Jeanne Glidewell - Lexie Starr 03 - Haunted (7 page)

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“Excuse me, ladies. Is one of you here named Chelsea or Cindy, or something like that?” I asked the group of sullen-faced girls I had found in the end zone of the school’s football field. I had walked around the campus after discovering the gymnasium was locked up. For a while I’d feared the practice had been canceled. Clouds again filled the sky, and there was a slight feel of moisture in the air.

I noticed all but one of the girls had long blond hair tied back in a ponytail. All of them were thin, nearly emaciated, and wore red and white sweatpants to match their cheerleading jackets. By their perfectly straight, bright white teeth, I could tell they’d all run up high dental and orthodontic bills in their pasts. I was also aware they’d all heard of Walter’s passing by the frequent tears, mixed with gossipy chatter, and the shocked expressions on all of their faces. Practicing cheerleading routines seemed to be the farthest thing from their minds. No one seemed to notice my presence until I spoke out.

“My name is Sidney. Sidney Hobbs,” one girl volunteered.

Her eyes were watery and nearly swollen shut. “And it’s probably me you’re looking for. Walter Sneed, the guy who was just murdered, was my boyfriend. Oh, God, I just can’t believe he’s gone. I loved him so much. Oh, God—”

With that, Sidney burst into a new round of tears, sobbing so hard she ended up on her hands and knees, pounding the ground as if a hill of attacking fire ants had just invaded her space. I wasn’t sure if I’d find out anything from Sidney while she was so overcome with grief. The possibility appeared remote.

“What do you need?” Another girl asked me. She was the only brunette in the bunch. “I’m Sidney’s best friend, Paula Browne, and maybe I can help you. I know as much as anybody, I’d reckon. At least I can try to help you as best I can.”

“Well, maybe you can, Paula. I’m Rhonda Reed, a contributing writer for the
Rockdale Gazette,
and I’ve been assigned to do an article about the recent murder. It’s kind of an investigative report. I’ve been told Walter is, er, I mean was, Sidney’s boyfriend, and therefore I’d like to interview her for the article.”

After my slip of the tongue I now had the entire gaggle of girls crying and felt like I was losing ground rapidly. Waiting patiently for Paula to compose herself, and grasping her upper arm, I led her away from the group.

“I thought you were probably with the media,” Paula said. I had never really thought of the little
Rockdale Gazette,
or any of its writers, as being “part of the media,” but at least she hadn’t called me a member of the paparazzi.

“Let’s talk over here, Paula.” She nodded her head as I continued. “As Sidney’s best friend, I assume you are privy to what goes on in her social life, her private life, even her love life.”

“Yes, pretty much. She tells me everything, as I do her.”

“Were Walter and Sidney getting along? Have they been on good terms recently?”

“Very good. They’ve always been extremely close, but since they got back together they’ve been tighter than ever. They went to a party at my dorm together just the night before he was killed. They were like soul mates,” Paula said dreamily. “Everybody envied their relationship. We all knew they’d eventually get married.”

“Do you know where Sidney was the day after the party, the day of Walter’s demise? Can she account for her whereabouts at the time the murder occurred?” I asked. Maybe Paula was not aware of an argument the on-again, off-again, love-struck pair had engaged in after the party. Perhaps Walter had broken it off with Sidney again. According to Nadine at the beauty shop, the couple’s relationship did seem to be on a rocky footing lately, so anything was possible. If he’d been caught cheating on her, twice, I should think there had to be some lingering tension between the pair.

“Oh, my God, Rhonda!” Paula exclaimed. “Is Sidney a suspect? That’s just not possible. She would never hurt Walter. She loved him with all her heart and was so excited they’d been able to patch things up after a rough spell in their relationship.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean to infer she was a suspect. I’m just trying to cover all the bases for my article. I’m sure the police do not list her as an official suspect at all. They haven’t arrested anybody yet.”

“Well, I sure hope they won’t consider Sidney as a suspect, because I can tell you it’s impossible. Sidney was with me. All day, in fact. We’d gone to the Legends area, over by the Kansas Speedway, in Kansas City, Kansas. We were shopping for new shoes and winter coats at the stores there. Sidney’s dad had given her two hundred dollars to spend and even gave me a one hundred dollar bill. He suggested we make a day of it. We were thrilled, as you can imagine. So we found her a pair of black Crocs and this cool navy blue parka, and I got a pair of Crocs like hers, in brown, and a new windbreaker. Then we ate lunch at Jazz and went to see a movie afterward,” Paula said. “We didn’t get back home until late in the evening, so I can vouch for her whereabouts the entire day. Not to mention, she talked about how much she loved Walter all day long.”

“That’s good. Not that anyone suspected her of doing anything wrong. How long had the two been dating?” I asked.

“I’m not sure exactly, but over three years at least. I’ve known Sidney for three years, and she was going with him when we first met. They started going together in high school, the summer before their senior year, I think. They broke up for a few weeks recently, but they worked it out and made up. Like I said before, they are closer than ever now.”

“What happened to cause the recent rift in their relationship?”

“Well, I don’t know what made Walter do it, but he went out with Audrey McCoy one night. Sidney and Audrey have always hated each other, and I imagine Audrey coerced him just to get to Sidney. The two bicker constantly on the cheerleading squad, which makes it hard to get anything done at our practices. We all wish Audrey would just quit the squad, because nobody likes her very much. She’s a hothead and a royal bitch. Now she’s the one who ought to be considered a suspect! She was really ticked off when Walter got back together with Sidney.”

“I’m sure she’s on the list,” I said sincerely. She was definitely on mine. “Do you have any idea where Audrey was at the time of the murder?”

“No, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she was at that bed and breakfast place, killing Walter. I don’t know how much she really cared for Walter, but I do know she would do about anything to hurt Sidney. They’ve been rivals since Sidney beat out Audrey in a run for class president. The campaign was brutal, but Sidney won by a landslide in a class vote. Like I told you, nobody likes Audrey very much.”

“Is Audrey here today?”

“No, which also makes me wonder if she could be responsible for—”

“Do you know where she lives?” I asked, cutting off her train of thought. I had been thinking along the same lines myself.

“Well, I’ve never been to her house, but I do know she doesn’t live anywhere close to the campus, maybe not even in Rockdale anymore. She moved out of her parents’ house as soon as she graduated from high school. She and her dad didn’t get along,” Paula said. “I’m sure she’s in the phonebook. Or you could contact her mother, Norma McCoy, and get the information from her.”

“What kind of person is Audrey, other than competitive?” I asked.

“She wasn’t much of a student in high school, barely passing most of her classes. Her grades were just barely high enough to graduate. I couldn’t believe when she enrolled in this community college. She doesn’t have many friends, kind of keeps to herself most the time. She’s not really the cheerleader type at all. And Audrey has a terrible hair-trigger temper. She’s into it with somebody all the time, but usually it’s Sidney. They absolutely despise each other,” Paula explained. “They’ve clashed since the day they met.”

“How about the other gal? Roxie something. Do you know where she lives?” Paula didn’t seem to question the fact I knew all about Walter’s love life, including the name of his most recent one-time date. “What was her last name again?”

“Kane. No, I have no idea where she lives. I don’t really know her, or anything about her. She’s a student here at the college, though, I do know that much. I’ve seen her a couple times in the anatomy lab. I still can’t believe Walter went out on Sidney with that girl. That nearly slammed the door shut on his relationship with Sidney. If she didn’t love him so much, she would have never taken him back after he went out one night with Roxie Kane.”

“Thank you very much, Paula, for all your help. I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me,” I said. I felt I’d gotten all the useful information I was apt to get for the time being, and I needed to get home and put away the non-perishable items I’d bought yesterday as if I had just purchased them this morning. Mostly, I was just stocking up on paper products and cleaning supplies. The cupboards were already full of food products.

I still wanted a one-on-one with Sidney, but it would have to wait. I looked over at the rest of the cheerleaders to see if Sidney was still bawling, but I couldn’t spot her. The girls were talking among themselves, but Sidney wasn’t in the group.

“Glad I could help, Ms. Reed,” Paula said, heading back toward her friends.

Later that afternoon, I called Sidney Hobbs’ home after looking up her number in the phone book. Her father answered the phone. I explained I was Rhonda Reed, investigative reporter, and I was writing an article for the local newspaper. I needed to ask his daughter just a few simple questions and promised I would make it quick.

“Didn’t I see you driving out of the parking lot at the college campus when I went to pick up Sidney from her cheerleading practice this morning? Sidney told me there was a reporter at the practice. Was that you?” he asked. He didn’t sound too pleased about it.

“Yes, that was me. I spoke with her friend, Paula, because Sidney was in no shape to speak with me at the time. Is she available now?”

“No, she still isn’t in any condition to speak with anyone regarding Walter’s death, especially reporters. She’s devastated, as you can well imagine. That’s why she had called me to pick her up early,” Mr. Hobbs said.

“But I was under the impression practice hadn’t even begun when I left.”

“It hadn’t. Sidney called me to pick her up early because she couldn’t function enough to participate in practice. She’s still enduring a lot of anguish and pain, and I absolutely refuse to let the media hound her, which could only cause her more suffering. She knows nothing about the young man’s death and has nothing to say, so please leave this family alone.” Mr. Hobbs hung the phone up rather noisily, which I thought was quite rude under the circumstances.

I would surely get an opportunity to speak with Sidney in the next few days, at least when her parents weren’t around to protect her. I could understand why they didn’t want the media involved. Their daughter had already been through enough. But a few simple questions couldn’t hurt her much, could they? Did she have something to hide? Did her parents think she might have something to hide? Could they be right? Was that why they were shielding her? Did she go shopping with Paula that day to have something to use as an alibi while someone else did the dirty deed for her? I would have to steal a few minutes of her time, one way or another.

Chapter 6

“I got the lawn all mowed, Lexie. The lawnmower is still not running properly, but it’s probably the last time this season it’ll need to be done. I noticed the trees have already lost most of their leaves. I think I’ll do some fertilizing today too, on the front lawn, at least. What have you been up to this morning?”

“Oh, you know. Groceries and such.”

“Uh-huh. Have you heard from Wyatt or anyone? When are our guests due to arrive? Are you ready for them? Is there anything I can do to help?” Stone asked me when he came in from outside. He sounded like my daughter, firing one question after another at me. This reminded me I did need to call Wendy in case she’d learned anything new on the murder case.

“Just picked up some things from the store,” I replied. “And no, I haven’t heard from anyone yet today. I was just getting ready to bake some apple tarts for dessert tonight. The Dudleys are due here in a couple of hours. I’m baking a pork roast to serve with fried potatoes and fresh green beans for supper tonight.”

“That sounds great. I’ll grill us all some steaks tomorrow night,” Stone said. “The rib eyes are on sale at Pete’s Pantry this week. I’ll pick up several extra packages to freeze for later on. Did you buy any meat this morning?”