“Tell Dr. Pappas…”
She paused for so long I thought she wasn’t going to say any more.
“Tell Dr. Pappas…I’m sorry.”
Chapter 10
I was eating breakfast and casually glancing at the Raleigh News and Observer when I saw the story. King was tied up outside, resting after our morning walk. Mark wasn’t there; he hadn’t returned last night, but I wasn’t worried about him. He had said he might be late. I assumed that he was either with Sandra or a friend of his. I hoped he was with Sandra.
The headline at the bottom of the first page of the newspaper caught my eye: “Coed Slain at Crescent Heights College.” The name of the school jolted me into full alertness. I shifted my focus to the first line of the story.
“A student at Crescent Heights College in Bethany was found dead in her off-campus apartment last night. Elise Hoffman, a sophomore, had apparently been stabbed repeatedly with a sharp instrument.”
I read on in increasing horror as the story detailed how her roommate, Donna Somerset, who had returned to the apartment after studying late with a friend, had found the nude body of Elise. It said Elise was an honor student and told about her activities at Crescent Heights, which included singing in school musical productions. It listed her parents as Eric and June Hoffman, of Bethany.
The initial investigation showed that nothing had been taken from the apartment. However, the front window had been broken and the assailant had apparently gained entrance through the window.
I read the story several more times, barely comprehending it. I had talked to Elise yesterday afternoon. She had been so young, so beautiful. Who would want to kill her? The telephone rang. I staggered to it in a daze.
“Have you read this morning’s paper?” Tess asked, and without waiting for a reply, “Elise Hoffman has been murdered.”
“I’m just reading it now,” I said. “I can’t believe it.”
“Me, neither. Although I didn’t see her I was right outside her apartment yesterday afternoon. But you must be devastated. Does Mark know?”
“I’m not sure where Mark is. He didn’t come home last night.”
Tess didn’t say anything for what seemed like a long time. Then she said, “You know what that means, don’t you?”
“What?”
“He’s a suspect.”
“Mark? It can’t be Mark. Mark wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“You know that and I know that, but the police don’t know that. You’re going to need some support. I’ll be right over.” Tess hung up.
Still in a daze, I called Sandra’s number. Of course she didn’t answer. She dropped Winston off at a daycare center before she went to the school where she taught so she had to start early. I didn’t leave a message. I couldn’t think of a comprehensible message to leave.
I called Albert’s home number. After three rings I thought he had also left for work, but then he answered.
“Hello.”
“Albert, have you seen Mark?”
“Good morning, Mother. I’m fine, thank you. No, I haven’t seen Mark. I thought he was staying with you.”
“He hasn’t been here since yesterday morning. Did you read today’s paper?”
“I haven’t seen it yet. I’ll pick it up on my way to Duke.”
The newspapers for the houses on Albert’s road were dumped on the ground beside the mailboxes, which were just off the main road, over a mile from his house.
“A female student at Crescent Heights College was murdered last night,” I said.
“That’s terrible!” Albert, who usually took everything in stride except some of my trespasses, sounded shocked.
“Worse than that. She was the one who accused Mark of harassment.”
“How do you know that? I thought you didn’t know her name.”
“I found it out.”
While I was listening for Albert’s answer, Tess knocked on the door and then came in. I always leave the door unlocked when I’m home during the day.
Albert said, “Mark couldn’t have done it.”
“Of course not, but the police are still going to want to talk to him. If you hear from him, would you call me, please? I’m sure I’ll be talking to the police today, also.”
“Mother, I’ll try to find out where Mark is, but I want you to stay out of this.”
“I’m already in it. I talked to the victim yesterday afternoon.”
Albert spewed a string of obscenities, which was unlike him. Then he told me not to do anything rash and hung up.
Tess had poured herself a cup of coffee in my kitchen and sat down at my small dining table. She said, “I take it that nobody knows where Mark is.”
I tried to look on the bright side. “Of course he might be at the college. I’m sure he’s teaching at least one class today.”
“If he is, the police will find him there. Well, I guess we’re back in the detective business, whether we want to be or not. If for no other reason than to help Mark. Anyway, I came prepared.”
Tess pulled out her yellow legal pad and placed it on the table. “Is there anything you should mention about your meeting with Elise that you didn’t tell me on our way home yesterday? You were in there quite a while. I was about ready to send the dogs in after you.”
“Nothing of substance. She seemed to be genuinely sorry about the problems she had caused Mark. I don’t think she anticipated them at all. She said several times that she hadn’t had anything to do with the demonstration. I suspect that Priscilla Estavez knows how the information leaked out about Mark, but of course I can’t prove it. However, I’d like to wring her neck, just on general principles.”
“Did Elise tell you her side of the harassment story?”
“No. But just as I was leaving she did say one thing that puzzled me. She said, ‘I should have figured out a better way to do it.’”
“Do what?”
“Deal with the harassment, I suppose. Or what she imagined to be harassment.”
We chatted for a few minutes while I tried to remember anything of relevance that Elise had said. Then I thought of something else. “I should check my messages. I don’t think I checked them after I returned from dinner last night.”
“In spite of the fact that you might have a message from Mark?”
“I meant to check them. But you know how absent-minded us old folks are.”
“Speak for yourself, Lil.”
I went to the telephone and punched in the code for my messages. A female voice told me I had one message, which had been received last night at 6:17 p.m. I had been eating dinner in the dining room at that time. The voice said that the message was from an unknown number, which meant that it was from outside Silver Acres. It must be from Mark. I felt relieved and played the message.
“Mrs. Morgan, this is Elise Hoffman. I want you to know that I am dropping the charges I made against Dr. Pappas. Please tell him that. When I see him I’ll tell him myself. I hope that I can undo the damage I’ve done to him. I wanted you to know about my decision right away because you helped me make up my mind.”
The message ended. I played it again to make sure I had heard it correctly. Then I hung up the phone.
“Lil, you look as if you’d seen a ghost.”
“I just heard a ghost.” My hands were shaking. I told Tess about the message.
“How did she get your telephone number?”
“I gave it to her…that is she asked for it. I wasn’t sure why. She said she wanted it in case she needed to get in touch with me.”
“She must have been thinking about dropping the charges even while you were still there. We have to save that for the police.”
“The police, right. And I want Ms. Priscilla Estavez to hear it.”
The police arrived sometime after lunch, or I should say one policeman in the person of Detective Julius Johnson. Detective Johnson wore civilian clothes-a suit and tie-but he did have an authentic-looking badge so I let him in. He was fairly small in stature and his dark skin probably helped to make him look more authoritative than if he had been white. He was young, without any hair to speak of. They used to call that a buzz-cut.