Murder in the Middle: A Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mystery

by Diane Weiner

  Chapter 8

  Jackson and Lynette pulled up to a small brick house with white trim. Mrs. Bartolo answered the door. She wore a velour sweat suit and her hair was held in place with a headband. Jackson pulled out his badge.

  “Mrs. Bartolo, we’re with the Westbrook Police Department. We’re working on a missing person case, possibly an abduction, involving your daughter-in-law, Sophie.”

  “Sophie? She’s no longer my daughter-in-law. Missing? Good. Karma is catching up with her...”

  “We understand that your family thinks Sophie may have been responsible for your son’s death,” said Jackson.

  “You have that wrong,” said Mrs. Bartolo. “We don’t think Sophie was responsible for Adam’s death. We know she was.”

  “Why do you say that?” asked Lynette.

  “Besides the fact that Adam was afraid of heights and never would have gone near the edge of a waterfall, Sophie had a cold, ruthless side to her. When she and Adam were engaged, she was Little Miss Charming. Right after the wedding, she became a first class––let’s just say it rhymes with witch.”

  “Can you be more specific?” asked Lynette.

  “She started making digs at Adam every chance she got. She was sarcastic and treated him like a worm. Adam even confided in me that Sophie was not the woman he’d fallen in love with. He was beginning to regret marrying her.”

  “Do you have any idea why her behavior had changed so radically?” asked Lynette.

  “And why she wouldn’t have just divorced him had she regretted marrying him?” added Jackson.

  “She wanted that life insurance money. They were suffering financially. Adam had been laid off at work. His company had been sold and the new owners cleaned house in an effort to save money. Adam and Sophie had bought an expensive home while they were engaged. They couldn’t afford to keep it with one income, but with the life insurance money, the whole mortgage could have been paid off. That’s exactly what happened. Sophie owns that house free and clear now.”

  “We read the report and there was no evidence to indicate murder,” said Lynette.

  “Think about it. A couple goes on a hike, no one else is around. How easy would it have been to push Adam over the edge and claim it was an accident? What evidence could they have? My other son is still pursuing this. He hasn’t recovered from Adam’s death––not that any of us has. He spends every free minute looking for something to implicate Sophie.”

  “Have you heard from him recently?” asked Lynette.

  “It’s been a few days. I’ve been trying to call since Sophie disappeared, but you know the military. There may be a special training going on where they don’t have phone access. Last time we talked, he was flying wounded soldiers out of Iraq and bringing them to the base hospital.”

  “Could we get your son’s name?” asked Jackson.

  “Certainly. It’s Caleb. Caleb Bartolo.”

  Chapter 9

  Susan couldn’t get the name Bartolo out of her head. She was thinking about it all night. Why did it seem so familiar? She hadn’t ever met Sophie. She turned on the vacuum cleaner and began going over the living room carpet. Ludwig leaped off the sofa and ran for cover. Susan knew he was going to take refuge under her bed. Johann, on the other hand, remained curled up on the recliner, unruffled by the noise.

  Bartolo. Bartolo. Suddenly she remembered. Mike worked with a Scott Bartolo. I’ll bet that’s Sophie’s father-in-law, thought Susan. She could stop by to bring Mike some lunch, and who knows? Maybe Mr. Bartolo might just happen to be around. Susan packed a salad into a Tupperware container and grabbed a packet of ranch dressing from the closet. Then she threw together a turkey sandwich. She arrived at Mike’s office just as he was about to go on lunch break.

  “Hey, Susan. What are you doing here?” asked Mike. He gave her a kiss and smiled.

  “Just thought I’d surprise you with some lunch and a hot lunch date.”

  “I see the lunch, but where’s the hot date?” asked Mike. He made a point of turning his head and scanning the office. Susan gave him a playful swat.

  “Just kidding,” said Mike, rubbing his arm as if Susan had done some damage. “Let’s go into the break room.” Susan followed him and grabbed a Diet Coke from the vending machine.

  “Mike, don’t you work with someone named Bartolo?”

  “Yeah, Scott Bartolo. He’s down the hall from me. Why?”

  “I’m wondering if he’s any relation to Sophie Bartolo.”

  “He’s her father-in-law. His son’s death nearly killed him. I remember how torn up he was after that hiking accident. He was out for months. We were worried that he’d never get over it. I guess you never really recover from the loss of a child, but he pulled himself together enough to come back to work.”

  “Has he said anything about Sophie being missing? He must be concerned.”

  “After Adam’s death, he was angry at Sophie. Thought she caused Adam’s fall.”

  “Do you think after we finish eating, you could introduce me to Scott Bartolo? Maybe he has some ideas about Sophie’s disappearance.”

  “I can do that, but like I said, there were some hard feelings there. I doubt he’s even spoken to Sophie since then.”

  After they finished eating, Susan followed Mike to an office down the hall. The door was half open, but Mike knocked anyhow. Susan loved that Mike always acted respectful of people’s time and territory. He introduced her to a man who looked to be in his early fifties, with neatly cut hair, dressed in khakis and a long sleeved dress shirt.

  “Hello, Mr. Bartolo. It’s nice to meet you.” Susan shook his hand. “Mike has told me so much about you. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Sophie Bartolo has gone missing. Her boss, a friend of mine, asked if I would help find her. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

  “I don’t consider Sophie to be part of my family, not since Adam was murdered. What sort of questions? My wife and I just spoke to the police yesterday.”

  “Do you know of anyone who may have wanted to harm Sophie?”

  “The whole thing has blown over by now, but not for my family. That woman must have had plenty of enemies. She wasn’t a nice woman. I could see her rubbing lots of folks the wrong way. Besides, she’s a bookkeeper. Lots of folks have bones to pick with bookkeepers.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my mother last year and I know it doesn’t get any easier with time. Thank you, Mr. Bartolo. It was nice meeting you.”

  “Same here. You can call me Scott.”

  Susan thought about what Scott had said. It’s possible that Sophie’s disappearance had nothing to do with her husband’s death. Maybe it was related to her position as a bookkeeper. She decided to run over to the school and have a chat with Antonio. As usual, he gave her a magnanimous greeting.

  “Susan, so good to see you. What brings you over here? Any news about Sophie?”

  “Antonio, I was thinking––did any of your employees handle school funds? Maybe they had some kind of issue with the money that may have caused a rift with the bookkeeper?”

  “Not any employees, but now that you mention it, I have a piece of information to share.” He closed his office door. “This is totally confidential but I’m telling you this because, first of all, I trust you, and secondly, there may be a connection to the case.”

  “Go on,” said Susan.

  “I was transferred here rather abruptly if you remember.”

  “I do. My friends at the elementary school were sad to see you go.”

  “It wasn’t by choice. The previous principal, Principal Talbot, had gotten into some serious trouble with the law. She was stealing money from the school. Sophie was the one who discovered it. The principal was arrested. She’s out on bail awaiting trial and she blames Sophie, of course, for reporting her to the police.”

  “Would she have been capable of abducting Sophie?”

  “I don’t think she could have physically done it. Unless she had a gun, ma
ybe. With a weapon, anything is possible.”

  “Maybe I should pay her a visit.”

  “Susan, that’s ridiculous. It’s possible that this woman could have abducted Sophie, with a weapon no less, and you want to go after her? You need to call Lynette. Let the police handle it.”

  “Why didn’t you mention this to the police?”

  “Truthfully,” replied Antonio, “I didn’t think of it until you asked.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll talk to Lynette.”

  “Good idea. Don’t you do anything dangerous.”

  Chapter 10

  Susan got into her car and turned on the radio. She mulled over the new information she’d just learned from Antonio. The former principal of Westbrook Middle was facing jail time for embezzlement and it was Sophie who’d discovered it and turned her in to the police. If that wasn’t a motive for hurting Sophie what was? But there was also Caleb, the brother of Sophie’s dead husband. Boy was Susan surprised when she found out Caleb was the name of Adam’s brother. He’d suspected Sophie of killing his brother Adam and may have recently come back to town after finishing his military service. She’d have to get Lynette to check on that. A third possibility was that it was the work of a seasoned kidnapper. After all, there had been two unsolved kidnappings in the area and both victims bore a physical resemblance to Sophie. Susan was so deep in thought that she nearly ran a stop sign.

  Just as she was beginning to feel a migraine starting, the radio broadcast was interrupted with breaking news.

  This just in––the missing bank teller who was assumed to have been abducted from the parking lot of Westbrook National Bank six months ago has been found unharmed. The alleged victim reports that she left of her own free will with her ex-boyfriend. Details on the local news at five.

  Susan couldn’t believe the timing. Just as she’d been considering three possibilities for Sophie’s abduction, one had likely been ruled out. Of course, there was still the disappearance in Marlboro––but now that it was no longer linked to the bank teller’s abduction, it seemed much less likely that this was a serial kidnapper. Anyway, Susan remembered hearing that in order to be considered a serial crime, there had to be three cases. Her phone vibrated on the seat beside her.

  “Hi, Lynette. I just heard the news on the radio that the bank teller was found safe and sound.”

  “Yes, thank God for that. Anyway, that’s why I’m calling. Jason is teaching a class tonight and now that the bank teller has reappeared, I have to stay late at work. Can you babysit Annalise for me?”

  “Of course.” Susan was always thrilled to spend time with Annalise––especially when Lynette wasn’t there to interfere with her spoiling her granddaughter. “Just have Jason drop her off on his way to work.”

  “Antonio Petrocelli called earlier today. He said he’d spoken to you and remembered that there had been issues between Sophie and the former principal,” said Lynette.

  “He did. The trial is coming up soon and Sophie was certainly going to be called as a witness, right?” said Susan.

  “She was. We’ll be speaking to Principal Talbot first thing in the morning.”

  “And Lynette, one more thing. Can you find out when Caleb Bartolo comes back from military duty?”

  “We already did. He has another six months in Germany.”

  Chapter 11

  Susan happily took Annalise from Jason’s arms and covered her cheeks with kisses. The little cherub smelled like a fresh spring day. Well, at least when her diaper was clean, she did. At an age where most babies were inclined to cling to their parents, Annalise wrapped her arms around her grandma’s neck and let out a squeal. Being a Grandma was more fun than recess.

  “I fed her dinner already,” said Jason. There’s an onesie in the diaper bag, and her bottle is in there too. It should go in the fridge.”

  “Yes, Jason. I know the routine. I’ll have her ready for bed when you come by after class,” said Susan. Mike plopped down in his recliner and turned on the TV. Annalise pulled herself up on the coffee table and began exploring the living room on her tip toes. Susan wondered how she’d ever had the energy to chase after Lynette and Evan. A few minutes of running after Annalise and she felt as if she’d just completed a marathon.

  “I never get tired of staring at her,” said Susan. “She must be the most beautiful baby in the whole world.”

  “No doubt about that,” said Mike. “She acts just like Lynette did at that age––exploring everything. Remember how Lynette used to climb up on the kitchen table?”

  “Shhh. Don’t give Annalise any ideas.”

  The TV news flashed a story about the return of the missing bank teller. Mike turned up the volume. “Hey, looks like that bank teller wasn’t abducted after all,” said Mike. “That’s a surprise.”

  “Yes, I heard it earlier on the radio. After all this time to be found unharmed––her parents must be over the moon about this.”

  “I know I’d be if it were Lynette or Evan who went missing.”

  “Now that Sophie’s disappearance doesn’t seem to be the work of a serial kidnapper,” said Susan, “it’s possible that Westbrook Middle’s former principal could be behind Sophie’s disappearance. Do you remember when they arrested her for embezzlement a few months ago?”

  “I do,” said Mike. “She was a skinny thing; I saw her on the news. I can’t imagine that she could have abducted the bookkeeper.”

  “But if she had a weapon she could have,” added Susan.

  “I guess it’s possible. Seems odd that she’d risk kidnapping charges on top of embezzlement charges, don’t you think?”

  “She and Caleb Bartolo are the only suspects at the moment. Lynette said Caleb has another six months of military duty over in Germany. He insisted that Sophie killed his brother Adam last year. She and Jackson plan on contacting him.”

  Annalise tripped over a plastic bowling pin and toppled onto the rug, crying. Mike bought the toy bowling set before Annalise was even crawling in hopes that one day she’d be a bowling buddy. He didn’t trust Jason to get his granddaughter into sports. Mike always said Jason was more likely to train Annalise to play the violin or speak Cantonese than do anything physical. Annalise cried. Susan scooped her up and comforted her, then got her dressed for bed. Mike warmed up her bottle in the microwave. As Susan was feeding Annalise, the sight of the bowling pin prompted her to remember that the former principal had been on the same bowling team as one of Susan’s former coworkers.

  “Mike, can you put the baby to bed after I finish feeding her? I need to go out for a bit.”

  “Out where?” asked Mike.

  Susan decided to opt for a little white lie over starting an argument about snooping. “I was going to do my nails, but I realized I’m all out of nail polish remover. I just need to run over to Rite Aid.”

  As soon as she was out of the house, Susan scrolled through her phone contacts and found her former coworker’s number, immediately hitting the call icon. Fortunately, she answered.

  “Hi, Susan. It’s been a while since I heard from you. Still enjoying retirement?”

  “Sure am. Especially now that I have a granddaughter to dote on. I’ve also been helping Antonio with a situation at his new school.”

  “Really? We all miss him over at Westbrook Elementary. Too bad that middle school principal had to turn out to be a thief. That’s why they moved him you know.”

  “So I’ve heard. Didn’t you used to bowl with that principal?” asked Susan.

  “She was in our bowling league. Not on my team though. She hasn’t shown up since this whole mess began. Word is she only leaves her house once a week to attend Sunday mass. Otherwise, she’s become a recluse.”

  “You know, we have to get together for lunch soon. Maybe on a teacher planning day? I’m flexible––you let me know what works for you.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll see you soon. Enjoy that granddaughter of yours.”

  Sunday mass, thought Susan. There was o
nly one Catholic Church in town. Susan used to accompany the choir over at St. Augustine’s back in the day. They only had two masses on Sundays. Time to dig out my Sunday clothes thought Susan.

  Chapter 12

  On Sunday, Susan showed up at St. Augustine’s and planted herself in the last pew. Mike hadn’t batted an eye lid when she’d told him that she had to attend church services––to substitute for the sick accompanist. Trying to convince him that confronting a suspected kidnapper and known embezzler was a good plan just would have taken more effort than it was worth. She scanned the congregation and saw many familiar faces, but Principal Talbot wasn’t at the early service. She grabbed a donut and coffee in the church lobby after the mass and chatted with various acquaintances while she waited for the 11:00 service to begin. This time, she spotted her target. Principal Talbot came down the center aisle and sat a few rows ahead of Susan. Susan couldn’t believe this thief had the nerve to show up at church after breaking one of the Ten Commandments, but hey––who was she to judge? She waited outside the church after the service and made her move when the principal exited.

  “Excuse me, but don’t I know you? I’m Susan Wiles, retired music teacher from Westbrook Elementary. We brought our chorus to your school every spring for the community sing along.”

  “Yes, that was a great program. Lots of good publicity for all our schools.” Her tone was as flat as a dead man’s EKG line. “Excuse me, but I need to be going.” She brushed right past Susan.

  Susan pretended to walk away, but quietly followed her out to the parking lot and hopped into her Prius. She kept a safe distance between the two cars as she followed Principal Talbot through the center of town, on to a single lane road flanked by apple orchards. A pickup truck entered the road from a roadside fruit stand and gave Susan a buffer between her Prius and the principal’s Grand Marquis. When the Grand Marquis turned into a steep driveway, Susan kept going. Then she camouflaged her car behind a patch of trees, parked, and retraced the path up the driveway on foot. Susan regretted having worn pumps, especially given the fact that icy patches shaded by trees still dappled the driveway after the last snowfall. What was she doing here again, putting herself in the path of a criminal? She reminded herself that she was looking for a connection between the principal and Sophie’s disappearance and swallowed her fear.