Lassiter

“She would never have done this. Hazel doesn’t believe in violence.”

“But she didn’t really like him. Everybody knew that.” The police lieutenant insisted.

“Still the worst she would have done would be to start crying and storm out of the room. Nobody liked him because he was mean to everybody”

“What about you Mr. Lassiter? You said Hazel would never do this.”

“Me. I had no reason to kill Mark. Mr. Nolan.

“You said he was mean to everybody. Weren’t you in love with Hazel? Mrs. Nolan.

“We are just friends.”

“We will see. I have the rest of your friends to question. We’ll see if they feel the same way.

“Will they be taking the body away soon?”

“Why are you so interested in the body?

“Just thinking of the ladies.”

The coroner is on his way and the room is sealed. Why don’t you go in the dining room with the rest of the suspects.

“Suspects?”

“Yes you are all suspects. After you he said waving his hand toward the dining room.

We walked into this enormous room with a table as long as the room. The tall chairs looked like they could reach the ceiling. It was like walking into the Victorian era. The whole house was like that. I never understood why Mark had such a big house when it was just the two of them. I sat down in an empty chair and listened to the lively conversation going on.

“Hazel probably killed him she never really loved him.”

“Shut up Liza!

“Ben you shut up.”

“Your just jealous he didn’t marry you.”

“Hazel where are you going? The lieutenant told us to stay in this room.”

“It’s my house Liza. I’ll go wherever I want.”

“Somebody should go with her.”

“Shut up Liza.”

“ Stop telling me to shut up. I’m tired, my feet hurt, and I’m stuck in this museum of a house because she killed her husband. I will say what I like.

“How do we know you didn’t kill him?”

“Because Ben I wouldn’t kill anyone. I was in love with him and I would never hurt him.”

“Which is more than I can say for you or Reuben.”

“ That’s not true we are just friends.”;

“Yeah right. And just because Mark was your cousin doesn’t prove your innocent.”

Lieutenant Moss was sitting quietly listening to them arguing over who did it when a police man came and whispered in his ear.

“Alright calm down folks. “

No one was listening. They were screaming and pointing fingers at each other. And making a ruckus.

Listen!

“You all are worse than my children.”

“The coroner is here to pick up the body. So I suggest we close these doors.”

“No.” Said Hazel quietly.

“And where have you been Mrs. Nolan?

“Well if you must know I was in the restroom.”

“Now that we are all here we can get started. Mrs. Nolan I would like to hear from you first.”

But Hazel didn’t hear him because her eyes were focused on the stretcher in the hallway. We had some good times in this house she said to herself. She was thinking of the time she met Mark Nolan two years ago.

He was so handsome. His tall muscular body. His dark black hair she loved to run her fingers through. Those eyes. Deep wells you could easily get lost in.

She remembered the day he asked her to marry him. Feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. How gentle and loving he was on their wedding night.

She could feel the tears welling up inside thinking of him. A man so full of life. Robbed of that life laid out on a cold steel stretcher. Her thoughts were interrupted by Liza’s angry accusations.

“Go ahead Hazel tell the lieutenant how you killed your husband.”

If looks could kill Liza would be on her own stretcher.

“ How do I know you didn’t kill him. You were always so jealous.

“ We invited all of you here for a friendly dinner and my husband ends up dead.”: Hazel retorted through tears and anger.

“You must be kidding. I would never hurt Mark.”

“Then what were you two doing alone in his study?”

“We were talking.”

“About what?”

“I don’t have to answer your questions Hazel.”

“I’m afraid you do.” Lieutenant Moss told her.

Liza looked around the room to see everyone staring at her waiting for an answer.

“ I was trying to talk him into leaving you. But he wouldn’t.”

“So you killed him!”

“No Reuben I didn’t . He was alive when I left the study.”

“It could have been you so you could be with his wife. Or Ben he hated his cousin.”

“Everyone calm down. We’re not going to get anywhere like this.”

“I’ll have to interview you one at a time. Down at the station.”

Hazel started to cry when they took her husband out of the house. Also the rest of the police officers that were there started to leave taking Mr. Nolan’s belongings with them.

“Hope your happy Hazel.” Liza taunted.

“ Get Out! Get out of my house you witch!

Liza looked at the lieutenant and he just shook his head .

“Go. All of you go home we will be in touch.”

“How can you be so insensitive she just lost her husband.”

“Shut up Reuben. Now you can be her husband. It’s what you want isn’t it.

“Bye Liza. Leave Hazel alone.

“Or what you going to kill me to.”

“I didn’t kill anyone.”

After Liza left allI wanted to do was console Hazel. Everyone had gone and I didn’t want to leave her alone.

“Hazel I’ll stay if you want me to.

“No Reuben I’ll be alright. You go on home now.”

“Okay, but you call me if you need anything.”

“I just want to be alone.”

“If you don’t call me I will call you.”

A couple of weeks had passed After Mark’s funeral lieutenant Moss still had no idea who killed him. He ruled out the ladies because there was evidence of a fight before he was shot three times in the chest.

He had bullet holes, but no gun. He had four suspects who insisted on blaming each other. He thought the fingerprints would tell him who did it .

But they didn’t. Either someone was lying or he had the perfect murder on his hands.

He needed a break. He had dug in each of their lives and all he found out was what he already knew. Mark Nolan was a ruthless business man who everybody hated. He treated his wife and his friends horribly. The case was at a dead end.

Out of the four suspects only one kept in touch. And that was Reuben. Every week he would come down to the station just to see how the case was going. This week was no exception.

“So how’s the case going?”

“It’s not. We’re at a dead end. Unless you and your friends can tell me what really happened that night.”

“I can tell you. Don’t look so confused I will tell you what happened.

“Why now I’ve even trying to get the truth out of you and your friends for two months.”

“Do you want to know or not?”

“Have a seat. Mind if I record this ?”

“No I don’t Lieutenant.”

You could hear the click of the tape recorder as both men stared at each other across the desk. The lieutenant wondering why Reuben was there.

And Reuben with a sad story to tell.

“Whenever your ready I’m listening.”

“You know I really do love Hazel.”

“So you told me.”

“But she doesn’t love me. She only loved Mark.”

“I wanted to have an affair, but Hazel turned me down. She was faithful to her husband. It was Mark who was having an affair.”

“So you think she killed her husband? Is that why your here because she turned you down?”

“She didn’t kill Mark. I did. And to answer your question. Maybe.

“Okay Reuben how did you do it?”

“It was easy. I was the first one to get to the house that night. No one knew this, but I had brought an extra set of clothes and hid them in the downstairs bathroom,

“Then what happened?”

“Dinner was at eight. That’s when Liza and Ben showed up.

“Mark went to his study to get some papers he wanted to show me. But before I could make it to the study Liza went in.”

“Did she try to get Mr. Nolan to leave his wife?”

“Probably, she was always doing that. Every chance she got. What she didn’t know was that Mark had a girlfriend. I don’t know if he told her.”

“Where we’re Ben and Hazel?”

“They never left the table.”

“Go on.”

“After about fifteen minutes Liza comes out. Gives me one of her dirty looks and goes back to the table.

“When I walked into the study the papers were on his desk. But I wasn’t there to talk about business. I was there to tell him how I felt about the way he treated Hazel.”

So you got into a fight?”

“No. We argued for a minute then I pulled the gun out and shot him.”

“ Mr. Nolan’s gun?”

“No mine it was in my back pocket.”

Why didn’t anyone hear the gunshots?”

“Silencer.”

“Then what happened?”

“Threw some stuff around to make it look like he was in a fight. Snuck in the bathroom and changed clothes. Opened the door so they could hear the toilet flush and the water running.”

“Then what?”

“ Hazel screamed and I came out of the bathroom.”

“Who called the police?”

“Ben.”

“So where is the gun? And why no fingerprints?”

“The gun is in my apartment and I had gloves.”

“You know Mr. Lassiter you just confessed to murder and I’m going have to arrest you.”

“No. You think I told you this so I would spend the rest of my life in prison?”

“Then why did you tell me?”

“So you would know who killed Mark.”

“I’m still going to have to arrest you.”

“No! Mr. Lassiter put the gun down.”

“Gun!”a policeman yells.

Moss waves them away.

“Put the gun down Mr. Lassiter. Reuben don’t do this.”

Reuben put the gun to his head and fired. In the weeks that followed Reubens death. The lieutenant and investigators found the gun and the clothes. What Reuben had told them was true. He also played the tape for the others involved in the case. They weren’t surprised. But only Hazel was sad that he was gone.