Peter Leonard - Back from the Dead

Hess had been in the same clothes now for twenty hours. He went into the master bathroom, undressed, turned on the shower and stood under the hot water. He dried himself with a pink bath towel, and wrapped it around his waist. Found a razor and shaving cream in the cabinet under the sink, and shaved in front of the fogged-up mirror he had to keep wiping clean with a towel.

He dressed, feeling better, checked on Lynn, still asleep. Went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, found sliced turkey in the meat drawer and made a turkey sandwich with Dijon mustard. He poured a glass of milk, sat at the table and watched TV, a program called McMillan & Wife, starring Rock Hudson. When he finished the sandwich, Hess turned off the TV and went to the guest room, stretched out on the bed and fell asleep.

Lynn Risdon’s head was pounding and her mouth was dry from the vodka. She’d have to slow down, take it easy for a while. She was drinking too much, getting drunk almost every night. She was on her side, couldn’t move her arms. They were tied behind her back, and her legs were tied together at the ankles. What was going on? Was the erotic film producer into S&M? At first she thought it was a dream. But her eyes were open staring at the red numerals on the clock in her dark bedroom. She remembered being at the restaurant, sitting at the bar drinking a martini. Talking to the guy. What was his name? Brank, that was it. They’d had several drinks, having a good time. Remembered offering him a ride home, the events of the night a little hazy after that. Lynn couldn’t remember how she got home. Did she drive? Or maybe he did. Then, in a flash of memory she saw herself hanging onto him leaving the restaurant. But he was a good sport, didn’t seem to mind. She’d picked up other men in bars, and brought them home, had sex and never heard from them again. Lynn liked being in control, liked initiating things. Guys picked up girls all the time. Why couldn’t girls pick up guys? It was 1971 after all.

Now as her eyes adjusted she could see rope binding her ankles and wrists. Why would he do that? Why would he leave her like this? She was going to fuck his brains out. It didn’t make sense. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to sit up. Now what? She couldn’t walk, couldn’t crawl. Lynn looked at the phone on the bedside table and slid along the bed on her knees, knocked the receiver off the cradle, and it went over the side of the table and landed on the floor. She pressed the 0 button with her chin, heard the operator’s voice say, “How may I direct your call?” and went down on the carpet, trying to get closer to the phone.

“I’m in my house, tied up. Call the police?”

“Where are you calling from?”

“Palm Beach.”

“What’s the address?”

He came in the room, standing over her, picked up the receiver, put it back and ripped the cord out of the wall. He picked her up and dropped her on the bed. It was the porno-movie guy from the bar.

“What’re you doing?” Lynn was afraid now. “What’s with the rope? You into bondage? I’ll try anything once. What the hell. It might be fun.”

He pushed her on her back, arms under her.

“Stop it. You’re hurting me.”

He reached for the pillow. She thought he was going to put it under her head.

“How’d we get here? You must’ve driven, right?” she said, trying to reconnect with him, but he didn’t respond. And now he put the pillow over her face, pressing down and she couldn’t breathe. Fought to get out from under him with everything she had, but he was sitting on her. Lynn thought about Larry, her ex, wondering why she’d wasted twenty years of her life with him. She pictured his face when he found out she was dead and he wouldn’t have to pay alimony. She thought about her parents and her brother, Chris. Would anyone miss her when she was gone? And then she was floating, looking down at herself, Brank, the porno-movie guy still holding the pillow over her face. He didn’t know yet.

Hess felt her body go slack but kept pressing the pillow on her face, watching the minute hand on the clock go around three more times, and let up, lifted the pillow and saw her eyes staring at him, an expression of fear or panic frozen on her face. He pulled the side of the bedspread up and covered her. He would have to figure out what to do with the body, but not now. Hess was tired. He went back in the guest room, laid down on the bed and fell asleep.

In the morning, Hess had two soft-boiled eggs and toast for breakfast, watched the news on the small TV in the kitchen. One story in particular piqued his interest. A somber female reporter was broadcasting live from a marina. “Last night the U.S. Coast Guard discovered an abandoned yacht half a mile off the Palm Beach coast. The names of the yacht owner and his wife are being withheld by authorities, pending a police investigation.”

Now the camera pulled back and Hess could see the white fiberglass hull of Brank’s Hatteras behind her. The reporter gave her name and the name of the TV station and signed off.

At 8:45, Hess drove Lynn Risdon’s car to the SunTrust Bank on Royal Poinciana Way, waited in the parking lot until the doors opened. Dana Kovarek, the assistant manager who had rented Hess the safe deposit box a week earlier, did a double take when Ernst walked into his office and said, “Dana, remember me? Gerd Klaus. I want to open my box.”

“I remember, but it can’t be. You died. I saw the death certificate.”

“Do I look dead?”

Kovarek was nervous, eyes darting around. “Your daughter came with the key, a death certificate and a court order claiming she was your rightful heiress. Don’t you remember, I explained the terms, conditions and procedures associated with having control over your safe deposit box,” Kovarek said, sounding defensive. “We talked about relatives of the deceased and their right to claim the contents of the box.”

Hess had no recollection of them discussing what would happen if he died.

Kovarek said, “Your daughter had to open it to get burial information, the deed to your burial plot.”

“Describe her,” Hess said.

“Your daughter?” Kovarek rubbed his jaw.

“She is not my daughter.”

“An attractive woman with blonde hair, five feet eight, thirty years old. She had the key and the rental agreement.”

Kovarek had just described Colette Rizik. “Was she alone?”

“No, sir, there was a dark-haired gentleman with her, six feet tall, fortyish.”

Harry Levin’s face flashed in his mind. Levin and the journalist. They had found the key to his hotel room, the keys to his briefcase and safe deposit box. They had obviously gone to his room before the police. “So you are telling me the box is empty?”

“Yes sir, Mr. Klaus, and the contract has been terminated.”

“Let me see the death certificate.”

“I don’t have the original. All I have is a copy of a certified copy.”

Kovarek stood and went to a bank of file cabinets against the wall, opened a drawer and took out a green folder. He came back to the desk and handed Hess a piece of paper. At the top in a heavy font it said: Certified Copy of Record of Death, and in smaller type under that: County of Broward, State of Florida.

The deceased’s name was Gerd Richter Klaus. Cause of death: heart failure. Birthplace: Stuttgart, Germany. Born: April 1, 1920. Mother’s and father’s names not available. The document was signed by A. Robert Stevenson, Clerk of Palm Beach County Commission, West Palm Beach, Florida, dated October 17, 1971.

“As you can see, Mr. Klaus, it follows the legal guidelines set forth by the State of Florida. Is there anything else I can do for you? Would you like to lease another safe deposit box, sir?”