Murder of a Creped Suzette

by Denise Swanson

  Clifford, aka Book Boy, glanced around and smiled contentedly. He retrieved his novel, flipped it open to the bookmarked page, and started to read.

  Needless to say, none of the three kids had been able to make any friends, which concerned both their parents and the school staff. At their Individual Education Plan conference last fall, Skye had volunteered to provide a socialization group. This was their second meeting. Clearly she had her work cut out for her.

  Reaching over, Skye plucked the book from Clifford’s hands, swiftly put it on her chair, and sat on it. Then, in a mild tone, she said, “Would you all please help collect the pieces so we can begin our game?”

  Alvin picked up one of the larger tokens in his mouth, trotted over, and dropped it into Skye’s hands. Duncan gingerly approached a few pieces, sprayed them with Lysol, and brought them to the table. Clifford stared at Skye without moving.

  Ignoring the recalcitrant boy, Skye showed the other two boys the rewards they could earn for taking turns, following directions, and speaking in their indoor voices. Once she had their interest, she got them started on the game.

  Less than ten minutes had passed when Clifford grabbed a token and put it on the board. Alvin growled and Duncan aimed his Lysol can at the intruder.

  “Should we let our friend Clifford join our game?” Skye selected a small rubber ball from her reward bag. “Alvin, do you think Clifford should get a turn?”

  The large boy cocked his head, nodded, and said, “Woof.”

  Skye gave him the ball. “Good job on taking turns, Alvin.”

  “Duncan, do you agree we should let our friend Clifford join us in our game?” Skye held up a miniature container of hand sanitizer.

  “Yes, Ms. D.” Duncan reached for the bottle. “I want to take turns, too.”

  “Excellent decision.” Skye checked her watch. The group was scheduled to last a half hour, and they still had ten minutes left. She handed the dice to Clifford and said, “Your friends agree it’s your turn.”

  The rest of the time went well, and the boys were putting the game pieces away in the box when the same teacher’s aide who had brought the boys to the session eased the door open. “Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Denison, but Mrs. Smith needs you. Two of the older children are having a disagreement about the proposed music theater and she’s afraid it’s about to turn physical.”

  “Oh, my.” Skye swiftly stood and hurried out of the room, leaving the aide to supervise the boys.

  Once she had helped the special education teacher with a conflict resolution exercise, Skye picked up her counseling equipment, then headed back to her office. As she walked down the hall, she thought about the similarities between the students’ disagreement and the argument between Ginger and Theresa. It was sad that the kids had behaved better than the PTO board. The boys hadn’t hit each other, shredded any clothing, or called each other names.

  Skye’s lucky streak continued, and she was able to leave school on time, which meant she had a luxurious half hour in which to pick up Toby and get over to the rectory. Skye thought she might even have a chance to talk to Simon about Suzette. If he hadn’t been able to figure out why the singer looked familiar, maybe Skye could nudge his memory.

  Simon swung open the front door of his house as soon as Skye knocked, almost as if he had been waiting for her in the foyer. She cringed. Had Toby destroyed a valuable antique or misbehaved so badly that Simon couldn’t wait to get rid of him? No, that couldn’t be it. The little dog sat obediently at Simon’s feet, neither barking nor jumping.

  “Hi.” Simon smiled warmly. “Do you have time to come in, or are you in a hurry?”

  “Well . . .” A small voice inside her warned that being alone with Simon in his home might be misconstrued by both her ex and Wally. But it had been a month since Simon’s last over-the-top stunt in his quest to win her back, and she was hoping he’d finally realized his continued pursuit was futile. “I have a few minutes before I have to be at the church.”

  “Great.” Simon stepped back so she could enter. “I want to show you a trick I taught Toby.” He led her down the hall, through the kitchen, and into a screened-in porch, gesturing for her to take a seat.

  She chose a bronze wrought-iron chair with black-and-tan-plaid cushions. Simon perched on the end of a matching chaise longue.

  “Look.” Simon made a motion with the flat of his hand and Toby trotted over. Another gesture and the little dog sat in front of Simon.

  “How did you do that?” Skye asked, totally wowed by the performance.

  “His mistress must have trained him, because as soon as I figured out the correct signals he was terrific.” Simon grinned. “Now watch this.” He pointed his finger at the dog and mimicked shooting a gun. Toby immediately fell over, all four paws pointed upward.

  “Wow.” Skye beamed. “That puts a whole new twist on playing dead.”

  “Yeah.” Simon reached into the pocket of his khaki pants and gave Toby a treat. “He’s extremely smart.” Simon scratched behind the dog’s pointy white ears and crooned, “Aren’t you, boy?”

  “He sure seems that way when he’s with you.” Skye was pleased to see Simon so happy. It had been a rough year for him because of her engagement to Wally, as well as a friend’s betrayal. Maybe now that he wasn’t obviously trying to sweep her off her feet, they could be pals. “I’d say you two are getting along like gangbusters.”

  “We are.” Simon stroked the dog’s silky fur. “He loves my fenced-in backyard.” Simon pointed through the screens. “And I really like having him around to talk to.”

  Skye swallowed. She hated that she had caused Simon pain. He was a good man, and for a while she had thought she loved him. She remembered one evening together when he had brought her to his house for dinner. A trail of rose petals had greeted her at the door and led into the dining room, where the table had been set with a crisp white linen tablecloth.

  Delicate china, sparkling crystal, sterling flatware, and candles in silver holders had contributed to the beautiful table setting, and a mouthwatering meal waited in the kitchen. But the gourmet food had grown ice cold before they ever got around to eating it.

  Skye knew that too much had happened since then to go back, but she exhaled a long sigh of regret before refocusing on the present and asking, “Did the police drop off a picture of Suzette a day or two ago?”

  “Yes. That new officer, Martinez, brought it over yesterday.” Simon rubbed his temples. “I’ve stared at it and stared at it, but I just can’t shake loose why she looks so familiar to me.”

  “Could you get the photo?” Skye asked. “I want to try something.”

  “Sure.” Simon left the room, returning almost immediately with a glossy head shot of the dead singer. “What’s your idea?”

  Skye took out a legal pad from her tote bag and ripped off a sheet. Eyeing the picture, she carefully tore a face-size hole in the paper, then laid it over the photo. “Now look. Does that help any?”

  She had remembered a facial recognition test she used with younger children in which the removal of hair and background made a difference in their ability to identify faces as being the same.

  Simon studied the altered image for several seconds, opened his mouth to speak, then pounded his forehead with the heel of his hand. “This is so frustrating. It’s on the tip of my tongue.”

  “Do me a favor.” Skye glanced at her watch. “Leave the picture covered like that; then after you’ve forgotten about it, look at it again.” It was twenty after four. “Memory is a tricky thing. Sometimes if you stop thinking about something, it will come to you.”

  “Absolutely,” Simon agreed. “I’ll keep trying and I’ll call if anything clicks.”

  “Thanks.” Skye stood and scooped up Toby. “And thanks for taking care of this guy, too.” Simon looked bereft, but she had to go.

  “Anytime.” Simon walked her to the door and waved. “He’s a good little buddy.”

  CHAPTER 20

  �
�Desperado”

  Skye rushed up the steps to the rectory and came to an abrupt halt. A piece of paper taped to the pillar read:

  Members of the Low Self-Esteem Group

  are reminded to use the back door.

  Seriously? What was Father Burns thinking?

  Skye shook her head and hurried inside. Wally was already waiting in the vestibule, sprawled on a wooden bench. His head rested against the beige wall and his eyes were closed. Not wanting to disturb him if he was catching a nap, she and Toby sat a few inches away from him.

  Between the frustration of having no leads on the murder and the circumstances surrounding Darleen, Skye knew Wally hadn’t been sleeping well. At least the media furor had settled down for the time being. Thank goodness the reporters had been distracted by another Chicago politician caught with his hand in the till and his mistress hitting the talk show circuit.

  “I’m awake.” Wally’s lids opened. “You can scoot closer.” His brown eyes looked affectionately at Skye. Once she was next to him, he said, “We now officially know the identity of our victim. The ME called this morning and confirmed she was Suzette.”

  “Was there ever really a question in your mind?” Skye asked.

  “No.” Wally shook his head. “Otherwise I would have conducted the investigation differently.”

  “That’s what I figured.”

  “I was just sitting here trying to figure out if there’s something I’m missing,” Wally explained. “Something I’ve overlooked in all the confusion.”

  “I know what you mean.” Skye made a wry face. “Was she raped? Was her murderer someone from her past? And where is this mysterious brother of hers?”

  “There’s nothing new from the Nashville police,” Wally said, putting an arm around her, “so I guess until we get the DNA results we’re stuck. And I could only request a fast turnaround for two of them, so if I chose wrong, the whole process could take a lot longer.”

  “So all the guys you asked today agreed to be tested?” Skye asked.

  “The construction crew was fine with it, but Taylor wasn’t too thrilled with the idea. Although he did it when I pointed out that matching the semen was our best chance at finding the killer and closing this case.” Wally smiled thinly. “Once he heard that, he said he’d issue an order to all his employees to cooperate.”

  “I’m sure Rex wants the murder solved and forgotten so it doesn’t taint his big Branson of Illinois plans.” Skye leaned her head on Wally’s shoulder. “Did you tell him that his wife and James were the only people without alibis?”

  “Nope.”

  “Anything new from Darleen or her boyfriend?”

  “No.” Wally ran his thumb down her cheek. “I’m not expecting any communication from them until I call tonight.”

  “Right.” Skye snuggled closer. “Have you thought about what you’ll do if Darleen sends a statement disputing what you’ve said about your marriage? If she writes the wrong kind of letter—a dishonest one—you might not be able to get an annulment.”

  Before Wally could respond, Father Burns swung open his office door and ushered them inside. He was in his early sixties and had been the pastor at Saint Francis for as long as Skye could remember. It was unusual for a priest to remain in a parish for so long, but his flock loved him and would be devastated if he was ever reassigned.

  Once the priest was introduced to Toby, and Skye and Wally were seated on leather wing chairs facing the desk, Father Burns said, “I understand you have a question about your annulment, Wally.”

  “Yes. Something unusual has come up.” Wally explained the situation with Darleen in a neutral voice, but his jaw tightened when he asked, “Would a letter like that slow down the annulment or prevent it altogether?”

  “Since it would clearly be a document written to punish Wally for not giving her money and would, in fact, contain blatant lies, would it even be considered, Father ?” Skye took Wally’s hand and squeezed it.

  “I’m afraid so.” His ageless face was grave. “Although, with corroboration from other witnesses that the document was spurious, it would only delay the process, not halt it completely.”

  “In other words”—Wally narrowed his eyes—“it would be best if an untruthful letter was never written?”

  “Yes, better to have no input from your ex-wife than one that differs from your view of the marriage.” Father Burns sat motionlessly, his gaunt body ramrod straight. “Not that I’m advocating paying Mrs. Boyd or her companion in order to accomplish that goal.”

  “Of course not, Father.” Skye reached down and stroked Toby. “That would be wrong.”

  “But,” Wally said, without looking at Skye, “if things turn out badly, we may need to reconsider our decision to wait for an annulment before marrying.”

  Father Burns was silent for a moment, his dark, serious eyes studying them; then he said, “As I explained the last time we met, the Church’s stance is that matrimony is both binding and lifelong. The annulment procedure is used to determine if an essential element, which prevented the sacramental union promised, was missing when the couple entered into the marriage.”

  “Understood,” Wally acknowledged. “But since Darleen left me for another man, we should have that covered—with or without any comment from her.”

  “It will help.” Father Burns fingered the Bible in front of him. “Although what you really need to prove is that you had prior knowledge that there was a missing element or something was fundamentally wrong right from the very beginning of your marriage.”

  “Okay.” Wally didn’t hesitate. “I advised you the last time we were here that I wanted to back out of my marriage to Darleen on the eve of the wedding, but I didn’t inform you that I told my best man that same thing the night before the ceremony. We aren’t on good terms now, so I didn’t want to have to involve him, but he’ll cooperate by confirming that.”

  “Excellent. A witness is always good.” The priest nodded solemnly. “Anything else?”

  “Darleen and I fought almost from the first day of our marriage.” A flicker of impatience crossed Wally’s eyes, but his voice was unruffled. “It’ll be awkward, but any number of people can testify to that.”

  “I’m sorry for your embarrassment, but those people’s statements will help to disprove a letter such as the one you described.” A corner of the priest’s lips turned up slightly. “I do understand that for a non-Catholic such as you, this process must appear absurd, but without it your marriage to Skye will not be valid in the eyes of the Church.”

  “Believe me, I understand how much this means to her.” Wally looked at Skye, who nodded.

  “This great act of self-giving love will only make your marriage stronger.” Father Burns looked heavenward and added, “God doesn’t always give us only what we can handle. But He does help us handle what we are given.”

  Skye heard Wally grind his teeth, so she hastily rose from her chair. “Thank you, Father. We won’t keep you any longer.”

  As the priest ushered them to the door, it occurred to Skye that he might have known Quentin Neal. “Do you have one more minute, Father?”

  “Certainly, my dear.” The priest paused with his hand on the knob.

  “Do you remember a man by the name of Quentin Neal?” Skye held tight to Toby’s leash as the little dog lurched toward the exit. “He was active in the choir about twenty-seven years ago.”

  “He doesn’t sound familiar.” Father Burns stepped over to a wooden stand and opened a large book, flipping through the pages. “Ah, that’s why I don’t remember him. He was here only ten months in 1978, and that was the year I was on sabbatical in Rome.”

  “Rats!” They just couldn’t catch a break. “Are the names of his family members listed?”

  “No. Sorry.” The priest ran his finger over the paper. “Only he was a member.”

  “How about an address?” Skye crossed her fingers that she could narrow down the location. Noreen had remembered only the name
of the street.

  “That is here.” Father Burns leaned forward and read, “Thirteen oh eight Singer Lane.”

  “Terrific.”

  Just before Skye and Wally stepped across the threshold, Father Burns said, “Something to think about. Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but a lot of happiness and self-growth happen while you’re climbing it.”

  After thanking the priest, Skye and Wally strolled out to the parking lot together. The leaves were finally changing colors. A shower of rust, orange, and yellow rained down on them as they walked beneath a massive old oak tree. Skye giggled and Wally brushed them from her hair and shoulders. They lingered there for a few minutes, enjoying the beauty of their surroundings and each other.

  Eventually Skye turned serious. She gave Wally one last lingering kiss and said, “You aren’t going to pay Darleen, right?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “If she writes that negative letter, I’ll round up the witnesses that support my view of the marriage.”

  “And you’ll be willing to wait for the annulment?” Skye persisted as they walked toward their cars, Toby prancing by her side.

  “Yes.” Wally cupped her cheek and gave her a serious look. “But if that happens, I’d like you to consider us living together.”

  “If it’s more than a year delay, I will consider it,” Skye promised.

  “It’s a deal.” Wally kissed her forehead. “Do you want to get a quick bite before I go back to work?”

  “No.” Skye opened the Bel Air’s door. “I’m going to knock on doors near that address on Singer Lane. Maybe one of the neighbors will remember the Neals and their children.”

  “Okay, but be careful.” Wally kissed Skye and patted Toby. “I’ll come over to your house after I make the call to Darleen’s boyfriend.”

  “Good.” Skye put the dog in the Chevy’s backseat and slid behind the wheel. “I’ll pick up some food from the grocery store deli, and we can have a late supper.”

  Skye drove to McDonald’s and parked her Bel Air in the back lot. After crossing Stebler Road, she and Toby hiked the length of Singer Lane—all two blocks of it. When she got to the end at Chestnut Court, she turned around and walked back, this time on the opposite side of the street.