“Nah,” Sandy said. “She loved him, and even if she were really upset, I don’t see her cutting him up like that. A knife is a man’s weapon, especially when you consider the sadistic way Aaron was tortured. Kathy couldn’t do that. My money’s on macho Army guy, Ken Solstad. I can see him getting drunk, learning that his drinking buddy is gay, and going ape-shit. The pictures are in his camera, and I think he did the deed.”
“I can’t argue,” Floyd replied. “Either of them might’ve been driven crazy by the announcement. I can even see Ken pulling out his K-Bar knife and slashing Aaron, but I don’t know why he’d take a picture of Aaron.”
“What we’re missing,” Pam explained, “is that Aaron wasn’t found tied to the tree the next day, or the next spring. The bottom line is that we don’t know what happened after Aaron was tied to the tree. Where is he, or where is his body?”
Floyd stood and gathered the raincoat. “It’s time to talk to Kathy Tucker again. Anyone want to ride along?”
“I’m with you,” Pam said, snatching the raincoat from Floyd’s hand. “Sandy has to go home to ooh and aah over the shower presents.”
“Did Barb choose a dress?” Sandy asked.
“Yes,” Pam replied, “and it’s not the backless one with a neckline that plunged to her navel or the sheer one she planned to wear without underwear. You owe me big time.”
“Tell me it didn’t cost a paycheck,” Sandy said to their backs.
“It didn’t cost a paycheck,” Pam said over her shoulder. She leaned close to Floyd and whispered, “It cost two paychecks.”
Floyd shook his head and held the door against the strong winds driving the huge raindrops. Pam’s hair was plastered to her head again and, despite the raincoat, rivulets of water ran down her neck soaking the front of her dress.
Kathy’s car was parked in the driveway at her home, which was only a quarter-mile from the restaurant. The pounding rain had flattened the greenery and stripped the blossoms from the flowers in her yard. Water spilled over the retaining walls separating the carefully tended plots. Marigold, geranium, and dahlia leaves floated in the puddles and six-foot hollyhocks struggled to stand against the house.
Floyd led the run to the front of the house and pushed the doorbell. Pam followed and stood downwind from him where he blocked some of the pelting rain.
The inside door opened and Kathy stared at them blankly, making no effort to invite them in out of the rain. “Haven’t you bothered me enough?” she demanded.
“Could we come in?” Pam asked.
Kathy pushed the screen door open and backed up far enough so they could enter, but didn’t invite them any further. “What do you want this time?” she asked as water dripped onto her tile floor.
“We need you to come clean with us.” Floyd said. “You’ve given me at least four versions of the night Aaron disappeared. I also had a conversation with a man from Minneapolis who claims he knew why Aaron was coming home that weekend. It doesn’t match your version of events. Before we get into that, I’d like to give you one more chance to set the story straight.”
“I have nothing to add.” Kathy reached for the door.
“We know Aaron was HIV positive,” Pam said softly.
Tears sprang from Kathy’s eyes and a shudder ran through her body, but she didn’t speak.
“We know he was gay,” Floyd said. “He told his Minneapolis friends he was coming home to come out of the closet and let everyone know about his HIV. How many people did he tell?”
Kathy hung her head, unable to speak.
“Did he tell you before you left the bar?”
Kathy shook her head. “No,” she croaked, staring at the floor.
“That’s why you had the big fight?”
Kathy nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks. She patted her pockets, and pulled out a tissue to wipe her nose. Pam started to say something but Floyd put his hand on her arm and shook his head. They let the silence work on Kathy.
After several seconds Kathy said, “Do you have any idea how hard it is? Aaron’s the only guy who ever asked me out. I’ve always been an outcast because I’m strong and tall. Other guys thought I was too competitive or too much of a tomboy and they couldn’t deal with a self-confident female jock. Aaron was gentle and sweet. He never tried to compete with me. He let me be who I was and I never wanted to be with anyone else.
“When he told me he was gay, I lost it. I thought he was lying and then I thought he was playing a joke. Do you have any idea how hard it is on your femininity to have the guy you love tell you he’s decided he likes men better? Do you?” She shouted. Kathy started to pace in the small entryway.
“Let me tell you how hard it was. All the other girls in high school talked about how they held their boyfriends off, then how they gave in to sex until after they’d been petting for weeks or months. Aaron never tried to be sexual with me. Never. I had to put his hand on my breast so I could tell the other girls we’d been to second base. I had to seduce him!” We went out one night and I talked him into parking by McCormick Lake. We went for a walk and I dragged him into the bushes and I made love to him while he lay on his back dumbfounded. It wasn’t fun, exciting, or sexy. He never mentioned it afterwards and he never made an attempt to have sex again.”
“So, Aaron being HIV positive didn’t affect you?”
She looked down as tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped onto the tile. “I’m positive, too. The drugs cost me five-hundred bucks a month.” Kathy paused and wiped her nose again. “One time! We had crappy sex one time and I get HIV! Damn him!”
“What happened after the fight?” Pam asked.
Kathy shrugged.
“Let me try a scenario on you,” Floyd said. “Then, you tell me which parts are correct.
“Aaron was sitting in the front seat of the car with you, and whispers to you that he needs to talk. You walk outside and he tells you that he’s gay, he’s HIV positive and you need to get a blood test. You freak out and tell him just what you think. Ken gets out of the car and asks what happened. You’re so mad that you blurt it out in the worst terms and Ken goes crazy, punching and kicking Aaron. Ken dumps Aaron in the backseat and drives Melissa home.” Floyd paused. “Am I getting it?”
“Pretty much,” Kathy replied quietly.
“Once Melissa is in her house, Ken starts talking wildly about teaching Aaron a lesson. He pulls him from the car, punching him and shoving him into a snowbank before jamming him back into the car. He’s probably talking about how they take care of gays in the Army. He maybe even makes some comments about his K-bar Army knife. At this point, you’re in shock and you’ve shut out most of what’s happening. Ken’s driving around, ranting with Aaron unconscious in the backseat.
“Ken stops the car in the middle of nowhere. He climbs out of the car and drags Aaron out while you watch in terror. Before you can stop what’s going on, Ken strips off Aaron’s clothes and ties him to a tree.”
Floyd stops at that point and looks at Kathy, who’s staring at the floor. “What happened after that?” he asked.
Still looking at the floor Kathy said, “Aaron started to come around, and Ken threatened him with that terrible knife. He cut off Aaron’s shirt and pants, then told Aaron to change his mind, to admit he wasn’t queer. Aaron just sat there is his underwear shivering. He didn’t say a thing, and that made Ken even madder.” Kathy choked up and stopped to blow her nose.
“What happened to Aaron’s chest?” Pam asked.
“When Aaron didn’t respond, Ken sliced him. I shrieked and Aaron screamed in pain, but Ken just glared at me.” Kathy broke into sobs. “I tried to stop him, but he pushed me away. He tied Aaron to a tree then cut and cut. There was so much blood but Ken kept screaming at him. I think Aaron passed out from the pain at some point. When Ken was done he jammed the knife into my hand and told me to teach Aaron a lesson. He said Aaron had more than cheated on me; he’d cheated on me with a man.”