Murder of a Barbie and Ken

by Denise Swanson

  Skye gasped for air while Jed snatched his shotgun from the rack behind the seat, wrenched the mike from his CB, and put in a call to the police.

  “They’re both dead.” Skye sagged against the backrest.

  “Yup. Saw the doc when I came through the kitchen looking for you.” Jed took a red hanky from his pocket and wiped his face. “Why’d you slam the dining room door on my hand?”

  “I thought you were the killer.” Skye looked anxiously at her father. “Are you all right?”

  “Yup.” He sat straight, his eyes scanning back and forth, the gun cradled in his arms.

  “Why did you hit me in the foyer?” Skye asked, touching the tender spot near her hairline.

  “Didn’t. You ran into me and we bumped heads.”

  “Oh.”

  A minute or two passed in silence. A painful sense of comprehension was beginning to replace the shock she’d felt when she first saw the bodies—Ken and Barbie Addison were dead, and someone had killed them. Skye realized how precariously close to crying she was. She buried her face in Chocolate’s brown fur and hugged the dog, forcing the tears to stay unshed. Her father had been through enough. She wouldn’t add a sobbing female to his ordeal.

  A squad car squealed into the driveway, lights flashing and siren screaming. Walter Boyd jumped out and headed toward the pickup. He was the chief of the Scumble River Police Department, a handsome man with warm brown eyes, curly black hair with just a touch of silver, and a striking year-round tan. His crisply starched police uniform emphasized his muscular chest and arms.

  Although they had never dated, Skye and Wally had a history that wasn’t easy to explain. She’d had a crush on him when she was a teenager and he was a rookie cop, but when she came back to Scumble River as an adult, he was married. His wife had left him about the time Skye had become involved with Simon. They had a The King and I sort of relationship—attraction without fulfillment. Recently they had taken to pretending that the attraction never existed.

  Wally conferred briefly with Jed and Skye, then spoke into his radio. Officer Roy Quirk was next to arrive, with two county cruisers roaring in soon afterward. Before entering, the lawmen surrounded the house, peering into windows and creeping around corners.

  The police took a long time to search the premises. As Wally later explained, they had to make sure the killer wasn’t hiding anywhere and that there were no more bodies tucked away.

  Skye watched as one of the deputies started to string yellow plastic tape around the perimeter of the property. She knew that an evidence technician from the county would arrive soon. He’d have his work cut out for him, going over such an enormous crime scene.

  Finally, Wally came out of the house and spoke to Jed and Skye. “It’s all clear.” His breath hung in the frigid air like a cotton ball. “Jed, Quirk’s going to talk to you for a couple of minutes, then we need for you to go to the station and make a formal statement.”

  Jed said, “Gotta drop the dog off at home first.”

  Wally nodded. “Fine. Skye, you come with me.” He jerked his head toward the cruiser. “Let’s go sit in my car.”

  She followed him, toting her bags of groceries along with her. The front seat felt like a block of ice, and she shivered.

  He started the engine and turned the heater to full blast. “What were you and your dad doing here?”

  “I had to pick up my Instant Gourmet order, and Dad was driving me because the roads were too icy for the Bel Air.”

  “Instant Gourmet?”

  “It’s a product Barbie sells, I mean sold, at parties she held in her home.”

  “Like Tupperware?”

  “You are so behind the times. But, yes, like Tupperware.”

  Wally stroked his chin. “Why would she bother selling stuff like that? It couldn’t be for the money. She was married to a doctor—they had to be rolling in dough.”

  “That’s a question I had, too. I’ll be interested to hear what you find out.”

  “You mean you haven’t heard any of the ladies talking about it?”

  “No. Which is unusual—gossip being the most powerful commodity in Scumble River. The ‘ladies’ have been strangely quiet on that subject.” Skye paused. There was something else she wanted to tell Wally before she forgot. “That reminds me. Monday night, at the party Barbie hosted where I ordered the Instant Gourmet food, Barbie and one of the other women must have had some sort of fight. I heard someone slap her as they were leaving, but I didn’t see who it was.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Wally made a note on the pad he took from his breast pocket, then said, “Now, tell me what happened from the minute you got here.”

  Skye started with her knock on the Addisons’ front door and described her movements up until she found the first body. Then she said, “I blame the cold medicine I took earlier this morning. I knew I shouldn’t go into the house after finding the garage empty, but nothing seemed real.”

  Wally’s expression was skeptical, but he didn’t challenge her statement. Instead he asked, “What happened then?”

  As she finished describing her movements, a hearse glided into the driveway and Xavier Ryan, Simon’s assistant at the funeral home, climbed out of the driver’s seat.

  “Didn’t Simon make it back from Chicago yet?” Skye asked Wally.

  “No. He’s on I-55. We beeped him and he called back from a pay phone at a gas station along the way. Traffic is tied up with accidents, and he’s not sure when he’ll get here.” Wally nodded toward Xavier as he entered the house. “We were going to wait, but there are some samples that Simon wants taken ASAP.”

  Skye’s thoughts flew to Bunny. Simon would probably be too busy to see her today. It seemed she’d be getting a short reprieve. Too bad the Addisons hadn’t been as lucky; fortune had certainly smiled at them in every other aspect of their lives, but it had not protected them when it really counted.

  Her gaze swept the imposing house and expensively landscaped grounds, and she said, “Isn’t it ironic that one moment Barbie and Ken could be on top of the world, the rulers of all they surveyed, and the next instant they could be murdered like some homeless couple living in an alley in Chicago?”

  CHAPTER 5

  Let the dead Past bury its dead.

  —Longfellow

  Skye stumbled out of the squad car, waving listlessly to Wally as he reversed the cruiser and pulled away. Her throat hurt, and in the hours she was at the police station, she had developed a hacking cough. Her plans for the immediate future were a hot cup of tea, another hit of cold medicine, and bed. Although she was afraid that when she closed her eyes, all she would see would be Barbie and Ken with those hideous ribbons cutting into their throats.

  Her first hint that, even if she could put the Addisons out of her mind, sleep was not in her future came when she noticed Charlie’s car in the driveway. Wonderful. She loved her godfather, but right now the last thing she wanted was more company. Swallowing a sigh, she plodded up the front steps, pushed open the unlocked door, and went inside. Voices and music drifted from the back of the house.

  Skye plunked the bags of groceries on the kitchen table and trudged back into the foyer, pulling off her gloves, unwinding her scarf, and shrugging out of her coat as she walked. Her boots were more of a challenge. She had to sit on the hall bench to remove them. The moment she sat down, a wave of weariness washed over her and, for a second, she contemplated just staying there and letting the world revolve without her. A burst of annoying laughter made her change her mind.

  In her stocking feet, she moved noiselessly into the great room. Uncle Charlie and Bunny were dancing. Shoot. This couldn’t be good. Uncle Charlie never danced.

  He wore his standard uniform of gray twill pants, limp white shirt, and red suspenders. His clothes varied only by the length of his sleeves—short for summer and long in the winter.

  It took Charlie and Bunny several moments to notice Skye. When Charlie finally saw her he stumbled, let go
of Bunny, and took a step backward. Bunny raised an eyebrow at Skye, and gave a tiny shrug. Charlie was probably not the first man who sought her out in private but disavowed her in public. Bunny looked from Skye to Charlie and said, “I need something to drink. Anybody else want something?”

  Skye nodded at the redhead. “Hot tea would be wonderful. Thanks.”

  Charlie shook his head.

  After Bunny left the room he hesitated for a second, then swooped Skye into a suffocating bear hug. At six feet and three hundred pounds, he overwhelmed most people.

  Intense blue eyes under bushy white brows scrutinized her face. “You don’t look so good.”

  “Thanks a lot.” She struggled free of his hold. “I have a terrible cold, maybe the flu.”

  “Why aren’t you in bed?”

  Skye quickly told Charlie about the murders, but refused to answer any of his questions. After the hours she had spent at the police station, she couldn’t face talking about it anymore. Instead she said, “Did you come by to tell Bunny that you have a room for her?”

  The big man looked sheepish. “No, the motor court is still full.”

  Skye’s lips thinned with irritation. “The roads are clearing up. Why aren’t people checking out?”

  Charlie edged toward the foyer. “It’s way past noon, so I have to charge ’em for the day, and the highway patrol is still advising against travel because more snow is predicted within the next hour or so.”

  “Swell.” Skye walked Charlie to the door. She lowered her voice. “Why did you send Bunny here?”

  He looked chagrined. “She needed somewhere to stay, and I got the feeling money was a problem. She asked me if she could send a check later.”

  “But why me? We don’t know anything about her. She could have murdered me in my bed.”

  “I think you could whip her.” Charlie grinned. “Considering your past experiences with subduing criminals.”

  “You make me sound like Buffy.”

  “Who?”

  “Buffy the Vampire Slayer from TV.”

  “I don’t reckon Bunny’s the undead.” Charlie frowned. “She seems pretty lively to me.”

  “But why didn’t you just give her directions to Simon’s house?”

  “She said she couldn’t stay with Simon.”

  “Why?” Skye demanded.

  “I didn’t ask.” Charlie pulled big rubber boots on over his shoes.

  “If you wanted to be a Good Samaritan, why didn’t you let her sleep on your couch?”

  “That wouldn’t be proper. Your mom would have a fit.” Charlie looked shocked. “Anyway, half a good deed is better than none.”

  Skye huffed. “But why me?”

  “She just seemed sort of, I don’t know, desperate. And, after all, you are a psychologist.”

  “I’m a school psychologist. I’m not allowed to counsel people over twenty-one.” Sometimes Uncle Charlie’s faith in her frightened Skye. “You know, this puts me in a really awkward position with Simon.”

  “Things will work out.” Charlie donned his jacket, opened the door, and stepped outside. “No matter what, she is his mother.”

  Skye fed her houseguest, then planted her in front of the TV. She could still hear Bunny’s complaints about the lack of cable as she escaped into her bedroom. Skye closed and locked the door, then went into the bathroom and swallowed a couple of cold tablets. She’d meant to buy some daytime pills at the grocery store, but with all the shoppers acting so crazy, she had completely forgotten.

  The pillow’s cool smoothness beneath her cheek felt wonderful as she stretched out on the bed. She let her thoughts wander while she tried to drift off to sleep. She was just beginning to doze when the doorbell rang.

  Bunny wasn’t in the great room when Skye walked through on her way to answer the door. Where was she? A quick peek in the kitchen and bathroom revealed she was nowhere to be seen. Could she have locked herself outside?

  Skye pushed aside the curtain and looked out the window. It was Simon. She flung open the door and pulled him inside. Snow swirled around him as he stepped into the foyer.

  The elegant black wool overcoat he wore emphasized his tall, lean physique. Ice crystals melted on his auburn hair, making it shine and picking up the golden highlights in his hazel eyes. He gathered her into his arms and buried his face in her curls.

  They stood for a moment, enjoying the comfort of each other’s embrace. Then she sneezed.

  “Bless you.”

  “Thanks. I’ve got a cold.”

  “Did you take anything?” Simon cupped her chin.

  She nodded. “Yes, and it makes me groggy.”

  That seemed to end the conversation, until they both spoke at once.

  “Why—”

  “What—”

  Simon indicated that she should go first.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you’d go straight to the crime scene, and be tied up for the rest of the day.”

  “I was worried about you, and wanted to know why you needed to talk to me yesterday. It sounded like there was something more than you missing me.” Simon kissed her on the temple. “And I heard you were the one who found the bodies.”

  Skye bit her lip. The situation with Bunny would be hard to explain, so she’d start with discovering the Addisons. Sad to say, but sometimes the dead were easier to deal with than the living.

  Simon wrapped a chestnut ringlet around his finger. “How are you and Jed doing? Wally told me the whole situation was brutal.”

  “Let’s just say I tried to take a nap, woke up screaming, and realized I hadn’t fallen asleep.”

  “Poor baby.”

  Skye allowed herself to savor his concern for a moment before easing out of his arms. She had to tell him about Bunny right away, before it started to look like she was hiding something. Speaking of hiding, where was Bunny? Skye took a quick look around. The cottage appeared to be empty.

  “Simon?”

  “Mmm?” He took off his coat, hung it up, and moved into the great room. “What happened in here? It looks a Victoria’s Secret store exploded.” He sat on the sofa after moving a pair of black silk stockings.

  “That’s what I want to talk to you about.” Skye followed and sat on the chair opposite him. “I had a surprise visitor last night.”

  “During the snowstorm?”

  “Yes, she just appeared on my doorstep. It was almost as if someone cast a spell and poof, there she was.”

  “Who?”

  There really was no good way to break this to him. She might as well just blurt it out. “Your mother.”

  “My what?” Simon sprang off the sofa. “No. That’s not possible.”

  “Well, that’s what I thought. I was sure you had told me your mother was dead.” Skye stopped. Wait a minute. Could Bunny be an imposter? She hadn’t asked to see the woman’s identification. Had Uncle Charlie? Probably not. “Is she … dead, I mean?”

  “She is to me.”

  “Oh.” Skye chewed her lip. “So, then technically it is possible that my houseguest is your mother.”

  “Houseguest?” Simon swiveled, looking around the room. “You invited her to stay with you?” His tone sharpened. “Why?”

  “I didn’t exactly invite her. She just sort of moved in.” Skye noted Simon’s frown and hurried to explain. “You weren’t home. I wasn’t able to get hold of you. What was I supposed to do, turn her out into the snow?”

  “Why didn’t you answer the phone when I called?”

  “Your mother,” Skye said. Simon glared at her, and she edited her answer. “Bunny, that is, broke my toilet. I was fixing it, and somehow she and I got tangled in the doorway, making me miss the call.”

  “Typical Bunny behavior.” Simon began to pace, his anger apparent in his stride. “So, where is she?”

  “Uh, I don’t know.” Skye got up and checked the bathroom and kitchen again. “She was watching TV last time I saw her. I was napping in my bedroom when I heard the bel
l, and when I came out to answer the door, she wasn’t here.”

  “Maybe she left.”

  “She wouldn’t leave her stuff.” Skye gestured around the room.

  “No. Maybe she went to town for something.”

  “That’s another funny thing. I noticed this morning there was no car in my driveway. I meant to ask her how she got here but I forgot. If she left, someone would’ve had to pick her up.” Skye looked into the foyer. “And her coat’s still hanging on the hall tree.”

  “She’ll turn up. Don’t worry about Bunny. She can take care of herself.”

  “What are you going to do when she does?” Skye drew him down on the sofa and curled up next to him.

  “Send her back to wherever she came from.”

  “She said she’s been living in Las Vegas.”

  “That’s what she always wanted, bright lights, fast living, and no responsibility.” Simon rested his head on the back of the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

  Skye hugged him. “Why did you say she was dead to you? What happened?”

  He sighed. “Dad was a high school basketball star.”

  “From Scumble River, right?”

  “Right. Bunny was from Laurel. They met at a game. She saw him as her ticket out of small-town life.”

  “And your dad?”

  “He was mesmerized by her.” Simon’s voice had an edge to it. “He had a basketball scholarship from Loyola, and she convinced him to marry her and bring her along.”

  “What happened?”

  “Dad wrecked his knee, lost his scholarship, and dropped out of college. He ended up operating a crane at the steel mills. She went to work as a go-go dancer at a club. Things were okay until she got pregnant.”

  “Your dad wanted her to quit her job and be a full-time mom?” Skye guessed.

  “Exactly, but that was the last thing she wanted. And Bunny always got what she wanted. She went back to dancing right after I was born. My dad said he’d walk in at five-thirty after his shift at the mill, and she’d hand me to him, then head downtown to the club.”

  Skye squeezed his hand. “That must have been rough on them both, having such different dreams.”