Why Not Murder

2. ID

2. ID

The name and address on the insurance card was different from that on Warren's driver's license. The owner of the car lived in an upscale district outside of Maple. Warren's license address was within town. Maya had returned home from the chapel soaking wet and fell ill soon afterward. A day of total rest and plenty of tea revived her. She had many naps wherein she wandered the land of dreams but on waking she remembered nothing about them. She sat in the screened porch watching the rain hit the tree leaves which made the forest look like it was quivering in the still air. When the rain finally stopped, the flying insects came out, hovering and buzzing like a vibrant gray cloud. Then came little birds swooping and flying with beaks open, enjoying the great feast, skillfully avoiding the tree trunks and branches by very near distances.

Next morning just as the darkness began to give way to dawn, Maya headed out on her way to the address on the insurance card. She walked there. At times she followed the road, at times she cut through the forest. Thick undergrowth made the way through the forest tiring. She rested frequently and often consulted the map she brought with her. She added to the map by marking places of notable landmarks. She decided to spend the night under the stars because the sky was clear and a warm wind was keeping the bugs away. She loved walking and never aspired to own a vehicle because of that. In the forest surrounded by vibrant life, she never felt unobserved. It wasn't until the day following, that she located the address on the car insurance information.

It was about 10:30 in the morning when she approached the place, a sprawling modern three-story mansion with enormous windows, glass walls and surrounded by well-kept gardens. Numerous vehicles were parked in front. Maya rang the ornate doorbell. A man answered. The massive front door was opened only a few inches. He held a growling Doberman by the collar.

"Good Day to you Sir," Maya said.

His reply, a gruff, "What do you want?"

Maya held the insurance card out to him and asked, "Is this yours?"

He snatched it from her hand and scrutinized it. The water had faded and softened it but the type was legible enough to read. He pushed the Doberman behind him and quickly stepped outside, leaving the dog barking on the inside.

"Where'd you get this?" the man inquired, with such an attitude that Maya found herself lying in reply because she didn't trust him.

"I found it washed ashore to the north of Maynard's Inlet." Maynard's Inlet was a small bay not far from where they were at the moment that most of the residents in the area were familiar with. It was equipped for tourists with restroom facilities, fresh running water, picnic tables, fire pits and bear-secure garbage containers. The place was cleaned regularly by the local town.

"Is it yours?" Maya repeated.

"Yes, it is," the man replied, "It was in my car that was stolen from here several days ago," he was indicating the parking area in front of the house with a sweep of his arm, "I reported it to the police." No thanks to Maya for bringing him the insurance card and thus providing a big clue as to the whereabouts of the vehicle. He opened the house door and slipped back inside at the same time as the Doberman got out. Quickly he shut the door practically in her face. The dog was barking, baring his vicious teeth and snapping his jaws at her the whole way she walked calmly down the walkway until she was outside the front gate but the dog did not touch her. Then it went back to the house and barked to be let in.

Maya had a presentiment that the man could be watching her with binoculars. She headed south on the roadway and then left the road and entered the forest when she was sure she could not be observed. She circled partially around and came back up to the fenced boundary of the property. The boundary was closer to the house at this part than at the front of the property. She could see the man through one of the glass walls. He was not looking outside. He was sitting at an antique desk and appeared to be reading some documents, looking from one to another as though he were checking something. Then a woman came in front of the desk, he looked up and they were talking. Maya sat with her back against a tree, nibbling the dried berries she had brought, watching. She wrote all her observations in a small notebook.

About half an hour after the woman had spoken to the man, he left in one of the vehicles. The woman was waving to him from the doorstep. The Doberman came out with her and ran around the house a couple times but was not aware of Maya. Then the woman and the Doberman went inside. Soon after, the woman left the premises in another vehicle, locking the front door behind her. The grounds were so well kept and the house so huge, Maya considered it likely that the owners employed staff. Thick forest surrounded the property and Maya went around the entire periphery just on the outside of the chain-linked border fence. There was a back door and doors on each side of the house. No one was about. In a moment's inspiration Maya went through the back gate, up to the back door and quickly undid the lock with an all-purpose house key and found herself inside. The bolt on the inside of the door had not been latched. The dog was barking insanely but was not coming towards her. She soon saw why. He was locked in a kennel inside a room near the front entrance, probably so that he wouldn't mess anything while the owners were out. She went quietly upstairs to the room with the antique desk, checking to ensure there was no one in any of the rooms she passed by. Wary also that she could be seen from outside while at the desk, she looked out the glass wall but saw no one there. None of the many drawers in the desk were locked. Invoices and letters lay disorderly on top.

Everything was addressed to Hudson Laymuir at the present address. The invoices were for all sorts of things and most were overdue. The correspondence consisted of letters demanding immediate payment of neglected debts. There were bank statements and Maya could see that Hudson Laymuir was in dire banking straights and he had a line of credit that was accruing plenty of interest as well as various credit cards close to being maxed out. Then Maya quickly left the desk as much as possible as it had been and went to a dark area of the room where a little antique table was sitting in the corner with a tall vase of artificial flowers on it. It had a little drawer that was locked. What secrets did it contain she wondered but the dog was silent for a brief instance and she heard a car approaching. Only a second was the dog quiet and then it resumed with increased anger. Startled she accidently knocked the vase over. She grabbed it just as it was touching the floor preventing it from shattering and rushed out the back way just as someone was entering the front door. Whoever it was immediately let the Doberman out but as luck would have it, Maya made it over the property fence, unnoticed, just in the nick of time.

Maya sat against the same tree where she had before. The woman was looking frantically through the papers on the desk top. Maya thought it likely she had never seen them before, judging from the staccato movement of the woman, possibly Hudson's wife. She seemed the right age, beautiful hair and clothes, very high heels. In Maya's opinion, women who wore narrow very high heels cut so low that part of their toes showed considered themselves to be socially important in their own spheres. Could it be said that they were actually walking in such shoes? Clearly they are for show, to show height on the social scale. Women who wore such shoes thought themselves worth more than other women, that was Maya's experience of the type. Maya wore plain moccasins. The woman also had a hair style that required professional maintenance. No woman really had hair like that. The woman was hunched over some of the papers intently. Maya wondered whether they were the bank statements. The woman slammed the pages onto the desk angrily. Possibly Hudson had rushed out because of the information about his stolen car and had neglected to lock the papers back into the drawers. The woman looked up and then stood up suddenly and rushed to the corner of the room where the vase lay on the floor with the artificial flowers scattered. Maya continued to watch but she couldn't see the woman at this point. Fairly soon a couple of police vehicles arrived followed by another car. Four officers got out as well as Hudson. The woman also came outside and then they all went indoors. Maya could see they were going through all the rooms with glass walls, scrutinizing everything. Possibly they were suspecting burglary and were checking the house contents. One officer was constantly writing in his notebook.

Out of nowhere it occurred to Maya about security cameras. She chose to live without modern technology but didn't suppose that hardly anyone else did, particularly those who dwelt in high class homes such as this. Having the latest technology was another marker of status which was so embedded in the value system and thinking of human beings for countless generations and would remain whatever political system was in use, as the social hierarchy and one's place in it determined nearly everyone's concept of self-value. Likely they were watching video of Maya in the house. Hudson would recognize her. Would they find out who she was? She had been in the police force until she had been put on suspension for chronic lack of adherence to authorized protocol that, she was well aware, occurred when the official protocol was contrary to her morals.