Beilin followed Skye and Wally into the currently empty fourth bedroom, and as soon as the door was shut, he asked, “What’s going to happen to Krissy Ficher?”
“It’s hard to say.” Wally leaned against the bare wall. “Her attorney, who thankfully is not my sister-in-law, will probably plead her as not responsible by reason of insanity. A court-ordered psychiatrist will evaluate her and my guess is that the doctor will find her incompetent to stand trial.”
“What happens after that?” Beilin frowned.
“My best guess is that she’ll be remanded to a hospital and medicated. If the meds work she’ll be sent back to jail to go on trial.” Wally shrugged. “After that, it’s anyone’s guess. But she did confess, so it’s likely she’d be convicted at that point.”
“Did she say anything after she was arrested?” Beilin’s shoulders drooped.
“Just that she had punctured the squad car’s tire so you’d have a chance to escape from Sergeant Quirk, and she couldn’t understand why you didn’t try to get away.”
“You know, when we found out that it was too dangerous for Jerita to get pregnant because of her heart problem, I wanted to adopt.” Beilin gazed at the ceiling. “But because Jerita was afraid the biological mother would try to get the baby back, we decided to use a surrogate. We had already had a few surrogacies fall through and we weren’t getting any younger so although I knew we should have gone through a reputable agency, Jerita didn’t want to take the time. And now I’m a single forty-eight-year-old father raising a five-year-old daughter on my own.”
“I understand.” Wally nodded. “I was concerned with being an older father too.” He put an arm around Skye. “But my smart wife told me that being a more mature parent was a plus. We don’t sweat the small stuff because we know it all usually ends up just fine.”
“I hope you’re right.” Beilin sighed. “I did contact that therapist and we have an appointment for the week after Christmas for her to help me explain why Krissy killed Jerita.”
“Good.” Skye let out a breath. “It’ll be tough, but keeping secrets from kids rarely works out well.” She paused, then added, “And I think your decision to keep Jenna in our regular education classes versus putting her into the gifted programs is the right one.”
“Yeah. From what Ms. Townsend explained about the results of the evaluation she conducted, Jenna will be happier where she is.”
“I’m glad you had a chance to meet with Piper and go over the testing.” Skye gave him an encouraging look.
“Me too.” Beilin nodded, then said, “I’ll let you two get back to your friends and family in a second, but I wanted to thank you both for saving my daughter from that lunatic.” He handed Skye and Wally the gift bag he’d been holding. “And for trusting me to build your house. I hope you have many happy years here.”
Skye lifted a beautiful brass plaque from the tissue. The lettering read: “Bless this house and all who enter.”
Skye gave the sign to Wally, then stepped away from him and hugged Beilin. “Thank you so much.”
They walked the contractor to the front door, and after he left, Wally said, “Even though Krissy is clearly mentally ill, I still don’t understand why she did what she did. She barely knew Beilin, so it couldn’t be that she was madly in love with him. And Jenna was never her daughter.”
Skye was silent for a moment then said slowly, “I think that Krissy was convinced that she wouldn’t ever be content without Beilin and Jenna.”
Wally put his arm around Skye’s waist. “Which just goes to show you, it’s a mistake to put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket.”
“Exactly.” Skye kissed Wally. “We are all responsible for our own emotions. No one can make you feel one way or the other.” She ruffled his recently barbered hair. He’d finally gotten time to have Vince cut it and she was still trying to get used to its shorter length.
“Well.” Wally winked. “Once we get rid of all our guests and get the twins asleep, I bet I can make you feel really good.”
“I bet you can too.”
She couldn’t believe her good fortune. She had the love of her life, precious twin babies, and had just moved into her dream house. It didn’t get any better than that.
About the Author
© David Stybr
Denise Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Scumble River mysteries, the Deveraux’s Dime Store mysteries, and the Chef-to-Go mysteries, as well as the Change of Heart and Delicious Love contemporary romances. She has been nominated for RT Magazine’s Career Achievement Award, the Agatha Award, and the Mary Higgins Clark Award.
Dead in the Water
New York Times bestselling author Denise Swanson brings murder and mystery to the small town of Scumble River
A twister, a kidnapping, and a murder—oh my! Scumble River may never be the same.
For school psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd, there’s certainly no place like home. When a violent tornado devastates her small hometown of Scumble River, she can’t see how the community will ever recover—especially since town councilman Zeke Lyons appears to have perished in the twister.
But things get even worse for Skye when her police chief husband, Wally, disappears in the midst of investigating Zeke’s death, and evidence arises pointing to foul play. Did Zeke really die in the storm, or was he murdered? And could Wally be next on the criminal’s hit list?
“Denise Swanson proves once again that she is among the top writers of the genre.”
—Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author
For more info about Denise Swanson, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Die Me a River
The chips are down in Scumble River
School psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd had hoped that her maternity leave would be at least a little relaxing, but when she and her husband, Wally, meet with the priest to discuss their newborn twins’ christening, an explosion at the nearby bowling alley rocks the rectory. And although the business was closed at the time of the blast, there’s a body inside.
As police chief, Wally is inevitably drawn into the investigation, which seems to indicate that foul play is afoot again in Scumble River, and Skye can’t help but do a bit of her own sleuthing. But the clues come fast and furious, ranging from an odd new stranger in town to animosity toward the gambling machines that had recently been installed at the bowling alley, and Skye finds herself wondering if this could be the puzzle that stumps her for good.
For more info about Denise Swanson, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Tart of Darkness
The first in a delicious new series from New York Times bestselling author Denise Swanson
Right when Dani thinks she’s hit a dead-end in her career, she unexpectedly inherits an enormous old house in a quaint college town. This gives her the perfect opportunity to pursue her true passion—cooking! So Dani opens Chef-to-Go, preparing delicious, ready-made meals for hungry students attending the nearby university, as well as providing personal chef services and catering events for the local community. To help support her new business, she opens her home to a few students, renting them rooms and becoming almost like a big sister figure in their lives.
But just as Dani is relishing her sweet new life, the friend of one of her boarders is murdered, and Dani becomes one of the primary suspects! She’ll have to scramble to clear her name and save her business before the killer reappears—perhaps to silence the new chef forever.
“Tart of Darkness is truly unputdownable.”
—Julie Hyzy, New York Times bestselling author
For more info about Denise Swanson, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Leave No Scone Unturned
The back-to-school season can be murder!
It’s the beginning of the
university’s fall semester, and Dani can’t wait for the college students to return to Normalton, Illinois—after all, without them, there is no one to support her lunch-to-go service, which is a vital part of her Chef-to-Go business. But Normalton University’s orientation week is marred by a mysterious murder, along with a series of car jackings and sightings of a mysterious creature in a pond on campus. And with the whole town feeling unsettled, Dani finds herself dealing once again with the infuriatingly handsome Spencer Drake, the head of security at the university.
Although Dani vowed that her life would never again be boring and routine after she quit her stifling corporate job, she had no idea that she’d end up dealing with such strange happenings—not to mention murder. But as the trouble in Normalton draws worryingly close to home, Dani realizes that if the killer isn’t caught soon, she may be the next one who is found scone-cold dead.
For more info about Denise Swanson, visit:
sourcebooks.com
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Come Homicide or High Water Page 25
