Branded for Murder (Scott Tucker Series) Read online

  I was about an hour into occupying my time when I saw the blonde come in the door. The sun was shining behind her and her friend, but I had committed her mannerisms to memory and knew it was her. I watched as they sat at their usual table. I had made the commitment to introduce myself today and I was going to go through with it.

  However, it was almost an hour since they sat down. I was aware my breathing was getting faster. Every once in a while I peeked over my book to look at her. Several times I thought she was looking over at me.

  I had just put my book down and gathered my courage when someone came running into the library.

  My first reaction was shock that he was yelling in the library. Then I realized what he was yelling about. “The president has been shot…the president has been shot!”

  My mind did not believe what I was hearing. I just sat there stunned. A few minutes later the librarian turned on her radio and turned up the volume. I went over to hear the news. The announcer was saying that President Kennedy and Governor Connolly were both shot while riding in a motorcade through Dallas just after noon there. Initial reports were that the President was rushed to a Dallas hospital and is in critical condition. There was an update coming in just a few minutes.

  I felt the emotion of the week and the news. I looked around at the others standing nearby. Everyone was either crying to themselves or sobbing outwardly. I noticed the blonde and her friend hugging each other and crying. They were just a few steps away. I was self conscious about crying, but I couldn’t help it. The loss of Jackie earlier this week and now the President being shot…were too much.

  Picking my head up, it looked like both of the girls were going to faint. They looked weak and the color looked drained from the blonde’s face. I rushed over, putting my arms around both of them. They turned to me and put their faces in my sweater. I held onto both while we all let our emotions flow.

  While we were huddled there, we heard the report that President Kennedy had indeed been killed. The librarian told us that they had turned on the television in one of the rooms and we should go and watch the news reports if we wanted to. We followed her back to the other room.

  We watched in horror as the motorcade and shooting was televised. It all happened so fast that it was hard to understand what was happening on the screen.

  Both of the girls still had their arms around my waist, and I had mine around their shoulders. All of the people in the room stared in disbelief at what had happened. Mrs. Kennedy’s coat showed the signs of the president’s blood. We stood silently, but I could feel the girl on my right start to buckle. I guided her to a chair. Her friend called to her.

  *.*.*

  “Lisa, Lisa this is Judy. I’m here, and this is…?”

  “Scott.”

  “Lisa, I’m here, Scott’s here, please don’t faint. We’re going to be okay. Lisa…Lisa, answer me. Scott thanks for helping. Let’s get her outside into the fresh air. Can you help me? Let’s guide her to the front door.”

  I lifted her up from the chair, putting my arm around her waist. Judy was on the other side. Together we guided her, but I mostly supported her until we got outside.

  As we were moving her, Judy looked over at me and whispered, “Scott thanks for being here. Thanks for helping.” I didn’t know what to say, but within less than a minute we were outside on one of the benches.

  Lisa’s eyes seemed elsewhere. “Judy, my name is Scott Tucker. I wanted to meet you both, but was too shy. I’m really sorry it took this event to have us meet.”

  She offered her hand and introduced herself, “Hello Scott, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m Judy Post and my friend is Lisa Anderson. We’re roommates at Chase.”

  I noticed the color was coming back into Lisa’s face.

  Judy added, “You know Scott, Lisa has been doing nothing but talking about you since she spoke to you on the bench this week. I know she won’t mind, she wanted to meet you weeks ago. Are you okay, Scott?”

  “This has been an awful week. My cousin was killed earlier this week and now President Kennedy has been assassinated. I wish this week had never happened.” I realized how that sounded. “I’m sorry…I’m glad for this part…I mean meeting both of you.”

  *.*.*

  People were leaving the library mentioning it was closing. I realized I hadn’t really said anything to Lisa yet. “Hi Lisa. Are you okay? I’m Scott Tucker.”

  She raised her hand and offered it. We shook hands, but her hand was ice cold. “Hi, Scott. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry I was such a bother.” She was cradled against my arm, looking up at me. I could still see her eyes watering. My eyes started to do the same. I felt my heart skip a beat, and pressure in my chest. I forced myself to take a breath. I knew at that moment what this was all about. I would be okay going forward. I had lost so much, but I knew things were going to be so much better. I was still holding her hand. It didn’t feel cold any longer. She reached up and wiped her tears away and finally smiled.

  I forced a smile too and turned to Judy, asking, “Is there a place we can go?”

  She didn’t immediately answer, and then offered, “There’s a coffee shop we like just around the corner. Let’s see if it’s still open. I think we could all use one. Okay?”

  “That sounds great. I’ll get our things from the library.” I watched Lisa put her arms around Judy’s waist and they both hugged.

  When I returned they stood to greet me smiling at how much I was carrying.

  Chapter 12

  She had no idea how they arrived at their favorite coffee shop. Lisa searched her memory, remembering only the news about President Kennedy’s assassination. She could see Judy sitting at their table and the handsome guy from the library holding both of their hands. She was embarrassed that she couldn’t recall much since the news at the library. She had to fill in the details. Why is he here? And what did he say his name was?

  “Judy, I can’t remember much of what happened since the news at the library. It’s true isn’t it…the president is gone?”

  Judy squeezed both her hands in hers and responded, “It’s true. President Kennedy was shot in Dallas and killed. We have a new president – Lyndon Johnson. We met Scott at the library, but in case you don’t remember, this is Scott Tucker. Scott was nice enough to help us get here.”

  “Hi Lisa, I’m glad to meet you, but I wish things were different.” That didn’t sound too good. “I mean…I’m glad I’ve finally met both of you, but I’m sorry it took this to do it.”

  She looked over at Judy who was nodding her head, and then back to Scott. Scott Tucker, what a nice name.

  “Thank you, Scott. Thank you for being here for us. I’m sorry this happened.” She realized how that sounded. “I mean I’m sorry the president was killed…not that I’m sorry I met you.” She couldn’t hold the tears back, got up and rushed to Judy who stood to hug her.

  A minute later all three were hugging. She wanted to jump for joy. She had finally met this nice young man. The warmth of his body was taking her cares away. They were silent and deep in their own thoughts. If life was like a tree, she had just sprouted a new branch. She said a silent prayer that it would be great and last forever. There were different tears running down her cheeks now.

  Scott handed her his handkerchief.

  The owner announced that they were closing the coffee shop for the rest of the day. She said they would remain open as long as the patrons needed them to, but she felt, under the circumstances, they should be with their own families.

  Outside, Scott asked her if they could meet back here at noon tomorrow for coffee. He said he wanted to get to know her better.

  Chapter 13

  It was an open coffin. Jackie looked like a princess in the high collared blouse. Her folded hands held a single rose. She looked so pure. What a shame her life was over. We were all feeling the loss. There wasn’t a dry eye in the funeral home. I hugged my mom and we both said a prayer for her.

  I managed to
corral my dad, telling him that I was indeed on the task force. He knew he needed to keep this to himself. I told him I would do my best to help find her killer. He just patted me on the shoulder, and said he knew I would.

  I paid my respects to my uncle and aunt, telling them I would see them at the funeral and the family get together afterward. I was amazed at how many friends and work associates Jackie had.

  Giving Mom another long hug, I told her I would see her later that evening. When she asked why, I told her I was meeting someone special, hoping to take my mind off of what happened to Jackie.

  *.*.*

  I was about ten minutes late arriving at the combination deli/coffee shop. There was a ‘closed’ sign on the door in respect of President Kennedy.

  Lisa must have waited, seen the sign and decided I wasn’t coming, or she missed me. I had no idea where she lived. I decided to wait and see if she would arrive.

  I sat on a bench near the coffee shop. So much had happened in such a short period of time. When I saw Jackie this morning at the wake, she didn’t look anything like she did the last time I saw her. I kept thinking this was just a bad dream. But, I’m awake, it’s not a dream.

  “Hello there stranger…do you have room for me on the bench, or would you rather be alone?” she asked as she put her hand lightly on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m late. Thanks for waiting for me.”

  “Hi. I’m glad I didn’t miss you. I was a little late myself. I thought you might have seen the sign and thought I left.”

  “Just about everything is closed. Oh, this belongs to you,” she said, as she offered my handkerchief back. “Scott, are you okay? You look like you did the other day when I saw you outside the library.”

  “I’m better now. I had to attend a wake this morning for my cousin.” I tried to force a smile.

  She studied me before replying, “That’s awful. Did I take you away from your family? We should have picked a different day.”

  “It’s okay, really. I paid my respects. I needed to get my mind off what happened anyway. I’ll be seeing my parents tonight, since the funeral is tomorrow. Now that the coffee shop is closed what would you like to do?”

  “I’m not sure. How old was he, and was he sick? I’m sorry…you said you wanted to get your mind off that.”

  I took a deep breath gathering my strength before answering, “It was my cousin Jackie, Jacqueline to be more exact. She was thirty-one, and died suddenly. That’s probably what I was thinking about the other day outside the library. Oh, and I need to apologize for being so rude that day. I know you were trying to be hospitable.” I looked into her sparkling blue eyes, and liked what I saw.

  She put her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry about your cousin, how awful.”

  “Lisa, it’s going to take a while to get over the fact that she’s gone.” I wanted to say more, but couldn’t.

  “I want to be honest with you Scott. I really wanted to meet you. I’ve seen you studying in the library, and hoped you might have noticed me. There are so many coeds in there…well…how do I say this? I was worried someone else would make your acquaintance before we met. When I saw you looking so upset the other day, I couldn’t ignore you, and convinced Judy to come with me to talk to you.”

  “Okay, so if it’s honesty time we’re having…I have seen you many times in the library, as well. I just couldn’t get up the courage to introduce myself. I wanted to. I thought about you many times. And to be honest, I kind of changed my study habits to hopefully see you. I’m sorry it took President Kennedy being assassinated to have us meet. But, I guess we will always remember that day.”

  She had a nice wide smile and grasped my arm. “That’s very interesting and sounds promising.”

  I thought about what I said, realizing it did sound like we were going to be together to remember that day. This time it was my turn to smile.

  “Wow, you have a nice smile! I can’t say I’ve ever seen that.”

  Neither of us said much, but we just stared. As I looked at her, I thought about how many times I had thought about her. I even thought about art class with her face on that model. I could feel my face starting to blush.

  She must have noticed it, but she didn’t directly comment. “Do you have to leave now?”

  “No. I would rather not. Do you have any time, or do you have something you need to do?” I asked, hoping she didn’t.

  “Well, as a matter of fact, I do have something I need to do,” she answered, looking away.

  “Well I better let you go then.” I know I didn’t have the smile on my face any longer.

  She turned and studied me. “What I have to do is spend some time with you. I have so many questions that have been building inside me…well, can we do that?”

  I know she tricked me. She has a sense of humor. Her smile is something I want to see a lot more. I stood, offering her my hand. She stood, taking it. We didn’t say anything more, but I started walking with her right beside me. Several minutes later, I put my arm around her neck, pulling her close. She put her arm around my waist. I knew where we were going.

  It was chilly and breezy outside. She put her scarf around her face, tucking her head into my side. If I was having a dream about this, I didn’t want to wake up. She didn’t ask where we were going. We just walked, still holding each other.

  I had dressed for the wake, and was not really dressed for a walk in this cold. I glanced at Lisa, who looked so cute huddled against me with her French beret perched on her head. She never asked where we were going, but I could see the building up ahead when we turned the corner. Across the street, the Prudential Tower was reaching for the sky. Soon we were climbing in the elevator to the Skywalk.

  Chapter 14

  Lisa felt the speed of the elevator. It was all she could do to settle her stomach as the elevator rose to the top floor. Scott held her hand and must have sensed she needed to be calmed.

  She heard Scott’s comforting voice, “Just a few more seconds and we’ll be there.” The whine of the elevator changed as it slowed to a smooth stop.

  “Here we are.” She heard Scott’s voice as she opened her eyes.

  She watched as Scott paid the small admission charge. They were soon on the observation deck. They turned the corner and the city came into view below them. She noticed the planes landing at Logan Airport across the small stretch of harbor. She acknowledged the view, “Wow, I can’t believe I’ve missed this!”

  Scott hugged her shoulder. “I come up here mostly at night to concentrate on an exam, or to get my mind off things. It’s a breathtaking view at night. I’d love to show you sometime.”

  “That’s a deal.” She only imagined what it must look like at night. She noted how clear the view was, seeing all of Boston around them.

  “That’s got to be Mount Washington up there.” She pointed to the mountains on the far horizon. There was snow on the peak, with white clouds huddled around it.

  They pointed out things to each other as they walked around the observation deck at least three times.

  “Scott thanks for bringing me here. This is very memorable, in several ways.”

  “Lisa, it’s a lot more fun than looking out at the sights by myself.” He put a coin in one of the telescopes, turning it so she could look towards the ocean.

  She looked through the telescope and could see lobster boats up close. She also noticed passengers inside planes, coming in for a landing at Logan. “This is fantastic. I’m going to make this a haunt of mine.”

  “Lisa, I’d really rather come up here with you.”

  “I don’t understand why the serious look?”

  “Have you heard of the New England Strangler?”

  “Yes, but I don’t think that has anything to do with this public place.”

  “Who knows where this guy gets his ideas or chooses his victims. I just want you to be careful and safe.”

  “Thank you Scotty,” she said, with a childlike voice.

  “I’m sorry, I didn
’t mean to dictate or offend you.”

  “None taken, I’m touched you want to protect me from danger.”

  They were now just standing face to face. Scott held her hands in his and looked into her eyes. She wanted to say something to him, but she couldn’t. She studied him and watched his eyes closely. Quickly, without warning, he let go of her hands and hugged her. She felt his warmth and realized very quickly that this young man was going to be something very special in her life.

  She broke the silence. “I feel like I’ve known you for a very long time. I don’t know what it is about you, but I really enjoy being close to you.” She looked again into Scott’s eyes, and could tell he was feeling something similar to what she was feeling.

  *.*.*

  I slowly moved my head towards hers, but pulled back. I could tell she was saying okay. It felt like an eternity had passed in those few seconds. I continued to work up enough courage to find her lips. Our lips met awkwardly. I pulled back anticipating her being offended. I saw her turn her head slightly and I prepared for a much better kiss this time.

  It was a short kiss, but better than the first. I looked to see her reaction.

  She moved her arms up over my shoulders and around my neck. I met her lips again, more softly this time. We kissed a long, tender kiss as I filled my senses with her smell and feel. Our lips finally parted. I gave her a quick peck, and then hugged her against me. I wondered if she could feel my heart racing.

  I could tell she didn’t want me to let her go. I could see our reflection in the observation window and the other people walking behind us. I heard a small boy ask his mother what we were doing. We both laughed. I leaned back and held my arms around Lisa’s waist and our lower bodies mingled for the first time. I could feel her warmth against my body. I had to cover my body’s reaction by kissing her again. We held each other tightly. I didn’t want to let this moment pass – I wanted this to last forever.