�What�s the matter, Jess?� Seth asked his best friend as they walked down Main Street together. �You�re awful quiet today.
�That doesn�t necessarily mean something is wrong!� she snapped at him. He turned to look at her, but said nothing. She immediately regretted her words.
�Oh, I�m sorry. I just didn�t sleep well last night, that�s all.� She told him, winding her fingers around his. �I didn�t mean to take it out on you.�
�Forgiven. Why couldn�t you sleep?� he asked, concerned.
�Oh, I don�t know. A touch of insomnia. It will pass.� She lied, and immediately felt guilty. She�d never lied to Seth before. The truth was, she�d had a horrible nightmare. But she didn�t want Seth to hover over her. Besides, she told herself, it was only one nightmare. Later, Jessica found herself in a dark room. All she could see was a hand, illuminated by a spotlight, waving through the air as though it was conducting a band, but there was no music. Suddenly, the spotlight went out, and she was in complete darkness. She turned in a circle, looking for some ray of light. The spotlight again illuminated the hand, this time holding a knife, and seeming to float toward her. She tried to run, yell for help, anything to get away, but she was frozen in place, and though she opened her mouth, no sound came out.
She heard a strange sound, as she opened her eyes. The phone! She'd been having that nightmare again. "Hello?" she said, pulling the receiver to her ear, still drowsy.
"Mrs. F," Mort said. "I hate to wake you up..."
"No, that's okay, Mort," Jessica interrupted, grateful to him for awakening her.
"Well, the reason I'm calling is that we got a call about ten minutes ago," Mort continued.
"Oh, dear," Jessica said, now fully awake. "What's wrong, Mort?"
"There's been a murder."
"Oh, no! Who?"
"Christopher Mills. His wife found him, when she got home from a bar. Doc Hazlitt is on his way to pick you up. I'll fill you in when you get here."
"Okay, thanks Mort." Jessica said and hung up. She climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed. She had just finished when she heard Seth downstairs. She met him at the bottom of the steps.
"You really should lock your doors with a murderer on the loose, Jessica." He said sternly.
"Oh, Seth! You're not going to start that are you? I didn't know there was a murderer out there."
He helped her into her coat and said, "I'm sorry Jess. I just don't want to see you get hurt. You mean too much to me."
Jessica kissed him gently. "Thank you for caring. It's nice to be loved."
Together, they headed out into the dark, cold night.
"What happened, Mort?" Jessica said after arriving with Seth and being directed to the murder scene.
"Looks like a stab wound to me," he replied, pointing to the corpse.
Jessica looked to Seth, her eyes wide, as if wanting a second opinion.
Seth slowly knelt down to examine the corpse. The three stood in silence, the only sound the forensics team milling about the room.
"Ayuh," Seth said, looking up at Jessica, and showing her the stab-wound on the corpse's chest. Jessica grimaced and walked to the opposite side of the room, looking for something to help her.
"You said Mrs. Mills found him when she got home from a bar?" Jessica asked suddenly.
"Yeah. Seems she was a regular at one of the bars uptown," Mort told her.
"So, she was gone every night?" Jessica said as more of a statement than a question.
"I suppose," Mort replied, rather confused.
"What do you mean, woman?" Seth piped up, himself unable to understand her thinking.
"Well," Jessica started humbly. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but, couldn't someone have known she would be gone and planned it around this time?"
Mort and Seth's raised eyebrows told Jessica she hadn't been wrong.
�Then anyone could have killed him,� Mort said unhappily.
�What does the motive appear to be?� Jessica asked.
�I don�t know. Nothing seems to be missing, but we�ll find out for sure when his wife wakes up.�
�Wakes up?� Seth asked.
�She passed out. Too much to drink. Did Chris have any enemies?�
Seth and Jessica turned to look at each other.
�No,� they said together.
�Yeah, I didn�t think so.� Mort said rather sadly. �He was nice to everyone.�
�You didn�t think this would be easy, did you?� Seth asked.
�No, not really. I guess I don�t need either of you here anymore. I�m just going to go through the desk and see if I can find anything.�
�We can help,� Jessica said quickly. She didn�t want to go home and have that dream again.
�I suppose I could use the help. Why don�t you two work on the filing cabinet.�
Seth pulled a chair over to the filing cabinet.
Jessica followed him across the room.
�I don�t see why we have to do this now,� Seth grumbled.
�You don�t. You can go home, Seth,� Jessica replied. Seth considered this for a moment.
�Why don�t you want to go home, Jess?� He asked gently.
�I�m just not,� she stopped and yawned, �tired.�
Seth gazed at her. �Have it your way.�
After a few minutes spent in silence, Jessica came across a small bag of assorted �lucky� charms. Wordlessly, she took Seth�s hand and placed on in his palm.
�Penny for your thoughts?�
He looked up at her. �Jessica, what is it that�s bothering you? And why do you feel you can�t talk to me? You know I�ll always listen.�
Jessica was silent.
�Jess?� Seth asked, concerned.
�Can we talk about this later, Seth?�
�Of course.�
The conversation would continue later that morning, back at Jessica�s.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica was asleep at 8 when Seth arrived that morning. He had knocked on the door for nearly five minutes before going in to check on her. Sure enough, there she was, asleep on her bed with a manila envelope in her hand, and the contents, what she found at the murder scene that she thought might be of interest, was strewn out on the bed. Seth sighed to himself and sat in a chair next to her bad. She was sleeping peacefully. "At least you're not getting yourself into trouble, woman," he said quietly to her before standing up again, gazing at her for a moment, and going back to the kitchen.
Jessica was awakened around 10 that morning, by the smell of...
"Blueberry muffins?" she asked, a puzzled expression entering her face. "Who could...?"
Just then, Seth came in with a tray of blueberry muffins, orange juice, coffee, and toast, with the obligatory single rose in a vase.
"Mornin', Jessica," he said, grinning.
"Seth? What's all this?" she asked him as she sat up and he placed the tray on her lap.
"Your breakfast," Seth told her. "A little late, though. 'Spect you'll be havin' lunch, soon."
Jessica quickly glanced at the clock, and her eyes grew wide.
"Six hours!" she said aloud. "I've been asleep a whole six hours!"
"Ayuh," Seth said, with questioning eyes. "8 would've been better."
"Oh, Seth," she told him, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Six hours without that nightmare again!" she thought and smiled.
"I believe you promised me some conversation, Jessica," Seth said, again taking his chair near the bed.
"Oh, Seth," Jessica said smiling. "I was just tired. Really!"
"Jessica...You insisted that you weren't tired. Something..."
"Well, I was wrong," she interrupted him. She paused and smiled. "I'm fine, see?" She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head as if she were outside soaking up a spring breeze to emphasize the point.
"I don't believe you," Seth told her, a hurt expression filling his face.
Jessica felt a little guilty about not telling Seth about her nightmare and considered telling him now, but she thought better of it. Apparently, the nightmares had gone, but she didn't want to unnecessarily alarm Seth. So, she changed the subject, focusing on the items in front of her.
"What do you think this is made of, Seth?" she asked him knowingly of a tiny, gold, giraffe-shaped charm.
"I'm a doctor, Jess, not a jeweler."
"I think it's gold, Seth," she continued, ignoring his sarcasm. "Pure gold."
�What does that have to do with anything? We�re not talking about little gold animals. You�re not telling me the truth, Jessica.�
�Seth! I�m all right! Stop hovering!� she cried, growing frustrated with him.
Seth�s eyes flashed with a mix of anger and hurt. Then without another word, he stood and left the room.
�Seth, wait!� Jessica called after him. She got no reply and a few seconds later heard the front door slam behind him. Jessica sank back into her pillows, her eyes filling with tears. She hadn�t meant to be so rude to him. Didn�t he understand!? But then, how could he? She hadn�t bothered to explain anything to him.
Seth left the house angry at himself, angry at Jessica. She wasn�t telling him the truth. Couldn�t she see that he was worried about her? Didn�t she know how much he loved her? He only wanted to protect her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daisy Mills woke up with a splitting headache. What had she been drinking the night before? She couldn�t really remember. Where was Chris?
�Oh, no!� she moaned. The night before all came back to her. She�d had about four shots of straight Tequila and started dancing on the bar. Her friends had dragged her home before she made a complete fool of herself. When she got home she�d found Chris.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mort finally got to go home around 11am. He still had to talk to Daisy Mills, the coroner and Jessica. But he just couldn�t function. He was about to make a pot of coffee when he decided against it, and instead went into the living room and fell into a deep sleep on the couch.
One O�clock that afternoon found Jessica at the coffee shop, hoping to see Seth having lunch there between patients.
�What can I get you, Mrs. Fletcher?� the waitress, Morgan Blackstock, asked her as she sat down.
�A salad would be wonderful, thanks,� Jessica replied, looking around. �You haven�t seen Dr. Hazlitt in here today, have you?�
�Not yet. He usually comes in about now.� Morgan hesitated before asking Jessica, �Have you heard about Chris?�
�Ohh, yes,� Jessica replied, her attention immediately with the young woman.
�Chris and I grew up together,� she started, but then excused herself to go get Jessica�s salad. That seemed to be all she could say. Jessica was starting to think about that when Seth came in.
�Seth!� She called to him, and waved him over.
Seeing no other open tables, he came and sullenly sat down.
�Seth, I�m sorry,� she said.
His eyes grew a little wider.
�Well, don�t look so shocked. I should be sorry, you know. I didn�t explain things very well.�
He nodded.
�Can�t you say something?� she asked him, frustrated.
�Ayuh,� he smiled. �I�m glad you�ve decided to tell me what it is that�s bothering you.�
�No, Seth. I meant about those charms. Remember?� She took the charm out of her purse. �The little gold giraffe?�
Seth�s expression changed to one of sadness and disappointment.
�Seth, I�m fine. You�re the only one who doesn�t seem to understand that. I--� Morgan came and set her salad in front of her.
�Where�d you get that, Mrs. Fletcher?� Morgan asked, indicating the giraffe.
�Oh, Sheriff Metzger let me have a look at this. It�s from Chris� house.�
Morgan held up her wrist, around which a charm bracelet was clasped, �Are the others like these?�
Jessica looked closely at the girl�s bracelet. There were five charms in all: a pig, a giraffe, a monkey, a bear and an elephant. Jessica got out the envelope with the other charms in it. There were only four charms. The pig was missing.
�What do you suppose it means?� Jessica asked Seth and Morgan.
�That�s how we referred to each other,� Morgan said, her eyes filling with tears. �And now Chris is gone��
�What? How who referred to each other?� Jessica asked her.
�Morgan!� the manager and owner called. �Get to work!�
�Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher,� she said.
�Morgan,� Jessica said, placing a hand on the girl�s arm. �We need to talk.�
�Maybe later, Mrs. Fletcher,� Morgan replied, turning to another table.
�Now do you see why it�s important, Seth?� Jessica asked, turning to him, but when she didn�t see him she turned to the door just in time to see him leaving. Placing money on the table, she got up and followed Seth out.
Arriving at his house, which also served as his office, Jessica knocked impatiently on the door. Seth arrived, opening the door shortly afterwards.
�Seth, what do you want? What do you want me to tell you? Do you want me to tell you that I�m having a horrible week and cry on your shoulder? I mean, really. What do you want from me?�
�The truth, Jessica.�
�I told you the truth.�
�I don�t believe that you did, Jess.�
Jessica sighed. �It�s over, Seth. What was bothering me is gone. I�m not worried about it, and you shouldn�t be, either.�
�That just it, Jessica. You should�ve told me then. Maybe I could�ve helped.�
�Seth,� Jessica said gently. �There are some things you can�t protect me from.�
Seth looked down sadly, and for a minute, Jessica thought he would close the door and go back inside, leaving her alone on the porch. Instead, he opened the door a little wider, held his hand out and sadly said, �Would you like to come in, Jessica? We can talk about this more inside.�
�Thank you, Seth, but I can�t. I have to get over to Mort�s and talk to him about what I�ve come up with. It could be important. Then I�ve planned a lovely little nap. It�s been a long couple of days. However, I will call you when I wake up. Dinner at my house?�
Seth nodded. �Be careful, Jessica.�
�I will, Seth,� she said nodding, and waved as she left.
Upon arriving at Mort�s and learning from Adelle that Mort was still asleep, she wrote him a note about talking to Morgan Blackstock and headed home for her nap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After she had fallen asleep, Jessica found herself in a dark room. All she could see was a hand, illuminated by a spotlight, waving through the air as though it was conducting a band, but there was no music. Suddenly, the spotlight went out, and she was in complete darkness. She turned in a circle, looking for some ray of light. The spotlight again illuminated the hand, this time holding a knife, and seeming to float toward her. Closer this time than the last. She tried to run, yell for help, anything to get away, but she was frozen in place, and though she opened her mouth, no sound came out. She tossed and turned a little, and was awakened when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and opened her eyes to see Seth staring down at her.
�Now do you want to tell me what�s bothering you?� he asked.
She sighed. She didn�t seem to have a choice. �It�s just a nightmare, Seth. That�s all,� she said, brushing it off.
�Jessica,� Seth started. �Why didn�t you tell me? What happens?�
�It�s nothing, Seth. Nightmares happen to everybody. What time is it?�
�Almost time for dinner. It�s cooking downstairs. But we�re not eating until you tell me what�s going on with this nightmare of yours.�
�Oh, all right, you win,� Jessica told him, sitting up. �Well, I�m in a small room, and there�s this hand moving through the air, I�m not sure what it�s doing exactly, but, a light goes out, and quickly comes back on, and the hand is holding a knife. That�s it. Then I wake up,� she said resolutely, leaving out the fact the hand seems to be getting closer each time.
Seth considered this for a moment. �I don�t like it, Jess.�
�I�m not particularly fond of it, myself, Seth. But, I�ll be fine. Really. It�ll go away. Nightmares always do.�
They went downstairs and she helped him finish cooking dinner. As they sat down at the table, Seth asked her, "Jessica, why were you so reluctant to tell me about the nightmare?"
"It seemed so childish to go running to you about a dream."
"Jess," he said reaching across the table, "You can come to me about anything, you know that."
"I know. Now, let's forget about it."
"Just promise me something?"
"Depends."
"Tell me if you have that nightmare again?"
Jessica paused and thought for a minute. "Yes." She said at last.
"Thank you, dearest."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morgan Blackstock entered her house after her shift at the coffee shop. Everything was dark.
"That's funny," she said aloud, "I could've sworn I left a light on."
She closed the door, and was about to turn on a light when a hand shot out of the darkness behind her, plunging a knife into her heart. Morgan fell to the ground. Her killer reached down and broke the giraffe charm off her bracelet, then left the house by way of the back door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You ready to talk to Miss Blackstock, Mrs. F?" Mort asked Jessica the next morning as they were sitting in her kitchen with Seth.
"What's the mattah," Seth asked. "You can't go by yourself?"
"Seth," Jessica said in a mock version of sternness. "I WANT to go."
"Jessica, I don't think that's a good idea with your--"
"I'll be fine, Seth," Jessica interrupted him, giving him a stern look.
"Something wrong, Mrs. F?" Mort asked, concerned. "Yes," Seth said. "Although she'd never--"
"Enough, Seth!" Jessica interrupted, agitated. Then, turning to Mort, she added, "I'm fine. Seth's just being over-dramatic." Seth looked slightly angrily into his coffee cup, while Jessica grabbed a coat from a peg in the hallway. "Let's go, Sheriff."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once they were in the car and headed to Morgan Blackstock's house, Mort began the conversation.
"Uhh...Mrs. F," he said tentatively. "I'm not sure what Doc thinks is wrong with you, or what's going on, but, I just wanted to remind you, I'll do anything I can to help."
"Thank you, Mort," Jessica replied. "But really, I'm fine."
"Whatever you say, Mrs. F. So, what was it you wanted to talk to Miss Blackstock about?"
"These," she replied, pulling the manila envelope containing the charms out of her purse.
"Jewelry?"
"Not just any jewelry, Mort. See, Morgan has a charm bracelet containing the same charms as these. She also said that she grew up with Christopher Mills. Maybe she knows something that can help us. Besides, she can tell us why the pig charm is missing from these."
"The what? Hold on, Mrs. Fletcher, where'd you get THAT?" Mort asked incredulously.
"Morgan's bracelet. She had five charms. A pig, a giraffe, a monkey, a bear and an elephant.� She dumped the charms from the envelope into her palm. "The pig is missing from this set."
Mort parked the car and they each got out. They headed up the steps and knocked on the door. No answer. Mort knocked again. No answer. The third attempt prompted the same response.
"Stand back, Mrs. F.," Mort told her, drawing his gun. He took a few steps backward, then charged at the door, bursting into the house. There, on the floor, was Morgan Blackstock.
�Oh, my God! Is she dead, Mort?� Jessica asked.
Mort knelt and checked for a pulse. He found none.
�Mrs. F, go call Doc Hazlitt for me.� He said softly. Jessica set off in search of a phone. She found one in the kitchen and dialed her number. She was relieved when Seth picked it up.
�Seth, we need you to come down to Morgan�s. There�s been another murder.�
�I�m on my way.� He said and hung up.
Five minutes later, he arrived at Morgan�s house.
Jessica met him on the porch.
�Jess, are you all right?� he asked, concerned.
�Yes, I�m fine.�
Seth went in and quickly examined Morgan�s body. �She�s been dead slightly less than twelve hours. Rigor mortis is almost complete. Cause of death was stab wound through the heart, probably made with a large knife.�
Jessica gave an involuntary gasp and turned away.
�Something wrong, Mrs. F.?� Mort asked.
She turned to Seth, a haunted look in her eyes.
�Seth, you don�t think there�s any connection between��
He stood and wrapped his arms around her.
�No, there couldn�t possibly be. It�s all right Jess.�
�What is going on here? Why is it you never tell me anything?� Mort asked. �I�m beginning to think I should just turn over my sheriff�s badge to the two of you!�
Jessica looked up at Seth, and a silent understanding passed between them. Seth launched into an explanation.
�Lately Jess has been having this recurring nightmare about a knife and hand, detached from the rest of the body, coming after her.�
�So you thought that maybe there was some connection between the two deaths and your dream?� Mort asked Jessica.
Jessica stepped back out of Seth�s arms and began to pace the room.
�I just thought that it was a little strange, that each time we found a body, it was not long after I had had the nightmare.�
Seth, who had been thinking for a moment, spoke up.
�Whoever killed Morgan had to have been in the coffee shop with us, Jess. How else would they know that she planned to give you information concerning Chris and the charms?�
�Unless the murderer was someone close to her whom she didn�t suspect of the killing and she just told them she was going to talk to me.� Jessica replied.
�Well that really doesn�t narrow things down any.� Mort said.
�We have to find out what these charms represent. Morgan said �that�s how we referred to each other�. How who referred to each other? And who are the other people?�
�Where do we start?� asked Mort.
"Well," Jessica started, pulling away from Seth and straightening herself. "I think," she continued, becoming more composed. "That we need to find other people Christopher Mills and Morgan Blackstock grew up with. Once that's accomplished we visit them and find out what all this animal charm reference is about."
"Ayuh," Seth nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. the Sheriff and I can handle that while you go home and rest." His stance changed, seeming to indicate the end of a discussion.
"No, Seth," Jessica replied defiantly. "I'm going with you." Jessica's own defiant stance seemed to over-power Seth's as he fidgeted, thinking about what to say next.
"You sure, Mrs. F?" Mort asked. "Doc and I can go if you want to catch up on your sleep."
"I'm fine!" Jessica responded, somewhat annoyed. "Let's go talk to Daisy Mills and find out what all this means!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yes?" Daisy Mills said, opening the door in a bathrobe with an ice pack to her head.
"Mrs. Mills," Mort said. "I know that now isn't the best time, but we need to ask you some questions."
"Well, I'm not exactly dressed," Daisy replied, wincing against a sudden throbbing in her head.
"We'll wait," Jessica said. "It's important that we speak with you."
Daisy thought for a moment and stepped aside as she opened the door. She led them to the living room and excused herself to go get dressed. Jessica immediately began looking at the pictures placed miscellaneously around the room. She had taken time to study three of them before calling Mort and Seth over to the fourth--a picture of 5 teenagers at what appeared to be a picnic a decade or two before.
"I don't get it," Mort said, confusedly.
"Christopher Mills," Seth said, pointing at one of the teens in the picture.
"Morgan Blackstock," Jessica said, pointing to another.
"Wasn't his name Ray somethin' or other?" Seth said of another one.
"Lee," Jessica told him. "And there's Rachel Bolger. Remember her, Seth? She disappeared in the early 80's. Probably not long after this picture was taken."
"Ayuh," Seth said, remember more of the details. "If I recall, wasn't that young man in a car accident around the same time?" He pointed to the last man in the picture. "Anthony Powell, right?"
"That's it," Jessica replied. "I'd nearly forgotten his last name."
"So?" Mort piped in, thoroughly confused.
"So," Jessica said. "These are the people we need to talk to besides Mrs. Mills.
"How do you know?" Mort asked. "It could just be a group of people in high school."
"But, see, Mort," Jessica said, picking the picture up off of the desk it had been set on. "Morgan's wearing her bracelet. Chris has a necklace on with that pig charm on it. Ray Lee has a big bear pin on his collar. Rachel Bolger is wearing a vest with elephants on it..."
"And Anthony Powell has that shirt on with the monkey on it." Mort broke in.
Jessica nodded. I think that's how they "referred to each other."
"Completely correct, Mrs. Fletcher," Daisy Mills said coming down the last couple of steps, now dressed. "What can I do for you?"
"Where did Chris grow up?" Mort asked.
"Near Portland until after high school when his friends asked him to move to this dump," she replied, plopping into a chair. "Please, have a seat."
"Well, I don't mind..." Mort started.
"Thanks, but we can't stay long," Jessica interrupted.
"Oh, gee, that's too bad," Daisy replied somewhat sarcastically.
Seth, who had been amazingly quiet, pulled Jessica aside.
"Not exactly the grieving widah type, is she?"
"Seth, we can't expect her to burst into tears right in front of us, you know. She's at least trying to be a gracious hostess."
"Where were you last night, Mrs. Mills?" they heard Mort ask and abruptly ended their conversation.
"Well...well, you can't possibly think that I..." Daisy paused, sniffling. "That I killed him, could you?" She finished with overflowing, misty eyes.
Jessica sat next to her on the couch, and put an arm around her.
"Of course not," Jessica told her. "But the Sheriff has a job to do, and that means he has to ask you that."
"I was," Daisy replied, beginning to cry more. "At the bar. I have no idea how I got home."
"Were you there alone?" Mort asked her.
"No, I couldn't have been. Someone had to take me home, didn�t they? Carla and Libby must've been there too."
"Carla and Libby?" Mort questioned.
"Carla Holt and Liberty Ponsette. We always go out together." Daisy replied.
"You were regulars at that particular bar?"
"Yes, they have the best music in town. We just go to dance really, and then end up drinking."
"So you have no idea what happened at the bar that night?"
"Not a clue. Ask Carla or Libby. They handle alcohol better than I do."
"Why didn't your husband go out with you?" Jessica asked.
"Oh Chris never went out with us. He didn't like to dance, and he didn't like to intrude on our girl time." "And you found him when you got home?" Jessica continued.
"Yes," Daisy replied, sniffling again, "I found him in the hallway on my way upstairs. At first, I thought maybe he was just asleep, but then I saw the blood on his shirt and on the floor around him." Daisy began to sob uncontrollably.
"We'll come back another day when you're feeling better, Mrs. Mills." Mort said softly, and he motioned for Seth and Jessica to follow him out.
Outside, Mort asked, "I'm going to go talk to her friends. You're more than welcome to come along."
They all piled into the car, and headed out to Carla Holt's house. They were lucky enough to find both her and Liberty Ponsette there.
"Oh, hello Sheriff!" Liberty exclaimed when they pulled into the driveway.
"You're timing is wonderful. You just caught us before we headed over to Daisy's." Carla added.
"I think she could really use good friends like you about now." Jessica told them.
"I only have one question for you ladies." Mort said, "Were you with Daisy at Lucky's Bar and Grill the night her husband was killed?"
"Yes," Liberty said smiling, "We brought her home. She had been in a fight with Chris and had more to drink than usual. She started dancing on the bar!" she collapsed into giggles and missed the glare that Carla threw her way. Jessica didn't.
"What kind of fight?" asked Jessica.
"Oh, not really a fight. Libby has a tendency to blow things out of proportion. I believe it was just a little tiff about whether or not they should get rid of some perfectly awful china his mother had given them." Carla answered quickly before Liberty had a chance to respond.
"Then it wasn't something to kill over." Mort said.
"Good heavens, no! Daisy and Chris were very happy, they never really fought! Now, if you'll excuse us Sheriff, we'd like to go check on Daisy."
"Yes, of course. Thank you for your help."
The two women got into Carla's car and drove off toward Daisy's house.
"I don't believe her." Jessica said.
"Neither do I," said Seth.
Safely out of sight of Mort, Jessica and Seth, Carla turned on Liberty.
"You fool!" she screamed at her, "Do you realize what you could have done? If the sheriff finds out that Daisy and Chris were going to divorce, he's going to think that she killed him! Do you want to see her go to jail!?"
"No, of course not. What kind of friend do you think I am?" Liberty asked meekly.
"One who doesn't use her head! From now on, let me do the talking!"
"Carla, did she� did Daisy�"
"Did she kill him?"
"Yes." Said Liberty softly.
"She couldn't have. He had already been dead for a few hours when we brought her home." Carla told her firmly. "How do you know?"
" Daisy told me Doctor Hazlitt said he had been killed around 10pm. We didn't drop her off at home until nearly 12:30. And she was with us the whole night."
"Then who did kill him? And poor Morgan Blackstock?"
"I don't know. Just leave it alone." Carla snapped at her.
"I'm sorry, I was just curious."
"Drop it, Liberty!"
Later that night, Seth and Jessica were sitting together on her sofa watching Casablanca. After the movie, they were sitting quietly each lost in their own thoughts when Seth said suddenly, "I'm sorry, Jess."
"What? Why? For what?"
"For being so impossible. And for being so angry because you didn't tell me about your nightmare. You were right, I can't protect you from everything, but forgive me for trying. I love you more than anything Jess, and I just want to keep you safe."
"Oh, Seth," she said, tears filling her eyes, "I accept your apology. And I'm sorry I was so rude to you. I shouldn't have been so short-tempered. I love you too."
"Forgiven." He replied, kissing her tenderly and pulling her close to him. It was at that moment that the person outside the window behind them fired a shot.
The bullet barely missed Jessica and lodged itself into the wall on the opposite side of the room. The person cursed silently and sprinted away. Seth and Jessica sat frozen for a moment, before Seth recovered and got up pulling Jessica with him into the kitchen to call Mort.
"What happened, Mrs. F?" Mort asked, walking quickly into the kitchen.
"She was almost KILLED, that's what happened!" Seth said frantically.
"Yes, Doc, I got that," Mort replied, annoyed.
Then he turned to Jessica, who hadn't said a word since the incident and was sitting in a chair, staring into space in thought. "You all right, Mrs. F?"
"What?" Jessica seemed to momentarily come out of her trance. "Oh, yes. Yes, I'm fine." she stood up slowly. "Can we talk about this in the morning?" she asked, shakily. "I'd like to just sleep, now."
"Of course," Mort replied softly. "You gonna be okay?"
"Oh, yes, of course," Jessica replied, slightly dazed.
"I'll come back in the morning, then," Mort said, hesitant to leave.
"That would be perfect," Jessica told him, again out of her trance and yawning.
"Comin', doc?" Mort asked as he turned to leave.
"I think I'll stay," Seth said, wide awake, staring at Jessica.
"Oh, Seth," Jessica said, turning to him. "Go home. I'll be fine."
"Jessica, someone almost shot you! I can't--"
"You can, and you will, Seth," Jessica said, walking toward him.
"Jessica..."
"I'll be fine, Seth. I'm going straight to bed." she smiled innocently at him, hoping he'd believe her and decide to go home.
"But Jessica, they know they missed. What are you planning to do when they come back?"
"You may stay until I fall asleep, Seth, and then I expect you to leave. the only reason I'm saying THAT is because I'm too tired to argue with you." She turned to Mort and finished with, "Thank you, Mort. We'll see you later."
"G'night, Mrs. F. Good luck with Doc Hazlitt. If he gives you any trouble, give me a call," Mort said with a chuckle as he walked out the door.
"You can't protect me from everything, Seth," Jessica said when she's settled into bed and he had taken a seat next to her.
"We've been over that, Jessica," Seth said, relaxing in the chair next to her bed.
"And we'll go over it again until you stop smothering me!" Jessica said sternly. "Seth, you can't be here all the time. Get it all out of your system right now, because you can't follow me around all the time and hold me prisoner in my own house. I'm a big girl, okay? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Having said this, and leaving Seth looking sad in the chair, she finished with, "I'm sorry, but I can't be suffocated in my own house." She turned over and pulled the covers up to her chin. She shut her eyes tightly and waited for Seth to leave. When she didn't hear him get up, she relaxed a bit and went to sleep, feeling safer, she knew, than if he hadn't been there.
Again she found herself in the small, dark room. She recognized it immediately and tried to will herself somewhere else. But this dream was different. Seth was there. She started to talk toward him when the light went out. She stopped, afraid to move. The light came back on and she saw Seth lying on the floor, a crimson pool beside him. Her knees gave out and she fell to the ground next to him.
Seth had been watching her tossing and turning, but when she winced, he'd decided it was better to wake her up. He walked over and gently shook her. She awakened immediately, crystal pools in her usually bright and cheerful, but now tired and burdened, blue eyes threatening to over-flow.
"Seth!" was all she could manage to say as she sat up and threw her arms around his neck. He sat down next to her and held her close, allowing her to cry.
When she stopped crying he asked her, "What happened, Jess?"
"It was you�" she trailed off and buried her face in his chest again.
"What do you mean, it was me? I had the knife? But you know I would never�"
"No!" she said, interrupting. "You were�dead. Whoever it was, they were after you."
Seth shivered, and held her tighter, no longer sure of whether he was protecting her or finding comfort for himself.
Several moments passed in silence then Jessica said, "Seth, I've changed my mind. You can stay."
"I had no intention of leaving."
Something suddenly dawned on Jessica. "You never did."
She said pulling back to look up at him, an amused twinkle in her tired eyes.
"Well�no," he replied, smiling at her.
"This time I'm glad you didn't listen to me." She paused a moment, "I don't think I can go to sleep now."
"I wouldn't expect you to be able to." He replied kicking off his shoes and moving to sit beside her on the bed. "Let's just sit and talk. We haven't done much of that lately." He added, sliding his arm around her. She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Why do you think Carla Holt lied?" he asked.
When she didn't answer him, he glanced down and smiled. She was fast asleep. Seth reached over and turned off the light, tightened his embrace, and was soon asleep as well.
Seth awoke around 8 that morning, alone in Jessica's room. Feelings of panic swept over him and he jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, hoping she'd still be there.
"Seth!" Jessica exclaimed as he entered the kitchen. "When did you--"
"Why didn't you wake me up, woman?"
"Well, you were up late last night, too, and I just figured you needed your sleep."
Seth walked over to the sink and closed the blinds over the window above it. "Be careful, woman. Do you want to get shot at again? Next time they might not miss!"
"I don't think they intended to hit me the first time."
"What?"
"Sit down, Seth. Have some breakfast," she told him, setting a plate on the table for him. He numbly sat down. "I was thinking about the whole thing this morning, an--"
"The whole thing? How long have you been up?"
"An hour or so."
"Couldn't have gotten much sleep," he yawned.
"Oh, Seth. You're still tired. Why don't you go home and sleep?"
"Jessica-"
"Seth, I was thinking about last night, too." She wiped her hands on a dish towel and sat across from Seth. "It's not fair of me to want you to always be here for me. You have patients, and besides, you need sleep, too."
Seth opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him.
"I appreciate you staying last night. More than I can tell you. But I would just feel awful if I kept you from your patients."
"Nonsense, Jess. One phone call and I can be here as long as you need me." He stood and walked over to the stove to retrieve the cooking bacon and eggs, and took the toast from the toaster before setting the plate in front of Jessica. "Eat your breakfast. I'll be right back." He left Jessica to stare in disbelief at her breakfast.
She picked up her fork and gently pushed the bacon around on her plate, trying to hear Seth, but he had gone upstairs and there was no hope of hearing anything more than murmurs.
Several moments passed before Seth came back downstairs and, kissing the top of Jessica's head, remarked, "You haven't touched your breakfast, Jess. You feelin' all right? Well, considering the circumstances."
"Seth! I can't believe you! Your patients have always come first."
"And right now, I consider you my patient. The one who needs me most. Not to mention my dearest friend and the woman I love.� He kissed her gently and sat down to his own plate to eat. �You are the most important to me, Jessica," he said, meeting her eyes. "Patient or otherwise."
�Thank you,� she whispered, realizing that he wasn�t about to back down.
�Now, why do you think whoever shot at you meant to miss?� he questioned.
�Not whoever. I think it was Carla Holt. I think she was trying to scare me away from this. She doesn�t have the heart to ever actually kill, but she could certainly fire that gun to protect someone.�
�That someone being Daisy Mills.�
�Precisely. They weren�t telling us the whole truth. At least Carla wasn�t. Somehow, we need to talk to Liberty Ponsette alone.�
�s long as you don� go anywhere without me.�Seth said, in a tone that indicated she was not to argue.
Jessica was about to tell him she didn�t want to be smothered, but something in his eyes, and her heart, made her refrain.
�What if,� she said suddenly, �That shot wasn�t meant for me?�
�You mean someone is after me?�
�Yes. And what about my dream last night? You were so worried about me, you never thought to take care of yourself, did you?� she asked him.
�No,� he admitted after a moment. �It never crossed my mind that bullet was meant for anyone but you."
"So let's say they were coming after you. For what reason?" Jessica asked, studying her best friend. She now understood why he was so protective and worried about her.
"I don't know. I can't think of anything I've done to anger anyone." He replied.
"Neither can I."
"Which means that you could be in danger." He said.
"I could, but I still don't think that I am."
"I wish Mort had some idea who shot at you. It doesn't do my heart any good to know that someone so dangerous could get so close."
As if on cue, Mort entered the back door without knocking as usual. Seth looked at Jessica, his eyebrows raised.
"And you still don't lock your doors," he said dryly.
Jessica ignored him. "What have you found out, Mort?"
"Nothing really. No footprints, no fingerprints, no witnesses. The only thing we have is the bullet. Standard shotgun shell, every hunter in the world uses them. It's not likely we'll ever find this person."
Jessica, suddenly rendered speechless, nodded.
"Well I gotta get back to work. I'll let you know if I find out anything else." Mort said then left the same way he had arrived.
"Every hunter in the world." Seth quoted, turning to Jessica. "Whoever it was, it was not Carla Holt, and they were not just trying to scare you."
"I know." She whispered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
�And what makes you think she�ll tell YOU?� Jessica asked Mort while she was visiting him in his office. Seth sat in the chair in front of Mort�s desk.
�I�m the Sheriff,� Mort replied, somewhat hurt.
�I�m sorry, Mort, it�s just that, if she lied to you before, what makes you think she�ll tell you the truth now?�
�I�dunno,� Mort stammered.
�Let me go talk to her. Maybe she�ll open up more to me and tell me the truth.�
�Girl talk?� Mort replied.
�Well, I guess you could call it that.�
�Not too much girl talk,� Seth spoke up. �I�ll be there, too.�
Jessica glanced at Seth, momentarily forgetting about his new, to her at least, determination to see her �safe�. Catching herself from commenting, she turned back to Mort. �Right. Seth wants to go, too.�
�Well, you know I�ve always been open to her help, Mrs. F�� Mort started tentatively.
�Why do I feel a �but� coming?� Jessica said unexpectedly.
�HOWEVER,� Mort continued. �With the current situation�well�are you sure? Someone out there is after you.�
�They could just have easily been �after� Seth,� Jessica replied calmly. �We don�t know, yet. I�m hoping that by going over to speak with Liberty Ponsette alone, I can find out more about it.� She stopped to glance at Seth. �Sorry, Seth, but I think it�s something I have to do. She won�t talk to me as freely if you�re there, too.� He started to say something when she finished with, �If you ever do anything for me, do this, Seth. It�s something I need to do.�
Seth looked deep into her bright, blue eyes, contemplating the dangers and trying, without much success, to read her thoughts. He knew she wanted to do this herself, but he was torn between her desire to go it alone and his desire to protect her. He sat in silence for a few moments, being studied by both a wide-eyed, attentive Jessica, and the slightly sleepy, but tough-looking, Mort.
�Okay,� he said almost inaudibly.
Jessica�s eyes light up and she bent down to give Seth a hug and quick kiss on the cheek.
�I knew you�d come around, Seth,�she said before whispering, �You be careful, too. You�re still in danger, you know,� and starting out the door. �I�ll be back as soon as I can!�
After she�d left and Seth was still sitting in the chair, Mort spoke up.
�Why�d you give in, Doc?�
�I can�t smother her, Mort.�
�Since when has that stopped you?�
�Since now, I believe. As if I asked you.�
�Women,� Mort said in disgust.
�Stubbornest people I ever met,� Seth replied.
�You have to hand it to her, though, Mrs. F�s got spunk.�
�That�s going to get her into trouble,� Seth said, disgustedly. �I better follow her.�
�Don�t let her see you,� Mort said, walking around the counter nearby for a cup of coffee.
�Give me a little credit for having been around Jessica this long, Sheriff,� Seth said, walking out the door.
Seth left the Sheriff�s Station just in time to see Jessica turn the corner. He hurried after her, but was careful to keep his distance so as not to be seen. After walking out of the town, Jessica turned down a winding, wooded road. Seth knew that Liberty Ponsette lived in a small house about a mile down the road. When he turned onto the old dirt road, Jessica was nowhere to be found. Seth knew there was a shortcut somewhere on an old hunting trail, but he hadn�t a clue where it was. He had taken a half a dozen steps in the direction he thought Jessica had gone, when a loud shot rang out. Seth froze where he was, waiting for another shot. He cast his eyes heavenward and said a silent good-bye to Jessica. But a second shot was not fired. There was no doubt in his mind now, the first shot the night before had been meant for him. Instead of continuing on to Liberty�s house, Seth turned around and went back to the station.
Mort looked up in surprise when he entered.
�Back so soon?� he asked.
�Mort, that shot last night was for me. Someone just tried again.�
�What? Where? When?� Mort exclaimed.
�Just now. I was on that old road that goes out to Liberty Ponsette�s. Jessica must�ve taken the shortcut because I didn�t see her anywhere. I was just walking down the road when somebody tried to kill me!�
�All right, all right, calm down. Obviously they missed.�
�That�s what doesn�t make sense. They had the opportunity to�kill me, but they didn�t.�
�Yeah, that�s a little strange. And you don�t know where Mrs. F. was?� Mort asked.
�No I� Oh, God, what if whoever shot at me has her!� Seth cried, �Mort we have to go find her!� �Why don�t we call Miss Ponsette and see if she made it there.�
Seth considered for a moment. If they showed up at Libby�s, that would require an explanation, which he didn�t want to give. �You�re right. Let�s just call.� He said at last. �And Mort, I don�t want Jessica to know about this.�
Mort nodded, dialed the number, and handed the phone to Seth.
Jessica sat in Liberty Ponsette�s living room, totally unaware of the events of the afternoon. Liberty was chattering away about going dancing with Carla and Daisy the night before when the phone rang. Liberty went to answer it and came back almost instantly. �Mrs. Fletcher, it�s for you.�
Jessica followed her into another room to take the phone call. Liberty retreated to give her some privacy.
�Hello, Seth,� Jessica said when she picked up the phone.
�How did you know�?� he began.
�Because I know you. And I�m fine, Seth,� she interrupted.
�Are you sure?�
�Yes, dear,� she said, willing herself not to become irritated. �I�ll meet you at my house in half an hour.�
�Okay.� He paused, and thinking of how close he had come to being killed added, �I love you.�
Jessica smiled. �I love you, too.�
She hung up the phone and returned to the living room.
�Everything okay, Mrs. Fletcher?� Liberty asked.
�Yes, thank you.� She replied, taking a seat opposite Liberty. �Liberty, do you remember what happened the night that Christopher Mills was killed?�
�Yes, why?�
�You were with Daisy, correct?�
�Yes, we had to take her home. She�d had too much to drink.�
�Was that normal? Does Daisy usually drink a lot?�
�No, she had been in a fight�� Liberty caught herself just in time. �With someone at work, and she was feeling pretty miserable.�
�Are you sure it was someone she worked with? It wasn�t Christopher?�
Liberty was silent a moment. Jessica sensed her hesitation, and told her, �It�s okay, Liberty. You can talk to me. I won�t tell Carla you did.�
Liberty relaxed and poured out the story, �She was fighting with Chris. They were going to get a divorce. Chris was getting really mad at her for going out every night. He and Morgan Blackstock were always really close, and Daisy didn�t like that. He would go and talk with Morgan whenever Daisy went out with us. Carla was afraid if we told you and the sheriff the truth, he would think that Daisy killed Chris. And then Morgan. But she didn�t, Mrs. Fletcher! I know she didn�t! She�s not like that!� The girl was becoming hysterical.
�It�s all right, Liberty. I believe you. I don�t think that Daisy killed her husband and Morgan, and neither does the sheriff.� Jessica said soothingly, and Liberty calmed down. Jessica stood, ready to leave.
�You won�t tell Carla, will you?� she asked Jessica at the door.
�No, I won�t.� Jessica replied.
�Thank you.� She said softly, as Jessica started off back to her house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica stopped on the path on the way to her door to admire her garden a bit. She had seen Seth�s car parked out front on her way in and felt a certain sense of security knowing he was there. But she also felt compelled to quite literally stop and smell her roses. She walked into her garden to admire her handiwork a bit more closely.
Seth had seen her from the kitchen window, as he�d been in the kitchen tidying up a bit. He gave her a few moments alone before going outside to the garden to greet her.
�Now, what are you doing out here all alone?� he asked her, sitting next to her on a little bench.
Jessica looked up, just catching Seth�s eyes with her own burdened, blue ones.
�What�s wrong, Jess?� he asked.
�Oh, nothing, Seth. I�m just thinking.�
��Bout what?�
Jessica looked at him in surprise, her eyes growing wider. �About this case. I just wish we could solve it before someone else gets hurt, Seth.� Her chin dropped a bit, dropping her glance to the grass. �Last night was�just way too close. Seth, I have the strangest feeling that something else is going to happen.�
Seth wrapped his arms around her. �Nothing�s going to happen, Jess. Last night was close, yes, but they haven�t tried again, have they? Doesn�t that make you feel at least a little safer?�
�Much,� she replied, laying her head on his shoulder. Several silent moments passed, each of them thinking of different things. Seth, Jessica�s safety and Jessica trying to tie the murders together and assign motives for a faceless, nameless murderer. She yawned and looked up at Seth.
�This garden needs weeding,� she told him, smiling.
�You need a nap,� he told her. �Go on. Get some sleep. Things should be quiet for a while. How many murders can we have in 48 hours?�
End Part 1
