Rollins Hates Cops

"Not at all, what would you like to do?''

"I know this sounds stupid, but I would like to take a nap.'' she said sheepishly.

"That doesn't sound stupid at all. As a matter of fact, it sounds like a hell of an idea.

When we arrived back at the room, I pulled the coverlet back and fell onto the bed. I was sound asleep before Janet returned from the bathroom. I awoke around six to find her gone. I didn't pay much attention to her being gone. I simply took a quick shower then dressed in long pants for the evening.

When Janet returned an hour later, she was dressed in a different swimsuit. "You better get a move on, we need to get to Wrightsville early, if we are going to find a place to eat.''

"No problem,'' she said disappearing into the bathroom. When she emerged half an hour later she was dressed in black slacks and a white silk blouse. In the silk, even her small breasts were clearly outlined.

"God, you look radiant.''

"I always look good in silk,'' she said with a warm smile.

When we got to Wrightsville every restaurant in town was packed. "What the hell, we might as well go to this one,'' she said in spite of the line out the door.

The crowd didn't seem to bother her at all. We waited for a table along with fifty other people. She was all smiles and small talk, even with the other people waiting. Something had relaxed her during my nap. Maybe she took a tranquilizer, I thought.

After dinner she even suggested we go dancing. I carried her to the Holiday Inn lounge. The people were as thick as flies on an old nag. Janet didn't seem to be bothered at all. She danced beautifully, with a hell of a lot more rhythm than me. Finally around midnight we left for home.

"I don't know what got into you, but I approve.'' I said as we drove thought the hot humid night air.

"Nothing has gotten into me,'' she snapped.

"Hey, I was just saying you seem to be more relaxed.''

"I know, it's just that I feel more comfortable around you.'' We both knew it was more than that. I didn't follow up on it, because frankly I didn't care enough to fight about it. I recognized that something about her was a little off center, but then her whole family was a little out of plumb.

We were back in the motel room when she said, "So I guess it is back to the grind tomorrow.''

"No way to avoid it.'' I replied.

"It's been fun Ron.''

"For me too,'' I replied. I waited for her to make a move to the bathroom, so that I could undress. She put if off a few minutes longer then disappeared into the bathroom. I hadn't fallen asleep when she returned. I heard her get into the bed across from mine. I guess it was the nap that made me sleep so lightly. I heard her when she rose from the bed. I heard her open the door, and then disappear into the night.

I almost followed her but decided against it. She was, after all, of age to do whatever she wanted. I could only guess, she had met someone by the pool while I napped. That would certainly explain her sudden relaxation. They say sex does relieve stress.

I was asleep when she returned. I had no idea what time she arrived back in the room. I awoke the next morning to her voice. She was standing by my bed. "Wake up Ron. I want to get an early start.''

I looked at my watch and found it to be seven a.m. It was early for a vacationing couple to be up and around. I showered, and then dressed as she nervously paced the floor. I should have asked her about her sudden renewed attack of nerves, but frankly I just didn't care. I would be home and away from her in a few hours. I sure as hell didn't plan to spend any more time with her. Maybe the occasional lunch, but certainly nothing more.

I was home in my little studio a few days later when the doorbell chimed. It ruined the sentence I was working on for the latest red neck mystery. I exited my small studio, then went through the equally small living room. The woman and man standing on my doorstep were definitely cops of some kind. Something about a cop on your doorstep makes them easy to identify, even in their cheap suits. Hell maybe it was the cheap suits.

I opened the front door of my little house. "Yes?'' I asked.

"You Ron Rollins?'' the man asked.

"Yes,'' I replied.

"Mr. Rollins I'm Detective Amos and this is Detective Evers, we are from the Southport Police.''

"You guys are a long way from home. Come on in, I think I have some coffee on the stove. It isn't more than a few hours old.''

"None for us,'' the woman said.

"Okay, then it's coffee for one,'' I said as I walked into the postage stamp kitchen. They followed behind, as I knew they would. "So, what can I do for the Southport PD. I actually wrote a nice piece about you.''

"Oh?'' the woman asked.

"I was down for the Fourth Festival. Wait here and I'll get you the piece I wrote.'' I went into the studio and found a copy of the article. It hadn't been published at the time, but I had a draft copy from my computer."

It took the woman only a few minutes to read the two-thousand word article. "Nice,'' she said. "So you were down there researching this?''

"That's right, so what's going on?''

"Were you alone?'' the man asked.

"No, actually I had a friend along with me.''

"We need her name and address,'' the man said.

"Not unless you tell me why,'' I said losing my good attitude.

The two of them glanced at each other. They were deciding if it was time to spill the beans. "There was a man killed in the motel where you were staying. We are checking everyone who was at the motel.'

"When did it happen?'' I asked.

"Saturday night, I believe you left early Sunday morning, quite early.''

"I don't suppose you heard anything that night?'' the woman asked.

"No, I'm usually a pretty sound sleeper.'' I admitted.

"Well, we need to talk to your girlfriend. She might have seen or heard something.'' the woman suggested.

"Sure,'' I said as I gave them Janet's name and address.

"I understand you were a cop?'' the man asked.

"I was also a democrat once, what's your point?''

"They tell us downtown, you would be capable of killing the young man,'' the woman suggested.

"I might be capable, but I didn't. I didn't even meet any of the other guests at the motel.''

"Your girlfriend met a lot of them,'' the man said with a leer.

"What the hell does that mean?'' I asked angrily.

"It means, she was flirting with several of them by the pool Saturday afternoon. It also means she went into a room with two of them. One of whom happened to be the victim.''

"That's petty interesting, but what does it have to do with me?'' I asked."Maybe you found out and lost your temper,'' he suggested.

"Maybe I didn't find out, and wouldn't have cared anyway.'' I said.

"Why wouldn't you have cared,'' the woman asked.

"Because she wasn't then and isn't now my girlfriend. She is the sister of my ex-wife. She invited herself along on that trip. We went as family, not lovers.''

"That sounds pretty weak to me. She told the other man, she had to be careful her boyfriend, you, were the jealous type.''

"She called me her boyfriend at the beach. She told me then, it was to get rid of an unwelcome advance.'' I knew how lame it sounded.

"These weren't unwelcome advances according to the man who spent an hour with her in the motel room.''

"Janet is over twenty one, I don't think spending time with a man is a crime."

"Not spending time with a man, but murder is a crime.'' the woman stated.

"I can't help you. I didn't know what she was up to, and I wouldn't have cared.'' I replied honestly.

Everyone stopped talking, they were waiting for me to say something. Usually a suspect has to keep the air filled with words. When he does, he will eventually trip himself up on a lie. I waited them out.

Finally the woman broke. "Do you own a straight razor?''

"Are you kidding? Look at this beard, what the hell would I do with a razor of any kind.''

"I take that as a no,'' she said seriously.

"You can take it anyway you want. I just do not happen to own a razor of any kind.''

"Would you be willing to take a polygraph?'' the man asked.

"Would you be willing, to kiss my ass on Main Street at high noon?'' I snapped.

"I take it, that is a no,'' he said angrily.

"Like I said before, you take it any damned way you want.''

"Try this one then, did you kill that man?'' the woman asked bluntly.

"Ask anyone around here, if I had killed him, I would have lit him up. I don't much like sharp things.''

"I guess we will be going then,'' the man said. "I don't guess it would do any good to ask you not to call and warn this Janet?''

"Not a bit, you are going to find a lawyer with her. That is, if you find her at all.'' I had been running the weekend over in my mind. It was more than possible that she had killed the man. She had acted nutty enough.

What the cops didn't understand was that she would be at the courthouse surrounded by a dozen lawyers. I called her at work. She was in the courtroom, so I left her a message to call me as soon as possible. I even tagged it urgent.

She didn't call for several hours, so I knew the cops found her before she had a chance to call. When I did hear from her she was standing on my stoop.

"Did the police talk to you?'' she asked.

"As a matter of fact they did. I suppose you have been with them the last three hours?''

"God yes, they think you killed a man at the motel. I did my best to cover for you.''

"There is nothing to cover. I never even met the man.''

She ignored me. "The cops think you killed him in a fit of jealousy. I told them that was ridiculous. I explained that you never left the room that night.''

"Since we slept in separate beds, that isn't going to hold up.''

"What do you mean separate beds. We were together in the same bed all night.''

I couldn't tell whether she believe her own lie or not. Maybe she was using it as an alibi or maybe she believed it. Either way she was a sick puppy.

"Janet, I know you are trying to help, but you have to tell them the truth,'' I said trying to decide what she was thinking.

"That is the truth.'' She paused for a long moment then added, "some man at the motel has me confused with another woman, or he is telling the most horrible lies about me. That woman cop thinks I went into a room with two men. She even described the most horrible things I am supposed to have done. You know Ron; I would never be unfaithful to you. Not like that slut sister of mine.''

Janet was working herself into a state. "Take it easy Janet. I know you aren't like Maggie.'' I hoped she would calm down.

"You know, I'll bet that was Maggie down there. It would be just like her to do the things that detective described.'' I took a good look at Janet and found her eyes dancing again. "Sure, Maggie would screw them both at the same time. God, she is such a slut. I don't know how you put up with her so long. She might even have killed that man. God knows she is capable of anything.''

"You didn't suggest that to the cops did you?'' I asked calmly.

"Oh course not, she is a slut and probably a murderer, but she is family.''

Her words hit home. Janet might be a slut and a murderer, but she was family. I had to think, but it was hard with her rambling. I wanted to scream shut up, but I figured that might not be such a good idea. The first thing I had to determine was what she had told the detectives

"Janet honey, I need for you to tell me what the cops asked you. Honey it is important.'' I said as calmly as I could manage with my own heart racing a mile a minute

"They asked me, why you said you weren't my boyfriend. I told them about my family and how they would react if it got out. Then I told them, that we had slept in the same bed and that I knew you didn't kill anyone.'' Her words were calm but hollow sounding.

"Did they ask you, if you had met the murdered man?''

"Sure, I told them I might have. I was, after all, at the pool while you napped. I explained that I was helping you with your article, so I had talked to a lot of people.''

Okay, being seen together was covered.

"What did you tell them when they asked, if you went in to the room with the two men?'' I asked.

"You aren't going to be mad are you Ron?'

"No baby, I'm not going to be mad.''

"I told them I went into the room to see a seashell. I know I shouldn't have gone into another man's room, but honest honey, it was just to see the seashell.''

"I know sweetie.'' That one was covered. Now it was pretty much one man's word against hers.

"I told them I ran out of the room when one of them tried to touch me. I did honest Ron, I wouldn't let anyone else touch me there.'' She was getting agitated again.

"It's okay baby, I know you wouldn't do anything wrong.'' I said. She had somehow found her way into my arms. I held her while she cried.

"Honest Ron, I didn't mean for it to happen. I just wasn't thinking.'' she said through her tears. It didn't know what she meant by `it', but I did know that I didn't want to know.

"Janet honey this is important, when you went into the room to see the seashell, was it the dead man's room?''

"Yes,'' she answered more calmly. So much for explaining away any finger prints in the room. If she didn't say anything else, she was pretty much covered. I figured a smart lawyer could defend her, but I didn't want her to go to trial. She might actually get acquitted without my testimony. That is, if she didn't take the stand. I didn't want her to get acquitted of murder. She most definitely didn't need to be walking around free, but I also didn't want some over zealous DA to put her on death row. What the kid needed was a hospital stay, not a prison sentence.

She pulled away from me, "So,'' she said as though nothing had happened, "where are you taking me for dinner.''

I had dealt with enough nuts, when I was a cop, to know how to handle her. "I don't know, what do you feel like?''

"I would like to have a pizza delivered, then screw your brains out.'' She was smiling again and her eyes had stopped dancing.

"The pizza sounds good, but the other may have to wait. I am feeling a little tired tonight.'' I said trying to keep her calm.

"You order the pizza and I'll go change,'' she said totally ignoring me.

"Okay,'' I had to wonder what she would change into, since she had no clothes at my house and none with her. Changing meant she removed her suit. She returned to the kitchen dressed only in the white silk blouse she had worn to work. When she sat I realized the blouse was absolutely the only thing she wore.

After the pizza we sat at the kitchen table to make small talk. I would ordinarily have had a drink or three, but that night I kept the bottle hidden. I wanted to keep my wits about me, and I certainly didn't want her drinking.

"Come on,'' she said. "I want to watch TV.''

We sat on my small sofa. She moved until she was pressed tightly against me. I put my arm around her. She seemed to be enjoying the TV program. I, on the other hand was trying to figure what to do with her. Not just tonight, but for years to come.

"Come on Ron, it's bedtime,'' she said pulling me from the sofa. I followed her into my small bedroom where she removed the blouse before I could stop her. She actually was a beautiful woman.

I had all kinds of lies planned to avoid sleeping with her, but they proved unnecessary. She seemed to have forgotten all about screwing me to death. Believe me, I was thankful, the to death tag scared hell out of me. She curled up beside me and fell into a blissful sleep. As you can imagine, I didn't sleep at all.

She left early the next morning; it would never do for her to arrive at work in the same outfit as the day before. "Men were such pigs, they would get the wrong idea, or maybe the right one,'' she said with a smile.

I called Doctor Brenner at exactly nine. I told his receptionist that it was an emergency. I saw him at ten. Brenner was a psychiatrist I had dealt with as a cop. On occasion I would transport one of his indigent patients to the hospital in Andrews.

When I was seated I asked, "You don't remember me do you?''

"No have you been a patient before?''

"No and I'm not one now. I have a story to tell you, please listen.'' I went on to tell him all of it. When I finished he didn't say a word. He moved to the wall behind him, removed a book then sat down at his desk.

"I can't make a diagnosis without talking to her, but I can tell you this. She will do it again, and she has probably done it before.''

"I was afraid of that.''

"It is possible that this was her first. She may have been dormant until she met you again. It is possible that she just had some kind of fixation on you, from the time of your marriage to her sister. As long as you two stayed apart, she might have just fantasized about you. No telling how many different emotions are tied up in her view of you. The fact that she wouldn't have sex with you, but would leave your bed, so to speak, to have sex with another men, then kill him is pretty classical.''

"So what can we do to keep her out of jail?''

"I don't know, a voluntary commitment can be reversed at any time. She could show up on your doorstep a week, or a year from now. If she goes to trial, then she may go to jail. Those prosecution experts never find anyone insane.''

"I can't let her go to jail, she is sick not a criminal.''

"Murder is a crime you know?'' he said.

"I know, but she is sick,''

"She might never get any better. A life sentence is a life sentence,'' he reminded me. "Can her family afford a private clinic?''

"I doubt it.''

"Then the prison system would be no worse than the state hospital. It isn't exactly a picnic over there. I know it galls you Ron, but you may have to play by the rules this time.''

I gave him a curious look.

"Shrinks don't live in a vacuum. Your history is well known to me. I was frankly surprised to find you in the appointment book.''

"Sorry, I disappointed you.''

"Not at all, I would have been disappointed had you needed my services. So what are you going to do about this Janet?''

"I don't have any idea, except I am not going to be the one to put her into the system.''

"You may be the only one who can.''

"Then she is going to stay out.''

When I arrive home, the Southport detectives were parking outside my house. I walked past them without speaking. I knew they would be at my door, before I could unlock it. I turned back when I had the door open to allow them to enter ahead of me.

"It looks like you and the girl are each other's alibi. That is downright convenient.'' the woman said. "Why didn't you tell us you were sleeping with her?''

"Like she told you, I didn't want her family to know.''

"One of you killed that man.''

"Then it should be easy to prove.''

"You know, he had sex with her just before he died. I can't prove it was she was the one, but I know it. I think you stormed into the room and hacked him to death with a razor.''

"If you think that, you should arrest me,'' I snapped at the man.

"The only reason I don't is, Agnes thinks she killed him. Some kind of nutso thing.''

I didn't trust myself to respond.

"You know if that's true, it's just a matter of time before she does you?'' the woman said.

"Well Agnes, that would be my problem, wouldn't it?''

"You know, that when she does you, she is going to jail. The only difference between now and then, is that you are going to be dead.''

"Like I said, that would be my problem.''

"Give us a break here Ron,'' the man suggested.

"If all Southport cops are as stupid as you two, the town must be overrun with crooks and killers. If the best theory you can come up with, is that one day out of the blue Janet turns into some kind of black widow, you need help. Now if you don't mind, I need to get to work.''