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I WAS GLAD THAT no policemen seemed to be out as I headed for the store. I certainly would have gotten a speeding ticket! I hadn’t even taken the dogs out before I left. Esther was one of the most dependable people I know. She had been teaching woodwinds at the shop for probably about 20 years, or at least for as long as I could remember. Julie had taken flute lessons with her.
I pulled into the back staff parking area behind Fairview Music. Detective Winn and two other uniformed officers were already waiting for me. I got out of the car, store keys in my hand.
The back door was shut. I turned the knob before I put in the key and found that it was not locked. I looked at the officers.
“You better let us go in first.” Detective Winn said, as he and the two officers slid past me. They held their guns up. I continued to stand on the landing and just stuck my head in the door. Where was the safest spot? I did not know and I was nervous. I heard the officers opening the doors to my office, the teaching studios and other spaces.
“Isaac!” I heard one officer call Detective Winn.
“Ok. I think that’s her.” Detective Winn said. I didn’t think it through and headed back toward where they were. I didn’t get a close look before I was ushered out, but I saw Esther laying on the floor of the studio that she used.
“Is she dead?” I asked, trying to get a better look as the one officer lead me back to the store floor.
“Yes, ma’am.” The officer told me. “Wait here.”
“Alright.” I told him. Did he really thing that I was going to leave? I sat down on one of the chairs that was in the store, so customers could try out the guitars. Detective Winn came down the hall towards me. I gasped when I saw he was carrying another noose.
“Are these the same violin strings as the other one?” Detective Winn asked me. I looked at the letter P’s on the bead.
“Yes. The same kind. Was she killed with that noose?” I was asked, frankly feeling nauseous.
“It looks like she was strangled with something else, like a scarf. This was just left behind. I’m thinking that it’s the calling card of whoever did this.” He looked closely at the violin string noose he was holding in his gloved hands.
“A calling card?” I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know.
“A calling card is what law enforcement calls an object that is left at the scene of a crime by the person who committed that crime. It is intended to both taunt the police, and it’s also a kind of signature left by the criminal.”
“Like an artist signs a painting?” I inquired.
“I guess. Jack the Ripper left them. In 2002, the Washington, D.C. snipers left Tarot cards with messages.” Detective Winn explained. “Anyway, I hate to ask you this, but did you get a good enough look at the body to identify her as Esther Hart?”
“Yes. That is Esther.” I said sadly. I wish I understood what was going on. Everyone adored Esther. Who would want to kill her? “Detective Winn, are you sure she was strangled? Maybe it was a heart attack or something like that. Esther got along with everyone.”
“I’m sorry, Lisa, but she was definitely strangled.” There was a soft knock on the back door. Detective Winn went back to answer it. It was the coroner with a gurney and some more police offices with cameras and other bags.
”She’s right back here.” Detective Winn lead them in and back to where Esther’s body was. I stayed in my chair. In fact, I sat there for about 3 more hours, when Detective Winn finally came back down the hall to talk to me.
“We are going to have to keep everyone out of that room for the next couple of days. Murder scenes take a while. Sorry about that.” Detective Winn shook his head.
“Can I use the rest of the store?” I tried not to yawn. This morning when I took Julie to the airport seemed like days ago!
“Yes. I think we’ve gotten what we need from out here. It appears now that the murder itself took place in that one room. If you’d like to go on home, you may. We have a few more hour’s work, then I will lock up. I think I may keep someone on the scene to watch for the next day or so, maybe longer, as well.” Detective Winn saying I could go home was the best thing I’d ever heard! I was SO tired.
“Thank you! I think I will go home. It was a real early morning, and the day didn’t exactly play out as planned.” I stood up and gathered my bag and other things together. I had gotten some papers for the festival out of my office and had, at least, accomplished something while I was waiting.
“Alright. I will call you tomorrow with any updates.” Detective Winn stepped to one side, so I could pass by.
“Thank you!” I headed for the door. Detective Winn followed me and watched me get into my car and drive away.
I got home, took Henry and Delilah out, tossed my jeans and heavy sweater into the corner and fell into bed just wearing the t-shirt I had on under the sweater. Pajamas were way too much work tonight! I didn’t even bother to brush my teeth.
The sound of my phone ringing woke me with a start out of a very sound sleep. It was Julie.
“Esther is dead?” Julie sounded like she had been crying.
“Uh, yes. I’m sorry, Julie.” My voice was croaky. I took my phone from my ear and looked at the clock. It was 8:00.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Julie sniffled.
“Didn’t get home until 3:30 this morning. I figured you would be sleeping. I’m sorry.” Even though I was genuinely sorry, but I also really wanted another hour or two of sleep before I had to go to the store and deal with, well, everything. “How did you find out about it?”
“The Friendly Fairview Facebook page.” Julie blew her nose.
“Of course. Don’t cry, you’re going to be all puffy for the wedding. Try not to think about it, and I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow.” I really needed to pee!
“Alright. Call you tonight?” Julie asked sadly.
“Sure, if you aren’t partying the night away with some handsome groomsmen!” I suggested.
“Yeah. Not going to happen! Bye, Lisa!”
“Bye.” I was halfway into the bathroom when I pushed the off button on my phone. After I went to the bathroom, I fell back into my bed. Luckily, Henry and Delilah were both content to sleep a while longer. Occasionally, Henry mistook an early morning bathroom jaunt for me, as time to rise, shine and play fetch for him. I think that since I took them out so late last night, or so early this morning, they should be good for a while.
I folded my pillow in half to prop up my head and looked at the Friendly Fairview Facebook page. All the posts were from townspeople who were busy on the town grapevine. Neither Detective Winn, nor the Fairview Police Department, had posted anything new this morning. Detective Winn was probably still asleep!
I unfolded my pillow, pulled the blankets up and had just about nodded off when my phone rang again.
“Hello, Mother. How was Fiddler on the Roof?” I draped one arm across my face. The harsh realization that I was not going to get any more sleep was starting to dawn on me.
“Esther Hart is dead?” Apparently, Mom had been on Facebook, too.
“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t call, but I knew you were at the show and wouldn’t be able to answer your phone.” Yay! Good save on my part.
“You could have texted!” Mom declared. I guess my save was not so good after all. “You need to sell that store and never go there again!”
“Mom, I will not sell the store. I will have more security installed, and Detective Winn will have a police officer stationed by the store for now. I’ll be fine.” The more I talked, the more I was needing convinced! Jerry and Colette were always very trusting and never put a security system in the store. They felt people would feel that they didn’t trust or caring about the customers with a camera aimed right at the friendly folks of Fairview, as they banged bongos and tooted kazoos. After finding a bullet hole in my office wall and a dead body in Teaching Studio 3, the customers can feel I don’t trust them all they want. Because I don’t!
“How’s Delilah?” Mom asked. I guessed she felt that she had gotten all the details from the Friendly Fairview page. She just wanted to call and scold me for not telling her first.
“Fine. She’s asleep. I’d like to be asleep.” I hinted.
“Alright, go to sleep. Stay safe! Are your doors locked?” Mom was going to worry, regardless of what I said, and I really could not blame her.
“Yes, all locked. Bye Mom.”
“Bye Lisa.” Mom turned off her phone before I could tap the button on mine. While I was happy to be off the phone, there was no way that I was going to go back to sleep. I pulled on the jeans that I had worn yesterday, stuck my feet - that still had on the stocks from yesterday - into my favorite red clogs, and headed downstairs. The dogs looked at me in disbelief. I was halfway down the stairs when I heard them jump off the bed, their little claws clicking as they scampered across the hardwood floor after me. I don’t think they believed that I would really go downstairs.
Going into the kitchen, I made some yogurt and granola. I thought about yesterday. I really did not know who had broken into my office, fired a shot into my wall, or killed Esther Hart. And what did the person have against Pizzicato Professional Violin strings? The whole thing made little sense to me. As I mulled it over and swirled my spoon in my yogurt, the phone rang yet again.
“Hello?” I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello, Lisa. This is Keith Klein. I’ve heard you had a rough day yesterday.” Keith was the cellist, who, with his wife, violin star Gianna Rossi, were the headliners, as much as a headliner could be in Fairview, at the Chamber Music festival this weekend.
“Yes, it was quite a day.” I tried to sound nonchalant. No idea if it worked.
“I was just calling to make sure the festival is still on for the weekend?” Keith inquired.
“Yes, of course it is!” It had actually never dawned on me to cancel it or anything like that. “The police think that yesterday was a random, one-time thing. Everything is fine!” I lied.
“Fantastic! We are planning to get into town on tomorrow . Hoping for a few days with the family in the old hometown before the festival. We are really looking forward to it!” Keith’s enthusiasm made me feel better.
“Final details about warm-up times and such will be emailed out on Monday.” I was a calm, detail-oriented businessperson.
“Sound great! I will look for it on Monday! Take care, Lisa!” Keith bubbled.
“Super! See you soon!” I bubbled back and hung up. I sighed. Right.... I was a calm, detail-oriented businessperson. A calm, detail-oriented businessperson with a dead body in Teaching Studio Number 3.