Murder of An Open Book: A Scumble River Mystery (Scumble River Mysteries Book 18)

by Denise Swanson

  Skye was unwilling to nod to indicate that she trusted him because she didn’t, so instead she waved her hand for him to continue. Thor was on a roll, and she didn’t want to interrupt him by speaking. If he had time to consider what he was saying, he might clam up and demand an attorney. So far, although he’d been read his rights, he hadn’t asked for a lawyer. But he could always change his mind and stop talking.

  “Blair and I had a big fight after what she did,” Thor continued. “But the next day she realized she’d gotten a little crazy, and she said she was sorry.” Thor seemed unaware of the tears dripping off his chin. “I believed her when she apologized.”

  “So you and Blair made up?” Wally said, leaning toward the younger man. “And at the time of her murder you were still a couple?”

  “Yes,” Thor sobbed. “The evening Blair died, we went to dinner at the Feed Bag. Then I dropped her off at the school for her volleyball practice. I came back around nine, and we decided to go swimming.”

  “Go on.” Wally looked up from his notebook. “You took a swim and . . .”

  “And then we messed around a little.” Thor spoke into his chest. “But I didn’t like doing it out in the open like that at the school.”

  “So then what?” Skye raised a brow. “Did Blair go home with you?”

  “No.” Thor ran his fingers along the scarred tabletop. “She thought I was being a prude and started teasing me and taking pictures.”

  “That had to be irritating. Having your girlfriend treat you like that.” Wally’s tone was sympathetic. “What did you do then?”

  “I was getting pissed at her behavior, so I grabbed the phone from her, got dressed, and left her there alone.” He sniffed back a tear. “If I hadn’t done that, she’d probably still be alive today.”

  “You said she was taking pictures of you messing around,” Skye said, slowly processing the information. “Were you . . . uh . . . unclothed?”

  “Yeah.” Thor bowed his head, as if reliving the embarrassment.

  “And you took her phone because that was what she was using to take the photos?” Skye’s own cell was so old it didn’t have a camera, but everyone else seemed to have a device with that capability.

  “Exactly.” Thor’s hands were clenched. “I didn’t want to have her put up a picture of me with my pecker waving in the wind.”

  “By put up, you mean on the social networking site Open Book?” Skye asked, recalling Emmy’s demonstration at the Feed Bag.

  “Right. Putting up stuff on Open Book and getting the most ‘enjoys,’ ‘visits,’ and ‘people fascinated’ was like an addiction to her.” Thor’s expression was grim. “Blair exposed her whole life, and the life of everyone else around her, on that damn site for anyone and everyone to read about.”

  “Would they permit nudity?” Skye asked.

  “I stay away from that site, so I have no idea what’s allowed and what’s not.” Thor’s rigid posture sagged. “But I think as long as it wasn’t the full monty, no one complained.” He growled into his chest. “I told Blair that there’s this little thing called a diary and that I would buy her one so she didn’t have to Open Book our every little problem or intimate moment.”

  “Do you still have her phone?” Wally asked. “It wasn’t listed in the inventory of your property that I received from the county jail.”

  “It’s probably at home somewhere,” Thor said. “I might have stuck it in the pocket of the jacket that I was wearing Monday night.”

  “Do we have your permission to look for it at your residence?” Wally asked.

  “Sure,” Thor agreed. “The jacket’s on the chair in my room.”

  “Thanks.” Wally nodded at Thor, then turned to Skye and explained, “Quirk and Martinez didn’t find the vic’s cell when they searched her house, but we did see bills indicating that she had one. We’ve been looking all over for it but were afraid the killer took it.”

  “Maybe he did.” Skye glared at Thor. He seemed pathetic now, but she couldn’t forget that he’d participated in the hazing, even if he claimed to have stopped it before it got too out of hand.

  “I didn’t,” Thor protested, trying to throw up his hands but unable to move them that far with his wrist shackled to the table leg. Clanking against the metal, he said, “These are starting to hurt.”

  “Aw. You poor thing.” Skye wrinkled her nose in mock sympathy. “Just relax. The handcuffs are tight because they’re new. But don’t worry. Once you wear them for a little while, they’ll stretch out.”

  Thor stared at Skye, seemingly stunned at her callous words, then turned to Wally and asked, “When did Blair die?”

  “Between eleven and twelve,” Wally answered. “Do you have an alibi?”

  “Yes.” Thor sagged back in his chair. “I left Blair about ten thirty and went to the Brown Bag. I meant to buy a six-pack at the liquor store, but I saw a friend sitting in the bar area and decided drinking with him was better than getting blotto alone. The bartender tossed us out when he closed at two a.m. He called my friend’s wife to come and drive us home.”

  “That must have strengthened your friend’s marriage to no end,” Skye murmured, thankful she wasn’t speaking from experience. She’d never seen Wally have more than two or three drinks. And never more than one in public.

  “I’ll need your friend’s name and number,” Wally said. “And his wife’s name, too.”

  “Sure.” Thor reeled off the information. “If they confirm, am I in the clear?”

  “For the murder.” Wally’s expression was stern. “But not for the hazing incident. I’m going to have to charge you for that.”

  “And I’ll need to report the episode to DCFS and inform Homer,” Skye stated.

  “I figured.” Thor took a deep breath and buried his head in his free hand. “This is the end of my teaching and coaching career, isn’t it?”

  “Probably.” Skye nodded, feeling a tiny tinge of sympathy. “The best you can hope for is not to be labeled a sexual predator.”

  Thor groaned. “I’m not like that.” He implored Wally, “Please, please, please don’t let them do that to me. I couldn’t live with that.”

  “We’re going to talk to every girl and boy who was there that night,” Wally warned. “If they support your story, that you ended things right after the girls kissed, I won’t pursue sexual-abuse charges.”

  “Thank you.” Thor sobbed. “Thank you.” He cried for several minutes. Finally, he wiped his eyes and said, “I blame Blair’s father for all of this.”

  “Why?” Skye asked. Had her guess been right about him abusing his daughter?

  “Because I think almost everything Blair did was to drive her dad out of his mind. He was already upset that her maternal grandmother had left her a trust fund that she’d be able to access when she turned thirty. He was able to control Bernadette with his purse strings, but Blair didn’t work for him and she knew that she had a tidy sum coming to her in a few years.” Thor grinned. “I bet he’s ticked off that Blair left her sister the trust fund, especially since Bernadette is old enough to claim it immediately.”

  “So that’s why the Hucksfords needed the attorney present during the Skype session with Simon,” Skye said to Wally. “With a large estate, there was probably something in her will about her burial wishes.”

  “I’ll check with Reid, but you’re probably right,” Wally said.

  “The guy was an old-school Bible-thumper, and he raised her so strictly she ended up rebelling.” Thor continued as if Skye and Wally hadn’t spoken.

  “There’s nothing wrong with bringing up your children according to Scripture.” Skye put her hand on her stomach. Her baby would be raised in the Catholic Church.

  “Maybe it was his interpretation that was wrong.” Thor shrugged. “But whatever it was, Blair knew her father read every word she put on Open Book
. The whole placing scandalous stuff on that site was a jab at her father’s beliefs.”

  “Well, that explains why her dad disowned Blair and what Bernadette meant by exhibitionistic pervert.” Skye shook her head. “Unless Blair’s parents physically or emotionally abused her, I’m not going to judge their religious views.”

  “I think they were strict, but nothing she said suggested abuse,” Thor admitted.

  “Then Blair’s actions were her own responsibility,” Skye said. “But that doesn’t mean anyone had a right to kill her, and the police aren’t going to allow the murderer to get away with it.”

  CHAPTER 22

  EOD—End of Discussion

  Thor’s alibi checked out. The bartender and Thor’s friend confirmed he’d been with them from eleven to well past midnight. After establishing that Thor was in the clear for the murder charge, Wally ordered him transported to the county jail to be held on the hazing charge.

  While Wally and the city attorney discussed the evidence against Thor, Skye contacted DCFS and Homer and informed them of his and Blair’s behavior. Homer whined about having to find another substitute, and DCFS promised to send an investigator as soon as one was available. Skye wasn’t holding her breath on either the school district or the state agency’s actions.

  Having done her duty for her students, Skye focused on her responsibility to the police department. She and Wally spent the rest of the evening talking to the football and volleyball players and their parents.

  It was an arduous ordeal, and while Skye was thrilled that the kids substantiated Thor’s version of events and that none of them appeared to bear any long-term emotional scars, by the end of the evening, she was exhausted. As she and Wally trudged up the steps toward their front door, she could barely put one foot in front of the other.

  Skye had passed hunger several hours ago and was now almost too tired to eat, but Wally insisted they grab a bite before going to bed. Thank goodness they had leftovers from the dinner Dorothy had prepared for them the night before. All they had to do was to heat up the remaining pulled pork and homemade rolls in the microwave and spoon the potato salad onto their dishes.

  Skye fed Bingo while Wally got their drinks and filled their plates. Finally, they sat down at the kitchen table and dug into their meal.

  Once she had taken a few bites of her supper, Skye said, “How in the world could Thor have allowed Blair to lead him so far astray? How could he have been that stupid?”

  “Well”—Wally grinned—“you know why jocks play on artificial turf, don’t you?”

  “No.” Skye was confused at the change of subject. “Why?”

  “To keep them from grazing.”

  Skye giggled. Then she asked, “Did you send someone over to Thor’s apartment to find Blair’s cell phone?”

  “I called Anthony in to conduct the search.” Wally took a swig of beer. “He’s doing a good job, and I’m hoping that I can hire him full-time as soon as I get the new budget approved by the city council.”

  “That would be great.” Skye liked the young part-time officer, and as a native Scumble Riverite, he had the hometown advantage.

  “The vic’s phone was right where Goodson said it would be.” Wally picked up his sandwich. “Unfortunately, it’s password protected.”

  “Rats!” Skye ate a forkful of potato salad, then said, “Maybe Thor knows Blair’s password.”

  “No such luck.” Wally wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “We phoned the jail and they asked him. He claims she was really guarded about stuff like that, which is odd, considering her penchant for putting stuff on Open Book.”

  “Actually, that might be the reason behind her password secrecy.” Skye frowned, thinking. “Maybe there was stuff she had on her phone that was even more scandalous than what she put on that site.”

  “I left orders for Martinez to go through the vic’s possessions again tomorrow. Let’s hope that she has the password written down somewhere.” Wally took another drink of his Sam Adams. “Otherwise we’ll have to wait for the county crime lab to find some way to get into the phone’s contents.”

  “Too bad Justin is visiting Frannie at U of I.” Skye licked barbecue sauce from her fingers. “I bet he’d hack into that cell in two minutes flat. He’s always able to get into mine when I forget my password or somehow lock myself out of the darn thing.”

  Justin Boward was a twenty-year-old computer wizard who had been in counseling with Skye from eighth grade partway through high school. Once he’d overcome his depression and lack of self-confidence, he’d ended up coediting the school newspaper with his girlfriend, Frannie. After graduating from Scumble River High School a couple of years ago, he’d attended Joliet Junior College and was finishing up his final year there. In September he’d join Frannie in the University of Illinois journalism program.

  “Yeah. Justin did a great job getting into that laptop’s files from our December case.” Wally finished his sandwich and turned his attention to devouring the rest of his potato salad. “Tomorrow, if you have time, maybe you could get on the Open Book site. You could nose around a little and see what Blair posted.”

  “I can do that in the morning. We don’t have to be at the baby shower until four.” Skye yawned and stretched. “Emmy showed me how to sign up for the site. She said some people have tight privacy controls so you have to be their ‘pal’ to see what they post, but others leave it wide-open. Let’s hope Blair’s settings aren’t too restrictive.”

  “From what Goodson said, I’d bet Blair’s page is available for everyone to see.”

  “Speaking of Thor, what’s going to happen to him?” Skye pushed away her empty dish. “I feel a little bad for the guy. He seems to have gotten caught up in Blair’s obsessions and made some poor choices.”

  “Since there was no gross bodily harm or death, the city attorney plans to charge him with a Class A misdemeanor.” Wally polished off the rest of his beer and threw the bottle in the recycle bin. “That could result in a sentence of up to three hundred and sixty-four days of imprisonment plus as much as a five-thousand-dollar fine. But my guess is that Goodson will get supervision and community service.”

  “So after everything, he’ll only spend a couple of nights in jail?” Skye wasn’t sure how she felt about Thor getting off so lightly. She did feel a tiny bit sorry for him, but he still should have consequences for his actions.

  “If Goodson hadn’t decided to leave town and go hiking, he probably wouldn’t have spent any time whatsoever behind bars.” Wally put their dishes in the sink, took Skye’s hand, and led her upstairs. “If we’d been able to locate him and talk to him Tuesday, we’d have cleared him on the suspicion of murder and his lawyer could have gotten him bail that afternoon on the hazing. But with him being arrested on a Friday night, he’s stuck until the arraignment on Monday.”

  “The more I think about it,” Skye said as she undressed, “the more I’m convinced that he decided to go to Starved Rock not because he was overcome with grief, but because he knew that what he and Blair had done to their teams was going to come out.”

  “Me too,” Wally agreed.

  Skye walked into the master bathroom. Before she turned her back on the shower, she cautiously eased open the glass door, glanced inside the stall, and closed it.

  “You know, darlin’, I understand that seeing the movie Psycho terrified you.” Wally had followed her and snickered as he observed her precautionary actions. “But what if one day when you check the shower for crazed killers, you find one? What’s your plan then?”

  “Run like heck while you shoot him.” Skye snapped her towel at Wally. “You would protect me—right, sweetie?”

  “With my life.”

  “Good.” Skye brushed her teeth, and she and Wally climbed into bed. Before switching off the light, she said, “If Thor would have just faced up to his behavior and stuck arou
nd, things would have turned out a lot better for him.” She paused. “But that’s the real problem with him, isn’t it? He isn’t the kind of guy who is in control of his own destiny.”

  “Yep.” Wally leaned over her and flicked off the lamp. “It surprises me that, for a coach, he isn’t much of a leader.”

  “No, he isn’t.” Skye snuggled under the covers. Her eyelids drooping, she sighed. “And as an educator, he sure set a bad example for his students.”

  * * *

  Wally must have gotten up and fed Bingo and then gone back to sleep, because when Skye opened her eyes, bright sunshine was streaming through the windows and he was snoring softly with his arm curved around her waist. Turning her head, still halfway expecting to feel nauseated but grateful when she didn’t, she saw that it was almost nine o’clock.

  The last time they’d slept that late was on their honeymoon and they’d been exhausted from a much pleasanter pursuit than investigating a murder. Which reminded her . . . Skye carefully rolled over and pressed a kiss to Wally’s chest. The feeling of the warm, smooth skin on her lips encouraged her to reach lower. Either her new husband was having an extremely good dream, or he was awake.

  “Good morning, sugar.” Wally’s husky baritone tickled her ear.

  “It is now,” she murmured, continuing her exploration. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Like a big black cat.” He chuckled at their private joke about Bingo’s apparent habit of snoozing twenty-three out of twenty-four hours. “How about you? I think you were out the minute your head hit the pillow.”

  “I was bushed. The last few days have been grueling. Truth be told, I deserve a bonus for making it through the week at school without stabbing one of my bosses or colleagues in the eye with a ruler.”

  “I can just imagine.” Wally stroked her hair. “Your job takes way too much patience and tact. It’s a lot more fun to be the one issuing the orders than following them.”