Murder is Secondary: A Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mystery Read online

  “We are taking a break from our diet tonight, right?” asked Mike.

  “Well, one night won’t kill us,” said Susan. “Did you hang the streamers out on the back porch?”

  “I still say it’s going to be too chilly for guests to want to mingle there, but yes, I did. I also brought out our old Boom Box in case our guests want some background music.”

  “I just want this night to be perfect.”

  “It will be. You’ve done a fantastic job. Hey, I think I hear a car. Our first guests have arrived.”

  Lynette’s partner and his girlfriend entered the front door.

  “Jackson, Theresa, come on in. Let me take your coats. Help yourself to some punch and snacks,” said Mike. Before he could close the door, Julie, Tank, and Joey came in.

  “So glad you could be here. I know you have a lot on your mind right now, Tank,” said Susan.

  “The trial starts the day after tomorrow. I just want this to be over,” said Tank.

  Dalia came in next, followed by some of Lynette’s colleagues from the station.

  “Zach had some business to take care of, so I don’t think he’ll be able to make it,” said Dalia. “I was worried that I’d be late––last minute phone call as I was leaving the Rocking Horse Ranch. “Is Julie here yet?”

  “Yes. I saw her in the dining room.” Susan watched Dalia go in that direction. She was a little surprised that Dalia had asked about Julie. She didn’t realize that they knew each other. The doorbell rang and interrupted her thoughts. “Carolina, so glad you and your Aunt Becky could make it,” said Susan.

  “Dad’s at a meeting, but he’ll come by afterwards,” said Carolina. Susan was so happy that Carolina’s father had pulled his life together, and stepped up to the role of father after his wife’s death last winter.

  The guests of honor arrived. Applause broke out when Lynette and Jason came in the front door. The guests ate and mingled for a while. Then the games began.

  Susan explained the first game. “Everyone has to guess the distance around Lynette’s belly.” After that, the men were blindfolded and had to diaper a toy doll. Jason easily won that one. Susan couldn’t help laughing when Mike whispered in Susan’s ear that he wasn’t surprised that Jason had won, with those delicate hands. Mike often joked that real men had rough hands.

  The doorbell rang and Mike ushered Zach Chichester into the living room where Susan was seated next to Julie. When Zach came in, Susan saw and even felt Julie freeze as if she were afraid of Zach. Why on earth would Julie act as if she were afraid of Zach? thought Susan. As far as she knew, Zachary Chichester and Julie Martin had never met before. Dalia walked over and put an arm around her husband Zach. Susan saw Dalia wink at Julie. Odd again.

  “Julie, this is my husband, Zach,” said Dalia. Susan couldn’t help noticing the venomous tone Dalia used when pronouncing her husband’s name.

  There was a long silence during which time Zach stared at Julie, virtually ignoring his wife. Finally, Julie took a deep breath and said quickly, “Nice to meet you, Zach.” Susan noted a coolness in Julie’s tone. Susan observed Dalia’s eyes darting back and forth from Julie to Zach and wondered what that was about. There seemed to be tension between the parties. Dalia didn’t even know Julie as far as Susan was aware, and Julie hadn’t met Zach before, so this was puzzling. Suddenly, Zach extricated himself from Dalia’s grasp and began a conversation with Mike and Jason, ignoring the women. Dalia followed Julie onto the patio. Okay, thought Susan. I know I’m being snoopy, but I can’t help wondering why Dalia seems so anxious to talk to Julie. Susan quietly followed behind Dalia. She ducked behind the humungous oak tree, feeling painfully hard acorns under her canvas slip-ons as she strained to listen.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that. He said he wasn’t coming. Are you okay? It must have been horrible, coming face to face with that abusive monster after all these years,” said Dalia.

  “It wasn’t easy. I can’t believe I ever married that man. Thank God you warned me he was in town. Now that he knows Joey and I are still alive, there’s no telling what he has up his sleeve,” said Julie. Julie jumped. “Hey, did you hear something?”

  “No, what?”

  “It sounded like someone coughing. Probably my imagination. My senses have been on overdrive with all this recent stress.”

  “I didn’t hear anything. Don’t worry,” said Dalia. “Forewarned is forearmed and we’ve got this––just like we talked about. Just play it cool for now. And remember, it’s two against one now. We have the upper hand.”

  Susan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This story topped any episode of Dateline she’d ever seen. It would be hard to keep quiet about this, but what would she say? That she was following one of the guests at her daughter’s baby shower, and while hidden behind an oak tree, overheard this conversation? People would think she was crazy. Besides, she didn’t want to cause Julie any harm, so, it was probably better not to say anything. Mike’s voice startled her.

  “Come in, everyone! I think it’s time to open presents,” called Mike. Susan quickly slipped back into the house ahead of Julie and Dalia. She’d have to find out Julie’s real name, but not tonight. This was her daughter’s baby shower and she was going to enjoy the evening.

  Earlier in the day, Susan had decorated a rocking chair with streamers and balloons. Lynette was seated there now.

  “This is incredible, Mom. I’ll never forget this night,” said Lynette. Jason took a seat beside her.

  “Can someone keep a list of the presents and who gave them?” asked Susan.

  “I’ll do it,” said Carolina. She was sitting on the sofa next to Joey.

  Lynette opened an array of beautiful gifts––a bouncy chair, receiving blankets, a stroller, boxes of diapers, and a myriad of yellow and mint green onesies. Susan couldn’t help thinking that the guests would have had an easier time shopping if they’d known the baby’s sex. When they finished opening the gifts, Lynette and Jason thanked everyone. It was time for cake. Mike came out of the kitchen with a beautiful sheet cake that said ‘Congratulations, Lynette and Jason.’

  “I want a rose,” said Lynette. It was a running joke at the Wiles’ house. Every birthday, Susan and Lynette competed for the biggest, most sugary roses.

  The sliding glass doors were open. It was warm in the house with all the guests present. Julie made her way out to the patio. This time, Zach followed her. They were alone on the patio.

  “What on earth are you doing here?” asked Julie. “How did you find me?” She spoke in a strained whisper.

  “It’s kind of like seeing a ghost,” said Zach. “To think, all these years, I thought you were dead. That son of ours turned out pretty bright, didn’t he? I saw him on Sixty Minutes. I wouldn’t have ever recognized him, but then there was a camera pan that zoomed in on his mom. Imagine my surprise.”

  “Just leave us alone. Go back to New Jersey with your wife. Better yet, go back to New Jersey without your wife. Cut the poor woman free. Joey and I are happy. Can’t you just turn around and forget you ever saw me?”

  “You know me better than that. And you’ve kept my son from me too. What will he say when he finds out his mother lied to him? You’re going to pay for this, Kaitlyn.”

  “Are you threatening me?” Julie hesitated, then said, “Wait a minute. Now I get it. Now I know it must have been you who followed me home on the path that night. And another time, I saw lights outside my kitchen window. That was you too, wasn’t it?”

  “Yep. That would have been me. I had to be sure I had the right person. I had to be careful not to strike out against the wrong person. At least, that’s what I was trying to avoid.”

  “Oh, my God! You killed Amber, didn’t you? You thought it was me you were running over because Amber came out the back door of my classroom, wearing my yellow rain slicker. You bastard!” Julie was yelling now. “You saw me wearing that slicker the night you followed me home. You killed an innocent girl when you
meant to kill me.”

  Tank came out to the porch carrying a plate of cake. “Anything wrong?” he said.

  “Nothing at all,” said Zach. “I was just having a nice chat with Julie here.”

  “Tank, let’s go back inside. It’s getting cold out here,” said Julie. She took a deep breath, then she went in. Tank followed her. “By the way, have you seen Joey?”

  “Not lately,” he replied. “He seems to be a bit infatuated with that pretty girl, Carolina. Maybe they went for a walk.”

  Joey and Carolina had gone for a walk. They were now hidden from view––sitting on the other side of the tool shed, out of sight of the recent scene that had recently played out.

  “Carolina, did you hear that?” Joey’s face was red. “That was my Dad! My Dad who I thought was dead.” He shook his head back and forth. “He’s a monster. He killed Amber. My father is a murderer––a cold-blooded murderer.” Joey punched the cement wall with his fist.

  “Joey, are you okay? Your knuckles are bleeding. Try to calm down,” said Carolina, touching his arm.

  “I’ll live. I’m just so mad. I can’t calm down. My father is a murderer. That’s bad enough, but to top it off, my Mom has been lying to me about him all these years. She told me he died from diabetes complications.”

  “Joey, I’ve been through all this myself. We never really know who our parents are. I’m sure you don’t know the whole story. Your dad was making some pretty serious threats towards your mom on top of the fact that we now know he killed Amber. Your mom is in danger. We need to call the police.” Carolina handed Joey a tissue to hold on his bleeding hand. “You should see a doctor, Joey. Your hand is starting to swell.”

  “I can’t think about going to a doctor. My whole life has been a lie. How could Mom do this to me?”

  “Joey, I’d be more worried about your Mom’s safety right now than the fact that she lied to you. We really need to call the police. That man, if he is your dad, has quite a temper and he sounds like a real psycho. Plus, he’s a cold-blooded killer. It sounds like your mom was just trying to protect you.”

  Joey sighed and calmed noticeably. “You’re probably right. Maybe we should wait till morning to call the police. Lynette’s a detective and she’ll be dragged right into this. Let’s not ruin her night.”

  “Okay. I suppose we can wait a few hours. I’ll pick you up in the morning and we’ll go straight to the police station before school. Let’s go inside now.”

  “On second thought, Carolina, maybe I shouldn’t go to the police. It sounds like my Mom must have faked her own and my deaths. Isn’t that a crime? Mom seemed to think it was. I don’t want her to wind up in jail.”

  “Yes, Joey, but I just thought of something else. Poor Mr. Copland is taking the blame for Amber’s death. His trial starts Monday. We know now that he didn’t kill Amber. This new information will clear him of the murder charge.”

  “You’re right; we need to go to the police. Go ahead in. I need a few more minutes.”

  “Okay, but remember I’m only a text away. I’ll sleep with my phone next to my pillow. I’ll be there if you need me. Be careful.”

  “Thanks, Carolina.”

  Carolina came inside. The party was beginning to break up. Julie and Tank were looking for Joey. Dalia came inside through the sliding glass doors.

  “Did you see Joey out there?” asked Julie.

  “No, I didn’t,” said Dalia. She leaned over and whispered into Julie’s ear. “Be super careful and we’ll talk again soon.”

  “Thank you, Dalia, for looking out for me.”

  “Zach’s reign of terror is about to end.” Joey entered through the sliding door.

  “Oh, there he is,” said Julie. “Joey, what happened to your hand?”

  “Nothing. It’s just a scrape.”

  “Looks like more than a scrape. We need to wash it and put some ice on it as soon as we get home.” Julie said goodbye to Dalia and headed toward the front door with Joey and Tank.

  “That was a great party,” said Tank. “Congrats again, Lynette and Jason.”

  All the guests decided to leave at the same time in a flurry of goodbyes and congratulations. Soon just Lynette and Jason were left.

  “Thanks again, Mom. This was wonderful,” said Lynette. She gave Susan a hug.

  “My first baby shower. Who knew how much fun I’d been missing?” said Jason. He was still wearing the paper plate hat that one of the guests had fashioned using the pink and blue bows from the baby gifts.

  Jason and Mike took the gifts out to the car while Lynette helped Susan clear the table. When they had finished, Lynette checked her phone.

  “There’s a voicemail from Amber’s father. That’s strange,” said Lynette. She put the phone up to her ear and listened.

  “Why was he calling you? You look upset,” said Susan. “Is he making threats again?”

  “No. Amber’s father says he talked to his private investigator tonight and he has proof as to who killed Amber. He wants me to get in touch with him first thing in the morning.”

  Chapter 28

  The next day, Susan and Mike came in from an early morning walk.

  “I’m still worn out from last night,” said Susan. “And my legs are sore.”

  “We got out a little earlier than usual this morning. Why don’t we spend a few minutes in the Jacuzzi?”

  “Now that’s a great idea.” She and Mike changed into bathing suits and grabbed towels. “The worst part is getting from the house to the water. It’s cold this morning.”

  “But it will be worth it,” said Mike. They opened the sliding glass door and ran to the Jacuzzi. Susan was anticipating a relaxing soak. She ran toward the pool, looked into the Jacuzzi, and screamed.

  “Mike, Mike, look. Oh my God! Mike, someone’s in there. Oh my God! Someone’s in the Jacuzzi. He’s not moving. I think he’s dead.” Susan gave another scream. The body was fully clothed and floating face down.

  Mike yelled, “Oh my God, you’re right. Don’t touch him.”

  “Mike, who is that? Who is it? Good Lord, this can’t be happening. That looks like the shirt Zachary was wearing last night at the shower. I think it’s him. How did he wind up in here?” Susan was speaking quickly and pacing in a small circle across the cement.

  “Oh my God. I think you’re right. I haven’t a clue as to why he’s in our Jacuzzi. Everyone left around the same time.”

  “Yes, they did.”

  “Didn’t he and Dalia take separate cars? Must be nice to have the money to rent separate cars. I remember saying goodbye to Dalia, but come to think of it, I don’t specifically remember Zach leaving. You know what? We have to call 911 right away.” Mike retrieved his cell phone from the patio table and made the call.

  “Look. The Boom Box you set up last night is in there too. It’s still plugged in with the extension cord. I’m not sure this was an accident. The Boom Box was over on the picnic table, remember?”

  “Yes, like you just said, I’m the one who set it up. Don’t go near him or the cord. It’s still plugged in and may be dangerous.”

  “This is too much. First Amber gets killed, then your best friend gets arrested, and now this.” Susan shook her head from side to side. This couldn’t be happening, she thought. She felt sick to her stomach.

  “Let’s put some clothes on before the police get here,” said Mike. They quickly threw on some clothes and soon heard a knock at the door. The paramedics arrived first.

  “The body is out back,” said Mike. He and Susan led them to the hot tub. The paramedics carefully managed to disconnect the Boom Box and pulled the body out of the water. When they turned him over, there was no doubt that it was Zachary Chichester. One of the paramedics started CPR while the other took out the portable defibrillator. Susan couldn’t imagine how he could still be alive, but the paramedics gave a valiant effort while waiting for the police to arrive. Susan had called Lynette right after Mike called 911. Their daughter arrived almost
immediately.

  “Mom, are you okay? What happened? You found another dead body? Really?”

  “Dad and I were going to take a soak in the Jacuzzi after our walk and that’s when I saw him. This is awful.” Pink and blue streamers were still strung across the porch from the night before. This makes the scene even more surreal, thought Susan.

  “Did you hear anything strange at all last night? Did you or Dad come back to the porch after the party broke up?” Susan saw Lynette scan the area with her eyes. Her eyes fixated on the Boom Box.

  “No, we were both exhausted. I put away the food and we both went right to bed.”

  “Where was the Boom Box? By the way, no one uses that term any more. I can’t believe you still have one. How do you think it got into the hot tub?”

  “It was plugged in over on the picnic table. There’s no way it accidentally fell into the water from there,” said Susan.

  “Okay. Stay inside with Dad. Jackson and I will mark off the area and have a look around.” Just then the medical examiner arrived and officially stated the obvious: Zachary Chichester was dead. Jackson took photos of the area and the paramedics carried the body away.

  “Someone has to tell Dalia. She’s going to be so upset and she’s all alone here in town,” said Susan. “Maybe Dad and I should go over to the ranch and tell her.”

  “Mom, Jackson and I will go. We need to ask her some questions anyway. Why don’t you check up on her later in the day?”

  “Okay. Call me after you leave.”

  “I will. Go wait inside while we finish up here.”

  Susan reluctantly gave the area one last look as she went inside with Mike. And she thought her life would be calm and relaxing after retirement? She was dead wrong.

  Chapter 29

  After they finished with the crime scene, Lynette and Jackson headed to the Rocking Horse Ranch to break the news to Dalia. Lynette always considered this to be one of the least pleasant parts of her job. Jackson knocked on the door and Dalia, still in her robe, answered holding a cup of coffee.