“Katey’s never dated much,” she said, glancing over at Lacey. “She’s always run around with a group of girl and boy friends, but there hasn’t been anyone serious that I know of.”
“Are you concerned about that?” Lark asked her.
She hesitated for a few seconds. “No.”
“Really?” Lark replied and let the silence do its job.
“Why are you so concerned about who my daughter dates?”
“We think she may have dated Gemma and Terry,” Lark said, watching her face.
Cathy smiled wistfully. “I can’t say I haven’t wondered, but Katey and I have never talked about this. Gus also wonders why she doesn’t date. but we’ve both left it alone.”
“If your daughter is gay, will it cause problems for you?” he asked, noting her calmness.
“Being a lesbian is not the life I’d choose for my daughter, but then it’s not my choice, is it?” she said, giving him a hard stare. “It won’t cause problems for us. Does she know you’re talking to me about this?”
“No, not yet.”
“The only thing I’m concerned about is that someone has killed two of Katey’s friends. I’ve been worried sick that she could be next.” Cathy’s voice shook and her eyes began to swim. “Gus and I begged her to stay in Bessemer until the killer is found, but she was adamant that she needed to get back to school to finish the semester. Should we hire private protection for her?” She glanced back and forth between Lark and Lacey as two big tears slid down her cheeks.
“I can’t tell you what to do,” Lark said, handing her the box of tissues. “Both girls were murdered up here, not in Madison, so she should be as OK as you can be on a campus that size.”
Lark changed the subject to find out where Cathy was when the two murders occurred. She checked her calendar for 1997 and confirmed that she was in Chicago shopping during the time frame for both murders, volunteering the details of where she stayed in Chicago. As Cathy got up to leave, she said she would be in town for two more days before returning to Bessemer.
Lacey left the room to get a head start typing her notes. She was printing them when Sara Waltner walked in, stomping snow off her boots.
“Whew, it’s a mess out there. I almost called to set up another time,” she said, taking off her coat and shaking snow off her fur-lined hood.
Even in jeans and a University of Wisconsin sweatshirt, Sara was gorgeous. Lacey marveled at her smooth, flawless complexion. She knew that Sara had a twenty-four-year-old son, but she swore Sara looked thirty. While Lacey watched her fluff out her shoulder-length hair, she wondered who Sara’s plastic surgeon was. Sara turned around and smiled, her huge brown eyes looking Lacey up and down. It was one of the few times in Lacey’s life when she felt frumpy. As she stared back, looking critically at Sara’s minimal number of smile lines and crow’s feet, she didn’t feel one bit guilty about thinking evil plastic-surgeon thoughts.
“Do you have any fresh coffee?” Sara asked, breaking eye contact to look around the station.
“There’s coffee in the back,” Lacey said, walking past her. “How do you take it?”
“Black,” Sara called after her.
When Lacey got back she found Lark, Cathy, and Sara talking about everyone’s favorite topic, the weather. Cathy already had her coat on and looked like she was anxious to leave. She took the opportunity to go when Lacey joined them. Lacey handed the cup to Sara as she watched her flirt with Lark. Even more irritating was watching Lark return the favor. After a few minutes of listening to them banter back and forth, Lacey had had enough and headed into the interrogation room. She had just settled into her chair when Lark and Sara came through the door, laughing. Sara seated herself in the chair furthest away from Lacey and kept all of her attention on Lark, who sat down in the chair across from her.
“I hate to do this to you, but we have to ask you some questions about the murders of Gemma Patterson and Terry Foltz,” he said.
“I understand.” She gave him a radiant smile. “This is so tragic. I can’t believe those two young women are dead. Sandi and Katey were both very close to them. Such a waste.”
“Can you tell us the names of any other people Katey and Sandi ran around with? Anyone they dated?”
“The girls were usually together when they were up here, kind of a girls’ weekend,” Sara said. “Sandi has been dating Dave Banski for a while, and before that she dated a few young men from Madison.”
“Can you tell us their names?”
She glanced over at Lark, a bemused expression on her face. “I’m afraid I can’t remember any of them. It really doesn’t matter,” she said with a wave of her hand. “There wasn’t anybody serious until David.”
Lacey’s pen bore down so hard on the notebook, she thought she might rip the page as she watched Sara flirt. The word “bitch” echoed over and over in her head, startling her with its vehemence.
“Everyone tells us that Katey and Sandi are inseparable,” Lark said.
“They’ve known each other since first grade or kindergarten. They were best friends from the moment they met.”
“Do you recall any of the young men Katey dated?”
Sara glanced over at Lacey and then back at Lark with a quick smile. “No. Cathy would be a better source for that. I can barely keep up with my own kids, let alone someone else’s.”
“So, as close as the girls were, they never double-dated?” Lacey interrupted, bringing a curious glance from Lark.
“Oh, they went to proms with some of the local boys, but it was never anything serious,” she replied to Lark, ignoring Lacey.
“Any local boys in particular that we should talk to?” Lark asked.
“None that I can recall.”
“I’m sorry to keep pressing on this issue, but we’ve gotten some information that Katey may have been dating Gemma and Terry. Do you know anything about that?”
“Nothing at all,” Sara muttered, breaking eye contact.
“Does that surprise you?” Lark asked.
“It’s none of my business. Talk with Cathy and Gus about that,” Sara said staring down at the table.
Lark leaned in towards her. “We’ve gotten some information that Sandi might have been dating Katey or one of the other girls.”
“Dating a woman?” Sara said, her voice rising as she glared at Lark. “That’s ridiculous.”
“We’ve heard—”
“I don’t give a shit what you’ve heard. My daughter is not gay!” she said, her voice rising in anger. “She’s engaged to Dave Banski. Tell me, how could that happen if she’s gay?”
“I didn’t say your daughter was gay. We’ve gotten some information suggesting the possibility and we’re trying to confirm or deny it.”
“You’ve got your answer,” Sara snapped. “My daughter is not gay. She’s engaged. She would never be gay. She knows it’s not the way we are meant to be. You’d better not bring this up when you talk with Steve. He’ll go ballistic.”
“When will he be back?” Lark asked taking his lead from Sara.
“He’s in Atlanta on a buying trip. He’ll be back on Saturday afternoon.” Sara took a sip of her coffee and grimaced at the sour taste. She shot Lacey a look of distaste.
Lark asked Sara where she was during the time of the murders. Calming down, she told them that she was in Minneapolis, shopping. She gave them the name of the hotel she stayed in. Lark escorted her out of the room and helped her with her coat.
Sara had just turned towards the door when Lark called out to her. “Hang on a second. I almost forgot to ask you about this car we found.”
Sara whirled around, a hint of irritation on her face. “What?”
“A few days after the second murder, we found a car at Grezetski’s Market that was stolen from Lippert Motors in Wausau,” Lark said, walking over to her. “Your maiden name was Lippert, right?”
“Yes.”
“Any relation to the Lipperts who own Lippert Motors in Wausau
and Eau Claire?” he asked, his eyes riveted on her face.
“My dad and my brothers.”
“There was another stolen car left here a few years ago from Lippert Motors in Eau Claire. It was found the same week that Gemma was murdered. It seems like such a coincidence that you’re a Lippert and two stolen cars from Lippert’s were found where you and your family live. To top it off, we find two dead bodies the same week we find the two stolen cars.”
“Lippert Motors is one of the largest dealerships in Wisconsin, and the weeks those girls were killed is one of the busiest in Mason County. Someone probably stole a car to get up here to hunt or to get home for Thanksgiving,” she said, her face emotionless.
“Do you or your family have keys to the dealerships?” Lark asked.
“What a strange question. Are you accusing us of stealing those cars?” she asked.
“I’m just trying to unravel these coincidences,” Lark said.
“Well, I can assure you that no one in my family needs to steal a car. If we needed a car when we were in Eau Claire or Wausau, we could just call up my family and ask. They’d be more than happy to loan us one.” She slid the sleeve of her coat back to glance at her watch. “Anything else, Sheriff? I’ve got errands to run.”
“No, that’ll do it.”
“Sweet mother of God,” Lacey said once the door closed behind Sara. “That was almost like watching a split personality. One minute, she’s trying to flirt your pants off and the next minute she’s sounding like she could cut your balls off.”
“I wonder if her alibi will hold up.”
“You think she killed those girls?”
“She couldn’t have gotten them out into the marsh alone. She doesn’t look that strong.”
“She keeps in shape,” Lacey said. “She might surprise you.”
“Let’s check these alibis so we know what to do next.” Lark glanced at his watch, shocked to find it was 7:30 P.M.
Since their appointments with Sandi and Katey were scheduled for the next day, Joel joined Lark and Lacey to check alibis. It took an hour to run down hotel managers and have them check their computerized records, but eventually both Cathy Lowery’s and Sara’s Waltner’s stories checked out.
Cathy had driven to Chicago and stayed at the Ritz Carlton at Water Tower Place both times. Her bill showed daily parking-garage charges and room-service meals each day for both of her stays. From the looks of her bill, it was impossible that she could have driven back and forth between Chicago and Big Oak for the killings. Lark made a note to check airline lists on the date in question to assure that she hadn’t flown back and forth. He asked Joel to check out the other airports to assure that she hadn’t chartered a plane.
Sara had stayed at the Hotel Sofitel in Bloomington, Minnesota. She had driven to Minneapolis, but she didn’t have any valet-parking charges. She did have sporadic room service and movie charges throughout her bill.
The three of them discussed their findings as they picked up a pizza and headed home. They settled down to eat around 9:30, and after planning the trip to Madison, they went to bed.
THURSDAY MORNING
NOVEMBER 30—SWENSON
Lark stumbled out of bed at 6:30 to the sound of running water. He cranked his shower taps on and looked out the window. The sky to the east remained overcast. He stepped into a steaming hot shower, thankful at least one thing was going right.
He dressed quickly and headed downstairs. He found Lacey and Joel reading separate sections of the morning paper. Lark read the front page while he made a pot of coffee for their thermoses.
The trip to Madison was fast, despite the icy roads and the on-again, off-again snow. They hit the outskirts of Madison at 11:30 and threaded their way down East Washington towards the state capital. Lark’s only exposure to Madison had been driving the interstate around it when he and Maria had vacationed in northern Wisconsin. He’d heard how big the campus was, but was surprised at how much of the city it usurped.
They pulled up at the side entrance of the student union just as Katey and Sandi walked out the door. The girls wore jeans, hooded ski parkas, and hiking boots. With mounds of snow on every street corner, it wasn’t hard to see why they were dressed to climb Mount Everest.
They climbed into the Jeep and Lark drove to the University police headquarters. Joel went to talk with Ann’s friend, Barbara Danner, and everyone else went to the interview room.
“I’m going to interview each of you separately and I’d like to talk with Katey first,” Lark said, his smile gone, his voice all business. Sandi left the room.
“Why didn’t you to tell us about your affairs with Terry and Gemma?” Lark asked.
“I didn’t tell you because it isn’t true,” Katey replied, glancing at Lacey, looking for support. “Well, it’s not exactly true,” she said when Lacey scowled at her.
“What was your relationship with Gemma?” Lark asked.
“We were very good friends.”
He snorted and glared at her.
“OK, OK, we were lovers.”
“Why didn’t you tell us this earlier?” Lacey asked.
“I didn’t think it was important. We only slept together a few times. Gemma wasn’t sure whether she was gay or straight. She was experimenting.”
“Was Sandi also one of her lovers?” Lark asked.
Katey drew back from the table and looked away. “You’ll have to ask her,” she said, unable to meet his eyes.
“I’m asking you,” Lark yelled. “Two women are dead and I’m trying to figure out why before someone else gets killed. I’ve had just about enough of your evasiveness.” He slammed his fist down on the table. “Tell me what the hell’s going on. Now!”
“If I knew, believe me, I’d tell you.” Katey’s voice was full of sadness. “I’ve been gay as long as I can remember. I’ve known Sandi since kindergarten and she’s always been crazy about boys. Despite that, we’re very close.
“Sandi was very promiscuous when she was in high school. She loves sex. I, on the other hand, didn’t have sex until I came here. I think I was the only gay woman in Big Oak, maybe even in northern Wisconsin. No one ever guessed. They think I’m straight because I’m pretty. I went out with a few guys in high school, but it was always just a friendship thing.
“I went a little wild, when I got here. I joined a lesbian group and had a few short affairs, nothing serious. Gemma was one of those relationships. We spent most of our time talking about how unclear she was about her sexuality. I think she was bisexual but would have gotten married and had a very happy hetero life.”
“What about Terry?”
“Terry was a lesbian and knew it just like I did. We were soul mates.”
Lark nodded. “How does Sandi fit into this?”
“I told you, you’ll have to ask her.”
“I will, but right now I’m asking you.”
“It’s not my business to talk about Sandi. She can tell you what she sees fit.”
“Have you heard of obstruction of justice?” Lark asked.
“Yes, but I’m not under arrest so that doesn’t apply.”
“You’ve got that wrong,” Lacey said. “You can be arrested for obstructing justice.”
“Ask your questions,” Katey said, glaring at her.
“You said earlier that Sandi loves men and sex.”
“That’s correct.”
“Have you had sex with her?”
Katey’s face turned beet red. She looked past Lacey at the wall behind her.
“I repeat …”
“Yes, we’ve had sex, but that doesn’t make her a lesbian,” Katey snapped.
“What does that make her?” Lark asked
“Someone who loves sex.” She gave Lark a withering glance. “She’s in love with David and will probably never sleep with anyone else. She just wanted to try a few things.”
“And you didn’t have any problem with that?” Lacey asked.
“No, I was trying a f
ew new things myself,” she replied, not making eye contact with either of them.
“Did Sandi have sex with Gemma?” Lacey asked.
“Once or twice.”
“Did Sandi have sex with Terry?”
“We both did.”
“Meaning?” Lacey asked.
“We all three had sex together one time,” Katey said, staring at the floor. “Sandi wanted to try it with two women.”
“Does David know about this?” Lacey asked.
“You’ll have to ask Sandi.”
“Who else knows about it?” Lark asked
The color drained from Katey’s face. “I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone. Terry may have told her brother Brian. He knew she was gay. I don’t think anyone else knows.”
“Anyone else you all were sleeping with who may have wanted to hurt Gemma or Terry?” Lark asked.
Katey studied him for a second before she spoke. “I’m sure this is all very shocking, but I can assure you, it was harmless sex. It was consensual and no one meant to hurt anyone. I’ve racked my brain and I can’t imagine who would want to kill Gemma and Terry.”
“Any jealous girlfriends in your past who might want to get at anyone you’re close to?”
“No, my most serious relationship has been with Terry, and Sandi, of course, as a friend.”
“And lover,” Lark corrected
“Sandi and I aren’t lovers. We just fooled around a little. It didn’t mean anything to either of us.”
“Do your parents know about any of this?” he asked.
“Are you kidding? My parents think I’m straight as an arrow.”
“It’s bound to come out that Terry was gay. Your relationship with her may also come out. I’d want to tell my parents before they heard it from someone else,” Lacey said.
“It’ll kill my dad.”
“You may be surprised,” Lark said. “I haven’t talked with him, but I have talked with your mom and I think she can handle it.”
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