The Fitness Instructor
Hailey Johnson had been working as a fitness instructor and trainer for nearly ten years and held regular classes at her local gym. Living in a small town suited her because it meant that her classes were always fun events with everybody knowing everybody else. She specialized in aerobics classes for women of all ages, from late teens right up to pensioners. Everyone loved Hailey's classes and Hailey loved everyone in them.
Today was no different from all the other days except that just as Hailey was about to leave after her last class of the day, she met an elderly lady that she didn't know was waiting for her in the reception area. She introduced herself as Dorothy Grimes and said she was new to the town. She had already heard from her new neighbors about Hailey's classes and wanted to join as soon as she could. Hailey was delighted to meet her and suggested they chatted about the class over coffee in the small cafeteria next door to the gym.
Dorothy turned out to be quite a talker and got Hailey so wrapped up in her amazing stories about growing up in the days of prohibition in a fashionable part of San Francisco that she quite forgot the time. Two hours had passed and she was going to be late getting home to fix her husband's meal. She made her excuses and said she would see Dorothy tomorrow at her 10.00am class.
That evening, she talked with her real estate agent husband, Dan about her newest recruit. She was surprised he did not know about Dorothy moving into her new home, as his was the only real estate office in the town. He told Hailey that as far as he knew, the house she was talking about had been on the market for over a year and no one had shown any interest in buying it. In fact, the last time he saw that property, it was in need of extensive refurbishment. Maybe she had gotten the wrong address. She said maybe she had and thought nothing more of it.
Next morning, Dorothy arrived for her 10:00am class and Hailey introduced her to the six other ladies, all of whom were over 60, with oldest, Mary, being a sprightly 76. Dorothy revealed that she was only 72 and pretty fit for her age, so the others had better watch out! They all had a good laugh together and everyone took a real shine to Dorothy. She proved that she didn't just talk the talk, but walked the walk too by exercising longer and harder than any of the other ladies. Hailey was quite impressed.
After the class, Hailey caught up with Dorothy and asked her if she had the right address, telling her what her husband had said about the property. But Dorothy confirmed the house and asked Hailey if she would like to come over for lunch to see the place. Hailey agreed, as it was only a ten minute walk from the gym.
Just after midday, Hailey arrived at Dorothy's house and was immediately surprised at how nice the place looked. Dan must have been thinking about another property, because this one was in excellent condition, looking as though it had been newly painted. Dorothy greeted her at the door and as she walked inside, she got the feeling that this house had been refurbished very recently and a lot of money had been spent on it. She wondered how an elderly lady could have afforded such an expense after buying the house, presumably with cash as she was far too old to obtain a mortgage. During small talk, she casually asked Dorothy if she had commissioned all the work before she moved in. Dorothy had obviously guessed what Hailey was really asking and put her straight by saying that her husband had recently died and left her with a substantial life insurance payment and private pension. She had sold up their home in San Francisco and moved here to enjoy the peace and quiet of a small town that the bustle and noise of the big city could never provide. She told Hailey more stories of her younger days in the city and the ups and downs of a life that grew more interesting as it unfolded.
She told of how her four older brothers joined the US Navy and went away to fight in the Second World War in Burma and how only one returned to tell the tale of how they were captured by Japanese soldiers and tortured, with the other three brothers dying of malnutrition in their makeshift jungle incarceration. She also told of how the surviving brother was never the same when he returned home and spent the rest of his short life as a poker playing drunk who would come home at all hours of the night and terrorize her and their long suffering parents with violent outbursts filled with hatred and loathing for what he believed was their fault he suffered in the war. He had been home only just under a year when one night the family was paid a visit by the police. There were told that the brother had just been found dead in an alley behind a notorious illegal poker club, presumably having been murdered for not paying his gambling debts. She went on that life got better after the funeral and they got on with things as best they could.
They had a marvelous lunch that Dorothy had prepared and Hailey almost wished she could stay longer and talk some more with this fascinating woman. But she had classes to take in the afternoon and so told Dorothy that she looked forward to seeing her the following morning at the gym.
On the way back to the gym, Hailey found that even though they had eaten a hearty lunch, she still felt a little hungry. She shrugged it off and took her afternoon classes without giving it a second thought.
Later that evening, she was talking with Dan about Dorothy and the amazing house she had bought. Dan was surprised about the condition of the house because he was sure it was the same one he had on his books as unsold and in a dilapidated state. He said that he would check it out tomorrow when he got to work.
Next morning, Hailey was about to begin the 10:00am class for the pensioners but was a little dismayed when Dorothy didn't turn up. She hoped that she was okay, but there was not much she could do and got on with her morning classes. At lunch time, Hailey decided that she would call round to see Dorothy to make sure she had not had an accident or was feeling unwell. She got to her house and knocked on her door. Dorothy answered and said she was sorry she didn't come to class but that she was feeling a little tired and didn't feel right about going out that day. Hailey said she understood and was glad that she was okay. Dorothy insisted she stay for lunch and Hailey agreed, as she wanted to hear more about the older woman's fascinating life.
As Hailey was about to leave, she asked for Dorothy's telephone number so she could contact her to make sure she was okay, but strangely the phone didn't work. So she promised Dorothy that she would call back tomorrow if she didn't come to her fitness class, just to make sure everything was all right.
Again, she went back to the gym and felt hungry even though she had eaten far more than she would normally for lunch. It was strange, but she still didn't pay any great heed to it.
That night, Dan had some very disturbing news for her. He said that he had gone through the property itinerary and the house that Dorothy was living in was definitely still unsold. He was curious so he took a drive around there to see for himself. The house was as dilapidated as he remembered it and the front yard was overgrown and in an awful state. Hailey could not believe it and said that they could not possibly be talking about he same house. Hadn't she been there and seen it with her own eyes. Dan must have visited a house on the next block. There could be no other explanation for it.
The next day, Dorothy again did not show up for class, so Hailey went round there at lunchtime to check on the older woman. Dorothy answered the door but did not look well. It was as if she had aged considerably as she looked tired and more frail than the energetic woman how had impressed all the others at the first fitness class just two days before. She beckoned Hailey in and the two went to the kitchen where Dorothy had made another wonderful home cooked meal for their lunch. But today, there was something definitely not right about it and Hailey was a little worried.
Dorothy talked some more about her past and how her parents had died in the 1960s, leaving their home and all their possessions to her as their sole heir. She had married soon after that to a wonderful man that would remain her devoted husband until his recent death. The lunch seemed to go on for longer and Hailey checked her watch to make sure she would not be late for her classes that afternoon. But her wristwatch told her that she still had another half hour to go, so she listened to more of Dorothy's stories. At what seemed to be a good while later, her cell phone rang and it was Dan calling, but when she answered, the phone went dead. She looked at it and realized the battery was completely discharged and she had not though to bring her charger with her.
Dorothy waved a hand and said that there was no rush and she might want to stay and have a cup of tea with her before heading back to the gym. Hailey thought she should probably get going, but she agreed to one quick cup and then she would have to go.
Later that afternoon, the gym receptionist called Dan Johnson to see if he knew where Hailey had gone because they had tried to reach her on her cell but there was no answer. He said he would go and check because he had also tried to call her but similarly got no answer. He drove round to the house that Dorothy was supposed to be occupying, but as he pulled up outside, the overgrown front yard almost concealed the dilapidated house beyond. He walked up the path to the front door and knocked a few times but there was no answer. He called the gym to check if Hailey had shown up, but she had not. He then called Jim, the local police officer and his best friend.
The two officers emerged from the old house, after having battered the front door down, with long faces and both as white as a sheet. It took them a good minute to be able to tell the others waiting outside what they had seen. The coroner was called as well as the forensic team, because they were going to be dealing with what at first glance appeared to be a very old case.
The two completely decomposed skeletal dead bodies that were found seated at the well worn kitchen table were dressed in women's clothes. The clothing of one woman was identified by her husband as belonging to Hailey Johnson.