“Duh. What part of shut up and keep quiet do you think I might not understand?”
Skye went over the plan in her head as she turned onto the park’s rutted gravel pathway. Chase was far from the sharpest cleat on the athletic shoe, and he was easily riled up. She just needed to poke at him until he lost his temper and blurted out something incriminating.
When Skye first got out of her car, she didn’t see Chase, but she finally spotted him sitting on a bench in the dugout among several other guys in their early to mid-twenties. Once she got Wally on her cell phone and reminded Xenia to keep quiet, Skye approached the young man.
“Hi, Chase.” Skye waved. “Can I speak to you for a second? It’s important.”
Instead of answering, he glared at Xenia. “What’s she doing here?”
“Actually”—Skye thought fast—“she’s the reason I need to talk to you. Xenia has told me some things that don’t jibe with what you’ve said.”
“She’s a liar.” His face was tight with indignation.
“I know Xenia has had some issues with the truth in the past.” Skye shot the girl an apologetic look, and Xenia rolled her eyes. “That’s why I want to hear your side before leaping to any conclusions.”
“Gee, Ms. Denison.” The young man pushed back his cap and scratched his head. “I can’t leave. We’re in the middle of a game.”
“How about we just stand over there in the parking lot so you can see when your team goes on the field?” Skye was used to coaxing teenagers, their parents, and sundry school personnel into doing what she wanted. “I only need a couple minutes of your time.”
“Well, okay, but I gotta leave as soon as my team takes the field.” Chase got up off the wooden bench and said to the guys sitting near him, “I’ll be right back.”
Skye and Xenia followed Chase across the gravel.
The three of them stopped near his SUV, and Chase jerked his chin at Xenia, asking, “What did she say?”
“Xenia tells me you started calling her as early as eight fifteen, but you said you started at midnight.” Skye thought she’d begin with the easy stuff.
“I’m not a clock-watcher.” Chase shrugged. “Maybe it was earlier than I thought. So what?”
“You also told me that you and Kayla were getting married later this month, right?”
“Yes.” Chase opened the BMW’s front passenger door, grabbed a can of beer from a cooler on the seat, and offered, “Want one?”
“No, thanks.” Skye edged back as he popped the top, not wanting to get sprayed. “Xenia says that Kayla changed her mind and was going to call the wedding off.” Although this wasn’t exactly what Xenia had said, Skye hoped it would make Chase angry enough to blurt out something incriminating.
“That’s not true!” Chase shouted. “We were going to get married, have kids, and settle down. She was going to forget all about making those stupid movies.” He gulped back a sob, then took a slug of beer. “I had it all planned out. It was going to be perfect.”
“But since you didn’t see her that night,” Xenia interjected, “you didn’t know if she was going to dump you or not.”
“No!” he roared. “Kayla knew she could never leave me.”
“But she had won a big award and had the chance to show her movie to lots of famous directors and producers.” Skye leaned against the rear passenger door. “Xenia, wasn’t Kayla going to Hollywood?”
“Yes.” Xenia stared at Chase. “She showed me the airline ticket.”
“You’re lying.” Chase jerked as if he’d been Tasered. “That was before. We talked it over and she wasn’t going.”
“Before what?” Could it be what she thought? Skye held her breath.
“Before she saw reason?” Chase’s tone was almost a question, as if he hoped that was an answer Skye would accept.
“Could she have changed her mind?” Skye persisted. His defenses were definitely beginning to crack. “Girls do that all the time.”
“No.” The young man shook his head wildly. “She promised me.”
“But a chance to go to Hollywood and work for a celebrity, maybe become a celebrity herself . . .” Skye let her voice trail off. “Scumble River and her high school boyfriend might have begun to seem like settling for bronze when she had a chance at the gold.”
Chase’s shoulders slumped, and he choked out, “Why would you say something awful like that?”
Skye flinched. She felt a little nauseous, as if she were burning ants with a magnifying glass. But they had no other leads, and it wouldn’t be fair to Kayla if her murder went unsolved.
Unable to meet his eyes, she glanced into the SUV’s window. What was that in the backseat? She tilted her head. It was a half-folded, superelaborate, heavy-duty baby stroller with a cracked blue plastic footrest. Various facts zipped through her mind in a matter of seconds.
Holy moly! The last piece of the puzzle fell into place. Earlier, when Xenia had mentioned that she thought Kayla had changed her mind about marrying Chase, Skye remembered that at the Dairy Kastle Kayla had said she hadn’t been hungry the past week or so and that food wasn’t appealing to her. Kayla hadn’t been dieting. She’d been pregnant.
Chase followed her gaze, and his mouth tightened.
Oops! “Well, thanks for clearing that up.” Time to get Xenia and herself a safe distance away and let Wally bring Chase in for a formal interrogation. Meanwhile, one of his officers could obtain a search warrant and see whether the plastic of the broken stroller matched the pieces found in Kayla’s hair.
“I’ll let you get back to your game.” Skye took a step away. “Looks like your team is about to take the field.” She gestured with her thumb to the men in the dugout rising from the bench.
“You know, don’t you?” Chase’s demeanor changed from sorrow to rage, and he lunged at Skye. “You figured it out!”
Skye stumbled back, but Chase grabbed her wrist in a viselike hold. “Let go of me this instant,” she ordered in her firmest teacher voice.
“It’s women like you who ruin everything.” Anger seemed to ooze from Chase like pus from a popped pimple.
He jerked Skye toward him, but Xenia launched herself at him, landing on his back and wrapping her hands around his throat, screaming, “Leave her alone!”
Chase’s gasp was an inverted howl; then all three toppled to the ground with Skye on the bottom of the pile. She pushed, but the combined weight of Xenia and Chase on her chest was too much. She couldn’t get free.
Just as she was feeling woozy from lack of oxygen and starting to panic, Chase was plucked off her. Wally pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him while reading him his rights.
Xenia hopped around, pumping her fisted hands in the air and shouting obscenities. Skye wasn’t sure whether Xenia was aiming the profanities at Chase for killing her friend, or at Wally for stopping her from beating the crap out of Chase. Probably both.
Skye tried to drop Xenia off at McDonald’s before going to the PD, but once again the girl refused to budge. However, even Xenia wasn’t able to get past Sergeant Quirk when they arrived at the station.
He blocked Xenia’s attempt to get through the door, while ushering Skye in, saying, “The chief is waiting for you in the interrogation room.”
Chase sat slumped in a chair with his hands cuffed to the leg of the bolted-down table. He looked up as Skye took a seat, and whined, “I didn’t mean to do it.”
“Sounds like she made you.” Skye looked at Wally, who was leaning against the wall behind Chase, and he gestured for her to go on. “Everything was perfect until her film got that award.”
“That’s right.” Chase nodded eagerly.
“Because when she won, she decided to leave you.”
“Yes.” Chase gazed zealously at Skye. “But then she found out she was pregnant. She wasn’t able to take the Pill, and for the past few months, I’d been poking holes in the condoms I used.”
“You figured if she had a baby, she’d have to stay with
you and could never change her mind?”
“Yes, and it worked.” Chase beamed. “She was giving up her silly idea to make it big in movies.”
“So what happened?”
“Saturday, after closing time, I went to the bookstore to show her the cool stroller I’d bought. It cost almost five hundred dollars and even had cup holders.” Chase frowned, then looked confused. “But she started crying and told me she’d lost the baby and she wasn’t marrying me and she was leaving for Hollywood as soon as she finished school.”
“That must have been hard to hear.” Skye hoped she wouldn’t gag on the words she was forcing out of her mouth. “So, you just had to do something to stop her from going.”
“Exactly.” He nodded. “I told her I still loved her, even if she killed our baby, and we could have other kids. And you know what she said to me?”
Skye shook her head.
“She said that while she would always love me, she wasn’t in love with me, and she needed her freedom.” Chase slumped. “What in the hell was that supposed to mean?”
Skye shrugged. He was on a roll, and she didn’t want to interrupt him by speaking.
“She kissed me on the cheek, and I grabbed her. I begged her not to go away, but she told me to leave her alone and started to walk away.” Chase was silent, tears dripping off his chin.
“Then what happened?”
“I was so mad. I was still holding the stroller, and I just swung it at her. She stumbled and turned to look at me, then keeled over.” He sobbed, “It was an accident.”
An accident? Please. “But you pushed the bookcase on top of her.” The words slipped out before Skye could stop them. And judging from the expression on Chase’s face, they were a mistake.
“You bitch!” He lurched toward her, but the handcuffs pulled him up short.
Skye stood up and backed away.
“Calm down, man.” Wally stepped between her and the table, blocking her from Chase’s sight. “Women always stick together. I understand. Just tell me what happened after you hit Kayla with the stroller.”
“I couldn’t stand to see her like that.” Chase heaved a sigh. “All bloody and everything. So I just sort of covered her up.”
“With the cabinet?” Wally confirmed.
“Yeah. There was nothing else around.” Chase hung his head. “I loved her. I really loved her. How could she do that to me?”
“You’re pathetic. You killed Kayla, ended the life of someone worth a thousand of you, and you think you’re the victim.” Skye dodged around Wally, put both hands on the table, and looked Chase in the eye. “That’s not love. That’s evil. Pure evil.”
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EPILOGUE
Wind in the Willows
“I’m so glad you were able to come with me.” Skye leaned her head against the seat of the Thunderbird as Wally drove them from the police station to Tales and Treats, where Skye’s family was gathering per Vince’s instructions. “I was afraid you’d be tied up all night processing Chase.”
“There isn’t much more for me to do until the Stanley County state’s attorney gets back tomorrow from his vacation.” Wally pulled out of the PD’s parking lot. “The ME confirmed Kayla had a recent miscarriage, the crime techs are matching the stroller to the blue plastic pieces found in her hair, and Xenia provided us with the voice mail proving he lied about what time he started calling her, so we have physical evidence.”
“Not to mention the confession.” Skye was proud of how she had maneuvered Chase into admitting his crime. “It’s hard to believe he watched the store all night so he could pretend to arrive and act surprised when Kayla’s body was discovered.”
“Yep. One minute he’s crying and moaning about losing the love of his life and the next he’s planning his alibi.” Wally parked the car a block away. “Good thing this was such a good bust, because he’ll definitely try and play on the jury’s sympathy.”
“Is Quirk bringing Chase to the county jail?”
“As we speak.” Wally opened Skye’s door. “Except for testifying at the trial, my part is pretty much done.”
“Thank goodness for small favors.” Skye snuggled up to him. “I wish I knew what Vince is up to. I have a feeling whatever it is, he’ll end up smelling like a rose and I’ll be the one shoveling the fertilizer.”
“No doubt.” Wally squeezed Skye’s hand. “But it will be good practice for you. You said you’re trying to stand up to your mom more.”
“True.” Skye gestured to the parked vehicles. “I see Hugo still hasn’t moved his inventory.”
“No.” Wally grinned. “But did you notice what’s on the windshields?”
Skye squinted, then snickered when she saw the telltale neon yellow rectangles tucked under the wiper blades. “Uncle Dante will have a fit when Hugo comes crying to him about all these parking tickets.”
“Maybe.” Wally paused at the bookstore’s entrance, allowing Skye to go in first. “But I pointed out to the mayor that if he wants to encourage new businesses in Scumble River, the town has to have a reputation for cooperating with them and making sure their needs are met.”
“I hope you’re right.” Skye couldn’t see her uncle taking sides against his only son.
As soon as they walked into the store, Risé rushed up to them and hugged Skye. “Thank you for calling this afternoon to let me know that Kayla’s killer is under arrest.”
“You’re welcome.” Skye patted the older woman’s shoulder. “I phoned as soon as Wally gave me the go-ahead. I wanted you to know you were safe.”
“It was a relief to hear that no one is gunning for me,” Risé admitted. “It’s such a shame that Kayla’s young man thought he could change her into what he wanted, instead of loving her for who she was.”
“Yes, it is,” Skye said. “What he didn’t realize is that any relationship is under the control of the person who cares the least, not the most.”
Wally arched a brow at Skye, then said, “It’s ten after six. We’d better find out what Vince has up his sleeve before your folks get here.”
The first thing Skye saw as she walked through the café’s door was a small wedding cake. Next to it was an envelope with her name scrawled in Vince’s distinctive half-printing, half-cursive handwriting. She hurried over, snatched the long white rectangle from the table, and tore it open.
Sis,
Sorry to do this to you, but it was the only way. Loretta and I eloped last Monday—we’ve been in Las Vegas this past week on our honeymoon. I needed to keep you in the dark so you could be the red herring for Mom. Remember our agreement. When she and Dad get here, you need to break the news to them. We’ll be here at six forty-five, so make it quick.
Love,
V
Skye handed the paper to Wally, who turned pale. “Maybe I am needed at the station after all.”
“No way.” Skye grabbed his arm. “You want me for better or worse, remember?”
Before Wally could respond, Skye’s parents arrived. As usual, May was in the lead, with Jed trailing a few steps behind her.
May stopped, stared at the wedding cake, then at Skye and Wally, and screamed, “No!” Sinking into the nearest chair, she moaned, “Tell me you didn’t elope!”
“Not me, Mom.” Skye hadn’t realized her mother might think she was the bride.
“Then what is that all about?” May demanded. “You scared ten years off my life.”
“Maybe you should have a drink first.” Skye walked toward the bottle of champagne that was chilling in a silver bucket.
“For heaven’s sake, just tell me.” May threw up her hands in exasperation.
Skye moved a couple steps farther from her mother, then said, “Vince and Loretta got married last Monday in Las Vegas.”
May howled, “My baby!” She popped up from her seat and threw herself against her husband’s chest. “My baby boy got married without me.”
Jed awkwardly patted his wife�
�s shoulder, and said, “No importance.”
May stiffened, drew back, and slapped him. “It is too important, Jed Denison!” May sobbed.
Skye gasped. She had never once seen either parent lift a hand to the other. Before Skye could process what she had witnessed, the café door opened and Vince and Loretta burst into the room. May’s tears disappeared faster than an ice cube in a deep fryer, and she flung herself into her son’s arms.
Vince drew Loretta into the circle, and the three of them spoke in low tones for several minutes. Skye heard the words “grandchildren” and “house in Scumble River,” then saw May embrace Loretta and smile.
Since all seemed forgiven, Skye popped the cork on the champagne and started pouring. After they toasted the new couple’s happiness, everyone hugged, and Vince and Loretta cut the cake while Wally took pictures using his cell phone.
Once they were all settled around a table to eat, Skye asked, “Vince, why did you have us meet at Tales and Treats? A bookstore isn’t your usual style.”
“Exactly.” Vince grinned. “I knew it would throw Mom off the trail.” May whapped him on the arm, and he continued, “Besides, when Orlando came into the shop a couple of weeks ago for a haircut, he told me all about his baking, so when we decided to do this, I called him to see if he’d let me have a private function at the café after closing time.”
“Why didn’t you ask Maggie to do the cake?” May frowned. Maggie was one of her best friends and the cake maker for Scumble River special occasions.
“Because she would have told you.” Vince laughed. “Same reason we didn’t have this shindig at the Feed Bag. Tomi would have spilled the beans, too.”
“Yeah.” May’s chest puffed out. “I guess I do cast a pretty wide net.”
“Have you told your folks yet, Loretta?” Skye asked.
“No.” The bride’s expression was hard to read. “We’re driving into the city later tonight to share our news with them.”
Murder of a Bookstore Babe Page 24
