Murder in the Museum_Edmund DeCleryk Mysteries

by Karen Shughart

  Chapter 12

  Ed pulled into the parking lot in front of the Liberal Arts building at the university at just a few minutes before 12:30. The snow had stopped, but the parking lot was slick, so he carefully made his way to the entrance of the building, arriving just a few minutes late. The gray-haired department head, dressed in a black wool pants suit with a black, green and cream-colored scarf wrapped around her neck and black suede pumps, greeted him in the lobby of the building and escorted him back to her office.

  She was dismayed at the news of Emily’s death, her warm brown eyes glittering with tears. She told Ed that Emily had been not only a fine teacher but also a lovely, kind person. Her students had adored her, and many had gone on to enjoy successful careers as writers, editors and teachers. Ed asked the dean if she’d known about Emily’s affair with Eric Sewall.

  She responded that she’d known about the affair, but not until Eric Sewall started stalking Emily and she’d confided in her, fearing the situation would become public.

  “I’m not naïve, Mr. DeCleryk. Affairs between students and professors are more commonplace than you might think even though we frown on them, and in Emily’s case, with a marriage on the rocks and the tragic death of her parents, it wasn’t surprising. She was vulnerable, and despite the unwritten policy here, what she did was her business as long as it didn’t negatively affect the university or her ability to teach.”

  “Why did she leave? I know she was horribly stressed, but quitting her job seems somewhat of an overreaction.”

  “She was ashamed of her behavior and concerned about her reputation and the impact of her actions on her husband and here at the university,” replied Dr. Dawson. “This would have blown over for Emily, but she thought otherwise.”

  “It sounds like you tried to convince her to stay. Did she think she had no other options?”

  “Her emotional state at the time wasn’t good to begin with because of everything going on in her life. I suggested she take a leave of absence, get some professional help and then come back, but she thought she needed a complete change, said she was burned out, and resigned. We kept in touch, and I offered more than once to reinstate her if she changed her mind and wanted to teach here again.”

  “Is there anyone here on campus who you believe might have wanted her dead?” asked Ed.

  Dr. Dawson sighed and shook her head. “I can’t think of a soul. I just can’t imagine any of her colleagues, students or even former students who would have that much animosity towards her. There must be other suspects. Eric Sewall should be on your list. I learned from Emily that he was separated from his wife. Did the separation have anything to do with their affair? Could his wife be a suspect? While Jon Bradford strikes me as a decent man, could he have done it? What about someone in Lighthouse Cove?”

  Ed responded, “Our investigation is just beginning, but we’re exploring every possible avenue. Her murder could have been a random act, the result of a burglary gone badly, or very possibly, someone she knew. We just don’t know yet.”

  “I wish there was more I could do, Chief DeCleryk. I’m betting on Sewall.”

  “I promise you we’ll find whoever killed Emily and make sure that person is put away for life,” he said.

  Chapter 13

  Leaving the building, Ed walked carefully to his car. The snow had started falling again, so he retrieved his snow brush from the rear of the SUV, dusted off the windshield and windows and got into the vehicle, turning his defroster to “high”. He’d turned off his cell phone before his meeting with Diane Dawson, and turning it back on, noticed a text from Carrie. “Call me. I think I found something!”

  He needed to get to his next interview with the human resources director at Xerox, and cautious about the weather, wanted to give himself some extra time. He texted Carrie back, “Heading to meet with HR Dir. @ Xerox. Will call you ASAP.”

  During his drive to Xerox, Ed thought it more and more plausible that Eric Sewall, unstable and desperate, might have murdered Emily because she’d rejected him. He wondered if Eric could have driven to Lighthouse Cove sometime before dawn, which is why Luke wouldn’t have noticed any suspicious cars earlier in the evening, parked his car in a parking lot in the business district near her home or on one of the side streets, followed her to the museum the next morning and in a rage killed her, then trashed the building to make it look like a burglary.

  When Ed arrived at Xerox, the receptionist ushered him into Phillip Miller’s office where the director was waiting to speak with him. The slender, medium height, gray-haired man was dressed in a subtle window-pane checked gray worsted wool suit, crisply starched white shirt, and blue and yellow striped tie.

  Rising gracefully from behind his desk to shake hands with Ed, he motioned him into a chair before sitting back down. He asked––coolness in his voice––why Ed wanted to know if Eric Sewall worked there.

  Taking his credentials out of his jacket pocket and handing them to Miller, Ed informed him that he was a consultant with the police department at Lighthouse Cove and that he was doing some checking on the man for reasons he couldn’t divulge. He decided he didn’t want Sewall’s credibility to be damaged if, in fact, he turned out to be another unproductive lead.

  Miller verified that Sewall, a mechanical engineer, had worked as the head of the outsourcing division for one of their product lines, but didn’t offer any additional information about him other than to say that he was no longer employed there, even when Ed pressed him about where he’d gone.

  “All I’m required to do by law, Mr. DeCleryk, is verify that Eric did work here at one time,” Miller responded sternly.

  Ed decided to be more forthcoming and told Miller he had been hesitant to tell him the real reason for his visit because of the sensitive nature of the inquiry but that he was investigating a murder that had taken place the previous day in Lighthouse Cove. Eric Sewall’s name had come up as a possible person of interest.

  “If you know where he is, Mr. Miller, I’d really appreciate your telling me, so I can talk with him and then hopefully rule him out as a suspect.”

  “You say the murder occurred yesterday?”

  Ed nodded.

  “Then Eric Sewall couldn’t possibly have been involved,” Miller stated with conviction.

  “How could you know that?”

  “I know it because Eric’s dead. Has been for several months.”

  Stunned, but wondering if there might be more information that Miller was withholding, Ed asked if Eric’s death had been the result of foul play.

  “You mean was he murdered? Of course not, why would you think that?”

  “He had an affair with the woman who was murdered last night. I’m wondering if there could be a connection between their deaths,” Ed responded, now thinking that perhaps Sewall’s wife might be involved.

  “I can’t imagine there would be. Eric died of natural causes.”

  “Still, I’d appreciate your cooperating with me, Mr. Miller. If their deaths weren’t related, do you think he could have arranged to have her killed before he died? You obviously knew him and have no need to protect him now.”

  Miller grimaced. “I’ll answer your questions, but I’m very uncomfortable doing so. Yes, I knew Eric well. He was my close friend as well as a co-worker. What I’ll tell you is that he was a family man, doted on his kids, and despite a rocky marriage, really tried to make a go of it. Sherry Sewall isn’t the warmest person in the world, and staying married to her was a challenge. They separated a few years ago because she believed he was cheating on her with a co-worker, which was absolutely not true.”

  “Do you know who she thought he was involved with?” asked Ed.

  “Yes. Eileen Rooney was another division head who had been here about ten years before Eric came to Xerox, and she mentored him. She’s quite attractive but also happily married, and although there was chemistry between them, their relationship was completely platonic and professional. Sherry had met Ei
leen and her husband numerous times at company events, picked up on the chemistry and was suspicious that something more was going on.

  “Eileen was relocating to North Carolina with her husband, a banker who had obtained a position there, and as a gesture of appreciation before she left, Eric took her out for lunch at a very expensive restaurant here in Rochester. He didn’t say anything to Sherry about it because it was during work hours, and he knew how she’d react.”

  The human resources director told Ed that Eric later confided in him that without thinking, he’d left the receipt from the restaurant in the pocket of his suit coat and Sherry found it when she went through his pockets before taking the coat to the dry cleaner. She confronted him after noticing the luncheon was for two. He could have lied and said his meeting was with a male co-worker but instead admitted the truth and confessed that he hadn’t said anything to her because she was so mistrusting. They had a huge argument, she accused him of infidelity and asked him to move out. Desperate to save his marriage because of his kids, Eric told Eileen what happened, and she called Sherry, but Sherry wouldn’t speak with her.

  “Eric moved out, got an apartment near the University of Rochester and tried to get on with his life, still hoping for reconciliation because he loved his children and didn’t want them to suffer the pain of a divorce.

  “Then after a time, he seemed at peace and appeared to be content, even happy. Maybe he decided that if his wife was so certain he’d been unfaithful that he had no reason to continue to be loyal to her, and that’s when he became involved with your victim,” Miller reflected.

  “What happened next?” Ed asked.

  “About two years ago, he came to me and asked for a transfer. He said there was no hope for his marriage and that he had some personal things going on in his life and needed a change in scenery. He seemed depressed. It must have been when his affair with your victim ended.”

  Miller continued, “We have offices in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and our CEO agreed he could still maintain his current position and work from there as long as he understood he’d have to make regular trips up here for meetings. He agreed and shortly after relocated, but sadly about nine months ago he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and died three months later. Eric may have been misguided, maybe even a bit desperate, but I knew him well and he never would have killed anyone. He was a gentle man.”

  “Is his ex-wife still in the area?” asked Ed, remembering what Diane Dawson had implied about the possibility of the murderer being an irate wife. “I’d like to speak with her.” He knew it was a long shot, especially given the chronology of events leading to Eric’s death, but decided it wouldn’t hurt to pay her a visit on his way back to Lighthouse Cove.

  “She is, but if you’re thinking that she might have murdered your victim out of some sort of vendetta, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree,” Miller stated with conviction. “She’s prim and proper and somewhat paranoid, but even if she knew about the affair, my sense is she’s too devoted a mother to commit a murder and deprive her children of both their parents, should she get caught.”

  “I can obtain a subpoena to get that information, Mr. Miller. Instead, why don’t you voluntarily give it to me? It will make things a lot easier.”

  Miller, shaking his head in distaste, wrote down Sherry Sewall’s address and phone number and gave it to Ed.

  Ed thanked him and stood up to leave, but as he got to the door he turned around and faced Miller. “I have one more question. What happened when Eric got sick? Did he stay in Harrisburg or come back to Rochester?”

  “The divorce never was finalized, and when Eric was diagnosed he went on disability and moved back up here with his family. It made it easier for Sherry to get his life insurance, his pension and his 401k. Fortunately, she and the children are financially comfortable.”

  “I still want to speak with her.” But as he left Miller’s office he thought it seemed more and more likely that the trail to finding Emily’s murderer was leading him right back to Lighthouse Cove.

  Chapter 14

  Ed got into his car and called Sherry Sewall. When she answered the phone, he identified himself and explained he was investigating a murder and that her name had come up as someone who might have information that would be helpful in finding the killer. She was hesitant about agreeing to speak with him; he heard fear and suspicion in her voice.

  It took him about twenty minutes to get to Fairport, a quaint village built along the Erie Canal west of Lighthouse Cove. Sherry’s sprawling, wood-sided and cobblestoned home, located in the historic district, sat back from the canal. It was framed by a wide yard with large oak and maple trees and although in stages of late autumnal decay, what appeared to be a lush garden.

  A sharp-featured, brown-eyed, rail-thin woman of medium height with chin-length graying brown hair parted on one side and pulled back behind her ears answered the door. She was wearing brown woolen slacks, a beige, brown and black tweed woolen turtleneck sweater, and brown flats. She wore no makeup nor any jewelry. She asked Ed for identification and after he showed it, cautiously let him into her foyer.

  He offered his condolences and before he could begin questioning her, Sherry Sewall asked sharply, “What’s this really about? Why would I know anything about a murder? My children will be home from school soon, so let’s get this over with.”

  Ed responded, “There’s a woman in Lighthouse Cove who’s been murdered, and I’m wondering if you happened to have known her. Her name is Emily Bradford.”

  She blinked a few times and then shook her head, looking at him blankly. “That name doesn’t sound familiar, should it?”

  “She was a professor at the University of Rochester, and just before she retired, your husband took a creative writing course from her. We are questioning some of her students along with others who knew her, just to see if anyone can provide us with information that could help us find her killer,” Ed dissembled, not wanting to stir the pot by mentioning the affair.

  “How did you get my husband’s name?” she asked.

  “I got his name from the chairperson of the writing department at the university. I decided to include older adult learners because I believe they might have some better observational skills. I found out from Phillip Miller when I went to Xerox that Eric had died, so while I can’t question him, I wondered if Eric had mentioned her to you.”

  “We were estranged at that time,” Sherry replied, visibly more at ease. “We didn’t talk much about anything other than the children and our finances. He told me he was taking a course at the university, but I didn’t know the details.” She then told Ed the same story that Phillip Miller had, about her belief that her husband had had an affair with a co-worker despite his denial, and their subsequent separation.

  “My father was a corporate executive, just like Eric,” she said, glaring angrily at Ed. “My mother is a nervous, insecure little woman, and I always wondered why. After my father died, she confided in me that he had been consistently unfaithful to her. I never knew why she stayed, economic dependency I guess, like me she was a stay-at-home mom. But there’s no way I’d ever go through what she did.”

  “When I spoke with Phillip Miller at Xerox, he indicated that you and Eric had reconciled before his death,” stated Ed, ignoring her tirade.

  She answered, “It wasn’t exactly a reconciliation. I figured it was only a matter of time until he died, and we both agreed that if we stayed married it would simplify things and it would be easier to settle the estate, so we dropped the divorce proceedings and he came home. It was the least I could do. He is, after all, the father of my children, and I owed him that much, especially since he didn’t fight me on a financial settlement.”

  Ed believed her when she said she didn’t know Emily and decided to end the interview. Thanking her and reiterating his condolences, he apologized for taking up her time, and making a quick exit walked to his car to head back to Lighthouse Cove. He felt an odd bit
of sympathy for Eric Sewall.

  Chapter 15

  Back inside his car, Ed dialed Carrie’s number. When she answered, he said, “Carrie, it’s Ed. Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, but I was following up on a bunch of leads.” He told her about his interviews with Jonathan Bradford, Diane Dawson and Phillip Miller, and of Eric Sewall’s death and the interview with his wife.

  “Bradford has an alibi, and he was genuinely distressed when he learned about Emily. Sewall’s death takes him off the list, and it seems very unlikely he arranged a hit on her before he died. And I’m convinced that his wife, while very unlikeable, knew nothing about Emily or that Sewall had a relationship with her. What’s up with you?”

  “I found some emails to Emily from Eric Sewall that really concern me. They stopped some months ago, and now I understand why. The last one was an apology for causing Emily distress, and he said he wouldn’t be bothering her again. He also said he regretted his actions, that he’d been very needy when he met her, and he hoped she would have a good life. But there’s no indication he told her he was dying.”

  “Interesting. I wonder why Jon Bradford didn’t say anything about the last email.”

  “Maybe Emily never mentioned it to him.”

  “He knew about Sewall, although he said Emily had indicated that the stalking had stopped, so maybe she didn’t feel the need to go into the specifics of the email. Did you find anything else?”

  “Yes, I also found another set of emails that Suzanne Gordon sent to her that I want you to read. The content bothers me. Luke read them and feels the same way. I can email them to you, but I’d rather you read them here at the station while I’m with you. I don’t want to say much more until I see you in person. By the way, I talked with the ME earlier. He’s completed the autopsy.”