Alex Harris 00 - Poisoned

lookout for me. An APB or BOLO was probably next.
    I glanced at the clock on my dash and figured I had just about enough time to get to New Haven before the police picked me up. A half hour later, I found a parking meter about nine blocks from my destination, and pumped in enough change to make a serious dent in the national debt before remembering on Sunday I didn’t have to pay. Damn! What were the chances of the administrative offices of Yale being open? As I neared the office, a young man came out and locked the door.
    “I wonder if you could help me?”
    “We’re not open,” he said turning toward me.
    “I’m looking for Kendra Merchant. I understand she works in this office.”
    “Did.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “She did work here. She quit.”
    “She quit? When?” I asked.
    “A couple of days ago. Didn’t give any notice. But then no one would expect her to, not with what happened and all.”
    “Did she say where she was going?”
    “Not to me. You can come back tomorrow and speak with her supervisor.”
    I stood there thinking for a moment. Knowing my own rules on giving out information, I figured it wouldn’t do much good to come back tomorrow so I thanked the young man and left.
    I had just enough time to stop at my office to read through the proposal one more time before going home to cook a nice dinner that I promised John. John, who was probably at this very moment getting a warrant for my arrest.
    I accomplished more in the next forty-five minutes than I had done since the murder. I started to close down my computer when I heard the front door open.
    “Alex? Oh, I’m sorry. I should have called. I know it’s Sunday. I really didn’t expect anyone to be here, but I didn’t know where else to go. I’ve just been driving around. I can come back tomorrow morning.” Kendra turned and stepped down onto the porch.
    “Kendra, it’s okay. I have to meet a friend for dinner, but I have a few minutes. Come in.” I held the door open and Kendra stepped back into the reception area. “This is really a coincidence. I stopped by the admin offices earlier to see you? I forgot it was Sunday.”
    “I quit.”
    “Yes. I know. A young man told me. Why don’t you come back into my office and we can talk there.”
    Kendra unzipped her short jacket and followed me into the back of Always Prepared.
    “Have a seat. Can I get anything?”
    “No, I’m fine.” Kendra put her head down and when she looked up again tears slowly found their way down her round face and onto the top of her brown suede jacket. “Well, obviously I am not fine. I don’t think I ever will be again. I’m sorry, do you have a tissue?”
    “Of course.” I pulled a box from my bottom drawer and handed it to her. “Kendra, I don’t know what to say.”
    “There’s nothing to say. I’ve heard it all. My parents keep telling me I’m young and I’ll find someone again and I know they mean well, I know that, but I loved Bradley with all my heart. They didn’t want me to go to his funeral yesterday, but I had to.” Bradley’s parents had insisted on a very small service with only immediate family members. Considering how popular he had been and how prominent the family was in the community, it would have been a circus any other way. “We were so well suited to each other. Does that sound odd?”
    “Not at all. I feel the exact same way about someone in my life.”
    “Oh, yes. Detective Van der Burg.” Kendra dabbed at her eyes with a soaked tissue and reached for another. “So I quit my job,” she began again, “and tomorrow afternoon I’m going up to New Hampshire to stay with my dad’s sister. She has a daughter my age and we’ve always gotten along. Which brings me to the reason why I stopped by. I don’t know when, or even if, I’ll be coming back to Indian Cove. But I wanted to know if I might come and talk to you about work if I do decide to return. I don’t want to burn all my bridges behind me.”
    “Of course you can come here. I’d be more than happy to help.” I suspected this wasn’t the real motive for Kendra stopping by; she probably just needed an outsider to talk to.
    Kendra held the soggy tissue in her hands and didn’t look up for quite a while. Finally she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and said, “Why did he have to die like that? We had plans! We were going to be getting married probably next summer. It’s not fair!” She looked at me through her huge, brown, red-rimmed