by Diane Weiner
They finished breakfast together before saying their goodbyes. Dementia was a strange animal, thought Susan. She hoped that she and Mike would be spared that experience as they continued to age. Susan was thankful that Carolina had gotten to spend time with her grandfather and that she’d found out about her aunt. She and Carolina went back to the hotel, packed, and boarded a plane for home.
Chapter 35
Theresa wiggled into a low cut black cocktail dress with spaghetti straps. She’d carefully chosen this to wear on this special evening. After a long hiatus, Theresa was finally dating again. As a matter of fact, that detective Jackson Simpson had even tried to ask her out. When it rains it pours. He was kind of dorky but had she not already met David, she might have given him a shot. She slipped on a pair of heels that she’d worn maybe once in the past five years. They were stiletto heels, highly out of character for her, but she did appreciate the extra height. Jody had talked her into wearing them for her big date. Jody loved heels––she insisted they made your legs look sexy. Theresa put on her makeup in the bathroom mirror, following the steps for creating ‘dramatic cat eyes’ that she’d seen in Cosmo. Afterwards, she spun around and checked herself out in the bedroom mirror. There, she thought. Not bad at all if I say so myself. When the doorbell rang, she grabbed her beaded purse and opened the door.
“You look stunning,” said David. The clean shaven man standing in the doorway towered over Theresa by nearly a foot. His shoulders were broad and had he not been dressed in an expensive suit and silk tie, Theresa swore he could be mistaken for one of the Jet’s running backs. Well, maybe a retired running back. He was older than Theresa by about a decade.
David exhibited manners and maturity. He owned his own business and was financially stable, unlike many of the other men she’d dated. Theresa was an old-fashioned girl at heart and appreciated when a guy held doors open and treated you to dinner. David’s vending machine business was the reason they met. One day he came to school to install a new vending machine in the teacher’s lounge (one that didn’t sell peanuts). He installed it himself, showing his muscles as he wheeled it into the school and lifted it off the dolly. She wasn’t the only one who noticed his buff biceps. The lounge buzzed about how he belonged in the Hot Firefighter’s Calendar or how maybe he danced for Chippendale’s on the side. He came back weekly to check on the machine and they started talking. Then he asked her out and she hadn’t stopped smiling since. Tonight he was taking her into the city for dinner and a Broadway show.
“Let’s go, Beautiful,” said David. He walked her out to his silver BMW and opened the door for her. She was expecting the back of her thighs to freeze when she sat down but was pleasantly surprised. She’d never been in a car with a seat warmer before––this was luxury at its best.
“So, where are we eating?” she asked.
“A trendy new steak house near the theater. You’re going to love it.”
Theresa didn’t eat red meat as a rule but she’d make an exception. When they arrived, David valet-parked the BMW and led her in by the arm. What a gentleman, she thought. The steward brought the wine list and without hesitation, David ordered an expensive bottle of red wine.
“You’re going to love this,” said David. David refused the menus and ordered fillet mignon for both of them.
“We’ll have them medium rare, with rice pilaf on the side and let’s start with some French onion soup,” he told the waiter. Theresa hated onions and preferred her steak well done when she ate it at all, but said nothing. David had a take charge manner about him that didn’t invite negotiation.
“This looks delicious,” said Theresa, when the food finally arrived. David had very good taste. She cut and sampled a piece of the filet.
“I knew you’d like it,” said David.
The restaurant dripped with elegance. Classical music played softly and vanilla-scented candles glowed on each of the round tables, making David appear even dreamier than he was. The waiters wore tuxedos and white gloves. After dinner, they strolled down the bustling street which was alive with the lights and sounds of the city. Bright marquees advertised a plethora of plays. A violinist played again, his hat on the ground inviting donations. Cars honked in the distance. Fur clad women on the arms of silver-haired escorts, younger couples in jeans, groups of girlfriends in micro minis, tourists dressed in their Sunday best––all on their way to see the world’s finest selection of theater.
They walked through the doors of the Schubert Theater and sank into plush, red velvet, orchestra level seats. If she had to describe the theater in one word, Theresa would have chosen gold. The walls dripped gold. Although she’d never been to France, Theresa had seen pictures of Versailles and this theater reminded her of it. The house lights dimmed and Theresa recognized one of the actresses from a soap opera she used to watch with her grandmother. During intermission, they meandered into the lobby and enjoyed a glass of wine. Theresa loved theater and was sorry when the actors came out for the final curtain call.
“The show was fantastic,” said Theresa, as David escorted her back to the valet stand. She didn’t want the night to end.
“As was the company,” added David. “Our chariot awaits.”
The silver BMW was Theresa’s horse drawn carriage and the stilettos were her glass slippers. Theresa was falling in love with Prince Charming.
Chapter 36
It was quieter than normal when Lynette and Jackson came back in from lunch. Lynette smelled onions as soon as they walked into the station. Lynette guessed that Officer Collins had been eating an Italian hoagie. In the back corner of the station, Detective Valentino was talking to a young mother and her son. As they got closer, Lynette overheard the mother reporting a stolen bike. Lynette and Jackson were still consumed with Vicky’s murder.
“I wish we could link Hayley or Antonio to the murder but the purse alone isn’t enough,” said Lynette.
“We know that Antonio is boy toy but that isn’t proof of murder either. It’s all circumstantial,” said Jackson. He rubbed his chin.
“I’ve been searching records,” said Lynette. “I’ve uncovered another piece of possible evidence. It’s a bit of a stretch but may be worth looking into.” She turned the computer screen so Jackson could see it too.
“This is a lawsuit that Vicky filed against Rebecca Bowers. She’s suing for full claim to her mother’s estate. This has to be her sister,” said Lynette. “I have an address and phone number for her in Columbus, Ohio, but I can’t reach her.”
“Call the Columbus Police Department,” suggested Jackson.
“I already sent them an email. Hopefully they’ll follow up soon.”
“You know something,” said Jackson. “It bothers me that we didn’t find the Epi-pen that Vicky supposedly had in her office desk drawer. There was one in the purse, which explains why either Antonio or Hayley might have taken it, but wouldn’t they have thrown the second one in the purse too?”
“I know,” said Lynette. “It’s perplexing.” Just then the phone on Lynette’s desk rang. It was the Columbus Police Department.
“We got your email and followed up on the address you gave us. Rebecca Bowers no longer lives there. The landlord said she moved out a few months ago and he doesn’t have a forwarding address. The university says she works online from home. They have the old address too.”
“I’ll contact her through her university email,” said Lynette. “Hopefully, she’ll respond. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.”
“Anytime we can help, just let us know,” said the officer.
Lynette searched for Rebecca’s university email address and wrote, requesting that she contact her. Meanwhile, she continued her records search.
“Look, Jackson. It’s a countersuit filed by Rebecca Bowers against Vicky. If Vicky was threatening to take the entire estate, maybe Rebecca had a motive for murder.”
Chapter 37
“Want to grab a drink after work?” asked Jody. Theresa
had come into the office for lunch. Jody was happy to take a break. She’d spent the morning working on a case involving a second grader who was being teased because she dressed in boy’s clothing every day and played soccer with the boys at recess. Some of the kids in the class had been calling her ‘gay.’ Can you imagine? Second graders already knew how hurtful those words could be. She called the parents in for a conference. Instead of being furious about the kids calling their child gay, they actually were mad at their daughter for dressing like a boy. Jody clenched her fists.
“Sure, as long as I’m back by 6:00. David is taking me out to dinner and he’ll be upset if I am late.”
“So things are still going great?”
“Sure.” Theresa gazed down at the floor. The phone on Jody’s desk rang.
“Hello, this is Ms. Decker.”
“Hello, Jody, this is Susan Wiles.”
“Hi, Susan. What can I do for you?”
“Carolina and I just got back from Florida. We saw Carolina’s grandfather and found out that Vicky did have a younger sister named Rebecca. We found out that she lives in Ohio (or possibly Idaho) and have been trying to find her. I’m confident that we’ll be able to find her. Anyhow, since Carolina does have an aunt, can you let the Department of Children and Families know that we’re in the process of working out custody with her aunt?”
“Yes, I’ll fudge it a bit and say you’ve already spoken to her. That will buy us some time but you’ll need to find her soon.”
“I know. Maybe I’ll see if Lynette can help. I really appreciate this Jody.”
“Glad I could help. Keep me posted.” Jody hung up the phone.
“So, I see Mr. Petrocelli has moved into Vicky’s office,” said Theresa.
“Yes, the minute they removed the police tape, he changed the name plate on the door to ‘Antonio Petrocelli, Principal.’ He must have paid extra for next day shipping.”
“Have you heard anything else about the murder?”
“Hayley was here a few days ago. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but since my office is right next door, I heard her arguing with Antonio. She was accusing him of taking Vicky’s purse the night of the murder. Apparently, they found it in a closet at his house.”
“Wow, that’s so weird. Do you think he took it?” asked Theresa.
“Who knows? He’s been living high on the hog since she died. He insisted he didn’t take it…he even accused Hayley of taking it. That made no sense to me.” Jody sat back in her chair and folded her arms.
“Well, there you are.” David stormed into Jody’s office and addressed Theresa. His denim shirt was half tucked into his jeans and his hair was mussed. “Why weren’t you eating in the teacher’s lounge? I was looking all over for you.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here. We’re supposed to meet tonight for dinner,” said Theresa.
“I had to check on the vending machine so I thought I’d check on you too.” David finally acknowledged Jody.
“So you’re my competition for Theresa’s attention.” Jody noticed the corners of David’s mouth curl into a smirk.
“We’re good friends. I stay out of the way of her love life,” said Jody.
“I’ll see you after work, Jody,” said Theresa. “Come on David. I’ll walk you out. I need to pick up my class.” Theresa and David left and several minutes later Sandra came into Jody’s office with a phone message.
“So, what was Macho Man doing here?” ask Sandra. “I haven’t seen him in here since Vicky died.
“Macho Man?” asked Jody
“He comes in wearing a t-shirt in the middle of winter just to show off his muscles. One day he came in here carrying a huge box of replacement snacks for the vending machine. We told him we had a cart, but he insisted he could carry it himself so we nicknamed him Macho Man. I think Vicky was the one who came up with that,” said Sandy.
Chapter 38
Oatmeal again, thought Susan. Those gross-looking green shakes that she saw on Dr. Oz might not be such a bad alternative after all. Susan had two things on her mind––finding Rebecca Bowers, and linking Antonio to Vicky’s murder. She tried calling the number she got from the nurse at Coventry, but a recording revealed that Rebecca’s phone had been disconnected. Next, she opened her laptop. She tried searching for Rebecca on Facebook but to no avail. She never could understand the obsession some of her friends had with Facebook, but when she realized she’d be able to post pictures of her grandchild––when she had a grandchild––it all made sense.
She filled the cat bowls with Meow Mix and poured herself a second cup of coffee. She opened the curtains so that she and the cats could enjoy the morning sunlight. Then she realized she hadn’t yet shared the information about Rebecca with Lynette. I think I’ll take a ride down to the station, she thought. She grabbed her down jacket and pulled on her fur-lined boots. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground and flurries were falling. It didn’t take long to get to the station. She walked in and was greeted by her favorite keystone cop.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Marple,” said Jackson. He stood with his hands on his hips. He’s trying to look taller, thought Susan. She thought he kind of resembled a penguin. Susan wasn’t at all surprised that he wasn’t married.
“Well, hello, Barney Fife. Where’s Lynette?” asked Susan.
“Here to help us solve the case? Did you get back any DNA evidence? Talk to the local psychic?” chided Jackson.
“Why, yes. The local medium told me to beware of a short, squatty know-it-all cop who needed all the assistance he could get. She said I’d better hurry,” said Susan.
Just then, Lynette came out of her office. She looks exhausted, thought Susan. It’s no wonder. It must be awful getting daily hormone shots and going to the lab for blood work before work.
“Hi, Mom, what’s going on?” said Lynette.
“I wanted to tell you about the trip Carolina and I took to Florida.” Susan took a seat. “We saw Carolina’s grandfather at the nursing home. He told us that Vicky has a younger sister. Her name is Rebecca and there were problems between the sisters. Rebecca inherited her mother’s entire gem collection upon her death. Their mother Rosemary left nothing to Vicky so Vicky was suing her for the estate. She lives in Ohio. I have a phone number but it’s been disconnected.”
“Good job, Turbo,” said Jackson. “We had that information already.”
“Thanks, Mom. We’ve been looking into it. We found out that Rebecca is employed by Ohio State but she works from home. She moved out of her apartment and no one knows where she is now. I sent her an email but so far no response.”
“I’m trying to find her in hopes she will act as Carolina’s guardian while Javier is in rehab,” said Susan.
“We’re trying to find her because she had a motive for killing Vicky. That gem collection was worth just under a million dollars,” said Lynette.
Chapter 39
Carolina got out of the old yellow school bus and walked up the circular driveway carrying a backpack stuffed full of text books. She tightened her red wool scarf around her neck and took the mittens out of her pockets. They should just give us all iPads, she thought. Some schools were doing that. Then she wouldn’t be risking a lumbar strain from lugging around ten pounds of books. She used to text her Mom every day on the way from the bus to the door to let her know she was home. Mom had still been at work but she always had a ‘to-do’ list for her. It usually involved throwing a load of wash in or unloading the dishwasher––and more often than not, starting dinner. She used to get annoyed––what was the point in having a housekeeper then? But her mom pointed out that Araceli had plenty to do and Carolina needed to learn how to do these things since she’d be going to college in the blink of an eye. Carolina put on her invisible headphones and tuned her out whenever that lecture started.
Powdery snow had fallen last night and blanketed the driveway. Carolina wondered what she’d do if there was a blizzard and Dad wasn’t here to shovel. Then s
he remembered that she didn’t drive anyway so it didn’t matter. That was another thing. Her dad was supposed to be teaching her how to drive. Mom was supposed to help her choose a prom dress this spring––if she had a date. She thought about that quote she heard in Language Arts––“…the best laid plans of mice and men oft times go astray.” Boy had they ever.
That’s strange, thought Carolina. She noticed tread marks in the snow. No one should have come to the house while she was at school. Araceli lived there but her car was parked inside the garage and there weren’t any tire marks in front of the garage door. She looked for a package at the door thinking maybe it was the UPS man but the front stoop was empty. She stomped the snow off her feet and turned the key in the front door. Araceli was vacuuming the living room. She was startled when Carolina came up behind her and said hello. “Hi, sweetie, how was school?”
“It was fine. Did anyone come by today? I saw tire tracks in the driveway.”
“No, nobody came.” Araceli smoothed her apron. “I started some ropa vieja. I thought you’d appreciate a real meal since you’ve been living on Lean Cuisines.”
“Thanks, it smells wonderful.” Carolina opened the fridge. She grabbed a package of baby carrots with ranch dressing and a Diet Coke. Then she lugged her backpack into her room and started her homework. She was taking three advanced placement courses and there was a lot of homework. She was proud of herself for keeping up her grades throughout this turmoil. In some ways, studying offered a much needed escape for the anger and sadness she dealt with on a daily basis.
Chapter 40
When she’d used Google Earth to pinpoint the town, Rebecca Bowers wasn’t sure what she’d be getting into. All she knew was that she had to move there. She had to keep an eye on things. She enjoyed living in the city and being part of the university so it was with reticence that she left her life behind for Westbrook. She packed up her Ford Focus and headed east towards New York. Thank God, she’d gotten the air conditioning in her car fixed last month. The northeast was having a heat wave. The closer she got to New York the more oppressive the air felt. She was pleasantly surprised when she arrived in Westbrook, in the sticky dog days of summer. Everywhere she looked it was green. Trees were laden with leaves, and dandelions punctuated the golf course-like green lawns. You could smell the humidity in the air all day long until late afternoon thunderstorms passed. What a charming little town this was––close to the big city…yet so far away.
