Free Birdsongs by Jason Deas Page B

together for three years before Ryan’s death.
        The second victim, named Danny Hill, was Benny's assignment. He was an unwed, struggling musician who lived with his mother. She resided in an antiquated home that looked brand new. Large white columns and a grand front porch accompanied with swings on each end greeted Benny as he parked on the street directly in front of the house. He walked up the sidewalk through the neatly groomed lawn and before he could get to the door, Ms. Hill walked out and greeted him with a glass of iced tea.
        “I’ve been expecting you all day,” she began. “You must be from the Tilley Police Department. I made you some iced tea. Let’s have a seat on the swing and maybe I can be of some help to you.”
        “Thank you ma’am,” Benny said with a nod and an expression telling of his sorrow and concern. “My name is Benny James and I am a private investigator helping the Tilley Police Department with this investigation. I appreciate your openness into what I know is a sensitive matter.” As they sat on the swing, Benny sipped his iced tea and said, “Well, if this isn’t some of the best iced tea I’ve ever tasted I don’t know what is.”
        “Danny didn’t like it,” Ms. Hill said.
        “He didn’t know what he was missing. Tell me about Danny if you would.”
        “Well,” Ms. Hill said as she decided where to begin. “He was a quiet boy who was unsure of everything except his music. He wasn’t good with women or people in general and I truly think they made him nervous. I think I was the only person he was comfortable with and that’s why he never left. He grew up here and after his father died, I knew he would never leave. He helped me in the yard and besides playing his guitar, I believe he only felt pleasure when he made me happy. He kept all the bushes trimmed perfectly, and if he saw one weed in the yard he pulled it immediately. It wasn’t because he cared about weeds or the appearance of the yard. He was caring about me because he knew how proud I was of this house and yard when his father was alive. He tried so hard to keep me happy after his father passed away.”
        “If you don’t mind me asking, when was that?” Benny questioned.
        “It has been about four years I guess. Cigarette smoking took his life. He knew it was bad but just couldn’t break the habit. I quit after he died, but I’ve been thinking about buying a pack since the news of Danny.”
        “Both my parents died from bad habits,” Benny confided. “You do what you need to do to get by Ms. Hill. If I can give you some advice, go pull some weeds when you feel the need or prune those bushes but if that’s what it takes, I wouldn’t blame you.”
        “You seem like a real nice man Mr. James and I’m sorry to hear about your parents,” Ms. Hill said with true concern and sadness in her voice.
        “It’s been a long time and time heals all.” Benny paused, took a sip of his iced tea, and said, “Can I ask you a few more questions about Danny?”
        “Of course,” Ms. Hill said sweetly.
        “Did he have any enemies?”
        “No,” Ms Hill said. “He didn’t have any friends either. “As I said, he was a strange boy afraid of anybody who wasn’t musical. He slept till about eleven-thirty or so every day, got up and drank a pot of coffee and read USA Today . He said he liked how the paper was so colorful. He showered and then he spent the rest of the day playing his guitar or working in the yard. He had a computer in his room he spent a great deal of time on and he did tell me one time he had some friends in what he called chat rooms. I’ve never heard of such, but personally I don’t think friends you have through computer talking are really friends at all since you never see them or anything.”
        “If the Department would like to see the computer, would you have a problem with that?” Benny