Sounds of Murder

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

She moved over to her couch where she could relax. The couch was very soft and comfortable--as Detective Shoop had discovered. The afternoon was waning, and as she looked out her window, she could see the beautiful reds and yellows of autumn in the south. She was still in her office, waiting for her office hours to end so she could take the controversial disk to the police.

As she poured herself another cup of Rocky's home brewed tea from her thermos, Kent appeared at her door. Oh, God! She'd forgotten the young man again. How unconscionable of her, when it was Kent who'd discovered Charlotte's body. Good grief, she thought, he'd undergone as much interrogation as she had and was probably suffering as much emotional trauma. She should have checked up on him to see how he was coping. It was reneging on her responsibilities as his advisor and supervisor and here he was at her door, probably upset.

"Kent," she said, rising and inviting him in. "Please, have a seat." She indicated the chair, but the young man remained standing.

"That's okay, Dr. Barnes," he said, anxiously. "I just wanted to touch base with you." He looked down in hesitation. "I just stopped by to let you know that I contacted our research subjects for this week and rescheduled them all for next week." He wrapped the cord from a set of headphones that hung around his shoulders like a totem around his fingers. "You know, I thought they might be upset about Dr. Clark's death and...also, I wasn't absolutely sure when the police would be out of the lab."

"That's a good idea, Kent," said Pamela, "Thank you. The police should be finished in the lab soon, if they aren't already."

"I was just down there, Dr. B," he reported enthusiastically, "and they're gone. The tape is down."

"Great. So, when do we start collecting again?"

"Monday," he replied, "We'll have to double up, but it's not a problem 'cause we have plenty of space in the lab and there aren't any other studies scheduled in there for the next two weeks. I checked."

"Great," she said, smiling. "I'm relieved that you took it upon yourself and did that."

Suddenly, Angela meandered into the doorway.

"Hey," greeted Kent, "I bet you're looking for the sign-up sheet for Dr. Barnes' experiment."

"Uh, no," responded Angela, shyly, "I was looking for my...for Dr. Barnes."

"She's here; you're in luck," he quipped.

At that, Angela spotted her mother seated on her blue and pink sofa and her mother spotted her.

"Sweetie! What are you doing here?" she asked. "Kent, this is my daughter, Angela. She's a freshman here at Grace University. Angie, this is Kent Drummond, my top graduate assistant."

"Gee, Dr. B, I'm honored," he beamed, "Hello, Angie. Dr. B talks about you all the time, so I feel like I know you already."

"Mom," cringed Angela, "I wish you wouldn't talk about me to your students."

"Hey, Angie, "continued Kent, "Don't worry. She only says nice things. You sound like a great girl from what I can tell."

Angela beamed and blushed. Pamela felt like an unwelcome intruder at this moment.

"Listen, honey," Pamela began, "Did you want a ride home? I can't leave right this minute. Do you want to stick around and wait for me?"

"I ...uh..." stammered Angela.

"I know, Dr. B," said Kent, cutting in, obviously in a hurry to get going. "I'm free now that we've cancelled our subjects for the day. I was heading out. I'll be happy to give you a ride home, Angie. If you don't mind riding in my old clunker." He grinned sheepishly, the purple highlights in his prickly-looking hair gleaming.