Caroline and the Body Under The Stairs
Chapter five
Saturday morning began with a bang, or rather, my door buzzer waking me. Looking at my alarm clock, I realized I had overslept. This is not like me at all being an early riser. I would have to blame it on those dreams of Richard. Throwing on my robe, I managed to stumble down my stairs and jerk open my door. Belatedly I remembered Richard's advice, no, command, to ask who was standing out there first. I swear it's that Wisconsin upbringing.
I was safe, however, because it was Sgt. Watson. Privately I wondered how often he was teased regarding his name, being in his line of work and all. He stared at my attire.
"Ms. Duffy. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, no, not at all." I brushed my hair back from my face, realizing how I must look to him. I'm sure it was obvious that I had been sleeping. I could still feel grit in my eyes; I probably even had creases on my face from lying on my bunched up sheets. I ushered him into my apartment and belted my robe more tightly around me.
"Ms Duffy, I was just in the building talking to the tenants again to see if anyone has remembered anything else from Tuesday. Some have been helpful like yourself and others are…" He left the sentence hanging but the inference was clear. He made a hand gesture to indicate it. This didn't surprise me since this is New York. People don't want to get involved.
"Oh, that's too bad. I hope I've been able to help. I been thinking a lot about it but nothing else comes to mind." Even as I said this, I had my doubts which the Sgt must have heard in my voice. He leaned forward anxiously.
"Are you sure? Anything or anyone that didn't belong to this building or any activity that seemed suspicious to you?" I shook my head. I didn't want to tell him that something in the back of my mind was bothering me because I didn't know what it was and I didn't want to appear an idiot. I had a feeling that he had already pegged me as a lonely, flighty female with a cat. Looking down, I realized I had subconsciously pulled Salty onto my lap and was petting her. Oh God.
"How about the gentleman that works for you?" He consulted his notes, looking for a name.
"Richard? What about him?"
The Sgt. cleared his throat. "How well do you know this man? What I mean is, do you know his background?"
I hate to admit it but this had me stumped. I knew Richard so well but then, not at all. I know that doesn't make any sense and judging by the look on the officer's face, it didn't to him either. After all, what did I know of Richard's earlier life? Sure I met his parents and grade school teacher but I knew little else about his early years. It's just that since working with him for two years, I knew his character. And that was good enough for me and I told the officer so.
Sgt Watson hesitated and I could see him choosing his words carefully. "Ma'am, sometimes people are not what we think they are. They can hide secrets that they don't want known. It would be wise of you to be very careful regarding this man until we run a background check on him."
I could feel my pulse quickening and my temper taking over. "There is nothing wrong with Richard. He's a wonderful person. Just because he keeps to himself doesn't automatically mean there is something wrong with him. He's a very sensitive and caring person even if he doesn't show it very often. There is no way he is a murderer and I would stake my life on it." So there, I added silently.
The Sgt. held up his hand to stop me. "Please, ma'am, I wasn't accusing Mr. Karinsky of murder, I was just cautioning you against trusting someone you don't know very well." I hate when people call me ma'am. It ages me ten years. I took a deep breath to calm myself. The very thought of Richard killing someone in cold blood was ridiculous.
"Well, he didn't do it. I would trust him with my life." I meant it but the Sgt. must have picked up something else in my voice for he raised his eyebrows.
"Are you involved with this man?" He had asked me this yesterday so I don't know why he was asking again.
"No, I told you we aren't involved." I wonder if he heard the disappointment in my voice like I did. He mulled this awhile and then smiled at me.
"I'm sorry that I have to ask these questions. Sometimes they are very uncomfortable but they are important. If there's anything you remember from Tuesday, please give the Lieutenant a call. Do you still have his card?"
I nodded my answer as he rose from the sofa. There was something bothering me. "How do you know this woman was killed on Tuesday and not on Wednesday?"
He hesitated, obviously deciding whether to tell me or not.
"Well, we know she was alive on Tuesday morning because Mr. Karinsky saw her on the elevator. After that, preliminary forensics on the body such as" he cleared his throat with a small ahem, "lividity of the blood" he coughed again, clearly uncomfortable with this part of the conversation, "certain postmortem changes, the absence of rigor mortis" ahem, "the presence of maggots and other insects set the time of death sometime Tuesday…" He must have seen the look on my face because he stopped. I felt suddenly faint and plunked down in the chair.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Duffy, I shouldn't have explained it in detail. Are you all right?"
I like to think I'm pretty tough. I put up a good front anyway. "Sure, I'm fine. Nothing wrong." I bluffed. That's what I get for asking questions.
"Okay, then. Remember what I said about Mr. Karinsky and let us know if anything else comes to mind."
After I let him out, I realized that I hadn't told him about that odd feeling of being followed last night. I dismissed this as unimportant. Again, a mistake I would live to regret.
I thought about Richard. I knew I would never fall in love with someone who could take someone else's life. I just wished the officer hadn't filled me with doubts. I picked up the phone to call Richard. Just hearing his voice would calm me and take away these sudden doubts about him. Just as quickly, I put the phone down again.
That's when I made the decision. Since some of the residents in my building weren't talking, I would try to wheedle some information out of them. Maybe I would have more luck than the cops. At the very least, I would be thinking about something other than my love, my secret description for Richard. With this resolve, I bounded upstairs to get dressed.
I decided to start on the first floor. I figured a quick visit to the super's apartment would be a good start. Mrs. Tedescu opened the door to my knock.
"Ohhh, Caroline, how nice to see you. Come see my dog and her new babies." She ran over to an open box. Oh great. I knew what was coming. Another litter of puppies to adore and refuse to adopt.
I was right. I spent the next thirty minutes admiring their cute, fuzzy little bodies with their adorable brown noses. Once again, I explained to Mrs. Tedescu about Salty and how she reigns over everyone in my apartment. There was definitely no room for a dog in my life. I kept edging for the door and then realized what I had come for in the first place. As much as the woman wanted to gossip, she saw nothing on Tuesday that was different from any other day. Disappointed, I walked out the door and straight into Richard. Again.
"We have to stop meeting like this." He deadpanned as we untangled our arms and legs. I suddenly found that I couldn't get my breath and my heart was absolutely racing. The palms of my hands were sweating. Wow, this hadn't happened since high school. I remember feeling like this when I had a huge crush on some guy. I wiped my damp palms down the sides of my jeans, unable to say a thing, and just stared up at him.
"I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by. Uh, because, uh, you were nervous and upset yesterday about the murder." He was the one who sounded nervous. Being in my neighborhood was a transparent lie since he lived blocks and blocks away and was never in this part of town unless he had to be. It had to be that kiss last night. He couldn't get me out of his mind. I felt so happy I could have burst.
He tried again. "So, what are you doing?" He smiled weakly. I grinned back.
"Nothing," I can lie too. Just then, Mrs. Tedescu reopened her door.
"Oh, Caroline. If you want to find any dirt, you might talk to 1C. She sees and hears everything."
I thanked her, feeling Richard's disapproval without even looking at him.
"Car-o-line." It was in his voice. He would drag out the last syllable of my name with emphasis when he was really irritated at me. I just shrugged.
"Caroline, why are you sticking your nose into this? I told you, it's the job of the police. This is dangerous and you could get hurt. The murderer is still out there."
I placed my hand on his arm. "Thanks for being concerned, Richard. I'm sure I'll be fine." I could feel his warmth through his shirt. "I have an idea. Why don't we team up like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, or Cagney and Lacey, or Mulder and Scully?"
His face was unmovable.
"Please, Richard? Please, please, pleeeease?" I knew he couldn't resist me. Now that I think about it, he had never been able to say no and stick to it. I noticed he had his eyes shut.
"I suppose I better just to keep you out of trouble." He sighed. I get the feeling I'm high maintenance.
Richard and I worked our way through all four floors cautiously tiptoeing past the ominously quiet 4B, the sight of the murder. I couldn't help feeling horribly sad about the poor woman. She was my age, unmarried and had no family. The worst part was that nobody had missed her. I didn't want this to be my life. I wanted a husband and children and dare I admit it to myself, I wanted Richard's children. Just thinking this way gave me butterflies in the pit of my stomach.
I slipped my hand into his and waited for him to pull it away. He didn't disappoint me but he didn't pull away as fast as he used to. Maybe there was hope yet for us.
After spending over an hour listening to gossip, fending off one guy that tried to pick me up right in front of Richard and having several doors slammed in our faces, we gave up. Our mission ended in the lobby.
"Now are you happy? Got it out of your system?" Poor Richard sounded frustrated.
"Yes, I guess so. It's hard to explain but I wanted to help this woman by helping to find out who killed her. I guess I just identify with her." Richard was looking at me with a strange light in his eyes, as if he was amazed at the sight of me. I could feel myself blushing. That's when I made a mistake.
"So, Richard. Why don't you come back up to my apartment? We can make lunch, talk or …things." Of course, by the word things I meant kissing, touching and stuff. You know what I mean. "Get to know each other." I could hear my voice dwindle away as I saw the expression on his face. It had absolutely shut down. The windows were boarded up and no one was home. Oh god.
"Caroline, I'm going home now. You and I…" He walked towards the lobby door and stopped with his back to me, "we can't be together. It would never work. Forget it."
That was it. He strode out of my building leaving me shell shocked. I stumbled around the corner and headed for the stairs, not paying attention to where I was going. I just wanted to hide in my apartment where no one would see me crying. I slipped on the wet mopped floor again and landed on my butt. Struggling to my feet, I decided to tell the super that this was a lawsuit waiting to happen. I looked around for the janitor but no one was in sight.
I limped into my apartment feeling as if my world had fallen apart. Why, oh why couldn't Richard love me? I wanted him to be deeply, madly in love with me. I resigned myself to the fact that I must be unlovable and would spend my life all alone. I wiped the tears off my face and pulled out my tape of When Harry Met Sally, the movie that never fails to give me hope for my own love life. After all, Harry and Sally were best friends for years before they got together.
As I sat down on my couch, the effects of my fall were making themselves known. I rubbed my sore rear end and wondered why the janitor I saw the other day was nowhere around. I remembered his mumbled apology as I lay staring up at the ceiling from my position on the floor. I had sat up and noticed his black patent leather loafers followed by his greasy blue overalls and on up to his face. He had the most unusual dark blue eyes I had ever seen. They almost seemed to glitter.
I turned my attention back to the movie but my mind kept coming back to those shoes and wondering why a janitor would wear dress shoes while he mopped the floors. I had forgotten this inconsistency the other day because I was so excited about getting a letter from Jeannie, my former colorist. I was so eager to read it that everything else had been forgotten.
Suddenly I got this creepy feeling and reached for the phone. This was something I had not mentioned to the police. I routed around in my desk for the Lt's card, finally found it and dialed the number. I had to leave a message because he was out in the field. As soon as I left the message, I felt silly and wished I hadn't. Surely it couldn't have been important but now I would have to face embarrassment in front of the two police officers.
I tried to concentrate on the movie. Harry and Sally were trading barbs back and forth, reminding me of Richard and me. I could feel tears stinging my eyes again. The knock on my door startled me then caused my heart to leap. Maybe it was Richard regretting his answer about us.
I started to open the door and remembered what Richard had told me about my bad habits with visitors. With a smile, I sang out, "Who is it?" There was no answer. I smirked and jerked open my door.
"Hey, Richard, I asked first so you could at least…"
Instead of looking up into Richard's warm brown eyes, I was staring into a pair of sparkling dark blue ones.
To be continued…
Chapter five
Saturday morning began with a bang, or rather, my door buzzer waking me. Looking at my alarm clock, I realized I had overslept. This is not like me at all being an early riser. I would have to blame it on those dreams of Richard. Throwing on my robe, I managed to stumble down my stairs and jerk open my door. Belatedly I remembered Richard's advice, no, command, to ask who was standing out there first. I swear it's that Wisconsin upbringing.
I was safe, however, because it was Sgt. Watson. Privately I wondered how often he was teased regarding his name, being in his line of work and all. He stared at my attire.
"Ms. Duffy. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, no, not at all." I brushed my hair back from my face, realizing how I must look to him. I'm sure it was obvious that I had been sleeping. I could still feel grit in my eyes; I probably even had creases on my face from lying on my bunched up sheets. I ushered him into my apartment and belted my robe more tightly around me.
"Ms Duffy, I was just in the building talking to the tenants again to see if anyone has remembered anything else from Tuesday. Some have been helpful like yourself and others are…" He left the sentence hanging but the inference was clear. He made a hand gesture to indicate it. This didn't surprise me since this is New York. People don't want to get involved.
"Oh, that's too bad. I hope I've been able to help. I been thinking a lot about it but nothing else comes to mind." Even as I said this, I had my doubts which the Sgt must have heard in my voice. He leaned forward anxiously.
"Are you sure? Anything or anyone that didn't belong to this building or any activity that seemed suspicious to you?" I shook my head. I didn't want to tell him that something in the back of my mind was bothering me because I didn't know what it was and I didn't want to appear an idiot. I had a feeling that he had already pegged me as a lonely, flighty female with a cat. Looking down, I realized I had subconsciously pulled Salty onto my lap and was petting her. Oh God.
"How about the gentleman that works for you?" He consulted his notes, looking for a name.
"Richard? What about him?"
The Sgt. cleared his throat. "How well do you know this man? What I mean is, do you know his background?"
I hate to admit it but this had me stumped. I knew Richard so well but then, not at all. I know that doesn't make any sense and judging by the look on the officer's face, it didn't to him either. After all, what did I know of Richard's earlier life? Sure I met his parents and grade school teacher but I knew little else about his early years. It's just that since working with him for two years, I knew his character. And that was good enough for me and I told the officer so.
Sgt Watson hesitated and I could see him choosing his words carefully. "Ma'am, sometimes people are not what we think they are. They can hide secrets that they don't want known. It would be wise of you to be very careful regarding this man until we run a background check on him."
I could feel my pulse quickening and my temper taking over. "There is nothing wrong with Richard. He's a wonderful person. Just because he keeps to himself doesn't automatically mean there is something wrong with him. He's a very sensitive and caring person even if he doesn't show it very often. There is no way he is a murderer and I would stake my life on it." So there, I added silently.
The Sgt. held up his hand to stop me. "Please, ma'am, I wasn't accusing Mr. Karinsky of murder, I was just cautioning you against trusting someone you don't know very well." I hate when people call me ma'am. It ages me ten years. I took a deep breath to calm myself. The very thought of Richard killing someone in cold blood was ridiculous.
"Well, he didn't do it. I would trust him with my life." I meant it but the Sgt. must have picked up something else in my voice for he raised his eyebrows.
"Are you involved with this man?" He had asked me this yesterday so I don't know why he was asking again.
"No, I told you we aren't involved." I wonder if he heard the disappointment in my voice like I did. He mulled this awhile and then smiled at me.
"I'm sorry that I have to ask these questions. Sometimes they are very uncomfortable but they are important. If there's anything you remember from Tuesday, please give the Lieutenant a call. Do you still have his card?"
I nodded my answer as he rose from the sofa. There was something bothering me. "How do you know this woman was killed on Tuesday and not on Wednesday?"
He hesitated, obviously deciding whether to tell me or not.
"Well, we know she was alive on Tuesday morning because Mr. Karinsky saw her on the elevator. After that, preliminary forensics on the body such as" he cleared his throat with a small ahem, "lividity of the blood" he coughed again, clearly uncomfortable with this part of the conversation, "certain postmortem changes, the absence of rigor mortis" ahem, "the presence of maggots and other insects set the time of death sometime Tuesday…" He must have seen the look on my face because he stopped. I felt suddenly faint and plunked down in the chair.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Duffy, I shouldn't have explained it in detail. Are you all right?"
I like to think I'm pretty tough. I put up a good front anyway. "Sure, I'm fine. Nothing wrong." I bluffed. That's what I get for asking questions.
"Okay, then. Remember what I said about Mr. Karinsky and let us know if anything else comes to mind."
After I let him out, I realized that I hadn't told him about that odd feeling of being followed last night. I dismissed this as unimportant. Again, a mistake I would live to regret.
I thought about Richard. I knew I would never fall in love with someone who could take someone else's life. I just wished the officer hadn't filled me with doubts. I picked up the phone to call Richard. Just hearing his voice would calm me and take away these sudden doubts about him. Just as quickly, I put the phone down again.
That's when I made the decision. Since some of the residents in my building weren't talking, I would try to wheedle some information out of them. Maybe I would have more luck than the cops. At the very least, I would be thinking about something other than my love, my secret description for Richard. With this resolve, I bounded upstairs to get dressed.
I decided to start on the first floor. I figured a quick visit to the super's apartment would be a good start. Mrs. Tedescu opened the door to my knock.
"Ohhh, Caroline, how nice to see you. Come see my dog and her new babies." She ran over to an open box. Oh great. I knew what was coming. Another litter of puppies to adore and refuse to adopt.
I was right. I spent the next thirty minutes admiring their cute, fuzzy little bodies with their adorable brown noses. Once again, I explained to Mrs. Tedescu about Salty and how she reigns over everyone in my apartment. There was definitely no room for a dog in my life. I kept edging for the door and then realized what I had come for in the first place. As much as the woman wanted to gossip, she saw nothing on Tuesday that was different from any other day. Disappointed, I walked out the door and straight into Richard. Again.
"We have to stop meeting like this." He deadpanned as we untangled our arms and legs. I suddenly found that I couldn't get my breath and my heart was absolutely racing. The palms of my hands were sweating. Wow, this hadn't happened since high school. I remember feeling like this when I had a huge crush on some guy. I wiped my damp palms down the sides of my jeans, unable to say a thing, and just stared up at him.
"I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by. Uh, because, uh, you were nervous and upset yesterday about the murder." He was the one who sounded nervous. Being in my neighborhood was a transparent lie since he lived blocks and blocks away and was never in this part of town unless he had to be. It had to be that kiss last night. He couldn't get me out of his mind. I felt so happy I could have burst.
He tried again. "So, what are you doing?" He smiled weakly. I grinned back.
"Nothing," I can lie too. Just then, Mrs. Tedescu reopened her door.
"Oh, Caroline. If you want to find any dirt, you might talk to 1C. She sees and hears everything."
I thanked her, feeling Richard's disapproval without even looking at him.
"Car-o-line." It was in his voice. He would drag out the last syllable of my name with emphasis when he was really irritated at me. I just shrugged.
"Caroline, why are you sticking your nose into this? I told you, it's the job of the police. This is dangerous and you could get hurt. The murderer is still out there."
I placed my hand on his arm. "Thanks for being concerned, Richard. I'm sure I'll be fine." I could feel his warmth through his shirt. "I have an idea. Why don't we team up like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, or Cagney and Lacey, or Mulder and Scully?"
His face was unmovable.
"Please, Richard? Please, please, pleeeease?" I knew he couldn't resist me. Now that I think about it, he had never been able to say no and stick to it. I noticed he had his eyes shut.
"I suppose I better just to keep you out of trouble." He sighed. I get the feeling I'm high maintenance.
Richard and I worked our way through all four floors cautiously tiptoeing past the ominously quiet 4B, the sight of the murder. I couldn't help feeling horribly sad about the poor woman. She was my age, unmarried and had no family. The worst part was that nobody had missed her. I didn't want this to be my life. I wanted a husband and children and dare I admit it to myself, I wanted Richard's children. Just thinking this way gave me butterflies in the pit of my stomach.
I slipped my hand into his and waited for him to pull it away. He didn't disappoint me but he didn't pull away as fast as he used to. Maybe there was hope yet for us.
After spending over an hour listening to gossip, fending off one guy that tried to pick me up right in front of Richard and having several doors slammed in our faces, we gave up. Our mission ended in the lobby.
"Now are you happy? Got it out of your system?" Poor Richard sounded frustrated.
"Yes, I guess so. It's hard to explain but I wanted to help this woman by helping to find out who killed her. I guess I just identify with her." Richard was looking at me with a strange light in his eyes, as if he was amazed at the sight of me. I could feel myself blushing. That's when I made a mistake.
"So, Richard. Why don't you come back up to my apartment? We can make lunch, talk or …things." Of course, by the word things I meant kissing, touching and stuff. You know what I mean. "Get to know each other." I could hear my voice dwindle away as I saw the expression on his face. It had absolutely shut down. The windows were boarded up and no one was home. Oh god.
"Caroline, I'm going home now. You and I…" He walked towards the lobby door and stopped with his back to me, "we can't be together. It would never work. Forget it."
That was it. He strode out of my building leaving me shell shocked. I stumbled around the corner and headed for the stairs, not paying attention to where I was going. I just wanted to hide in my apartment where no one would see me crying. I slipped on the wet mopped floor again and landed on my butt. Struggling to my feet, I decided to tell the super that this was a lawsuit waiting to happen. I looked around for the janitor but no one was in sight.
I limped into my apartment feeling as if my world had fallen apart. Why, oh why couldn't Richard love me? I wanted him to be deeply, madly in love with me. I resigned myself to the fact that I must be unlovable and would spend my life all alone. I wiped the tears off my face and pulled out my tape of When Harry Met Sally, the movie that never fails to give me hope for my own love life. After all, Harry and Sally were best friends for years before they got together.
As I sat down on my couch, the effects of my fall were making themselves known. I rubbed my sore rear end and wondered why the janitor I saw the other day was nowhere around. I remembered his mumbled apology as I lay staring up at the ceiling from my position on the floor. I had sat up and noticed his black patent leather loafers followed by his greasy blue overalls and on up to his face. He had the most unusual dark blue eyes I had ever seen. They almost seemed to glitter.
I turned my attention back to the movie but my mind kept coming back to those shoes and wondering why a janitor would wear dress shoes while he mopped the floors. I had forgotten this inconsistency the other day because I was so excited about getting a letter from Jeannie, my former colorist. I was so eager to read it that everything else had been forgotten.
Suddenly I got this creepy feeling and reached for the phone. This was something I had not mentioned to the police. I routed around in my desk for the Lt's card, finally found it and dialed the number. I had to leave a message because he was out in the field. As soon as I left the message, I felt silly and wished I hadn't. Surely it couldn't have been important but now I would have to face embarrassment in front of the two police officers.
I tried to concentrate on the movie. Harry and Sally were trading barbs back and forth, reminding me of Richard and me. I could feel tears stinging my eyes again. The knock on my door startled me then caused my heart to leap. Maybe it was Richard regretting his answer about us.
I started to open the door and remembered what Richard had told me about my bad habits with visitors. With a smile, I sang out, "Who is it?" There was no answer. I smirked and jerked open my door.
"Hey, Richard, I asked first so you could at least…"
Instead of looking up into Richard's warm brown eyes, I was staring into a pair of sparkling dark blue ones.
To be continued…
