by Diane Weiner
Trish’s Mom came in at that moment with a pot of coffee. “Are they any closer to finding out who killed Mrs. Watkins?” she asked.
“The police are on top of it,” replied Susan. “Mrs. Roberts calls them every day.” She hoped her reassurance would calm this mother’s fears and allow her to permit her daughter to return to school. However, the mother had other ideas.
“I can’t imagine sending Trish back there. We’re starting to look at schools in our area.”
“They’ll solve this,” Susan pleaded. “Hemingway is an excellent school! You won’t find another like it. Sure, there are magnet schools for the arts, but Hemingway is really more of a conservatory. Head and shoulders above the others. From what I’ve heard, Trish is quite a dancer. It’s a good place for her. I’m sure you’ve seen the statistics on how many Hemingway graduates wind up with first rate jobs.”
Mike stood up. “We’d better get going. Our granddaughter should be finishing her nap about now and we have two more theme parks to cover.” Susan got the message. On their way out, Susan whispered in Trish’s ear.
“Do you know if Mrs. Watkins was seeing anyone? Anyone who could give us a possible clue?”
“Once when I came to her room,” Trish whispered back, “I heard her on her phone. She was arguing with someone about telling the police something. When she saw me, she got flustered and hung up.”
“Anything else?”
“Another time, I came to see her after school. She was still in her room. I heard music coming through the door.”
“Like a radio or something?”
“No, it was live. I’m sure of it. I heard a violin.”
“A violin? Did you see someone playing it when you went in?”
“No, she was alone. I know Mrs. Watkins didn’t play the violin. She used to joke about how her voice was her only instrument and if it wore out, she couldn’t buy a new one.”
“If no one else was there…”
“I think someone was hiding in the closet. Her door was locked that time, which was odd. After I knocked, it took her a minute to answer it. I heard shuffling inside too. And one more thing.”
“What?”
“I saw a violin case behind her desk.”
Chapter 30
Susan was sad to see Mike leave. At least Evan had a few more days left.
“Mike, be sure to hug the cats for me. And no spoiling them with canned food while I’m gone.”
“Canned food?” said Mike. “I would never! Especially now that they’ve gotten used to bacon and egg omelets for breakfast.”
“You’d better be joking!” Susan laughed as she scooted her husband and son-in-law out the door. “Have a safe trip. Thank you for the wonderful birthday surprise.”
Mike kissed her goodbye. “Hurry home! The bed is too big without you.”
“And you miss my cooking.”
“I definitely wouldn’t go that far.”
She wished she could help close this case and get back home to her husband and cats soon. However, with the donor benefit dinner approaching, Audrey was becoming more frantic every day. It was getting to be time to send out scholarship offers, but without knowing how much the budget would suffer, she couldn’t yet do it.
“Susan, some of my best potential students have accepted offers from other schools for next year. Even if this case gets solved soon, we won’t have time to even build a freshman class. The Dean is getting pressure from the owners, and he in turn is pressuring me.”
“Audrey, Hemingway has a reputation for being one of the finest performing arts schools in the country. Don’t throw in the towel yet.”
“I appreciate your support, Susan. Wish I felt convinced. I’m going upstairs to take a nap.” Audrey was taking a lot of naps these days and had lost weight. Susan worried that she was sinking into depression. Not far-fetched given the circumstances.
On Monday, school resumed. Most of the kids looked sleepy. A few bubbled about their vacations. Gabby ran up to Susan on the way to lunch.
“Spring Break went too fast. Vacations always do.”
“You’re right. I could have stayed at Disney World another week.”
“Susan, I got to thinking about Celia’s boyfriend. I remembered her saying he had an accent. I don’t know if that helps any.”
“It might,” said Susan. “Then again, every other person I’ve met here in Florida has an accent of some kind.”
“I think he might work here at the school,” Gabby added. “I remember a comment she made. On her birthday, she said ‘He had flowers waiting for me in his studio.’ Not her studio. And studio implies he taught music, right?”
“Or art, or dance. That’s a big clue.”
“None of the dance teachers are male, so he has to teach art or music.”
“Could it be Schwartz or Alonzo? Think hard.”
“Schwartz, I can’t imagine. He’s so serious and has never mentioned even having a date let alone a girlfriend. Alonzo, on the other hand….he has made comments about being tired because he’d been out late. And he sees lots of movies. Always tells us about what we saw. I think it’s him. Remember how he had Celia’s umbrella?”
“You’re right. Let’s keep our eyes and ears open,” said Susan. “And let’s eat; I’m starving. I got used to a mid-morning snack while we were away.” They went inside.
“Susan, how was Disney World?” said Alonzo.
“We had a great time. Annalise loved it. Schwartz, did you travel anywhere?”
“Not this time. I’m saving up for a long trip to Europe this summer.”
“Who are you going with?” Susan asked, hoping for a meaningful reply.
“Just myself. I always travel alone.”
“Alone? I don’t think I’d have much fun by myself. All those romantic, European cities to explore,” said Alonzo.
“Alonzo, are you and your girlfriend traveling this summer?” said Susan.
“Girlfriend? No. I’m between relationships at the moment. And who has money to travel all summer?” Alonzo chuckled.
When it was time to go to class, Susan heard something hit the floor. She bent down to pick it up. It was a cube of rosin, used for coating a violin bow. “Here, Alonzo! This fell.”
“It’s not mine.”
“It’s mine; thank you,” said Schwartz. He stuck it back in his pocket. Susan remembered him saying he played the violin as a hobby. She wondered why he was walking around with rosin in his pocket at work. Alonzo, the orchestra conductor, carrying rosin…that made more sense.
Susan had a thought. The night she’d been attacked, she’d heard violin music. Then she’d seen a suitcase being given to the boat driver. What if it wasn’t a suitcase? What if it was a violin case? What if Alonzo was selling drugs or weapons, and Celia found out? What if he was selling stolen instruments? Celia could have threatened Alonzo by telling him she was going to the police. Was Alonzo the murderer?
Chapter 31
“Susan, is that you?” Audrey called from the dining room. Susan walked in and saw Audrey and Evan conspiring. Papers littered the table, and Audrey was marking up a desk-sized calendar. Evan typed on his laptop.
“What’s all this?” asked Susan.
Evan was animated. “Mom, Audrey’s doctor set up a schedule for me. He invited me to be his research assistant this summer. You should see what he’s working on. He’s using stem cells to regenerate knee joints. It’s cutting edge!”
“But you haven’t heard from the New York schools yet,” argued Susan.
“Doesn’t matter,” said Evan. “This is where I want to be. I can stay here at Grandma Audrey’s. I can save rent money and I’ll be getting a stipend.”
“Evan, you need to think this through. You should call NYU and Columbia. See what they offer.”
“This is where I want to be, Mom!.”
Audrey added, “My doctor’s so excited about having Evan here. So am I! Susan, this will be great for him.”
“And A
udrey’s mapping out my vacation days for next school year,” added Evan. “I can come down and work on research whenever I’m free.”
“What about coming home on your breaks?” asked Susan sadly.
“This is important to my future, Mom. Audrey says there’s a doctor shortage here. Lots of doctors are retiring in this state and they need to bring in new blood.”
“I read an article about it in the Sunday paper,” said Audrey. “I’m sure Evan can snag a residency here when he finishes at Wash U. Then he can open a practice down here. With all us old folks in Florida, he could make a fortune doing knee replacements alone.”
“Audrey, stop!” Susan felt her face turning red and she fought to contain her anger. “What gives you the right to plan my son’s future? If Evan needs guidance, he can talk to his advisor at school, or Mike, or me! You can’t just pop into his life and act like you know what’s best for him!”
“I’m just trying to help,” replied Audrey meekly.
“No, you’re implying that Mike and I are incapable of guiding our own son. What gives you the right?”
Evan grabbed Susan’s arm. “Mom, Audrey knows what she’s doing. Calm down.”
Now the lid blew off the anger kettle. “How dare you, Evan! You’ve known this woman for like a minute. You had plans to work in New York this summer and to find a residency in the Northeast. Now it’s ‘Grandma said this’ and ‘Grandma said that.’ She’s not even your Grandma! My Mom was your Grandma!”
“But, Mom…! And butt out, Audrey! You have no right to interfere with my family. You’re not his real family. Don’t try to act like a grandmother now. It’s too late. Evan had a grandmother. In fact, he had two. He doesn’t need you.”
“Susan, calm down; I’m not trying to replace anyone.” Audrey started to cry.
“Stop meddling or you’ll never see us again!” Susan stormed upstairs and slammed the door.
Lynette opened Susan’s bedroom door. “Mom, what’s wrong? I could hear the shouting all the way up here. You’re going to wake up Annalise.”
“I’ve had it with that woman! We never should have come here. She’s trying to take over Evan’s life. All she does is meddle and butt into our business.”
“I know how you feel,” said Lynette calmly. “Meddling mothers are the worst.”
“Let’s pack up and go home. I’ll call the airline.” Susan threw clothes out of the dresser drawers and onto the bed.
“Mom, stop that. I know you’re upset, but think this through when you calm down.” Lynette put the clothing back into the drawers.
Lynette’s phone rang. “Kevin? What? Really? I’ll be right there.”
Susan’s mood changed on a dime. “Lynette, did they find something? What did he say?”
“They found the murder weapon hidden in the gardening shed behind the arboretum.”
“Are they sure? What was the weapon?”
“It was a tam tam mallet––it’s used to hit a gong––small, but hard enough to kill. The blood on it matched Celia’s.”
Chapter 33
“I hope they found fingerprints. I’ll bet they belong to Alonzo,” said Susan.
“Mom, I let you tag along because you didn’t want to stay in the house with Audrey. Don’t try to take over the investigation or anything. Got it?”
“Got it,” Susan agreed.
Kevin was examining the mallet when they walked into the station.
“Kevin, it had to be Alonzo. That mallet is used in the orchestra,” said Susan.
Lynette shot her a look.
“Mrs. Wiles,” said Kevin, “we can’t jump to conclusions. We have to wait for the lab report and we’ll bring Alonzo, amongst others, in for questioning. He’s not the only one who had access to a mallet. You can buy them at any music store, isn’t that right?”
“Well, yes,” replied Susan. “But I just remembered something! The concert at Trinity Village––the first one I went to. The mallet was missing! I heard the percussionist tell Alonzo he couldn’t find it. Alonzo said to use a bass drum mallet instead. He didn’t act at all surprised that it was missing.”
“Mom, that doesn’t prove anything,” said Lynette. “Small percussion instruments are probably lost all the time. Especially when kids are handling them.”
Kevin’s desk phone rang. “Yes. That was fast. I’ll be right over.”
“Information?” said Lynette.
“Alonzo is here. He heard we found the tam tam mallet and he came right in.”
“We’ll head home. Good luck,” said Lynette. She grabbed Susan’s arm and led her to the door.
“Lynette, you could stay. I wouldn’t mind a second set of ears.” Kevin put his hand on Lynette’s shoulder. Susan cleared her throat. She wished Kevin would keep his hands off her daughter. Her married daughter.
Lynette looked at Susan. “Is that okay with you?”
“I’m in no rush to get back,” said Susan. They walked down the hall to the conference room.
“Mom, wait here.” Lynette pulled a chair into the hallway for her.
“Really? You’re going to make me wait in the hallway?”
“Yes. I won’t be long.”
Susan couldn’t just sit still. Once Kevin and Lynette were inside, she pressed her ear to the door.
Kevin began. “Mr. Benitez, thanks for coming in. As you know, we found a tam tam mallet which we believe to be the murder weapon in the Celia Watkin’s case.”
“When I heard, I came right over. A tam tam mallet went missing from the orchestra rehearsal hall a few weeks ago. My percussionists turned the rehearsal room upside down searching for it.”
“Is it possible one of your students took it home to practice? Maybe they lost it and didn’t want to admit it.”
“No, I doubt it. A gong isn’t the kind of instrument you take home to practice; you just bang on it at the right place in the music, nothing complicated.”
“Mr. Benitez, where were you the night Celia Watkins was murdered?”
“I was home. Alone. I’m not a suspect, am I?”
Kevin ignored the question. “Did anyone see you?”
“I said I was alone. Wait. My neighbor, Candy Miller. I took the trash out and I ran into her. You can ask her.”
“We will. Do you have any idea who might have wanted Celia dead?”
“Her husband comes to mind first, but I hear they cleared him.”
“He had an alibi.”
“I heard her having an argument with another faculty member, but no way it coulda been him,” Alonzo remarked, almost to himself.
“Who was she arguing with?”
“A history teacher. Robert Schwartz. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“What were they arguing about?”
“She was telling him he had to turn it in. I don’t know what it was. He told her he needed time with it first. Something about suffering a loss and this gave him solace. I have no idea what he meant.”
“Had you ever seen them arguing before?”
“No. They were friendly to each other. I think they even had dinner together a few times. I saw them leaving the parking lot together after school once or twice. There’s no way he could have killed her.”
“If you think of anything else, here’s my card.”
Susan sat back in her hallway chair just in the nick of time as the group exited from the room. She pretended to be playing a game on her phone.
“Yes, I rock!” she cried. “Triple word score using the letter Z. Look, Lynette!.” She waved the phone in front of her daughter’s eyes.
“Scrabble Olympics, watch out for Susan Wiles. Come on, Mom. Let’s go back to Audrey’s,” said Lynette.
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Where else would you go? You’ll have to face Audrey eventually,” said Lynette kindly.
“Maybe I’ll be lucky and Audrey will already be asleep.”
Chapter 31
The lights were out when they got back to the house.
Susan was relieved that Audrey had already gone to bed. When Susan woke up in the morning, she laid in bed listening for the sound of Audrey’s shower, the blow dryer, the microwave beeping…. She stayed in bed until she heard the key locking the front door. The coast is clear. Now I’ll get ready for work.
When she got to school, Susan searched Celia’s desk. She hoped to verify a romantic relationship between Celia and Alonzo. All she found were sticky notes, pens, and paperclips. Not surprising, since she’d been through the desk once before. Was she expecting more engraved jewelry?
Next she tried the filing cabinet, looking for fresh clues. The bottom drawer was locked, but Susan had recently found a key in the desk that looked as if it might be for the cabinet. Voila! She dug through the bottom drawer and rummaged through the papers and folders. Here’s something interesting, she said to herself. She pulled out a stack of photos.
When she flipped through the stack, there were photos of Celia’s chorus performing.
Then she found a picture of Celia with Schwartz, Alonzo, and Gabby, celebrating a birthday in the lounge. Another showed Alonzo and Celia dressed in evening wear. Celia was holding a dozen or so roses. I wonder where that was taken. Were the roses from Alonzo?
Jackpot. A shiny postcard from Paris. It said “Next time, we’ll be here together.” No name, just a bunch of x’s and o’s. Hugs and kisses. Was he afraid of someone knowing his identity? The handwriting was beautiful. I’ll bet it’s from Alonzo, she thought.
As she continued digging through the drawer, she found a folder of newspaper clippings.
She skimmed through reviews and articles highlighting various chorus performance. These reviews are very complimentary. Celia must have been a good teacher. Wish I could have met her when she was alive.