Appliqued to Death

by Kathleen Suzette

  “I haven’t seen the police around yet,” he said. “But I’m sure if they aren’t here yet, they’ll be here soon. You’ll have to give Robert a call this evening if we don’t run into him before then.”

  We set the food on the table and Peggy brought some glasses and silverware.

  “I just can’t understand it. Shouldn’t a teacher’s job be one of the safest jobs around?” Peggy asked.

  “You would think so,” I agreed. “And Salyers has always been a reasonably safe town. Maybe someone moved into town recently and for some reason took a dislike to Darren and Bill.”

  “You know what? I bet that’s exactly what happened. I bet it’s just a coincidence that both Darren and Bill happened to be teachers,” she said, brightening.

  “You mean there’s a psycho killer on the loose in Salyers?” Daniel asked with a chuckle. He picked up the iced tea pitcher and began filling glasses. “I think I’d rather believe that the killings were targeted than that they were random. At least I can be nice to everyone I know in the hopes that I won’t be next on the list. But with a crazed, random killer, you never know what might happen.”

  I reached over and lightly slapped his arm. “Stop it,” I said eyeing him. “It’s nothing to joke about. What a terrible thing to have happen.”

  “Who’s joking? I don’t want to be on anybody’s list, and I don’t want to be the poor sap that just happens to run into a killer. Oh, wait a minute,” he said and set the pitcher of iced tea down. “That substitute teacher across the hall is new to town. Maybe it’s her.”

  “She’s a sweet young woman,” I said.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know about that. She did get a job out of it, after all.”

  Peggy chuckled. “She would be the last person anyone would look at, and that means she’d get away with murder.”

  We all looked up as the door opened and Robert walked through it. “What is that wonderful smell? Did I make it in time?”

  “Robert,” I said from where I sat. “Grab a glass and a plate and pour yourself some iced tea. Help yourself to some tuna noodle casserole and salmon mousse canapes.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” he said and went to one of the cupboards and opened it.

  “There’s Pineapple upside down cake for dessert,” Peggy told him.

  He was at the table in a moment and sat next to me. “Investigating crime at the high school sure has paid off for me. Free lunch.”

  “All right, tell us what’s going on. Is it true that Bill Woods is dead?” I asked. I couldn’t wait until after he filled his plate. I needed to know what was going on now.

  He shook his head. “I tell you, I don’t know what’s going on around this town. More specifically, what’s going on around this high school. But yes, Bill Woods is dead.” He picked up the pitcher of iced tea and poured some into his glass. “He was run over just like Darren Peabody was.”

  “In front of his house?” I asked.

  “With a basket of muffins on the ground beside him?” Daniel asked his fork poised over his tuna noodle casserole.

  Robert chuckled and helped himself to the casserole. “No. No blueberry muffins this time. Poor sap. He didn’t even get any muffins before he died.”

  “That’s not funny,” I said. “What do you think is going on? Why two murders in this town all of a sudden?”

  He shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know. But don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”

  Peggy sat quietly taking this in, a thoughtful look on her face. “So, two teachers are killed in exactly the same way in less than two weeks. That’s just odd. I mean, they weren’t terrible teachers. Bill was highly thought of and although Darren wasn’t a favorite of the staff’s, the students tended to like him. What’s going on around here?”

  Robert sighed. “I wish I knew. It would make my job a lot easier. There’s very little to go on. We did lift some fingerprints from Darren’s home and we’re hoping it might lead somewhere, but they might be from someone that visited his home frequently. We’re still waiting to get the results back.”

  “So you think it was somebody Darren knew really well?” I asked. “At least, someone he knew well enough to be inside his home?”

  “Don’t jump to conclusions. Like I said, I don’t really have answers right now. But yes, it could be someone he knew. Why wouldn’t it be? At this point, we just don’t know.”

  “One theory has it that a random killer has moved to Salyers and is knocking off all the good teachers here at Salyers High,” Daniel said and chuckled.

  “It’s not a theory. It’s just something that ran through my mind,” I defended myself. He could laugh it up all he wanted, but until we knew something more specific, it could be that as well as anything else.

  “I’m just teasing,” Daniel said apologetically. He smiled at me. “I know Robert’s going to figure out who the killer is, and life will be back to business as usual around here.”

  I nodded. “I have all the faith in the world in you Robert,” I told him. “You’ll have the murderer behind bars before we know it.”

  “Thanks, Sis, you’re good for my ego,” he said with a chuckle.

  “You know what I’m wondering?” Peggy asked. “I’m wondering if the person that killed them was close to both of them. I’m wondering if maybe there was a close personal relationship there.”

  I looked at Peggy. She was scooting noodles around on her plate, her brow furrowed in thought. It wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe there was a lover’s triangle going on between them. I had once seen an old movie where just that had happened. I shrugged. Salyers was far too dull for something like that.

  “If that’s the case,” Robert said. “Then maybe we should look at pretty young women that have nothing better to do than run around with two different men and kill them.”

  Daniel chuckled and turned to me. “See? What did I tell you?”

  “See what?” Robert asked.

  “Ignore him. He seems to think the young substitute teacher that took over Darren’s art class may have killed him so she could get his job,” I said.

  “And now maybe she had a thing going on with Bill, too,” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair. “Those innocent looking women are the ones to keep an eye on.”

  I shook my head and tried one of the canapes. Peggy had gotten creative by piping a mound of the pink mousse onto a cucumber round. “Oh, this is good.”

  “Don’t act surprised,” Peggy said.

  “I’m not surprised,” I said. “It’s very refreshing.”

  What Robert said got me thinking. Christine Tidwell was as pretty as they came, and I knew she was fond of Darren. But Bill? That was hard for me to imagine. But, I suppose anything was possible. She was an adult, after all. I had been surprised she came back for another year to try to get her diploma. It was brave of her when her classmates had already moved on.

  I shook myself. I shouldn’t be thinking these things about her. As much as other teachers talked about Christine being a loose girl, I hadn’t believed it. I thought she was a lot smarter than anyone gave her credit for, and in spite of her difficult home life, at least she hadn’t given up on getting her high school diploma. She had returned to school in September, disregarding the embarrassment of having to take her senior year over again.

  “I just hope you figure out who it is soon,” I said. “It will give everyone peace of mind.” And then I looked at Peggy. She was as pretty as they came too, and she had had dinner with Darren. But I had never seen her with Bill, and she had never mentioned him. But then again, she had never mentioned having dinner with Darren, either. And then I remembered what Bill said about Darren stealing a woman he was dating from him. I swallowed. Had more been going on between the three of them than I knew?

  “Dad is going to help me out with the new case,” Robert said. “I think between the two of us, we can find the killer quickly.”

  “Really?” Daniel said. “Will the chief let him do that?”r />
  He nodded. “Everyone’s in a tizzy about the second murder. They want the killer caught as soon as possible and having someone like Dad on the case is going to be an asset to the investigation. I always thought he should have taken the exam to become a detective.”

  “I agree,” I said and picked up my glass of tea and took a sip. “I know he loves being a beat cop, but he has the mind for investigative work.” I sneaked a glance at Peggy. She was still scooting the noodles around her plate.

  “You can say that again,” Robert agreed. “You’ll see. We’ll find that killer.”

  “I have no doubt about it,” Peggy said, looking up. “I’d hate to be in that person’s shoes right now. They had to know they couldn’t get away with murder, and I bet they’re worried out of their minds right now.”

  I had to agree with Peggy. They were crazy if they thought there were going to get away with this. But then again, maybe they weren’t that worried since they went ahead and killed a second victim.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Before the end of the day, the entire school was in an uproar. It was late April, and we had lost two of our teachers. School wouldn’t be out until the second week in June and things weren’t looking good for the rest of us teachers. If there was a third death, I might have to turn in my resignation.

  It was the following day and Christine Tidwell sat in my second period class, staring off into space. Her project, a dress for her toddler niece that she had been sewing appliqués onto the bodice, sat on the table in front of her, untouched.

  Some of the other girls huddled together, whispering and looking in Christine’s direction. Stopping the gossip about the latest murder was almost impossible, and while I gave it my best shot, there wasn’t a lot I could do when the girls would insist, they were simply discussing their projects when asked. I knew better, but what could I do about it?

  It was a few minutes before the bell rang and most of the girls were putting their projects up. Christine still sat in her chair, her hand under her chin, deep in thought. I went and sat in the chair next to her and put a hand on her arm.

  “Christine,” I said quietly. “Are you all right?”

  She looked at me and smiled. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” Her eyes went to the clock, and the bell rang. “Oh gosh, I didn’t realize it was that late.” She reached for the dress in front of her, picked it up, and began folding it.

  “It’s okay,” I said taking my hand off her arm. “Can you stay after class for a minute?”

  She looked at me, worry showing in her eyes. And then she nodded. “Sure.”

  I waited until the other girls had left the room and then I turned to her. “Christine, is everything all right?”

  She turned to face me in her chair. “Yes, everything’s fine. I’m so sorry. Like I said, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Sometimes our neighbors are loud, and they decided to have a party last night. It won’t happen again.”

  I nodded. “I understand. That’s fine. Sometimes things happen.” I didn’t know how to ask her what I wanted to ask without making her feel like I was prying, so I made no move to get up. Maybe she’d volunteer something that would help me understand what was going on with her.

  Then she stopped folding the dress and looked at me, her eyes sorrowful. “Mrs. Taylor, did you hear about Coach Woods?”

  I nodded. “I did. It’s a terrible shame. I just don’t understand what’s going on around here.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand it. First Mr. Peabody, and now Coach Woods. What is going on with the teachers here at the school?”

  I shook my head slowly. “I wish I knew. I think we all wish we knew the answer to that question.”

  “Do you think the same person that killed Mr. Peabody killed Coach Woods?”

  “I don’t think anybody knows that right now. It is odd that they both died in the same way. It leads one to believe that it was the same person. But the police are investigating and I’m sure they’ll find the killer soon.”

  “Well, I think it was the same person,” she said, and her eyes became angry. “I can’t imagine two random people killing two teachers in the exact same way and having it be a coincidence.”

  “I think I have to agree with you, but that’s between the two of us, right? If Principal Jefferson knew I was saying anything to you about this, well, you know how he is.”

  She rolled her eyes and nodded. “I know exactly how he is. If it weren’t for him, I’d have graduated last year.” As soon as she said it, she looked at me wide-eyed. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

  “No, I know what you mean. Sometimes Principal Jefferson leaves something to be desired in how he runs the school. But again, that’s between the two of us,” I said. It didn’t surprise me that she had had problems with Principal Jefferson. He enjoyed focusing his attention on students that struggled. He seemed to delight in making their already difficult lives even harder.

  “Can I tell you something?” she asked.

  “Of course,” I assured her. “I’ll keep it in confidence.”

  She nodded and then thought for a second before continuing. “Didn’t Mrs. Wilkes have a relationship with Mr. Peabody?”

  Now we were on slippery ground. I couldn’t have a conversation like this with a student. But, if she knew something, it might be something I needed to hear about. “No, I don’t believe she had a relationship with Mr. Peabody. Why do you think that?”

  She shrugged. “They would come to the cafe together.” She looked away.

  “What do you mean they would come in together? Once?” I asked suddenly feeling alarmed.

  She shook her head. “No, I bet they came in together four or five times during the winter. And she went out with Coach Woods, too. It makes me wonder is all.”

  I stared at her. “What do you mean she had a relationship with Coach Woods? And are you sure she came into the café four or five times with Mr. Peabody?” The conversation was making me uncomfortable, but it was already out there, and I had to know.

  “I saw them coming out of the movie theater together. I thought at the time that they must be dating.”

  The thought was unsettling. “Did Coach Woods go into the café often?”

  She nodded. “At least two or three times a week. He said that since his wife had died, he didn’t have anyone to cook for him. He didn’t know how to cook.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t mind eating out a lot,” I said, taking this in. “Did he come in with Mrs. Wilkes?”

  She shook her head. “No, she just came in with Mr. Peabody. And I do remember her and Mr. Peabody coming in more than once. Mr. Peabody was a generous tipper and he would always make sure he left me something extra, so I remember when he came in.”

  I nodded and tried to keep the shock from my face. I’m pretty sure I failed at it. “Did Mr. Peabody come into the café often?”

  “Yes, at least once a week. Except for the times he came in with Mrs. Wilkes, he was always alone. He always insisted he be seated in my section and I really appreciated it. I guess he knew that I really needed the money,” she said and turned away. I caught the blush in her cheeks before she did.

  “That was nice of him,” I said taking this all in. “I still can’t understand why anyone would have wanted to kill him. Let alone both him and Coach Woods.”

  She turned back to me and there were unshed tears in her eyes. “He was one of the nicest people I knew. Mr. Peabody, I mean. I never saw him be unkind to anyone, and it was really more than I could’ve expected, that he would insist on sitting in my section and then be so generous with his tips. It meant a lot to me.”

  What she said broke my heart. I knew Christine struggled with a lot of things, finances being one of them. And to know that a teacher had helped out where he could was sweet. “You’re really going to miss him, aren’t you?” I didn’t want to think about Peggy not telling me the tr
uth. She had said she only went to dinner with him the one time. And now she had dated Bill Woods as well? The thought made me queasy.

  She nodded and blinked back the tears. “I am. There aren’t many teachers in the school that have cared anything about me. Just him, and you.” She looked away again.

  Her words clutched at my heart because I didn’t feel like I had really done much to support her other than be kind to her. It made me think that as a teacher, I didn’t fully understand how treating a student could have such an effect on them. And now I wished I had made more of an effort to do as Mr. Peabody had, and helped her out financially by eating at the café more often and tipping her.

  I reached out and put my hand on hers. “Christine, I want you to know that you are more than deserving of kindness. Regardless of how some people treat you, you deserve good things in your life.”

  She looked at me, the tears were back in her eyes. “Thank you,” she croaked and swallowed. “Thank you.”

  Girls started streaming in for my third period class and I gave her hand a squeeze and stood up. She got up and picked up the dress she had been working on, refolded it, and took it over to her cubby. It was odd, but I could have sworn she told me her niece was a toddler, and as she was folding the dress, it looked too small to fit a toddler. It looked like it was for an infant.

  I sighed and got up to greet the students coming in for the next class. As Christine headed for the door, she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Taylor,” she said and headed out the door before I could answer.

  Sometimes students broke your heart. Sometimes they let you know that you went above and beyond your job and it’s noticed and appreciated, and it’s the sweetest thing in the world.

  As I watched her go, the thought occurred to me that she had had a relationship with both Darren Peabody and Bill Woods. They had frequented the café where she worked. I shrugged off the thought. I was going to hang onto the sweetness of this moment.

  Chapter Nineteen