A Life of Death: Episodes 9 - 12 (6 page)

Eleven

Surprises

September 16, 2011

“So, do we really have to come back tomorrow?” Jessie asked once we were on the road and headed for his place, my headlights blazing an asphalt trail ahead of us.

“Yeah, I was just burnt out, and they need help—the kind of help only we can give.”

“You mean, only
you
can give,” Jessie corrected.

I nodded. “Yes, but, Jessie, you’ve been a big help.”

“To do what? Get coffee?”

“I wouldn’t have even thought of George Washington University if you hadn’t picked up those flyers,” I explained.

“True, but that wasn’t help, just luck.”

“Well, sometimes everyone needs a little luck. That’s thinking outside of the box—my box. It was good work. Believe it or not, you helped a lost soul who’d been searching for relief for ages. We just didn’t realize it.”

Jessie shook his head at the unusual occurrence. “Yeah, I guess so. Who would’ve thought? And it was all because of Liz.”

“Is that her name?”

“Yep,” Jessie said with a smile. “She’s great. She’s from a small town in Colorado. It seems to be a lot like Tranquil Heights from how she describes it.”

“That’s wonderful! Both of you are island castaways,” I said with a chuckle.

Jessie joined in. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

“So when do I get to meet this elusive Liz?”

Jessie shrugged. “Maybe tonight. It’s Friday, so she’s probably done with her route.”

“Route?”

“Yeah, she’s a door-to-door salesman for her own little electronics-distribution company. They deal in computer-networking products and such,” Jessie explained.

“Wow, that’s tough work,” I said. “She’s probably pretty good with rejection. She’d have to be.”

“She’s cool. She can take it. Let me give her a call.” He pulled out his phone and punched in her number. His face brightened when she picked up and he said, “Hey, babe. How’d your day go?”

It was nice getting to see Jessie, but my thoughts turned to Paige and my fifteen-year-old son Jamie waiting at home. I missed them: Jamie’s lighthearted laugh and Paige’s constant support. Just hearing their voices at night over the phone wasn’t enough.

Jessie pocketed his phone a couple minutes later as we exited the beltway. “We’re on for nine. She’s gonna swing by.”

I glanced at the digital clock above the car’s radio. “That gives us just over an hour.”

Jessie flipped down the visor, licked his palms, and smoothed his wavy hair with his hands. “Yep, enough time to get cleaned up and lookin’ spiffy,” he said, charming his reflection.

I shook my head and smiled.
Same old Jessie.
“So, I’ve gotta ask. Whatever happened with Dr. Kamal? Y’all were gone for quite some time.”

Jessie’s smile faded and he flipped the visor back up. “Nothin’ big.”

I glanced over. His demeanor had changed, thoughts of Liz and the upcoming get-together seeming to vanish the instant I mentioned Dr. Kamal. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t worry about it. It was no big deal.”

Thoughts of his earlier rejection of the obvious connections and significance to the tattoos came to mind… and my suspicions.
Could there be more to this than I thought? Did they know each other before? Maybe this was a setup from the beginning, meant to pull me away from my current investigation. Maybe things weren’t the same… maybe this isn’t the same old Jessie.
“Look, you gotta tell me.”

“Why?” he demanded. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. He just wanted to talk about me.”

You? What would Dr. Kamal want with you?
I wondered, but kept the questions to myself. Shaking my head, I said, “Jess, it doesn’t add up. You two just met. Why would he want to talk to you?”

Jessie turned to glare at me. “What, you don’t think anyone would take an interest in me?” he spat. “You’re so special that you get the wife, the kid, and everyone wants to be your friend, but not me. Is that it?”

“I didn’t say that. You’re putting words in my mouth.”

“I don’t see why it’s any of your business, but if you’ve gotta know, he wanted to talk to me about how I act… what I did.” His voice trailed off at the end. Then, in a calmer tone he continued. “I thought it was pretty funny at first, blowing it off and such, but he led me around campus and we talked.”

“About what?” I asked.
Nothing here makes sense.

Jessie’s glare intensified. “About me. He asked so many questions about my personal life that I thought he might be hittin’ on me. I told him I didn’t swing that way, but whatever he wanted to do on his own time was his right.”

I looked a Jessie in shock, then quickly glanced back at the road as the car began to veer toward the parked cars in front of the condos around us. Straightening the car, I asked, “And what did he say?”

Jessie smiled as he remembered the events, his annoyance at my questions dissipating. “He laughed. He’s not into that kind of thing either. Did you know the guy’s got three wives?”

I slowed down as we approached a red light and digested the new information. “No, I didn’t.”

“Yeah, talk about a playa,” he added.

I couldn’t help the chuckle that rose in my chest at Jessie’s choice of terms. “I think we’re going to have plenty of sayings for our kids to make fun of, too,” I muttered, thinking back to our previous conversation.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“So why did he want to know about you?”

“Believe it or not, he wanted to help. He took pity on me. It was like a counseling session from the good doctor of Egypt, making house calls to the States.”

Again I turned to stare, but returned my gaze to the road a moment later and laughed.
Good God! How could I have thought such a thing about Jess? He’s just embarrassed.

“Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either, but he explained it pretty well. He said he was happy and he saw how I wasn’t. He said I had some internalized anger toward you, and… well, I can’t say he’s wrong. He may have a side job as a psychiatrist or somethin’. Give him five minutes with a person, and he can read them like a book.”

I nodded, having gotten the impression at times that Jessie had some underlying anger issues, much like a few minutes before, but I again kept my thoughts to myself.

He must have read my solemn expression because he added, “Sorry, Alex. I don’t mean to be mad at you. It’s just that everything seems to go your way.”

My jaw dropped. “Go my way?” I asked in disbelief. “You do realize who you’re talking to, right? I’m Alex Drummond, the guy who got picked on and bullied throughout school, has to relive murders on a semi-daily basis, and can’t tell anyone at work besides my partner Hector what I do or else I’ll get kicked off the force.”

“Yeah, but you help people. You do something no one else can. You’re special. Plus, you’ve got a wife that loves you and a son that wants to be just like you.”

My thoughts turned to Jamie and something he’d mentioned last year. As I pulled into the parking spot in front of Jessie’s apartment building, I put it in park and left the car running. “You’re right, Jess. I’ve got it pretty good. It’s a hard life, but rewarding.”

“Yep, something I don’t have, at least not yet. That’s gonna change, though.”

My thoughts were still on Jamie. As Jessie opened the door, I said, “Wait a minute.”

He shut it and looked at me. “What?”

“Something happened last year that I never told Paige about, something important.”

“What was it?”

“Well, you mentioned Jamie wanting to be like me. That’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. He’s more like me than anyone knows. I’m not sure if he realized what he said or not, but last year he mentioned that he spoke with my father.”

Jessie tapped a finger on the armrest. “How’s that even possible? Your dad died years ago, didn’t he?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Jessie’s eyes grew to the size of lightbulbs. “No—no, really?”

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t tell Paige?”

“I couldn’t. I’m still not sure about it. Maybe I misheard him. He’s never brought it up since. I know Paige could deal with it. We’ve even wondered whether it was possible and talked about it before we decided to have kids. I just don’t want to worry her about something more. She’s already got her plate full at the hospital. Those people can be pretty hard on RNs.”

“So, is he like you?”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “I’m not sure. From what he said, I just don’t know.”

“What’d he say?” Jessie asked, his words coming quick and excited.

“His exact words were, ‘Grandpa said to tell you that you’ve made him proud’.”

“Oh,” Jessie replied, the tone of his single word rising and falling as if he’d had an epiphany. “Yeah, maybe you’re right then.” Opening the car door, he flipped up the shirt collar of his polo shirt like a mobster and mimicked the stereotypical voice, saying, “Now look here, see. We’ve got a lot to do and little time to do it in. Now march on up there before I have to bring down the hammer of this here gun.”

I shook my head at the bad impression as he dropped his thumb down on his finger-gun.

He dropped the impression and shouted as we took the stairs two at a time, “And don’t forget to put on cologne. You stink, and you’ve gotta make a good impression if you’re gonna be my best man.”

My jaw dropped, and I stopped in front of his door on the third floor. “What? Is it that serious?”

“Like I said, things are gonna change. That’s somethin’ else we talked about. Liz is one in a million. Why wait?”

I clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a broad grin. “I’d be happy to. Damn, that’s great. I hope she says yes.”

“Oh, she will. Who can resist the Jess-meister when he puts on his charm?” he said with a laugh and opened the door.

While changing, shaving, and taking care of the other necessities to look my best for Jessie’s soon-to-be fiancée, my thoughts turned to Paige. I could still see the glitter in her eyes reflecting the small diamond ring. I presented it to her in an unusual way.

* * *

June 8, 1996

Graduation was more of a relief than anything. It meant I didn’t have to worry about classes, Stone Face Easely, or the looks of condemnation and fear I still got from the rumor mill of Madessa High School. I tried explaining what I could do to get them off my back, but that didn’t work. Eventually I was ostracized again. It wasn’t much different from the beginning of the school year. That day marked the beginning of my freedom. Throwing that covered, cardboard hat into the air was like lifting a weight from my shoulders, but only one of many. My larger concern for that day was still to come, but for the time being I was frigid. Whoever’s idea it was to make us wear “professional attire” should’ve been strung up by the field-goal poles naked to see how they liked it. The cool night air slipped right through the maroon gown and my shirt and slacks. I was shivering before we’d even crossed the field and taken our seats.

Paige found me with her hat in hand and a wide grin, brimming with excitement. Her amber eyes, auburn hair, and even her pale skin glowed like a firefly. I couldn’t help but be attracted. She shone like a beacon amongst the maroon and white robes littering the football field. The women wore white, and hers gave me the impression that I was standing before a beaming angel. She flung herself into my arms before I could get a word out, and I squeezed her close, whispering into her ear, “You’re beautiful.”

She gave me another squeeze in reply and pulled away. “Isn’t this great?”

I nodded. “It’s a huge relief. Can’t believe I made it through.”

“We did,” she said, giving my hand a squeeze this time. I felt like I could drown in her eyes. They were like sweet honey.

“How’d I get so lucky?” I asked.

“With lots of hard work,” she replied and giggled. “You ready for the party tonight?”

“Yep, should be fun. Can you pick me up?”

“Yeah, Mom and Dad surprised me with a car this morning.”

“Congratulations!” I said as we made our way to the bleachers where my mother and Abigail were waiting with Paige’s family.

“A Subaru: with airbags and four-wheel drive,” Mr. Kurtley added with a wink. “Got to make sure our baby stays safe.”

“Dad,” she whined.

Her mother backhanded Mr. Kurtley’s tall shoulder. “Quit embarrassing her. It’s her graduation: her day to celebrate.”

* * *

At home, I tore off the robe and black slacks I’d been forced to wear. Slipping into a pair of warm jeans, t-shirt, and a loose flannel, I felt more like myself once more. I slipped Dad’s dog tags over my neck and under the heavy-metal t-shirt just as the doorbell rang.

The blue-eyed, orange and white kitten I’d acquired earlier that day peered over the edge of my top bunk, staring down at me as though I might have a treat. “Meow?” A second later my graduation hat evidently became too much of a distraction, and she pounced on the tassel after stalking it, her tail weaving back and forth through the air.