“Knapik is an idiot,” Wally yelled from the shower. “Did he really think Earl wouldn’t tell anyone that he had called him and lured him over to the Quinns’?”
“He figured no one would believe a Doozier.” Skye raised her voice as she selected a Henley waffle-knit shirt for Wally to wear. The rust color flattered his olive skin and made his brown eyes sparkle. “That man believes that everyone thinks exactly the way he does.” She took a pair of dark wash jeans from the closet and laid them next to the shirt, then added a belt. “So what’s our next move in regard to Homer?”
Skye couldn’t make out Wally’s answer above the sound of the water, so she stepped inside the bathroom. She was rewarded with a view of her naked husband exiting the shower. Droplets ran down his body, spotlighting the delineation of his chiseled muscles.
She unconsciously licked her lips. With the space limitations of the RV and the demands of the twins, they didn’t get much time to enjoy each other anymore. Another reason she couldn’t wait until the new house was finished.
An amused chuckle dragged her attention up to Wally’s face and he drawled, “Sugar, you need to stop looking at me like that unless you want your mom to arrive to find us in a compromising position.”
Grinning, Wally dried off, pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, then walked over to the vanity and picked up his razor.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Skye widened her eyes innocently and said, “I just didn’t hear your answer about Homer.”
Over the buzz of his electric shaver, Wally said, “Once we get the DNA results from the pumpkin seed hulls, I’ll bring him in for questioning.” He leaned closer to the mirror and added, “Until then, I want him to feel safe and think he got away with setting up Earl.”
“He’s pretty complacent.” Skye frowned. “Except I did overhear the superintendent pressuring Homer to retire. It sounded as if Dr. Wraige had finally had enough of his incompetence.”
“Good. Worrying about that will keep him busy until we’re ready for him.” Wally smoothed on some aftershave balm and Skye breathed in the crisp lime scent.
At the sound of knocking, Skye turned, and over her shoulder said, “That must be Mom. We should probably leave in ten minutes or so.”
“Okay,” Wally said as Skye closed the bathroom door and hurried away.
It was actually more like a quarter hour before they were ready. But finally the food was loaded into the SUV and May was ensconced on the sofa with a twin cradled in each arm.
After kissing Eva and CJ goodbye, and thanking May for babysitting, Skye and Wally left the RV, got into the Mercedes, and drove toward the other side of town. A year and a half ago, after being unable to find exactly the home they, or actually Loretta, wanted in the area, Skye’s brother and sister-in-law had decided to build a house.
Jed and May had deeded a good-sized lot to Vince and Loretta from a forty-acre parcel that Jed had purchased several years ago to add to his farmland. It was located a couple of miles down the road from the Denison homestead on the Stanley side of County Line Road.
Loretta’s perfectionism had almost guaranteed that she and Vince would need to have a custom home built, and Skye hadn’t been at all surprised when Vince went along with the plan. For a man who had dated nearly every pretty girl in the surrounding three counties, he had turned into a shockingly devoted husband. And if Loretta wanted something, he moved heaven and earth to make sure she got it.
Loretta and Skye were alums of Alpha Sigma Alpha, so were both sorority sisters and sisters-in-law. In fact, that was how Loretta, a hotshot defense attorney in Chicago, had come to marry Vince.
Skye had reached out to her sorority sister several years ago to defend Vince on a murder charge. And then, despite Loretta’s often-declared aversion to small towns and their citizens, she had fallen in love with Skye’s brother, married him, and agreed to live in Scumble River.
Before her first pregnancy, Loretta had continued to work for her Chicago firm, but after April was born, she’d decided to quit trying to juggle a demanding career and long drive into the city. Instead, she’d opened her own practice in town. Handling real estate closings and estate planning wasn’t as exciting as defending criminals, but it was a lot less stressful, as was a five-minute versus hour-and-a-half commute.
Vince and Loretta had been in their home nearly a year, and as Wally turned the SUV down the long lane leading to the house, Skye examined the oaks, pecans, and hickories interspersed with redbuds, hawthorns, pawpaws, yellowwoods, and crabapples that were planted along the driveway. Once the trees had grown and matured, the allée would make an elegant entrance to the spectacular residence.
Wally parked the Mercedes along the circular driveway, helped Skye from the car, and then they both gathered the food from the cargo area in back. Loaded down with containers, they carefully made their way up the cobblestone walkway leading to the double mahogany doors.
Skye managed to work a finger free and rang the bell, smiling when the percussion solo from Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” filled the air. Although Vince had stopped performing with his band, the Plastic Santas, once he was married, he would always be a drummer at heart. The beauty salon he owned and operated was a way to make a living, but it wasn’t his passion.
“We need one of those.” Wally jerked his chin at the doorbell.
“Okay.” Skye wrinkled her brow. Hers and Wally’s tastes in music weren’t exactly similar. “But what song would ours play?”
“Let me think about that and surprise you.” Wally winked at her.
Before Skye could respond, Loretta threw open the door and said, “Hey, guys. Come on inside and take off your jackets. Let me take some of those goodies while you hang your coats in the hall closet. I’m starving!”
After Skye and Wally removed their jackets, they followed Loretta through the foyer and the family room, then into the kitchen.
As Skye placed the lasagna and dessert into the warming oven and stuck the pot holders in the tote bag dangling from her wrist by the straps, she asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty much as if a semitruck just drove out of my V-J.” Loretta raised an eyebrow. “Which I’m sure was how you felt after the twins were born.”
“But I got to stay in the hospital and rest for a couple of days.”
“You obviously have better health insurance than we do.” Loretta took the salad bowl from Wally. “With us both being self-employed we have to pay our own premiums. And even the HMO policy we chose is expensive.”
“Finally a good reason to work in the public sector,” Skye teased.
“Right.” Loretta winked, then asked, “When can we eat?”
“Fifteen minutes.” Skye grabbed the foil-wrapped garlic bread from the counter where her sister-in-law had put it, then marched over to the second oven, and as per her texted instructions, it was preheated to 350 degrees.
When the sound of a crying baby ripped through the house, Wally looked over his shoulder and said, “How about I give Vince a hand with the kids?”
“He has…” Loretta trailed off as Wally hurried from the room.
“You look amazing.” Skye fished in her tote bag for the lasagna spatula.
Loretta’s dark-brown skin glowed with health and her coal-black braids were impeccably coifed. At six feet tall with a lean-muscled body, she didn’t look at all as if she’d just had a baby.
“Sure.” Loretta blew out a doubtful snicker. “No makeup, wearing a ratty tracksuit, and leaking milk. I’m beautiful, all right.”
“You look better than most women do who have spent three hours getting ready for a date.” Then deciding to change the subject, Skye gazed around the mammoth space. Counting three sinks and two dishwashers, she said, “I hope I didn’t make a mistake building a smaller kitchen. But the house already seemed so huge.”
“Well.” Loretta gingerly eased into a chair, the first indication she was still sore from giving birth. “The plans for this place did get a little out of hand. I’m sure yours is plenty big enough.”
“Yeah.” Skye took a seat next to her. “But you only build your dream house once and I probably should have listened to Wally.”
“True.” Loretta picked up the water glass to the right of the place setting and took a long drink. “Why didn’t you?”
“I was afraid we’d look as if we were showing off,” Skye admitted.
“Seriously?” Loretta tilted her head. “Now that people know about Wally’s money, it’s almost insulting to them if you try to act poor.”
“Come on. Saying that is insulting to people who really are poor.” Skye frowned. “I mean, even if we never spent a penny of Wally’s trust fund, between his salary and mine, we have the means to live comfortably.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” Loretta waved a finger in Skye’s face. “You still act as if you’re in the same circumstances as you were when you moved back to Scumble River broke and in hock to Visa.”
“Hardly like that,” Skye scoffed. “Wally and I are building a thirty-five-hundred-square-foot house and I’m driving a Mercedes SUV.”
“Fine. You’ve dipped your toes in the water, but you need to let go.” Loretta tilted her head and stared at Skye. “I’ll bet it hurts Wally and his dad that you treat their money as if it has cooties.”
“Cooties?” Skye giggled, then sobered. “You’re probably right. But, truthfully, I’m overwhelmed. You grew up with money. My folks struggled to send me to college and I struggled to pay for graduate school. I’ve always had to pinch pennies.”
“Well, quit bruising Old Abe and enjoy what you have.” Loretta crossed her arms. “If you feel guilty, you can always donate to the local food pantry or some other good cause in the area.”
“I see your point.” Skye nodded. “I’ll try to ease up on the purse strings.”
“Terrific! Before you go back to work, you and I are going shopping. I’ve been dying to have my personal shopper at Nordstrom dress you.”
“That sounds fun.” Skye grinned. She’d been waiting until she lost the baby weight to replace the clothes the tornado had destroyed, and she was almost back to her pre-pregnancy size. “Let’s plan to go the week after Christmas. Everything will be on sale.” Skye ducked as Loretta threw a balled-up napkin at her. “Seriously, why pay more than you have to?”
“Back to your house.” Loretta pursed her lips. “I suppose it’s too late now to make any changes.”
“Yes, it is. We added the apartment over the garage after we’d already started construction, and that caused a good month’s delay.” Skye made a face, then smiled. “But I did get all the stuff inside I wanted. Fireplace. Huge closets with built-ins. Screened-in porch.”
“Speaking of that suite over the garage…” Loretta’s sudden interest in the zipper of her tracksuit jacket alerted Skye that her sister-in-law was uncomfortable with what she was about to say.
“Yes?” Skye prodded.
“Was that for the nanny that you had?” Loretta asked hesitantly.
“No.” Skye shook her head. Not that Loretta could see her since she still appeared enthralled with the tab of her zipper. “Mrs. Winters wasn’t going to be full-time. We were thinking more of Carson or Mom and Dad if they need to live with us at some point.”
Skye studied her friend. Something was fishy. As she opened her mouth to ask, she heard a familiar voice say, “You two go eat. I’ll just show the wee one to your sister, then put him in his bassinet and read Miss April her story.”
Loretta’s head jerked up, and when her gaze collided with Skye’s outraged stare, she stuttered, “This…this isn’t what it seems.”
“You stole my nanny!” Skye screeched. “How could you stoop so low?”
“I didn’t.” Loretta held up her hands, palms facing Skye. “I wouldn’t.”
Skye pointed at the woman who had just entered the kitchen holding a baby in her arms. “So you’re telling me that isn’t Mrs. Winters?”
Wally and Vince followed the nanny into the room; both took one look at Skye’s face and retreated.
“No. It’s her.” Loretta got to her feet. “But I only approached her after she gave you her notice and left your employment.”
“It’s true, Mrs. Denison-Boyd.” The nanny’s expression was contrite. “Ms. Steiner didn’t offer me this job until I was a free agent.”
“But why?” Frustration almost drove Skye to tears. “You said it was because of my father-in-law and my mother. Carson might not be a factor here, but you do realize that Vince and I share a mother?”
“I promised her May would not drop in without an invitation.” Loretta raised her eyebrow. “Could you say the same thing?”
“Well…” Skye scowled. “No. I can’t control my mother’s actions.”
“I can.” Loretta walked over to stand shoulder to shoulder with the nanny. “First, I made sure May never got her hands on a key to this house. Second, when April was born, I made it clear that any interference and May would only see her at holidays and birthdays. And third, my father isn’t a billionaire so there’s no need for the kind of security Eva and CJ require for their safety.”
“I understand.” Skye narrowed her eyes. “But I still think you could have told me instead of being so sneaky about the whole thing.”
“That’s your brother’s fault.” Loretta nodded her head toward Vince and Wally, who had rejoined them. “You do know he’s scared of you?”
“Good.” Skye sent Vince a death glare. “How is it you aren’t on Mom’s naughty list with Loretta’s rules about visiting?”
Vince’s emerald-green eyes sparkled and he grinned. “I just tell her that Loretta’s the boss and I do what she tells me to do.”
“I don’t suppose I could do the same and claim Wally’s the boss?” Skye mused.
Both men broke out laughing.
“Fine.” Skye looked between Loretta and Vince. “But I’m only forgiving you because Wally came up with an even better solution.” She glanced at Mrs. Winters and said, “No offense.”
“None taken.” The nanny smiled and handed Skye the baby. “Now, meet your nephew, Master August Alberto Steiner Denison.”
“Gus for short.” Vince leaned over and touched the baby’s cheek.
Once Skye and Wally finished admiring the baby and Mrs. Winters whisked him away, Skye took the lasagna and garlic bread from the oven and the two couples sat down to eat.
They kept the conversation light until they finished dessert, but as they relaxed in the enormous family room enjoying the roaring fire, Wally said, “Loretta, I hope you don’t mind if I ask you some questions about Jerita Quinn.”
“Not at all.” Loretta’s expression hardened. “I want you to catch whoever killed her. We hadn’t worked together long, but she was a strong, smart woman and I admired her devotion to keeping her family safe.”
“Was she scared of anyone?” Wally asked. “Did she mention any enemies?”
“No.” Loretta took a sip of coffee. “She was angry at the school and Homer Knapik, but certainly not frightened of him.”
“Did you have a good case for her lawsuit against him?” Wally asked.
“Fair.” Loretta hesitated. “I’m uncomfortable discussing this because of lawyer-client privilege, but I can say that she wasn’t interested in settling.” Loretta shrugged. “I haven’t talked to her husband yet, but from what she said, he probably won’t want to pursue the matter.”
Skye tucked that bit of info away. If Loretta was correct about Beilin, it would make Dr. Wraige’s assignment to stop the lawsuit much easier.
“So Homer has a lot to gain from Jerita’s death,” Wally mused. After asking Loretta a few more questions about
Jerita, Wally looked at Skye and said, “We should get going.”
“Yep. Time to let Loretta get some rest and relieve Mom from twin duty.” Skye rose to her feet, then paused when she thought of another question. “One more thing, Loretta. You said something about Jerita keeping her family safe. What did you mean by that?”
“Hmm.” Loretta tapped her chin. “I guess I said that because Jerita told me she’d moved to Scumble River to make sure her daughter was protected.”
“From the normal dangers of city life?” Wally asked.
“Jerita changed the subject when I asked about that.” Loretta bit her lip. “But my feeling was that there was a specific threat she was trying to avoid.”
Chapter 18
Follow You Home
“Sorry, Dante. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the officers about the city’s contract offer yet.” Wally kept his voice pleasant, but he fidgeted in his chair, anxious to end the conversation. “I promise to get them together later today and discuss it.”
The mayor had already contacted Wally three times about the issue and it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since he presented the compromise. Hizzoner was as intent on settling this matter as a buzzard determined to get every scrap of carrion from a roadkill carcass and a zealous Dante made Wally suspicious. What was he up to now?
“Later today, my good right eye,” the mayor sneered, his voice cracking like a bullwhip. “You talk to them this morning. I want an answer by one.”
Wally drew in a deep breath, then released it slowly. He hated waking Paul Tolman and asking him to return to the station. Tolman had covered the midnight shift and would have just gotten to sleep. The man had had an emergency appendectomy a few months ago and he still seemed a bit under the weather. His skin hadn’t returned to his normal olive complexion and his movements seemed stiff and painful.
Tolman had always been one of those people who left the job with great gusto at quitting time. But now, even when the man was physically present, his spirit was in a galaxy far, far away. Wally was already worried that his distraction would result in harm to him or a fellow officer, and interrupting his rest wouldn’t help matters.
Come Homicide or High Water Page 17
