Nancy Grace - Murder in the Courthouse

As opposed to looking shocked at the thought she was spilling the beans to a reporter, Hailey noticed the woman, to the contrary, looked elated at the prospect… eager, as a matter of fact, with a big smile showing a mouthful of cosmetic dentistry. Hailey also noticed the woman was not as young as she’d thought at a distance.

She had the body of a thirty-five-year-old, but her face, as artfully disguised as it was, belied her body. Creases, especially around her mouth, along with her neck and hands, gave away her age. This was a grandma, possibly a great-grandma and no spring chicken at all.

And Hailey was convinced she’d seen her before.

“Hi.” Hailey smiled at the woman who was now approaching her, walking up Alton’s driveway.

“I can tell… you’re the press! 48 Hours ? Nightline ? 20/20? No, Investigation Discovery ? I can tell! No use in hiding it from me! I’m very familiar with the media . Let me tell you. Not to brag, of course, I’ve been in the public eye for years… years! Are you familiar with the name Bob Guccione? I was a Penthouse Pet ! And not that long ago!”

It was actually in 1969, but Kacynthia withheld that tiny detail.

“In fact, my ‘article’ did so well, he invited me back! For a special ‘pictorial.’ But it was really all about the article, you know… the content .”

Hailey nodded.

The woman in Lycra went on about something she called her “career as a Penthouse Pet” until Hailey interjected. “Do you live here in the cul-de-sac?”

“Here? In the suburbs ? Oh no… no, no, no, no.” The woman let out a short, gentle, but derisive laugh. “I’m more of an in-town girl. I just come out here to the sticks to get in my workout! Less exhaust fumes out here. Oh, no. I don’t live here. Have you ever heard of Johnny Mercer? ‘Moon River’? I live over on East Gordon in the historical district… beside the Johnny Mercer house. It’s been in loads of movies… the Johnny Mercer house?” She repeated it as if she suspected Hailey was hard of hearing. “One of them even caught the corner of my condo building in it!”

“In what?” Hailey didn’t get it.

“ The movie! A corner of my condo building was actually in a movie! Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ! It won lots of awards!”

“It must be lovely.”

Hailey was rewarded for her interest with a broad smile from Kacynthia. Hailey went for it.

“Did you know Alton Turner?” Hailey kept her gaze directly on Kacynthia’s face.

One of the woman’s carefully drawn eyebrows, the left one, rose just a twitch as her eyes widened. She drew her right palm and fingertips to the center of her chest, seemingly without thinking, and sidestepped Hailey’s question.

“ Oh, it was awful! The blood! I was just minding my own business when I saw them.”

“Them?” Hailey continued gazing directly into the woman’s eyes.

“The legs. Alton Turner’s legs. And the blood.” Her voice had taken on a theatrical whisper and she mouthed the words dramatically, her red, glossed lips enunciating perfectly.

This woman was meant for the stage.

“I was the one who found him. I’ll never forget it as long as I live. It haunts me. It absolutely haunts me.” Now, she closed her eyes right there in the driveway as if she were entering a nightmare about Alton Turner’s body at that very moment.

“And the press was relentless… they wouldn’t let me go! I had to tell my story over and over!” It was easy to see the woman was thrilled and, watching her, Hailey finally placed her face. This was the woman Hailey spotted at the edge of Alton’s lawn speaking to the press. Hailey had only seen her from behind, but now that she thought about it, the woman was wearing the same, or a very similar, workout ensemble with long red hair down her back.

This had to be her.

“Did you see anyone else around that day? Any cars parked at the house?”

“No. Actually, I had just parked my car around the corner. It’s the baby blue BMW over on Magnolia, about three blocks from here.” She clearly enjoyed dropping the fact she drove an expensive, luxury import.

“Oh, those are beautiful cars! And expensive!”

The shameless fawning paid off. The woman went on without any prodding at all.

“But even if I hadn’t just gotten here, I can tell you, nobody else was here. Nobody was ever here. Ever since this guy’s mom died, I heard he never had a single car in the driveway other than his own. And that was when he’d bring it out of the garage to wash it in the driveway.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Hailey remained silent. As she’d surmised fairly easily, Kacynthia was the type that couldn’t stand silence in a conversation and immediately filled it.

“Oh, yes. I think the mom visited so much, she finally moved in. Or else spent a lot of time here. They’d sit out there in the yard on that swing in the evenings. That’s what the neighbors said. She drove an old silver Buick, I think. She’d park it on the street so’s not to get oil on his driveway.”

“Wow. You really know a lot about Alton.”

“Well, I’ve come here to walk several hours a day lately.”

“You sure are dedicated…”

“And it pays off!” Kacynthia turned to the side and patted a completely flat, taut tummy. “This isn’t Spanx, if you know what I mean. As I’ve always said… beauty has a price.”

“Well, you’re in incredible shape!”

“Thank you! I guess I’m what you’d call a fitness enthusiast!” Kacynthia positively beamed.

“So, it was just Alton and his mom, then?”

“Yes. And that day, I didn’t see another soul. Just them… the legs.”

“What kind of guy was he?”

The woman clearly wanted to talk. No qualms about spilling the beans whatsoever.

“Well, I’ve talked to a lot of neighbors , let me tell you.” The redhead looked both ways as if someone could possibly be listening. She paused before going on. “He was overly quiet, worked on his car in the garage with the door up a lot. After work. Always working in his yard. Grilled out with his mom a good bit before she passed. Since then, not so much.”

“Poor guy. Well, it’s nice to meet you.” Hailey gave her another smile.

“Oh, here’s my contact card if you need an interview, I mean information.” In one fluid motion, she reached down into her workout bra and produced a pale pink business card. Glancing down at it, Hailey saw it had her name, Miss Kacynthia Sikes, her address, and home and cell numbers.

“Well, thank you. I’ll certainly keep it!” Hailey slipped the card into her pocket along with the trash from Alton’s yard.

“Lovely to meet you! Lovely! And I’ll see you on the airwaves, Miss 20/20 !” Obviously still under the impression Hailey was with the media, Kacynthia Sikes gave a brilliant smile. Dazzling, actually, again displaying a mouth full of expensive dentistry that could not be acquired in just one sitting.

Turning on her white-heeled Pumas, Kacynthia’s red hair swung around behind her. Chest out, tummy in, back straight, she started pumping her fists furiously before she even got out of the driveway and turned onto the paved asphalt street.

Taking a last glance back at the house, Hailey headed back to her rental car. She opened the door and got into the driver’s seat. Cranking up the ignition, she reversed down the driveway and put it in drive.

Just ahead of her, she saw Kacynthia Sikes’s bobbing head dip below a rise in the street and disappear from sight. The woman had never even asked her name, not anything else. She’d been perfectly contented babbling on practically solo.