Over Her Dead Body (22 page)

Chapter 36

Michael woke up with the slamming of car doors outside. For a moment he panicked thinking the police had come to get him. Then he remembered that most of the family took off in their vehicle
s
about this time the previous day. Michael relaxed a little and untied the loa
ves
of bread from his backpack. He pulled out two slices and a jar of peanut butter and used a plastic knife to spread it on. He folded each one in half and ate them like a taco. Not a bad breakfast under the circumstances. He knew that peanut butter and bread was the way to go. He could live off two loaves and a jar for nearly a week.

Michael reached into his pack and pulled out the Mountain Dew he had meant to drink yesterday before having to run from the police. It was going to be room temperature but he figured he could use the caffeine. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go or what he was going to do. One thing was certain; he needed to speak to April.

Michael finished his breakfast and quickly changed into his jeans and white polo shirt. He wasn’t sure if he’d be coming back here. He doubted it. He packed everything up into his bag. He pulled out his notebook and pen and wrote ‘Thank You’ on a sheet of paper and left it there for the man whom he had spoken to the night before. He stowed the paper and pen in his bag, zipped it up and threw it over his shoulder.

Michael climbed down the stairs and grabbed the keys the man had left for him on the counter. He eased the garage door open and peered outside. No police cars. No people. No sounds. There was a newer white Toyota Highlander sitting in the driveway. Michael hit the unlock button on the key fob to make sure the keys went to the Highlander. The SUV’s lights flashed indicating that it had been unlocked. He closed the garage door behind him and quietly jumped into the SUV. He put the keys in the ignition and started the vehicle. Michael put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. He half expected a cop car to be waiting around the corner to pull him over but none came. He pulled up to a stop sign, reached over into his bag and pulled out the hat and sunglasses and put them on. He didn’t want anybody recognizing him. Michael checked his look in the mirror and drove off satisfied that he would be able to get around without being recognized.

Michael wasn’t sure where to go. He needed to call April. He was getting concerned that someone might recognize the vehicle he was driving and realize that the driver didn’t match the owner. He couldn’t afford any mistakes. Michael pulled onto highway 231 and headed out of town. Michael drove through two small towns before pulling over into a Mc
D
onald’s parking lot and parked. He pulled out the prepaid cell phone. It came with a card and twenty minutes of talk time. He had to call a number to activate it. Michael read the directions thoroughly and had the phone activated in about ten minutes. He dialed April’s number and waited for her to pick up…hoping that she would
answer
. The phone rang four times. It usually went to voicemail on the fifth ring. “Come on, come on…pick up.” Michael said to himself.

“Hello?” It wasn’t April. It was Becca. Oh great. Michael debated hanging up. He sat in silence for a moment trying to decide.

“Hello?” Becca’s voice came across the line again. She sounded tired. Michael was running through the possibilities. She was likely to report the call and he would have to abandon the phone. “Michael?” She asked. “Is that you?”

“Becca, is…is April there?” He asked quietly.

“Michael, what are you doing calling her? Are you crazy? You’re going to get her into more trouble.”

“What do you mean more trouble? Is April in trouble?” Michael sounded concerned
,
almost panicked at the thought of April being in some kind of trouble.

“She was. Thanks to you. They took her into custody. She spent the night in the county jail Michael.”

“Oh my God. Why? Did they charge her with something?” Michael asked.

Becca lowered her voice as if to keep from alerting someone. Probably April. “They said the girl you uncovered matched April’s DNA too. They said she had to be
her
daughter
as well as yours
!”

Michael paused. His heart began to beat faster. It was as he had expected. The condom that fell off, the purchasing of the house, the betrayal. All the pieces fit. April killed the girl. She must have dr
agged
him out there somehow while he was sleeping. She probably drugged his drink or food. “I was afraid of that.” Michael said.

“Afraid of what?” Becca snapped in a whisper.

“After we graduated, that summer,” Michael began, “we went camping. April and I slept together. My condom fell off. I…I never told her. I didn’t see her for over a year after that. She must have gotten pregnant.”

“What? You think…!” Becca snapped a little too loud. There was a pause and Michael heard a door shut like she stepped outside the house. “You think April had a kid and didn’t tell you? Are you friggn crazy?”

“Well I…”

“April has never gotten pregnant much less by you! I can’t believe you would think she would do that! Oh and then what, you think she murdered that girl?” There was a pause. Michael didn’t know what to say. “And they actually let you teach?”

“I thought you said the DNA matched. How else would you explain it?” Michael asked.

Becca’s voice calmed down. “We don’t know and neither do they. They had to let her go because she passed a physical exam, xray, and lie detector test.”

Michael’s mood lifted. April wasn’t a killer…or a liar. His eyes welled up with tears. He shouldn’t have doubted her. “I’m sorry Becca, I…I didn’t know how else to explain it. Will she talk to me?”

There was a long pause while Becca considered this. “Probably. But she’s sleeping right now. And I’m not waking her.”

“Becca, I need to speak to her so we can get this figured out. I didn’t do this.”

There was another long pause. “I believe you. But if she gets caught speaking with you, they can arrest her for that. Do you understand that?” Becca asked.

“Yes, I understand. This phone can’t be traced to me. Look, we have no choice but to figure this out or the police, news people, and public are going to keep coming at us until they have blood! We’ve
got
to figure this out.”

“So what are you saying? What do you want me to tell her?”

“Tell her to meet me tonight. At the place we first kissed. If we can’t figure it out, you have my word, I’ll turn myself in. Agreed?”

Another long pause. “Fine. But you better not let anything happen to her Michael Bander or so help me…”

“I know. I got it. Trust me; I’m more afraid of you than the police anyway.” Michael said.

Michael could almost feel Becca smile on the other end of the line. “You better be.” She said but in a nice voice.

“No more surprises?” He asked.

“No more surprises. I didn’t know they would shoot at you.” She said.

“I know. I don’t blame you for doing what you did. But I love April. I would never hurt her or anybody else for that matter.”

“What time should she meet you?”

“How about six? Would that give her enough sleep?”

“Ya, it should. But Michael…I can’t promise she’ll agree to meet you. But I will tell her.”

“That’s ok. I’ll understand either way. And if I can’t figure this thing out soon, I’ll turn myself in
no matter what
.”

“Good luck. I hope you figure it out. Because I sure as hell can’t.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it. Give her a hug for me.” Michael said and hung up the phone. It was all on the line now. Either he walks into a trap or her arms. Michael hoped for the latter. He didn’t think his heart would survive another betrayal. Michael backed out of Mc
D
onald
'
s and continued his course to Alexandria Bay. He kept dreaming of the amusement park. Maybe his subconscious was trying to tell him something.

Chapter 37

It wasn’t the same without her.
That’s what Michael was thinking as he spun around on the scrambler. He had time to kill before meeting April. He had to pay to get in so he figured he might as well enjoy some of the rides. He had to admit that nothing could force a smile on your face quite like a roller coaster. But none of it felt right without April here with him.

As
Michael
watched all the people coming and going, he pondered
what it was that was so exciting about amusement parks.
T
he laughing, the screaming, the smells of buffa
lo burgers and funnel cakes;
Michael came to the conclusion that it was romantic somehow. It was all about sharing the experience with someone. Michael was spinning around on the scrambler from one side to the other. He was noticing that everybody was with someone. Except him. Which is what drew him to the conclusion;
it wasn’t the same without her
. Michael was pondering this while being spun around. Out and then in. On the last rotation, Michael’s eyes met up with eyes that were eerily familiar. Everything appeared slow motion as Michael locked eyes with a beautiful woman with long brown, curly hair. She was staring right at him. Time seemed to freeze for a split moment and then it sped up again and Michael was being spun to the other side of the ride. When he circled back around and came to a stop, the woman was gone. Michael’s senses were on high alert. A chill ran up his spine. Had the girl recognized him from the news? Was she just waiting on someone, a child perhaps? If so, then why disappear? Michael decided it was time to lay low until evening arrived. He didn’t want to blow any chances of meeting up with April.

Michael got his hand stamped so he could return to the park and he headed out to the SUV. He kept looking around half expecting to see police cars flooding the parking lot, but none arrived. Maybe she hadn’t recognized him after all. Michael breathed a sigh of relief and hopped into the vehicle anyway. He started the engine, turned the air on, and jumped into the back seats which he folded down flat so he could lay down. Michael looked at the time on the Toyota’s clock; three o’clock. He still had about three hours until April was suppose
d
to meet him. Michael put the time to good use and drifted off to sleep.

Michael drifted in and out for the next two and a half hours. As five thirty drew near, Michael decided it was time to head back into the park. Michael looked over the gauges of the car. The gas was still near half a tank. He turned it off and pocketed the keys. When he stepped out of the SUV, Michael suddenly remembered that he could be walking into a trap.

For a moment, his stomach turned and
he
felt nauseous. He wasn’t going to run
anymore. He had already decided;
i
f April sent the police instead, he would allow himself to be brought in. He figured he didn’t have much of a chance proving his innocence from behind bars, but he doubted he was going to figure it out constantly on the run either. No, he couldn’t put more people at risk. The man in the garage was right. If his family had found out a suspected murderer was camping out in the garage, they might never feel completely safe again and he didn’t want to do that to anybody.

Michael looked around and not seeing any police, headed for the gates. He held out his hand to be checked for a stamp and once again, he was thrust into the world of sounds, smells, and sights. Michael felt like he must stand out like a fox in a henhouse. He made his way alongside the water until he came to the place he remembered from a long time ago.

There were small vending machines like the ones that vend skittles or m & m’s. Instead of candy, when you place your quarter into the slot and turned the knob, you were rewarded with a handful of food pellets to feed the fish with. There were a couple of children nearby with palmfulls of pellets and were sprinkling them across the water. The surface of the water was filled with heads and bodies of large carp. Their little sucker mouths opened and closed at the surface making little popping sounds as they slurped down the food pellets. The children were giggling at the sounds they made. Michael looked around. Still no sign of April. It suddenly occurred to Michael that April might not remember where they shared their first kiss. That was all he had told Becca. Have her meet me at the place where we shared our first kiss. He had never forgotten, but it was a selfish assumption to think that she would treasure the same memory that they had shared so many years ago. And if she didn’t remember? Then what? Michael shook his head. It was too
soon
to worry about it. It was still early. She may even be delayed.
Or Becca may not have told her;
or she could have called the police…Michael was going crazy running the scenarios through his mind. He looked out across the water and tried to focus o
n
a small sailboat to take his mind off of it. After a few minutes he felt his heart and mind coming back to reality. He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a quarter. Michael put the quarter in one of the machines and turned the knob. He caught a handful of pellets in his left hand. Suddenly a voice from behind paralyzed him.

“Are you going to share some of those?”

Michael turned around and found April standing there smiling at him. She looked as beautiful as she had on the night they had kissed here so many years ago. April was smiling but her eyes were tearing up. Michael’s hand released the pellets and they fell to the ground as he threw his arms around her and pulled her tight. “I thought I had lost you.” He said.

April pulled back and looked into his eyes. Tears were falling from each cheek. “Michael…I’m…I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do.” She said. “I thought…when they told me that your DNA matched…I thought…” April’s eyes teared up some more.

“It’s alright,” Michael said and pulled her back in for another hug, “I’m not mad. I would have done the same thing.” He pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes. Her hair was getting stuck on her wet cheeks. Michael brushed it back behind her ear and wiped away the tears with his thumb. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” April said smiling. She leaned in and kissed him. “Just like before.” She said as she pulled away.

“I thought you might have forgotten.” Michael said.

“Michael Mcreary Bander!” She said sternly. “Do you really think I would forget where we shared our first kiss?” She punched him playfully in the shoulder. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself Mister.” Michael smiled. April reached into her jeans and pulled out a quarter and handed it to him.

Michael looked at the quarter and then at April. “You want to feed them?” He asked smiling. April nodded. Michael smiled again and put the quarter in the machine and turned the knob for another handful of pellets. He stretched his hand out and poured half into April’s hand. They both walked over to the water’s edge and shared a smiling look before sprinkling the pellets over the water for the fish. April laughed outloud. Something she hadn’t done in a long time. Michael looked over and smiled at the blissful look on her face. April was smiling as if the last few days had never happened. She looked as happy and carefree as she had when they had fed the fish nearly twenty years ago.

April brushed her hands together out over the water to get the crumbs off. Michael and April both turned toward one another. Michael took April
'
s hands in his and they just looked into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Finally they inched together closer and closer until their foreheads were touching one another. Michael slid his hand around her waist and pulled her in tight. They shared a long passionate kiss. As they separated they both froze and turned their heads slowly away from the water. A woman was standing less than three feet away staring directly at them. She was about April’s height with long brown hair that hung down past her shoulders with a slight curl. The girl had beautiful brown eyes and a fair complexion. Her mouth was slightly ajar. She wasn’t staring out past Michael and April. She was staring
at
them. Michael recognized her at once as the girl who had been staring at him earlier on the ride. Her sudden presence at such a close proximity startled April and Michael.

April was about to say something. She opened her mouth and then shut it again as a couple of startling things dawned on her about the girl standing before them. One, she looked a lot like herself only
much, much
younger. Two, she looked a lot like the girl in the photo. The one the detective had slid across the table at her.
She had a twin
. And three, she looked a lot like the little girl in her dreams only bigger.
You’re my mommy silly
. “You’re her sister…” April blurted out. The girl’s reaction was instant. Her eyes welled up with tears and she nodded her head.