by Diane Weiner
Rusty kicked the wall, then sat down. Susan handed him a cup of water from the cooler.
“I was at the house that night. I didn’t kill nobody. I was in there setting up threats from Caleb’s computer to Sophie.”
“Why?” said Jackson.
“That bitch was blackmailing me something fierce. Made me write those threats from Caleb’s computer. Made me steal a phone, too, and plant it in Caleb’s house.”
“Lindsay Bateman’s phone?” said Jackson.
“Yeah, how did you know that?”
“We have our ways. What was Sophie Bartolo holding over your head? Must have been a doosey to get you breaking and entering.”
“It started when her husband was alive. We had a thing going. Adam was beating her and spending all their money. She was going to leave him. I told her I’d take care of her.”
“So you killed Adam?”
“No way. I heard about it on the news like everyone else. Told Sophie we had to break it off after he died. Wouldn’t be right, her being a new widow, seeing me right away like that.”
“Why did you steal your father’s pills?”
“Sophie said she could slip them to Adam. They’d make him sleep and we could get some private time together.”
“They’re blood pressure pills. They don’t make you sleep,” said Jackson. Rusty looked genuinely surprised. His mouth dropped open and he gave himself a slap on the side of his head.
“Go on,” said Jackson.
“After that, I didn’t see Sophie for almost a year. Then out of the blue she calls and says she needs my help.”
“With what?”
“She tells me Caleb Bartolo, Adam’s brother, had hired someone to find out what killed him. He had some report. He even had pictures. Said he was going to go to the police with it and Sophie would be arrested for killing Adam. She said it was all a set up. I believed her.”
“Is that why you helped her kill Caleb?”
“I didn’t have anything to do with killing him. Sophie said she had my prints all over the prescription bottle and if I didn’t help her, she’d tell the police that I drugged Adam and killed him. Then she got kidnapped. That’s all I know. Why don’t you go bring Sophie down here?”
“Write down everything you just told us and sign it.” Jackson threw a legal pad across the desk to Rusty. “Then you can go. For now.”
After Rusty was out of sight, Jackson gave Susan a high five. They were quite a team, she and Jackson. They managed just fine without Lynette. She hoped he would tell her that.
When she got home, the mailbox at the end of the driveway was open. The mailman always closed it and so did she and Mike. They didn’t want unexpected snow, or rain for that matter getting the mail wet. Who left it open? There was still a magazine and electric bill in the box, so it must have been left open after the mailman came. Who was snooping through our mail? She felt like caterpillars were crawling up her spine. She tip-toed around the perimeter of her house until she convinced herself that no one was lurking in the shadows.
After regaining her composure, she went inside and called Audrey, again to no avail. This time she left a message with her flight information, and a request. She asked if Audrey could fill her in on any pertinent medical information. She explained Lynette, Audrey’s granddaughter, was having some health issues and might benefit from the information.
Mike got home from work, and told her Lynette would be released from the hospital the next day.
“Unfortunately, she won’t have a job to go to, but she can be with Annalise. Daycare will have to go, what with them living on only one paycheck.”
“At least Annalise will still have a mother.”
Mike started up the stairs while Susan was talking. She called after him. “At least Lynette won’t be putting herself in dangerous situations. Not that it seems to matter to you or Jason.”
Susan turned on the TV and was watching the local news when she saw something completely unexpected. Rusty was being arrested for Caleb’s murder. She immediately called Jackson.
“Jackson, what happened? I thought Rusty had cleared himself of Caleb’s murder? Why are they arresting him?”
“After you left, I had a chat with Sophie Bartolo. Of course, she denied everything Rusty told us.”
“Is that surprising?”
“No, but she led us to physical evidence tying Rusty into Caleb’s murder.”
“What evidence?”
“She said that Rusty had bragged about whacking Caleb over the head with a crowbar.”
“Lindsay Bateman said Rusty broke into Caleb’s house with a crowbar.”
“Sophie said that Rusty kept the crowbar, kind of like a trophy. He told her it was in the back of his truck.”
“Did you find it?”
“Sure did. It was under the floorboards with the spare tire. We lifted prints and blood off of it. The blood was Caleb’s.”
Chapter 53
Susan knew Lynette wouldn’t want her there for her homecoming, but she couldn’t stop being her mother, could she? She was sure Jason hadn’t gone grocery shopping since Lynette’s accident so she stocked her fridge and pantry. She couldn’t stop thinking about Rusty’s arrest. He had seemed so sincere yesterday when talking to her and Jackson. Why would he have been stupid enough to keep the murder weapon right there in his truck? She grabbed a wagon and started down the aisles of Shop Rite.
“Susan, fancy meeting you here.”
“Sophie? I thought schools were open today?”
“They are. Antonio sent me to pick up some coffee supplies for the office.”
Susan seized the opportunity to pump Sophie for information. “I saw that Rusty Sumter was arrested for Caleb’s murder last night. I’ll bet you’re relieved that the case is solved.”
“Who needs a murderer running around town? The streets of Westbrook are safe once again.”
“You knew Rusty, right? I heard the two of you were long time acquaintances.”
“We were high school sweethearts. Haven’t seen him in many years.”
Susan knew Sophie was lying. She was hiding something. “I’m so glad you came out of that kidnapping in one piece. You looked great on the news footage the day you were found, nails still intact, hair washed. I think you must have a metabolism like mine. I was sure I was the only one in the world who could be held hostage and still be able to eat. Not even kidnapping would stop me.”
“I had to keep up my strength so I’d be able to break free.” Sophie looked at her watch. “I need to get back to school. Catch you later, Susan.”
At Lynette’s, Susan unpacked the groceries and straightened up. Lynette would just die if she saw dishes piled in the sink and the bed unmade. Susan wasn’t sure if anger or hurt was winning the emotional battle inside her. She was out of there before Lynette and Jason arrived.
When she got home, there was a Fed Ex package on her doorstep. What on earth could this be? She took it inside and opened it. After reading through the papers, Susan felt as though she’d just received a brick of gold. She wiped away tears of joy and felt the corners of her mouth turn into a smile. She rushed back to Lynette’s house just in time to see Jason helping her daughter into the house.
“Lynette, I need to talk to you.”
“Go away, Mom. I don’t have the energy for this.”
“The doctor says she needs her rest. She’ll call you when she’s ready,” said Jason.
“No, you need to see this.” She waved the Fed Ex envelope in front of them. “It’s really important.”
“Five minutes. You have five minutes,” said Lynette.
Susan handed Lynette the envelope.
“These are medical records,” said Lynette.
“They are your grandmother’s medical records. Read them.”
Lynette started reading. Then she looked up at her mother.
“It says my grandmother had a benign eye condition.” She continued. “This note next to it says: ‘This is g
enetic. It bothered me for a year or so, and never came back. Hope the information helps your daughter.’”
“How did you get this?”
“Your grandmother. I found her, from that cheek swab I did. Her name is Audrey.”
“You actually found her?”
“Lynette, this means you’re going to be okay. You aren’t going to lose your sight.”
“And I still have a career. I can’t believe it.”
“I don’t know what to say,” said Jason. “Thank you.”
“What a game changer. Mom, have you met her?”
“I was supposed to but the airport was closed because of the snowstorm. I was so disappointed. I’m going to Florida over the weekend, though.”
“I’m so happy for you. I want to meet her too, as soon as I’m better.”
“You get your rest and we’ll have a family reunion soon. I didn’t even tell her about Annalise yet. She doesn’t know that she’s a great grandmother. Unless she has other great grandchildren…I might have brothers and sisters.”
Lynette gave her a hug. “Thank you for doing this. I’m sorry I got so mad.”
“You have Annalise now so you should understand about being protective. Go. Get into bed. Get a nap. You’ll need it before Annalise comes home. That little pistol never stops moving.”
“The house looks great. What happened to all those dirty dishes? And I see you’ve been to the food store,” said Jason.
“Just picked up a few things I thought you’d need. I’ll call you later.”
Chapter 54
Susan felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. She couldn’t wait to get back home and try Audrey. This time luck was with her.
“Audrey, so glad I finally reached you. I got the medical records. Can’t thank you enough.”
“Susan?”
“You have no idea what this means to us, knowing Lynette isn’t going to lose her sight. I left you the message about the flight information. You got it, right?”
Audrey’s tone was icy, not warm like it was the last time they spoke.
“You got what you needed.”
“Audrey? Hello… We seem to have a bad connection. Audrey?”
Susan felt her heart sink when the call ended. She wished she’d heard what else Audrey said. When she tried calling back, she got voicemail. What just happened here? Audrey was so friendly the first time they spoke. Had she reconsidered wanting to connect with her? No, she was just being paranoid. She’d talk to her again later.
“Hi, I’m home.”
“Mike, you’re early.”
“Jason called and told me what happened. I can’t believe you were able to hunt down those medical records. Our daughter isn’t going blind. In a few weeks, Lynette can go back to work.” He hugged her hard. She was still disappointed he hadn’t supported her.
“I caused a problem and I fixed it. I can’t tell you how relieved I feel.”
“Me too. I knew it wasn’t safe for Lynette to go back without knowing. I didn’t want to admit how serious it was.”
“I’ll start dinner.”
“I say we go out and celebrate. By the way, I almost forgot.” He took a note out of his pocket. “This was on your windshield.”
She took the folded note from him. “It says stay out of it for your own good.”
“What? Let me see that.” Mike grabbed the note from her hands. “What does this mean? Stay out of what?”
“I think I know. I ran into Sophie Bartolo at Shop Rite. I may have asked her a few too many questions.”
“Susan, what did you do?”
“They arrested Rusty Sumter for Caleb’s murder. Mike, I don’t think he did it. He told Jackson and me that Sophie set him up. She was blackmailing him.”
“He told you and Jackson? We’ll get back to that part later. Why were you questioning Sophie?”
“It’s too convenient. Jackson questions her because Rusty implicated her. Then she pulls the murder weapon out of a hat. I think she planted it. I think she faked the whole kidnapping too. T.J.’s wife at the jewelry store said she had an ID bracelet engraved with the name Caleb. Conveniently, it’s found in the parking lot the day she’s kidnapped. She was trying to leave a false clue. One that pointed at Caleb.”
“Maybe she gave Caleb the bracelet earlier.”
“Then there’s the witness who swears she ate dinner alone at the diner during the time she was missing. And she looked awfully put together the day she was found.”
“Let’s call Jackson and tell him about the note. She can’t be threatening you. If she really killed Caleb, then this woman needs to be off the streets.”
Chapter 55
Susan’s head throbbed. She was upset by the threat from Sophie, but even worse, she didn’t understand why her mother had suddenly done a 180. She checked her phone messages. Her heart held its breath. It was a threat. Oh no, Sophie is stalking me now. What truth is she afraid I’m uncovering? She yelled for Mike as she trotted down the steps.
“What is it? I was making us breakfast.”
“Listen to this.” She played the message. “Stay away from danger or you will have regrets.”
“I’m calling Jackson. He has to pick up this Sophie woman.”
“Mike, let’s just go down there. We’ll probably have to sign a complaint or something.”
“We could get a restraining order.”
“Who would it be issued to? All we know is someone left two threats and we think it was Sophie. We don’t have any proof that it was her.”
They hurried down to the station and played the message for Jackson.
“I’ll see if we can trace the call. Stay away from Sophie Bartolo. Meanwhile, keep your door locked and don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the number.”
“Thanks, Jackson. You know I’m always careful.”
“I have to get to work. I’ll call you later,” said Mike. He kissed Susan goodbye.
Susan unlocked her front door and had barely stepped inside when Sophie Bartolo barged in behind her. Susan dropped her purse.
“Sophie? What are you doing here?”
“We need to have a little chat. Seems you’ve been nosing around town and accusing me of Caleb’s murder.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I’m naturally curious. Just a hobby. Ask anyone who knows me.”
“You know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat.”
Susan’s pulse was racing. Sophie, potentially a murderer, had followed her home. She tried to swallow but couldn’t.
“It’s Rusty Sumter you should be digging up dirt on. He’s still in love with me. Would do anything to protect me.”
“Like what?”
“He knew Caleb had some trumped up evidence implicating me in my husband’s death. His accidental death. I told Rusty how Caleb had been threatening to go to the police and to get me locked up. He knew how upset I was. And he didn’t want me locked up away from him in prison.”
“I don’t believe Rusty masterminded this whole thing by himself. He may be good at plumbing and computers, but I don’t think he’s cunning enough to pull off a scheme like this.”
“Then you don’t know him very well.” Sophie reached behind her and locked the front door. Susan grabbed the handle and tried to leave. Sophie pushed her back and pinned her against the wall.
“You have to leave right now.” Susan was quivering inside but tried to muster up an authoritative voice.
“I’m not going anywhere,” said Sophie. She pulled a gun out of her coat pocket. Susan’s mind raced. She had to escape.
“You faked all of this, didn’t you? Caleb couldn’t have raised that paperweight over his head like you said. He had a shoulder injury. That’s why he was home and not in Germany. If he didn’t clobber you, then who did? Rusty? Mitch Coniglio? Lindsay Bateman?”
“I sent Mitch on a wild goose chase to get him out of the way. That man would do anything for me, just like Rusty. Mitch wasn’t even in town that day.”
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“How about Lindsay Bateman?”
“That fruitcake? I could huff and puff and blow her right back to the psych ward. I had Rusty hook up with her to frame her for killing Caleb. He planted her phone at Caleb’s for me.”
“You faked the kidnapping, didn’t you? You also killed Caleb. And Adam.”
“Come on, Susan. We’re going for a little ride.” She pushed the gun against Susan’s back. She led her to her car. Susan thought about falling to the ground and not obeying Sophie’s order. Then she felt the gun butting through her coat and nixed that idea.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I think it’s a beautiful day for a picnic, don’t you? Drive.” Sophie pointed the gun at Susan as she drove. “Turn here.”
“So you faked the kidnapping so you could have an alibi when Caleb was murdered. You had that silver ID bracelet engraved with Caleb’s name and left it in the parking lot so it would point to him as the kidnapper.” Ice started pelting the windshield and the sky grew darker. Susan felt the road slipping under the wheels and feared another accident.
“Brilliant, right? I thought about being upfront and saying I killed him in self-defense. It was neater to simply frame Rusty for his murder. Otherwise he’d have expected to run off with me into the sunset. Killed two birds with one stone. Got them both out of the picture.”
“And Adam? You killed him too?”
“Just a little push, no pun intended. Drugged him with Mr. Sumter’s blood pressure medicine. He was whirling around like a top. Didn’t take much to lead him to the edge of the waterfall. Didn’t have to lay a finger on him. It was an accident. The police report verified it.”
Susan recognized this road. She drove up the mountain edged with pine trees. Ice glistened on the road. Lake Minnewaska. So that’s where they were headed.
“Park here. Now get out of the car.” Susan’s head throbbed and her legs felt like Jell-O.
“I thought I’d bring you to this lovely scenic spot. A fitting last look at the world.”
Susan recognized the marker draped in rosary beads. “This is where you killed Adam, right?” The sound of rushing water became louder with each step.