine next week, and follow through on inquiries out to students regarding the victim, his work, and journal.

She breezed into her office with purpose. Though the carpet muffled the sound of her strappy Vera Wang high heels, they still punctuated her approach. Maybe it was the way she swung her leg forward from the hip like a weapon, but whatever it was, she caught everyone’s attention with no less force than a shot from a Colt .45. While her thoughts moved ahead to ways she could combine invitations to a science lecture with a little prodding for information, she didn’t notice her effect on those in the office.

Nick noticed. He always noticed when she walked. It sometimes took his breath away. Today he watched the reaction of others. Soothed by their inability to return to their tasks either, he also recognized the jealousy seeping in as he studied their interest in her. It was more than those long legs. She walked with a unified grace, her willowy legs just one part of the whole.

Kat broke the mood with a blast of activity and commandeered two student workers and the common work area to run her invitation-writing production line.

“Jake, Carla, put aside the clippings for now. I’ve got something new and different for you. It’s called Penmanship 101. We’re hand writing invitations to some of the faculty and staff.” As she spoke, she wrote out her sample and handed it to Carla. ‘

“Photocopy this so Jake can have one. The invitations are here; address the envelopes with the intercampus addresses.”

Carla had worked with Kat for two years. She was used to it and just laughed at the turn of events and headed to the copy machine. Jake, newer and more bewildered, had been one of the leg-watching crowd when she arrived. He was willing and able to assist the cause for her sake, no questions asked. Nick, still watching from his office, shook his head in amazement and returned to his computer.

Kat drew up the list of names on little sheets of paper, giving one to Carla, then one to Jake. The committee had loved her idea. They’d also talked her into organizing it. Now she planned to use it to invite everyone who could possibly be connected to the murder and it didn’t feel like such a burden.

She started on the next sheet. She’d been reviewing the possible motives. Kat knew people seldom died for ideals. Too many possibilities remained. Greed was one, if someone was after the research. But she also knew that people killed, and died, because they’d been caught up in something sweeping over them, out of control.

Who on campus fit that criterion?  Abner maybe, Maria possibly, depending on how ill she was at the time. That still merited attention. All the invitations were signed “The Science Lecture Committee.” Kat wrote Maria and Abner herself, along with a handful of others on campus, adding a personal note of welcome to them.

Who else? There was the student who was upset about his grades. But from Maddy’s report the student hadn’t been as keen on a medical career as his dad had hoped. That didn’t leave too many known suspects. Kat added all faculty members in the college of science to her list. The students were carefully penning notes to the vice presidents and other dignitaries on campus.

Carla ambled quietly into Kat’s office, unlike her normal convivial self, and apologized for interrupting. “I have this rash on my hand. Last time I went to the health center the doc said it was a dermatitis and gave me some hydrocortisone crème. It worked for a while, but then the rash came back. I heard you sometimes have natural remedies for things. Is there anything I can use that would stop the itching?”

“Well, one of the easiest to find and most effective astringent I know is witch hazel. It was proven almost as effective as hydrocortisone and you can find it in any drug store. You could try it and see if it helps. It shouldn’t harm in any way. Or you could find some plantain outside and rub the leaves on the rash. It has anti-itch properties.”

“How do you know all this stuff?”

“Well, it’s picked up here and there. Witch hazel is rather common. The plant grows outside around here as well. The leaves are dropping now but it displays beautiful yellow flowers in late autumn. Interesting plant. Look around for it near the woods, though it’s easier to find at the pharmacy, and very inexpensive.”

“Great, thanks a lot!”

Kat looked out as she left and couldn’t help but see Nick in the student workroom giving her the thumbs up while shaking his head in disbelief. She waved, smiled, and finished her notes.

She approached the science building with a certain amount of trepidation, but her reporting instincts snapped into place quickly. She made a systematic sweep of all the students leaving the building, mentioning who she was and that she was anxious to speak with anyone who had been in the building the evening of October 9, the day of the murder. She said to pass the word and that if anyone felt uncomfortable talking with her, but felt they had some information, would they please contact Detective Burrows?

She moved inside, passing the same message. The number of students dwindled, her mind absently moved to Nick, trying to guess his reaction to what she was doing. Then her mind freely wandered to Nick and the times they’d spent together, only to be roughly bumped head-on as she rounded the corner. Knowing it was mostly her fault she grinned sheepishly at the student and apologized.

“Oh, hi, Robin, sorry about that. My mind was elsewhere.”

“That’s OK, Ms. Everitt,” he said. “I was looking for you. Joe said he’d seen you head in here a few minutes ago and that you were asking for information about the night of the murder. Got a minute?”

She glanced at her watch and steered Robin to the slate seats outside the building. Surrounded by the newly blooming chrysanthemums and the showy end to the hardy annuals, the seats were a pleasant and popular location. They were empty at the moment and reasonably private.

“You look worried, Robin. What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you about Dr. Abbott. I don’t know who else to ask.”

“I’ll help if I can.”

Robin leapt off the bench and stood in front of her. Was it uncertainty or fear she saw reflected there? She speculated while he seemed to work at forming his words. Eventually he spurted out, “I think I was there when he was killed!”

Taken aback, Kat attempted to keep a calm exterior. Her relief that here was finally a breakthrough was counteracted by her concern for Robin. She asked, “You don’t know for sure? How’s that?”

“I was in my lab and I heard some shouting and some breaking glass.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police this right away?”

Robin dropped his head shamefully. “I couldn’t. I had my girlfriend, Kelly, in there with me. I didn’t want her involved. And I sure didn’t need to be raked over the coals on it. You know the rules. I shouldn’t have had Kelly in there.”

Kat wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say but Robin simplified the matter somewhat. “I don’t feel right about keeping quiet, Ms. Everitt, but we didn’t see anything. It’s not like we could help at all. What do you think I should do?”

“Robin, we’re not really qualified to determine whether you know anything worthwhile. I’m sure Detective Burrows will keep your information in strict confidence if at all possible. But you need to talk to him. Let me know what you decide and if I can help. I’d be happy to take you over there. Decide soon though. There’s a killer out there.”

“OK, Ms. Everitt. Thanks. I’ll try to call you later today.”

A lone brown leaf skittered across the still-green lawn and pounced the sneakers of the man starring after Robin. Allowing a discreet distance, he followed carefully.

Kat didn’t notice. She drew a calming breath and enjoyed the autumn day. It seemed to her that people left for
California
seeking less gold than is found glistening in the treetops on an October day in these mountains. As the leaves swirled past on a gust of wind, She turned toward her office to fine-tune her feature article. Though it wasn’t a campus feature she was allowed to do her other work whenever she could fit it in since the university had commandeered most of her time.

Maddy popped into her office a few minutes later. “Hey, are you up for Chinese tonight? I’m going out on the town.”

“Well, since neither one of us can cook Chinese, town is a logical solution. Any special reason?”