Chapter 10.  Tragedy

 

Shelly dropped dead Tuesday morning.  She was racing back from class with her head full of ideas for the weekend.  She dashed into Browning Hall,  joined a gaggle of girls waiting for the elevator, and without an utterance slumped to the floor.

 

Some of the girls jumped away in dismay.  Others leaped into action.  One tried CPR.  Another called the Campus Police.  A third rang 9-1-1.  Shortly, the lobby was filled with first-responders.  Shelly seemed to be in a deep sleep.  She was strikingly beautiful, lying there with radiant, bronze skin and her newly styled hair.  Her countenance was peaceful.  The professionals were baffled.  They could detect no signs of life, but she looked quite healthy.  Thinking she might be in a deep coma, they rushed her to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead.

 

Police officials notified Shelly’s Mother in Mexico, Missouri.  Her father had deserted the family when Shelly was in grade school.  He had moved to Kansas City.  In a state of anguish, her Mother, Lois, contacted the Cohvagt and Conrad Funeral Home and asked them to retrieve Shelly’s remains and prepare for her Funeral. 

 

By an odd coincidence, Cohvagt and Conrad collaborated with LeClaire Funeral Home, the firm that had managed Mrs. Berkmann’s Funeral.  LeClaire agreed to embalm Shelly and, then, transfer her to Cohvagt and Conrad.  When Shelly’s body arrived at his mortuary, Baxter LeClaire was called to the lab by his embalming team.  He and his staff were amazed by the radiance of Shelly’s flesh and the serene expression on her face.  They were reluctant to begin.  She looked like she might revive and dance around the room.  They expected her to sit up, momentarily.  But, she was dead.  They could find no signs of life.  Ruefully, they returned to their umbrous task.

 

Baxter climbed the stairs to his office, slowly, in deep thought.  When he reached his desk, he called Sam Moreno.  “Sam,” he announced, “I’ve got another glowing corpse.  I’m probably over-reacting, but I wish you would come over here and view this girl.  She looks so alive.  It’s unsettling.”

 

Moreno arrived within an hour.  He used his smartphone to pull up information about Shelly.  The hospital had no explanation.  But, her heart had stopped beating.  Her college records seemed normal.  She had no police record.  She was just a pretty girl, planning to be an elementary school teacher.  Sam torqued his expressive face and asked, “Baxter, are you sure your technicians aren’t using a new lotion or chemical to cause this flaring of the flesh?”

 

“Absolutely sure!” Baxter stated emphatically.  “We manage about ten Funerals a week, and the only corpses that have radiated like this are those of Sonja Berkmann and Shelly Ruskin.  There’s got to be some connection.  Maybe they both used a certain vitamin or herbal potion.  I don’t know.  It’s eerie.”

 

Moreno meditated on the mystery.  He asked, “When’s the Visitation and Funeral?  I’m going to go and check out the visitors.  If there’s a villain behind these two deaths, he or she might show up.  Criminals like to see the result of their demonic deeds and gloat.”

 

Baxter responded, “The Visitation will be at the Cohvagt and Conrad Funeral Home in Mexico, Missouri.  I believe it’s scheduled for Friday night, and I suppose the Funeral and Burial will be on Saturday morning.  I’ll confirm these dates and let you know.”

 

Sam rushed to the Transcendental campus.  He secured Shelly’s room and asked the dorm manager to notify the girls on Shelly’s floor that detectives would be inspecting Shelly’s room for a few days.  He located some witnesses and grilled them for details.  He learned almost nothing, but he did recover the course materials Shelly had dropped in the lobby.  And, later, he recovered her smartphone from the hospital.

 

Word spread over the campus, rapidly.  Miriam was alerted by one of her friends at the dorm.  Immediately, she felt she must let Vic know what had happened.  Her email to him read:

 

Victor,

 

I’m sorry to give you this tragic news.  Shelly collapsed and died this morning.  As of now, no one knows why.  Last Saturday, she told me she was deeply in love with you, and I’m sure you loved her, too.  It’s got to be hard to lose your Grandma and your girlfriend in such a short time-span.  Please accept my condolences.  When I know the Funeral arrangements, I’ll forward them to you.  I presume you’ll be hurrying home for these events.

 

With shared sadness,

Miriam

 

Vic was elated when he read the email.  Flare had worked, again.  He had escaped fatherhood and dropped Shelly out of his life.  Flare had freed him from his decrepit Grandma and his bothersome girlfriend.  His successes filled him with a sense of power.  He had taken charge of his problems and eliminated them.  “And, here’s a tender note from the lovely Miriam!” he remarked out loud.  “She cares for me.”

 

Vic spent a couple of hours composing his response to Miriam.  He knew his return email would make or break his efforts to draw Miriam into an intimate relationship.  Also, he knew that it would be dangerous to hurry home to Shelly’s Visitation.  He didn’t want anyone thinking that he and Shelly were a devoted, loving couple.  So, he wove a web of outrageous lies, hoping to ensnare Miriam:

 

Dear Miriam,

 

I was shocked to hear of Shelly’s death.  Thanks for letting me know.  It’s hard to contemplate a future without Shelly.  Like me, she loved dancing.  She and some of the girls from the dorms frequented my favorite nightclubs.  Shelly was the best dancer in the bunch, so, we had a lot of fun together. 

 

I’ll certainly miss her, but I think you hold a misconception regarding my relationship to Shelly.  She consistently pushed the notion that we were headed for marriage.  It was embarrassing.  I never encouraged her expectations.  We were just good friends.  We weren’t “going steady” or “pinned” or “engaged”.  And, I don’t know anyone from her family.  I won’t be going to her Visitation or Funeral, because I wouldn’t know anyone there.  The family members would wonder, “Who is this guy?”  I think I would be a puzzlement; not a comforter. 

 

Besides, I have important work to do here.  I have meetings scheduled through Friday with eminent neutrino scientists.  I won’t be leaving till Saturday. 

 

However, as you averred in your email, these two deaths have affected me, profoundly.  I think I’m turning to a new page in my life.  I’m tired of the bar scene.  It seems so hollow.  I’m going to concentrate on our Project and re-consider spiritual matters.  Maybe then, God will give me a soul-mate.

 

Yours truly,

Victor

 

Before he clicked the “Send” button, Vic re-read his message.  He hoped Miriam would focus on his closing thoughts and make his reform her cause.  He fantasized, “Perhaps, she will think, ‘I must try to lead Vic out of his waywardness into a rich, spirit-filled life.’”  He knew from literature he had read, movies he had watched, and talk-shows he had heard that some women relish the idea of taming a “wild man” and transforming him into a wonderful mate.  “Something like that had led Amy Angelo to pull Dr. Angelo into Christianity.  And, Miriam saluted that.  Maybe she’ll fall for my ploy.  I’ll play the part ... pretend I’m truly on the road to salvation.  Once I have her under my romantic aura, I’ll revert to my real values.”  Satisfied with his devious note, he clicked “Send”.

 

Miriam’s first reaction to Vic’s email was hot.  “What’s wrong with this guy?” she fumed.  “He refused to visit his Grandma when she lay dying!  He denies his love for Shelly!”  But later, just as Vic had hoped, Miriam was softened by the last few lines of his message.  “It’s good he knows he needs to change.  That’s the first step toward repentance.  I’ll give him a few of my favorite books on becoming a Christian and living the Christian life and see if he really changes.” 

 

Thursday morning, after the team meeting, Miriam pulled her chair over to Dan’s desk and sat down to talk.  “I guess I’ve got myself into another pickle,” she said.  “Several girls from the dorm asked me to take them to Shelly’s wake, Friday night.  I think I’ve taken on too much responsibility.  It’s in Mexico, Missouri, and I’ve never been there.  What if I have car trouble? ...  or there’s an accident? ... or ...”

 

“Would you let me drive you there?” Dan asked.

 

“Gladly,” she responded, relaxing.  “But, I’ll pay for the gas ...”

 

“Don’t worry about that,” Dan said.  “The school’s paying us well.”  He continued with a chuckle and a handsome grin, “Let the sheriff do the driving!”

 

Miriam giggled softly, “Thank you!” as she patted his left hand.

 

Dan laid his big right hand on hers, saying, “I’ll enjoy the time with you.”  He paused, spellbound by her lovely features ... enraptured by the touch of her hand.  After a long, quiet moment, he felt he had to say something.  He locked on her eyes and whispered, “We should leave the dorm about 4 o’clock.  It will take us two hours to get there, an hour to move through the Visitation line, an hour at a fast-food restaurant on the way home, and two hours for the return trip.  That means we’ll get back about 10:00, if all goes well.”

 

Miriam suddenly decided in her head, “I’m being too forward.  I’ve only known Dan for three weeks.”  She didn’t want to pull her hand back, and Dan showed no sign of making the first move.  Finally, ever so slowly, she slipped her hand free, covering her action with chitchat, “You’re such a take-charge guy.  You remind me of my Dad.  You’ll like him when you meet him.  I better get back to my Math.” 

 

As Miriam rolled her chair back to her desk, Dan called after her, “Maybe we could do lunch, together.  I think the fellows from the Physics Department can do without me.”

 

Instantly, Miriam responded, “And, the dorm girls can do without me.  Let’s do it, together!”

 

Friday night went according to Dan’s plan, except, as Miriam’s group was headed for the exit, an impressive, stocky man called Dan aside.  The girls closed in and listened.

 

“Do you remember me?” Sam Moreno asked Dan.

 

“Yessir,” Dan acknowledged.  “I was right behind you at the Berkmann wake.”

 

“That’s right,” Moreno continued.  “I’m a detective looking into Shelly Ruskin’s death.  You’re the only guy I’ve seen at both wakes.  How did that happen?”

 

“What’s your point?” Dan asked.  “I don’t get it.”

 

“Did you notice how radiant Shelly’s skin looked?  And, how about Mrs. Berkmann?  Her skin was radiant, too.”

 

“Well, yes,” Dan concurred.  “I figured the undertakers had used a special lotion or chemical to make them look so well.”

 

“No,” Moreno responded.  “So, why were you at the Berkmann wake?”

 

“I went to show support for Victor Bobreaux, a fellow I work with.  Mrs. Berkmann was his Grandmother.  You met him.  He was the young man standing in the condolence line.”

 

“And, why are you here?” Moreno insisted.

 

“He brought us!” the girls sang out, almost in unison.”

 

“I asked Dan to drive us here,” Miriam explained.

“Are you two dating?” Moreno asked her.

 

“No,” Miriam said.  Then, looking a little sheepish, she quietly added, “Not yet.”

 

Turning back to Dan, Moreno asked, “Did you ever date Shelly Ruskin?”

 

“No,” said Dan.  “I never met her.”

 

One of the girls volunteered, “She was Vic’s girlfriend.”

 

“Really?” Moreno grunted.  “You mean that this Vic’s Grandma was Mrs. Berkmann and his girlfriend was Shelly Ruskin?

 

“Yes,” Miriam declared.

 

“Where is he?  Is he here?” Moreno queried.

 

“No,” Miriam answered, “He’s attending a conference in Aspen, Colorado.  He’s been there for about ten days.  He’s flying home tomorrow, and he’ll be back in our office Monday morning.”

“I need to talk to Vic,” Moreno concluded.  “Can you give me some contact information?”

 

Dan found a piece of paper on a desk near the exit and carefully filled it with all the information Sam would require.  And, they all headed home.