Men were so lucky. Unlike women’s clothing, the vast majority of time their sizes ran true, so he hadn’t even had to try them on.
This would be the first time Skye had been able to shop for herself while she was alone. Usually, she had the babies with her and her mom. All three of which required a lot of her attention.
Perhaps May more than the twins. Shopping with her mother was always a trial. Not because May didn’t want Skye to get anything, but because she tended to wander away if Skye stopped to browse in a department that didn’t hold her interest, which required Skye to lose precious time tracking her down.
Chuckling at the image of the last time she’d had to find her mother in a huge department store—they’d ended up playing hide-and-seek for an hour and she was about to make a lost mother announcement over the PA—Skye pulled into the Kohl’s parking lot.
Surprised that it was so crowded, she had to circle several times until she found a spot. Then it was quite a journey to the entrance. Who knew that Thursday afternoon would be such a big shopping day?
Draping her purse strap across her body, Skye jogged toward the door. She paused once she was inside to get her bearings, and it took a few seconds for her to spot the lingerie department.
Finding a strapless bra in her size was as challenging as she’d feared. Evidently most designers felt only smaller women should wear pretty undies.
Thankfully, not all the manufacturers felt that way, and Skye finally found one. She also picked up some sexy black lace underwear to match.
While she was in the area, she scooped up a baby doll nightie. The cream stretch lace was embellished with a black ruffle along the bottom and tiny black bows around the molded bra cups.
It was just what she needed for a romantic evening at the hotel with her handsome husband. They might have two children, but they’d only been married fourteen months, which in Skye’s book meant they were still newlyweds.
After trying on her selections, she headed to the shoe aisle. Finding cute dress sandals in a ten wide was another challenge. But she got lucky again and nabbed a pair in black patent leather. The heel was a little higher than she usually wore, but they made her legs and ankles look amazing, so she’d suffer.
Glancing at her watch, Skye saw that if she wanted to get home on time, she only had fifteen minutes to check out. As she hurried toward the registers, she wished she had time to try on some clothes for work, but she was thankful she’d done as well as she had in her limited window of opportunity.
While Skye waited in line to purchase the items she’d chosen, she dug out her cell phone to call Wally. She’d talked to him just before she left school to make sure he didn’t need her at the police department, but at the time, she hadn’t known that she’d end up in Kankakee and she wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything he’d like her to pick up while she was there.
Although if he wanted her to stop anyplace, he’d have to get home to take over for Dorothy. Wally’s cell phone went directly to voicemail and Skye left a message. Before she could try his number at the PD, the line moved forward and Skye put away her cell. She would never be one of those people that made others wait because she was too absorbed in her telephone.
After Skye paid for her items, she walked out to the parking lot. She was loading her bags in the back of the SUV when she noticed Colleen Vreesen standing next to a car one row over. The annoying woman was giggling and making exaggerated hand motions to whoever was still in the vehicle.
As Skye drove away, she saw Tavish and Nanette Wraige join Colleen, then the trio strolled toward the entrance. Skye had gotten the impression that Tav wasn’t close to his stepmother or her friend. If that was the case, and she was pretty sure it was, it seemed mighty odd that the three of them were out together.
* * *
Shopping had been fun, but once Skye got home, she’d had to hit the ground running. As soon as she dropped her bags in the master bedroom and changed into yoga pants and a sweatshirt, she’d told Dorothy that she’d take over the twins’ care.
Thanking her for working the extra hour, Skye shooed the housekeeper upstairs to relax. After coping with the babies and everything else around the house for the past ten-plus hours, Dorothy deserved some time to unwind.
Once Dorothy was gone, Skye spread a large mat on the great room floor and put twins on their tummy in the center. Then she grabbed a few toys and sat opposite them.
Choosing a ball from her pile, she rolled it slightly to CJ’s right. According to the experts, this activity helped strengthen muscles and improve coordination. She alternated between her son and daughter, noting that they were both attempting to roll over and succeeding every couple of tries.
She praised Eva and CJ for their efforts and pressed kisses to their precious faces. While Eva had inherited her father’s high cheekbones and olive skin, CJ’s chestnut curls and emerald eyes were from Skye’s side of the family. But both were the cutest babies on earth.
When the twins were both giggling and cooing, Skye selected their favorite stuffed kitty from her stash and a fuzzy yellow blanket and started to play peekaboo. This was supposed to teach them that objects aren’t gone just because they can’t see them and ease separation anxiety.
A half hour later, Skye heard the roar of Wally’s Hummer entering the garage, and he walked inside soon afterward. Together they fed the babies, read them several board books, then put them to bed.
Once Eva and CJ were asleep, Skye reheated the food Dorothy had prepared and they had dinner. They both were starving, and conversation was sparse as they ate the excellent sweet potato and ham casserole accompanied by corn bread muffins.
When they finished eating, they cleaned up the mess they’d created from caring for the babies. Then they washed the dishes from their own meal.
Finally, they took their dessert and coffee into the great room and cuddled together on the huge leather sofa facing the fireplace. Bingo was snoozing in his favorite spot near the couch’s arm and let out an annoyed meow when they joined him, then went back to sleep.
After taking a sip from his mug, Wally asked, “How was your shopping trip?”
“Successful.” Skye smiled contentedly. “I got everything I wanted.”
“What were you after?” Wally put his arm around Skye and squeezed.
“You’ll find out Saturday.” Skye laid her head on his shoulder.
“Tease.” Wally gave a mock growl. “I had a hard day. How about a preview?”
“Not happening.” Skye patted his thigh. “But you can tell me about your trials and tribulations. Sharing with your own personal psychologist might make you feel better.”
Wally recapped his interviews at the bus barn, then asked, “Does your contract prohibit you from posting anything about your students on social media?”
“Definitely.” Skye shuddered at the thought of how easily kids could be exposed online. “And I’m pretty sure the teachers’ does as well. At least, I hope so.”
“Right.” Wally nodded, then told her about his experience with Mr. and Mrs. Makowski, ending with, “I reported the conversation he overheard to the city attorney, and Boulder thinks with that information he can get a warrant to search Wraige’s place.”
“That’s great. Hopefully you’ll find something useful.” Skye beamed, then shook her head. “Knowing what I do about the superintendent, I can’t say that him hitting on Nanette’s friend surprises me.”
“Me, either.” Wally released Skye and leaned forward to retrieve his dessert from the coffee table. “I wonder how Nanette found out?”
“You don’t think Colleen was livid when Dr. Wraige made a pass at her and told her friend?” Skye asked.
“Probably.” Wally paused and forked a bite of red velvet cake into his mouth. Once he swallowed, he continued. “But after her story about going to that stranger’s house and spending hours
there, she doesn’t strike me as the type who would be outraged at a man coming on to her.”
“True.” That thought had crossed Skye’s mind, but she didn’t want to sound catty. A few seconds later, she snapped her fingers. “That reminds me, I saw Nanette, Colleen, and Tavish in the parking lot at Kohl’s.”
“The three were together?” Wally polished off his cake and put the plate down. “That seems odd. I thought Tavish and Nanette weren’t exactly on friendly terms. Wasn’t that your impression?”
“Definitely.” Skye nodded her agreement, then picked up her fork.
She took a tiny bite of her dessert, letting the cream cheese frosting melt on her tongue. She liked to savor her food, while Wally devoured his. Which was fine, until he finished his portion too fast and then stared at her plate like Snoopy impersonating a vulture.
“Why would the three of them go shopping together?” Wally mused.
“Funeral clothes?” Skye suggested. “With Tav just out of the service, he might not have a dark suit and need help selecting one.”
“I suppose.” Wally’s expression was skeptical. “But both women?”
“Who knows?” Skye shrugged. “Tav does seem to be a bit of a ladies’ man and Colleen comes off as the female equivalent.”
Wally narrowed his eyes. “And why do you keep calling him Tav?”
“He asked me to.” Skye hid her smile. She liked that Wally was a little jealous. Not too much, but a little possessiveness was nice.
A tiny muscle in Wally’s cheek twitched, then he blew out a breath and asked, “So what makes you think Wraige was some kind of player?”
“Because Homer told me the reason Tavish,” Skye emphasized the man’s whole name, “left the army.” Wally waved his hand, gesturing for her to go on. “He was caught sleeping with his boss’s wife and was given a choice of a dishonorable discharge or not re-upping when his service commitment was over, which was right about the time all this was happening.”
“I had no idea that a solider could be dishonorably discharged for committing adultery.” Wally rolled his eyes. “If that were true in civilian life, a lot of folks would be in trouble.”
“Yep.” Skye cringed. “But wait until you hear the interesting part.” She quickly recapped the conversation she’d had with Homer and said, “What do you think about that?”
“From what you’re telling me, Tavish should be grateful to his father for getting him out of a jam and not wanting to kill him,” Wally muttered. “But that wasn’t how he came off when I interviewed him. It didn’t seem as if he had much, if any, affection or regard for Dr. Wraige.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Skye tapped her nails on the arm of the sofa, noticing she needed to fit in a manicure sometime before Saturday night. “Since Tavish and his father didn’t have a good relationship to begin with, Dr. Wraige stepping in unasked to rescue Tavish might not have been appreciated. Tavish could have seen it as his father just wanting to save face and not have a son with a dishonorable discharge on his record.”
“Good point.” Wally frowned. “People often bite the hand that feeds them.”
“Sadly, that’s true.” Skye yawned and began to gather up their dirty cups and plates. Then as she walked into the kitchen she said, “Shoot! I forgot that I needed to go online and see if I can find out anything about the pocket watch one of my students found.”
“You never mentioned that to me,” Wally yelled from the great room. “Wraige reported a pocket watch stolen the first time his house was burglarized, and it wasn’t recovered with the rest of the jewelry.”
Skye stiffened and waited to see if her husband’s shouting had disturbed the babies. Her shoulders relaxed when she didn’t hear any crying, and she was thankful once again that the nursery was in the opposite wing of the house.
She quickly put the plates in the dishwasher and rushed into the great room. Wally was just coming back from the bedroom, flipping through his memo pad.
“Do you have the pocket watch here?” He asked looking up from his notes.
“It’s in my tote bag.” Skye trotted into laundry room and retrieved the watch. Returning, she sat next to Wally, who had resumed his seat on the couch, and handed it to him. “See, it has what I think is a coat of arms on it. Is it the one stolen from Dr. Wraige?”
“It fits the description.” Wally ran his finger over the word FORTITUDINE curved over the image of an arm holding a sword aloft. “Wraige said that it’s the MacRaith crest. It seems when his ancestors emigrated to America, the name was changed to Wraige.”
“Interesting.” Skye wrinkled her forehead. “If someone stole it, how did it end up in the cemetery?” She nibbled a fingernail. “Do you think that was the thief’s escape route and he dropped it?”
“Maybe.” Wally got up from the couch and helped Skye to her feet. Bingo stretched and jumped off the sofa too. “But that doesn’t explain why the rest of the jewelry was left at the pawnshop.”
Skye followed Wally into the master bedroom, with the black cat at her heels. “I wonder if the pocket watch was discarded because it would be so easy to identify.”
“That doesn’t explain why the other stuff was just abandoned instead of pawned. The jewelry box had Wraige’s name engraved on it.” Wally began to undress. “But the burglar could have gotten a lot of money for the items inside.”
“That is odd.” Skye went into the adjoining bathroom to get ready for bed.
Wally joined her and just before he stuck his toothbrush in his mouth, he muttered, “I just wish Doris Ann would get back to me about whatever was in the vic’s stomach and the crime scene techs would send me their report. Maybe then we could start finding some answers to all these questions.”
Chapter 23
Toxic Valentine
Wally was surprised to see Neal Boulder in the police station when he entered the lobby on Friday morning. The man always reminded him of that cartoon ambulance chaser on The Simpsons.
The city attorney had been chatting with the dispatcher, but Boulder turned and beamed at Wally as he presented him with the search warrant for the superintendent’s house and said, “Here you go, Chief. Let me know if I can do anything else to help you nab the killer.”
“Thanks.” Wally shook the lawyer’s hand, then examined the document. He was relieved to see it was for the entire premises with no restrictions. “Why the personal delivery service? You usually send warrants to my phone.”
“I have an eight o’clock appointment with the mayor and figured I would go old-school.” Boulder glanced at the wall clock. “Speaking of which, I’d better get upstairs. I don’t want to keep him waiting.” He glanced at Thea. “Can you buzz me in?”
“Sure thing.” Thea reached down and pressed the button under the counter.
“See you later.” Boulder half waved, half saluted, then strolled through the door.
Wally watched until the lawyer was out of sight, then shot a questioning glance at the dispatcher and asked, “Any idea what was all about?”
Thea made a face, then said, “My guess is he’s trying to get on your good side because he’s running for state’s attorney for Stanley County in November.”
“Right. I did hear that.” Wally walked into the dispatcher’s office and headed to the Xerox machine. “I won’t support either candidate publicly, but Boulder would be my personal choice.”
“Mine too.” Thea crossed her arms. “It’s about time Scumble River had more say at the county level.”
Finished making copies of the warrant, Wally said, “I’m going to the Wraige house. Send Martinez over to assist with the search. We’ll see how much progress our new K-9 officer is making in his training.”
Although not required by law, Wally first headed to Nanette’s CPA firm. He thought it best to inform her that he would be conducting a thorough search of her property.
>
Nanette’s business was located on Basin Street, not too far from the bowling alley, and when he passed by the large, windowless building, Wally sent up a little prayer of gratitude that his father was no longer dating the lane’s manager, Bunny Reid. She was about the last person on earth he wanted as a stepmother, let alone anywhere near his children.
As Wally walked into the CPA firm, Colleen Vreesen glanced up from her position behind the reception desk and smiled prettily. “Chief Boyd, what a pleasant surprise.” Widening her big blue eyes, she drawled, “I see you’re looking as handsome as ever.”
Ignoring her tone, Wally asked, “Is Mrs. Wraige available for a quick chat?”
“Party pooper.” Colleen giggled and waved toward Nanette’s office. “Go ahead in.”
Nanette was behind a desk piled with papers. She was tapping rapidly on a keyboard, but when Wally entered, she looked up and frowned.
Before he could speak, she demanded, “Do you have some news about my husband’s killer?”
“Sorry, not yet, but I wanted to notify you that I’ve obtained a warrant and I’ll be conducting a search of your house.”
He handed her one of the copies that he’d made of the document, and after she read it, she asked. “What exactly are you looking for?” She wrinkled her smooth brow. “I told you the thief didn’t touch anything in the rest of the place.”
“I’m not convinced your husband was killed by a burglar.” Wally watched her reaction carefully. “New evidence has come to light that indicates that it may have been someone with a more personal motive.”
“What do you mean by that?” she snapped. “Who are you accusing?”
“We have several suspects.” Wally kept his expression bland. “I’m sorry, but because it is an ongoing investigation, that’s all I can share at the moment.”
Nanette sighed. “Fine, but when can we move back to the house?”
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