College-Cut Kill

I kissed her then, there in the cool shade with the warm wind touching our faces, and she came alive in my arms in a way I’ve never before experienced. Holding her was holding flame and purpose and a clean, wanting strength. It shook me, and shook her too. We sat apart from each other.

We said very little on the drive back. I left her off at the sorority house. I went to a bar and had a few. I arrived at Gamma U in time for dinner. I talked and I listened politely and the table conversation went over the surface of my mind while below the surface a tallish, faintly awkward girl walked, and her eyes were more than promise...

I woke with a start at dawn. The bedroom had an outside door. I had left it open and latched the screen. A tall figure was silhouetted there.

“Rod,” he said. “Rod, let me in.”

I went to the door. “Oh, Arthur! Man, it’s a little after six. I didn’t know you boys were going to drop in at this time of day.”

I unlatched the door. He brushed by me, walked to the bed and sat down, staring at his big hands. His faintly Lincolnesque appearance was more pronounced. The eyes had sunk deeper into his head. His cheeks were more hollow. I suddenly knew that this was no time for patter and laughter.

“I can’t depend on anybody else,” he said. “You’ve got to help me.”

I sat beside him and reached over and took my cigarettes from the bedside table. I lit both cigarettes with my lighter. “What is it?”

“The most awful mess yet, Rod. The worst. Everybody’s running around like headless chickens. I came out here to talk to somebody with sense. This time it has rattled me.”

“Get to it, Arthur. What happened?”

“The police phoned the house at three this morning. It happened at the Onyx Court.” I barely concealed my start of surprise. That was the court and trailer outfit owned by the Toberlys.

“They said that they had a body tentatively identified as Bradford Carroll. I dressed and went over along with Bill Armand. The place was swarming with police. Brad’s throat had been cut. I told them that it was Brad all right. I still feel sick. There was blood all over...”

“Take it easy, Arthur.”

“They were still questioning Bob Toberly. He’s a student too. We rushed him a couple of years ago and passed him over. He runs the place along with his wife. It’s sort of a crummy place. Toberly said that Brad and his wife, a tall dark girl that he recognized as a student, had registered in at about ten for the night. He said they’d done it many times before. He said that they were secretely married.

“Well, Bill, standing beside me, said ‘Laura!’ They turned on Bill and made him admit that he thought it sounded like Laura Trainor. They got the name of the sorority house and two cops went to pick her up. They’re holding her now. I’ve done all I could. I wired Brad’s parents, and the sorority sisters phoned Laura’s father. I heard he’s on his way down. Rod, it would be bad enough without all that trouble last year, but this is absolutely the worst. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

I left him sitting there and made him a stiff drink. Laura was one of Tilly’s sorority sisters, along with Molly. So Tilly would know already. I made a second stiff one for myself. He took his glass numbly and drank it as though it were water.

“The razor was right there,” he said. “I saw it. A straight razor. He used them. I guess it was an affectation. I guess he had a kit with him so he could get cleaned up and go directly from the Onyx Court to class.”

“Do you think Laura did it?”

He shuddered. “How do I know what to think? I don’t think she’s capable of a thing like that. But they could have quarreled.”

“What will happen?”

“It was too late for the morning papers but the afternoon papers will give it a big play. They’ll bring up all that stuff from last year. There were reporters there. Toberly’s wife put on her best dress. To her it was like a party. They’re giving Toberly a bad time. Brad voted against Toberly, of course, two years ago. Most of us did. They’ll twist and turn until they make a motive out of it.”

“How can I help?”

He gave me a tired smile. “You’ve helped by listening. I have to go back now. I have to get everybody together and tell them to keep their damn mouths shut. Then I have to pack Brad’s things. A policeman is going to help me. He’ll be looking for evidence. He’s in the house now, sitting on a chair outside Brad’s room. He was there when I left anyway.”

“What about Brad’s people?”

“They’ll be down, I suppose. I ought to make a reservation for them at the hotel. Look, would you do that for me?”

“Sure thing.”

He stood up and put the glass on the bedside table. “Thanks, Rod. That drink helped a lot.”

“Let me dress. I’ll go in with you.”

“No, I’ll go along. I’ll be at the house. See you there.”

Some of the brothers were having an early breakfast when I went in. The single waiter acted jittery. Lieutenant Cord was sitting in the lounge. He came over to me and said, “Is this another one of those accident-prone guys?”