Above Suspicion
(Work in Progress)
© 2007 Bliss
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Chapter Two
Moonlight poured through the tall windows with a view of the city below. The cream walls reflected the soft silvery light around the well appointed room. The silence was shattered as the phone beside the bed began to ring. Instantly alert, he sat up and reached for the phone. “Yes?” he said.
“She’s dead. Body’s at the morgue,” a male voice responded.
“Did you find what I’m looking for?” he asked.
“No. There was nothing on the body, and the car was clean too. There was something odd on the police report though.”
“What was it?”
“The woman that called the cops said she saw Brandy’s face floating in her bathroom. She ran screaming from her apartment and grabbed one of the cops on the scene. He went through the apartment with her but didn’t find anything out of place. He noted that she’d been drinking, but didn’t appear drunk.”
“Who is this woman?”
He could hear the pages of a notebook flipping in the background. “Corrine Stahley at 1024 Grummund. It’s that run down apartment building behind Ned’s. Her apartment has a view of the alley.”
“I see. Interesting story.”
“Is there anything more you want me to do?”
“Yes. Find the package. I don’t think I need to tell you what will happen if that information makes it into the wrong hands?
“No sir, but with Brandy dead, the trail is cold. I’ve followed every lead and they all stop with her. I’ve got nothing to go on.”
His voice remained calm, but the tone held menace, “You’d better figure something out then. I want that information. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir, I’ll do my best.”
“You do that.” He placed the phone back on the charger and sank into the soft linens, grinding his teeth in frustration. Everything was going so well until Brandy stumbled onto my operation. Well, she paid with her life for that mistake. He smiled with grim satisfaction. I wonder where that bitch put it.
*****
The harsh blare of the alarm woke Corrine from a fitful sleep. She slapped the snooze button groaning at the rude noise. The woman’s face came to her again and again in her dreams; dark eyes staring into her own, mesmerizing her. It was disconcerting how those dark eyes seemed to ask questions that Corrine could not answer, but she longed to try. Her interaction with the woman was far from pleasant, but she had a deep sense of regret that the woman was dead. She lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling until the alarm once again reminded her that it was time to get up.
Corrine groaned as she got out of bed then headed for the bathroom. She couldn’t help but stare at the empty shower stall while taking care of necessity. How could I have imagined it? Her face was so real, so vivid… and so beautiful. Reaching into the shower, she started the water and felt the temperature. It was cool to the touch and would take a few moments before it was warm enough to get in, so she went to the kitchen to start the coffee. Coffee is definitely a must this morning.
Rubbing her eyes absently, she felt the irritation from her lack of sleep like grains of sand beneath her eyelids. One look in the mirror confirmed her fear -- red eyes and dark circles beneath proclaimed her restless night. Co-workers were probably going to notice and make comments. She would end up being the butt of their jokes for the day. Resigned, she stepped into the shower.
The water, now pleasantly warm, ran over her lean form. Her soapy hands meandered over her modestly sized breasts and tight abdomen down to the tangle of light curls between her legs. She wet her short blonde hair and washed it with efficient movements before the water could turn cold again. Corrine rinsed the shampoo from her hair and allowed the water to cascade over her olive skin to ensure any stray soap was washed away. Turning off the water, she pulled the curtain aside to reach for her towel.
Her small brown nipples puckered as the cool air hit her skin and raised goose bumps on her flesh. In her usual way, Corrine dried her hair then methodically made her way down the rest of her body before placing the towel on the floor and stepping from the stall. She sighed, finding comfort and security in her routine as she carefully folded the towel and hung it on the rack.
Striding naked to the living room, Corrine peered out the window to check the weather. It was then that she noticed the balled up yellow crime scene tape from the evening before sitting beside the dumpster. To her dismay, she also noticed her garbage was still sitting beside the fire escape. For Christ sakes! I’ll have to put it in the dumpster before I leave! She felt uneasy again, as if she was being watched. She leaned close to the window pane and looked around the alley but she didn’t see anything or anyone. Man, that’s a creepy sensation, she thought. Discomforted, Corrine went to her bedroom to dress.
*****
Deep blue eyes watched the naked woman standing in the window with appreciation. She smiled slightly when the nicely tanned woman noticed the trash sitting beside the fire escape. She was so insistent about her trash last night, I’m certain she’ll put it in the dumpster this morning. That will give me the chance I need to get back into her apartment to get some more clothes, and rest for a while. I need time to figure out what to do.
Tears welled in the midnight eyes and fell down the high porcelain cheeks to splatter on the worn tar of the roof. I can’t believe she’s gone. Brandy was all I had left. First Mom and Dad in that stupid car accident, and now Brandy. I’m all alone now. She allowed herself a brief moment for grief and then her expression hardened. I’m going to finish what she started. I’m going to get the bastards that killed her!
*****
Corrine opened the window and stepped out onto the fire escape. Descending the two flights, she quickly checked the two trash bags for tears, and carried them across the alley. After tossing the bags into the dumpster, she headed back up to her apartment then closed and locked the window behind her. As she washed her hands at the kitchen sink, she glanced at the clock on the stove. Shit! I’ll have to take my coffee with me. Deftly pouring the coffee into a travel mug, Corrine turned off the coffee pot, grabbed her keys, and left for work.
The crowded sidewalk provided assurance that she hadn’t missed her bus. In a matter of a few minutes the bus appeared down the street. The city had recently put brand new busses into service with a distinctive turquoise, red and white color scheme, indicative of the southwest, but as her bus approached, she could already see gang tags on its side. She waited her turn and put her fare in the slot. “Morning Dave,” she said to the driver.
“Morning Corrine, you look like hell. Too much partying right?”
“Yeah, right,” she replied with a weak grin and headed to an empty seat.
The ride downtown would only take a few minutes if there weren’t ten stops along the way. Even with all the stops, the bus was still the best alternative for her to get to work, especially on the mornings she was running late. She usually enjoyed walking to work, Albuquerque mornings were generally cool and pleasant. I’ll walk home tonight, she promised herself, that’ll give me some exercise. At last the bus arrived at her destination.
“Have a good day, Dave,” she said as she exited. It was only a block to the main downtown post office from the bus stop. As she walked toward work, the hair on the back of Corrine’s neck stood up. She felt she was being watched again. That’s twice this morning! Scanning her surroundings she didn’t see anything of concern, but the uneasiness remained in the pit of her stomach.
The back room of the post office was already a hive of activity. Carriers were picking up the mail for their routes, and incoming letters and parcels were being sorted by zip code and prepared for shipment by either by ground or air transportation. Checking the schedule to see where and with whom she would be working today, she was glad when she noticed Alec’s name s paired with hers. Alec was the closest thing Corrine had to a friend on the job. He was a hard worker but he knew how to have fun, even at work. His quick wit generally made the day entertaining which helped the time fly by. Today might be an exception though as Corrine was sure he would tease her all day about her appearance.
“Hey Chica,” Alec said as he came around the corner. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. “Woah! What the heck happened to you? Haven’t I told you not to party on a work night?” He put his hands on his hips and cocked his head at her. “I’m sorry, I’ll bet you aren’t feeling very well. Are you hung over?”
“I didn’t tie one on, I am really tired, and I’m not hung over.” Corrine ran a hand through her sandy blonde hair. “I did have a one hell of a night,” she replied.
“What happened?” Alec’s concerned expression urged Corrine to continue.
“Well, I went to take my trash out last night, and this car was blocking the way to the dumpster. I told the woman that she couldn’t park there and she said she was waiting for someone and wouldn’t be there for very long. I told her if she wasn’t gone in five minutes I was going to call the cops. Which I did. The next thing I know there are cops and CSI people all over the place and the woman in the car was dead.”
“You’re shitting me right?” he looked shocked.
“I wish I was. I had to look at the body, Alec. I’ve never seen a dead person before,” she lowered her gaze and shook her head.
“Wow. That couldn’t have been very nice,” he said.
“Actually,” Corrine contemplated with strange fascination, “she looked kind of peaceful. She was really pretty. I wish I hadn’t been such an asshole to her, but I was frustrated about the damned trash and the stupid dumpster being over full again. I guess I took it out on her. I feel terrible about it; I mean that might have been the last thing she heard before she died. ” She looked sad as she thought about it again.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush on a dead woman! Come on Corrine, you can’t be that hard up for a date.” He laughed weakly at her, trying to dispel some of the gloom in her expression.
“It’s not funny Alec!” She slapped him on the arm.
“Ouch! Geese!” he exclaimed, wincing at the sting. “So what else happened?”
“You mean aside from me getting interrogated by the police? Nothing much.”
“What does that mean -- nothing much?”
She looked at him dubiously, uncertain if she should tell him the rest or not. He’d probably think she was as crazy as the cop did last night.
“Come on!” he said, “I can see there’s something else.”
“You’ll just think I’m nuts.”
“No I won’t, really, come on. Tell me.”
“You promise you won’t laugh at me?”
“I promise.” He lifted his hand in the Boy Scout salute. “Scout’s honor.”
“OK. I was pretty freaked out with what happened and I had a hard time settling down once I got back into my apartment. So I had a drink… just to calm down… and I fell asleep on the sofa.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Well, some kind of noise woke me up. The glass was on the floor so I thought that’s what woke me up. It was late by then, so I went to the bathroom to wash my face before going to bed and when I looked in the mirror, I saw her face behind me.”
“What? How could that be?” he asked with incredulity in his voice.
“I know, it sounds crazy. I freaked out and turned around, and honest to God, Alec, her face was just floating there in my shower!”
“No way! How much did you have to drink?” he asked, his eyebrow lifted.
“Not that much. I wasn’t drunk. Honest.”
“So what did you do?” he prompted her when she seemed to get lost in her recollection again.
“I ran to the living room. When I saw the cops were still out by the dumpster, I got one of them to check out the apartment with me, but she was gone.”
“Woah. So you’ve got some kind of ghost hanging out in your apartment that only you can see?” he asked.
“I don’t know what I’ve got. The cop thought it was just my imagination.”
“Do you think that’s what it was?”
“Maybe, but it seemed so real, Alec. That’s why I’m so weirded out. Her face wasn’t fuzzy or indistinct. It was really vivid.”
“So what did she look like?”
“She had really dark, smooth hair, and it was shiny, like spun silk. It came to about her shoulders. Her skin was really pale, you know, like someone who doesn’t get much sun.”
“Or someone whose dead!” he joked.
Corrine crossed her arms and scowled at him. “Do you want to know what she looked like or not!”
“Ok, ok. I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Go on.”
“Her face was heart shaped, with high cheek bones, and she had a small cleft in her chin. Her eyebrows were really fine and arched over her eyes. Her eyes were really dark, but I couldn’t tell if they were blue or brown.”
“You couldn’t tell what color her eyes were? You? Miss ‘the eyes are the windows of the soul?’ You didn’t check out their color?” he teased.
“I couldn’t tell, Alec. It was dark -- both times I saw them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well the first time was in the alley. And she was in her car with the window mostly closed. The street light behind the bar was messed up again, so I couldn’t tell.” She lowered her gaze and swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Her eyes weren’t open when they made me look at her body.” Her voice was quiet. She looked back up at him and continued. “The second time was when I saw her in my bathroom, and it was dark.”
He raised his eyebrows again.
“It was dark!” she repeated, “The moon was full, so I didn’t turn the light on. All I could tell was that her eyes were dark.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “She was really beautiful, Alec.”
“She sounds pretty,” he replied.
“No, Alec, she was more than pretty -- she was beautiful, like high-class beautiful. Way out of my league.”
“You know, you shouldn’t sell yourself short. You’re not so bad looking yourself,” he said.
“Right. Someone like her would never look twice at someone like me. Get real! I mean come on, Alec, I work at the post office. I live in a shitty apartment in a lousy part of town. I’m a real catch!”
“Oh, give me a break,” he said. “You’re a good person Corrine. You’re nice looking, in a buff sort of way, and you have a pretty smile, that is, when someone can coax one out of you. I’d think about dating you myself, if you didn’t play for the other team”
“Right!” she smiled, a little embarrassed. “You wouldn’t date anyone that can beat you in arm wrestling!”
“You can’t beat me!” he said, lightening the mood.
“Can too, and you know it!” She shot back.
“All right, if you’re so strong, you take this batch out to the loading dock!”
“Got it,” she said and rolled the cart away.
She was probably married to some fat cat rich husband, she thought. Jesus, she was gorgeous. When she looked at me it was like she could see right inside of me. I wish I hadn’t been such an asshole to her. At least I’ll get to see her again if she’s haunting me for being a jerk. Right, Corrine., Get a grip!
The morning progressed without a problem. The letters and parcels were sorted and hauled to the loading dock, palletized and taken away by truck to their various destinations. Corrine and Alec were in the middle of palletizing a bin of mail going to California when the portly Postmaster, Ray Gallegos, called to her.
“Corrine, I need you in my office please.”
“OK, Ray, I’ll be right there,” she hollered back.
“What does he want?” Alec asked her.
“I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong,” she replied. Corrine finished loading her bin onto the pallet and turned to go to Mr. G’s office.
Standing by the door for a moment, she heard an unfamiliar voice inside. She knocked and waited for the muffled “Come in,” before entering the room.
“You wanted to see me Ray?” she asked
“Yes. Corrine, this is Detective Paulson. He has some questions to ask you.”
The man stood as he was introduced. He didn’t look like a cop to her, but the badge he held for her inspection was authentic. He was good looking, with even white teeth that stood out in his handsome tanned face. His brown hair was well barbered, and his suit uncharacteristically pressed. It was also apparent that he sported a trim, athletic build instead of the usual beer belly so many of the city’s officers had. He held out his hand to her and shook hers firmly.
“Good morning Ms. Stahley, I’m following up on the death that occurred behind your apartment complex last night.” He turned to Mr. Gallegos. “Would you give us a few minutes please?” he asked.
“Sure.” Mr. Gallegos stepped through the door and closed it behind him.
Detective Paulson turned back to Corrine. “I understand you were the only person to see the woman driving the car.”
“Yes. That’s right.” she admitted.
“You identified the body as the same woman, is that true?”
“Yes. Can you tell me what this is about? I mean I told all of this to the officer last night.”
“I understand, but this is an unusual case, and I’m hoping that talking to me might help you to remember more details. Something doesn’t add up, and I’m trying to figure out what it is. Would you be willing to help me with that?” He smiled winningly at her.
“I help you if I can, but I’m not sure what you want. I told the officer last night everything I know about it.”
“You’d be surprised how much you can remember with the right prompting.” He smiled again. “Now, you told Officer Davis that you saw her face hovering in your bathroom, is that right?”
“That was in the police report?” her eyes grew wide. “I didn’t think he believed me.”
“Well I believe you, and I think you have the key to solving this murder.”
“She was murdered? You really think I can help?” she was skeptical.
“Yes, I really think you can. Please tell me what you saw.”
“It was really strange it was like her face was just hovering there without a body. It scared me nearly to death.”
“When you close your eyes and focus on what you saw, can you see the woman’s face clearly?”
“Yes I can. That’s what made it seem so real. I kept seeing her face in my dreams last night. It was so vivid.”
“Would you be willing to work with one of our artists to create a composite sketch?”
“Sure, I’d be happy to do that. But I don’t understand why you would want a sketch of a woman who’s already dead?” She looked puzzled but relieved that he didn’t think her story was crazy.
“I’m playing a hunch.”
Detective Paulson opened the door and called Mr. Gallegos back. “Would it be alright if I take Ms. Stahley with me to the station for a few hours?”
“Of course, we’re happy to cooperate with you any way we can,” he said.
“Could I take off my smock please?” She asked.
“Sure, I’ll meet you by the front door,” he said as he turned to Mr. G. with his hand stretched out again. “I appreciate your help.”
“Any time,” Mr. Gallegos replied.
He preceded her out the door and headed to the front of the post office. She turned to Mr. G.
“You’re not in any trouble, are you Corrine?” he asked, his concern reflecting in his expression and voice.
“No, he wants me to work with one of their artists to draw the face of the woman I saw last night,” she said.
“Well, that’s good. I was getting a little worried. It’s best to cooperate any way you can.”
“I will,” she replied, “I’ll get back here as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it. I think Alec’s got the station covered. We’ll see you tonight at the game, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” She smiled as she left his office. She played for the post office softball team. She was the team’s secret weapon. Corrine was well known for her very strong, accurate arm. She could throw a runner out at first base all the way from left field.
After hanging her smock in her locker, she went to the front of the post office where Detective Paulson was waiting for her. They walked across the parking lot to his silver Chevy Caprice. He opened the front door for her and closed it once she was settled. She watched him move around the front of the car and get in beside her. He buckled up, started the car and backed out of the slot. He smiled again and turned onto Broadway Avenue heading south, toward Lomas Avenue.
To Be Continued