The Professor

Chapter 8

 I sat at Cup O Coffee, silently sipping a frappuccino. Not making better judgments, but I waited for Heather, who texted me shortly after hanging up on me. She told me to meet her and wait for her, which I did for 3 hours. Three coffees in, I became tiresome. Can you believe that?

I was the only customer who took up one of the two tables beside a window. Behind the counter, two young baristas danced around, recording TikTok or whatever the younger generation does these days. I pulled out my phone and almost sent Heather a menacing message for making me wait this long. Right before I clicked send, she appeared in front of me.

"Sorry, I had to wait for him to leave," She said. Heather pointed towards the order line, "You want anything?"

I lifted all three cups together so she could see I was over my caffeine limit. She bit her lip and widened her eyes. She realized how long I'd been waiting.

"Oh, I see you have had enough stimulation for the day."

I tried not to be irritated, but I had serious questions that required profound answers. First thing first, I need to know why Heather called me to tell me something was wrong. Finally, Heather sat before me with a muffin and drink.

She curled her lips and looked at me vaguely; her eyes gave a look of solitude and despair. Her foot tapped the flooring rapidly.

"Are you going to tell me what is wrong?"

Heather bit her lip and looked at the tiled floor. She tried her damnest not to make eye contact with me. Which only made me more resentful.

"First, let me start by saying I am sorry-" I silenced her.

"No, first, you should tell me what was so urgent that you called while your husband was nearby."

She took two bites of the blueberry muffin, leaned closer to me, and spoke with a mouth full. "The body we dumped in the ocean was found."

My heart sank. It was obvious that it would be discovered, but so soon? It hasn't even been two days yet. What if our DNA is on him? No, we barely touched him; well... I barely touched him. What about his family, loved ones, and friends? What if they look into it too closely?

"Heather," I whispered across the table. The staff paid no attention to us conversing with one another. Still, I had to ensure no one could overhear our conversation. "Is there anything, and I mean anything at all, that could link you to his?"

Heather resumed eating while she pondered. She stared at the ceiling fans as if it helped her concentrate on every minor detail. Also, she moved her fingers and hands around like a conductor in a band.

"Hmmm." Heather gasped, and her eyes lit up. "I have this!"

What she pulled out made me furious. I wanted to smack her so hard that the highlights would fall out of her head.

"ARE YOU GOD DAMN SERIOUS," I gritted through my teeth. "You have his phone? When the fuck did you get his phone?"

Heather slid it toward me. "I pulled it out of his pocket when we dumped him in the ocean. I figured, well, I don't know. We might have needed it."

I put one hand on my forehead and slapped the table with the other. "Heather. They can track his phone." Stay calm, Ashley. Stay calm.

"Look closely at it." Heather winked at me and pointed down.

This wasn't a typical modern-day iPhone. It's a flip phone. A... burner phone, no one uses this type of phone unless it is to commit crimes without being detected.