Dark Corner

Chapter 9

Detective Willows, I presume

We stood outside as we waited for the detective to finish his preliminary investigation. The large man in an ill-fitting brown suit brandishing a detective’s badge, Detective Willows, came out, peeling off his gloves. “And what were you doing here this late at night?” Detective Willows asked Mrs. Twiggs.

“I had a feeling.”

“What do you mean?”

“A premonition.”

“About Mrs. Lund?”

“Yes.” Mrs. Twiggs slid down to the ground, out cold. She had fainted. I stepped close to her mouth, pushing my breath into hers.

Detective Willows lifted her up and carried her into the nearby kitchen. He placed her on a chair. “Mrs. Twiggs, Mrs. Twiggs?” He caressed her cheeks, trying to rouse her. “Mrs. Twiggs. Mrs. Twiggs,” the detective repeated.

She opened her eyes with a flutter. “What happened?”

“You fainted.”

Mrs. Twiggs gazed around the kitchen and realized the detective had carried her in. Her face turned a bright red.

I’ve known Detective Willows for years, as he is a frequent visitor of the Leaf & Page. He is a kind man. A forty-year veteran of the Asheville police department. His wife had begged him for years to retire, but he couldn’t. He loved his job and the people he protected. After his wife died, Detective Willows decided it was time to retire. Until he received the call about the body in the Biltmore.

He smiled at Mrs. Twiggs, which made her blush even more. “Let’s get you a cup of tea and then we can talk.”

I watched Mrs. Twiggs’s aura change colors. She had become quite close to Detective Willows since his wife’s passing. Detective Willows held the delicate teacup and saucer; they looked like a child’s play set in his large hands. He carried his girth with ease and grace. For a man of his size, he was a remarkable dancer, having won many dance contests at the annual Asheville dance competition.

“Beatrice, take a sip.”

Mrs. Twiggs sipped slowly, her eyes popping open at the first taste.

“I’ve fortified it.”

Mrs. Twiggs finished the tea.

“Beatrice, there must be some reason aside from your premonition that you were here today. It doesn’t sound good. Premonition? Vision?” Detective Willows shared the skepticism that many police officers felt for mystical events in Asheville.

“Butch, I’ve always had a sense of foreshadowing, but it’s been stronger as of late. I can’t explain it. I see things before they happen.”

“Next time you see something, call me first. We’ll keep it between us. Let’s get you home. We can discuss this more tomorrow.”

Detective Willows helped Mrs. Twiggs up, leading her to the door. EMTs carried the body, Mrs. Lund, out on a gurney as police investigators roped off the room with yellow caution tape. I stayed close to Mrs. Twiggs, lost in my thoughts. Why would someone want to harm Mrs. Lund? Who was she? We knew little about her. All we knew is that she was a known Civil War expert from the University of Richmond in Virginia and that she was dead.