Murder in the Middle: A Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mystery (14 page)

Chapter 44

Lynette and Jackson called Lindsay back to the station. She still insisted she’d never been at Caleb’s and had no idea how her phone had gotten into his house. She swore she was at home with her mother the night of the murder.

“If that girl’s lying, she’s one heck of a good actress,” said Jackson. “A little weird, but doesn’t strike me as a killer.”

“Purple lipstick, flowered flip flops in January? A little weird is an understatement.”

“Let’s go back to Rusty. We still don’t know why his truck was outside Caleb’s,” said Jackson.

“Alright. He never mentioned being at Caleb’s. Maybe we can jog his memory.”

When they got to the plumbing shop, Rusty was out on a job. They questioned his father instead.

“Sir, you told us that Rusty was with you the night of the murder. Is that correct?” said Lynette.

“Yep. We were working late, then grabbed a bite to eat at Vinnie’s. By the time we were done, it was late. I dropped him off and took the truck home overnight.”

“You’re saying
you
drove the truck that night. Where was Rusty’s car?” asked Lynette.

“In his driveway. He normally drives the truck.”

“Then why were
you
driving that night?” Jackson said. “Why didn’t he have the truck that night? How was he going to get to work the next morning?”

“He had the truck. He dropped me off.” Mr. Sumter nodded his head.

“But you just said you were driving,” said Lynette.

“I was. Rusty’s car needed new tie rods so it was at the shop.” He nodded again.

“Then how did he get to work?” asked Lynette. “He couldn’t have driven to the car repair, and then taken the truck to work.”

“Stop already,” said Rusty’s father. His face was red and his sweat trickled down his brow. He covered his ears with his broad hands.

“You seem confused,” said Lynette.

“No. I know Rusty was with me that night. I didn’t take my pills this morning. I’m feeling cloudy in the head.”

“What pills?” asked Jackson.

“My blood pressure pills. I forgot to pick them up at the pharmacy.”

“What medication are you on?” asked Lynette.

“Medi something. Medipress.”

When they were back in the cruiser, Lynette reminded Jackson that Medipress was the drug found in Adam’s pathology report.

“Sure makes Rusty look guilty,” said Jackson.

“Yes, but of which murder? Adam died a year ago.”

“That father of his is far from what I’d call a reliable source. I say we check out Vinnie’s and the car repair shop. I’m willing to bet Rusty’s alibi doesn’t check out. Maybe he was involved with
both murders.
”

They headed over to Vinnie’s, a long established pizza-rant with green walls, and red and white checkered tablecloths––the colors of the Italian flag. The aroma of fresh bread and oregano flooded through the door. A thick haired, middle-aged man was tossing pizza dough behind the counter. He was the owner of the restaurant, but he had a reputation for getting his hands dirty and putting on a show for the customers.

“What can I do for Westbrook’s finest? Can I get you a slice?”

“Vinnie, we’re checking out an alibi for the night of January 30. Could you go through your credit card receipts and check if Rusty Sumter and his father were here that evening?” said Lynette.

“Sure. Give me a few minutes.” He wiped his flour-laden hands on his apron and disappeared behind a curtain.

“My stomach is rumbling. How about we each get a slice to go?” said Jackson.

“You know, you’re going to be one of those middle-aged men with a big old pot belly if you keep eating the way you do,” said Lynette. “Do you think Theresa will still love you if you’re fat?”

“You know you want some too. I’ve seen you scarf down half a pie in no time flat. You’re just lucky you have a high metabolism.”

A while later, Vinnie came back out with a printout from the evening of Caleb’s murder. “Yes, Rusty did use a credit card that night. Visa. He paid at 6 p.m.”

“Six p.m.? Didn’t Rusty’s father say they were working late,
then
ate dinner?” said Jackson.

“That’s what he said.” She looked at the receipt. “It looks about right for two people.”

“Maybe there were two people, but not necessarily Rusty and his father,” said Jackson. “Vinnie, didn’t you install security cameras in your parking lot a while ago?”

“Yes we did. You suggested it. Remember? We had a few smash and grabs so we installed cameras.”

“Can we look at the security footage?” asked Lynette.

“I’ll have to see if we still have it. After a while we reuse the tape. I’ll look.”

“Let’s hope it still exists,” said Lynette.

“Come on back to the security closet,” said Vinnie. He rummaged through a box of recordings and found what they were looking for.

“Pop it in the machine,” said Jackson. Vinnie hit the play button.

“There’s the time. 6:15 p.m. And look. There’s Rusty opening up the plumbing truck,” said Jackson.

“Sure is, but that doesn’t look like his father. Not by a longshot,” said Lynette.

“Nope. If you ask me, that looks an awful lot like Lindsay Bateman,” said Jackson. “Maybe we should go back and talk to her neighbors.”

“We already did.”

“But we never asked whether or not they’d seen a plumbing truck hanging around.”

“Let’s go.”

Chapter 45

Susan’s phone vibrated. She smiled when she heard her son’s voice. He had followed up on Susan’s request to ask around for recommendations for Lynette and called with the name of one of the faculty members familiar with rare eye conditions.

“Thank you, Evan. I’ll call him right away. I knew you’d come through.”

“Maybe you should run it by Lynette first,” said Evan.

“Of course. While I have you on the phone, I have a question. You took that pharmacology class last year didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“Do you know what an overdose of the drug Medipress would do to someone?” asked Susan.

“It’s a blood pressure medication. Causes syncope.”

“In plain English, hot shot.”

“Most of those make people dizzy when they stand up too quickly, especially when someone first starts taking it.”

Susan thought back to the night at the restaurant in New York when that man at the next table collapsed. His wife said he’d started on a medication and it caused him to get dizzy. If Rusty wanted to get rid of Adam to get Sophie to himself, maybe he stole the pills from his father and slipped them into Adam’s lemonade. Or maybe he and Sophie were working together.

“Thanks, Evan. That helps a lot. Study hard. Miss you.”

“Miss you too, Mom. Tell Dad I said hello.”

Rusty could have killed Adam because he was still in love with his high school sweetheart, Sophie. He had access to his father’s blood pressure pills and could have put them in Adam’s drink, with or without Sophie’s help. Then he could have come to her rescue again and murdered Caleb when Caleb threatened to come forward with the lab report. Maybe Rusty and Sophie worked together to kill one or both of the Bartolo brothers.

Lindsay Bateman. A jealous nut case who seemed angry enough to have killed Caleb for breaking off their engagement. But she had no reason to kill Adam. Lindsay and Rusty were seeing each other. Maybe
they
worked together to kill Caleb. Both had motive. Susan jumped when her phone rang.

“Susan, this is Pat, T.J.’s wife, from the jewelry store.”

“Hi, Pat. What can I do for you?” said Susan.

“Remember when you came by the store and asked about that engraved silver bracelet?”

“I do,” said Susan. She reminded herself that the woman who had the bracelet engraved fit Lindsay’s description. She had thought maybe Lindsay bought it as a gift for Caleb––trying to win him back.

“I saw something on TV this morning. You know that bookkeeper, Sophie Bartolo, the one who was kidnapped?”

“Yes,” said Susan. “I know who you mean.”

“I hadn’t paid too much attention to it, but last night I was watching an interview with Sophie Bartolo––a rerun from when she first came back. I recognized her. She came into the shop that day to get the bracelet engraved.”

“What? Are you sure?” asked Susan.

“I’m positive. I even recognized her voice.”

“Thank you for letting me know. I really appreciate it,” said Susan.
Brunette, slightly plump,
she realized Pat had originally described
either
Lindsay or Sophie. She’d just assumed it was Lindsay. Johann nuzzled against her legs. Susan opened the blinds so he could get a bit of sunlight. She saw the mailman walking away from her box.

“I’ll be right back, Johann,” said Susan. The wind was biting, especially since she’d run out without her jacket. She shuffled through the ads and bills until she saw the letter from the Georgia Babes Foundation. She froze in her tracks and held her breath.
Maybe this was the answer she’d been searching for
.

Chapter 46

Susan’s hands trembled as she held the envelope. She turned it over and stared at the seal. She couldn’t do it. Her knees were shaking so much that she had to sit down. She put the envelope on the coffee table and tried to stop shaking.
I’ll wait till Mike comes home.
She looked down and noticed the postmark. The letter had been initially delivered to the wrong address and should have arrived a week ago.

Who am I kidding? I’ve waited long enough.
She tore open the envelope and pushed her bifocals into place.

The Georgia Babes Foundation had located a possible relative and wanted to know if she still wanted to go forward with her search. Didn’t she? After all, isn’t this exactly what she wanted? Then she took a breath.
What if this relative doesn’t want anything to do with me? Is it my Mom? My Dad? Some distant cousin?
She felt like Jell-O. Perhaps she was afraid of the finality. At least now she could fantasize her mother had loved her and never would have given her up if she had any other choice. What if she found out she was wrong? Maybe having a baby was just an inconvenience that her birth mother didn’t want to deal with. Maybe she had even taken her home for a while and decided she wasn’t worth keeping. Did she cry too much? Drink too much Enfamil?

She wanted to call Mike. She knew she could count on Mike to come home and support her in making this decision. No, this was her decision alone to make. Within the hour she heard his key in the door. She hugged him tightly and spilled the contents of the letter.

“It’s what you’ve hoped for, isn’t it? Besides, now we need to do this for Lynette. If we can find out some medical history it could be a game changer,” said Mike.

“You’re right,” said Susan. She picked up her phone and dialed the number.

“Well, are they picking up?” Mike had his ear next to the phone.

“Shhh. No, it’s voicemail. The office is closed. I’ll have to try first thing in the morning.”

“I’m sure we’ll both get lots of sleep tonight,” said Mike.

“You don’t have to be sarcastic.”

He knew her like a book. Whenever she had something big on her mind, Susan tossed and turned all night long, making it hard for Mike to get any sleep either. They started discussing the dinner plan but didn’t get far. Susan’s phone vibrated.

“Hello. Jason, what’s wrong? No. Is she okay? Where are you?”

Mike tugged at her arm. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

“Jason, we’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“The hospital?” Mike grabbed their coats. “Where are we going? What happened?”

“It’s Lynette. She was in a car accident. They won’t say anything over the phone. Jason has no idea how bad it is but they didn’t bring her to Westbrook Medical.”

“Why not? Where did they take her?”

“They airlifted her to Dansfield. We have to go right now.”

“Dansfield Trauma? That’s not good,” said Mike. He grabbed his keys. “Let’s go.”

Mike flew like a shooting star through space to get to Dansfield. Deer crossings and fallen rock zones zipped by before they reached the exit for the trauma center. Snowflakes melted on the windshield and a speeding ambulance passed them as they neared the three-story hospital.
Did they bring Lynette in like that? No, that’s right. She came in by helicopter.
Susan picked at her cuticles until they bled. She felt like she was choking.

“We’re here. Here’s the Emergency Room entrance. Come on.” Mike slammed the car door and pulled Susan through the double doors and into the waiting area where they found Jason holding a sleeping Annalise.

“Jason, what’s going on? How is she?” asked Susan.

Jason’s coat was inside out and his cheeks were flushed. “She’s in surgery. It’s serious. She was bleeding. Something about her arm, too.”

“Jason, how did this happen?” asked Mike.

“I don’t know. She was on her way home from work and ran a stop light. She crashed into a telephone pole, that’s what they told me.”

“Susan hugged Jason tightly. I’ll take Annalise.” Tears spilled from Susan’s eyes.

“Sit down with Jason. I’ve got the baby,” said Mike.

“How badly is she hurt? What are they even operating on?” She looked at her sleeping granddaughter. What if Annalise had to grow up without her mother? She felt like throwing up.
Stop Susan, don’t go there.
A doctor came in to talk to them.

“She’s still in surgery. There was some swelling around the brain, and we’re repairing her arm. We don’t know the full extent of her head injury.”

“Is she going to make it? Tell me she isn’t going to die,” said Jason.

“Like I said, we don’t yet know the full extent of her injuries. She’s with our top neurosurgeon. Let’s get her through surgery, then we’ll know more.”

The doctor left and Jason sobbed like Susan had never seen before. She hugged Jason tight, dampening his shirt with tears.

“It’ll be okay,” said Mike. “You know how stubborn Lynette is––and strong. She’ll get through this.”

“She has to. I can’t take this.”

Jason pulled away. “Why can’t they just say that she will be okay––that they’ll sew her up, she’ll rest here a few days, and be good as new?” His cheeks were saturated.

“This is one of the best trauma centers around,” said Mike. “And you heard the doctor. Their best surgeon is working on her.”

“I don’t know how this happened,” said Jason. “Lynette is a good driver; she’s never even had a fender bender before. And the roads were clear. It wasn’t like they were icy or anything.” Annalise stirred.

“Do you have food and diapers for the baby?” asked Mike.

“In the trunk. Lynette always keeps a full diaper bag in there just in case of emergencies.”

“I’ll run out and get it,” said Mike. He took Jason’s keys and disappeared behind the door.

Susan tried to be strong for Jason, but she felt like a jellyfish trying to act like a shark. The ‘what ifs’ hit her too, but she kept them stuffed inside. She couldn’t imagine losing Lynette, and prayed that the surgeon could fix whatever was wrong. Jackson and Theresa ran into the room.

“How’s Lynette?” asked Jackson. He gave her a hug.

“She’s in surgery. We just have to wait.” She tried to stop her tears, but the dam was broken.

“We got here as fast as we could. Lynette is a good driver. How could she lose control like that?”

“We’re here to help with whatever you need,” said Theresa. “It’s going to be okay. Lynette is a fighter. I figured I could take Annalise home with me. I know you’ll be here all night.”

“Thanks, Theresa. That would be a huge help. Mike went to get her diaper bag from Jason’s car.”

“I saw the accident report. It just doesn’t make sense,” said Jackson. He turned to Theresa. “If you could take Annalise back, I want to stay. She’s my partner. I’m not leaving without knowing that she’s okay.”

“Of course.” Theresa took the baby. “Call me.”

Mike came back in with the diaper bag.

“I need to call Evan,” said Susan. “And Jason needs to eat something.

“I’ll call him,” said Mike. “I’ll go down to the cafeteria and bring up some food. You stay. I’ve got this.”

Susan sat in the plastic chair next to Jason.

“She’ll be okay. She’s a fighter.” Susan didn’t know if she was saying that aloud to calm Jason, or to convince herself. Jason grasped her hand.

Mike came in and put his arm around her. “Evan says this is one of the best trauma centers in the country. He says she’s in great hands.” He was uncharacteristically quiet as they continued waiting. Susan knew he was swallowing his own worries. Jackson sat down next to her.

“Jackson, do you think this has anything to do with Caleb’s murder case? Did someone run her off the road?”

“No, that’s one of the first things I asked the officer who was at the scene.”

“Did she seem like herself when she left the station? Was something on her mind?”

“She had a headache. She’s been getting them a lot these days. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.”

Susan tried to eat, but couldn’t. Her stomach was in knots. She paced around the perimeter of the room until Mike put his arm around her and sat her back down. Jason sobbed into his hands. It was hours before the doctor came to talk to them.

“She had a bleed in her brain. For now, she’s holding her own. We’ll have to wait until she wakes up to know more.”

“Will that be soon?” asked Jason.

“It could be soon, or it could be days. Weeks even. The sooner she wakes up, the more likely it is that she hasn’t suffered permanent damage.”

“Like brain damage?” said Susan. No…she wasn’t going to have brain damage. She would wake up and be back to normal in no time. Mike whispered in her ear.

“Do you think this had anything to do with her eye issues? Maybe she couldn’t see.”

“My God, I bet you’re right. Should we tell the doctor?”

“I don’t think it matters at the moment, and remember, Lynette didn’t want anyone outside the family to know. I think that includes Jackson.”

Hours later, they were allowed to see Lynette for a few minutes. Susan was unprepared for the sight of her daughter. Lynette’s eyes were swollen and her face was covered in bruises. Her head was wrapped in gauze, and her arm was in a cotton-lined metal splint. She couldn’t control her emotions. Tears poured and she could barely breathe.