She's Not There Read Free Page B

blanket, so it’s really all right, Poppy.”
    No, that wasn’t all right. Extraneous fibers now in place.
    I dialed the operator and told her I needed Dr. Brisbane and to put me through right away; it was an emergency. Block Island had a local operator, and the call would go faster through her than if I dialed my way through information. It didn’t occur to me that my speaking with her meant the entire island population would know about the dead girl in a few short minutes.
    When she got me connected, I told Brisbane’s nurse who I was and said I needed to speak to the doctor. She said, “Is Joe all right?” I didn’t think I’d met her but she knew my connections. I said no, and she cut me off before I could say anything else. “Sorry, the doc is seeing a patient.” Whether I was all right or not didn’t seem to matter.
    â€œListen, it’s the state trooper who needs the doctor. And he needs him now.”
    She said, “Fitzy? What’s he got, the DTs again?”
    I told her about the dead girl and where her body was located. The nurse said, “Omigod. I’ll get Doc up there now.”
    I went out, climbed on my bike, and headed back toward Aggie’s B&B. Uphill. Took me a bit longer than it had to come down.
    The maddened gulls were still circling and squawking. I stood my bike up next to Tommy’s pickup, near the body. If Trooper Fitzgerald had half a brain, was even a marginally competent police officer, he’d have a fit over the blanket.
    Tommy was between the body and Aggie’s front porch, making sure none of her guests got adventurous. A couple of them were taking pictures.
    We heard a roar. The car Fitzy had gotten into was now flying up Center Street. It screeched to a stop behind the pickup. The screech made the gulls even more crazed. The noise they made sounded like human screaming. The B&B’s guests put their hands over their ears. Fitzy wasn’t driving, the rookie was. He looked about twelve. I’m getting old, I guess. My stepfather used to say things to motivate himself, like, “You’re as young as you feel.” I was thirty-five. Last few days I’d felt eighteen. Right now I was a hundred and two.
    Fitzy dragged himself out of the car, turned, and gave the rookie a dirty look. The rookie quickly emerged and slammed the door smartly shut. He stood by the car, stiff and tall. His uniform was immaculate, the trousers creased, the hat starched into perfect shape. He was also very nervous. His eyelid was twitching. He put on his sunglasses.
    The constable walked toward us.
    The state trooper said to him, “Okay, fella, what’s the story here?”
    The gulls were still screaming. Banshees rather than humans. Tommy said, “What?” Fitzy looked up at them, and I swear just his look alone sent the whole flock a little higher into the air. Tommy nodded toward me. “Lady here had Aggie call me. Found this body.”
    Fitzy was still looking up into the sky. “Can we do anything about the freakin’ birds?”
    Tommy said, “No.”
    The trooper shook his head. Then his eyes took in the blanket. He scanned the scene. “What’s with the broken cup?”
    â€œFigured the lady dropped it.”
    He raised his voice. “Figured? Well, you should’ve gotten me instead of coming out here to figure things. Why the hell’d ya cover the body? Jesus.”
    Fitzy grabbed a corner of the blanket. Tommy reached out, but there was nothing he could do to stop him. Fitzy threw the blanket off the dead girl. He went white. Now his voice wasn’t so loud, though he let out a string of curse words. “Holy goddamn fucking shit.” He turned to the rookie. “Johnny, get me—”
    Johnny, staring at the body, was sagging. He turned his head and vomited his breakfast.
    Fitzgerald said. “Wonderful.” Then he looked at me. “How the hell come