Читать книгу Murder and Mayhem in Cedar Falls - Walter Wittmuss - Страница 5

Chapter One

“Ten miles to Cedar Falls,” the road sign said.

Ten miles closer to a new life, I told myself as I drove down the two-lane state highway in my vintage Cadillac convertible. A new job, a new town, a new life…

The green countryside of cornfields, soybean fields, and lush green pastures filled with herds of dairy cows flashed by on either side of the highway. The fifty-five-mile-an-hour wind whipped my brown hair. The rolling hills of the Midwest was a refreshing change from the flat terrain of North Texas.

Then ten minutes later, a sign proclaiming “Cedar Falls” came into view. I slowed down as I entered the Cedar Fall’s town limits. Another sign directed me where to turn to find Duncan College. I drove past nice, tidy houses with well-kept lawns.

A large three-story building of gray stone came into view. A curved half-circle drive with parking slots graced the area between the building and the street. Bushes and a large sign reading “DUNCAN COLLEGE” in bold letters and “Administration Building” in smaller letters filled the space between the street and drive. I turned into the drive, drove up to the building, and parked in one of the slots. I grabbed my briefcase and patted my Cadillac affectionately as I exited it. I climbed the Administration Building’s steps.

As was the case in most hollowed halls of universities, colleges, or other institutions of higher education, it would have been dreary and oppressive but for the modern ceiling lights, which helped to a degree. Silence hung like a heavy cloud in the building’s interior. Most of the office doors I could see had light shining through their frosted windows. I picked the office that had “Chancellor” written on its glass in black letters. I knocked. A female’s voice told me to come in. I opened the door to find myself in an outer office with a good-looking middle-aged woman seated behind an uncluttered desk.

“May I help you, sir?” she inquired sweetly.

“Maybe. I’m Professor Brennon. I wanted to let the proper people know I had arrived.”

“I don’t quite understand, Professor,” she said, puzzled.

“I am the new astrology professor. I have a letter in my briefcase that would explain everything if you would like to see it.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Pretty much everybody knows you are coming, but just a few know what your name is. Let me be the first to welcome you to Duncan College. Now, you need to go to the dean’s office. He is the one who takes care of the academic part. His office is four doors down and to the right of our office. And good luck, Professor.”

“Thank you very much, and you have a nice day.”

I stepped out of the office. My footsteps echoed on the highly polished tile floor. I went past the Admissions Office, the Boys’ Guidance Counselor’s Office, and the Girls’ Guidance Counselor’s Office before coming upon the Dean’s Office. I knocked and again was told to enter. A younger and pretty girl sat behind a desk, brightening my day.

“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?” she asked.

“I’m Professor Brennon. I’m heading up the Astrology Department. I just got into town and wanted to check in.”

“Oh, Professor Brennon,” she said in a warm voice. “We’ve been expecting you. Please have a seat, and I’ll let Dean Hawks know that you have arrived.” Then she said into the intercom, “Mr. Hawks, Professor Brennon is here to see you.” After a short pause, she turned back to me. “You can go in now, Professor.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Professor Brennon,” Dean Hawks said with gusto when I entered his office. He stood up and stretched out his hand as I approached his desk. I shook his offered hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person after all the correspondence. I hope you had a good trip?”

“Yes, sir. It was a long drive but a good one.”

“You didn’t have any trouble finding Cedar Falls?”

“No, sir. It was right where the map said it would be.”

“Yes,” he said a little dryly. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate my brand of humor all that much. “Have you gotten your living arrangements worked out, or do you need some assistance on finding something?”

“Thank you for the offer of assistance, but I had an uncle pass away recently, and he left me his house and property in town. I will be living there.”

“Good. The first semester starts in three weeks. Will that be enough time for you to get all your supplies and teaching material in?”

“I believe so. If I understand your letter correctly, Mr. Hawks, I will be starting this department from scratch.”

“You understand it correctly, Professor Brennon. The great-granddaughter of the college founder, just like he did, has a very deep interest in astrology. She feels that with all the advances in space exploration, astrology is a very important subject. Since she is the chairperson on the school’s board of regents, she can add the course to the college’s curriculum. While it was her great-grandfather that built the observatory, it was her who has had the most modern telescope installed in it. Here are the keys to your classroom and to the observatory. If there is anything else I can help you with, just let me know.”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Hawks. The only other thing I need right now is a map of the campus.”

“You can get one in the Admissions Office.”

“One other thing. To whom and where do I turn in my list of supplies?”

“All school supplies are ordered and picked up at the Maintenance Building. Just look for the receiving counter, and they will explain the procedure to you. If there is nothing else, have a good day, Professor.”

“And you, too, Mr. Hawks.”

I left Dean Hawks’s office and went to the Admissions Office. They were able to provide me with a map of the town as well as a map of the campus.

I left the cool interior of the building and stepped out into the early August hot sun. I put my briefcase on the front seat beside me after getting into the car. The seat was fairly hot, so I raised the top and turned on the air conditioner. The interior cooled down quickly while I studied the town map.

My uncle’s house was only three blocks from the college campus. I left the campus to go to my new lodgings. I found the address and pulled into the driveway.

I double-checked the address to make sure I was at the right house. It was a lot bigger than I had expected, but I never knew Uncle Jeremy very well either. It appeared he had done very well for himself. I was surprised when I was informed that he had left his property to me. Of course, part of the reason might have been because my mother and he had been very close from the time they were kids up until he died. He had never married. Thus, he had no kids of his own to leave it to.

It was a large one-story red-brick structure with white trim, a ranch-style house. A three-stall attached garage was behind the house. There was also a small shed on the property.

I let myself into the house with the key my uncle’s lawyer had given me. Just as the lawyer had said, the house was fully furnished. The furniture was all of excellent quality. A quick tour revealed a living room, a spacious kitchen, a master bedroom, two smaller bedrooms, and an office or den, whichever I wanted to use it as. The refrigerator and cupboards were empty, so I figured the first order of business would be to get some food in the house.

I grabbed the phone book and looked up the listings of grocery stores in the town. When I found one I thought I would like, I located where it was on the town map. I locked up the house, jumped into my car, and started out in search of the grocery store.

About four blocks from my house, I was checking a street sign while entering an intersection when out of the corner of my eye, I caught the flash of a white car also entering the intersection. I jammed on my brakes but not quite fast enough. With a resounding crash, my car jolted to a stop against the front fender of the white car.

A woman with long black hair about my age was behind the wheel of the white car. She shook her head to clear it. Then she leaped from her car and rushed toward my car before I had much of a chance to get out of my car.

“What is the matter with you?” she yelled, waving her arms. “You were looking up at the wild blue yonder instead of watching where you were driving this tank?” She slapped the hood of the Caddy.

“Hold on. Hold on,” I implored, holding up my hands in a gesture of surrender as I walked to the front of my car. “I’m very, very sorry. I realize this is all my fault. I have insurance, and here is my driver’s license and registration,” I said, handing everything to her.

“This is a Texas driver’s license and a Texas address. How am I going to get in touch with you, if need be, after you go on your merry way?” she asked me as she handed me her license, proof of insurance, and registration.

“Gee, I don’t know. I guess you will just have to run me down.”

She quickly looked up at me to see if I was serious. I didn’t think she could quite make up her mind if I was or not.

“And I see your plates are Texas plates,” she said in despair.

“Yes, they are, Miss.…or is it Mrs. Cole?”

“I don’t know why I should tell you, but it’s Miss Cole. And this is my only transportation.”

Just then a police car pulled up and parked at the curb. A young officer—he couldn’t have been any more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old—got out of the police car and came over to inspect the accident damage.

“Hello, Denise. Had a fender bender, I see.”

“I’m afraid I ran into her, Officer,” I said quickly.

“And your name, sir?”

“John Brennon. Miss Cole is holding my license, proof of insurance, and registration.”

The deputy took my documents from Denise and started looking them over. “Is this your current address, Mr. Brennon?” he asked.

“No,” I answered while smiling at Denise. “My current address as of today is 1021 Fifth Street, Cedar Falls, Nebraska. I just got into town this morning, so naturally, I haven’t had time to change anything.”

“Okay. I will have to give you a ticket for not yielding the right of way. You also have thirty days in which to change your driver’s license and plates.”

“That’s fine, Officer. I’ll be sure to take care of everything in a timely manner.”

Denise kept her eyes on me as her friend—or I assumed he was a friend because of the way he had addressed her—wrote out my ticket. I signed the ticket, and the deputy left after asking Denise if she needed a tow truck. We looked her car over, and she decided she could drive it to her garage.

“I’ll follow you to the garage that you take your car to and then run you to wherever you need to go,” I offered.

“That’s okay. I’m sure you have other things to do. I’ll be fine.”

“Please, let me make amends to you, Miss Cole. It’s the least I can do.”

“Well, okay, I guess. And call me Denise. I noticed your car isn’t damaged except for a small scratch on the bumper.”

“Like you said, this car is built like a tank. Shall we go?”

We got into our respective vehicles, and I followed her to Miracle Auto Repair. She was in the garage for fifteen or twenty minutes. She came out and got in my car.

“You really have this in pristine condition,” she said as she looked over the interior.

“I have always had a great admiration for this year Cadillac. When I was lucky enough to find one in reasonable condition, I bought it and fixed it up to put it in prime condition. The gas mileage isn’t anything to brag about, but I don’t care. It’s a great car to drive. Would you like to go someplace and have a cup of coffee? Or did you have someplace else you had to go or someplace you had to be at?”

“I haven’t any plans that can’t be changed. A cup of coffee would taste good. Jim’s Cafe has the best coffee in town. I’ll direct you to it since you probably don’t know your way around town yet.”

Following her directions took us to a small building with “Jim’s Cafe” written on one of its windows. We got out of my car and went in. I slid in on one side, and Denise slid in on the other side of an empty booth.

“Now, Mr. Brennon…” she started to say after the waitress brought our coffee.

“John. Please call me John,” I pleaded, interrupting her.

“Okay, John. Why did you let me rant and rave about Texas when you knew you would be living right here in town?”

“I apologize, Denise. My philosophy on life is to not get too excited about the little things in life. Lord knows there is enough of the big things to get excited about. Besides, I was having a little fun at your expense. I’m sorry if you feel I was underhanded in my actions.”

“Wellll…” she said with a straight face but then burst out laughing. “Forget it, John. I guess I flew off the handle a little bit, but I had just gotten that car a couple of months ago. I promise I’m no longer angry. I thought an older guy lived at that address you gave Ben.”

“Ben? You mean the deputy?”

“Yes, the deputy.”

“My uncle Jeremy Cooper did live there. He passed on a month ago. He left the house and property to me.”

“I don’t mean to be nosy, but do you have any employment lined up yet?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I’m heading up the new Astrology Department at the college.”

“Really! I happen to be a professor in the Music Department at the college.”

“Great! That means we will be seeing each other around campus. You realize you are my first friend—that is, if you will have me as your friend—in town,” I said, extending my hand across the table.

“Friend it is, as long as you promise not to run into me again when I get my car back,” she replied, taking my hand and shaking it. “Now I had better be on my way. I have the little matter of reporting the accident to my insurance, and you definitely have to notify your insurance. By the way, the garage said it will take about a week to fix my car.”

“I assume you want to go home?” I asked as we exited the cafe.

“Yes, sir,” she replied.

She directed me to her house, which was on the opposite side of town from the college. It was an average-sized two-story house with white frame and slate-gray trim. It had a porch with a swing hanging on it, which was the perfect sitting area for them long, lazy summer evenings. A chain-link fence enclosed a small green yard. I pulled up in the short driveway, stopped, and jumped out to open the car door for Denise.

“Do you live by yourself, Denise, or am I getting too nosy now?”

“No, I don’t mind you asking, John,” she said with a very pleasant, upbeat voice. “I live with my mother and my German shepherd dog, Shadow. Do you like dogs?”

“Yes, I do. Dogs and I get along fine.”

We got to the front door. Denise pushed the door open. Shadow started to bound out of the door to greet Denise. He stopped on a dime when he saw me. He fixed his dark eyes on me, trying to make up his mind whether I was friend or foe.

“It’s okay, Shadow,” Denise said, petting him. “This is a friend. Come on in, John. He won’t do any more than tear your leg off.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I replied jokingly as I stepped through the doorway. I eased my hand down, palm up, toward Shadow. He sniffed my hand then turned back to Denise.

“Is that you, dear?” a mature woman’s voice called out from another room.

“Yes, Mom. Come into the living room, please. I would like you to meet someone.”

A brunette came out of another room and into the living room. She had a full figure, but not an overweight figure. I felt a warmth radiate from her that put me instantly at ease. She had a stature about her that also demanded respect.

“Mom, I would like you to meet Mr. Brennon. He is a new professor at the college.”

“You might say I ran into her downtown today,” I said, sticking out my hand. “And I’m very happy to meet you, Mrs. Cole.”

She shook my hand with a firm grasp. She swung her eyes back and forth between Denise and me when we both softly chuckled.

“He actually did run into my car today, Mom, literally,” Denise explained.

“Are you hurt, dear?” her mother asked, instantly anxious.

“No, Mom, I’m fine. The car has a few wounds, but I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to run, ladies. It was very nice meeting you, Mrs. Cole. Since this semester hasn’t started yet, do you have things you need to get done at the college before classes start, Denise?”

“Yes. I’ll be busy most every day.”

“Oh, dear,” her mother said in a worried voice. “How are you going to get there with no car?”

“It isn’t that far, Mom. I’ll just walk.”

“Honey, don’t you realize how dangerous that would be for you? That maniac hasn’t been caught yet.”

“Maniac?” I asked, stepping back into the house. “I just got into town today, Mrs. Cole. What is this about a loose maniac?”

“Well, Mr. Brennon, over the last couple of months, there has been several women attacked and raped. The first two victims survived. Unfortunately, the last one didn’t. There has also been a dog killed just a couple of days ago in the very same manner as the last rape victim.”

“Mom, I will be walking in broad daylight. Nobody would be fool enough to try to kidnap or kill someone in broad daylight.”

“What time do you usually go in, Denise?” I asked.

“I like to get there at eight o’clock or at least close to it.”

“I will be here at quarter to eight to pick you up.”

“I can’t let you go out of your way like that, John.”

“Mrs. Cole, sit on her if you have to tomorrow morning until I pick her up. Okay?”

“Okay, John. Thank you. It would worry me to death to have her walking.”

Denise’s mother followed me with her eyes as I walked out to my car. After I had left, she turned to Denise.

“How did he manage to run into you, dear?”

“He wasn’t watching where he was going. He smacked into my car in an intersection. My car was still drivable, so he followed me over to the garage and then brought me home.”

“He seems like a very nice guy.”

“I agree. He does seem like a real nice guy. He just got into town this morning.”

“I suppose he is staying in the motel until he can find someplace to rent.”

“No. As a matter of fact, he will be living in Jeremy Cooper’s house over on Fifth Street.”

“Jeremy Cooper? Didn’t he die just not too long ago?”

“Yes, he did. John is Jeremy’s nephew, and Jeremy left the house and property to John.”

“Well, your professor friend fell into a sweet deal there. I hope he turns out to be as good as my first impression of him. Come and help me get supper on now.”

I left Denise’s house and headed back uptown. I still had to get them groceries that I had started out to pick up when I ran into Denise. I didn’t have any problem finding the grocery store because I had passed it while taking Denise home. It was a big enough store that it had a good variety of products. I got what I needed home and put the items away in the cupboard and refrigerator.

I then settled down with the phone. I reported the accident to my insurance company and put in a change of address while I had them on the line. I also called the courthouse to find out the time when they would open and where I had to go in the building to change my driver’s license and register my car for this county. There wasn’t time to do either one of them things now before they closed. Taking care of them two things would be my first order of business tomorrow morning after taking Denise to the college.

The rest of the afternoon and evening I spent getting settled in and relaxing. It had been a long day, and tomorrow was going to be a busy day, so I went to bed early.

“Good morning, Denise,” I said after she climbed into my car the following morning. “I’m glad to see you took your mother’s advice and didn’t walk.”

“I thank you for the ride, but I don’t want you to feel you have to take me everywhere either.”

“Friends, remember? Friends do things for friends,” I reminded her.

“Right. Friends. I promise to keep that in mind,” she said with a big smile.

She directed me to the Music Building. When she got out of the car, I told her I would pick her up at the end of the day to take her home. She told me when she would be done.

The courthouse was a large stately gray stone building. It had to be close to eighty years old, judging from its architecture. I parked, and following directions given to me over the phone, I found myself in a short line of four people standing in front of a window marked “Driver’s License.” The two people in front of me were a couple of middle-aged women.

“What’s this world coming to, Rose? You read about that in the paper about that dog that was killed three days ago, didn’t you?”

“Yes, and it just made me sick. Who in their right mind would slit a poor dog’s throat from ear to ear? Things like that just don’t happen in Cedar Falls.”

“You hit the nail on the head when you said right mind. Nobody in their right mind would do a thing like that. What scares me so bad is, if you remember, that was how that poor girl was killed that was raped not too long ago.”

“My husband won’t let me go anyplace unless I have a friend go with me.”

“I just wonder if the sheriff is making any progress in any of the rape cases. And now there’s this dog thing…”

“Your guess is as good as anybody’s. If he is, he isn’t letting anybody else know.”

“All I’ve got to say is, he had better get his butt in gear. Elections for sheriff is coming up, and if he wants to keep his job, he had better start showing some results.”

The two people who had been in front of the two ladies had been taken care of, and now it was Rose’s turn. They got through the procedure, and then it was my turn.

“Mr. Brennon,” the clerk said, looking at my Texas license, “have you permanently moved to this county?”

“Yes. I’ve moved from Texas to right here in this town.”

“Okay. Have you gotten a permanent address in town yet?”

“Yes, sir. It is 1021 Fifth Street.”

“Okay. Since this license isn’t expired, the state and county allow me to let your Nebraska license expire on the same date as your Texas license would have. Take this over to have your picture taken,” he said, handing me the form he had just filled out. “They will issue you your Nebraska license there. Thank you.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking the form.

I went over and had my picture taken. Shortly afterward, I had my new license. Next stop was to get new plates for the car. By the time I got everything done, the morning was pretty well gone. I decided to grab a bite to eat over at Jim’s Cafe.

I noticed the police patrol car out in front of the cafe. When I walked in, I saw the deputy that knew Denise was seated at a back table. I went over to his table.

“Hello, Deputy. Do you mind if I join you?”

“No, I don’t mind. Aren’t you the guy that ran into Denise yesterday?”

“Guilty,” I admitted with a little laugh. “I got my driver’s license and car plates taken care of this morning. I will be happy to show them to you if you like.”

The waitress came over with a glass of water. I ordered lunch.

“That won’t be necessary. I believe you,” the deputy said.

“I am curious about something, Deputy. I know it probably isn’t any of my business, but I heard some people talking about three rapes that has happened in town. I also heard a dog was found with its throat cut.”

“What about them?”

“Since I’m going to be living in town now, the stories make me a little nervous. I was wondering if the police has made any progress in any of the cases?”

“Not much progress, but of what interest would it be to you, Mister…?”

“Brennon. John Brennon. I just hate to see any criminal escape justice. My profession is astrology, but I have an interest in crime detection.”

“Well, I’m sure Sheriff Blocker will get to the bottom of it and catch the guy doing it all.”

“I assume Sheriff Blocker collected DNA from the rape victims?”

“You would have to ask the sheriff. But if he did, it’s not much good unless you can find a match, and if that had happened, there would be someone behind bars. The jail is empty. I have to go. Been nice chatting with you, Mr. Brennon.”

My lunch came as the deputy left. I ate my hamburger, soup, fries, and Coke. The hot August sun beat down on me as I stepped out of the cafe and walked to my car. The Cadillac’s air conditioner kept me cool, though, as I drove to the college. I found the building my classroom was in with the aid of the campus map.

A short distance from the classroom building, on the crest of a hill, stood the imposing observatory. It’s high-arched roof with its slit for the telescope, which was now closed, sent a thrill through me. I could vividly see in my mind’s eye the wonders of the heavens just waiting to be enjoyed via the telescope.

It surprised me when I thought I saw the figure of a person by the observatory wall. Since classes hadn’t started yet, I didn’t see what business anybody would have by the observatory. Of course, it could be a cleaning crew person, I reasoned. The figure momentarily stepped out of the shadow of the observatory. I could distinguish that it was a man’s, or a boy’s, figure. Then just as quickly, the figure disappeared behind the observatory. I wondered whether I should go up and check it out. After a minute or two of debating on what I should do, I decided if the person was a trespasser, the college’s security would handle it.

I went into the classroom building and found the room that was to be my classroom. Stepping into the room, I was struck by the bareness of the room. Whatever had been taught in the classroom before was no longer evident. As a matter of fact, the room looked like it hadn’t been used for a couple of years. The floor was swept, but there was a thin layer of dust on my desk and on the four tiers of students’ seats. As I started to make a list of things I would have to order, like charts, models, and reference books, Denise walked in.

“Hello,” I said, surprised. “I had planned on picking you up at the Music Building.”

“What I wanted to get done today I finished early, so after finding out where they had put you, I decided to come over and see your new classroom.”

“Well, this is it. I haven’t been up to the observatory yet. I’m anxious to, though. How long have you been a professor here at the college, Denise?”

“Three years. Why?”

“Is there any reason that you can think of for anybody to be up by the observatory? Maybe a member of the housekeeping staff who cleans the classrooms and maybe the observatory as well?”

“As far as I know, nobody has set foot inside the observatory for a year. Were you able to see the person well enough to describe them?”

“No. I could tell it was a guy, but that is all.”

“Well, it wasn’t her then.”

“Her?”

“Yes. Miss Florence Duncan. The great-granddaughter of the college’s founder. She lives in that mansion that sits a little ways from the observatory. But you said it was a guy you saw.”

“Yes, it was. When was the new telescope installed?”

“About a year ago. At the time, I thought it was just a waste of money since there wasn’t anybody here who really knew how to use it. Are they hard to operate? That size, I mean.”

“No, they aren’t hard to operate once you know how, but you do have to be trained to operate one. You are saying, though, that nobody has operated the telescope or done any type of maintenance on it since it was installed?”

“I’m not saying no, just none that I know of.”

“If that’s the case, I hope it hasn’t been ruined from neglect. I think I have my list pretty complete. Are you ready to go?”

“Whenever you are.”

“I have to stop at the Maintenance Building to turn in this list. Do you mind?”

“No, not at all.”

I followed her out, locking the door behind me. When we stepped out of the building, I instinctively looked up toward the observatory. There was nobody there. My eyes slid over to the Duncan Mansion. Denise’s eyes followed mine up to the mansion.