Cold Case

Her name was Denise Olsen. She was 19 with cobalt blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and studying medicine at Wake Forest University. She was driving to her parent’s house for Thanksgiving dinner when she was killed by someone closer to her than anyone can imagine.
Her body was found lying on a boardwalk in front of a waterfall. None of her personal belongings were recovered from her body except a pack of Camel Menthols, which weren’t even hers. Her cell phone was missing. The keys to her car were missing. Her car was missing. Though a prime suspect had been held in custody charged with Denise Olsen’s murder, they were later released after their alibi held up. The case is still open but it’s reached a standstill. The case has gone indefinitely cold.

~~~~~

On the morning of November 25th 2010, Denise had been in her dorm room until 11 A.M. at which time she got up and went into the dorms kitchen where her roommate had breakfast ready. Jessie Mack was 21 and a habitual smoker—Denise was not. They took turns cooking breakfast, alternating every other day. That morning Jessie had cooked egg, cheese and bacon omelets with a side dish of grapes and low-cal yogurt. Both the girls took care of their bodies to a level of extremes. They were perfect imitations of the other. Expect one smoked and the other didn’t. That’s why they made a good couple.
“When are you going to tell your parents babe?” asked Jess. She crossed her legs and sat Indian style in the chair.
“Soon.”
“You’ve been saying that for over 5 months. I know your parents come from a religious background but I know they will accept you for what you are.”
“And what’s that? Lesbian?”
“No. A smart doctor to be. You being a lesbian has nothing to do with your character. Your parents will see that and accept it like my parents did with me.”
“What if they don’t? What if they hate me?” Denise was sitting now. Though she had been famished when entering the kitchen, the nervous nature of the conversation had ruined her appetite.
“They won’t. I know it.” Jess opened her carton of Camel Menthols and plucked out a cigarette, placing it in her mouth she lit up as Denise’s countenance changed from worried to anger.
“You know I don’t like it when you smoke in here.”
“It’s Thanksgiving, live a little. What time are you going to your parents place?”
“Probably late. Around 5 or 6. Do you want to come with?”
“I don’t know. I am a little more open with my lesbianism. Are you sure you want your mom to know you are sharing a dorm with a lesbian. Much less let her know that roommate is your girlfriend?”
“Know what? I want you to be there. I don’t want to keep hiding you away. I am not embarrassed by you and I want the whole world to know I love you.”
“Are you sure? I wasn’t trying to pressure you into telling them today. I mean.”
“I want to do it. I’ll tell my mother by phone and hopefully she will tell me father for me. I just can’t deal with telling him.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, more than you know.”
Jess finished her breakfast and went to the bathroom to take a shower Meanwhile Denise paced the living room building up courage to call home.
It had been a sunny morning that day. A record high for that time of year. It felt like there wouldn’t be a winter. Many hoped that was true considering the year before had brought heavy snow fall throughout the triad counties.
As the phone rang, Denise could feel her heart beginning to thump harder inside her chest. Thump, thump, thump, faster and faster it thumped. When the phone was picked up on the other line it stopped. She was frozen silent.
“Hello?” It was her younger brother, Matt. “Hello? Who is this? Is anyone there? I am going to hang up if you don’t talk.”
Denise swallowed hard and said, “Matt, it’s me Denise. Can you put mom on the phone please?”
“Denise, why the hell do you have to be such a creeper? I thought you were prank calling.”
“Matt just put mom on.”
“Okay geez.”
Denise heard her brother Matt call out for his mom and immediately her heart started to speed up again. “Hello? Denise is something wrong?”
“Uhh hey mom. No, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Can I bring someone to Thanksgiving dinner tonight?”
“Well, it’s something special I usually try to keep within family. You know how it is.”
“Mom this person is very special to me. I would really love it if you met her.”
“Her?”
“Yes mother. Her name is Jessie Olson. She’s my roommate at the University and she and I are dating.” Her heart stopped beating and time seemed to come to a stop. She could hear her mother breathing on the line but neither was saying anything. She wanted to give her some time to digest things. Sure enough her mother piped up after a few minutes.
“Well in that case, sure bring her along. I want to meet her first though. How about we meet up at Lou’s before you two come here?”
“Uhh that sounds fine with me. I’ll let Jess know. Mom I love you.”
“I love you too Denise. Be careful.”
“I will mom. Bye.” Denise but the phone down with a weight lifted from her chest. Her secret was out.

~~~~~

Jess walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a white towel. She stopped at the doorway leading into the living room. “How did it go?” she asked. “Did your mother flip out?”
“No. Actually I think she took it fairly well. She wants to meet you thought, before dinner tonight.”

“I’m sure that is going to be fun, having her scrutinize me to determine if I am worthy enough for you or better yet, her standards.”
“She said to meet up with her a Lou’s at 4.”
“I will meet you there. I have a little errand to run first.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. I need to do this alone. Besides it’s a surprise.”
“Oh yeah? And what kind of surprise could that be?”
“Don’t worry your mind about that you hear. You have a report to write for O’Shay’s class. What was it? Adverse effects caused by Vicotin on the human body?”
“Yeah, you are right. I’ll be better prepared if I do a little work on it instead of procrastinating till the last minute. Anyways I already know I am going to love whatever your surprise may be.”

“That’s the spirit. Have fun with that paper.”

~~~~~

Jess walked into the clinics lobby, smiled as the secretary acknowledged her presence and sat down in the same leather sofa as the day before. She laid her back against the cushion and stared off into the ceiling before closing her eyes. She let out a sigh and reminded herself why she was doing it. “To strengthen her relationship and protect her body,” that’s what she told herself as she waited.
“Jessie Marie Mack,” the receptionist piped up startling Jess from her daydream.
“Dr. Novak will see you now.”
“Thank you Alice.” Jess walked past Alice into the doctor’s office she had been lead to the previous visit. That’s when everything had been explained to her. When she had willed herself into using her body as a guinea pig. “It’s to strengthen my relationship,” she repeated before walking into the doctor’s office. That was day one of her clinical studies with a new pill that promised to eliminate her addiction to nicotine.

~~~~~

Denise brought her car to a stop in front of the metallic structure everyone knew as Lou’s Dinner. It was a quaint restaurant owned by friends of the family. Generation through generation it had been passed down each time growing larger in popularity. People considered it a landmark and with all the tourists that came by each year to try the unique food Lou’s offered, it most certainly had the reputation to be.
Denise looked at her phone to see if she had any new messages or missed calls from Jess; nothing. She found it strange Jess hadn’t called ahead of time telling her she might be late to meet with her mother and herself. Denise sat in her car waiting until she saw her mother beckoning her by the boardwalk leading to a waterfall behind the restaurant. Though closed on most days, the Olsen family had always been in a tight niche with the Grisons, allowing them access anytime.
After locking her car, Denise followed the silhouette which was once her mother into the darkness. Towards the end of the boardwalk, near the waterfall, a single light post illuminated the surrounding darkness. Her mother was standing by the railing facing the waterfall. Denise walked up behind and said, “Hey mom. Jess will be here in a minute. She is running a little late.”
“You mean you don’t do everything together? You don’t spend every minute of your day with her? How could you do this to our family?” her mother asked irately.

“I take it you don’t approve of it.”
“Approve of it? I would never approve of such blasphemy. You are going to hell and you know it.”
“Mom you are hurting me. Why are you saying this to me?”
“You deserve it and more.” Denise reached forward in an attempt to grab her mother to pull her in for an embrace. “Don’t you dare touch me! I just wanted to let you know you and your friend are not welcome in my house. I don’t care if I never see you again as a matter of fact.”
“Mom,” Denise reached forward again crying. This time her mother pushed her away with brute force. Denise stumbled backward, tripping on her feet before hitting the back of her head against the sharp corner of the wooden railing. Her body fell to the floor limp.
Mrs. Olsen stood back agape. Her daughter was moving. She wasn’t breathing. Mrs. Olsen had killed her daughter by accident. “What will they think of me?” she thought. “I can’t go to jail.” Mrs. Olsen reached into her purse and removed a cigarette—Camel Menthol. The time passed as Mrs. Olsen passed around her daughter’s body trying to figure out what to do. Cigarette after cigarette she smoked until the perfect idea came to mind. “If somebody has to pay it’s her girlfriend” she thought. “It’s her fault we even had this discussion. If she hadn’t turned my daughter into a monster, I wouldn’t have done this.”
~~~~~

Mrs. Olsen removed all of Denise’s personal items and left her on the floor surrounded by cigarette butts and the empty box she had smoked through. She drove away in Denise’s car to God knows where. It was never recovered. An hour later a cab dropped her off at Lou’s. She was back at the crime scene ready to play her part as a distressed mother. She called the police and reported the death of her daughter.
When questioned she said she had been late to a planned meeting between her daughter and her friend. Mrs. Olsen denied being a smoker and suggested they investigate Denise’s roommate at Wake Forest University. The fact Jess and Mrs. Olsen smoked the same cigarettes had been a coincidence Mrs. Olsen hadn’t expected. The evidence pointed Jess’s way. The only thing lacking was motive.
Jess was picked up on I-77 just outside of King. She claimed to have been at Hanes Mall shopping for something to give Denise, an alibi that checked out the next day when the officers were able to question workers at Victoria Secret that had assisted Jess during her shopping.

~~~~~

Her name was Denise Olsen. She was 19 with cobalt blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and studying medicine at Wake Forest University. She was driving to her parent’s house for Thanksgiving dinner when she was killed.

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