Stone Cold Dead by James Ziskin (great novels of all time txt) 📕

I stuck my magazine back onto the rack and reeled around to look at him, blushing from the public censure, and saw that it was Carol Liswenski standing next to me. We exchanged embarrassed glances. Then, upon recognizing me, Fadge turned white.

“Ellie, sorry,” he stammered. “I didn’t see you there.” He scanned the counter and zeroed in on Zeke, a fifteen-year-old regular who was always begging Fadge for a job. “Over here, Ellie,” said Fadge, snatching a half-drunk cherry Coke from the boy. “Zeke was just leaving.”

“Hey,” protested Zeke, but his time was up. He slid off the stool and, head down, shuffled out of the store.

I took his seat at the counter, feeling vaguely guilty and ordered a cup of coffee. Fearing he was next in Fadge’s sights, the young man next to me downed his drink, wiped his lips on his sleeve, then slipped away.

“Carol,” I called to the girl, still standing near the magazines but now too afraid to touch them. “Carol, there’s a seat here,” and I patted the red Naugahyde to my left.

She accepted my invitation warily and climbed up onto the stool.

“I’ll stand you a Coke,” I said. “What would you like?”

“A hot-fudge sundae,” she said softly.

“Okay,” I said, eyeing Fadge. I’d offered a Coke, but never mind . . .

Carol was alone, and I asked her where her friends had gone.

“Susan is with her new boyfriend, Rick Stafford,” she said. “And Linda always has family dinner at Johnnie’s Seafood on Fridays.”

“You’re a long way from the Town of Florida,” I said. “How are you getting home?”

“I’ll get a ride from one of the girls, I guess. If not, I have enough for a taxi.”

“That’s not a good idea,” I said. “I’ll drive you home if you need a ride.”

She nodded okay.

“I wanted to ask you something, Carol.”

“Okay,” she said, a little doubtful.

“The day Darleen disappeared from the bus,” I began in a low voice. The chatter surrounding us drowned out our conversation, rendering us inaudible in the middle of a crowd. “You said she got off the bus to see someone. And you said you didn’t see who it was.”

She nodded just as Fadge put a hot-fudge sundae and a glass of water down in front of her. She lit up and dug in.

“I think you or Susan or Linda did see who it was,” I said, and Carol chewed more slowly, her mind working on an escape or an excuse. “And you three must have discussed it a hundred times since Darleen vanished. Now, I’m going to say a name, and you’re going to tell me if I’m right.”

Carol looked up at me, a smear of melting ice cream on her lower lip. She looked like a child; she was only fourteen after all.

“It was Ted Jurczyk, wasn’t it?”

Carol choked, wiped her chin with a napkin, and took a sip of her water. “How did you know that?” she hissed in a whisper. Her eyes darted from side to side to ensure no one was listening. Then she leaned in closer to me. “Darleen made us swear not to tell, and Susan would kill me if I did.”

“So Darleen took the time to swear you three girls to silence before she got off the bus to talk to Teddy?”

Carol looked confused by my question, but nodded finally. “Yeah, I guess. She didn’t want Joey to find out because he was so crazy jealous.”

“I thought you said she was over Joey.”

“Well, yeah, she was. But he was still in the picture. You know, when Darleen had nothing else going on, there was always Joey.”

“Joey had quite a different idea about their relationship. He said they were going to run away together to get married.”

Carol shrugged and turned back to her sundae. She stirred the ice cream and hot fudge absently. The spoon clinked against the bowl, and there was another tinkling as well. A charm bracelet on her wrist.

“Nice sweater you’ve got there, Carol,” I said. “And you’ve changed your hair, haven’t you?”

“I guess.”

“That’s a swell charm bracelet, too. It looks new.”

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1961

The rain had moved on during the night and so had the unseasonably warm temperatures. By Saturday morning, we were back into the upper thirties, with sun and blue skies. I had retired late the night before, looking for any excuse to stay away from my apartment as long as possible. First, I drove Carol Liswenski home to the Town of Florida, but it wasn’t yet eleven when I returned to Lincoln Avenue. I talked Fadge into joining me for a late-night pizza at Tedesco’s. In truth, it didn’t take much convincing, and the big lug insisted on picking up the bill. By the time we’d finished, it was after one, and the moment of truth was upon me. I had to go face the night alone in my place.

I didn’t want Fadge to know what was bothering me. That would just worry him. But I had no intention of entering that apartment by myself at one thirty in the morning. I invited him up for a nightcap, but he begged off. He whined that he was tired and the pizza and beer weren’t agreeing with him.

“Maybe next time don’t eat so much,” I lectured. “Come on up, and I’ll give you a Bromo-Seltzer.”

Thank God he agreed. I made sure to make as much noise as possible climbing the stairs, asking Fadge loud questions to alert anyone who might be inside that I was not alone. Fadge thought it strange that I went from room to room, switching on the lights and peering behind doors before I fetched him his Bromo-Seltzer, but it satisfied me that we were alone.

“Here you go,” I said, handing him the fizzing glass.

Once he’d left, I barricaded the kitchen door with a dresser and left all the lights on before retiring for the night. Despite my fears, I managed to sleep for