Come Homicide or High Water

by Denise Swanson

  Skye and Simon had dated on and off for over two years, then she thought she caught him cheating on her. He’d been too stubborn to explain his actions and shortly afterward, Wally and Skye became an item. The three of them working together was always awkward.

  Skye had hoped that when Simon started dating Emerald Jones, the tension would ease, but it hadn’t. Emmy had arrived in Scumble River after getting into some kind of trouble in Las Vegas, promptly flirted with Wally at his gun club, and then ended up dating Skye’s ex.

  Although not exactly BFF material, Skye had tried to be cordial to her. However, every time they were in the same room, the outrageous woman managed to get on Skye’s last nerve.

  Shoving away all thoughts of Emmy and Simon, Skye thought about the crime scene. She concentrated on what she might have observed.

  Wally had moved over to talk to the men guarding the toolshed and was taking notes when the thing that had been bothering Skye clicked into place and she snapped her fingers. She waited until Wally dismissed the security team, stuck his baton through the handles of the shed to keep Earl inside, then joined him by the shed.

  “I just realized that Mrs. Quinn doesn’t have on a coat.” Skye pulled her own jacket tighter. “So she didn’t expect to be outside very long.”

  “Hmm.” Wally walked back over to the fence and peered over the pink pickets. “You’re right. She’s only wearing a blouse and slacks.”

  “I wonder if she heard something and came out to check.” Skye took a deep breath. “I think people who move here from the city feel that they are safe from crime.”

  “Maybe.” Wally sighed. “And although that’s usually true, it isn’t always the case.” Skye nodded, and at the sound of a siren, Wally said, “That must be Quirk. I called him to report for duty.”

  Sergeant Roy Quirk was Wally’s right hand at the PD. He usually worked second shift, but with a murder, he was needed on days.

  Wally headed to the front of the house with Skye trailing him. She watched as he and Roy began protecting the crime scene by stringing bright-yellow tape between sawhorses and her mind wandered to the twins and returning to work and a thousand other mundane thoughts.

  Blinking back to reality, Skye realized that she was avoiding the real issue. Jerita Quinn was dead and her husband, Skye and Wally’s contractor, would be a prime suspect. Especially since he’d confided to Wally that he and his wife had been fighting about their daughter.

  Skye blanched. She’d forgotten all about Jenna. Where was the little girl? Skye checked her watch and blew out a relieved breath. Jenna would still be in school. Thank goodness Scumble River had begun all-day kindergarten this year.

  Finished with securing the perimeter, Wally came back and said, “You have a strange look on your face.” He stroked her arms and asked, “Do you feel all right? You can head home and we can go over everything later.”

  “I’m fine,” Skye reassured him. “Just considering what I know about Jerita.”

  “Oh?” Wally stroked his chin. “You mean besides being married to our contractor.”

  “Uh-huh.” Skye’s cheeks reddened. Previously, she’d had to keep Jerita’s lawsuit against Homer and the school from Wally because of confidentiality, but with her murder all constraints were gone. “Remember the parent meeting I attended after we talked to Mr. Baker?”

  Wally nodded, then raised both his eyebrows and said, “It was with Jerita Quinn?”

  “Yes.” Skye tucked her suddenly cold hands into the pockets of her jacket. “And she is, I mean was, Loretta’s new paralegal.”

  “Well, crap!” Wally started to say something else, but stopped when Simon pulled his shiny Lexus behind the cruiser blocking the driveway.

  He jumped out of the car and jogged up to Wally and Skye carrying a black doctor’s case that Skye knew contained a camera, stethoscope, flashlight, rubber gloves, and liver thermometer. The body bag would arrive with his assistant in the hearse.

  Wally nodded a greeting and said, “Reid.”

  “Boyd.” Simon jerked his chin in response, then asked, “Where’s the body?”

  Simon was the exact opposite of Wally. Where Skye’s husband was muscular, Simon was built more like a male model. His auburn hair was never out of place, while the short black strands on Wally’s head often stood up from his fingers combing through them. But the biggest difference was Simon’s eyes. Skye had never seen them anything but cool and appraising, while Wally’s were always warm when she looked into them.

  “The vic’s around back by the playhouse.” Wally gestured over his shoulder. “We’ll have to wait for the crime techs to get here before you can move her, but in the meantime, try to get a time of death.”

  Before Simon could move, the sound of wood splintering ripped through the air. Wally took off toward the backyard with Roy, Skye, and Simon on his heels.

  As they rounded the corner, Skye’s mouth dropped open. A riding lawn mower continued to roll over what remained of the toolshed’s door, and once it cleared the debris, it picked up speed until Earl Doozier’s tail feathers disappeared into the trees. She had no idea that a lawn mower could go that fast. It had to be doing thirty miles an hour. Had Beilin souped-up his mower? But why?

  Chapter 7

  Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is Anymore

  While Wally and Quirk took off in pursuit of Earl and Simon examined Jerita Quinn’s body, Skye returned to the front of the house. She’d seen enough of that particular backyard to last her a lifetime. She was cold, her feet hurt from standing so long, and she wanted to be somewhere else. Preferably someplace warm, but she’d settle for somewhere she could at least sit down.

  Spotting a wicker chair on the front porch, Skye sank gratefully into its brightly colored cushions and looked around. All the homes in this development were located on their own slight rises, and from her perch she could observe two of the houses across the street, as well the ones on either side of her.

  With it being a Monday morning, Skye figured most of Jerita and Beilin’s neighbors were probably at work. Still, there was always somebody who was home. And even with the large secluded lots separating the homes, a few people had responded to the sound of the sirens and come outside, doubtlessly determined to find out what was disturbing the peace in their exclusive subdivision.

  From her comfy chair, Skye observed a couple of thirtysomething women, one blond and one brunette, dressed in designer tracksuits and standing at the end of one of their driveways. A redheaded woman in yoga pants holding a toddler’s hand was a little to their side as if she weren’t quite part of the group.

  All three women wore those puffer vests that were so popular. Skye couldn’t understand the appeal of the garment. Not only did it seem as if it wouldn’t do much to keep you warm, but its bulkiness added the illusion of inches to their midriffs. And Skye was pretty darn sure most people didn’t want to look like the Michelin Man.

  Oh well. Skye smoothed her navy fleece jacket. To each their own.

  The women were staring at her and Skye figured she should really put her time to good use. As she got to her feet, a groan escaped from her lips and she scrubbed her tired eyes. It was tough to be alert on so little sleep.

  With a genial expression on her face, Skye skirted the squad car blocking her way and crossed the street.

  Strolling toward the lookie-loos, Skye waved and said, “Hi, I’m Skye Denison-Boyd. I work with the police department as a psychological consultant.”

  The trio returned her greeting, then the blond, the one Skye had immediately pegged as the leader of the group, said, “My name’s Stacy Carter. What’s going on at the Quinns’?”

  “I’m afraid Mrs. Quinn has passed away,” Skye answered carefully.

  Considering the police call had gone out over the radio and the hearse was about to arrive any minute, she was pretty sure Wally wouldn’t mind her re
vealing that Jerita was dead, but she would have to keep the details to herself. Especially the part about the murder.

  The brunette introduced herself as Liz Semkiu and asked, “What happened to Jerita?”

  “Cause of death hasn’t been determined yet,” Skye answered. Which was true. COD wouldn’t be official until the medical examiner’s report arrived on Wally’s desk and it was possible that she’d been stabbed in the temple with a knife after she died.

  “Maybe it was a heart attack. She was an older mom after all.” The woman with the toddler shook her head sadly, then added, “By the way, I’m Marla Ainsley, and this is Leo.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Skye smiled at the boy, then focused on the mother. “Do you know Mrs. Quinn’s age?”

  “I think she was fortyish?” Marla looked at the other two women.

  “She was forty-eight,” Stacy said with certainty. “Jerita told me they had been trying for a baby for a long time and when she turned forty-two they decided to give it one more chance.”

  “Right.” Liz nodded. “And little Jenna was five the end of October.” She looked at the other two women. “Do you remember that over-the-top party Jerita had for her birthday?” Glancing at Skye she said, “Jenna is really into the whole princess thing, and Jerita not only had an actor playing Prince Charming, she came up with a live unicorn.” At Skye’s doubtful expression she shrugged. “Well, she rented a white horse dyed like a rainbow with a glittering horn somehow attached to his forehead.”

  “Wow!” Skye hoped May never heard about that party or heaven knew what she’d do to top it for Eva and CJ’s first birthdays.

  “You can say that again.” Stacy tsked. “I thought poor Beilin was going to stroke out when he saw what Jerita had done. He was always afraid she would spoil their daughter and make her into a brat.”

  “Hmm.” Skye paused a second to tuck that info away, then said, “Were you three home all morning?” Skye hoped she hadn’t been too abrupt. When the three women nodded without reacting to the sudden change of subject, she asked, “Have you seen any strangers hanging around the neighborhood?”

  “Just the weird guy in the turkey suit.” Stacy wrinkled her nose. “I glanced out my window and saw some woman with big hair and boobs ready to pop out of her shirt driving a rusty car drop him off about an hour ago.”

  Marla stooped to wipe her son’s runny nose, then said, “I think it was more like ninety minutes. Leo was watching Snickerdoo.”

  “Whatever, Marla.” Stacy rolled her eyes. “That turkey guy is the only nonresident I’ve seen. But of course, I don’t just stare out the window so…”

  “We have had an occasional hunter come through our woods. I live there.” Liz pointed to the house next to the Quinns’. “All of us on that side of the street have property lines that back up to cornfields, and sometimes those guys ignore the ‘no trespassing’ sign.”

  Before Skye could respond, Stacy grabbed her hand and asked, “Has Beilin been notified?” When Skye shook her head, she tsked again. “That poor, poor man. He’s such a sweetheart.” She licked her glossy lips. “Handsome too.” Smiling she added, “And not to mention successful.”

  “Seriously, Stacy?” Liz put her hands on her hips. “I doubt Jerita is even cold yet and you’re planning on going after Beilin?”

  “Well, your husband didn’t run off with a slut he met online.” Stacy glared at Liz, then smiled meanly. “At least not yet.”

  Marla looked at Skye, jerked her chin at the two other women, and winked. “Mr. Rogers didn’t exactly prepare me for these neighbors.”

  Skye laughed and Stacy said, “It’s just that Jerita was always yelling at Beilin and he really is a nice guy.”

  “The police will be notifying him soon,” Skye assured the blond, then had an inspiration. “Do you know where he might be?”

  Stacy narrowed her eyes at Skye, paused, then as something seemed to click, she said, “Are you married to the police chief?”

  “I am,” Skye admitted.

  “Then you know where Beilin is,” Stacy accused. “He’s working on your house. According to Jerita, he’s there from dawn to dusk.”

  “Really?” Skye added that piece of info to her mental folder on Beilin and Jerita’s relationship. He might be at their house now, but he sure hadn’t been there every single day from sunup to sundown. “I guess that’s where we better check first then.”

  “Yes.” Stacy crossed her arms. “And you should give that man a rest too.”

  “Uh-huh,” Skye said noncommittally, then asked, “You mentioned that Jerita yelled at Beilin a lot? Do you know what they were fighting about?”

  “It used to be just that they seemed to disagree about how to raise their daughter,” Stacy answered. “But lately it was everything. She— Hey.” Stacy interrupted herself. “Why are you asking about Beilin and Jerita’s fighting?”

  “Yeah.” Liz moved until she was shoulder to shoulder with her friend. “And why did you want to know if we’d seen any strangers?”

  “Jerita didn’t have a heart attack, did she?” Marla put her hand to her mouth.

  “As I said before, cause of death hasn’t been established.” Skye edged backward. It was clear she’d gotten as much info as possible from the women.

  “If you’re interested in the Quinns’ marriage and people hanging around, that means something bad happened to Jerita.” Stacy’s lips formed a stubborn line. “You tell us what’s going on right now.”

  “You’ll be informed if there is any threat to your safety.” As soon as the words left Skye’s mouth she could have slapped herself.

  All three women screamed. Marla grabbed Leo and hustled him across the road and into their house. Liz ran for her front door too.

  Only Stacy stood her ground and said, “If someone hurt Jerita, it wasn’t Beilin. That man bent over backward to give her everything she wanted. He would never harm a hair on her head.”

  “That’s good to know.” Skye eased farther away. “Thank you.”

  As she walked back up the Quinns’ driveway, she noticed Wally and Roy coming around the side of the house. Since they didn’t have Earl in tow, Skye guessed that the Doozier had gotten away.

  Skye bit her lips in a struggle to contain an inappropriate giggle at the image of Earl wearing a turkey suit as he rode a lawn mower down the center of Basin Street, and when Wally reached her he asked, “Everything okay?”

  “Fine. I had a nice chat with the neighbors, which I’ll tell you all about when you’re ready,” Skye said. Then she remembered Stacy’s interest in Jerita’s husband and continued, “But if you want to be the one to tell Beilin about his wife’s death, and if you haven’t already done it, you might want to send Roy over to pick him up.” Skye quickly added, “Oh. And make sure he can’t answer his cell phone.”

  “Why is that?” Wally asked.

  But since he was already gesturing for Roy to come over, Skye waited until the sergeant had joined them before she explained, “One of the neighbors, a woman named Stacy Carter, seemed very fond of Beilin. I’m guessing that if she hasn’t already contacted him, she’s going to try to call him soon, and tell him that something’s going on at his place.”

  “Go…sh darn it!” Wally jerked his chin at Roy. “Go scoop him up right now and try to get ahold of his phone without violating any of his rights.” When the sergeant hesitated, Wally thumped him on the shoulder, “He’s our builder and is probably at our new house.”

  Once the sergeant roared off, Skye looked around and asked, “Where’s the hearse?”

  “Xavier was on a pickup at Laurel Hospital when I called Reid.” Wally’s jaw twitched. “He should be here with it any minute.”

  “Did Simon figure out the time of Jerita’s death yet?”

  “Let’s hold off on that right now.” Wally patted her shoulder. “Tonight, over dinner, w
e’ll exchange all the information we’ve gathered.”

  “Oh goody.” Skye’s tone was less than enthusiastic. “My favorite kind of date. We haven’t had Suspects and Supper in at least a month.”

  Wally looked at her quizzically, but before he could respond, the county’s crime tech van pulled behind the remaining squad car.

  “Finally.” Wally kissed Skye’s cheek. “I’ll get the techs started.”

  While he was gone, Skye dug out her cell phone and called Piper. She explained the situation and instructed the intern to pull Jenna from her kindergarten class before rumors started to fly around the school. They couldn’t let the little girl find out about her mother’s death by overhearing teachers talking about it on the playground. She also told Piper that until she heard from Beilin she couldn’t inform Jenna about Jerita’s passing.

  After hanging up, Skye thought about the issue and decided she’d have to hang around until Roy came back with Beilin, then once Wally told him about his wife’s death she’d ask if he wanted Piper to break the news to his daughter.

  Lost in thought, Skye didn’t see the crime tech approach and let out a startled yelp when the woman cleared her throat and said, “Mrs. Boyd?”

  “Yes?” Skye wasn’t sure if she was asking her identity or had a question.

  “Hmm.” The tech pursed her lips, then plainly coming to a decision, nodded. “We’d like to process you now if you’re ready?”

  “Process me? Why?” Skye frowned. “I didn’t touch the body or anything around it.”

  “The chief told me to do it.” The woman’s shrug conveyed that hers was not to reason why, and when she spoke her tone brooked no argument. “I believe you were in close contact with a suspect.”

  “Okay then.” Skye stood and looked around. “How do we do this?”

  “Would you have any other clothing you could change into?” the tech asked. “If so, we can use the garage since it’s been cleared.”

  “I have a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt in my car.” Skye scowled. “But no other coat, so I’ll need to get that back right away.”