The Birthday Murders

by Mary Maxwell

  “Be right there,” I called.

  “What was that?” asked Charlene.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m setting up for a catering job. Someone needs me to help finish something, so I was letting her know I’d be there in—”

  “Sutton,” Charlene said. “Todd’s last name is Sutton.”

  “Is it really?” I felt a rush of excitement. “That might change things a bit.”

  “It will?” she said.

  “Big time,” I replied. “I can’t get into the details at the moment, but thank you for checking his mailbox.”

  “You’re welcome,” Charlene said. “I’ll let you know the next time I see him. And if you need anything else in the meantime, just holler.”

  CHAPTER 31

  “There’s a call for you, Katie,” Harper said through the pass window. “It’s that detective in Denver.”

  It was the morning after the Longview event. I was sipping my fourth cup of coffee, moving slowly and yawning constantly following less than five hours of restless sleep. The anniversary celebration had ended around eleven the previous night, and we spent another hour collecting our cake boxes, serving trays and equipment before driving everything back to Sky High. By the time I crawled into bed, it was half past midnight.

  “Are we talking about Adam Caldwell,” I asked, “or Larry Fairweather?”

  She smiled. “Who’s Larry Fairweather?”

  “He’s the new detective that works with Adam,” I said.

  “Never heard of the guy,” Harper muttered, turning away from the window.

  Julia laughed. “I can see her mood hasn’t improved yet.”

  “Did something happen?” I asked.

  “Babs Butler sent her toast back three times,” Julia explained. “It didn’t bother me, but Harper took it personally for some weird reason.”

  “She didn’t sleep very well last night,” I said. “Maybe that’s got something to do with it.”

  Julia shrugged. “I told her not to sweat the small stuff, but you know how Harper can be.”

  “I know how all of us can be,” I said. “Sometimes it’s impossible to predict what will set us off.”

  “That’s true,” Julia said. “For example, when you’re on hold, waiting for someone to pick up the phone?” She made a face. “Doesn’t that just get your goat?”

  “Detective Caldwell!” I said, hurrying across the kitchen. “I’ll be back in a flash.”

  After I scrambled down the hall to the office and grabbed the phone, I heard Adam tapping away at his computer. It sounded like he was a fan of the hunt-and-peck method, so I waited until there was a lull in the action to say hello.

  “Oh, Katie!” he replied. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I didn’t want to interrupt the flow,” I said.

  He chuckled. “Like that could happen. I’m the world’s worst at typing.”

  “Sorry, buster,” I said. “That title belongs to my father. It once took him two hours to type a four sentence email to my mother.”

  “That is on the slow side,” Adam replied. “It must’ve been an important message.”

  “It was,” I said. “He was apologizing after he forgot their anniversary one year.”

  Adam laughed again. “Man, I hope that never happens to me!”

  “Or me,” I said. “Speaking of Madelyn, how is she?”

  “Well, my call today actually has something to do with her,” he told me.

  My mind instantly flashed on the worst case scenario: Adam’s girlfriend had been injured in an accident, diagnosed with a fatal disease or left him for another man.

  “She and I have decided to leave Denver,” he said. “We’re moving to Boulder, and I’m going into private investigations.”

  “I hope you don’t mind the question,” I said, “but did something happen?”

  “It’s actually Madelyn’s mother,” Adam answered. “Her health has been declining pretty rapidly, and all of the other kids are on the east coast. We’d already decided to look for a new house and I’m ready for a professional change, so moving to Boulder makes perfect sense.”

  “Big changes,” I said. “Especially for you. I mean, professionally.”

  “Sure, but I’ll still be doing a lot of the same things,” he said. “Plus, I’ve got you as a role model.”

  I laughed. “The last time I heard that was in a cooking class at Sky High.”

  “I’m serious,” he said. “You’re living proof that we can leave behind one career and start another.”

  “That’s true. And the change that you’re talking about is a smaller shift than what I did by leaving my job as a private investigator in Chicago and coming back home.”

  “Of course, you’ve also kept your hand in some of the same work by helping Trent and Dina at the CCPD,” he said.

  “I was just glad to help out,” I said. “They needed an extra pair of hands for a couple of things.”

  He laughed. “Don’t be so modest, Katie. They’ve both told me how grateful they are that you’re available to pitch in when the case load gets too intense.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I said. “I’m just happy to help.”

  “I know,” Adam said. “And that’s something that I wanted to discuss with you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Once Madelyn and I get settled in Boulder and I open the business,” he said, “I’d like to hire you for consulting work now and then.”

  “Oh, I’m flattered, but I’ve got Sky High to run,” I told him. “Plus, Zack and I are planning our wedding and I’m doing some new volunteer work in town and—”

  “Wait a sec,” he said. “I’m coming up that way in a couple of days. Would you be willing to keep an open mind until we can sit down and talk it through?”

  “My mind’s always open,” I said. “But my days are pretty full. And I wouldn’t want to agree to something and then disappoint you by not being available when you need me.”

  He laughed. “I get that, Katie. But if you will at least hear me out, I’d like to discuss it over dinner when I’m in Crescent Creek.”

  I considered the idea. Although everything that I’d told him about my schedule was true, I also knew that the same had applied whenever I’d consulted for the Crescent Creek PD. I was busy both personally and professionally, but I was good at juggling different responsibilities and keeping Sky High as the top priority.

  “You still thinking?” Adam asked. “Or did you hang up on me?”

  “No, no,” I said quickly. “I was just considering the offer.”

  “That’s good to hear,” he said. “At least you haven’t shut me down yet.”

  “Dinner sounds good,” I told him. “Give me a call when you know what day you’ll be in town so we can figure out the details.”

  “That’s great!” Adam said. “Thanks for the time, Katie. I’ll look forward to talking with you about working together in the future.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Krista Fenner arrived first for the meeting the following day after Sky High closed. She was a petite middle-aged woman with frizzy gray hair, a button nose and bright green eyeglasses.

  “Those frames are unique,” I said, motioning at her face. “I don’t know if I could get away with that kind of statement.”

  She smiled. “I’m not sure than I can either, but I do it anyway. My husband’s an optometrist. I have pairs in just about every color imaginable to coordinate with my outfits.”

  I glanced down; the buttons on her tan cardigan were nearly the same shade as the glasses. I always admired people who had the time, interest and skill to leave the house every day in harmonized clothing. I was lucky if I got out the door with shoes on both feet.

  While Krista was describing the list of hues in her eyewear collection, the front door opened and a man with salt-and-pepper hair came into the dining room. He was wearing blue coveralls and black boots. My breath hitched when I saw the logo on the left
shoulder and front pocket: Crescent Creek Laundry Services. Dina had told me Cargill worked at Lambert’s company, but seeing him in the dark blue coveralls—a vision that probably echoed what Walker Oldham saw before he died—left me feeling a little anxious.

  “Are you Mr. Cargill?” I asked, walking over to shake his hand.

  “Danny,” he said. “Danny Cargill. You must be Kate.”

  I nodded. “And this is…”

  “Dan the Man,” Krista said, rushing into his arms. “Are you coming to Zoey’s memorial next week?”

  His response was muffled by the embrace, but I noticed a slight nod. When Danny lowered his arms and they stepped apart, I motioned toward a nearby table.

  “Would either of you like something to drink?”

  “No, thanks,” Danny said. “I’m actually on my lunch break, so I don’t have too much time.”

  I smiled. “And here I thought that I was only person to take lunch this late in the day.”

  “It’s my shift,” he said. “I work noon to nine.”

  “I could fix a sandwich or something for you,” I offered.

  “I’m good,” he replied.

  “Krista?” I asked as she settled into one of the chairs. “Anything for you?”

  “I appreciate the offer,” she said. “But this meeting has my stomach a little on the upset side.”

  They both walked over and sat beside one another. I took the chair next to Krista and got down to business.

  “First of all,” I began, “I’d like to thank you for coming by this afternoon. As I explained on the phone the other day, I’m a former private detective, and the Crescent Creek Police asked me to support their official investigation with some background research and a few follow-up interviews with folks around town.”

  “Do they know who killed Oldham?” asked Danny.

  “Not yet,” I said. “But they’re working on it.”

  “Isn’t that why we’re here?” he said. “You had a tip that the killer knew Zoey Sutton?”

  I nodded. “We’re actually here because the police received an anonymous package that included pages from Zoey’s childhood diary,” I said. “You were both among the friends that she mentioned in the journal.”

  Krista’s eyes narrowed. “What did she say?”

  “Most of it was rather routine,” I said. “She talked about rehearsals for a school play, some exams that were coming up and a pool party that she’d been invited to.”

  “Pool party?” Krista said. “Was it the one that Lawton Gleave had when his parents were in Europe?”

  Danny cleared his throat. “I didn’t go to that, but I heard about it later.”

  “And there was one at Dylan Burke’s,” Krista added. “That was during freshman year, but it was over almost as soon as everybody got there. Dylan’s parents were supposedly going to Denver for the night, but their car broke down and they showed up at home about two hours after they left.”

  “That’s right,” Danny said with a chuckle. “And that was before everybody had cell phones so they couldn’t let him know they weren’t taking the trip.”

  “They could’ve used a payphone,” Krista added. “But Dylan told me later that they didn’t think it was necessary because they had no idea their son had invited thirty teenagers over to swim and drink and do whatever else kids do on a hot summer night.”

  “Hanky-panky,” Dylan said. “That’s what I would’ve been up to.”

  “Do you remember if Zoey was at those parties?” I asked.

  “She was definitely at Lawton’s house,” Krista said. “I still have pictures of her with Wynona Sutton.”

  “I’m sorry, what was that name?” I asked.

  “Wynona Sutton,” she said. “That’s Zoey’s sister. Do you know her? She works with Danny at Crescent Creek Laundry. She’s still legally Wynona Bergen, but I started using her maiden name again after she divorced the idiot that she married in Vegas.”

  “I never knew her maiden name,” I answered.

  “Wynona’s a sweetheart,” Krista said. “She and Zoey were always super close because they were in foster care together and then adopted by the same family. I mean, like, they were completely glued at the hip until Wynona left home for college.”

  Danny laughed. “I never understood why, because they were so different. But after the crap that happened to Zoey at Lawton’s party, it made perfect sense, right?”

  He was looking at me as if I already knew what he was talking about. But when I explained that I didn’t have much information about Zoey Sutton’s childhood, he quickly filled in the missing pieces for me.

  CHAPTER 33

  Most of the prep work for the following day was finished when I went into the kitchen after Krista and Danny left.

  “You didn’t have to do everything,” I told Julia.

  She smiled. “I didn’t. We still have to figure out what Harper’s note says on the order that Sue Ellen Winters called in this morning when we were slammed with the group of retired mail carriers.”

  “Why don’t you ask her?” I said.

  “She left about twenty minutes ago,” Julia told me. “One of the kids had a dental appointment.”

  “When is Sue Ellen picking up?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow at one. Do you want to wait until the morning?”

  I grinned. “Do you want to take a guess?”

  “That’s fine by me,” Julia said. “My feet went numb about an hour ago. This has been a day from hell, Katie. Please remind me not to be a horrible restaurant customer when I get old and gray.”

  “That comes with the territory,” I said. “I’m keeping tabs on how my parents are handling the same thing. They haven’t been retired for that long, but it seems like they get more and more crabby about service in restaurants as they remember working here less and less.”

  “Doesn’t that go with the territory?” asked Julia.

  “I suppose so. But there’s always room for an exception.”

  “Maybe that can be you and me,” she suggested. “We’ll be the two totally chill silver haired dames out by the pool in our bikinis and floppy straw hats.”

  “I hate to break it to you, Jules. But our straw hats won’t be the only things flopping around by the time we’re retired.”

  She playfully covered her chest with both hands. “Say it ain’t so!” she cried. “Why does gravity always win in the end?”

  I was trying to think of an appropriately witty reply when my phone vibrated on the counter. It was Dina, calling from her mobile.

  “You escaped?” I said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re not in the office,” I said.

  “I’m actually in the break room,” she replied. “Our good friend Deputy Chief Walsh brought his stinky carryout into my office so we could talk.”

  “Sounds like him,” I said.

  “Yeah,” Dina grumbled. “And now my office smells like him.”

  “Anyway, other than needing to decontaminate your office, how’s the day going?”

  She muttered something into the phone that I didn’t catch.

  “That good, huh?”

  “I’m sorry, Katie,” she said. “I’m wearing my favorite sweater and I just realized that it now reeks of Trent’s smelly food.”

  “Sorry about that,” I said. “We’re about the same size. Want me to bring an emergency blouse to you?”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. “Just help me remember to remind Trent that he should do a better job of respecting the olfactory sensitivities of other people.”

  I laughed. “Oh, c’mon. You know big words scare the poor guy.”

  She snorted when she laughed. Then she asked what I’d called about earlier.

  “Oh, that’s right!” I said. “I almost forgot leaving that message. I was wondering if you’d interviewed Todd Sutton.”

  “Zoey’s brother?” she said.

  “And Wynona’s,” I replied.

  “Say that ag
ain.”

  “Todd, Zoey and Wynona were all adopted by the same family,” I said. “Wynona changed her last name to Bergen when she got married.”

  “I didn’t know she had a husband,” Dina said.

  “She doesn’t now,” I told her. “It lasted for about a hot minute. But she kept the guy’s name because she didn’t want to go through the paperwork.”

  “Go through the paperwork?” Dina said sarcastically. “It’s not that complicated.”

  “Tell that to Wynona,” I said. “According to Krista Fenner, Mrs. Bergen was under the impression that switching back to her maiden name would require a lawyer and several hundred dollars in court costs.”

  “She should’ve done it in her complaint for divorce,” Dina said. “That’s the easiest way to take care of it.”

  “Well, I’m sure there’s more than one solution,” I said. “But my point is, I’m surprised that you didn’t know that Zoey, Todd and Wynona were all adopted by the same mother and father after bouncing around the foster care system?”

  “I knew about Zoey and Todd,” she said. “But it sounds like I didn’t drill down far enough in the file yet.”

  “Well, I think there’s a connection,” I said. “I think Zoey’s suicide may have triggered something in Todd and Wynona.”

  “What kind of something?” Dina asked.

  “I’m not sure yet,” I said. “But Krista and Danny told me about a pool party that Zoey went to when she was in middle school. She was on the heavy side and four other kids apparently really fat shamed her in front of everyone at the party.”

  “Four other kids?” Dina said.

  “Are you with me now?” I asked.

  “Natalie Packwood, Lawton Gleave, Dixie Corcoran and Walker Oldham?”

  “The Four Royals,” I said. “That’s what they called themselves back then.”

  “Were they the cool kids in school?” Dina asked.

  “Cool,” I said. “As well as cruel.”

  “So you think we need to talk to Todd again?” she said.

  “I’m actually going over to Crescent Creek Laundry in a few minutes,” I said. “I was planning to ask Wynona about Lambert’s travel again, but now I also want to ask her about Todd. I’m curious to see if she’ll admit to being his sister.”