Murder Is Private

by Diane Weiner

  “What do you say we head back? Annalise will want dinner soon.”

  “Help me shake out the blanket, and back we go,” said Susan.

  Chapter 46

  A few days later, Lynette and Susan stopped at Peking Garden for take-out. Susan hoped it would cheer Audrey up. When they got home, Audrey was sitting on the sofa, staring at a blank TV screen. Crumpled tissues littered the coffee table. Audrey didn’t even turn her head when the door opened.

  “We brought dinner,” said Susan. “Smells delicious.”

  “I’m not hungry,” said Audrey.

  “Come on,” said Lynette. “At least try some soup. We have egg drop and wonton.”

  Audrey complied as a result of Lynette’s coaxing. Mid meal, Kevin knocked on the front door.

  “I hate to interrupt your dinner, but you’re going to want to hear this,” said Kevin coming into the living room.

  His eyes were bright and he spoke quickly.

  “Hear what?” said Audrey.

  “You were right, Mrs. Wiles. The fingerprints from Dr. Jacobs came back. They don’t match the prints of the doctor working at Trinity Village.”

  “Whose prints are they?” asked Susan.

  “They belong to a Craig Perkins. And you’re going to love this.” Kevin rubbed his hands together like a gerbil. “The prints were in the system because this Perkins fellow was arrested for writing counterfeit prescriptions. He served time in Georgia, then disappeared.”

  “Disappeared?” said Lynette.

  “Last thing we know, he went down to Honduras. Some doctors without borders sort of thing.”

  “Then he is actually a doctor?” said Lynette.

  “Yes and no. His license was revoked when he got arrested,” explained Kevin.

  “Then what was he doing in Honduras?” asked Susan.

  “He went as a non-medical volunteer. Story is he contracted a tropical disease and died down there.”

  “But he didn’t die. He’s here,” said Susan.

  “Yes, he is. It gets better.”

  “Go on,” said Lynette. She leaned in closer.

  “Do you know who else made that trip to Honduras?”

  “Let me guess,” said Susan. She scratched her chin. “The real Dr. Jacobs?”

  “Bingo. The real Dr. Jacobs died in Honduras, and our Dr. Perkins assumed his identity. Came back to the states and began practicing medicine using Dr. Jacob’s credentials.”

  “So we have our killer!” said Susan.

  “Not so fast. We’ve arrested him for practicing medicine without a license, and for stealing Dr. Jacob’s identity, but he didn’t kill Celia.”

  “How do you know?” said Susan.

  “The man has an airtight alibi. He was at a retirement party the night Celia was murdered. Twenty witnesses vouched for him.”

  “What about Alonzo’s murder?” said Lynette.

  “He was out of town during the window of time during which the coroner says Alonzo was killed.”

  “You’re kidding,” said Susan. “I was sure you were going to tell us Dr. Jacobs, I mean Mr. Perkins, was our killer. How disappointing.”

  “Disappointing? We got a dangerous doctor off the streets, and without him, the drug ring will fall apart. We’re now trying to get him to finger the others in return for a lighter sentence.”

  “That still leaves us without the murderer,” said Audrey. “We’re back to our original problem.”

  “Yes, but the suspect list is shrinking,” said Susan. She put her arm around Audrey.

  George rushed through the door.

  “I heard what happened!” cried George. “You arrested Dr. Jacobs!”

  Susan wondered how he’d heard so quickly. The evening news hadn’t yet aired, and George was coming from the school.

  “Good work, Detective!” said George. He gave Kevin a fist bump.

  “If it hadn’t been for your sister Susan, we wouldn’t have caught on to him. At least not yet,” said Kevin.

  “I knew bringing her here would be a good thing,” said George, smiling at Susan. Then, he looked at the table. “Is that Chinese take-out?”

  “Grab a plate!” said Susan. “We bought plenty.”

  “Look! Fortune cookies!” said Lynette. She handed one to each of them. “Audrey, you go first.”

  Audrey broke open her cookie and read the fortune out loud. “Brighter days lie ahead.”

  “Read yours George,” said Lynette.

  “Secrets never lie dormant.”

  “Mine says, Old friends are the best friends,” said Kevin. “Read yours, Mrs. Wiles.”

  Susan cracked open the cookie, read it and then said, “These things are silly. I’m not going to read mine.”

  Lynette took the cookie from her mother and read it aloud. “It says, Stay away from danger! in bold letters.”

  Chapter 47

  It was Susan’s last day subbing. Bibi brought in a butter cream frosted cake. It said, We will miss you and was decorated with clef signs and music notes. Manolito handed her a bouquet of pink roses. Susan put her nose to the flowers. “These smell wonderful!”

  “Let me take a picture,” said Starr. “Get behind the cake.”

  “I want everyone in it,” said Susan. The entire class squished together next to Susan.

  “We all chipped in to get you a present to remember us by,” said Starr.

  Susan unwrapped the present. “This is beautiful! Thank you. Help me put it on.”

  Starr closed the silver necklace around Susan’s neck. A quarter note charm dangled from the chain. “Come over to the mirror,” she said.

  “I’ll treasure it always,” said Susan

  “I wish you could stay longer,” said Bibi.

  “I’m really going to miss you guys,” said Susan. She gave each one of them a hug. She’d enjoyed teaching this age group more than she’d imagined she would.

  “You’ll have to come back next year for our graduation,” said Starr.

  “Except we may not be graduating from here. I heard rumors that the school is going to close,” said Bibi.

  “Closing? Where would we go? That can’t be true, can it? Mrs. Wiles, have you heard anything about Hemingway shutting down?” asked Manolito.

  Susan swallowed hard. She didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. Besides, there was still a chance the killer could be found.

  “I haven’t heard any announcement about Hemingway High shutting down,” said Susan. She couldn’t look Manolito in the eye. She still held out hope that the school would survive.

  “Let’s eat this cake,” said Bibi.

  “Mrs. Wiles, are you coming to the Master class this afternoon?” asked Starr. “A soprano from the Florida Grand Opera is presenting it. I’m singing an aria from The Magic Flute. I’m so nervous. I’d feel better if you were in the audience.”

  Susan didn’t have specific plans, so she said, “Sure. I can’t wait to hear you. You’re going to sound great.”

  Before she knew it, it was time for lunch. It was a beautiful day, so Susan brought her lunch outside and sat on a bench next to Gabby.

  “I’m going to miss you,” said Gabby. “With Dr. Jacobs in jail, do you think we’ll still have a drug problem on campus?”

  “It depends. He was the key provider, but with him out of the picture, who’s to say that someone else won’t step in. That nurse Marshall went to the police and told them Alonzo was sneaking into the patient rooms, but I know it was Marshall himself who did that. He spilled the beans to the police about Dr. Jacobs writing prescriptions for all the first floor patients at Trinity Village, but it was after the fact. He made it look like he was cooperating and had nothing to do with the drug ring.”

  “What about that kid, Kymani?”

  “The police have nothing on him. They never caught him with drugs, and no witnesses have come forward to say he was dealing.”

  “Does Marshall still work at Trinity Village?”

  “As far as I know.
There must be a way to trap him. He can’t get away with not having any consequences for what he did,” argued Susan.

  “If I were him, I’d lay low for a while,” said Gabby.

  “Me too, but it depends on how greedy he is. Is he willing to live on just a nurse’s salary?”

  Gabby checked her watch. “Time to go back. I’m counting the days till summer break.”

  “Hate to point this out, Gabby, but you have another two months.”

  “Party Pooper.” See you later.

  True to her word, Susan attended the Master class and Starr sang like an angel. The presenter’s comments were right on, and as Starr took her advice, she sounded even lovelier. What a great opportunity these students had. Susan would bet money you’d never see a professional singer give a Master class at a public high school. What a shame to think of Hemingway High shutting down.

  Chapter 48

  “Audrey, I’m home,” said Susan.

  “How was the Master class?”

  “Wonderful. Where’s Lynette?”

  “She went out to dinner with Kevin. It’s just me, you, and Annalise for dinner tonight.”

  Out to dinner with Kevin? Like a date? Good thing they’d be leaving in a few days.

  “I’ll start dinner,” said Audrey.

  “No, let me cook tonight,” said Susan. She was determined to demonstrate healthy cooking to her biological mother before she left Florida. “I saw a bunch of veggies in the refrigerator. Let’s chop those up and I’ll make us a stir fry.”

  Audrey took the vegetables and a package of chicken breasts out of the fridge.

  “I hope you’ll come to New York for a visit this summer,” said Susan.

  “I’d like that.” She chopped a red pepper into bite- sized chunks. “I called you Shelby, you know.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Susan.

  “I’m talking about when I was pregnant with you. The whole time you were inside me, I was positive you were a girl. I talked to you all the time, read you books…sang you lullabies.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, yes. I knew it was my only chance to be a mother to you. My heart broke every time I thought about giving you up. I called you Shelby because it sounded beautiful, but strong. I knew that’s how you’d be, and I was right.”

  “I’m glad you told me,” Susan whispered.

  “They told me not to hold you,” Audrey continued softly. “Said it would only be more painful, but I insisted. I started bawling so loud, the nurse felt sorry for me. She handed you to me, all wrapped up in a receiving blanket. You grabbed my finger. I didn’t know newborns could do that. To this day, I remember how it felt when they took you from me. You still were holding my finger like you didn’t want to let go.”

  “It must have been terrible. I remember how I felt when Lynette and Evan were born. I wanted to keep them wrapped in my arms forever.”

  “Seeing you here in front of me…it’s a miracle.” She gave Susan a hug. A loud, beeping sound interrupted their moment.

  “What’s that?” said Susan.

  “It’s the fire alarm!” cried Audrey. “Oh no! The chicken is burned to a crisp. We should have taken it off the stove while we were talking.”

  “That stir fry we got from Peking Garden the other day was awfully good. My treat. They deliver, right?”

  “I’ll get my phone,” said Audrey.

  After dinner, Susan told Audrey about the cake and gifts her students had brought her that day to say farewell.

  “Isn’t this the cutest necklace? They wanted to give me something to remember them by,” said Susan. She reached around her neck. “Oh, no! It’s gone.”

  “You weren’t wearing a necklace when you came in, Susan,” said Audrey.

  “I must have lost it between the auditorium and here. I showed it off to some faculty members at the master class, so I know I had it there. I’ll go look.”

  “If I didn’t have to watch the baby, I’d help you,” said Audrey.

  “It’s okay. I’ll be back soon.”

  Chapter 49

  Susan used the flashlight on her phone to light the dusk-covered path. By the time she got to the auditorium, it was completely dark. The parking lot was empty. She stepped into the pitch black auditorium. She didn’t see a light switch and had to rely on the glow from her flashlight.

  I was sitting in the second row, she thought. She worked her way to the front, checking the floor of the aisle all the way down. It has to be here! She pulled down the seat where she’d been sitting earlier, and ran her hand across it. Nothing. In the darkness, she heard voices.

  “Come on! Let’s go upstairs. We have to be ready. It’s coming soon.”

  “Don’t worry, we still have time.”

  Susan froze and held her breath. Who was that? She heard footsteps running up the stairs. Maybe this is my chance to catch the drug ring red-handed. Lynette’s warnings echoed in her head. She remembered the fortune cookie warning, Beware of danger. She had already been locked in a broom closet and thrown into the middle of the ocean. Was she crazy? She should turn around and get out of the auditorium before they discovered her. But she didn’t.

  This is my chance to figure this all out. If the parents know the murderer has been caught and the drug ring disbanded, they’ll continue to send their kids here. Maybe the donors will hop back on board and Audrey can keep the school open. She tiptoed up the stairs, remembering the tumble she’d taken down them previously. She rubbed her hip, which still sported a nasty bruise. When she got to the top of the stairs, she heard voices.

  “Get the stash and I’ll go to the tower and signal.”

  “This better pull in a lot. It may be our last haul.”

  “I’ve got contacts. All we need is another willing partner to replace Jacobs. We just gotta find another doctor and plant him in the position at Trinity.”

  “Glad you have a plan. Better make sure it’s not someone greedy or they’ll wind up like that teacher.”

  Susan wondered what that meant. Were they talking about Alonzo? Schwartz? What greedy teacher? She didn’t know the voices, but assumed it was Marshall and Kymani she was tailing.

  She turned off her flashlight and hid behind the scenery on the second floor. She could hear one of the men climbing the steps to the third floor. If she could see the transaction, she could call Kevin. She’d be a witness. Kevin could send a police boat after the drugs if he didn’t make it in time. The footsteps came closer.

  It was Kymani. When he turned toward her, she confirmed it. Her hands were shaking. His hair! He has those tight little braids and they’re fastened with little black rubber bands. Oh my God! It was him near the murder scene. It was one of his hair bands she’d found! She had to stay hidden until Marshall came back. When the two of them went downstairs, that’s when she’d call Kevin. Wait! Where was Kymani going?

  Kymani pulled a quilt off of what looked like a treasure chest. It must have been a prop in one of the productions. He opened the lid. Susan held her breath. He was taking something out.

  Her phone rang. She was startled and dropped it out of her hand. How could she have been so stupid? Why hadn’t she turned off the ringer?

  “Who’s there?” said Kymani. “I know someone’s here. You’ll never get out of here so you might as well give up now.” He started searching behind the pieces of scenery.

  She had to find a better hiding spot. He was getting closer to her as he searched. Her heart pounded. Then she remembered. Schwartz had hidden the violin in a secret hiding spot in the wall. Could she fit in there? She heard Marshall clomping down the steps from the third floor. It would be two against one.

  “Kymani, let’s get the stash downstairs!” Marshall said, “I signaled the boat already.”

  “We got a problem. Someone’s up here! Help me find him. We can’t leave a witness.”

  Marshall threw props out of his path and started overturning stage furniture. Susan quickly and quietly opened the sec
ret hiding place and tried to squeeze in.

  “He’s got to be over here. We searched everywhere else,” said Kymani.

  Susan heard them closing in on her. She wriggled the upper half of her body into the wall but cursed herself for eating all that take-out. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t wriggle her hips through the opening.

  “Over here!” said Marshall.

  Susan couldn’t breathe. She started pulling herself out of the wall. Someone yanked her out by the ankles. Then she felt a hand clamp over her mouth. She knew that hand! It was the same bear claw that had silenced her back in the car in Westbrook. It was George! She struggled to get away, but George pulled her into the stairwell.

  “Shush! I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered. He’d said those words to her before. She heard footsteps closing in. Kymani and Marshall were now within an arm’s reach. Her stomach knotted into a tangled mass of nerves. She’d never see Mike again. Lynette and Evan would be heartbroken. Annalise would never remember knowing her grandma. She prayed Hail, Mary over and over in her head. George’s grip tightened.

  She closed her eyes. This was the end of the line.

  Behind her, all of a sudden, it sounded like an elephant stampede running up the steps. Light flooded the second floor. She saw guns and shields pushing past her.

  “On your knees! Now!” An officer pointed his gun at Kymani. Another covered Marshall.

  Half a dozen policemen had stormed into the room. George released his grip.

  “You’re both under arrest!” Susan heard the clank of handcuffs closing around Kymani and Marshall’s wrists.

  “Susan, are you okay?” said George. Susan was still trembling.

  “What’s going on? Why are you wearing a badge?” she asked George. Her head was throbbing and nothing made sense.

  “I’m with DEA––the drug enforcement agency,” George replied. “We’ve been after this group for some time.”

  “But, you’re a gardener…”

  “An undercover gardener. Deep undercover. Had you fooled, didn’t I?” He smiled his chipped tooth smile.