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by Barbara Lee Watkins When they got back to the cabin there was a note for Karen to call Ed Hawkins at the police station in Easton. She went to the main office and placed the call with her credit card. The desk sergeant answered and when she told him who it was, he told to hold and he would put Ed on. "Hello. This is Ed Hawkins. Can I help you?" "Ed, Karen here, I got a message to call you. Whatever is going on?" He hesitated before he began to explain, "Karen, I hate like hell to tell you this but your friend Margie Sloan has been found dead in her bathtub and it looks like suicide but I'm just not sure about that." Karen went weak in the knees and looked for a place to sit down, finding none she leaned on the counter and groaned, "That can't be true. Why would Margie commit suicide? She's such a wonderful person and...Oh, My God, how will I tell her daughter?" "1 sure wish I hadn't needed to call you but I thought you would want to come back and try to help." She was crying now and told him, "I'll leave early in the morning. I don't like driving on that two-way road at night. Don't call Melanie. Let me take care of that. She's like my own daughter and it will be better coming from me, unless that stupid Larry calls her. Have you talked to him yet?" "No, he had a run in at the country club with Margie and Daniel last night and he didn't show up at work today. Called in sick. His little girlfriend is missing, too." Stunned by that news, she told him she would meet him at the cafe in the morning as soon as it opened. She asked, "Where is Margie's body?" "At the coroners. He'll be doing the autopsy tomorrow. We didn't find her until nine o'clock last night when Daniel got back in town and went to her apartment. He is beside himself because he is the last one to see her alive, and there's the fact that he was obviously serious about their relationship. I think I'm going to need your help on this one because 1 just can't believe it's suicide, think you're up to it?" She didn't waste any time saying, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Let me go now so I can try to get some rest for the trip back." He told her, "Bye for now." She sat in her car for a few minutes just mulling over the horrific news and trying to convince herself it was true. She went into the cabin and told her room mates the awful news. She would have to leave early and would try not to wake them. They hugged her, told her how sorry they were and was there anything they do to help. But of course there was nothing that would take away the heart wrenching sadness she felt. She kept telling herself that she had to be strong for Melanie. She silently vowed to find out what had really happened. Sleep did not come easy but she did get a couple of hours before she got up and dressed in her sweats, loaded up her car and slipped out of the park. Her room mates had heard her but pretended to be asleep because they knew she wouldn't want to talk about it anymore. The trip back was uneventful and even though she broke the speed limit, she wasn't stopped on the way. She went directly to the cafe and Ed was there already waiting for her. Ed was about 5'10," strong looking with wide shoulders. He was in his late fifties and stayed in shape by working out at home on his own exercise equipment. He was ruggedly good looking with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes that could look right through you. He had on a black windbreaker, white dress shirt and striped tie with khaki pants and brown suede casual shoes. He smiled when he saw her approaching and got up to pull out a chair for her. Tony and Maria both went to her and told her how
sorry they were. Everyone knew that she and Margie had been good
friends for years. She and Ed were at a table in the back and he
started to fill her in on the details after Maria brought them coffee. They
didn't want to be overheard.
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