Sounds of Murder

Chapter 9

"Laura," she said softly.

The young woman raised her head and blinked. "Oh, Pamela," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be sitting here like this. Students could come in at any moment; it's just that..." She heaved a huge sigh, clutching the side of her head again. Pamela quietly entered the office and shut the door.

"It's okay," she said, sitting on a chair opposite Laura's desk. "This has hit all of us. You're allowed to be upset."

"I know," Laura replied, "I feel so terrible. Charlotte and I had a big fight yesterday. It was the last conversation between us and now she's...she's dead. The last thing I said to her was so hateful." This was news, thought Pamela. More than just Mitchell had had a fight with Charlotte yesterday.

"Now, Laura," said Pamela, soothingly, placing her hand on Laura's arm from across the desk, "you and Charlotte were close. I'm sure she knew that you cared for her." Laura's desktop featured a color photograph of Laura and her husband in their wedding attire.

"She knew," said Laura, biting her lower lip, her long golden hair falling around her shoulders in dishevelment. "She knew how much I appreciated her and everything she'd done for me. I mean, I wouldn't be here without Charlotte; she was my mentor. If it hadn't been for her, I never would have considered an academic career or gone on for my doctorate. She was instrumental in my getting the position here at Grace University too. I just can't believe she's gone." Another bout of tears welled up and Laura reached for a handful of tissues from a box on her desk.

"Charlotte cared about you, Laura," said Pamela. "She showed that by her actions. She was just a very-argumentative-person, and yesterday you were on the receiving end. It didn't mean she didn't realize your concern for her."

"I did. I did," stammered the younger woman. "She was concerned, but just about my job--always about the job, and my research, and getting published. Pamela, you're a woman--you're married with a child. You know there's more to life than just your job."

"Absolutely, I do," said Pamela, smiling.

"But Charlotte didn't," insisted Laura. "She was all about work. I guess it was because she didn't have a family. She turned me into her family--sort of like her daughter. I thought at first that might be nice because I'm estranged from my own mother and I'd like to have an 'adopted mother,' but Charlotte didn't want me like most mothers would want a daughter. She wanted me as her protégé--and for that I had to produce. Research! Papers! Whatever I published, it was never enough for Charlotte; she was always demanding more."

"She was hard on you just as she was hard on herself," agreed Pamela. "Without a doubt, she was the most prolific researcher I've ever known. And those grants! How could one person produce so much grant money single-handed, I'll never know."

"Me neither," said Laura, "And she expected everyone to be just like her. But, Pamela, no one can do that and have a life. I have a husband and we-we've been wanting to start a family. We haven't been successful and we were just starting to try in vitro fertilization."

"I see," nodded Pamela.

"It's very expensive," she confided, "And it's very time-consuming. I simply haven't had any time for working on my research or even for regular classes. I've missed some of my office hours because of all these doctor appointments lately. And Charlotte was harassing me about it to make matters worse. She told me the in vitro was all a waste of time and that I needed to forget about being a baby machine."

"Being a baby machine?" asked Pamela delicately.

"Yes," replied Laura, sighing, "Those were her exact words."