Three

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All three girls looked up. Charlie jumped out of her chair and ran towards the hall shouting, "Mommy and Daddy are home!"

Michael put his arm out and caught her. He turned her back to her chair and with a stern look at each of them said, "Stay here." The bell sounded again as he was about to reach the door. The tension that had become a knot in the pit of his stomach he would later think back on as a premonition. Reggie followed close with an alert expression.

The girls stood at the opening from the kitchen with only their heads visible as they peeked down the hallway. Alex suddenly became fearful as the door began to open. She wanted to yell for him to stop but she was unable to make a sound.

~~~~~

Two men stood on the porch both wearing long slickers to deflect the rain. The older man wore a dark suit under his raincoat and the younger man wore a patrolman's uniform.

Michael stood holding the door as he waited for something to happen. He tried to look calm. Reggie stopped halfway into the hall between the girls and the front door.

"Is this Dr. Graham's residence?" the older man asked.

"Yes," he answered, but it was barely a whisper. "Yes," he repeated in a stronger voice.

The older man introduced himself as Detective Ron Hillman and the younger as Officer Pascal.

Michael continued standing in the doorway.

"May we come in?" the detective asked.

"Yes," he said as he stepped aside. "Please come in."

There was an awkward pause before the detective asked, "Is there somewhere we can talk?" He nodded his head towards the kitchen. Michael followed his gaze which rested on three little blond heads peering out from the doorway.

He signaled towards the living room, "Please sit down, I'll be right back." He headed towards the kitchen calling Reggie to follow and settled the girls in front of their dinner once more. He closed the door between the kitchen and the hall and joined the two men in the living room.

The detective began by asking Michael his name and relationship to the Grahams.

"My name is Michael Alverez. I do gardening and upkeep on the grounds and my mother takes care of the girls and does light housekeeping four days a week. Mrs. Graham is usually home by 5:00 pm. Today my mother couldn't wait so she asked me to stay until they get home." He glanced over his shoulder, looking back towards the hall. "Has something happened?" he inquired in a lowered voice.

"I'm afraid so," the older man responded. "Dr. and Mrs. Graham were involved in a serious car accident," he paused for a moment and then added, "They were both killed."

For a few seconds, time stopped--suspended in mid-air. Michael heard the words but he wasn't able to immediately grasp their meaning. It was like trying to fit an elephant into a doghouse. The enormity and consequence of this small statement would be immeasurable.

"Oh my God," was all he could manage as a response. He ran his hand through his thick black hair while telling himself he had to keep a clear head. He suddenly thought of Mrs. Graham, Laura as she insisted he call her. How could she be dead? She was the most beautiful woman he had ever known. She was so full of life with a warm laugh that could melt stone and a wonderful curiosity about gardening.

~~~~~

He remembered the first time he saw her. His mother had asked him to come by to talk about doing some landscaping for the new family she had started working for. Laura was standing in the backyard wearing a floral sundress. Her short blond hair was styled in loose, silky curls that glistened in the soft afternoon sun. She stood about five foot six with an athletic build, although a slight swell of her abdomen told him that she was pregnant. She was tan from hours spent working in the garden. He learned that gardening was a passion of hers and this common thread made a friendship between them easy, otherwise, he was more of a loner.

~~~~~

"How long have you known the Grahams?" the detective asked.

After a slight pause, Michael came back from his thoughts. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?"

"How long have you known the Grahams?"

"Almost six years. They were one of my first clients. They had just built this house. Laura, Mrs. Graham, was pregnant with Charlie when they moved in." His voice trailed off as he pictured the three little girls in the other room. What was he supposed to tell them?"

"Mr. Alverez, are there any family members you should call?" This time it was the officer who spoke.

"Mrs. Graham has a sister who lives about five hours away near San Francisco," he heard himself say. "I don't know if there's anyone else. I really need to talk to the girls first. My mother will stay with them until their aunt gets here."

"I'll need the aunt to give me a call after you talk to her,  I'm going to need her permission to have your mother stay with the girls' until she gets here. He handed Michael his card. I'll be waiting to hear from her.

Both men stood up and Michael walked them to the door.

"One more thing Mr. Alverez," Hillman began; "as far as you're aware were the Grahams involved in a car accident recently?"

"No. Their other car is in the shop, but that's just for a tune-up."

"Do you recall seeing damage on the passenger side of the Grand Cherokee?"

"No, not that I remember. Why?"

"It's probably nothing. It appears that there's some denting and blue paint on the side of the Jeep. If it wasn't there before, then there may have been an impact with another vehicle before the Jeep went over the embankment."

Michael looked bewildered. "It was an accident, right?"

"We haven't completed our preliminary investigation yet. We may know more when Mrs. Graham's sister calls. Goodnight, Mr. Alverez."

Michael slowly shut the door as he wondered in what world it was going to be a 'good' night.


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