Murder in the Middle: A Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mystery

by Diane Weiner

  “Jackson and I are coming back into town. We were following up on a dead-end lead from the tip line.”

  “What kind of lead?” Susan figured Lynette might be willing to share a little info given the incident. Whenever Susan was upset, Lynette did her best to distract her with a juicy bit of information or gossip.

  “The tipster saw someone who looked like Sophie at a restaurant during the time she was kidnapped, that’s all. We drove over to Donna’s Diner, but no one there remembered seeing her.”

  “Well I hope you get a break in solving the case soon. You know, did I tell you that I saw Rusty and Lindsay together on the street the other day?” She preferred to transfer this bit of information without admitting she’d been hiding out at the plumbing shop.”

  “No. That’s interesting though. Two people with ties to Caleb and Sophie, together.”

  “I’m sure you’ll put the pieces together if in fact they fit,” said Susan.

  “Feeling better, Mom?”

  “Yes. I’m going to go home and cook up some dinner. I was probably making a mountain out of a molehill.” Susan put the phone back in her purse. Maybe it was a macaroni and cheese day after all. On the way home, she starting thinking about the veteran’s hospital that Kelly’s mother just mentioned. If Caleb had been injured overseas, wouldn’t it make sense that he would have spent some time there? And had Jackson and Lynette checked out all the employees at Donna’s Diner?

  Chapter 39

  The next morning, Susan took a ride to Westbrook Middle to drop off some sheet music the new chorus teacher had asked to borrow. Although she’d retired, Susan still had Tupperware bins full of music and teaching supplies that she couldn’t bring herself to throw away. As long as she was at the school, she went to say hello to Antonio.

  “Susan, always a pleasure to see you,” said Antonio.

  “You too, Antonio. Has everything gotten back to normal around here since the kidnapping was solved?”

  “Yes, yes. Old news. Sophie’s back at work and rumors have died down. I haven’t gotten any more parent calls concerning safety either. You can stop in and say hello to Sophie if you’d like.”

  “Thanks, I will.” Susan remembered how Sophie’s office had looked the last time she’d been there––when it was still a crime scene. Now, you’d never know anything happened. Everything was neatly in place. Sophie was at her desk.

  “Susan Wiles, I’d been meaning to call you and thank you for helping Antonio try to find me when I was kidnapped. He told me you were a great help.”

  “I’m not sure about that, but I am happy that it all turned out okay. Last time I was in here, it looked like a war scene. What happened again that morning?”

  “I got to work early. I’m at my desk when Caleb comes stomping in, all red-faced. He starts yelling at me about how he has proof I killed his brother and he was going to get me locked away in prison. I felt scared and decided to leave the office, but then Caleb picks up that bronze paper weight over there on the bookshelf, holds it way high, over his head, and the last thing I remember is seeing it come toward me.” Sophie mimicked Caleb’s actions. “This wasn’t the first time he threatened me, you know. I’d been getting e-mails from him, and even letters.” She pulled some letters out of her desk drawer and showed them to Susan.

  “Oh, my. That was one vengeful man,” said Susan.

  Just then, Mitch Coniglio walked in. “Hey, Soph, I was wondering if……”

  He stopped to acknowledge Susan. “Hey, are those the letters from Caleb Bartolo? Did Sophie show you these?”

  “Yes, just now,” said Susan.

  “That man was dangerous. Thank God Sophie was able to escape from him. Now that he’s dead, at least she can rest easy. I was worried about her all the time when he was alive.”

  Susan jumped when Lynette walked into the office. Lynette was just as surprised to see her.

  “Mom, why are you here?”

  “Just had to drop something off for the chorus teacher. You?”

  Lynette handed Sophie a form to sign. “We needed Sophie to take care of this paperwork.” Sophie signed the paper and handed it back to Lynette.

  “I’ll walk out with you,” said Susan.

  “Jackson is waiting in the cruiser. I’m off the rest of the day. Wish I had my own car instead of having to go back to the station first.”

  “I’ll drop you off. It’s on my way.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” said Lynette.

  “You know, I still wonder how Caleb was able to return early from his duty,” said Susan.

  “It was a medical discharge,” said Lynette.

  “Medical? Wouldn’t he have had to be under a doctor’s care if he was injured seriously enough to be sent home?” said Susan.

  “I’m pretty sure he was.”

  “You know, there is a veteran’s hospital just a few hours away. Maybe he saw someone there,” said Susan.

  “Makes sense,” said Lynette. “I know the place you’re talking about.”

  “I don’t really have plans today and it’s early. Maybe we could ride up there and find out more about Caleb. Unless they tell us he was just plain crazy, I don’t understand why he would have taken Sophie. You’d think he’d want to relax and enjoy being home.”

  “It’ll have to be an unofficial visit. Call it a hunch, but I think we should go,” said Lynette. Susan wasn’t sure she’d heard Lynette correctly. Since when did Lynette agree to take her along on a sleuthing expedition? Lynette was more subdued than usual today. She hoped nothing was wrong.

  “By the way, have you heard anything more from the cheek swab?” said Lynette.

  “Not yet. I keep waiting for a letter or a phone call, but so far, nothing. Lynette, is something wrong? You’re not acting like yourself.”

  “Mom, listen. I don’t want to worry you, but…”

  “But what?”

  “I’ve been having some problems with my vision.”

  “What do you mean? What kind of problems?” asked Susan.

  “Halos, fuzziness, tunnel vision––especially at night when I’m driving.”

  “For how long? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “It started a few months ago.”

  “Did you see a doctor?”

  “No, I diagnosed myself using Web MD. Of course, I did. I’m not an idiot. Do you think I’d be saying anything if I hadn’t?”

  “I didn’t mean…”

  “The doctor says there’s two options. It could be a rare genetic condition that comes on at about my age. It reverses itself by the time you hit your forties. The doctor said it tends to skip generations.”

  “Does Jason know?”

  “Of course, he does.”

  “And if it isn’t that genetic thing?” Susan felt her heart race. Lynette was silent.

  “Tell me.”

  “I think we’re almost at the Veteran’s hospital.” They passed a park full of children.

  “Aren’t those kids supposed to be in school?”

  “I’ll bet it’s an early release day,” said Susan. Anyway, stop changing the subject.”

  “I’ll lose my sight. Are you happy now? I said it aloud.”

  “Come on, Lynette. Isn’t there anything they can do?” Susan felt her neck muscles tense.

  “No.”

  “Lynette, I’m so scared. You might go blind?”

  “Do I have to spell it out for you? Yes, I’ll go blind. I won’t be able to work anymore. We can’t live on one salary. And I’ll miss seeing Annalise grow up. No graduation gown, no wedding dress…nothing.”

  “I’m going to find my birth parents. Mark my words,” said Susan. “We need that medical history. That will help you, right?” She noticed a few tears on Lynette’s cheek, which was a rare sight. Lynette was an expert at appearing stoic. “I’m going to find them, even if this Georgia Babes thing turns out to be a bust. There are other things we can do. Maybe we could even go public, plea for my parents to come forward
to help you.”

  “No, Mom. Don’t you dare tell anyone about this. I’ll lose my job.”

  “I understand, but we have to do what we have to do,” said Susan. “I saw something on Sixty Minutes about using stem cells to cure all kinds of diseases. They can do that now you know.”

  “You can’t say anything to anyone outside of our family. Do you understand?’ said Lynette. “And using stem cells is a long way off.”

  “But, Lynette…”

  “Just stop it. I shouldn’t have even told you.”

  “I’m just trying to help.”

  Susan felt nauseous thinking about Lynette losing her sight. She imagined Lynette learning braille and walking with a white cane.

  When they got off the Thruway, they drove down a twisty, country road for what seemed like hours. The sky was gray, not snowing, but overcast. It felt like the car was crawling under a heavy quilt of clouds. They pulled up to a brick, two-story building trimmed in white. A large, American flag flew in front. Surrounded by pine trees, this place looked more like a residence than a hospital.

  “Okay, Mom. Let me do the talking when we get inside. They won’t easily give away information.” Susan watched Lynette wipe another tear from her eye with her glove.

  The reception area was small, and smelled like raw onions. When they approached the desk, Susan saw that the lone receptionist was munching on a hero sandwich, oil dripping out of the sides of the bread. Susan couldn’t help thinking that the portly, middle-aged receptionist should be eating a salad instead. As expected, the receptionist couldn’t reveal whether or not Caleb had been a patient there. Susan motioned to Lynette to follow her into the restroom. She had a plan.

  “I’m not sure this is going to work,” said Lynette.

  “Of course, it will. Come on. It’s show time.” They returned to the reception area.

  Susan moaned. “Oh, no, my chest, my chest! My jaw hurts too, and my right arm.”

  “Mom, Mom, what’s the matter?” Lynette put her hands on Susan’s shoulders. “Are you okay? Is it your heart?”

  “The doctor said these are warning signs.” She rubbed her jaw.

  Lynette turned to the receptionist. “This is a hospital, right? Get her back to see a doctor. Now,” demanded Lynette. “There’s a wheelchair right there. I’ll help you.” The receptionist put down her sandwich and picked up the phone.

  “What are you doing?” asked Lynette. “You need to get her back there right now. She could die. We’re gonna sue if you don’t do something. Go. Now.”

  The receptionist wheeled Susan through the double doors. She moved as fast as a fly stuck in honey. Luckily, this wasn’t a real emergency. Lynette was told she had to wait in the reception area.

  Susan clutched her heart. “I’m sweating and I feel shaky. I need a doctor right now. I’m going to pass out, I feel it.” The receptionist disappeared behind the doors, wheeling a moaning Susan.

  Then, Lynette got to work. She snuck behind the desk and accessed the computer patient files. She drummed her fingers on the desk. Come on, come on. There it was. The information she was looking for. Caleb Bartolo had been a patient there. She took a picture of the computer screen. Then she waited. Susan, wearing a hospital gown and clutching her clothes, ran back through the double doors.

  “I gave them the slip. Did you get it?” she asked.

  “Sure did. Now let’s get out of here before we get caught,” said Lynette. They ran over the dirty snow, back to the car, both breathing heavily. Susan was shivering and fought to keep the back of the gown closed around her tush.

  “So, was he a patient here?” said Susan.

  “Sure was.”

  “Psych ward, right?” said Susan.

  “Nope.”

  “What do you mean, nope? You said he was here.”

  “He wasn’t a psych patient; he was an orthopedic patient. He suffered from a badly torn rotator cuff,” said Lynette.

  “Rotator cuff? Don’t baseball pitchers get that?”

  “Yep.”

  “So what does it mean?” said Susan.

  “It means he wouldn’t have been able to lift his arm over his head. It would have been too painful.”

  “Then how could he have conked Sophie on the head with that paper weight, drag her to the hotel, and tie her up?”

  “He couldn’t have,” said Lynette.

  Chapter 40

  Susan couldn’t wait to change into comfortable clothes and plop down on the sofa with her laptop and a cup of hot chocolate. What a day. She rubbed her temples, swallowed a couple of Excedrin, and plunged into her own internet research on eye conditions. Searching for a number of hours, she still hadn’t found anything more than what Lynette had said. She searched for ophthalmologists, hoping she’d find a doctor with expertise in this area. She even googled stem cells. Of course, if she could find Lynette’s biological grandparents, they could tell her if the disease did in fact run in their family. She went back to her adoption sites and message boards once again.

  “Susan, I’m home,” said Mike.

  “Thank goodness. I really need to talk to you about Lynette.” Susan proceeded to relay the information Lynette had given her.

  Mike shook his head. “That can’t be right. Out of the blue she starts having eye problems? She doesn’t even wear glasses.”

  “It has nothing to do with wearing glasses, and both conditions first come out when a person is Lynette’s age.”

  “I don’t know how much harder we can search for your birth parents. I feel like we’ve tried everything. Lynette’s a detective. Why can’t she find them? Call the Georgia Babes Foundation. Maybe they’ve found something by now.”

  “They said they’d contact me if they found a match. Obviously they haven’t.”

  “If it’s genetic, does that mean Evan could get it too?” said Mike.

  “I don’t know. I suppose so,” said Susan. She hadn’t thought of that. Evan’s medical career would be over before it even started.

  “We need to research eye doctors and find someone who knows how to treat Lynette.”

  “I’ve been searching online and I’m sure Lynette has been doing the same.”

  “Then we need to look at universities where research about this is being done. Maybe Jason would have contacts since he works at a college,” said Mike.

  “And I’ll give Evan a call. Maybe one of the faculty members there could lead us in the right direction. After all, Washington University is one of the best in the country.”

  “Good idea. Will Lynette mind us telling her brother?”

  “Too bad if she does. If Evan can possibly lead us in the right direction I’m sure not going to keep it from him.”

  “Agreed,” said Mike. “I know you’re in no mood to cook tonight and neither am I. Want to go out and grab a bite?” said Mike.

  “Yes, and I know just the place,” said Susan. She grabbed a newspaper clipping from the desk, and they were on their way. The sun had already set, and snow flurries clung to the windshield.

  “Here it is, on the left,” said Susan. They pulled up to a long silver trailer.

  “What kind of a dump is this? Donna’s Diner? Neon sign out front? I was thinking more along the lines of Vinnie’s. And this is so far away. There are plenty of good restaurants closer to home.”

  “Stop your grumbling. I heard they have excellent food here.”

  Susan and Mike were seated at a booth. The leather squeaked as they scooted in.

  “See. The diner is bustling and it’s a week night.” They ordered bacon cheeseburgers and a platter of fries.

  “I’m positive this place hasn’t gotten any Michelin stars. Are you going to tell me the real reason we’re here?” asked Mike.

  “You know me too well,” said Susan. “An anonymous tipster called Lynette and said Sophie was eating dinner here during the time she was supposed to have been kidnapped.”

  “And you’re telling me that Lynette didn’t bother checking
it out. Come on now.”

  “She did and no one had seen her, but you know these places have shifts and waitresses have days off. I thought as long as we were going out to eat, I might as well kill two birds with one stone. I’m going to ask our waitress right now.” Susan pulled out the newspaper clipping with Sophie’s picture. Mike grabbed her arm but it was too late.

  “Excuse me, but I was wondering if you’ve ever seen this woman?” said Susan. “We’re old friends but I lost contact with her when she moved. Someone said she’d gotten a place out near here.”

  The waitress examined the clipping. “I recognize her.”

  “You do?” Susan felt her pulse quicken. Maybe this was the lead she was looking for.

  “Yes, it’s that woman, the bookkeeper, who went missing. I saw on the news she’s safe and sound.”

  Susan felt her body relax. “I mean, have you seen her in here? Eating dinner maybe?”

  “Can’t say I have. You can ask the other girls though.”

  Susan showed the picture to another waitress and the cashier, but neither had seen her. When she asked yet another waitress, she finally got a different answer.

  “Hmmm. She was wearing a wool cap with her hair all tucked up inside, and a scarf around her neck, even while she was eating. I’m sure it was her. I saw her twice. Ate by herself both times.”

  “Can you check the dates for me?” asked Susan.

  “She paid cash. I remember because it’s so unusual these days. Can’t recall specific dates, but it was a few weeks ago.”

  “Thank you so much,” said Susan.

  “Good luck. Hope you find your friend,” said the waitress.

  Chapter 41

  Lynette and Jackson slammed the metal door of the interrogation room. The sterile room was colder than an igloo in Antarctica.

  “Come on, Mr. Coniglio. We have proof that you weren’t at the conference the day Sophie was abducted. In fact, we have cell phone records that place you at the veteran’s hospital. What were you doing there and why are you lying to us?” said Lynette.

  Lynette had finally received Mitch’s phone and credit card records. Now she and Jackson were going to get the truth out of him.