Diane Davidson - The Main Corpse

“Do you think you could tell me what happened?”

She sighed. But the painkiller must have been taking effect, because she began to talk, very softly. “It was too cold Friday night to camp, and I told Tony I couldn’t sleep outside. I begged for us to drive up the next day. He got mad and we argued. But we came back here, cooked some of that soup you gave us, and then argued more about going up to the campsite that night. We went to bed-Tony in the guest room, mind you. But then he came in and woke me up, said he thought he heard an intruder. You know I sleep like a rock, I didn’t hear a thing. But he was in a terrible state. He insisted on tiptoeing around the house, looking for some nonexistent burglar. Finally he calmed down. When I woke up the next morning, I lay here thinking, we’re going out to share a tent in the wild, and he can’t even get through one night without being a mass of nerves?” She managed a rusty laugh.

“But, why did you go out there at all? On Saturday, I mean? There was that terrible storm… .”

She sighed, touched one of the bruises on her cheek, then winced. “I didn’t want to go, but he insisted. The weather was a little warmer, and the fog had cleared, it was just windy. By the time we got the car loaded up, though, rain threatened again. Tony was in a rotten mood. I was ready to tell him to go by himself. Except that we were going in my car, that Miata of his can’t always do the rough-road stuff.[ I should have told him to rent a Range Rover. I should have told him a lot of things.” She frowned. “Think it’s too soon for me to have another pain pill?”

“Absolutely too soon. Wait and see what Yang says. At the campsite, did you see Macguire or his Subaru?”

Even shaking her head seemed to cause her pain.

“No. We got up there to the site by Grizzly Creek, and Tony started acting jumpy as a rabid squirrel. He kept talking about Albert, saying this was their favorite fishing spot. We pitched the tent and of course it started to pour. We used Sterno and heated up some more of your soup. He kept saying, ‘Did you hear something? Think somebody’s out here with us?’ I said no fifty times, and then told him his paranoia was making me nuts and I was going to sleep. I was so tired I could have slept through a hurricane. Or so I thought until somebody grabbed me and pulled me out of the tent.”

“What? Who?”

“I don’t know. Somebody just started hitting me. I screamed and called for Tony. I tried to get my footing but it was muddy, dark, thunder blasting overhead, rain coming down like crazy… . It was like a nightmare. And it all happened so fast. I’d been in a deep sleep and then all of a sudden I was screaming my lungs out. But whoever was hitting me didn’t care. I finally managed to get out of the damn sleeping bag. I tried to hit back, grabbing at anything to use as a weapon. But this guy was strong. I thought it was a bear at first, but he grunted like a human. And what bear uses a piece of firewood to hit you? He hit me and hit me and hit me. Just as I was going down there was a flash of lightning, and I saw the guy moving away from me, and … he had no hair. It all went so fast. I thought, Where am I, where am I going, what am I supposed to do? I was l sure I was going to die.” Tears formed in her bruise-circled eyes.

“You fainted?”

“I was… I was… there was sand in my mouth and in my hair. The noise from the water was incredible… I finally figured I was on that sandy shoreline of the creek. With the rain coming down hard, and warm blood oozing over my face, I thought, Finally, finally, I get to rest. I was sure I was dead, or close to it. Later, in the night, I came to and the storm had become even more fierce, thunder, lightning, rain. I thought I heard someone calling me. ‘Marla! Are you here? Marla!’ “

“That was probably Macguire.” Her shoulders slumped. “I gasped, ‘Here! Here!’ But no one could have heard me over the creek and the storm. Besides, I thought I was hallucinating. My mind was so … mushy. Silly, even. My brain was laughing hysterically, saying, Nobody’s calling you, dummy, it’s Rochester wanting Jane Eyre! So there I was on the creek bank, every part of my body aching, wondering who would scream for me when I was about to kick the bucket. I knew I was dead.”

“Oh, Marla, I’m so sorry – “

She held up a hand to stop me. “When I woke up it was just past dawn. I think. Anyway, our campsite was a mess. I limped to my car, but it was locked. I must have lost the keys when the guy – Albert – attacked me. I finally hobbled out to the main road. A family going to church brought me home. I tried to call Tony but my line was dead.” The tears brimmed over. The painkillers were slurring her speech. “I was dying to call you… or come over… if we just had a taxi service in this hopeless town.

. .”

“Don’t,” I said firmly. “Everything will be fine now. I’m here with you.” I supported her as she stood shakily and walked, haltingly and with evident pain, toward the staircase. “My van’s parked out front. Do you want me to bring it around back, or can you make it down the steps?”

“Let me try to walk to your car. It’ll be good for me, I’m so cramped up.

We inched down the steps across the runner, then to the front door. I told Marla to hold on to a side table. I opened the door, and we both gasped.

Standing on the flagstone entry were two investigators dressed in plain clothes: Hersey and De Groot.

“Well!” said De Groot. He regarded the two of us with theatrical astonishment, his thick black eyebrows pulled upward. “Going someplace, ladies?”

12

“What is it, what are you doing here?” I asked. It felt like such a stupid question. Nevertheless, these guys had already proven they could make me feel idiotic. The pair eyed us with an undisguised mixture of hostility and suspicion that made me squirm.

“Aren’t you going to ask us about Schulz?” De Groot wanted to know. Before I could frame a response, he held up his hand and smirked. “He’s fine. At least the last time we saw him he was.” He quirked his eyebrows as if he were going to say more, but then seemed to think better of it. Blandly, he appraised Marla’s battered face. “Ms. Korman?”

With an uncharacteristic lack of resolve that made me want to put my arms around her, Marla replied, “Yes? What is it?”

“Can we come in?” I stepped between the cops and Marla. “No, I’m sorry, you can’t,” I replied curtly before she had a chance to respond. “As you can see, my friend’s in pain. Her doctor wants me to bring her in right away. We’ll talk to you later.”

Hersey ignored me. He stepped to one side and addressed Marla. “Got into another fight, did we, Ms. Korman?”

Marla said tonelessly, “It’s a long story.” I felt her embarrassment acutely. No woman likes to be seen covered with bruises and cuts: I knew that all too well from my personal experience with the Jerk.

My tone to the two investigators was icy. “Would you , please leave? We’re under doctor’s orders, on our way l to the hospital. My friend is hurt.”

“I’m sorry,” said De Groot. But he wasn’t. Cold, moist air billowed into the foyer. De Groot ran his fingers through his slick black hair. “We’re under time pressure, I’m afraid, Mrs. Schulz. If you take Ms. Korman here to the doctor, we’ll just have to follow you I down and talk to her there.”

“You’re joking,” I said. Again, he wasn’t.

“It won’t take long,” said Hersey.

“Oh, let them in,” said Marla dejectedly. “Let’s get this over with, then I’ll go see the doctor.” She turned away from the door and started to limp toward the kitchen. Over her shoulder, she said, “I don’t mind if you talk to me, as long as Goldy can stay with me.”