Zimmerman Academy: The New Normal

by Kathi Daley

  “And now that she’s dead…?”

  Lisa shrugged. “I guess the house is mine. I still need to talk to the lawyer to know for certain, but we have no other siblings.”

  “Do you know why Maddie wanted to sell?” I couldn’t help but think that as her sister, Maddie should have wanted to see Lisa taken care of. She had, after all, sacrificed five years of her life taking care of their mother.

  “I guess she wanted the money. Maddie thought I’d been taking advantage of Mama because I lived with her for so long, but it wasn’t like that. She just didn’t understand how sick Mama really was.”

  “Didn’t she ever visit?”

  “No. Maddie and Mama didn’t get along.”

  I looked at Levi. He shrugged. We’d agreed that I would handle the interview unless it looked like Lisa was the type to be charmed by his wicked smile. It didn’t seem she was.

  “Did you have a chance to speak to Maddie?”

  “No. She was supposed to come meet me for dinner on Wednesday night, but she never showed up. I guess she had something better to do.”

  Like hang out with my ex-boyfriend.

  “If there’s anything I can do to help you while you’re in town please let me know,” I offered.

  Lisa smiled.

  Levi and I said good-bye and headed to the car.

  “Why didn’t you ask about an alibi?” Levi asked after we pulled onto the highway leading toward the restaurant where Levi wanted to eat.

  “There’s no way that sweet thing killed her sister,” I answered.

  “She didn’t seem the type, but she did have a motive and you can’t always tell a book by its cover.”

  “In this case I think we can assume she’s exactly who she appears to be. Did you talk to Beverly?”

  He nodded.

  “And…?”

  “And she said she worked until closing the night Maddie died. I suppose that would be easy enough to verify.”

  I frowned. Something didn’t feel right. If George’s alibi was that he was at the bar until closing and Beverly worked until then, he would have known she was there, yet he’d suggested she was a suspect. One of them was lying.

  Chapter 5

  Dinner with Levi was perfect. It made me remember why I’d thought we’d be good together. We laughed and talked about old times just like we used to. I suppose if not for the issue between us regarding children, we might have ended up marrying. Although if I were being honest, having children wasn’t our only source of conflict. It seemed we just weren’t as committed to each other as two people who planned to spend their lives together should have been.

  “It’s early yet,” I said after we’d finished eating. “What do you say we stop by Lucky’s to talk to the bartender? It seems either George or Beverly is lying about being there until closing. Or, if they both were there, George intentionally misled me, which makes me wonder why.”

  “I could go for a drink. Just let me pay the check.”

  I handed Levi some money. “I’ll pay for my half.”

  He looked like he was going to argue, but then he accepted the money and flagged down the waitress.

  Lucky’s was a seedy bar where beer and whiskey were the drinks of choice and everyone ignored the law despite the fact that there were No Smoking signs posted everywhere. It wasn’t at all my type of place, but I’d accompanied Levi there on several occasions because he enjoyed playing pool with the men and women who frequented the establishment. I suppose visiting Lucky’s was one of the little things I’d done to show Levi just how much I loved him, though now I wondered what sacrifices Levi had ever made for me.

  “Two drafts,” Levi ordered when we walked up to the bar and sat down. There was a new bartender tonight who I’d never met before. Not that I came in all that often. The old guy who was usually behind the bar gave me the creeps, but this one was downright scary. Not only was he tall and burly but he had a tattoo of a snake eating a rat on his neck. Talk about intimidating. I didn’t see Beverly; maybe she was off that night.

  “Are you new in town?” Levi asked conversationally.

  “Been here a few months.”

  “Mind answering a few questions?”

  “Got any money?”

  Levi slipped the bartender a twenty. “I need to know if Bev worked last Wednesday.”

  The bartender took the money. “She did.”

  “And George Wildwood…was he here as well?”

  “Yeah, he was here. Came in with his brother.”

  “Did he stay until closing?”

  The bartender held out his hand. Levi handed him another twenty.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied after he pocketed the cash. “I left early. It was slow, so one of the servers covered for me, but George was here when I left at around one. James left earlier in the evening, though. Say around eleven. I remember it was right around the time Bev took her break. I have a feeling the two of them might have hooked up. Bev came back looking disheveled.”

  “Bev took a break?” I asked. “How long was she gone?”

  “She has a half hour, but now that I think about it, it did seem like she was gone a long time. Why do you want to know?”

  I just looked at Levi, who shrugged.

  “Have you seen Bev and James together before?” I asked.

  The bartender drummed his fingers on the bar as if to remind me that I had to pay for information.

  “Nope,” he answered once Levi had slipped him yet another twenty. This was getting ridiculous.

  I looked at the bartender. “That’s it? Twenty bucks only buys us a ‘nope’?”

  “Ask a question, get an answer.”

  “Does Bev often hook up with patrons during her breaks?”

  He just looked at me.

  “Seriously? You want more money?”

  The bartender smiled, showing off his crooked yellow teeth.

  Levi opened his wallet to show me that it was empty. I pulled a ten-dollar bill out of my pocket. “This is all I have, but before I give it to you I want you to answer a two-part question.”

  “Okay, shoot.”

  “Did James come back to the bar after Bev’s break and have you seen them together since?”

  “Nope and nope.”

  “Okay; thank you.” I slid the ten-dollar bill across the sticky bar to the man. “Let’s get out of here,” I said to Levi.

  Levi followed me out to his truck. I slid inside and then turned to look at him. “I have a new theory,” I began. “George said the money Maddie took from him was everything he and James had saved up to buy a new boat. What if James is the killer? Or at least one of them? It almost sounds like James and Bev could be in on it together. They both had motive to want to get back at Maddie.”

  “Makes sense. But how do we prove it?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Maybe we can play one of them against the other.”

  “And how exactly do we do that?”

  “Let’s go back to the house. I need to let the dogs out. We can have a glass of wine and come up with a plan. You know, this is kinda fun. I guess I can see how Zoe lets herself get pulled into these investigations.”

  “Yeah, but Zoe has almost died a bunch of times. Let’s not do that.”

  “Agreed.”

  There were snow flurries in the air as we drove back to Zak and Zoe’s. It was nice to sit with Levi in companionable silence. Things had been weird between us since we’d split. Now we were both trying for a sense of normalcy, but it seemed it had been a long time in coming. I hoped that when Zoe got back from her trip we could all start hanging out like we used to before Levi and I had become exes.

  “You know,” I said as he pulled into the circular drive off the private road that led to the Zimmerman house, “Salinger never said anything about there being any sign of a struggle. It almost makes me think James really is the killer. Would it have made sense for Maddie to just invite Bev inside if the two of them didn’t get along?”

>   “Good point,” Levi said as we both unbuckled our seat belts. “So how do we prove it?”

  “Maybe we should just call Salinger and fill him in. We did both agree not to walk blindly into potentially dangerous situations.”

  “I doubt James poses much of a threat. The guy is shorter than you are. I’m pretty sure that if push came to shove I could take him.”

  “I’m sure you could, but just because he’s slight doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a gun.”

  “Okay, how about this,” Levi began as we opened the back door and let the dogs out into the yard. “Why don’t we pretend we simply want to chat with him about Bev? We won’t let on that we consider him to be a suspect. Maybe we can get him to tell us what we really want to know without him even knowing we’re there to interrogate him.”

  The dogs returned to the house and Levi and I worked together to get everyone fed. In addition to the four dogs, there were three cats who had been hanging around upstairs. It was a good thing Zoe had a large house because she had a tendency to collect animals.

  “Okay,” I agreed after I’d had a chance to think about Levi’s suggestion for a few minutes. “But let’s meet him in a public place, not at his house.” I looked at the clock. It had been dark for a while, but it was only eight thirty. “Maybe we can offer to buy him some pie at the diner near where he lives. I’ll call him. We’ve chatted in the past and he was a regular at both Rosie’s and the Beach Hut. He seemed to like me.”

  “Okay, call him. If he’ll meet us in the diner that seems like a pretty safe way to interview him. If we still think he’s a suspect after we talk to him, we’ll call Salinger.”

  “Fine.”

  George and James lived outside of town, just off the highway that led down the mountain. The diner nearest their home was famous for its pies, although I didn’t think they were nearly as good as the ones my mom made. I used all the charm I could muster to convince James that I really could use his help with my investigation and would be so grateful if he’d agree to speak to me. Levi and I had agreed that I would get more out of James if I spoke to him alone, so Levi reluctantly complied with my suggestion that he wait in the car.

  “Thank you for speaking to me,” I said to James as I slipped into the booth across from him.

  “I’m happy to help, but I’m still not sure why you’re running around asking questions about Maddie Kramer’s murder. George told me that you spoke to him as well.”

  “I’m just trying to help out while Zoe’s out of town. The bartender at Lucky’s mentioned you were in there the night Maddie died, so I hoped you might be able to answer a few questions about Bev.”

  James motioned for the waitress to refresh his coffee. “Pie?” he asked.

  “Sure. I’ll take a small slice of the banana cream.” I didn’t really want any, but pie was the excuse I’d used to get James to meet me. He ordered a piece of blueberry with ice cream and we resumed our conversation.

  “Okay,” James said after the waitress left to get our pie. “What do you want to know?”

  “What time did you get to Lucky’s last Wednesday?”

  “Guess around eight, give or take thirty minutes.”

  “And did you go alone?”

  “No. George was with me. There was nothing on the tube, so we decided to shoot some pool.”

  I smiled at the tired-looking waitress as she set our plates in front of us. I’d waited enough tables during my life to know how tired you can be at the end of your shift.

  “And Bev was working that night?” I confirmed.

  “Yeah, she was there. This pie is good. How’s yours?”

  I took a small bite. “Delicious.”

  It wasn’t.

  “Do you remember if Bev was there the entire time you were?”

  “Yeah, she was there. Had on a skirt so short you couldn’t help but notice.”

  I took a sip of my coffee. “Do you remember what time you left the bar?”

  James took another bite of his pie, slowly chewed, and then swallowed before he answered. “I’m guessing around eleven. George didn’t want to leave, but I was tired. We came together, so I couldn’t really head home until he did, but Bev said she had a break and offered to drive me home.”

  Which explained, I realized, why they’d left together.

  “That was nice of her. Sounds like she might be sweet on you.”

  James blushed. “Naw. I wouldn’t mind spending some time with her, but I’m pretty sure she has another guy. When I asked her to come in she said she had to meet someone.”

  “She didn’t say who?”

  “No, but I could tell by the look in her eye that she was heading out to get herself some carnal delight.”

  Carnal delight?

  “That woman sure does seem to enjoy her share of male companionship,” James added.

  Yes, she certainly did.

  “Do you remember when George got home?” I asked.

  “No. Like I said, I was tired and went to bed. Look, I know you said you wanted to help out, but that woman broke George’s heart. I’m not sure she was worth the effort you’re putting into this.”

  “Maybe you’re right. I do appreciate your taking the time to talk to me.”

  “Happy to. I miss our chats now that the Hut is closed.”

  I put my hand over James’s and gave it a squeeze. “I miss them too. This has been nice, and you may be right about Maddie not being worth my time. I was sorry to hear about your losing the money you’d saved for a new boat.”

  “Sorry? What do you mean, sorry?”

  “I’m afraid I blew it,” I said to Levi after I returned to the truck. “George hadn’t told James about the money he gave to Maddie. He had no idea it was gone.”

  “He was going to find out eventually.”

  “I know. But I feel bad that I let the cat out of the bag. James wasn’t happy. I’m sure George is going to get an earful when he gets home. It does prove that James probably didn’t kill Maddie, though. If he didn’t know about the money it eliminates his motive.”

  “So we’re back to Bev?”

  “Maybe.” I told Levi what I’d found out about Bev giving James a ride home on the night of the murder, and that she’d indicated that she was meeting someone. “James seemed to think she was heading toward a hookup of the male/female variety, but was she?”

  “So what now?” Levi wondered.

  “I don’t know. I’m tired and it’s getting late. I say we sleep on it and see if something comes to us.”

  “Do you want to meet up tomorrow?” Levi inquired.

  “I’m taking Alex, Scooter, and Harper to the snow park. If I think of anything I’ll call you.”

  “Do you want me to come to the snow park with you?”

  “Actually, we’re going with Brady Matthews and his family. We’ll be going to his place for dinner afterward, so I really won’t be free all day. Like I said, I’ll call you if I think of anything.”

  I leaned over to kiss Levi on the cheek when he pulled up in front of Zoe’s. I couldn’t help noticing he looked like a sad little boy who hadn’t been invited to the party. “I’d ask you to come with us, but I think it’s best if the two of us solidify our status as friends before we bring potential love interests into the picture.”

  “Is this Brady Matthews a ‘potential love interest’?”

  I smiled. “Honestly, it’s too soon to tell.”

  Chapter 6

  Sunday, February 14

  Holly bonded with Alex the moment I introduced them and Alex seemed equally enchanted with Holly. Scooter had asked to bring his friend Tucker along to the snow park, which was a good thing; Holly attached herself to Alex so firmly it was obvious she had no intention of sharing her with Scooter or anyone else. Even Haden and Hudson seemed to be having a wonderful time helping their dad build the most pathetic snowman I had ever seen. I couldn’t remember when I’d had such a wonderful time.

  The fresh snow we’d had the pas
t week slowed down the hills to the point that we felt it was safe for Holly to sled down with Alex. Of course once the twins saw how much fun their sister was having, they wanted to try it too, so Brady and I each took one of the boys down the tiniest hill we could find. The ride was both slow and short, but the twins screamed with delight and begged to do it over and over again.

  After an hour the boys let us know they were tired and Brady took them back to the car for a diaper change and a bottle while I watched the older kids make their final runs. It made my heart happy to see them having so much fun. I found myself praying the doctor was right and they’d develop a procedure to help me conceive before I was too old to safely do so. The thought of missing the chance to experience fun family events with my own children filled me with a longing that reached clear down to my soul.

  “Who’s the little girl with Alex?” Sarena Pewter, a waitress from Rosie’s who I’d known for years, commented as she walked over to where I was standing.

  “Her name is Holly Matthews. She’s the daughter of the new math teacher at Zimmerman Academy.”

  “I was sorry to hear Will left town. He was a good customer and a good tipper.”

  Will Danner, the teacher Brady had been hired to replace, had moved east to be closer to his elderly father shortly after the new year.

  “Yeah, everyone really misses him, but I think Brady is going to fit right in. Are you here with your family?”

  “They wanted to hike up and do the big hill and I didn’t have the energy so I told them I’d wait here. I hoped Levi was with you. I wanted to talk to him about a football camp he’s mentioned. My second son wants to try out for the football team next year and he could use some pointers.”

  “Levi and I broke up a couple of months ago.”

  “I kind of assumed that when I noticed him coming and going from Maddie’s place, but when I noticed that his visits seemed to stop and a new guy started coming and going in his place, I thought maybe you’d gotten back together.”