by Diane Weiner
“The bottom is solid. Can’t get down any deeper. Nobody’s down here, dead or otherwise.”
Susan said, “Wait. Look.” She pulled out a bit of red yarn and put it in a baggie. “See. Ashley’s body was here. It could have been here for years. Henry, did your parents know about the hiding place?”
“I’m sure they didn’t. They never mentioned it, and I never saw it in all the summers I spent here.”
“Then where is she now?” said Mike.
“And who is playing hide-and-seek with her remains?” said Susan.
Chapter 27
The next morning, Kurt Olav knocked on the door before breakfast. “I saw police cars out at your barn last night. What happened?”
Henry said, “We found a secret compartment in the ground inside the barn. We found evidence Ashley Young may have been buried there. The police are confirming it.”
“Really? Remember I saw someone lurking around there even after Noah Saunders was arrested.”
And people call me nosy? I’m not half as nosy as this guy, Susan thought.
Emily poured a mug of coffee and handed it to Kurt. “We saw you walking yesterday with a young lady. I called to you from the car, but you must not have heard me.”
“A young lady? It sure wasn’t me. What young lady would want to hang around with an old geezer like me?”
“It sure looked like you. Even wearing a jacket like yours.”
“Coralee gets all kinds of visitors at the inn. Probably some couple taking a scenic hike or something.”
Susan, trying to diffuse any defensiveness, said, “A hike is probably right. We had a beautiful hike this afternoon. A picnic too.”
“A picnic in February? The sun was pretty strong today. Glad you’re enjoying our neck of the woods.”
Emily refilled Kurt’s coffee and sat down next to him. Chester jumped on her lap. Oftentimes the cat hid when visitors came, but he’d always seemed comfortable around Kurt.
“Kurt, do you happen to know a woman named Sarah Kimberly? She’s an adjunct instructor over at the school.” As Emily talked, Susan studied Kurt’s body language as he answered.
“I’m not the academic sort. Other than you, I don’t know anyone over there. Thanks for the coffee.” Kurt declined Emily’s breakfast invitation.
After he left, Susan said, “I can tell he’s hiding something. Did you see how he fidgeted when you asked if he knew Sarah?”
“If it was Sarah, at least we know she’s alive and well. I’ll try her.” Emily called Sarah’s cell phone. “She’s not answering. I hope she’s hiding out somewhere, safe from whomever she’s afraid of. I wish she’d reach out to me again.”
“Maybe she’s at school,” said Susan. It’s highly doubtful, but at least Emily will feel like we’re doing something to find her.
After promising the men that they’d all explore the downtown stores later, Susan and Emily headed to the school. When they opened the front door, Kiki and Buzz zipped past them, then parked their motorcycle—another millennial toy for days when the snow wasn’t deep enough for the snowmobile.
Kiki said, “We heard they found a grave inside your barn. You know, that would give me the creeps, knowing I was yards away from a dead body all this time.”
Emily said, “If you got your information right, you know that the ‘grave’ was empty.”
“Empty or not, it’s still a grave. We’re already hearing rumors that the barn is haunted. Sell now. Let Peter Taglieri demolish the ghost abode.” Kiki did her best imitation of a moaning ghost.
“You know, an empty grave was found behind Taglieri’s makeshift office. I’ll bet he has something to do with this,” said Emily.
“Digging up graves, digging up old dirt on Ashley Young’s case… Is that what retired people do?” asked Kiki.
Susan held Emily back, sensing she was about to punch Kiki in the face. Emily did have a feisty side to her. “Come on, Emily. Let’s go.” They jumped into the Jeep. Emily couldn’t resist revving the motor and peeling out, leaving Kiki and Buzz in the dust.
“I’m glad we never had kids,” said Emily. “Imagine if you got stuck with ones like those two.”
“How kids turn out is no accident. I’m sure their parents are every bit as horrible as they are. You and Henry would have done a great job, that’s who you are.” She saw a tear in Emily’s eye. Emily’s phone rang. “It’s Sarah.”
“Ask her if we can meet with her.”
“Sarah, I’m with Susan Wiles in the car. Tell us where you are, and we’ll be right there.”
“No, I can’t. I saw something I shouldn’t have and I’m scared.”
“About Martha’s murder?”
“About Ashley’s. I gotta go. Someone’s following me.”
“Sarah, give us more. Let us get the police.”
“No. Ashley’s dead, and I know who killed her. I have proof.”
“Sarah, I’m losing you. You’re breaking up. Sarah…”
“What happened? What did she say?”
“I lost the call. The last thing I heard was professor and Midwest. I think that’s what she said.”
“Should we swing by her house?”
“She’s not there. If someone’s following her, she must be in the car. I’m going to call Bridgette, that adjunct. She might know something.”
Emily called the English department, hoping she’d find Bridgette. Luck was on her side.
“Bridgette, we’re trying to find Sarah. Have you seen her?”
“Not today. She’s usually in by now. Is something wrong? Sarah acted like something was bothering her when I saw her yesterday.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. I just needed to talk to her. If you hear from her, tell her to call us.”
Susan said, “So maybe Dr. William Rowan has more to do with this than we thought. Do we need to make a trip to Michigan?”
“Susan, that’s a little crazy. And what if Sarah reaches out to us again? We can ask the police to investigate though. We might as well turn around. Obviously Sarah isn’t at school.”
When they got home, Henry and Mike were out front looking at deer through binoculars.
“Did you find her?” asked Henry.
“No, but she called, and she’s scared. She knows something about Ashley’s murder. It has to do with that professor who went back to Michigan. That’s what it sounds like.”
“Hand me those binoculars,” said Emily. She focused the binoculars on Kurt Olav and his companion. Again they were turned so their faces weren’t clear. “I can’t see her face, but that sure looks like Sarah. Was it him who was following her?”
“Let me see,” said Susan. She grabbed the binoculars. “Oh no!”
“What? What?” said Emily.
“He’s… She’s…”
“Give me those,” said Henry. “Oh, you’re right.”
“About what?” said the others.
“Kurt has her by the arm. She’s trying to get into her car, but he’s not letting her leave.”
“Call 911. Come on, let’s get over there,” said Emily.
Henry grabbed his keys, and the others piled into the Jeep. Susan picked up a large branch that was lying in the driveway.
“What good will that do?” said Mike.
“It’s better than nothing. We can’t go over there unarmed.”
Henry peeled out and zipped to Kurt’s driveway where Kurt and the woman were still fighting.
Emily said, “Kurt, stop that. Let her go. Let Sarah go.”
Kurt said, “What are you talking about?” The girl turned around. She was clearly not Sarah Kimberly.
“Emily said, “I’m sorry. We thought…”
“Thought what? This is my daughter, Chloe. I was trying to convince her not to leave though it isn’t your business.”
“Sarah Kimberly, the adjunct instructor at school… She’s in trouble and we thought…”
Susan said, “She looks just like your daughter from the back.”
>
Chloe said, “My Dad and I haven’t spoken for years. I came out to tell him his wife, my mother, just died.”
“Ex-wife. For years now,” said Kurt. “She poisoned Chloe against me, and I wanted her to hear me out.”
A patrol car pulled up, and an officer jumped out. “I got a call. What’s the problem?”
Emily said, “I’m sorry, Officer. It was all a misunderstanding.”
“Everything is fine,” said Kurt.
The officer turned to Chloe for confirmation. “It’s okay,” she said. “This is my dad. He wasn’t trying to hurt me.”
After looking from one to the other, the officer left, and again Emily and Susan apologized profusely.
“This is family business. I thought by moving here, privacy wouldn’t be an issue. Come inside, Chloe. Please.”
Chloe agreed and followed Kurt into the house.
“We sure have egg on our faces now,” said Susan.
Henry said, “You shouldn’t have turned those binoculars on him in the first place, you know that. Come on, let’s go home.”
“But Sarah…” Emily wrung her hands.
“Why didn’t you say anything to the police about Sarah?” said Henry.
“I… I was too wrapped up in thinking Kurt was with her. I’ll call Detective Wooster right now.”
Chapter 28
Emily and Susan huddled over the computer. The police said they wouldn’t search for Sarah until she’d been missing twenty-four hours. It was up to them. Finding Sarah was urgent and the only clues they had were “professor” and “Midwest.”
“Susan, I’m not finding anything other than what we saw before. Nothing in Professor Rowan’s history points toward inappropriate behavior with students. Yes, he had a problem with alcohol, but it seems like he’s coped with it and has held a steady job in Ann Arbor for years.”
“Maybe she meant that he saw something.”
“Ashley was murdered after he left. He wouldn’t know anything.”
“Let’s fly out there and see.”
Emily searched for flights to Ann Arbor. “It’s kind of expensive.”
Henry and Mike walked in. Henry looked over Emily’s shoulder. “What’s expensive?” He leaned closer. “Oh, don’t even tell me. You’re not seriously planning on flying out to talk to that professor are you?”
“Well, we were thinking about it. It’s our only lead, and we have to find Sarah.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Mike shook his head.
Susan said, “Just think if Lynette went missing. We’d do anything to find her. Her parents must be worried sick when they can’t reach her.”
“Her parents! Do you think she went home?” said Emily. “Let me see the computer. I have her home number on here somewhere.” She clicked until she found it. “I’m going to call them now.”
“You’re going to scare them,” said Henry.
“Not if she’s with them.” Emily made the call.
“Hello, Mrs. Kimberly. This is Emily Fox. I’m a professor at St. Edwards. I was wondering if your daughter is home by any chance.”
“Home? Why would she be here? She’s at school, isn’t she?”
“I don’t mean to scare you. It’s just that we had a meeting scheduled and she didn’t show. That isn’t like her.”
“No, it isn’t. What if she’s hurt? Did anyone go by her apartment? I’ll get on the phone to her friends and see if anyone’s heard anything.”
“I’m sorry if I alarmed you.”
“It’s our daughter. Of course, we’re alarmed though we appreciate the alert.”
“We’ll keep in touch. I’m sure she’s fine.”
After she’d hung up, Emily said, “They haven’t seen or heard from her. As far as they’d known, she was here at school.” She brought the conversation back to the Michigan trip. “We have tons of frequent flier points. Susan and I will run over there overnight and be back before you know it.”
Mike said, “This isn’t turning out to be much of a vacation. Susan, we’re supposed to be spending time with our friends, not chasing murderers. This is supposed to be a break from your regular routine, not more of the same.”
Susan kissed his forehead. “We’ll be back before you know it. Meanwhile, you can enjoy ice-fishing and snowshoeing with Henry.”
Emily added, “And you’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.”
“I’ll have to go back to work eventually,” said Mike. “But I know I’m not winning this argument.”
Emily found a flight leaving the next morning. “We’ll have to go through Detroit and rent a car, but we can still see him midafternoon.” Emily called Dr. Rowan and set up a meeting.
“Emily, wasn’t he suspicious about why we were calling?”
“Not at all. I told him I was writing a book about the Ashley Young case and that I was a professor at St. Edwards. As a matter of fact, he invited us over for dinner. Says his wife is a great cook.”
“Wow, Midwestern hospitality. Let’s swing by Sarah’s place one more time before we buy the tickets.”
Apartment complexes were unheard of in Sugarbury Falls. Instead, most temporary residents rented seasonal cabins or rooms. Many Sugarbury Falls residents picked up extra money by renting to students. Emily and Susan rode over to Sarah’s apartment, which was a small shed-like structure behind a cabin.
“This place is falling apart. Sarah would have been better off renting a tiny house from Peewee Miniatures.” Emily glared at her. “I was just kidding.”
They knocked on the door.
“No one’s here,” said Emily. “Let’s see if the owners are home.”
They knocked at the main house and were greeted by a fortysomething lady in jeans and a cardigan. “Can I help you?”
Emily explained that they were looking for Sarah.
“I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”
“Was there anything unusual that happened recently? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“Come to think of it, she had a visitor. There was a truck parked outside on the grass. She never has visitors.”
“Did you get a look at the visitor? Was it a man? Can you describe the truck?”
“I didn’t see who it was. The truck was pretty run-of-the-mill looking. Dark color—blue or black. Later on before bed I peeked out the curtains and the truck was gone.”
Wasn’t it a truck that drove Emily’s car into the lake? Susan thought. Did she mean truck or van? If it was a van, it could easily have been Peter Taglieri’s.
“Thanks for your time.” Emily handed the woman a card in case she remembered something later. They got back into the Jeep.
“Emily, think hard. Was it a truck or a van that chased your car into the lake?”
“Things are kind of a blur from that night. I thought it was a truck, but it could have been a van.”
“I think we have no choice but to fly to Michigan. The police won’t even start looking for her yet, and by the time they do, it may be too late,” said Emily.
“Let’s get packing. Michigan, here we come.”
Chapter 29
The Detroit airport was buzzing with activity when Susan and Emily arrived the next morning. Several flights had been canceled overnight due to a severe snowstorm, and travelers, not in good moods, clamored to get available seats. Susan was grateful that they were arriving rather than leaving. She hoped the mess would be straightened out before their return flight left tomorrow.
“Car rentals are that way,” said Emily, pointing toward the escalator. Susan followed her to the Avis counter where they’d reserved a Camry. Emily entered Dr. Rowan’s address into her phone, and they headed for Ann Arbor. While driving, Emily received a phone call. It was Coralee.
“Emily, I’m sorry to bother you, but Noah remembered something that may be important. Sarah called in sick yesterday and didn’t show up or call to say she wouldn’t be here this morning. She’s always been so responsible.”
“I
know. We’re looking for her. The police won’t take her disappearance seriously until more time passes.”
“Noah said he remembered seeing her a few times talking to Peter Taglieri. He eats at the inn rather frequently.”
“What did he say?”
“He was asking her about you. He wanted to know your schedule. He asked her about your book. Noah said he pulled out a wad of money and tried to hand it to her.”
“Really? Did she take it?”
“No. Noah said she told him to get lost. Good for her. I’m sure it’s more than she makes working a whole week here.”
“Coralee, thanks for telling me. Hope things are going okay for Noah.”
“His trial is coming up in a few weeks. The lawyer knows his stuff, but we’re all nervous. I don’t want to see him go to jail.”
“Hang in there. Tell Noah we’re thinking about him.”
Emily relayed the conversation to Susan.
“We know Peter Taglieri has been involved in criminal activity in the past. Why would he need your schedule? He doesn’t want you writing that book and discouraging potential mini homebuyers. Did he make a mistake, thinking he was killing you but killing Martha instead?”
“I don’t get the grave on his property. He wasn’t around when Ashley was killed.” The GPS voice broke her train of thought. “Oh, well, we’re almost at Ann Arbor. Let’s focus on the task at hand first.”
Ann Arbor was a beautiful college town, full of trees glistening with ice. Susan imagined how lush the streets must look in other seasons. Snowdrifts flanked the roads the snowplows had cleared after yesterday’s storm. Emily turned into an older neighborhood on the same street as the university.
“This is it,” said Emily.
She parked the rental car, and they walked carefully up the icy sidewalk. The two-story house was white with black shutters, guarded by what sounded like a ferocious dog. When the door opened revealing a Chihuahua smaller than her cats, Susan felt foolish.
“You must be Emily Fox. And this is your friend Susan Wiles, correct? I’m Harriet Rowan. Come on in, Bill is in here.” She introduced them to her husband, a pleasant man, around Mike’s age. Harriet brought out a pot of coffee and a coffee cake.
