Chapter Five...
The officer looks up from his coffee and notices a woman approaching the cruiser.
"Must be the sister, she looks very much like that picture of the man they found dead." he says to his partner.
He rolls down his window.
"It's cold," he says to her, "Shouldn't you be inside?"
Jess smiles a friendly yet awkward smile at him, "Yeah, probably but for now my coat & this tea will have to do. I felt I should at least come out & let you know that we're ok in there... no worries."
"We're?" he says, "Meaning you & a miss Alice Tondreault?"
"Yes, me and Alice. I'm Jess, Jess Hathaway."
He looks up at her & half smiles, "I know who you are." he says.
Jess shot him a puzzled look, "Ah, ok, well we're fine by the way, but she's exhausted, got mugged last night & had her nose broken. She's sleeping right now & I'd kinda like to keep it that way if you don't mind. So, if it's all the same with you, if you've got something to ask, I'd rather you do so out here, ok?" Jess answers him.
"Of course miss Hathaway, whatever is easiest for you." the officer replied. "We really only have a couple of questions for you to be honest, our head detective tried you on your cell when we first caught wind of all this, but he wasn't able to reach you."
"Yeah, I had my cell off, " she said, "trying to save some battery..." she lied.
"Well, Miss Hathaway we just wanted to ask you when the last time you saw your brother was & how he was feeling? Was he in good spirits? Depressed? Did he ever use any recreational drugs, that type of thing."
"Drugs? No way, Jeff never touched drugs, not even cigarettes. He did drink though, sometimes a little heavier than I would've liked, but then again, I'm only his sister, not his keeper, you know?" Jess explained.
"Yes, we understand Miss Hathaway, but now let's get back to the last time you saw your brother, Jeff was it?"
"Yes," she suddenly felt a sting in her eyes & a welt starting to grow in the back of her throat, "his name was Jeff. Jeff Aaron Hathaway Jr. He was 28."
"Ok, so when exactly was the last time you and your brother spent time together?"
"Last week, we had gotten together to play some cards, UNO actually. Never was much for gambling so we settled on a friendly game of UNO. He's a sore loser, always has been." she smiled at the thought of their last game, how he tried to cheat & still ended up losing. It was endearing in a way.
"Ok, so you played a game of UNO with him. Did he, seem at all like he was not himself or that he had some things on his mind, was he paying attention to the game or did he seem to be wandering in & out maybe?" the officer prodded.
"Officer, with all due respect, I just told you that my brother never touched drugs, never smoked, drank occasionally, albeit a little too heavily for my tastes, and we only got together to play a friendly game of brother/sister UNO. I find it completely unnecessary for you to be assuming things about his current state of being at the time. We were playing UNO, not sharp shooting at cans out in a field, ok?"
"Ok, Miss Hathaway, my bad, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to understand how a perfectly healthy 28 year old man ends up dead on the floor of his kitchen covered in water with a substantial gash to the rear of his skull & bled to death without anyone seeing what happened, hearing what happened, or KNOWING what happened? Understand where I'm going with this?"
"I understand it completely officer, and I am pretty sure our conversation here is done. Enjoy your coffee & I'll ask you to please leave the premise once you're finished." Jess said in a snarky tone that let the officer know he had overstepped his boundary just a little too soon with her.
"Ma'am, with all due respect to you, it's a public street. We're free to sit here all day if we like, if it's all the same to you. You have a lovely day & enjoy that tea, k?" the officer replied through a smirk.
Jess frowned an agitated look at him & turned abruptly & walked back to Alice's apartment.
She had left the door unlocked so she easily let herself back in, closing and locking the door behind her.
She heard the whistle to the tea kettle start to howl, Alice was awake.
"Al? You up?" Jess called to her from the living room.
Alice turned the corner from the kitchen & sees her friend returning. "Where the hell did you go Jess? Please tell me you didn't go talk to the cops or those news reporters?!"
"Alice, calm down, I merely went across the street to tell those cops that they were wasting their time hanging around here. I told them that we were both fine, and we just wanted some peace & quiet in the wake of such a personal tragedy." she said.
"OH MY GOD JESS, what in the HELL were you thinking? I wanted them to think NOBODY was HOME!" Alice was yelling.
"Alice, don't be ridiculous, we can't hold up in here forever, come on! Eventually one or both of us would have to get up & walk out that front door. Let's be realistic, we do both work, remember those things called JOBS? We both have one, at least we both did before we played hookie today. I didn't even call the office to let them know I wouldn't be coming in." Jess said.
"Jess, honest to God, it was all over the NEWS! You don't think those ding dongs down at your office can put two & two together?" Alice was snapping at her now.
"First of all, STOP snapping at me, I am your friend remember? Second of all, they're NOT ding dongs, they're fine decent human beings who I happen to enjoy working with. Just because you were never conventional in your choice of job doesn't mean that I should be made to feel bad because I am, ok?" Jess was starting to lose her patience, and why was Alice so jumpy anyways? Jess knew she couldn't understand what it must've felt like to be jumped as she'd never lived through such an experience, but honestly, it wasn't HER who had jumped Alice, so why all the hostility?
Alice could tell that she had hurt her friends feelings, she really needed to get her emotions in check and fast. "I'm sorry Jess, I am just still not myself. I just can't believe he's gone. So, tell me... what did the cops even say to you?" she was nervous for what the answer might be.
"Nothing, really. Just wanted to know when the last time I saw my brother was & what type of mood he was in. Was he depressed or agitated, happy or sad, that type of stuff." she replied.
"So that's it? They didn't ask you if you saw him Saturday night?" Alice was biting her bottom lip, another nervous habit.
"No Alice, I just told you that they asked when I last saw him, they didn't ask specifically if I had seen him Saturday night, my telling them that I had seen him last during the week kind of answers that for them, don't you think?"
"Oh, yeah... sorry. So that's it? They didn't say anything more?" Alice asked.
"No, I just told them that we'd like to be left alone to work through our pain & that they should probably take their donut party elsewhere, to which they responded with them being within their rights to sit out there & enjoy their coffee & donuts because it was a public street... and then he shot me a cocky grin & rolled up his window. Then I just came back in here to be yelled at by you." Jess said.
Trying to change the tone of the room, Alice asked,
"So, have you heard anything from the funeral home? Which one is it that you used for your parents? Dooley & Howe? Or was it Campbell's, it's been so long forgive me I forget." Alice was embarrassed that she didn't recall this bit of their history.
"It's ok, it was a long time ago, and it was Campbell's, they're very nice people, family owned for over 100 years now." Jess said.
"Imagine that," Alice thought, "over 100 years of a family owned funeral business. Can't even imagine how hard that must be when they have to bury one of their own." She shuddered at the thought. "So, how do we go about arranging everything?" Alice felt bad now for snapping at her. It wasn't just a boyfriend who was gone, it was more importantly a brother, Jess's brother, and Alice felt all the worse for that fact alone.
"I'll give them a call after lunch, nobody will be there right now..." Jess replied with her eyes closed.
"Nobody will be there? What, you mean funeral homes take lunch breaks too?" Alice said.
"I don't know Alice," Jess's eyes were still closed shut & she was shaking her head back & forth slightly, "I just don't want to think about it right now ok? I'd rather call a little bit later & we'll figure it all out then. Right now, I just want to get something to eat, I'm starving... aren't you? I mean we haven't had much to eat in the last 24 hours and I don't know about you but I KNOW that one bite out of a stale Nilla wafer does NOT count as breakfast."
Alice smiled, a warm genuine smile, "You're right my friend, let's get some lunch, ok?"
"I'd like that very much," Jess smiled back at her friend & reached out for a hug.
The two held each other a little longer than normal for this hug. Both of them terrified of the days to come, the process that was inevitably inescapable and the uncertainty of their lives without Jeff.
"Let's get going," Alice said to Jess, and took her by the hand, "I know just the place..."
They got their coats and hats, put on their boots & Alice grabbed her house keys & out the door they went... the only thing on their minds, for the time being at least, was a nice hot meal.
The rest will come, that much they knew, but there's no rule that says you have to be sad AND hungry. Wasn't one of those emotions enough to bear at a time?
"Must be the sister, she looks very much like that picture of the man they found dead." he says to his partner.
He rolls down his window.
"It's cold," he says to her, "Shouldn't you be inside?"
Jess smiles a friendly yet awkward smile at him, "Yeah, probably but for now my coat & this tea will have to do. I felt I should at least come out & let you know that we're ok in there... no worries."
"We're?" he says, "Meaning you & a miss Alice Tondreault?"
"Yes, me and Alice. I'm Jess, Jess Hathaway."
He looks up at her & half smiles, "I know who you are." he says.
Jess shot him a puzzled look, "Ah, ok, well we're fine by the way, but she's exhausted, got mugged last night & had her nose broken. She's sleeping right now & I'd kinda like to keep it that way if you don't mind. So, if it's all the same with you, if you've got something to ask, I'd rather you do so out here, ok?" Jess answers him.
"Of course miss Hathaway, whatever is easiest for you." the officer replied. "We really only have a couple of questions for you to be honest, our head detective tried you on your cell when we first caught wind of all this, but he wasn't able to reach you."
"Yeah, I had my cell off, " she said, "trying to save some battery..." she lied.
"Well, Miss Hathaway we just wanted to ask you when the last time you saw your brother was & how he was feeling? Was he in good spirits? Depressed? Did he ever use any recreational drugs, that type of thing."
"Drugs? No way, Jeff never touched drugs, not even cigarettes. He did drink though, sometimes a little heavier than I would've liked, but then again, I'm only his sister, not his keeper, you know?" Jess explained.
"Yes, we understand Miss Hathaway, but now let's get back to the last time you saw your brother, Jeff was it?"
"Yes," she suddenly felt a sting in her eyes & a welt starting to grow in the back of her throat, "his name was Jeff. Jeff Aaron Hathaway Jr. He was 28."
"Ok, so when exactly was the last time you and your brother spent time together?"
"Last week, we had gotten together to play some cards, UNO actually. Never was much for gambling so we settled on a friendly game of UNO. He's a sore loser, always has been." she smiled at the thought of their last game, how he tried to cheat & still ended up losing. It was endearing in a way.
"Ok, so you played a game of UNO with him. Did he, seem at all like he was not himself or that he had some things on his mind, was he paying attention to the game or did he seem to be wandering in & out maybe?" the officer prodded.
"Officer, with all due respect, I just told you that my brother never touched drugs, never smoked, drank occasionally, albeit a little too heavily for my tastes, and we only got together to play a friendly game of brother/sister UNO. I find it completely unnecessary for you to be assuming things about his current state of being at the time. We were playing UNO, not sharp shooting at cans out in a field, ok?"
"Ok, Miss Hathaway, my bad, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to understand how a perfectly healthy 28 year old man ends up dead on the floor of his kitchen covered in water with a substantial gash to the rear of his skull & bled to death without anyone seeing what happened, hearing what happened, or KNOWING what happened? Understand where I'm going with this?"
"I understand it completely officer, and I am pretty sure our conversation here is done. Enjoy your coffee & I'll ask you to please leave the premise once you're finished." Jess said in a snarky tone that let the officer know he had overstepped his boundary just a little too soon with her.
"Ma'am, with all due respect to you, it's a public street. We're free to sit here all day if we like, if it's all the same to you. You have a lovely day & enjoy that tea, k?" the officer replied through a smirk.
Jess frowned an agitated look at him & turned abruptly & walked back to Alice's apartment.
She had left the door unlocked so she easily let herself back in, closing and locking the door behind her.
She heard the whistle to the tea kettle start to howl, Alice was awake.
"Al? You up?" Jess called to her from the living room.
Alice turned the corner from the kitchen & sees her friend returning. "Where the hell did you go Jess? Please tell me you didn't go talk to the cops or those news reporters?!"
"Alice, calm down, I merely went across the street to tell those cops that they were wasting their time hanging around here. I told them that we were both fine, and we just wanted some peace & quiet in the wake of such a personal tragedy." she said.
"OH MY GOD JESS, what in the HELL were you thinking? I wanted them to think NOBODY was HOME!" Alice was yelling.
"Alice, don't be ridiculous, we can't hold up in here forever, come on! Eventually one or both of us would have to get up & walk out that front door. Let's be realistic, we do both work, remember those things called JOBS? We both have one, at least we both did before we played hookie today. I didn't even call the office to let them know I wouldn't be coming in." Jess said.
"Jess, honest to God, it was all over the NEWS! You don't think those ding dongs down at your office can put two & two together?" Alice was snapping at her now.
"First of all, STOP snapping at me, I am your friend remember? Second of all, they're NOT ding dongs, they're fine decent human beings who I happen to enjoy working with. Just because you were never conventional in your choice of job doesn't mean that I should be made to feel bad because I am, ok?" Jess was starting to lose her patience, and why was Alice so jumpy anyways? Jess knew she couldn't understand what it must've felt like to be jumped as she'd never lived through such an experience, but honestly, it wasn't HER who had jumped Alice, so why all the hostility?
Alice could tell that she had hurt her friends feelings, she really needed to get her emotions in check and fast. "I'm sorry Jess, I am just still not myself. I just can't believe he's gone. So, tell me... what did the cops even say to you?" she was nervous for what the answer might be.
"Nothing, really. Just wanted to know when the last time I saw my brother was & what type of mood he was in. Was he depressed or agitated, happy or sad, that type of stuff." she replied.
"So that's it? They didn't ask you if you saw him Saturday night?" Alice was biting her bottom lip, another nervous habit.
"No Alice, I just told you that they asked when I last saw him, they didn't ask specifically if I had seen him Saturday night, my telling them that I had seen him last during the week kind of answers that for them, don't you think?"
"Oh, yeah... sorry. So that's it? They didn't say anything more?" Alice asked.
"No, I just told them that we'd like to be left alone to work through our pain & that they should probably take their donut party elsewhere, to which they responded with them being within their rights to sit out there & enjoy their coffee & donuts because it was a public street... and then he shot me a cocky grin & rolled up his window. Then I just came back in here to be yelled at by you." Jess said.
Trying to change the tone of the room, Alice asked,
"So, have you heard anything from the funeral home? Which one is it that you used for your parents? Dooley & Howe? Or was it Campbell's, it's been so long forgive me I forget." Alice was embarrassed that she didn't recall this bit of their history.
"It's ok, it was a long time ago, and it was Campbell's, they're very nice people, family owned for over 100 years now." Jess said.
"Imagine that," Alice thought, "over 100 years of a family owned funeral business. Can't even imagine how hard that must be when they have to bury one of their own." She shuddered at the thought. "So, how do we go about arranging everything?" Alice felt bad now for snapping at her. It wasn't just a boyfriend who was gone, it was more importantly a brother, Jess's brother, and Alice felt all the worse for that fact alone.
"I'll give them a call after lunch, nobody will be there right now..." Jess replied with her eyes closed.
"Nobody will be there? What, you mean funeral homes take lunch breaks too?" Alice said.
"I don't know Alice," Jess's eyes were still closed shut & she was shaking her head back & forth slightly, "I just don't want to think about it right now ok? I'd rather call a little bit later & we'll figure it all out then. Right now, I just want to get something to eat, I'm starving... aren't you? I mean we haven't had much to eat in the last 24 hours and I don't know about you but I KNOW that one bite out of a stale Nilla wafer does NOT count as breakfast."
Alice smiled, a warm genuine smile, "You're right my friend, let's get some lunch, ok?"
"I'd like that very much," Jess smiled back at her friend & reached out for a hug.
The two held each other a little longer than normal for this hug. Both of them terrified of the days to come, the process that was inevitably inescapable and the uncertainty of their lives without Jeff.
"Let's get going," Alice said to Jess, and took her by the hand, "I know just the place..."
They got their coats and hats, put on their boots & Alice grabbed her house keys & out the door they went... the only thing on their minds, for the time being at least, was a nice hot meal.
The rest will come, that much they knew, but there's no rule that says you have to be sad AND hungry. Wasn't one of those emotions enough to bear at a time?
1 comment:
Uht oh .. when's the crap gonna hit the fan?? :)
Very good story la la girl!!
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