Although Skye couldn’t see into the darkly tinted windows of the Escalade, she still waved as she drove by the vehicle. She had no idea if the guard waved back, but it seemed rude to just ignore the man.
Putting aside all thoughts of security teams and billionaire fathers-in-law, Skye spent the rest of the ride to school mentally preparing for the conference. PPS at the elementary was both her easiest and most difficult meeting. Easiest because the principal was the nicest, and hardest because often this was the first time the younger students were being referred, which meant they had very little educational history to consider while making their decisions.
One good thing about an early appointment was that Skye scored a parking spot right next to the entrance. Grabbing her purse and tote bag, she quickly walked into the building and headed to the special education classroom where the PPS team held their meetings.
Ninety minutes later, she was back in her SUV and on her way to the high school. There had only been two kids on the agenda and both had landed on the speech and language pathologist’s to-do list instead of Skye’s.
With the meeting being shorter than expected, she was running a little ahead of schedule. Pleased to have some extra time, Skye stopped by Tales and Treats and picked up a couple of boxes of the café owners’ assorted pastries. She’d put one in the faculty lounge with a note that if anyone wanted to talk about the superintendent’s death, she was available for the rest of the day.
So far, it had been a heck of a week and everyone deserved a little indulgence. Plus, if any of the staff were upset about Dr. Wraige’s murder, it was good way to invite them to explore their feelings with her.
Skye planned to share the smaller box of treats with Piper and Trixie. They could all get together during the school librarian’s planning period to chat and decompress. Skye hadn’t seen either her BFF or her intern since Monday and she had no idea how they were doing.
But first, she had to get the treats through the lobby and past the principal’s office. If Homer spotted the distinctive aqua-blue-and-gold-foil bakery boxes, he’d swoop down and cherry-pick the most desirable pastries for himself before anyone else had a chance.
Fortunately, early on, Skye had cajoled Homer into giving her a key to the rear door. She’d demonstrated the heaviness of her evaluation equipment to him by handing him the cases and swiftly walking away. He’d followed her from the front entrance to the faculty parking lot around the building in an effort to give them back to her.
Once she’d relieved him of the test kits, sweat dripping from his beet-red face, he’d reached into his pocket and took his own key from the ring. Skye assumed he had a spare in his desk but didn’t ask. She was just happy to finally be able to come and go with ease.
Now, as Skye entered the back hallway juggling her tote bag, thermal lunch container, purse, and the two bakery cartons, she really appreciated the convenience. Not to mention the ability to stay under Homer’s radar.
As it was between periods, Skye made it to her office without anyone seeing her, and when she entered, she was pleased to find Piper inside. The intern looked up from her desk, then hurried over to help Skye with her load. They exchanged greetings while Skye walked to the closet and hung up her coat.
“How’s it going around here?” Skye asked as she put her purse and lunch bag in her desk drawer. “Anyone seem upset about Dr. Wraige?”
“Not that I’ve seen.” Piper returned to her seat. “Like you suggested, I’ve been hanging out in the faculty lounge and walking through the hallways during passing period, but everyone appears to be fine.”
“That’s a relief.” Skye explained her plan for the baked goods, grabbed the large box, and headed for the door. “I want to drop these off before second period ends and the hallways fill with teachers and students. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Hurrying down the corridor, Skye kept a watchful eye out for Homer. The annoying principal tended to pop up at the most inopportune times.
However, today was her lucky day, and Skye made it to the faculty lounge without seeing him. She quickly arranged the treats on one of the platters stored in the cupboards by the sink and covered them with the plastic wrap kept in a nearby drawer.
Then, taking a piece of construction paper and a marker from another cabinet, Skye made a sign inviting the staff to talk to her if they wished. She folded it into a tent and started toward the door, but before she made it, the bell rang and she decided to wait until the halls cleared.
Fighting the crowd in the corridors always made her feel like a salmon going upstream. She usually ended up caught on someone’s hook and had to wiggle off by suggesting the teacher come see her when they had more time.
A few minutes later, Skye thought it was probably safe to leave. She had her hand on the knob when the door abruptly swung inward.
Once again, it was Tavish Wraige who had narrowly missed giving her a black eye. He barreled into the room and stopped abruptly when he saw Skye. He jumped back as if she’d Tasered him, ran his fingers through his hair, and stared at her.
He seemed unsure what to say, so Skye smiled and murmured, “Fancy meeting you here.” When he appeared even more confused, she tried again. “How are you and your stepmother doing? I know you both had a horrible shock.”
“Fine.” Tavish ducked his head. “I…uh…haven’t seen Nanette since, uh…”
“Well, at least she has her friend Colleen staying with her, right?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I guess so. The last I heard, that was the plan anyway.”
Skye nodded. Making conversation with Dr. Wraige’s son was about as easy as ending one with May.
“So, uh…” Tavish paused, then said, “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone and I was thinking about something else.”
“I understand.” Skye gestured to the platter. “As the sign says, if you ever what to talk…”
“Thanks for the offer. I’m good.” Tavish strode over to the table. “But I will have a bear claw. My father always raved about this bakery.”
“The café owner makes all his own pastries.” Skye waited to see if Tavish would say anything more, but when he was silent, she opened the door.
He spoke just as she took a step into the hallway. “Thank your husband for helping me find a place to stay. Zelda’s a real sweetheart.”
“I’ll do that,” Skye called over her shoulder.
As she proceeded to her office, Skye wondered if Tavish had a little crush on the young officer. After all, Zelda was gorgeous. Not to mention smart. And both she and Tavish loved animals.
When Skye arrived, Piper was still typing away on her tablet, but a few seconds later, she looked up and said, “Report number thirty-two is officially done. I just sent it to you to look over.”
“You don’t have to do that anymore.” Skye walked to her desk and retrieved the bakery box she’d left there. “Your reports are excellent. You only need to show them to me if the results could be controversial and you might need some backup.”
“Thanks!” Piper beamed. “That means a lot. I know you gave up some of your maternity leave to supervise me when the co-op psych went AWOL and I appreciate it. As difficult as it was at first, this district has been a great learning experience.”
“That’s one way of looking at it.” Skye chuckled, wondering if she should mention to Piper the possibility of a permanent job for next year, then decided to wait until she was sure there was a position available. Instead, she asked, “Do you have an eval or counseling session scheduled this period? Trixie’s free so I’m going to go share some pastries with her. You’re welcome to join us.”
“I’ve got a student coming to test.” Piper stood, smoothed her navy slacks, and pulled down her baby-blue sweater.
“Oh, darn.” Skye was glad to see that the young woman had taken her suggestion and finally stopped wearing sui
ts every day. She had told Piper that if she dressed in the type of clothing most of the teachers wore, it might help her establish a better rapport with the faculty.
“Will you need the office, or should I find somewhere else to set up the assessment?”
“You can have the office. I’ll camp out somewhere and do paperwork.” Skye stuffed her laptop and a few files into her tote bag, then flipped open the bakery box and held it out. “Want one?”
“Thanks! I’d love one to have for lunch.” Piper helped herself to a bismarck, carefully wrapping it in one of napkins inside the carton before stashing it in her desk drawer. “Say, did I tell you what I heard when I was observing a student in history class?”
“No,” Skye answered cautiously. Observations could be pretty tricky. “What?”
“The teacher asked what a resident of Moscow was called,” Piper giggled. “He told her that they were Mosquitos.”
“Not a horrible answer,” Skye chuckled. “My latest funny experience was in the junior high social studies class. The teacher asked if anyone knew what a census taker did. One of the girls said that it was a man who went from house-to-house increasing the population.”
Piper and Skye were both laughing as Skye waved, and headed to the school’s multimedia center aka the library. She wasn’t entirely sure Trixie would be there, but it was the best place to start her search.
In addition to being the high school librarian, Trixie also cosponsored the school newspaper with Skye, coached the cheerleading squad, and had recently started a community service club to promote volunteerism among the teenagers.
Skye knew Trixie thrived on the constant vortex of activities, but she sometimes wondered if her friend kept too busy. Was there something her cheerful BFF didn’t want time to think about?
As Skye entered the multimedia center, Tavish Wraige walked out. He was absorbed in the tablet he carried, and only distractedly returned Skye’s greeting before rushing off. What had the attendance and residency investigator been doing in the library?
Turning to watch Tavish march down the hall, his black oxfords clicking on the worn linoleum, Skye wondered if he was on the trail of a student who was playing hooky. They had been known to hide out in the library because if the kid had a good sob story, Trixie would look the other way.
Once Tavish was out of sight, Skye gazed around the room. The walls were lined with bookshelves and the middle of the space contained an assortment of tables, chairs, and study carrels.
Because this was Trixie’s free period, the multimedia center was empty, but Skye could hear country music coming from the rear. Smiling, she walked around the counter and into the workroom.
The comforting smell of coffee greeted Skye, and when Trixie spotted her, she sprang from her stool and said, “Tell me all about the murder.”
With her first mystery finished and having recently been accepted by one of the top New York literary agents, Trixie was on the lookout for her next plot. She was particularly fascinated by Skye’s involvement in real-life cases. Although, with all the kids the librarian saw every day, she often knew more about what was happening around Scumble River than anyone else.
“Can I have some coffee first and share these pastries with you?” Skye showed the box to Trixie, who snatched it from her hand.
“Sure. Help yourself.” Trixie waved to the Keurig and proceeded to pull out small paper plates and napkins from a nearby cupboard.
Skye selected her favorite French vanilla and popped the K-Cup into the machine. Once it completed the brew cycle, she added Sweet‘N Low and creamer, then took a seat next to where her friend was perched.
Trixie punched a button on the MP3 player parked in the dock on the counter, and as the speakers went silent, Luke Bryan’s crooning was cut off mid-word.
Skye selected a cinnamon streusel scone, then asked, “How’s Owen? Is he keeping busy?”
Like Skye’s father, Trixie’s husband was a farmer, and February was a slow month for him. Still, being a farmer’s daughter, Skye knew that men like her dad and Owen always had had some project to keep them occupied.
“He’s at the big farm show over at the Kankakee Fairgrounds. There were quite a few agriculture dealers, suppliers, and companies that were going to be there that he was interested in seeing.”
“I wonder if he’ll come home with a new tractor.” Skye winked. “That’s what happened last year when Dad went to the show.”
Once they’d exchanged news on their families and talked a bit about the babies, Trixie demanded, “Now tell me about Wraige’s murder.”
Wally had given Skye the green light to share everything except for the cause of death and what ME had found in the superintendent’s stomach, so she answered. “Wally was called out to Dr. Wraige’s house because he’d reported that someone had tried to break in through the patio door.”
“Go on,” Trixie ordered, taking a huge bite of the blueberry lemon muffin that she’d chosen from the assortment in the box.
Skye told her about Wally finding Dr. Wraige dead, the missing coins, and their interviews with the superintendent’s wife, son, and houseguest, then she snapped her fingers and said, “Which reminds me, I saw Tavish Wraige leaving the library when I got here. What did he want?”
Trixie beamed. “He’s offered to help me with the community service club.”
“Really? He just volunteered out of the blue?” Skye was shocked.
Tavish hadn’t struck her as the type to get involved, but maybe she’d misjudged him. After all, he had served his country in the military.
“Well, not exactly.” Trixie suddenly found something in the depths of her coffee mug fascinating and stared at the dark liquid as she explained, “While you were on maternity leave, I may have mentioned to Homer that the teachers were contractually obligated to work on an extracurricular activity, so the other staff should have to as well.”
“You mean like those of us who are assigned to the entire district?” Skye tapped her fingers on the countertop. “That is a totally unreasonable requirement. What if all the buildings insisted on that? The nurse, the speech path, and I would have three times the after-school obligations as everyone else covered by the contract.”
“I didn’t think of that.” Trixie played with the layers of her red chiffon skirt and refuse to look at Skye. “But you already volunteer.”
“Volunteer is the important word in that statement.” Skye narrowed her eyes. “If I’m forced to do something at each school, I may have to think about quitting. There’s only so much time I’m willing to spend away from my children.”
“Shoot!” Trixie’s round cheeks turned pink. “I’ll fix this. I promise. I’m pretty sure if push came to shove, Homer couldn’t enforce it since it isn’t a part of your contract.”
“Good.” Skye crossed her arms. “Belle and Abby would be even more upset than I am. Abby helps her boyfriend at his veterinarian clinic in the afternoons and Belle has private clients she sees for speech therapy.”
“Well, none of you have to worry.” Trixie grinned. “There aren’t a ton of candidates eager for any of your jobs.”
“True.”
“What are you thinking?” Trixie demanded. “You have a funny look on your face.”
“I was just wondering how things in the district would change now that Dr. Wraige is gone.” Skye but her lip. “You know the saying, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. What if the next one is worse?”
“Hmmm,” Trixie murmured, then said, “Circling back to Dr. Wraige’s murder. Who’s your top suspect?”
“Wally hasn’t really said, but I’m guessing it’s between the widow and the son.”
“How about the houseguest you mentioned?”
“She’s definitely on my list.” Skye crossed her arms. “Her alibi has such big holes in it you could drive a semi through it.”<
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“Maybe you just don’t like her because she made a play for Wally,” Trixie teased.
“Unfortunately, ever since he did that interview with the newspaper and revealed his family’s wealth, women have been throwing themselves at him like mad.”
“I was afraid of that.” Trixie nodded sagely. “He was already too much of a hunk for his own good.”
“Yep.” Skye glanced at her watch. “This period’s about over and I need to find a place to work while Piper uses our office to test.”
“You can set up right here.” Trixie hopped off her stool. “I’ll be out front with Corny’s honors English class.” She paused. “Wait, wasn’t Pru related to Dr. Wraige?”
“Yes. She was his cousin.” Skye pulled her laptop from her tote bag. “Why?”
“Any chance she killed him?” Trixie’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “That would be a good way to get rid of her since she’s never going to retire.”
“No chance. She has an alibi and no motive.” Skye whacked her friend’s arm. “Now get out of here. I have a report to write.”
“Fine.” Trixie walked out the door, but then stepped back into the room. “I just remembered something Tavish said. I didn’t really make anything of it at the time, but we were talking about the community service club, and he said something about donating his father’s gold-and-diamond signet ring to raffle off for our next fundraiser.”
“Interesting.” Skye muttered. “You’d think that would be something he’d want to have as a memento for himself or his future children.”
“Only if he wanted to remember his father, but I had the feeling he wasn’t too fond of him.” Trixie shot Skye a significant look, then hurried away.
Chapter 20
Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime
It had taken longer than Wally had expected to track down Keith Makowski. The ex–bus driver no longer lived at the address Sally had provided, and Wally had had to do some investigating to find him.
Body Over Troubled Waters Page 18