Sounds of Murder

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She had barely exited the lab and locked the door when she bumped into Rex and Phineas walking out of Rex's office. The two men had obviously been arguing, but they quieted immediately and turned their attention to her.

"Pamela," greeted Rex, warmly, "Surely, you weren't in the lab? I thought the police had forbidden us to enter." He came towards her, followed by Phineas.

"I just had to check on some data," she mumbled, "I'm running an experiment this week and I need to see where we stand on participants. I didn't think they'd mind." She stopped herself before she babbled on unnecessarily.

"Dr. Barnes," said Phineas, coming closer, "I'm so sorry about what happened. I heard you were the one who found Charlotte in the lab. I wish I'd stayed later last night so I could've been here for you."

"Yes," she nodded at the two men, "That would have been nice." She was starting to go.

"So, what did you find?" asked Rex in a low whispered voice, glancing back at the lab door.

"What?" stammered Pamela, clutching her purse as if it contained gold.

"The lab. Did the police make a mess of it? I assume they probably turned the place upside down," boomed Rex, shaking his head of thick chestnut-colored hair.

"Yes," agreed Phineas, nodding fiercely. "Did they--you know--clean everything up?" He grimaced squeamishly.

"It looks as it always did," offered Pamela. "Feel free to go check for yourselves if you like." She was feeling more and more uncomfortable standing here; the newly burned CD felt warm inside her purse.

"Well, take care, Pamela," said Rex, squeezing her arm, "Personally, I believe I'll wait until the police give their approval before I venture into the lab." He had an uncharacteristically somber look on his face.

She stopped suddenly. "Well, that's very circumspect of you, Rex."

"All I meant was," he replied, "that I'd feel uncomfortable to go in there now." Then he smiled that broad, toothy grin.

"Yes," agreed Phineas, nodding insistently. "I wouldn't want to go in the lab unless I absolutely had to. I can just imagine how terrible it must make you must feel, Dr. Barnes. Just being in the lab probably reminds you of Charlotte, of finding her last night. I just can't believe I was here in the building when it happened." He cringed and his mouth gathered into a little pucker.

"Gentlemen," announced Pamela, straightening herself, "I'm perfectly fine and it doesn't bother me to be in the lab. I'm truly sorry about Charlotte, but I'm not going to let what happened to her prevent me from doing my job, and I assume you won't either." She beamed her most gracious smile at them, turned, and headed down the hall toward the main office.

For almost an instant, Pamela forgot the CD in her purse--the disk with seconds, maybe even minutes of sound that had been recorded at the computer desk where Charlotte had been murdered at a time when the murder probably took place. Pamela was anxious to listen to the CD, but she knew that this would be something she'd have to do in private.

She turned the corner toward the main office. Charlotte's office door was closed and the yellow crime scene tape barred all entrance. The main hallway looked reasonably normal once again. The dim lighting in the hallway was interspersed with the warm glow from large hanging lantern chandeliers and matching wall sconces. The sounds of student voices rang from a side hall. As she passed the door to Laura Delmondo's office, she could see Laura sitting at her desk, her head in her hands. The young professor appeared frozen in this position except for some slight heaves from her thin shoulders. Pamela thought how much she wanted to leave work and get home to listen to the CD in her purse, but the sight of a fellow teacher sitting there so forlornly, touched her heart, so she stopped at the doorway and knocked gently.