Murder Is Collegiate

by Diane Weiner

  “I have to tell you something,” said Coralee. “Martha Peterson, the teacher who was killed, came to see me. She told me Noah was in trouble. She caught him in her office one day. He was walking out with her watch. She often took off her watch when she had a lot of typing to do. Said it got in her way.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I’m ashamed to say I didn’t believe her. I said, like most mothers, that my son wouldn’t do such a thing. She was very calm, in spite of my angry tone. She said she’d talk to Noah herself. It was just a few days before Martha was killed.”

  Emily said, “Are you worried that Noah killed Martha because she was going to report him to the police?”

  “I… I don’t know,” Coralee replied. “A jewel thief, I can picture that. But a murderer? I can’t believe he’d do that, but I’m not sure I know my own son anymore.”

  Emily and Susan turned their heads when Joe Sommers walked in with a young woman. Emily whispered, “She’s a student.”

  Susan mouthed, “Oh, my.”

  Holding menus, Coralee motioned to Joe and the young woman to follow her. “Come in. Table for two?”

  “That would be lovely. This is one of our English Department adjuncts Bridgette McLain. She teaches basic comp. I’m helping her with her dissertation. We’re having an informal brainstorming session.”

  “Joe, don’t you have a class now?” said Emily.

  “I’m letting one of the new adjuncts handle it.”

  “Who would that be?”

  “Sarah Kimberly. Now that poor Martha is gone, Sarah needs a new mentor, and since I’ve taken over the basic comp class from Martha, there’s more work to be done.”

  And I bet you’ve got some of your own, thought Susan. I don’t know if it’s appropriate to be doling out your work to an adjunct. Work to be done, indeed.

  “What can I get for you,” said Coralee. “The special this morning is eggs with salsa.”

  “Huevos Rancheros. Love it. Had them every morning while I was on my vacation in Cancun last month.” Joe shut his menu. “Bring some for the young lady also. Emily, why don’t you and Susan have a seat while you wait for Coralee.”

  I wonder if he took this girl on vacation with him? Or another young adjunct, perhaps?

  Emily and Susan grabbed their coffee and sat down.

  “So, how’s the book coming along, Emily?” asked Joe.

  “I had a bit of a setback, but I’ll get back on track. Going to reinterview some witnesses,” Emily said.

  “You know, I don’t know if I ever told you this, but that young boy who worked on campus, Coralee’s son, I’m sure I saw him talking to Ashley Young the day she disappeared. They were in the parking lot, arguing. I heard them out my window. Then I saw him grab Ashley’s arm. She ran away from him, but he ran after her.”

  “Then what?”

  “I had to leave to teach a class. That’s all I saw.”

  “You never told me that,” said Emily. “Or the police, did you?”

  “Guess I pushed it back in my mind. On the news this morning, I heard the boy was arrested. Jogged my memory,” Joe replied.

  Coralee came in with two steaming platters of spicy eggs. “Were you saying something about Noah?”

  Susan shook her head behind Coralee as if to say to Joe, she has enough to worry about without hearing that now.

  Joe took a bite of his eggs. “Yum, just like I remember them. Didn’t realize you had a knack for authentic Mexican cooking. I was just saying I heard about your son on the news. I’m so sorry, Coralee. I know a good lawyer if you need a name.”

  “Thanks, Joe. I’ll be in the lobby if you need me. Without Noah, I have to run the whole show here. I think I heard the door.” She rushed off.

  I feel so terrible for Coralee. It’s bad enough that her son has been arrested, but she has to run the whole inn by herself now,” said Joe. “And lawyer fees can take a big chunk of money. She has to be worried sick.”

  Emily and Susan followed Coralee into the lobby and waited while she checked in a guest.

  Susan whispered to Emily, “Is Joe Sommers a bit of a sleaze or what? Taking an adjunct half his age to breakfast? I sure hope she didn’t spend the night with him.”

  “Susan! Joe isn’t like that at all. He’s more like a father figure to his students. He’s super friendly, and sometimes maybe it comes off wrong.”

  “If you say so. Maybe I have it all wrong.”

  Coralee showed the new guests to their room. When she came back downstairs, she said, “Sorry about that.”

  “Coralee, you look like there’s something else you want to say,” said Emily.

  Coralee looked at the floor. “I’m worried that Martha’s murder may not be the only one Noah is involved in. That girl, Ashley Young. The night she disappeared, Noah never came home. He didn’t come back to the inn until the next morning.”

  Susan said, “Don’t go jumping to conclusions. We know Noah stole jewelry. That’s all we know for sure. Thinking he killed Martha Peterson and maybe Ashley Young… That’s a big leap. Don’t let your imagination run wild just because you’re doubting Noah right now.”

  Then again, Susan thought, I saw Noah’s wet backpack the night Martha was killed. And possibly blood on his hands.

  “I guess you’re right. What kind of a mother am I?”

  Sirens blared from outside. The three women ran out onto the porch where they watched two different police cars whiz by. Joe and Bridgette followed them.

  “What’s happening?” said Joe. “Look, a third police car.”

  “I wonder what’s going on?” said Susan. Please, God. Not another murder. I’m beginning to believe Lynette is right about me. She rubbed her hand over her middle. I am a murder magnet.”

  Chapter 15

  “Coralee, let’s go inside and turn on the TV. Maybe there’s some information.”

  “Good idea, Emily.” Coralee led them into the den. As soon as she turned on the set, there it was. Breaking news.

  “Oh my God,” said Coralee. “That’s Ashley Young’s car! After ten years, they found her car.”

  The newscaster cut to a shot of an old barn behind a dilapidated cabin. The Peewee Miniatures van was in the driveway along with several police cars.

  “That’s Mrs. Anderson’s farm. Poor dear is in a wheelchair. Has been for years. I hope she’s okay,” said Coralee.

  The newscaster announced that the owner was recently deceased and the property had been purchased by Peewee Miniatures. When the new owner checked the barn, he found the car, which was traced back to Ashley Young.

  “Deceased? I didn’t even know. I’ll bet the car’s been there the whole time.”

  “Really, Coralee? But how could she not know there was a car in her barn all this time? You mean she hadn’t been in her barn for ten years?” said Emily.

  “She’s been in that wheelchair as long as I can remember. She had a part-time nurse; that’s the only person I ever saw over there. I can believe no one had been in that barn all that time.”

  Coralee turned off the TV. “More bad news. I guess Peewee has another chunk of land to build on now.”

  “Well,” said Emily, “they’re not getting ours and I know you aren’t selling, Coralee.”

  “Over my dead body. Even if running this place without Noah kills me.”

  Emily and Susan got back in the Jeep. They could see flashing lights from down the road as they drove away from the inn.

  “Peter Taglieri must be gloating about now,” said Emily. “Mrs. Anderson was never going to sell her place, no matter how much she was pressured. When she died, I suspect her son inherited the place. He lives down in Florida. I’m sure he was more than anxious to unload the property.”

  “There’s definitely something shady about Peter Taglieri,” said Susan. “When we get back to your place, I’d like to do a little more research.”

  Emily pulled into their driveway. Waiting at the door were Kiki and Buzz.
/>   “Now are you going to sell?” said Buzz. “Looks like bad things happen to those who hold out. Just saw that poor Anderson woman on the news. In the end, Peewee wound up with the land.”

  “Is that a threat?” said Emily.

  “More like some neighborly advice,” said Buzz.

  Emily and Susan went inside where they found Henry and Mike on the sofa.

  “Did you see the news?” said Henry. “Mrs. Anderson is dead, and they found Ashley Young’s car.”

  “Heard the sirens ourselves,” said Emily. “Poor Coralee. Noah was arrested last night for stealing, and now she’s worried he may have been involved in two murders.”

  “What? How is Noah connected to two murders?”

  “He tried to steal Martha Peterson’s watch. She caught him and threatened to go to the police, not long before she was found dead,” said Emily.

  “And both Ashley Young’s parents and Joe Sommers confirmed a relationship between Noah and Ashley. Ashley’s parents said she tutored him, but things were getting weird and Ashley stopped doing it. Joe said he saw the two of them arguing the day Ashley went missing.”

  Susan said, “You have even more proof for your book, Emily. Now that they found Ashley’s car, that virtually rules out the theory she left voluntarily. Now if they could only find her body.”

  Mike gave her a look. She had to remember to be more sensitive.

  “Her parents will be devastated if and when they find a body,” said Henry.

  Emily’s phone vibrated. “It’s Ashley Young’s father.” She took the phone and walked outside. When she came back, she said, “The police called the Youngs and told them about the car. They also told them about the locket. Mrs. Young remembered something and wants to talk to me.”

  “I’ll take a ride up there with you,” said Susan.

  “Grab your coat, and let’s go,” said Emily.

  Chapter 16

  Emily turned on the windshield wipers to clear the snow flurries. The trip to the Youngs’ cabin seemed closer now that she’d been out there a few times. She and Susan knocked on the door and were ushered inside. Takeout containers from the general store covered the coffee table. Newspapers littered the floor.

  This latest piece of news has to have thrown them into a tizzy. My house would be a mess too under the circumstances, Susan thought.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly,” said Mrs. Young. “Can I get you some coffee?”

  “We’d love some,” said Emily.

  Mrs. Young set up the coffee and returned to the living room. “The police brought us the photo that was in Ashley’s locket to identify and told us they caught the thief. I’m sure it was the boy Ashley was tutoring.”

  “Yes,” said Emily. “It was. On the phone, you said you remembered something important.”

  “Shortly before she went missing,” said Mr. Young, “Ashley made a comment. Something about putting a crook behind bars. I told the police back then, but I didn’t connect it with anything. Now I think she must have been talking about Noah Saunders. If Ashley was going to the police about him, Noah Saunders had a motive to kill her.”

  “The police will take that into consideration,” said Emily. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think Noah is a killer.”

  “Well, there’s one more thing that may or may not be important,” continued the father. “Ashley was upset about a grade. She was always an A student but said one of her professors was giving her a hard time. She made a comment that he was taking advantage of his position. Like I said, I don’t know if it’s significant. I didn’t even remember it until recently. I was going through her school memory box and saw report cards from elementary school. It made me think about her college grades, and then I remembered.”

  “Make sure you tell the police,” said Emily. Meanwhile, I can look at Ashley’s transcript and see what classes she was taking.”

  Mrs. Young gave Emily a hug, “Thanks for supporting and believing us even back when you were still living in New York. You’ve invested a lot of years in our story.”

  “I want to see justice done,” said Emily. “I knew from the start your daughter didn’t leave on her own accord. This book will be finished, and the world will know the true story.”

  Emily and Susan set out for home. It was snowing a bit harder, and Emily drove slowly.

  “Emily, look. That’s Peter Taglieri’s van. Peewee Miniatures. What’s he doing way out here?”

  “I don’t know. This is far from the area he wants to build on. Do you mind if we stop by the college? I want to look up Ashley’s courses the semester she went missing.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  After a slow ride back to town, Emily pulled in front of the admissions and records building at St. Edwards. Now that second semester was underway, the office was eerily quiet. They walked up to the transcripts window and stated their request.

  The woman behind the counter said, “I’m sorry, but we will need permission from her family. I can fax a form if you have a number.”

  “I know they have a fax machine. Over the years they’ve sent me documents and pictures to use in my book. I’ll give them a call and get the number.”

  Emily called Mrs. Young. She heard the doorbell in the background over her phone.

  “Excuse me a minute, someone’s at the door.” Mrs. Young was gone a few minutes, then came back to the phone and told Emily that Peter Taglieri was at the door. She gave Emily the fax number and ended the call.

  “Peter Taglieri is at their house. What does he want from them?” asked Emily.

  Susan said, “Taglieri? We passed his van, remember? He probably wants them to make you stop writing the book, especially since the car’s been found. Again, who wants to move to a town where there’s been multiple murders?”

  “I’m sure he was up to no good. Let’s do a little more digging when we get back home,” suggested Susan.

  Emily filled out the transcript request form and was disappointed to hear it would take up to a week to get the information she wanted.

  When they got back to the Foxes,’ Emily pulled out her laptop. She and Susan searched through every bit of information they could find on Peewee Miniatures and Peter Taglieri. Susan could see Emily was getting frustrated. She was getting rather frustrated herself trying to pull up the info on her phone. Even with her bifocals, it was challenge.

  “You know, maybe we’re going about this too linearly,” said Susan. “Let’s look at each purchase Taglieri made prior to building his developments. Maybe it will lead us somewhere.”

  Emily searched and found a list of names. “Now what?”

  “Let me have the computer.” Susan typed, barely noticing the men had returned.

  “What have you two been up to?” said Henry. He leaned two fishing poles and an ice saw against the wall. “Guess what Kurt told us?”

  “What?” said Emily.

  “I don’t know how Kurt seems to pick up on things the way he does, but he heard Mrs. Anderson had been receiving threats just like we have. Threats about what would happen if she didn’t sell her place. She had a note placed in her mailbox telling her time was running out and also had a rock thrown through her window. A note saying ‘Sell or take the consequences’ was taped to it.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. We took a ride out to the Youngs’ farm,” said Emily. “On the way home, we passed Taglieri’s van. Found out he paid the Youngs a visit. We were just doing a little more research.” She nodded toward Susan.

  “Aha!” said Susan. “Look what I found.” She turned the screen to Emily. Mike and Henry leaned over her shoulder.

  “Taglieri bought a property from a man named Tim Thompson. It was the last one he needed to build his previous development. Now look at this.”

  “Let us see,” said Emily.

  “Tim Thompson died under mysterious circumstances. Right after he died, Taglieri was able to purchase his land from a relative who had inherited it. Does that sound fam
iliar?” Susan asked.

  “If Henry and I died, that would be Taglieri’s move,” said Emily. “His van was spotted going in the opposite direction of the inauguration, remember? And do we know Mrs. Anderson died of natural causes? Knowing what Kurt told you, I’d say foul play was involved. Taglieri wound up with her place.”

  “Do you think he killed Ashley?” said Mike.

  Emily answered, “He wasn’t around back then. I’ll bet he was as stunned as anyone to find her car in the barn. And I’m sure he was worried it would get out and bring negative publicity.”

  Susan stood up. “Let’s examine our timeline. Martha is killed, but assume Taglieri was after Emily to either get the house or stop the book from being written. He killed Martha by mistake.”

  “Then he stole the interview tapes from my office,” added Emily.

  “He managed to knock off poor Mrs. Anderson and discovered the car in the barn,” Susan continued. “Then he tried to get Ashley’s parents to prevent you from writing the book.”

  Mike said, “There’s no evidence connecting Taglieri to Martha’s murder or to the break-in. You have to be careful to back up what you’re saying.”

  “But, hun,” argued Susan, “Taglieri’s van was going away from the inauguration and towards Emily’s office the afternoon Martha was killed.”

  “It’s speculative at best,” replied Mike.

  “Looks like there are two suspects in the forefront,” said Henry. “Noah Saunders and Peter Taglieri.”

  “Three,” said Emily. “Martha’s boyfriend is still under investigation.”

  Emily’s phone vibrated and she answered it. “What, are you serious? You said no, right? Let me know if he contacts you again.” Her face flushed with anger.

  “What’s wrong?” said Susan. “Who was that?”

  “It was Mrs. Young,” Emily said. “Remember how we heard Peter Taglieri at her door when we were on the phone last time?”

  “Yes, when we were at the transcripts office,” said Susan.

  “He offered them a million dollars to take back permission for me to write the book. Says the publicity will hurt his business,” Emily announced.