Crowning the Slug Queen (A Callie Stone Mystery Book 1)

by L. M. Fortin

  "Thank you, that's very kind," he sniffled, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes.

  "Steven, can I ask you a question about Molluska? But I don't want to make you any more upset."

  "The police were asking me questions for over an hour last night. You can't make me feel any worse."

  "Did they ask about the applications?"

  He shook his head. "No, I don't think they'd had any time to read them in depth. Only the personal information, so they knew where we lived and how to find us."

  "I noticed you and Molluska had almost the same answers to some of the essay questions. Can you tell me why?"

  "Because I never wanted to enter the stupid pageant in the first place. I only did it for her, so I just copied her answers," he said tiredly.

  "For Molluska?"

  "Yes. She thought if she could win the pageant, she could gain, I don't know, some political clout in town. I think she wanted to run for a seat on the city council or run for mayor."

  "But, I thought she was foreign born. I mean, I could hear it in her accent."

  "She was originally from Estonia, but she moved here over a year ago. I met her in the library as she was studying for the citizenship exam. She became a US citizen 2 months ago." He went into a new batch of sniffles. "She had such dreams, she was a really great person. Full of hope and optimistic."

  Callie began to get a suspicion. "Steven, were you in love with her?"

  "Yes, there's no use hiding it now. I'd been having an affair with her since we met."

  Something didn't make sense. "Are you gay? I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, and I know I keep on calling Molluska, her, but she was really a man named Alex. Were you in love with him?"

  Steven shook his head. "She would have actually gotten away with it I think--she even had you fooled. She had learned how nutty Skinner is and she didn't think she could win the pageant by just entering normally. Alex was really Alexandra."

  Callie felt her brain spin and took a deep breath. "Let me clarify. She was a woman, playing a man, playing a woman, so she would win a slug themed beauty pageant?"

  Steven nodded. "She was smart and was trying to win using whatever was handy. She made me enter so there would at least be one contestant who would lose. We both knew no one would turn down an application from the mayor's husband, but I would have no chance of winning."

  Callie thought it did make a certain cockeyed sense. At least in Skinner. She realized that's why Scott McMillian had kept looking at her oddly when she was using the feminine pronoun for Molluska. Although Callie had used it out of convenience and to keep herself from being confused, he had thought for a moment she knew the dead person's actual gender and wondered how she had known. Scott had examined the body and he had to know she was truly a woman and not a man playing one. Callie wondered if the killer had known what Alexandra Herrman's true gender was?

  "You really have an attraction to strong willed women, don't you?" asked Callie.

  Steven shook his head. "All it's gotten me is trouble. I didn't tell Dot about the affair, but I'm afraid it's all going to come out now."

  Thinking back on how Dot watched both Molluska's and Steven's performances at the pageant practice, she wasn't sure Dot hadn't already figured it out. "You might be surprised by what Dot knows. I mean, you guys share a car, if you drove it to Alex's at all, she might have noticed that," she said.

  "We've only shared for the last two months or so. Dot hit a deer and really banged up her front bumper. We finally had the money to take it to the shop just this week."

  Callie wondered where Dot got the funds for her shoes when she couldn't even afford to get her car repaired.

  The line at the check-out counter had grown and the other librarian there was gesturing to Steven. “I have to get back to work,” he said.

  “Thanks for talking with me. I’m sorry for your loss. Are you still going to participate in the pageant?”

  He nodded. “It will make me feel closer to her.”

  Callie went and found a table in the main reading room and worked on her script for the show to update it now that one contestant would not be participating.

  She left the library and headed to Chester's Fish Market to pick up lunch. She got two orders of cod and chips and then a third order of scallops and chips for the two of them to split. Back at the time when they were in high school they used to stop off at Chester's on their way home and get this exact same order. Callie smiled at the memory. Of course, with the metabolism of teenagers, an order and a half of deep fried fish had a lot less impact than it did now.

  Audrey's house was located on the hill off of City View Street in an area of town where the trees had matured and the landscaping looked as if people had lived there for years. This wasn't the place where Scott and Audrey had lived at the time of their marriage. They didn't even own a house back then, but had rented in a more downscale area. Callie knew Audrey's dad would keep her living in whatever style she wished and had been surprised then to find her and Scott not living high on the hog.

  Callie didn't remember hearing from her mom and grandma if Audrey had a job, so assumed this house was paid for by Audrey's father.

  As she knocked on the door, hands full of sacks of fish and chips, she could hear children crying in the background. "Consuela, quiet them down!" Callie heard Audrey yell before she opened the door.

  Audrey Wolcott hadn't changed much in the years since Callie had last seen her. She still had the willowy height and vibrant red hair Callie had envied when they were friends back in high school. Callie's own hair was more of an auburn and always looked dull compared to Audrey's gleaming red. Audrey was thinner now, and not necessarily in an attractive way, thought Callie. There was a new fragility to her that hadn't existed in high school. In fact, Callie thought she looked almost as thin as Molluska. Audrey wore a bright blue top with a paisley swirl pattern and long loose sleeves.

  "Here, let me help with that." Audrey grabbed two of the bags while Callie kept the third one and closed the door behind her. There was no noise from the children.

  They went into the kitchen that was far different from Coral's kitchen. There was a sub-zero freezer and refrigerator along with a Bosch dishwasher built with a front that matched the gleaming surrounding cabinetry. Audrey might live in Skinner, Callie thought, but she had a kitchen straight out of the Hamptons. There was a marble kitchen island in the center surrounded by four high bar stool chairs. Audrey put the bags on the island. "I hope you don't mind if we eat here instead of the dining room. It's so formal in there. This is more fun."

  Callie said, "This is fine with me. You have a beautiful kitchen."

  "I don't cook much, but Consuela can make magic happen in here," said Audrey.

  "Who's Consuela?"

  "She's my entire staff. Helps cook, clean and take care of the kids. I don't know what I'd do without her." Callie wondered what Audrey herself did all day if she didn't cook and had someone else watch over the kids.

  Audrey moved over to the fridge. "Is iced tea ok to drink?" Callie nodded and pulled the small trays of fish and French fries out of the bags. "You even remembered the extra scallops!" claimed Audrey. "It's nice to know some things haven't changed."

  They sat down on one corner of the island, facing each other. "You look good," ventured Audrey. "I think those years in New York have changed you. I didn't really get to talk to you at the wedding." Her face fell a bit at that. Her hand shook as she lifted the iced tea glass to her mouth. The sleeves of her shirt fell back and Callie saw some bruising along the inside of one of her arms.

  Callie said, hoping to move the subject along, "I don't know if it's New York, or my job or just being able to leave here. I think getting away gave me a better perspective of what I am as well as what's good about Skinner."

  "God, I remember all you wanted to do was shake the dust of this Podunk town off your shoes." Callie hadn't even waited until the traditional fall start of college to leave. Once she h
ad the scholarship to Johnson and Wales, she had signed up for summer classes and was out of Skinner less than a month after high school graduation. "I guess you were right about that."

  Audrey had stayed in town, her sights set on nothing but being Scooter's wife. She had studied at the UO for two years, but then dropped out and worked at a series of retail jobs until she married. Callie remembered Audrey had a real eye for fashion and ended up doing the window displays for a number of stores in town.

  Callie decided she had to ask. "So what happened Audrey? I mean, I know you got divorced, but what are you doing now?"

  "Well, I have the kids," she said. Callie wondered how often this was her excuse for not doing anything.

  "I know, but what happened to the fearless Audrey? The one who would get me in the worst sorts of trouble because she was looking for excitement? It looks like you're doing well here, but are you happy?"

  Audrey didn't just look unhappy, she also looked angry. "It was that damn Scooter McMillan. I know you never liked him, and I guess you were right."

  Callie didn't want to admit she'd seen Scott and thought he had also changed right along with the rest of them.

  "What did he do?" asked Callie, not certain if she really wanted to know.

  "He found a new love--the police force and who knows what else." She sniffed. "Remember how we always used to break up and then get back together again?"

  Callie nodded.

  "Well, one day we had a fight about money. Another fight about money. Scooter insisted we live on his pay check and I wanted more. I wanted out of that crummy house in East Skinner. He found out I'd talked to my dad and dad had bought us this house. So we argued. I decided it would just be easier to pack up everything and move here--Scooter would come back and the issue would be over. Instead, he stayed in that rental five blocks from the train tracks and refused to come here."

  "I'm sorry," said Callie.

  "We had just grown so far apart, with me at home with the kids and him always gallivanting off to save some poor soul in Skinner. He never had time for his own family," she said bitterly.

  Callie wondered how hard life had been at home. If Audrey were this tense and angry when she had a beautiful place to live and hired help, what must she have been like as a stay at home mom? Not that Callie could entirely excuse Scott. The end of the McMillan marriage could easily be laid at both their doors.

  "And how are your girls? I got the birth announcement, but I don't think I've even seen Facebook photos of them."

  "Come on." Audrey wiped her hands on a napkin and got up, heading out of the kitchen in the opposite direction from which they had come in. They passed through a large living room. The gleaming hardwood floors were covered with cream throw rugs that matched the warm cream of the oversized couch and love seat. Callie wondered if the kids ever came into the living room.

  They walked down a hallway, past a room that looked like the master suite with a large four poster bed in it. There was a single closed door and then the hallway opened up into what Callie could only describe as a children's suite.

  The main room was large with one wall almost fully glass and overlooking the garden. There was a child size table with two matching chairs and an area strewn with pillows obviously meant for play or naps. Across from the glass wall was a set of bookshelves reaching from floor to ceiling and filled with books and toys. There was a door open leading into a bedroom on the left. In the center of the room sat a dark haired Hispanic woman Callie assumed was Consuela reading to two wide eyed red haired twin girls. Callie couldn't tell them apart. She could see bits of Scott in the way their gray blue eyes regarded her solemnly.

  "Callie, meet Bella and Jolie." Dutifully Callie knelt down and said hello to the both of them. They just stared back. The girl on the right, Bella, turned away and hid her face in Consuela's shirt. "They're a bit shy with strangers," said Audrey.

  Callie couldn't tell if the little girl was hiding from her or hiding from Audrey. "And you must be Consuela," said Callie. "Do you spend your whole day with these lovely ladies?"

  "Yes, miss. I mean, that is, when Audrey can't watch them." Callie thought it was possible Consuela spent much more time with the girls than their mother did. "I do other work around the house and can't be with them all of the time." She had a faint Spanish accent when she spoke.

  Callie stood up and smiled at Audrey. "They are lovely. You've definitely done much better than I have in the kid department."

  Audrey laughed a bit smugly. "Yes, they've turned out pretty well, haven't they? You'll get your chance one of these days."

  Callie thought of her long term, yet failed relationship with Peter and doubted that. They returned to the kitchen. Audrey took a deep fried scallop. "Man, these taste good. I don't think I've had them in years. So, tell me stories of the big city," she said as they sat down again.

  Audrey changed her iced tea glass for a wine glass, but Callie shook her head and just stuck with tea. For the first time she actually told the full story of being fired. Audrey went and got her laptop and played the video of The Great Humming Incident.

  Callie was surprised in that she didn't find the video painful, but actually pretty funny. "Look, you can see it on my face. Here's the exact moment I realized no one would be starting the song."

  Audrey chuckled. "And look at this guy." She was pointing at Callie's boss, Bill. "Here's where he realizes something isn't going his way." Callie could see his color begin to rise immediately after the pastor began humming and more cell phones in the audience began to tape the incident.

  Callie sighed. "Poor Bill. He's got such high hopes for the organization. It really galled him we had more hits on this one incident than we've had in our entirety. I guess a smarter person would have found some way to leverage that into a positive."

  Audrey said, "Apparently, they fired the only person who thought like that." Callie realized Audrey was right. She had been the driving force behind new moves in technology or new media ideas for the last few years. Even if her job title had been event planning, that encompassed a large amount of marketing and understanding how an event could brand a company. Without her, she wondered how they were moving forward.

  The fish was eaten and Audrey cleaned up the paper trays and poured herself another glass of wine, her hands shaking a bit. Callie checked her watch. "It's been really great seeing you again, but I've got to go. I've been volunteering with Skinner Days and we're having a meeting downtown."

  Audrey hugged her. "It was good to see you, too. Feel free to come by with fish and chips anytime."

  Callie laughed. "Maybe next time us single women can meet at a more adult establishment and hit the town. Remember how we wanted to do that in the old days? We were too young though."

  Audrey gave a strained smile. "And now we're old women, right?"

  Callie hugged her again. "Never."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Callie drove down the hill from where Audrey's house was and back onto Seventh Street to the Newsome Center. In the same meeting room as before, she found Jeremy and Jorna Vitale-Cone already there.

  "It's good to see you, Callie. I wasn't sure you'd want to keep working on this after what happened to Molluska," said Jeremy giving her a quick hug, his brown eyes looking serious.

  "Actually I came to the meeting to see what you were deciding to do. I mean, I wasn't sure if you'd even continue with the pageant."

  Jorna sniffed. "Skinner Days are a tradition I think someone like Molluska embraced. It wouldn't honor her memory to let her death stop the celebration."

  Callie, her back to Jorna and facing Jeremy, raised her eyebrows at that and Jeremy just gave a small shrug.

  Dot Felson walked in followed by Marty, whose wig hadn't gotten any better over the past day, and Kathleen Teigen, whose bouncy walk reminded Callie of a puppy. Today Dot was wearing what Callie would swear were a pair of Stuart Weitzman's and definitely not available at the local Macy's. Apparently, she had a shoe fetish that
surpassed Callie's own.

  "Oh, my. Oh, my. Callie, what happened at the pageant?" asked Kathleen. All eyes turned on Callie as she took a seat at the small conference table.

  "I don't know. I mean, of course I know one of the contestants is dead, but I really don't know anything about what happened. I've also been asked by the police not to discuss it in any great detail."

  Dot Felson looked at her sharply. "Is there anything you can tell us?"

  "Not much you can't tell us yourself," said Callie.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" asked Dot heatedly.

  "Nothing in particular," said Callie, surprised at Dot's vehemence. "Mostly that you were present almost the entire time I was there and saw almost everything I saw. Where did you go after the end of the talent competition?"

  Dot looked coldly at her. "Steven and I are sharing a car, so I was parked back at City Hall. I wanted to pick up Steven after the practice was over, so I walked back there to get it. Then I was delayed when I ran into one of the council members and Steven ended up coming over to City Hall himself."

  Callie wondered if Dot realized she had just left Steven without a verifiable alibi for the time the murder would most likely have taken place. "Well, after the end of the practice I sat and ran through my notes for a few minutes and then chatted with one of the other contestants," said Callie.

  "Who was that?" asked Jorna.

  Callie didn't see any reason not to say. "Sheldon Normal stopped by to ask about his community service hours. After that, I went looking for the stage manager to say good bye and found Molluska's body."

  "How long did he stay?" asked Dot.

  "I'm not really sure," said Callie. "I'm assuming he was gone by the time I started looking for Wade."

  "Do you know what killed her? The TV news didn't give any details," said Jeremy. "I mean, it wasn't anything catching or anything that would be unsafe for others to be around, right?"

  Callie shook her head. "I don't know the true cause, but it didn't look to me like it was accidental or something that was a natural cause. I don't think I can say more than that. It didn't seem to me like it was something that would endanger others."