Toni Donovan Mysteries- Books 1-3

by Helen Gray

  “Busy. Got any coffee made?”

  “No, but I can have some by the time you get your shower, if you mean to take one.”

  He began unbuttoning his shirt. “I’ll sleep better if I do. Could you manage some bacon and eggs with it?”

  “Can do.”

  As promised, she had food and coffee ready when he returned from the bathroom a few minutes later, wearing a loose tee shirt and shorts. He sat across from her and picked up the hot cup by his plate. “That’s good,” he said after a healthy swig. He put his cup down and faced her, his expression solemn. “Did you come straight home after you left the station?”

  Toni picked up her own coffee and drank slowly, not wanting to answer. But his manner said he was not going to be evaded. “I met my student, Nicole, for a burger. I was hungry.”

  He nodded. “Did she give you any helpful information?” He tackled his own food.

  “She told me a little more about Sonya Finch as a high school student. Sonya dated older men, and one of them took her over into Oklahoma and introduced her to casino life and gambling. She worked weekends as a waitress and bragged to her senior classmates about what a good shill she was.”

  Quint looked up. “Is that all you learned?”

  Toni tensed. “She called later and said her ex, Mitch Sandoval, showed up at her apartment and questioned her about me. She wouldn’t answer, and he hit her.” The last was said angrily.

  “He’s bad news,” Quint said with a grimace. “He must have gone straight there as soon as he made bail. But we can’t help her unless she presses charges.”

  “She told me she and her daughter would go stay with her mother for a while. I hope she stays there until this case is settled.”

  Quint gave her a slight grin. “I can tell you one thing that might give you a little satisfaction. The manager of the Goldenrod called the station and told the officer who answered to tell Sonya she’s fired.”

  “Did you get any answers out of Dean or Mitch?”

  Quint swallowed and sipped from his coffee before answering. “At first they both clammed up and refused to say who was with them in the apartment. But when Lieutenant Green questioned Dean alone, he finally admitted that it was Sonya Finch. So you were right about that. It was enough to get us a search warrant for her apartment.”

  “I bet she wasn’t happy about that.”

  “She was fit to be tied, but Green and another guy from the squad searched it. They found a knife and what looks like records of the gambling operation. It’s appearing more and more that she’s our killer, but they have to test the knife to be sure it’s the murder weapon and glean through that pile of folders and paperwork. They’ve also requested her phone records. The biggest fear is that she’ll pull a disappearing act before we can get enough proof to charge her.”

  “What’s the status on Dean and Mitch?”

  “As expected, Dean was released to his parents. Mitch made his phone call, and a young man showed up with the cash to bail him out. He was free less than two hours after you left. That’s why I said he must have gone straight from the police station to Nicole’s place. Have you talked to anyone else?”

  Toni nodded. “I called the Kickapoo art teacher I talked to before.”

  “Didn’t you say she’s related to the Ozark principal?”

  “His sister-in-law. She talked to her kids, and her son said their school secretary and Jesse Campbell did break up after he left the school, but that they hooked back up again later.”

  Quint shook his head. “I can’t believe that guy. He got around more than a hooker.”

  “Mickey said that secretary’s finances have always been shaky, so maybe she was working for Jesse because she needed extra money.”

  Quint shrugged. “That’s a strong possibility, and I admit it would be satisfying to poke around in her house, but speculation isn’t enough to get a search warrant. This has been quite a day for searching, though.”

  “Oh?”

  “The detectives confiscated everything they could find of interest in that apartment. But they didn’t find much that was helpful.”

  “That in itself sounds suspicious to me,” Toni said.

  He drained his coffee. “I agree. There was no computer, but that’s not surprising since laptops are so common. The top drawers of the file cabinet were empty, so someone emptied them. The others contained office supplies and unused receipt books. The bottom drawers were more interesting. They were stuffed with fancy phones and phone covers with sports logos on them.”

  That struck Toni as interesting. “I remember a story about some drug dealers who gave middle school and junior high students fancy shoes for passing drugs to their friends,” she said while refilling his cup. “Fancy phones could be used the same way.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Give them fancy phones for recruiting their friends into gambling? You could be right. Of course, the detectives have probably considered that.”

  “The schools have a bigger problem than they realize.”

  “The department is trying to educate them,” Quint said. “They’ve been calling on administrators and questioning them about their knowledge of gambling in their districts. Most of them are pretty naïve and tell us how disappointed they are at hearing of such student participation. One of the hardest things for the department is convincing parents of the students that there is anything criminal involved.”

  “They don’t understand the seriousness of what their kids are getting into. They tend to say, ‘Thank God it’s not drugs’. They don’t see that a gambling addiction is as much of a problem as a drug addiction.”

  “In some cases parents pay off their children’s debts, but they still resist what they consider interference by school officials or law enforcement,” Quint added.

  “I know. If kids are caught and punished with detentions or suspensions, the parents go ballistic. Even assigning them to write essays and watch movies about the dangers of gambling meets with grumbling and resistance.”

  He gave an exaggerated sigh and focused on his food.

  *

  Wednesday morning Toni stared in the closet at the two remaining outfits she had with her that were suitable for work. “Eeny, meeny, miney, mo,” she mumbled and reached for the simple white dress on the right.

  Quietly, so as not to wake Quint, she dressed and tried to conceal the bruise on her face with makeup. It took a thick layer that felt stiff when she moved her facial muscles.

  After a bowl of cereal, she left the apartment. John was waiting on the parking lot to follow her to school again. This time she welcomed his presence.

  When they arrived at the school, Toni walked briskly to the entrance of the building, turned to wave good-bye, and watched him drive away. Then she hurried inside.

  Lecture time was spent reviewing for the finals. All she had to do during the lab final was monitor while students worked. Fortunately, it was an all multiple-choice exam, so she could grade them with the scantron, an electronic grade scoring machine. As students finished and handed her their answer sheets one by one, Toni scanned them and entered the scores in her grade book. By the time all the students were gone except Nicole, who was obviously waiting to talk, she had everything caught up.

  Nicole approached the desk and handed Toni her answer sheet.

  “If you’ll wait a minute, I’ll grade it,” Toni said, inserting it into the scantron. She grinned when she saw the results. “Ninety-six percent. I told you that you would do fine.”

  Looking up, she realized that Nicole was staring at her face, her composure rigid. Self-consciously she ran a palm over her bruised cheek.

  “What happened to you?”

  “I offended someone. We match now,” Toni said, trying to make light of it.

  “Was it Mitch?” Her voice was low and strained with tension.

  “Oh, no,” Toni denied quickly, and watched some of the tension visibly drain from Nicole.

  “I’m glad it wasn’t him.” />
  “How about you?” Toni asked pointedly, indicating Nicole’s own bruised face. “Has Mitch bothered you any more?”

  The young woman gave a weary sigh. “I’m okay. We stayed at Mom’s last night. She says I should get a restraining order.”

  “That might be a good idea.”

  “Who hit you?” Nicole demanded. “I know you husband and boys aren’t here. So it can’t be a family problem.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Toni said.

  “It does matter,” Nicole insisted worriedly.

  Toni saw that she wasn’t going to let it go, and she deserved honesty. She had answered all her questions and warned her about Mitch. “It was Sonya,” she said with no further explanation.

  Nicole’s eyes rounded. “What happened?”

  “I went to the Goldenrod and asked her some questions that made her angry.” Toni stopped at that, uneasy about going into the details and having to explain about the apartment.

  Nicole stared, weighing her words. After a few moments she apparently opted against prying any more. “I’m sorry that trying to help the police got you hurt.”

  “I’ll live,” Toni assured her. “But I appreciate your concern. I’m going to miss you.”

  Nicole smiled now. “Will you give me your e-mail address? I’d love to keep in touch.”

  “Of course.” Toni jotted it on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

  Nicole smiled, said “Thanks,” and left.

  *

  It took an hour to tidy the room. Just as she was finishing, John breezed through the doorway. He wore khaki walking shorts, a red sport shirt, and a big smile, obviously happy about finishing up and going home to Jenny.

  “Hi. Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m also hungry,” she answered, closing a supply cabinet door.

  “Then why don’t we stop by the Greasy Spoon. Unless you’d prefer the Slimy Fork. Or how about the Nasty Knife?”

  Toni moaned at his silly puns and gathered her bags. “Anywhere you choose is fine.”

  “Who’s driving?” he asked.

  Toni hesitated at the door. “Both our vehicles are here.”

  “Right. But I assumed you’ll want to go talk to a suspect after we eat. And you can’t be running around alone.”

  “As a matter of fact, I’ve been thinking I’d like to talk to the coach’s widow again,” she admitted. “It’s hard to believe she saw nothing and knows nothing, even if she wasn’t married to the guy very long.”

  “Maybe she’s had enough time to think about it and remember something helpful if asked the right questions,” John said, implying that Toni could do that.

  “I’ll drive,” she decided. “Leave your car in the parking lot, and we’ll come back here for it.”

  They had burgers at McDonald’s and went to Ozark. As she drove, Toni shared with John about Gabe’s phone call and what Garrett had said. The irony was that, in their absorption with the conversation, they both forgot to check behind them for a black car.

  “I’ll sit out here and study,” John said when they pulled up in front of Sheila Campbell’s apartment complex, tapping the notebook on the seat beside him. “You have to give a final tomorrow. I have to take one.”

  She frowned. “Now I feel bad about monopolizing your time.”

  “No need,” he returned easily. “I’m enjoying myself.”

  It made no sense to argue at this point, so she left the keys in the ignition so he could run the air conditioner and went to see if Mrs. Campbell was home. When she rang the doorbell, Sheila opened the door and peered at her through pale eyes that could have used some makeup. She was barefoot, wore jeans and a loose pink tee shirt, and held a half grown white and yellow kitten. Her expression morphed from blankness to recognition, and then to annoyance.

  “What do you want?” she asked flatly.

  “I want to talk to you again. May I come in?”

  Sheila hesitated, but then she stepped back and widened the door opening. Toni followed her to the couch and sat on the opposite end of it. “That’s a pretty kitten. I don’t remember seeing it when I was here before,” she said, attempting friendly conversation.

  Sheila stroked the animal in her lap. “I adopted him last week. I thought the kids would like him. I’m hoping to get to see them more often,” she added, her eyes and tone so full of longing that Toni couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

  “I’m sure this whole experience has been difficult for you.”

  Her mouth trembled, and she lifted a fisted hand to rub against it. “It’s been awful. The reality is still sinking in.”

  “I don’t want to seem like a voyeur, but in order to understand what was going on in Jesse’s life, I’d like to ask about your marriage,” Toni said cautiously. “Were you two getting along?”

  Sheila took several moments to respond. When she blinked, tears leaked from her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. She made a hasty swipe at them. “I’m not sure,” she admitted in a tremulous voice. “The questions the police have been asking have convinced me that I never really knew him at all.”

  “Did you know he was keeping another apartment?”

  “No,” she said in a near whisper, moving her head slowly back and forth.

  “Did you know about his involvement in gambling?”

  “No,” she choked, still shaking her head.

  Toni stared at the wan and listless woman. She was either one incredibly naïve lady—or in a serious state of denial.

  “You’re sure you knew nothing about either one?” she pressed, watching for facial clues. “You never even suspected?”

  More tears worked their way down her cheeks. Sheila compressed her lips and tried to speak. When no sound came out, she spread her palms in front of her. The kitten hopped off her lap and trotted from the room.

  “Maybe,” she finally whispered.

  Chapter 21

  Sheila took a deep, steadying breath and went motionless, as if lost in remembrances. She blinked as more tears escaped, but finally regained her composure. “Marriage vows didn’t mean anything to Jesse. I mean, he knew I was married when he…when he…”

  “Started an affair with you?”

  Her nod was in short jerky movements. “I don’t know why I let him get to me like that. I guess because he was Grant’s buddy, I thought he was a good guy. But that’s also how I know his track record. He could be very charming—and persuasive,” she said, swiping at her eyes in self-anger.

  “I never met him,” Toni said quietly. “But I’m sure he must have been.”

  “Yeah, well, I fell for him, and look what it got me,” she shot back, grabbing a tissue from the box in front of her on the coffee table. “I lost my husband and kids. I really don’t understand why Jesse pushed me so hard to marry him.”

  “Because he felt guilty for destroying your marriage to his buddy?”

  Sheila raised her chin, and her shoulders stiffened. “That’s right. I can see it now. I just wish I had seen it then.”

  “You knew he had affairs before you married. Did you know he was straying during the short time you were married to him?”

  “I didn’t want to think so, but I was beginning to wonder,” Sheila admitted, speaking stronger now. “He took me with him to some of his haunts, and I met some of his former students. One evening when we were at a local hangout, I saw him talking to some of those students I had met. There was a tall dark haired girl I believe he said he knew in Branson, and two young men. One of them, a tough brawny looking guy, was also from Branson. I’m not sure where the other one went to high school. Anyhow, I got the feeling there was something between Jesse and the girl. But I had no idea he was keeping another apartment.”

  “Did you see any gambling in those haunts?”

  “An occasional poker game,” she said with a matter-of-fact shrug. “When I asked Jesse about those students, he told me they were members of some fantasy leagues—basketball and football—and they kept
track of their teams on a web site. I know that kind of thing is popular, so I believed him.”

  Toni thought Sheila was finished, but she began to speak again.

  “A few days after that I went out to lunch with a friend, and I saw that girl and one of the guys again, the smaller one with the highlights in his hair. They were in a booth close to us, and I heard them talking about Jesse seeing someone. It was confusing. There was the girl I suspected of being involved with Jesse, and she was talking about him picking back up with another woman. At the time I was still fighting for custody of my kids and didn’t need any new problems.”

  Toni thought she understood. The woman had already lost her husband and was losing her children. To find out the guy she had gotten in exchange for them was already messing around with someone else had to have been devastating.

  “I was weak,” Sheila said bleakly. “I didn’t say anything, didn’t ask any questions. But, looking back, I’ve wondered if that conversation was about the woman he was seeing when he lost his job at Kickapoo.”

  Toni thought for about a second. “You mean the secretary?”

  Sheila nodded, her demeanor not quite as remote as it had been. “I talked to a friend about it. Then she started asking around about why Jesse left Kickapoo. She heard about a hushed up affair with someone on the support staff. By that time I knew I shouldn’t have married Jesse, no matter how much he pressured me to do it. But I was a coward and did nothing.”

  “I’m sorry things turned out so badly for you,” Toni said awkwardly.

  The woman drew a heavy breath. “Me, too. I’m not sure how long I would have stayed married to Jesse. I’m sorry he died the way he did. But the more I find out about him, the more I see how stupid I was.”

  Toni found herself feeling glad she had come. She wasn’t sure how helpful it was going to be, but it seemed to be serving as a small catharsis for Sheila. Verbalizing thoughts that had only been growing suspicions seemed to be freeing her in some indefinable way. The past acknowledged, guilt admitted. Maybe that would help her move forward.

  Toni returned to the van where John sat slumped in the seat with his nose buried in his textbook, the engine and air conditioner running. He put the book down and straightened in the seat when she opened the door.