Above Suspicion
(Work in Progress)
© 2007 Bliss
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Chapter 1
Corrine surveyed the alley from her window. The streetlight was flickering again, damaged either by drunks or vandals. The sporadic darkness partially hid the dingy, dirty walls, but nothing could hide the smell. The mixture of rotting refuse and urine made for an unsavory combination that hung in the heated June air. Damn, I’m gonna have to call the City to repair the light again. In a moment of unwavering light, she saw her objective and ground her teeth in frustration. The dumpster was overflowing again.
The dumpster took up enough space that cars had difficulty traversing the narrow alleyway. Despite the ‘No Parking’ signs, cars were frequently parked or abandoned right beside it; more often than not, because of the emergency exit the bar shared with the alley. Corrine saw a myriad of questionable clientele leaving the bar by that route. Her proximity to it was one of the things she did not like about living in the run down apartment building.
The neighborhood, once proudly upper middle class, was now unkempt. The buildings were crumbling and covered with decades of grime. There was an air of decay that intensified in the alley. It attracted unscrupulous people who committed atrocities on others. Her neighbors were inured to the crime and apathetic about reporting it, so she was well known with both the City and police for reporting all the transgressions her vantage point allowed her to see. She didn’t even have to provide her address to the operators any more; they knew who she was and where she lived. Still, the small, rear apartment was all she could afford, so, as with everything else in her life, she just put up with the unpleasantries.
Corrine only ever opened the window when she needed to take out the trash. She stepped over the sill onto the fire escape and fought her way down the stairs with her overstuffed Hefty garbage bag. When she was more than halfway down, the bag caught on a sharp corner and spilled half the contents down the dark stairway. She cursed under her breath as she tried to collect the trash and stuff it back into the damaged bag. Hefty, right. What a joke. To make matters worse, a car pulled into the alley effectively blocking her path to the dumpster.
Corrine dropped the bag on the second landing and hurried down the rest of the steps. When she reached the car, she positioned herself by the driver side window and tapped on it. The window slid down slightly. “Can’t you see the damned sign? No parking! Violators will be towed! Do you understand English? You can’t park here!” she said.
The window lowered a little more, revealing a woman. Her voice was low and urgent. “Look, I’m just here to pick someone up. I’ll be gone in a few minutes.”
“Yeah, right. Five minutes. You’ve got five minutes and then I’m calling the cops.” Corrine stormed back up the stairs to get another Hefty bag. Her fury reignited when she came back out and saw the car still blocked the way. She checked her watch then went back down the stairs.
“Time’s up,” she said.
The woman jerked as if startled. She fidgeted anxiously and said, “Please, I’m only waiting for someone.” Her voice was tight.
“Can’t you wait in the side parking lot?
“No. I need to wait here.”
“Fine. Suit yourself. I’m calling the cops. You can explain it to them.”
Corrine turned on her heel and headed back to her apartment to summon the police. She dodged the obstacle course of trash on her way back up the stairs, then stepped through the open window and headed for the phone on the wall of the galley style kitchen. She dialed 911, and a cool, male voice answered. “What’s the nature of your emergency?’
“There is a car blocking the dumpster behind Ned’s again,” she said. “Could you send someone to make the owner move it please?”
“Just a moment,” he said. “I’ve got a unit near there. It’ll just take a few minutes for them to arrive.”
“Thank you.” Satisfied, she hung up the phone then sighed and reached under the counter for yet another Hefty bag.
Corrine headed back down the fire escape to clean up the mess on the stairs. She’d just tied up the bag when the black and white unit pulled into the alley behind the offending car. Two uniformed men exited. Corrine smiled to herself and thought I’ll be able to get the trash taken care of soon.
The police officers approached the car. They looked inside the windows and then across the roof to one another. The officer on the passenger side went back to his car while the other one opened the rear door and leaned inside. He backed out of the car, looked back at his partner and shook his head in the negative.
Corrine knew this could not be good. The car wasn’t moving on, and the policeman was now looking at her with inquiry.
“Ma’am, have you been here long? Did you notice this car?”
“Well yeah. I’m the one who called for you guys in the first place to get her to move the damned thing.”
“Would you come down here please?” It was not a request. Corrine grabbed both bags and slowly navigated her way to ground level.
Corrine dropped one bag and clutched the other in her hands. “Is there a problem?” she asked.
“I need to get your statement.” The officer pulled a note pad from his pocket and continued. “You are?”
“Corrine Stahley.”
“Your address?”
“1024 Grummond Street. Apartment H.”
“Could you tell me what you saw?”
“I was taking my trash out and that car pulled in and blocked the dumpster. I asked the woman to leave, but she wouldn’t go. She said she was waiting for someone and had to wait right here.” She plucked at the bag, leaving indentations and stretch marks on the plastic.
“It was a woman driving the car?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me what she looked like?”
“Well, I couldn’t see her very well, but I think she had dark hair and eyes.”
“Was she big or small?”
“I only saw a little of her face, but I don’t think she was very big.” When Corrine realized that she’d nearly torn a hole in the new bag, she set it down beside the other and tucked her hands into her pockets.
A second vehicle entered the alley, and then a third. A group of people started taking pictures of the alley and a female investigator got into the back of the car.
“Since when is parking illegally a crime that requires CSI?” she asked uneasily.
Just then, the woman emerged and said, “Time of death 10:20 PM.”
“What? She’s dead?” Shocked and shaken, Corrine slowly sat down on the second step. “But, but she was fine!”
“Are you alright, Ma’am?” He seemed solicitous.
“Well, yeah. But she seemed fine a few minutes ago.”
“Did you hear anything unusual?”
“No, nothing. I mean I’ve heard gunshots and fighting out here before, but I didn’t hear anything like that.”
“Could you come verify her identity?”
Corrine swallowed visibly. “Alright, but I didn’t know her. I’d never seen her before.”
He brought her over to the sheet-covered body and nodded. The CSI revealed her face. She was pretty, with shoulder length dark hair. Her cheekbones were high and her dark brows arched gently over her eyes. Her skin was pale. Corrine wasn’t sure if that was because she was dead or not. She realized the woman was quite attractive, now that she could see her clearly.
“It looks like her,” she paused. “I mean, I couldn’t see her very well. But she did have dark hair like that. I think it’s her.”
“Okay.” The policeman nodded again to the CSI, who pulled the sheet back over her face. He guided her over to the fire escape.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she replied.
“We may have more questions for you later. Will you be available?”
“Yeah, okay. I’m not going anywhere, except for work.” She paused and then looked back at the policeman. “Do you know how she died?”
“No, Ma’am. I don’t know. Where do you work?”
“I’m downtown in the main post office distribution center.”
“I think that’s all I need for now.” He closed his notebook and returned it to his pocket.
“Okay. Well thank you for coming. Do you know when the car will be moved?
“It’ll be a few hours before the scene has been processed.”
“I see. What should I do with my trash till then?” she asked.
“Just leave it there, out of the way. I’ll see if they’ll dispose of it for you when they’re finished.” He smiled slightly.
“Okay. Thank you.”
Corrine went back up the fire escape and into her apartment then closed the window firmly behind her. She locked it, as if that would erase the last few hours. She rubbed her forehead, the smell and stress had given her a headache. She tried to relax with a magazine, and then a book, but being still didn’t help. She paced around her apartment for a few moments, straightening things up as if the movement would ease her agitation. Finally she stopped, looked at the kitchen and sighed. I need a drink. Maybe a visit with Mr. Walker will help.
“Hiya Johnnie,” she said as she pulled the black labeled bottle and a glass from the cupboard. She sat down on the worn but clean sofa and poured three fingers of the rich amber liquid in the glass. She downed the contents in a single gulp then slumped back into the cushion. She turned the TV on and scanned the channels to see if anything worthwhile was on. Disappointed, she closed her eyes just for a moment, to rest.
Within moments, Johnnie had done his work, and sleep claimed her while the television droned on. Her body relaxed and her head leaned back against the top of the sofa. Her fingers loosened around the glass and it fell to the floor with a muted thump.
Corrine jerked awake. Disoriented for a moment, she sat up. I heard something, didn’t I? Still sleep-fuddled, she shook her head then rubbed her hands over her face. She saw the glass lying on the floor. Huh. That’s probably what I heard. A quick glance at the clock revealed that less than an hour had passed since she’d fallen asleep, but quarter past midnight was way past her usual bed time. I need to hit the sheets, or I’ll be a zombie tomorrow.
She picked up the glass and bottle and headed to the kitchen to put them away, then went down the short hallway to the bathroom.
Moonlight flooded the small room, illuminating the fixtures. She took care of necessity then reached for her toothbrush. It slipped from her fingers and fell over the side of the sink. She saw it against the back wall and had to stretch as far as her arm would reach to get the wayward article.
She went to stand up and cracked the back of her head on the bottom of the pedestal sink hard enough to make her eyes water. “Ouch!” she cried and followed that with, “Son of a… Can’t anything go right tonight?” when she realized she’d dropped her toothbrush again. She snatched the toothbrush off the floor. Still rubbing the sore spot on her head, she stood and turned on the water.
She set the toothbrush aside and lathered her hands with the special soap the dermatologist recommended and washed her face. The water felt cool and refreshing as she rinsed the soap off. The dermatologist had also recommended a facial mask, which she applied liberally. She looked into the mirror to make sure she’d covered all the problem spots. Just as she reached for her toothbrush, she saw movement reflected in the mirror. She focused her attention and saw a pale face with dark hair and eyes. It was the woman in the car… the dead woman. As she turned to face the apparition, it appeared to be floating freely in the darkness behind her.
Corrine screamed, and ran from the bathroom, her thoughts in turmoil. From the living room window she could see the police were still in the alley overseeing the removal of the car on a tow truck. She opened the window and practically fell down the stairs in her haste to get to the officers. She shouted to them, “She’s in my apartment! I saw the dead woman in my apartment!”
Corrine nearly threw herself into the arms of the officer. “Slow down Ms. Stahley. You’re going to hurt yourself.” He steadied her at the bottom of the fire escape.
“Now, what did you see?” he asked.
“I saw her,” she babbled. “I saw the woman you asked me to identify.”
“I can see you’re upset, but you couldn’t have possibly seen her, she’s dead,” he said placatingly.
“I’m telling you I saw her in my bathroom! She was there, just now!"
“Alright, let’s go have a look,” he offered.
Corrine nearly dragged him up the stairs. He stepped over the sill first with Corrine practically on his heels.
“Where’s the bathroom?” he asked.
“Down the hall on the right,” she replied.
He walked down the hall with Corrine close behind him. He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the light. There was a toothbrush on the floor and an open container of face cream on the sink, but the room was otherwise empty. Just to be certain, he pulled the opaque shower curtain aside to reveal an empty shower stall.
“Tell me again what you saw?” he asked.
Corrine went to the sink. “I was about to brush my teeth when I saw her face in the mirror. I turned around and saw her right there.” She pointed at the shower stall. “Then I screamed and ran out to the living room. When I saw you were still here, I ran to get you.”
“Have you been drinking?” he asked. His expression conveyed doubt that she’d seen anything at all.
“I was upset and a little tense, so I had a drink about an hour ago.”
When she saw a knowing look in his eye she said, “Look, I can see where this is going. I’m not drunk, and I’m not crazy. I saw her.”
“What did she do?” he asked.
“She didn’t do anything. I saw her face. It was just hovering in the air.”
“Look, Ms Stahley, you were pretty upset that the woman was dead. Maybe you only thought you saw her.”
“Yeah, maybe. It seemed so real though. I mean it seemed like she was right there, looking at me with those dark eyes.” She sighed. “Would you at least walk through the rest of the apartment with me?”
“Sure. I can do that.” He seemed relieved.
They walked across the hall to her bedroom. “Does everything look right to you? Is everything in place?” he asked.
She looked around the room and didn’t see anything out of order. “Yes, everything looks the way it’s supposed to,” she said. They repeated the process in each of the rooms, and each time, there was nothing to indicate an intruder had been there. He went back to the window.
“I’d suggest you try to get a good night sleep Ms. Stahley. Good night.”He stepped over the sill and went down the stairs.
Corrine closed the window and locked it again then went through the apartment, turning off lights as she retraced their steps. That took her back into the bathroom. She looked into the mirror.
“Aw Christ!” she exclaimed. “He must really think I’m a nut job!” The face mask had dried, turned green, and crackled… and it was falling off in patchy chunks. “I certainly look the part,” she said. She washed the remnant of the masque off, and after finishing her nightly ablutions, she tidied the bathroom, turned off the light and went to bed.
She stared at the ceiling and tried to make sense of what she’d seen. Maybe I did imagine seeing her. I mean I really was upset that she died. But I wasn’t drunk, I don’t think I hit my head that hard and I don’t just see things. Her thoughts circled and finally settled on the woman’s face. She was really beautiful. I wonder what color her eyes are, brown or dark blue. That was her last thought as her body succumbed once more to sleep.
To Be Continued