Page 32 of Feared

Mary and Anthony parked as close as they could to John’s apartment, which was in a townhouse in Old City. Night had fallen, but they could see the red-and-white lightbars flashing atop the lineup of police cruisers idling on his side of the street. Klieglights had been set up, and cops and official personnel hurried to and fro, making shifting silhouettes against the calcium-white backdrop. Sawhorses blocked the street from foot and car traffic, and a throng of spectators gathered behind the barricade, next to boxy news vans and reporters with their boom mikes and camera crews.

“Honey?” Anthony touched Mary’s arm in the dark interior of the car. “You sure you feel okay to do this?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Mary answered, meaning it, because the pregnancy was the last thing on her mind. She’d cried most of the way, shocked and heartbroken by John’s murder. Her nose was congested, and her eyes stung. Bennie and Judy were going to meet her here. Anthony had been vaguely worried about her, but he understood that it was an emergency, so he had taken her. She had to find out what had happened because Bennie hadn’t had any details when they spoke.

“Here, honey.” Anthony opened her car door, helping her out of the car and closing the door.

“Thanks.” Mary rose stiffly, taking his arm, and they walked toward the scene. Trying to compose herself, she straightened to see ahead, but she was too short and the crowd blocked her view. John’s street was narrow and one-way, typical of those in the oldest part of town, and it took only a few barricades set lengthwise to block it completely. From the other side of the sawhorses came the official hubbub of shouted orders, hurrying personnel, and rumbling engines. The crowd clustered talking, smoking, and taking pictures with their cell phones, rubbernecking on a cool spring night. It killed Mary to think that they were being entertained by such a tragedy.

“This is awful,” Anthony said, as they walked. “It’s just so sad. I always liked him.”

“I know. He liked you too.” Mary felt her throat thicken.

“I wonder what happened.”

“It’s like, I want to know, but I also don’t.” Mary suppressed the tears. “I don’t know what got into him lately, but it wasn’t like him. He really was such a good person. He took care of his brother, you know.”

“I remember, you told me that.”

“Right.” Mary realized she had told him more than once, since the news came in. “His parents are gone, and I don’t even know what other family he has. An aunt and uncle maybe. I think he’s from Minnesota originally. Judy would know better.”

“You said that, too.” Anthony patted her hand, and they passed the funky boutiques and indie restaurants sandwiched between colonial rowhouses converted to apartments.

Mary felt a wave of dread, walking along. “Judy is going to take this hardest of all. They were friends. She brought him on.”

“We’ll help her through it. She can stay with us, this weekend. For as long as she wants.”

“Thanks, I don’t want her to have to go home alone.” Mary swallowed hard as they approached the end of the block, where a cop with a glowing orange flashlight was directing a line of traffic away from the scene. She felt queasier the closer they got, but she made herself go forward. “It’s just so horrible, I keep hoping it’s not true.”

“Of course you do, honey.” Anthony put his arm around her as they walked.

“Maybe there’s been some mistake,” Mary said, knowing it wasn’t possible, and Anthony didn’t reply. Suddenly they spotted Bennie and Judy heading down the cross street toward the crowd.

“Bennie!” Anthony shouted, waving his free hand.

Bennie and Judy turned toward Anthony’s voice, then cut diagonally to the corner, making fleeting shadows in the headlights of passing cars. They hurried toward Mary, and Mary found herself letting go of Anthony and surging toward them, no longer able to hold back the tears.

“Mary!” Judy began to sob, collapsing in Mary’s arms. “John’s dead! It’s not possible! Who killed him? Who would’ve killed him?”

“Honey, I’m so sorry.” Mary clung teary to her best friend. “I’m so sorry.”

“What happened?” Judy wailed. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, we’ll find out.”

“I don’t get it, it doesn’t make any sense!” Judy sobbed, her body wracked as Mary held her tight.

“We’ll find out, we’ll see. I’m so sorry,” Mary repeated, hugging Judy and meeting Bennie’s flinty eyes over Judy’s shoulder. Bennie greeted Anthony, and Judy’s tears began to subside. Bennie handed Judy a flurry of tissues, and Judy started mopping up her eyes, then blowing her nose.

“I just can’t believe it,” Judy said, her nose bubbling. “I just can’t.”

“I know, neither can I.”

“He was such a good guy, and a good lawyer, too. I know he’s been acting weird lately, but that wasn’t really him.”

“I know.”

“He was so good to his brother, William. He took care of him all by himself. His only other family is his aunt and uncle, they live outside Minneapolis. They’re older and they rarely come east. Somebody will have to tell them and William.”

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