by Diane Weiner
“But the police found her body!”
“Did they ever admit it was Sarah? She was covered with a sheet when they showed her on the news.”
“They said her name eventually, but they could have been mistaken. They knew Sarah was missing so maybe they just assumed it was her. Let’s go.”
Emily slipped and swerved as she sped out of the parking lot. The windows fogged up, and Susan kept wiping the windshield off with her glove. They were barely out of the parking lot when they saw a car stuck on the ice. Under normal circumstances, Emily would have tried to help but not now. They had to get to Sarah, and they had to get there fast.
“Emily, do you think Joe Sommers is the killer?”
“Joe? Heavens no. Not in a million years.”
“He was missing a button off his coat. It was just like the one I found at the barn. And he said he heard arguing outside his office window the day Ashley went missing. He couldn’t have heard anything with his window closed, and it was stuck, remember? He said he hadn’t been able to open it for years.”
“You’re right, he did say that. And he didn’t admit to taking over the class when Dr. Rowan was fired. And he told us Gerald and Morgan Reynolds came late to the inauguration but we saw on the tape they were there from beginning to end.”
“He was trying to direct the investigation toward them. Emily, watch out!”
Emily yanked the steering wheel just in time to avoid hitting a car that momentarily lost control on the icy road. “I’m going to have to slow down. We have to reach Sarah in one piece.”
“I just thought of something else. Remember how Ashley’s parents said they received a postcard from Mexico?”
“Joe made a remark about Coralee’s huevos rancheros tasting authentic. He said he’d just come back from Cancun. Susan, call Mike and the police. Tell them where we’re heading. It’s the covered bridge on Sweet Briar Lane.”
Susan punched in Mike’s number. “I don’t have service! Let me try your phone. No service either.” She threw the phone down in frustration. “Guess we’re on our own.”
“There’s the bridge up ahead.” Emily pulled the car over to the side of the road, and they ran to it.
“Sarah. Sarah, we’re here! You’re safe now. Come out! We got your message,” cried Emily.
“We’ll take you straight to the police station. Come out! We’ve got you,” yelled Susan.
They entered the covered bridge, barely able to see between the gray sky and the dark bridge covering. Susan saw movement from the other end. Someone was coming toward them. “Sarah! We’re so happy you’re alive.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not Sarah. Sarah’s dead. I killed her myself.”
Emily turned on the flashlight app on her phone and screamed. “Joe! What are you doing here? What did you do to Sarah?”
Joe came closer. “Sarah figured out that I killed Martha. She needed help changing a tire. I opened my trunk to grab my tools, not remembering I still had the murder weapon in it. Stupid mistake. I changed the tire for her. While I was doing it, she must have snapped a picture of the pipe. Later on she told me she had proof I killed Martha. I put two and two together.”
“Why did you kill our colleague and friend? You and Martha had a nice relationship.”
“I didn’t mean to kill her. It was you I was after. I couldn’t let you keep digging around in the Ashley Young case. I know you. You weren’t going to stop until you figured it out.”
“But why did they find the pipe in Peter Taglieri’s trailer?” said Susan.
“Why do you think? I planted it there. The skeleton too. I had her safely hidden in your barn until that fool of a jewel thief, Noah Saunders, started poking around in there. I was afraid he’d find her. When I dug her up, there was nothing left but bones and clothing after all those years. I’d wrapped her in a blanket back when I first buried her. Good thing, or the bones would have spilled all over when I picked her up.”
“So you dropped her scarf in the barn when you went to move her?”
“Yes, Susan. Emily’s nosy neighbor went banging on the door asking if someone was in there. I had to get out in a hurry and didn’t realize I’d dropped it.”
The wind had picked up, and the bridge swayed slightly as Joe came closer. Susan’s heart pounded. His face is so evil-looking, she thought. His eyes are like coal. How are we going to get out of this? No one knows we’re here, and the roads are so bad it’s doubtful we’ll run into anyone.
Emily said, “Where’s the body now? It disappeared from Taglieri’s too.”
“After they found the car, I knew the search would start up again. If they found the actual skeleton in the grave behind Taglieri’s, they may have found trace evidence leading back to me. I moved her one more time. She’s now in her final resting place.”
Snow blew in from the end of the bridge. Joe stepped closer. The bridge swayed harder. Susan shivered as his menacing figure was now only inches from them.
“The police have the pictures Sarah left. They have proof, and it’s only a matter of time,” said Emily.
Joe laughed. “You never had a chance to bring those photos to the police. I followed you. You left the gym and came straight here. After I get rid of you both, I’ll take the photos out of your car and destroy them. No one will be the wiser. I’ve already destroyed my shrine to Ashley back at my house. Damn Sarah found that too. I’d invited her over to talk about her dissertation. Those pretty young teachers are my fatal flaw, always have been. While I was on the phone, she must have been poking around and found it, again snapping pictures.”
“How do you think you’re going to get rid of us? It’s two against one. Run, Susan.”
Joe pulled a gun from his pocket. “Two against one, but one is armed. Let’s go.”
He got behind them and prodded them across the bridge with his gun until they were out in the snow once again. A rocky river bank greeted them. The freezing cold river water had a particularly strong current. The swishing sound of the water above the sound of the wind made Susan’s head spin. Think, Susan. We have to get out of this. If Emily and I ram into him, he won’t be able to shoot us both. And his aim will be off.
“Come on, ladies. You’re about to join Sarah at the bottom of the river.” He grabbed Emily. Susan prayed. Hail Mary, full of grace… Our Father who art in heaven… Please help us.
As Joe was about to wrestle Emily off the river bank, sirens blared behind them. Detectives Wooster and O’Leary jumped out of the squad car, guns in hand, startling Joe. Susan grabbed the gun out of his hand, surprising herself as well as her friend. O’Leary snapped handcuffs on Joe Sommers and read him his rights. Seconds later, Henry and Mike jumped out of the Prius and ran to them.
“Emily, what were you thinking? I told you not to go out. This is the second time I almost lost you.” Henry hugged her to his chest.
Mike said, “You know better. Wait till I tell Lynette about this one.”
“How did you know where to find us? I tried to call, but the phones didn’t have a signal.”
Henry said, “We owe it to Kurt once again. He was coming home with storm supplies when he passed our Jeep heading toward the bridge and found it suspicious. With the storm, he couldn’t figure out why you were heading away from home, so he came over and told us he’d seen you. Of course, I figured you were in trouble and called the police right away.”
“Let’s go home. All I want to do is change into dry clothes and curl up in front of the fire.”
“Home it is. Maybe after you girls rest, we can make it over to Coralee’s for dinner. The weatherman says the storm is moving out. Look, it’s already stopping.” A sliver of sunlight broke through the gray clouds. “By the way, I have a surprise for you. It’s in the barn.”
Chapter 36
“Close your eyes,” said Henry. He led Emily to the barn, followed closely by Mike and Susan. I bet he bought her a horse. She’ll be so happy, Susan thought.
“One,
two, three, open your eyes.”
Emily screamed and threw her arms around Henry. Then she opened the door and crawled inside her brand new, shiny silver Audi Quattro. “I love it! You know I’ve always wanted one of these.”
“Your other car was totaled, and I know how much you hate sharing.” Henry smiled and got into the car beside her. “It’s got all-wheel drive, great for the weather around here. You can start it from inside the house so the heat gets going before you get in. And it has seat warmers.”
“I love it. Guess we’ll try it out on our way to dinner tonight.”
* * * * *
Later that evening, the inn was full of diners happy to escape being trapped at home by the weather. Susan smelled biscuits, and her eyes scanned the dishes that the other diners were eating, knowing it would take her a while to decide amongst all the fabulous choices. Coralee led them to their usual table.
“I’m glad you and Susan are safe and sound. I can’t believe you caught the killer, Joe Sommers. He came in here all the time to eat. I never would have guessed. He seemed like such a nice man.”
“Like Detective Wooster said, killers come in all shapes and sizes. And to be successful criminals, by nature they have to be sneaky and deceptive.” Oh no, Susan realized. Here I go again putting my foot in my mouth. “Coralee, I wasn’t talking about Noah.”
“It’s fine. The lawyer worked out a deal. Noah won’t be spending any time in jail. The things he chose to steal didn’t add up to enough to be considered grand larceny. He has a huge fine to pay, and, of course, he returned all the jewelry to its owners. It goes without saying I’ll be working him so hard he may wish he was in jail!”
Emily said, “That’s great, Coralee. I think Noah has learned his lesson.”
All four buried their noses in the menus. Every dish looked mouthwatering. They all settled on the filet mignon with truffles and scalloped potatoes. Susan had already eyed the desserts. Red velvet cake or Oreo pie? Maybe both. It’s been a tough day.
Coralee brought a platter of mini chicken potpie appetizers to the table. “On the house. To celebrate good things yet to come. Noah’s home and won’t be going to jail. Peter Taglieri left town the minute the police released him. And I’m planning to renovate the bedrooms in this place one at a time as I can afford it. What’s in your futures?”
Henry said, “The local hospital asked if I’d work part-time for them. They’re severely understaffed. I was already starting to miss medicine.”
Emily said, “I have an idea for a summer writing camp for adults. The college already said I could use their facilities. It will give writers a chance to focus on their craft without the everyday responsibilities they have back home.”
“That sounds wonderful,” said Susan. “I’m going to head to Florida to thwart my mother’s wedding plans. Then I’m going to spend lots of time with my granddaughter and help Lynette get ready for the new baby.”
Susan glanced at her phone and noticed a new text message. “Speaking of grandbabies, look! They matched Lynette and Jason with a baby. She sent a picture!”
Susan’s mouth gaped open at the sight of her beautiful new granddaughter. “Look how precious. She’s only three months old, and her Chinese name is Meilyn.”
“How gorgeous. Look at all that hair! When do they bring her home?”
“Lynette said it takes about a month after they match a family with a baby. They go over with a group of other adoptive parents.”
“The potpies are good, but this requires champagne.” Coralee fetched a bottle of champagne and uncorked it at the table. “A toast to family, friends, and exciting adventures yet to come.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Diane Weiner is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four children. She has enjoyed reading for as long as she can remember. She has fond memories of reading Nancy Drew and Mary Higgins Clark on snowy weekend afternoons in upstate New York and yearned to write books that would bring that kind of enjoyment to her readers. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with two adorable cats and a little white dog. In her free time, she enjoys running, attending community theater productions, and spending time with her family (especially going to the mall with her teenage daughter and getting Dairy Queen afterwards). Murder is Collegiate is Book 7 in her Susan Wiles School House Mystery series.
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