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Sidney clung to her pillow while she slept. Harlan was in all her dreams, allowing her to relive that scene in the airport several times. Sunlight invaded her pleasant dreams, forcing her back into reality. When she woke, she groaned and rolled onto her back. She stared at the ceiling for several minutes while the night’s dreams still flooded her thoughts. It had been a long time since she’d hungered for a man. Unfortunately, it was the same man. She was supposed to meet Trisha at her house by nine-thirty, but she didn’t think she’d be able to get herself together so soon. She forced herself out of bed and took a lengthy, hot shower. She was unable to shake Harlan from her mind. In her dreams, Harlan had kissed her back. The sensation of his lips against hers was overpowering.
By the time she reached Trisha’s house, it was ten o’clock, and her friend had been impatiently pacing the porch. Trisha jumped off the porch and hurried to meet her halfway.
“You were a lot more punctual when you weren’t so old,” she remarked sternly. “We have to hurry if we want to catch Malcolm during his prep period at ten-fifteen. That’ll give us about forty minutes to extract the affair from him.”
Sidney shook her head while they walked. “You’re not to say a word,” she snapped lowly. “He’s not going to confess to having an affair with Miss Fisher in the first five minutes, and if you put him on the defensive, he won’t tell us anything. He doesn’t have to talk to us at all if he doesn’t want to.”
“If the police in Marilina weren’t so damned lazy, they would have done a better job while investigating the murder,” Trisha snapped. "They didn't even want the Brighten Police getting involved until they were given no choice."
“They didn’t have a reason to suspect anyone other than Alex,” Sidney reminded her. “All the evidence and the motive pointed to him. The only thing missing was the murder weapon.”
Trisha frowned. “I suppose Alex did look suspicious at the time.”
Sidney rolled her eyes and wondered if Trisha even remembered what they had seen that day or if her memories were so distorted, she only remembered what she wanted.
Chapter Eighteen
Trisha and Sidney entered the school between classes. The hallway was congested with students visiting their lockers to exchange books for their next class. Sidney didn’t know how Trisha knew Mr. Malcolm’s schedule since they changed each school year. Trisha was a rather clever girl, but no one gave her enough credit because of her attitude. The kids talked with one another and horsed around in the halls. Some boys even threw football. Sidney immediately recognized the hefty boy who caught the ball. It was number fifty-two from the stone bridge the day she’d arrived. He smiled when he saw her and hurried to greet her.
“Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here. Just couldn’t live without me, huh?” he teased then eyed Trisha. “Hello, Miss Allister.”
“Hi, Tim,” Trisha muttered softly then looked away.
“We just came to visit some old teachers,” Sidney remarked to the teenage boy.
The boy again looked at Trisha then grinned at Sidney. “You wouldn’t happen to be McBride’s daughter, would you?”
Sidney was slightly set back by his question. “Yes, I am. How did you know?”
“A lucky guess,” he replied with some humor. “You were the one who found that teacher in the woods. You and Miss Allister. You didn’t say anything about it the other day.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Trisha remarked while frowning and walked down the hall.
Sidney watched her friend filter into the crowd of students. She focused her attention back on the boy. “It’s not something I like to boast about,” she replied simply.
“Are you kidding?” he asked as his eyes widened. “You were part of a historical event in this otherwise boring, little town. The old biddies have been thriving on that gossip for eight years. I did a report on the murder last year. Ms. Palmer helped me with it. I wanted to interview Miss Allister, but Ms. Palmer was totally against it.”
Sidney studied him a long moment, surprised to hear that. “Really?”
“Yeah, I told you before; Miss Allister doesn’t think the boyfriend did it. Some of the teachers have mixed feelings toward her because of that. They think she’s a nutcase.”
She frowned from his comment then forced a tiny smile. “Do you still have that report?”
“I think so, but I don’t know where it’d be. If I find it, I’ll drop it off at the press,” he announced cheerfully. The bell rang for class. He laughed at himself. “Looks like I’m late again. Catch you later.”
Sidney watched the boy run through the empty hallway. She wondered why Ms. Palmer had a problem with Trisha. Was the entire town so narrow-minded, that they couldn’t bear to think the wrong man was convicted?
Sidney continued to ponder the credibility of the people she thought she once knew as she approached Mr. Malcolm’s classroom. She could hear Mr. Malcolm’s voice through the open door, forcing her to pause outside his room. She looked above the door and stared at his room number. Number eleven. Two vertical lines. Was there a connection? What was Miss Fisher trying to tell them by marking the rock? When she peered into the classroom, she saw Mr. Malcolm talking to Trisha in a firm, annoyed tone. Malcolm was a bit heavier than she’d remembered, mostly in the midsection. His brown hair was thin and graying.
Sidney knocked lightly on the door then entered. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she announced with a pleasant smile then glared at Trisha, threatening her with her eyes.
Mr. Malcolm saw Sidney and appeared enthusiastic. “Well, if it isn’t Sidney McBride. How have you been?” he asked cheerfully. “Last I heard you were living in New York.”
Sidney didn’t expect such a warm response from a teacher she’d never liked. He’d always seemed so unfeeling while she was in school.
“I’m just home for a short visit,” she replied pleasantly. “This place hasn’t changed much in eight years.”
Mr. Malcolm chuckled softly. “Marilina never does. What brings you to my classroom?”
“Just a little trip down memory lane,” she replied with a warm smile then looked at Trisha and raised her brows. “Could I speak to Mr. Malcolm alone?”
Trisha frowned, appearing scolded, and left the room. Sidney closed the door behind Trisha then turned toward Mr. Malcolm and shook her head.
“I was so distraught when I discovered the strain she’s been under,” Sidney said gently then forced a nervous smirk. “She’s really had a tough time since the murder.”
Mr. Malcolm sighed deeply and sat on the edge of his desk. “Yes, I’m afraid she’s having some sort of delusional fantasy about Trexler not being the killer. One day someone will have to lock her up if she keeps going at this rate.”
Sidney sighed sadly. “I hope it doesn’t come to that,” she said. “She has this feeling that the entire town is pitted against her. Of course, we know that isn’t true. I’m sure everyone just wants what’s best for her.”
“Of course.”
“I’ve also been told you’ve been forced to suffer some indignities as well,” Sidney remarked sympathetically.
He groaned then shook his head. “She believes I was involved in Emily’s death.” He snorted a laugh. “What possible reason would I have to kill that woman? She was a wonderful and brilliant teacher. All the students loved her.”
“I’m inclined to believe you,” Sidney said and sat on one of the small desks. Sidney remembered several feuds between Mr. Malcolm and Miss Fisher. It was odd his opinion had changed since the murder. She sighed and shook her head. “Simply tragic.” She forced a light smile. “How’s Mrs. Malcolm these days?”
Mr. Malcolm hesitated then sighed. “We’re divorced nearly eight years.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear,” Sidney replied. “I suppose she found out about you and Miss Fisher.”
Paul Malcolm stared at Sidney with a shocked look on his face. “What are you talking about?”
; Sidney smirked and tilted her head to one side. “Come now, Mr. Malcolm. Everyone knew you and Emily Fisher were having an affair,” she said casually despite her trembling body. It was a risk, but she decided she had to take it.
“I--I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snapped lowly. “There was nothing between Emily and me. Who told you such a ridiculous story?”
Sidney hesitated a moment wondering if Harlan had been mistaken then smiled with confidence. “Several people witnessed your friendly behavior at Sam’s Tavern.” She then pretended to consider something. “I wonder? Did Alex Trexler know about the affair? I mean, he was tending bar around the same time you left with her, wasn’t he?”
Paul continued to stare at her with astonishment. He lowered his head then looked away. “Alex wasn’t the type who noticed much. The fool believed anything she told him. She had that effect on most people.” He looked back at Sidney with a defensive look. “My involvement with her was a short-term thing. I saw her three, maybe four times before I realized she was playing the entire field. It wasn’t worth my wife finding out.”
“Too bad she did anyway,” Sidney remarked sympathetically while shaking her head, though she didn’t have anything to back up her assumption.
“Yes,” he said with a soft sigh. “I could never prove it, but I think my wife told Alex about Emily’s indiscretions with me. When I heard them arguing in the hallway, I had the impression it was about me, though I couldn’t be positive. It didn’t matter,” he announced and groaned. “Emily was not the type of woman any man could ever have for very long. She was sleeping around with two others apart from Alex and myself. She had her eyes on that guy that worked for your father. You know--the foreign fella. But I don’t think he took to her. At least, he never left Sam’s with her.”
“Yes, Harlan, right? What else do you remember about him?” Sidney asked although it didn’t have any pertinence to the case at hand.
He shrugged with little interest. “He left town shortly after the murder. It was rather suspicious. There was talk that he may have been involved, but I don’t pay much mind to gossip,” Mr. Malcolm informed her. “If you want gossip, you’ll have to talk to Mrs. Randall and Mrs. Cooper.”
“I’m aware of their reputations,” Sidney remarked with a warm smile. “I don’t really remember much about the day Miss Fisher was killed, and my father is reluctant to talk about it. Was there anything about that day that seemed unusual or out of the ordinary? Did she give any indication that she was meeting Alex or anyone else that afternoon?”
“Apart from her fight with Alex, she was her usual, perky self. I do remember she left school just as soon as all the students had left,” he informed her. “She seemed in a bit of a hurry. I believe she talked to Ms. Palmer before she’d left. I thought she might have had a date by the way she flew out of here. I just figured she was looking for another conquest.”
Sidney managed a polite smile. “It’s been good talking to you, Mr. Malcolm.”
“Oh, please, call me Paul. You’re not my student anymore,” he remarked with a tiny laugh. “If you’re leaving, please take Trisha with you, okay?”
She nodded. “I will.”
Sidney gave a slight wave and returned to the hall where Trisha paced. Sidney grabbed Trisha’s arm and pulled her down the hall and away from Malcolm’s room, out of earshot.
“Well, what did he say?” Trisha demanded to know as they left the school.
“He admitted to the affair and collaborated the story Harlan told about Miss Fisher having several affairs.”
“So what do we do now?” Trisha practically gasped. “If he had an affair, he could have murdered her as well, right?”
“We’re not doing anything with that information right now,” Sidney remarked simply. “We really need to visit with Mrs. Randall and Mrs. Cooper. If anyone in this town knows anything, it has to be them.”
“Mrs. Randall is doing her usual volunteer work at the library. She'll be walking to Mrs. Cooper’s house in about an hour for tea and her usual dose of gossip,” Trisha replied. “Do you want to talk to them alone or together?”
“I think they’ll say more if they’re together. I’ve always noticed how they feed off each other.”
“Yes, they encourage each other rather well,” Trisha muttered under her breath. “We’ll escort Mrs. Randall to Mrs. Cooper’s house.”
“We have time for an early lunch,” Sidney informed her friend. “Let’s stop at the diner. We can intercept Mrs. Randall when she passes.”
“That’s a good idea. I am kinda hungry,” Trisha replied.
“You’re hungry because you don’t eat enough,” Sidney remarked bluntly. “You’d better start taking care of yourself.”
“I shower every morning,” Trisha stated. “What more do you want?”
Sidney glared at her friend. “A little color to your skin, less dark circles under your eyes, and a little more meat on your bones.” Sidney looked away and groaned. “Honestly, you look like a poster child for some third world country.”
Trisha became unusually silent as they approached the diner. Sidney looked at her and gently bit her lower lip.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” Sidney said softly.
Trisha paused just outside the diner and forced Sidney to look at her. “I do look as if death warmed over, don’t I?”
Sidney held her breath. “You’ve looked better. I’m a little worried about your health,” she said honestly.
Trisha forced a tiny smile. “If you’d move back home, you could get on my case more often. I’d probably get tired of hearing you nag and eventually listen.”
Sidney laughed softly. “Now that’s the Trisha I remember.”
Chapter Nineteen
The two, young women entered the diner and received a warm reception from Mary Allister. Despite her mother’s enthusiasm to see them, Trisha purposely sat at a booth so her mother couldn’t listen to their conversations.
“Mrs. Randall knows you better than she knows me, so I suggest you do most of the talking,” Sidney informed her. “Just keep it casual.”
“Oh, come on,” Trisha remarked lowly. “They both know my views on the murder. We just need to give them a topic and watch their tongues wag.”
“Then it shouldn’t take much to coax them onto the subject,” Sidney announced. “I’ll bring up something about the murder and allow them to take it from there. That boy in the hallway said it’s one of their favorite topics.”
Trisha gave her a surprised look. “They never say much about it to me.”
Sidney let out a slight laugh. “That’s probably because it’s you they’re talking about.”
“There’s nothing funny about that,” Trisha muttered. “I’m not thrilled about being the topic of gossip. This town doesn’t take kindly to views that aren’t their own.”
Mary brought their sodas to the table. “Why don’t you two sit at the counter so we can talk while I work?”
Trisha gave her mother a tiny smile. “Those chairs aren’t the most comfortable, but thanks for offering.”
Trisha’s mother gave them a suspicious look then returned to the counter. Sidney leaned back in the booth and studied Trisha while she drank her soda.
“Have you ever considered the possibility that Alex may have killed her?” Sidney asked while raising a curious brow. “I mean, I will admit there are some unanswered questions and some possible suspects and motives, but the facts are stacked against him.”
Trisha played with the straw in her soda without looking up. “I need to be sure,” she said simply. “It’s just something I feel needs to be done.”
Sidney nodded and leaned forward. “But after we’ve interview everyone who possibly knows anything about the murder, will you give it up if there’s nothing to prove his innocence?”
Trisha looked at Sidney and tilted her head. “If you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one else could possibly have killed her, I’ll give it u
p.”
Sidney knew that wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
§
Sidney and Trisha no sooner finished their sandwiches when they saw Mrs. Randall enter the press just across the street from the diner. Sidney left some money on the table, and both hurried out the door without a word to Mary. They crossed the street, slowed their pace, and casually entered the press. Mrs. Randall was already in the back speaking to Sidney’s father. As they approached the back counter, Herb smiled when he saw them.
“What brings you ladies here this afternoon?” he asked pleasantly.
“Just taking a walk and catching up on gossip,” Sidney casually replied then beamed with delight. “I heard the most fascinating thing today, Dad. You just won’t believe it.”
Mrs. Randall turned her head slightly and listened with great eagerness.
Trisha elbowed Sidney with a stern look. “You can’t repeat what you’ve heard. It wouldn’t be right.”
Mrs. Randall no longer appeared interested now that she wouldn’t get the juicy gossip.
Trisha took Sidney’s arm and smiled at Herb. “If you’ll excuse us, Mr. McBride, we have some things to discuss.”
Sidney and Trisha left the press and walked along the sidewalk at a leisurely pace.
Sidney glared at her friend. “You didn’t even give her time to respond,” she announced lowly. “That wasn’t what we rehearsed. What if she doesn’t care?”
“Just wait and listen,” Trisha said confidently.
They didn’t even get beyond the press building when Mrs. Randall called to them.
“Trisha, Sidney, wait up,” Mrs. Randall called out. “I’ll walk with you.”
They turned as the short, elderly woman hurried to catch up with them. She moved like a penguin. Neither had seen the woman move so fast before. Mrs. Randall squeezed between them and linked onto each of their arms.
The Deadliest Institution Collection Page 76
