Chris Redding - Corpse Whisperer

Her body ached from the effort. Her spirits crashed as she knew she’d never find satisfaction with anyone else.

She sat up, but exhaustion pushed her back into the pillows.

Zach had been in her thoughts more than she liked, and with her dreams she had less control.

Pacing the apartment she tried to decipher what it all meant. She had no one to talk to in this instance. Her gut told her not to let Mark know all that was going on. She wished she knew why.

A movement outside on the driveway had her looking out. She parted her curtains, but stepped aside. Once again a man stood on her driveway. She thought he was looking up at her window.

Without turning on the light, she fished in her purse for Zach’s card. Dolores wasn’t supposed to die for another day, but she wanted to be sure.

He answered on the second ring. “Holten.”

“Zach, it’s Grace Harmony.”

“Is something wrong?”

He must have heard it in her voice. “Yes that guy’s back. He’s standing on the driveway.”

“Did you call the cops?”

“I called you.”

“Well get off the phone and dial 9-1-1. I’m on my way.”

Grace did as he instructed. The man had moved closer to her apartment. She slipped a robe over her shoulders as she relayed the information to the dispatcher.

Hanging up she sat on her sofa bed for a moment, chewing on her thumbnail. She checked outside again, but that man just stood there. Not liking cowering in her room, she belted the robe and strode out her front door.

A siren wailed at the end of the street and the man turned and ran away from her. She sprinted to where he had just stood, but he’d disappeared into some bushes.

“Damn.”

The patrol car pulled into the driveway. She pointed in the direction the man had run. “He went that way.”

“You okay, Miss?”

“Yes, just get him.”

The patrolmen set off on foot, but came back a moment later. “I didn’t see him. You get a good look?”

“I’ll tell you what I can.”

She described the man the best she could. As the officer finished taking her report, Zach pulled in behind the cop’s patrol car.

“Someone you know?” the cop asked.

“Yes.”

The cop acknowledged the newcomer. “I didn’t see anyone when I arrived.”

Grace eyed Dolores’ house. She thought she’d seen her come in earlier and she wondered why the woman hadn’t been awakened. Several of the neighbors had turned outside lights on to see the action.

As if reading her mind, Zach said, “She sleeps pretty soundly.”

“Maybe you should check on her.”

Zach cocked his head. “Something you want to tell me?”

Her anger spiked. “No.”

Zach moved his car for the cop then pulled back into the driveway. Grace stood in her robe suddenly feeling vulnerable.

“If you don’t knock on her door, I will,” she said.

“I’ll do it. Let me call her first.”

He dialed a cell phone he had retrieved from off his belt. Shaking his head he hung up. “Odd that she didn’t answer. You sure she’s here?”

“I thought I saw her come in.” Grace looked over her shoulder. “Her car’s in the garage. I heard the door.”

“Did you actually see her?”

“Well, no, but I did hear the door.”

Zach frowned at her in the moonlight. “Okay, I’ll check.”

He had Dolores’ key on his chain. Guess they were close. “She gave me a key because she sometimes locks herself out.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Your posture said it all.”

She uncrossed her arms. “I only have this robe on.”

Zach stopped on his trek to his ex-wife’s back door. She couldn’t see his expression, but she could imagine.

“Only a robe. What do I say first?” He ran a hand through his hair. “What the hell were you thinking coming out of your apartment? Let alone half-naked. You’d be a prime target for rape.”

She pulled her robe closer around her. “I’m not half-naked.”

“Did you see the way that cop looked at you. He’s got a great story for the guys back at the station.”

Her face flushed. She hadn’t thought about that. “I wasn’t thinking.”

His voice came out in a stern whisper. “No, you weren’t.”

Turning away from her he put the key in the lock. It clicked. “Lors?”

No answer. A chill went up Grace’s spine. Was she too late? Had she gotten the date wrong?

“Stay here,” Zach commanded.

“No.”

The whole neighborhood heard his sigh. “Stay behind me, then.”

She did all the way upstairs to Dolores’s bathroom. That’s when they found her in a pool of blood.

Dolores looked up at them, pale as she could be. “The baby.”

Zach paced in the waiting room in the emergency room. No one was telling him anything and he thought he’d jump out of his skin. People hurried by, but not one of them stopped.

Grace had come in the ambulance with Dolores and now returned to him with two cups of coffee. He wasn’t sure the brew would help him, but he took it to have something in his hands. “What have you heard?”

Her long face told him everything.

“She’s alive and doing okay. She lost the baby. I’m sorry Zach.”

He sipped the black liquid his senses numbed except for the coffee searing down his throat. This changed a lot of things between him and Dolores. Guilt traipsed through him as he thought for the better. “What was it?”

“A girl. She was three months along,” Grace said settling into an orange plastic chair.

“Three months? Are you serious?”

She nodded. “Why is that significant?”

Zach shook his head. This was between him and Dolores. She’d lied once again. The baby wasn’t his. Couldn’t have been. They’d been together only a month ago. A month he’d been rethinking his life. All in vain because his suppositions were based on a lie.

The last lie she would ever tell him.

With his coffee drained, he threw his empty cup across the room. Grace stood then approached him with wide eyes. “Zach, she’ll be okay. She can still have more children.”

“Yeah?”

None of them would be his. His streak of bringing no children into the world would be intact.

He shrugged off her hand. “I’m going home. Call me with any updates.”

“You’re leaving?”

Turning he looked into her horrified face. “No reason to stay.”

He left Grace blinking at him.

Grace watched Zach stride out of the waiting room. Her disbelief paralyzed her. Just because Dolores had lost her baby was no reason to abandon her at this point. Anger catapulted her in his direction.

“Zach.”

He turned, his face flushed with rage. A muscle worked in his jaw.

“It isn’t her fault.”

“I didn’t say it was.” He put a hand on her arm. “Look, Grace you’re in the middle of something you don’t understand. Just let me go.”

She touched him back even though she knew it would cost her. “Explain it to me, then. Maybe it will help Dolores.”

Colors swirled and Grace’s hormones went on overdrive. She dropped her hand. The feeling died away.

“You mean that she’ll be out of danger as you seem to think she is in?” he asked.

His frown communicated his doubt.

“She is in trouble. She’s going to be killed.”

His face remained impassive and Grace wasn’t sure if her gamble would pay off. She wanted to shake him and though he’d given her a hard time, she didn’t really think he was this cold. He must care about Dolores some or he wouldn’t have slept with her.

“Killed? By whom? I’ll have him arrested.”

“Zach, I don’t know. Maybe you’re the guy. You seemed pretty pissed at her.” Most of her didn’t believe this.