Murder is Academic

humble.

Chapter 1

In the fading light, my eye caught a flash of yellow on the shore. It looked as if someone had dropped an article of clothing next to the stone pile near the bridge construction site.

This is stupid, I said to my friend Annie. Let’s head in and give it up for the evening. We’re losing the light anyway. From my position in the back of the canoe, I watched her head of short, brown curls bob up and down in agreement, and we paddled for the shoreline. We hit the sandy bottom of the Susquehanna River and jumped out to haul the canoe onto the bank.

I headed up the shore toward the construction equipment parked in the clearing near the project trailer. Wow, I thought as I walked past a mountain of rock, they sure are using a lot of gravel.

What is that? I walked over to what I spied from the canoe. Probably a construction crew member dropped it or threw it down during work today. I’d leave it on the steps of the trailer for the foreman to find when work got back underway in the morning.

Ugly plaid. Reminded me of the pants some golfers wore along with their Kelly green shirts and white patent leather belts. Not my idea of fashion.

I’ll give Frank a call to come get us. Annie pulled her cell phone out of her shorts.

Good. I’ m beat.

It was stupid, this paddling thing. Annie and I were a couple of middle-aged professors, both carrying more fat than muscle, delusional that we could compete in the upcoming canoe regatta. Frank, my nearest neighbor on the lake, shamed us into giving it a try by pointing out he competed last year and was ten years older than we. Of course, Frank was all stringy muscle and lean body mass, and he liked to take on any challenge. This was our first day of training, and I knew my muscles might never forgive my overindulgence. The most I ever required of them was to lift a coffee cup.

Frank said to sit tight. He’ll be right here.

I pulled at the clothing to dislodge it from under the gravel and touched something far more substantial than cloth. I felt flesh. Not warm, living flesh, but cold, hard skin, the kind you read about in crime novels. Dead flesh.

Annie! Come here. Quick!

We both looked down at the body, most of it still buried under the gravel.

Ugh, said Annie. What do we do now?

Annie was no more eager than I to share our resting spot with a dead body, but, until Frank arrived, we were stuck. We debated calling the police, but thought we’d like Frank to be here when we did that. I don’t know why. It just seemed safer somehow. But we did feel compelled to sit with the body until he showed up. As if someone would carry it off?

I wished Frank would hurry. The sun was setting, shrouding the construction area in shadows and making me shiver with apprehension. I didn’t believe the body found its way under that gravel pile by accident. Someone put it there and moved rock to hide it. That someone could still be around. I scooted closer to Annie on the downed log and picked up a rock in each hand for defense.

Annie got up.

Where are you going? Don’t leave me.

I’m going to get our paddles. They could come in handy.

What’s up, ladies? said a voice out of the darkness behind us.

Annie sat back down with a thump. I started with fear and dropped both of my rocks.

Oh, I know you. A tall man dressed in a tee-shirt that clung to his muscled chest approached us and, when he got nearer, I recognized him too.

You work on the bridge crew, I said.

And you drive by the site on your way into the college every day. Right?

How did you know that? Annie’s voice shook with fear, but I heard suspicion too.

I stood and pulled her up with me. What are you doing here? I mean, now, at this hour? When the construction is over for the day?

He smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but notice his straight white teeth. Was it better to be accosted by a killer who brushed and flossed daily and had regular checkups than someone who couldn’t take the time for dental hygiene?

I stopped by to make certain the foreman locked away the keys to my road grader once he moved it. He didn’t. Here they are. He dangled a set of keys from his fingers. Can’t have the public going for a joyride on the equipment. They might get hurt.

Annie and I exchanged looks and moved closer together.

You two seem on edge. Anything I can do for you? He took a step towards us. We moved further toward the end of the log. This is a work area, you know. The company wouldn’t be happy to find you here. There are ‘no trespassing’ signs out front.

We came by canoe, I pointed toward the river. And we should be going.

It’s too dark to paddle now. I’d give you a ride, but…

Annie held up her cell. Someone’s coming for us.

Good. Great. I’ll wait with you until your ride gets here. For protection. Just in case.

In case of what? It occurred to me that, if he didn’t know we found the body, then we had nothing to worry about. I really was stupid tonight. He knew someone would find the body, and then we could tell the authorities we had seen him here. I had to take action.

It had been twenty years since my martial arts classes in graduate school, but maybe self-defense was like riding a bicycle or swimming. Maybe you didn’t forget it.

How rude of us. Let me introduce myself. I’m Laura Murphy. I got up and pushed Annie back down onto the log. I put out my hand to take his. I intended to pull his arm up and over my head while I moved under his armpit, turned and flipped him over my back. It didn’t quite work out that way. Once his hand touched mine, I remembered I’d flipped someone a total of maybe two times with the help of my instructor. I got in close enough to get a whiff of woodsy aftershave, which distracted me for a moment, making me forget to turn. His hard chest slammed against my breasts, a position I wouldn’t recommend when trying to subdue a murder suspect. We must have looked like a jitterbugging couple in the middle of a twirl.

The headlights of a car pulling into the parking area caught a puzzled and somewhat amused expression on his face as I twisted and pulled his hand, grunting and groaning in impotent frustration. He let go of me, and I fell on my ass in exhaustion.

Annie, Laura, called Frank. What’s going on? Are you okay?

Grab him, Frank. He just killed someone, and he buried the body under that rock pile. He was going to get us next. I was breathless with the fatigue of my martial arts maneuver, but I managed to raise my hand and gesture toward the leg peeking out from under the rocks. Mr. Road Grader’s eyes followed my pointing finger, and his smile faded.

Frank jumped out of the car, leaving the headlights on. They illuminated the three of us, me on the ground, Annie motionless on the log and the construction guy standing over us. Frank ran toward us, stopping just short of the bridge worker, to take up his karate stance.

Get away from the women, Frank said.

Mr. Road Grader shook his head. This guy your rescue party? Did he take any more martial arts classes than you did?"

Frank lowered his arms. Take me, and let the women go.

No, Frank. You’ve got a new grandbaby. Take me, I said. We both looked at Annie who continued to sit silently on her log.

Take one of them. Either one. I don’t care. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

The man reached into his pocket. I expected a gun, or at least, a knife. He withdrew a cell phone, walked away from us and talked to someone.

He’s calling his buddies to help him, I whispered to Annie and Frank. There are too many of us. Let’s rush him. But before we could act, he turned and called back to us.

I called nine-one-one. Now, if the three of you crazies will just stay where you are until they arrive, I’d feel a lot better. Somebody could get hurt here with all your physical flailing around. I think you dislocated my thumb. He wiggled it back and forth.

I wasn’t ‘flailing’. That was karate or judo, one of those defense moves. Very deadly. It was deadly when it worked.

*

Okay, let me get this straight. You found the body. Right? Lieutenant Detective Derek Pasquis, Onondaga Police Department, Der to me, and an old friend, addressed the question to me. I nodded, happy to be away from both the crime scene and the man we encountered there. I think the three of us, Annie, Frank and I were feeling a bit foolish about our behavior at the construction site. I confided my embarrassment to Der.

If I were in your situation, I might have jumped to the same conclusion. You still might be right, you know. He could be the killer.

That didn’t make me feel any better.

What I wouldn’t have done, Der continued, was to try out twenty year old judo moves on someone his size.

I was scared he was going to kill us.

That was a good plan then, to get him angry at you.

Here we go again, I thought. Every time Der and I got together, we argued. It was good-natured. He was the brother I never had, someone I could fight with, no romantic or sexual attachments. We met through his ex-wife. A social worker with the county mental health clinic, Sylvia, along with me, was a member of the county-wide committee on substance abuse. After the divorce, she moved to Washington, DC, but we were in constant touch, and Der remained one of my closest friends. Neither of us questioned our odd friendship.

A uniformed officer approached Der’s cruiser where we were gathered. Headlamps of the ambulance and crime scene investigation vehicles lit the area for a hundred yards down the road. From a distance, the red, yellow and blue lights made it look like a party on the river. I shivered a bit to think that the guest of honor was in no condition to enjoy all the activity.

The construction worker’s name is Guy La France. He’s a Canadian citizen. Works in the US summers. He wants to know if you’re going to charge these three here with murder, the officer said.

That jerk! Of course we’re not being charged. He might be though. Huh? I looked at Der for confirmation.

I’m not charging anybody with anything tonight. I’m taking names, and I’ll be checking your whereabouts at the time of death. And I’ve got to identify the victim.

You’re going to check on my whereabouts? You know me and Annie and Frank. How could you possibly think we’d have anything to do with murder? I felt aggravated by his cop attitude. He could try to act like more of a friend.

I think we have the name of the victim, sir. The officer handed a wallet to Der who flipped it open and shone his flashlight on the contents. I tried to look over his shoulder, but he blocked my view.

One more thing, sir. Mr. La France said that if you weren’t going to arrest Dr. Murphy here, that he’d like to take her to dinner tomorrow. I can relay your reply if you’d like, Dr. Murphy.

My reply, my reply. Oh, I had a reply all right. I wanted to go over there and bend his thumbs again.

Tell him to shove…

Der interrupted me.

I won’t be arresting her, so you can tell him yes to dinner. A quiver of a smile worked one corner of his mouth. But perhaps I should charge you and your sidekick here too. He nodded toward Annie. I saw her large, brown eyes grow round with worry. Look at this. He held the wallet out to us, open to the plastic window displaying the owner’s license.

The license of the victim was that of Thomas Talbot, president of the college where Annie and I were professors.

Didn’t you tell me just the other day that the two of you had an argument?

I stared at the photo on the license, recalling the conversation to which Der referred, and I gulped. President Talbot had turned me down for an increase in my research space, and I had slammed out of his office in a rage, yelling loud enough for his administrative assistant and everybody near his office to hear my threats.

And you told me what you said, Laura. You were hot about doing something to President Talbot. Der ended his comment on a high note as if he expected me to fill him in on how I might carry out my threat.

But I meant I was going to go to the union for support. That’s all. And maybe get my own lawyer and sue him. I popped my mouth open and closed like a guppy out of water. But, but, you can’t believe . . .

Mr. La France is single. You’re single. He’s interested. Find out what you can about him. Der thought he could order me around. Ha! I needed to remind him I didn’t follow commands well.

I’m not desperate enough to date someone who’s committed murder.

Der walked with me to Frank’s car where Annie and Frank were loading our canoe onto the roof.

Once the medical examiner determines the time of death, I’ll be able to check his alibi. That should be by tomorrow. Der stopped and took my arm, turning me to face him. I was joking about the date. I doubt he’s our killer. You don’t have to go out with him, although it might be of help to me.

Oh, not a command performance, but a plea for help on the case. Well, that was different.

You sly fox. Say no more. I’ll pump him for any information on the road crew that might be useful. And you know I’m willing to do what I can on campus, too.

I’m counting on it. You know these people. They don’t trust me because I’m a cop and… different. You’re my inside source, but hold it down a bit, would you? He turned and walked back toward his police cruiser. I understood what he meant. His only reservation about my helping him was my no nonsense, Yankee manner. His was the island way, learned in his native Haiti, a gentlemanly approach to people with deference to their positions. We were so different. How had we become such good friends?

Chapter 2

At eight the next night, I opened the door to my date. He wore a black tee-shirt and black jeans, and his light brown sun-streaked hair was slicked back off his forehead. I swallowed hard at his appearance, trying not to let the drool slide out of the side of my mouth. He looked as good as a French cruller. On the other hand, he was a murder suspect Der had tricked me into dating.

I hoped this La France guy possessed brains and a personality to match his looks or this would be a long evening. He handed me a bouquet of flowers, a box of candy (yum, chocolates!), and a bottle of champagne.

Clichéd, I know, he said, but I couldn’t resist. He paused and looked me over, his gaze traveling from the top of my head to the sandals on my feet. You’re pretty short, you know. I’ll bet your feet wouldn’t even reach the pedals on my road grader.

And that’s why you asked me for a date? Because I wasn’t the killer if I couldn’t operate the machinery used to cover the body? How flattering.

I grabbed the gifts out of his hands and began opening cupboard doors searching for a vase. No luck. Maybe the fridge?

"That and a few other things. His look traveled over my body again coming to rest on my chest.

Hey. I’m not that short. My face is up here, buster.

I know. I’m just wondering what you’re going to do with that. He gestured to the milk carton I had grabbed out of the fridge and now held in front of me.

Oh. I opened it, poured the contents, sour, down the sink, filled it with water and arranged the flowers in it.

I guess I made the right choice. They fit nicely in there. He smiled his lopsided smile. We’d better get going. I made the reservation for eight-thirty.

I walked to the door and preceded him down the sidewalk, expecting to see his car in front of my garage.

Where’s your car parked? I couldn’t see another vehicle in the driveway.

Oh, just on the other side of yours.

I was thinking something small and low like a Mazda Miata. Maybe this evening wouldn’t be so bad after all. Ride in a fancy car, wind in my hair, come home and eat chocolate.

Oh, my God! My hand flew up to cover my mouth.

Parked next to my Toyota was the biggest motorcycle I’d ever seen.

Yep, isn’t she the most beautiful machine? A 1989 Honda Gold Wing with 40,000 miles on her. There was the pride of a parent in his voice and his hands ran lovingly over the front fender. Those hands. Strong looking, long fingers. Sensitive? I shook myself free of my musings.

You don’t really expect that I’ll ride on that thing, do you?

I thought you wouldn’t mind the wind blowing through your hair. Anyway, you need to wear this helmet. It’s the law. He handed me a helmet of the same turquoise color as the bike.

Color-coordinated. What other surprises do you have in store for me?

Ride on my bike, and I’ll tell you over dinner. He moved close enough to me that I could smell his clean, masculine scent.

*

The night was full of surprises. I rode on his motorcycle, and I liked it. The wind caressed my face, bringing with its coolness the smells of the evening rising from the countryside.

Whee! I lifted my arms like a child on a carnival ride as we sped down a hill.

Hold on tight, he warned me.

I could do that too.

I was pleased he already knew my name and that I was a member of the psychology department at the college in Onondaga Falls. I didn’t ask him how or why he found out about me. It was enough that he took the trouble to do his homework. My mistrust of him lessened as the night air caressed our senses in a way that made me forget he was anyone other than the most desirable man I had met in a good while. Best of all, I liked how the summer moon shone through my bedroom skylight that very night, reflecting the light from his blue eyes. The man had killer eyes.

*

The phone by the bed rang. I pulled the pillow over my head. It kept ringing.

Maybe you should answer that while I pop into the shower.

I rolled over toward the voice. No, it wasn’t a dream. I was in bed with a biker. The two main suspects in the murder of my college’s president had spent the night together, not suspicious enough of one another to keep their clothes on and their hands off one another. I reached for the phone and caught a fleeting view of a naked derriere heading toward the bathroom.

I looked at the caller ID. Damn. It was Der. This better be important. It’s only seven am. Hang up and bother someone else.

How was your date with our suspect last night?

A suspect with an alibi. Guy told me over dinner that you checked with his landlady, and she alibied him for the time of the murder.

There was hesitation on the line for a moment. Well, then. I could use a cup of coffee, unless I’m intruding. I’m in your drive. He pronounced the word coffee with his soft, island accent, making it sound more like café.

You’re here? I sat up in bed. The sight of my clothes in a trail from the hallway like Hansel and Gretel’s bread crumbs didn’t help pull me together.

Okay, come on in. Door’s open.

Right then. Annie just drove up, and she’s carrying a pastry box. I’ve got some information about your president. Unless you’re not interested.

I heard a chuckle from the other end of the line, and then it went dead.

I flew out of bed and banged on the bathroom door. I need to get in to brush my teeth.

Come.

Guy was in the shower, putting forth a cloud of steam and a pretty good rendition of Sloop John B. I wiped a small circle of steam off the mirror to look at my reflection. That was a mistake. My heavy blond hair no longer hung in waves down my back. Instead it was scrunched down on one side and sticking straight up on the other. Some women looked tousled after a night of sex. I wasn’t one of them. I looked messy. I turned sideways as I brushed my teeth examining my stomach in the mirror. Was it getting plumper? At least my boobs still looked great. Well, maybe the left one drooped a little more than the right one.

Guy’s hand shoved back the shower curtain, grabbed me and tried to pull me into the shower with him.

Hey, I’ve got my robe on.

Take it off.

I did, and we showered until my fingertips got all pruney.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door.

Use the john downstairs. We’ll be right out. I punctuated my sentence with a giggle of delight as Guy slid his arms around me.

It was Annie. That’s not the problem. Der’s got to get going and he wants to know if you’re interested in the details of the president’s death.

Oh my God, I forgot all about Der. I turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and headed for the bedroom. Guy followed, toweling off his shoulders. I couldn’t help but turn and stare at his tan chest.

You seem to have a full house downstairs. Is it this way every morning around here or only when a murder has been committed? He dressed, winked at me and headed down the stairs.

Pulling myself together took a little more time than Guy needed. On my way down the stairs, my body began to