Zimmerman Academy: The New Normal

by Kathi Daley

  I changed Haden into a clean diaper, pants, and a shirt and then grabbed a set of clothes for Hudson and headed downstairs. Once I’d dressed him as well, I put them in their high chairs with a handful of Cheerios each, then instructed Holly to go get dressed. When she returned dressed in shorts and a tank top, I reminded her about the snow and told her to find long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a sweatshirt. Fortunately, she complied.

  Meanwhile the cursing upstairs had stopped and had been replaced by banging as I imagined Brady was working on the pipes in an attempt to unclog the toilet. Maybe Zak should have hired Brady a live-in babysitter, like maybe a nanny. A very old and experienced grandmother type, not a young and beautiful nanny who marries her boss like in the romance novels I occasionally read.

  The boys seemed fine strapped into their high chairs and Holly seemed happy playing with Mittens, so I decided to tackle the sink full of dirty dishes from breakfast. It looked like they’d had eggs and pancakes. At least it appeared Brady knew how to cook. I was just turning on the dishwasher when he poked his head into the kitchen.

  “Thanks for seeing to the kids. I’m afraid we had a bit of a rough start this morning. The toilet is fixed, but I still need thirty minutes or so to take a shower and get ready. I hope that’s not a problem.”

  “Not at all. The kids and I will hang out down here.”

  “I never realized how hard it was going to be to take care of everything on my own. Mom made it look easy.”

  “Your mom had practice being a mom. I’m sure things will be fine once you settle into a routine. Do you have a way to corral the boys when you aren’t able to watch them? Maybe a playpen or a baby gate?”

  “No, although now that you mention it, it would be helpful. I only turned my head for one minute. I’d dressed Haden and turned to look for clothes for Hudson and the next thing I knew Holly was running down the hall yelling about the water in the bathroom. Next time I’ll put the clothed twin back into his crib while I dress his brother.”

  “That might be a good idea. Or at least close the bedroom door so they can’t escape. Go ahead and take your shower. I’ll add buy playpen to our list of activities today.”

  “You have a list?”

  “Of course. I make a list for everything.”

  Brady smiled. I loved the way the corners of his eyes turned up, making him look like he was smiling with his whole face.

  “Okay, then. I’ll be back in a jiffy. I wouldn’t want to mess up your carefully orchestrated plans.”

  I set both of the boys on the living room floor next to a pile of toys I’d found in a box next to the sofa. Then I sat down on the sofa to keep an eye on the destructive little buggers. Holly looked uncertain, but eventually she came over and sat down next to me.

  “Are you going to be my new mommy?”

  “No, honey. Why would you think that?”

  “My grandma told my daddy that he needed to find us a new mommy. I thought it might be you.”

  “I’m just a friend. I work at the same place your daddy is going to work, so I’m helping him get settled.”

  “Do you have kids?”

  “No. But I have a dog. His name is Shep. I’ll introduce you sometime.”

  “Do you like kids?”

  “I do. Very much.”

  Holly seemed satisfied with that answer because she returned her attention to Mittens, who had jumped up onto her lap. I could begin to see why Brady thought that living with his parents for the long term might be a mistake. It sounded like his mom was ready for him to move on, but that didn’t mean he was.

  It was snowing lightly by the time we made it into town. We decided to stop for lunch first because it was almost noon by the time we actually pulled onto Main Street. I hadn’t eaten at Rosie’s since my mom had sold it and moved in with her best friend, but the food was good, the atmosphere casual, and I knew there was a booth in the back that would be perfect for the five of us. I decided to set my mixed emotions over the transition to the side and suggested we eat there.

  “I hope the food is as incredible as the view,” Brady said after we walked into the reception area and he noticed the huge windows looking out onto the lake.

  “It is. My mom used to own this place. She sold it recently, but the kitchen staff is the same.” Or so I’d heard. Like I said, I hadn’t actually been in myself. It felt so odd to enter the establishment as a guest when I’d grown up hanging out in the restaurant as the child of the owner.

  “I was wondering when you would be in,” the hostess greeted me.

  “I’ve been meaning to stop by, but with my new job and all…This is Brady Matthews, the new math teacher at the Academy, and his children, Holly, Haden, and Hudson. Can we snag the big booth in the back?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll send your server right over.”

  I grabbed two high chairs and a booster seat for Holly. Once everyone was settled in I began to recite the menu by memory. Assuming they hadn’t changed things much, I was confident I had a pretty good grip on where Mom had left things. All of the kids wanted grilled cheese and fruit, Brady decided on a prime rib sandwich, and I chose a turkey club. Once the server brought our beverages, I began to describe the layout of the town to Brady while we waited for our sandwiches.

  “Almost all the retail establishments, with the exception of the new strip mall that will open soon on the highway leading out of town, are nestled within a three-block radius of Main Street, which parallels the lake. So, as you drive through town from east to west, the lake, the beach, and the landscaped park area is on your left and the row of shops and restaurants is on your right. Behind Main you’ll find Second Street, and then Third, and so on. There’s a residential neighborhood beginning on Fourth Street. The streets that intersect Main follow the alphabet, beginning with an A street on the west side of town.”

  “Sounds easy enough.”

  “It is. If you know your alphabet and can count to ten you can pretty much find your way around the town section of Ashton Falls. Of course there are a lot of homes that have been built outside the commercial area. I’ll take you by the library, the schools, and the county offices. We’ll be able to see pretty much everything in an hour or so.”

  “And the Academy?”

  “We’re housed in a temporary campus while the permanent one is being built. I’ll show you where the temporary campus is. It’ll be closed today because it’s Saturday, but I’m sure Zak will give you a tour next week. After we’re finished in town, I’d be happy to drive you out to the site where the permanent campus is being built.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “There’s an awesome snow park just outside of town. I bet the kids would have fun sledding, and Holly is old enough to try ice skating. It would be fun to take them, although I’m not sure we’ll have time today.”

  “Tomorrow? I’ll even make you dinner when we get back.”

  I hesitated. Again, I had to ask if this was an offer of a date or if Brady was just being friendly. I decided it didn’t really matter. An hour or two at the snow park followed by a cozy dinner with Brady and the kids sounded perfect.

  “I’m babysitting two of the three kids Zak and Zoe have living with them. They’re at Zoe’s parents’ house today, but I promised to pick them up tomorrow morning, along with Zoe’s little sister, Harper, so Zoe’s parents could have a quiet Valentine’s Day.”

  “So bring them. The more the merrier.”

  “Okay.” I smiled. “That sounds like a lot of fun.”

  The conversation paused as the waitress brought our food. It looked delicious.

  “Tell me about the other teachers at the Academy,” Brady suggested.

  “Currently the students only attend classes at the Academy a half day, so we have a limited staff. Zak has plans to hire quite a few new staff members before the permanent campus opens in the fall. For the time being, he handles the computer science courses and has been filling in with the math since the other teacher left. T
he school principal, Phyllis King, teaches all the language arts courses, and the only other full-time staff member at this point is Ethan Carlton, who focuses on history and other social sciences. I think you’re going to like everyone.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them. The university I worked at last had hundreds of staff members. It was hard to get to know anyone who taught outside the math department.”

  Holly spilled her milk, ending the conversation. My dad would have had a fit and scolded me for not being careful if I did that when I was four, but Brady simply hugged Holly and assured her that accidents happened, while the waitress hurried into the kitchen for a towel to mop up the mess. Fortunately, Holly hadn’t gotten her clothes wet, eliminating the need to go home and change her before we began our tour. I’d promised Levi I’d try to talk to George Wildwood today, so while Brady was buckling the kids into the car, I called his house and was told he was out at Eagle Lake ice fishing for the day. I decided I could keep my promise to Levi after I took Brady and the kids around town. Brady had mentioned the kids usually napped around two thirty, which would give me several hours to track George down before it got dark.

  Eagle Lake was a large yet fairly shallow lake that froze solid enough each winter to provide a popular place to ice fish. I wasn’t sure exactly where George would be, but his brother James, with whom he lived, had said he’d driven out to the lake in his big blue Dodge truck. My plan to find him consisted of driving slowly around the lake looking for the truck. Hopefully he hadn’t quit for the day and was still there.

  I’d dressed warmly for my walk around town with Brady and the kids, but the wind, coupled with the increased altitude where the lake was located, created at least a ten-degree drop in temperature compared to that in town. In other words, it was cold.

  The lake was scattered with small wooden shacks where the fishermen hung out while they fished. Some were simply a stool positioned next to the ice hole, while others were more elaborate, with cushioned benches, ice chests, and even camp stoves.

  It took about twenty minutes to find George’s truck. He was on the side of the lake closest to the highway, a lucky break. I wasn’t sure what the conditions of the lake road would be once it circled around to the back side.

  I parked my own four-wheel drive next to George’s truck, pulled my heavy down jacket over my wool sweater, and hurried toward the ice fishing hut. Hopefully it was warm inside.

  “Ellie,” George said when I entered through the small door. “What brings you out here on this cold day?”

  “I guess you heard about Maddie.”

  “Yeah, I heard. Coffee?”

  “No, thanks. I know you knew her; I was hoping you could give me some insight into what she was like.”

  “Isn’t Zoe the resident sleuth in Ashton Falls?”

  “She is, but she’s away in Ireland. I wouldn’t even bother looking into her death, but it affects a friend.”

  “Levi.”

  I noticed George’s expression had grown guarded. “Yeah, Levi.”

  George adjusted the position of his pole, poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat back down. “Did Levi tell you Maddie and I had a good thing going until he came sniffing around?”

  “He told me.”

  “I know the two of you were close at one point. Seems like you dodged a bullet, breaking things off with that one.”

  “Yeah, I guess. The sheriff thinks Maddie was drugged. Do you know who might want to hurt her?”

  “Me for one. The woman used me. She let me think we were building something special together so I would pay off her debt. As soon as I did, she left me for your ex.”

  “Was it a lot of money?”

  “Everything James and I had saved up for a new fishing boat. I felt like such a fool. Should have known a woman like her wouldn’t really be interested in a man like me.”

  George had a point. In terms of datability, Maddie was eons out of George’s league.

  “You admit to having motive to kill Maddie. You didn’t happen to act on that motive?” I wondered.

  “No, I didn’t. I was at Lucky’s that night, shooting pool until closing. Lots of folks were there who can verify.”

  Lucky’s closed at two a.m. and Salinger had said Maddie had died between ten and two, so I supposed it was possible he went straight from the bar to her place and killed her but not likely.

  “Other than you, who had motive to kill her?”

  George appeared to be considering my question. There’d been a huge part of me that thought he wouldn’t even bother to talk to me. It wasn’t like I had any official reason to be asking questions.

  “If I had to pick a name I’d say Beverly Hallmark.”

  “Why Beverly?”

  “She made it known to anyone who would listen that she had it bad for Levi. Beverly is a good-looking gal who isn’t afraid to flaunt her assets. She’s not used to being dumped and she definitely isn’t used to being threatened.”

  “Threatened?”

  “I was in the bar last week when Maddie came in looking for Levi. He wasn’t there, but when Maddie saw Beverly she went right up to her and slapped her. She told her to stay away from her man and then she left. Whew-wee, was Bev ever mad. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone turn quite that shade of red before.”

  “Wait, I thought Levi was with Bev before he hooked up with Maddie.”

  “He was. He dumped Bev and moved on to Maddie, but that didn’t stop Bev from using every weapon in her arsenal to get Levi back. She wasn’t sly about it either. She’d go right up to Levi and run her hand up his chest even if Maddie was standing right next to him.”

  I almost felt bad for Maddie. Almost.

  “Okay, thanks for the information. Good luck with your fishing.”

  “Just about got my limit. Thinking of heading in for the night. You wouldn’t want to get some dinner, would you?”

  “Thank you for the offer, but I have a dinner date this evening. Enjoy your fish.”

  I decided to head back into town and then call Levi. The cell reception at the lake wasn’t the best, and I wanted to be able to talk without the signal cutting in and out.

  Levi and George had both mentioned Beverly as a suspect. Levi said he’d speak to Bev and I wondered if he had. As much as I resented Maddie for hooking up with Levi, I had to applaud her for slapping Bev. I should have done that when Levi and I were dating. Instead I’d endured a year of her flirting with Levi and putting me down.

  The only other name on Levi’s list was Maddie’s sister, Lisa. I decided to call Salinger to ask if he’d contacted her. After all, she was the next of kin. Or at least one of them. I assumed both Maddie’s parents were deceased if she was in charge of settling the estate. I didn’t know if she had other siblings, but tracking down Lisa would be a good place to start.

  I needed to stop off at the boathouse before heading over to Zak and Zoe’s. When I pulled up I felt the same sense of homecoming I always did. Zoe actually still owned the boathouse. Her grandfather originally had built it to house his boat, but when the dam was destroyed and the lake level decreased, the building was useless for its original purpose. Zoe’d had the idea to convert it into a home and her grandfather had agreed. It sits right on the beach in one of the prettiest coves on the lake, a hop, skip, and jump down the beach from the big house where Zoe and Zak live.

  The boathouse is small, with a living area, a kitchen, and a bath downstairs and a loft that’s used as a bedroom upstairs. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in coziness. It has a rock fireplace that heats the entire building and a spectacular view of the lake. It’s perfect for Shep and me, but if I do manage to make my dream of having a baby come true, I guess I’ll have to move.

  I gathered the things I needed from the boathouse and returned to Zoe’s, where I let the dogs out while I called Salinger on my cell. He informed me that according to Maddie’s employment records her next of kin was a cousin named Veronica. I thought it odd it wouldn’t be h
er sister, so I decided to look into it further. Maddie’s last name was Kramer; maybe Lisa’s was as well. I took a chance and began calling nearby lodging properties. On my fourth try I hit pay dirt. Lisa Kramer was staying at the Ashton Falls Inn. Now all I had to do was convince her to talk to me.

  I decided to call Levi first. I didn’t want to waste my time talking to Lisa if he’d already located her and done so. He hadn’t. We agreed we’d go to see her together, and he offered to pick me up. Then he suggested we have dinner afterward. It seemed I’d spent more time with Levi in the past couple of days than I had when we were dating.

  The Ashton Falls Inn was in the center of town. The desk clerk was happy to ring Lisa to ask her if she was willing to meet with us. She agreed to come down to the bar in ten minutes, so Levi and I headed there and ordered drinks.

  I wasn’t sure what I expected sexy, flirty Maddie’s sister to be like, but it definitely wasn’t the thin wallflower with a tendency to look at the floor while she spoke who greeted us.

  “Thank you for agreeing to see us,” I began. “I was sorry to hear about your sister.”

  Lisa looked down at her folded hands but didn’t reply.

  “I understand you came to town to speak to Maddie about an inheritance?” I asked.

  “Yes. Mama was sick for a long time before she died. I stayed home and took care of her. It wasn’t easy because she was a very demanding woman, but she needed the help and I loved her.” Lisa took a deep breath before she continued. “After she passed I found out Mama had left me and Maddie the house equally. I assumed that because I’d been living there the past five years taking care of Mama, I’d be allowed to stay, but Maddie said it would be best if we sold the house. I didn’t want to sell. The house is my home and I don’t have anywhere else to go. I tried to talk to Maddie about it, but she wouldn’t listen, so I came here to talk to her face-to-face.”