Skye had never seen Gillian without makeup before and also noticed that her cousin was dressed in a stained T-shirt and baggy yoga pants that hung on her tiny frame. Her fine blond hair was scraped back in a greasy ponytail and she wore bright-pink flip-flops.
“Hi!” Skye was surprised to see her cousin anything less than Junior Woman’s Club ready.
Gillian gave Skye a perfunctory hug and bent to coo at the twins. “My, my, aren’t you chubby, little sweet peas?” She glanced at Skye with a knowing smile. “It must run in the family.”
“According to their pediatrician, they weigh exactly what they should.” Skye barely kept the annoyance out of her voice.
“Of course they do.” Gillian’s smile was patronizing. “I guess my children just tend to be more delicate and petite like me.” She tugged up her sagging pants. “Have you picked out names yet?”
“Not yet.”
Skye could feel the other shoppers observing them and sighed. Their watchfulness had been comforting during the incident with Yuri, but now she could be the one that might come out looking like a creep if she was rude to her cousin. Realizing that there was no graceful way to hurry this encounter along, Skye leaned on the stroller and prayed for patience.
Although she had managed to put aside her animosity toward Gillian and her twin sister, Ginger, they still weren’t her favorite relatives. She might have forgiven them for their bullying behavior in high school, but she was still ticked about being kidnapped and threatened by them after their Grandma Leofanti’s murder. It would be a cold day in hades before she forgot that greed-fueled incident or trusted either one of them an inch.
“You know, Ginger and I are still hoping one of us will have a set of twins, so you should clear the names you pick with us first,” she informed Skye loftily. “That way you don’t steal our choices.”
“Not happening.” Skye folded her arms. “But don’t worry. I seriously doubt you and Ginger have the same taste as Wally and I.”
“What do you mean by that?” Gillian voice screeched like a rusty garden gate and she narrowed her baby-blue eyes.
“Precisely what it sounded like.” Skye didn’t blink at her cousin’s outraged glare. “We’ve never liked the same things, which makes it highly improbable that we’d select the same names.”
Gillian pouted. “Fine. I’m going to tell you our ideas, but you better not take them. I have dibs on Sonny and Cher and Ginger wants Angelina and Brad.”
“You do realize both of those were married couples, not siblings.” Skye wondered if her family tree was heading into the same forest as the Dooziers’ twisted oak.
“They’re divorced,” Gillian informed Skye with a bounce of her ponytail.
Attempting to wrap up the conversation sometime this century, Skye said, “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you worked on Thursdays.”
Gillian and Ginger were both tellers at the local bank.
“Kristin is home sick with the flu and we ran out of chicken noodle soup.” Gillian looked down at her attire and her mouth pursed. “Irvin is over at Farm and Fleet getting supplies for the farm. He said he’d pick up some soup and bring it home, but Kristin threw a fit when she found out it would take him over an hour to get back.”
“She’s thirteen, right?” Skye’s smile was sympathetic. “Tough age.”
“They’re all tough.” Gillian smirked and glanced at the twins. “You’ll see.”
“I guess I will.” Skye switched the strap of her purse from one shoulder to the other.
“Of course, with a rich father-in-law, it will be a lot easier for you,” Gillian sneered. “I hear you’re interviewing nannies.”
Skye didn’t have to ask how her cousin knew about that. Skye had told May, and May must have told her sister, Minnie, who had told her daughter, Gillian.
Ignoring her cousin’s dig about Wally’s wealthy family, Skye said, “Yes, we have. Sadly, my maternity leave won’t last forever.”
“Teachers get a lot longer than bank tellers,” Gillian sniped.
Skye bit her tongue and didn’t correct her cousin. Gillian was hardly the first person who couldn’t remember that Skye was a school psychologist, not a teacher. Or to assume the benefits of a public school employee were better than their own.
Figuring that her social obligation was almost fulfilled, Skye turned and took hold of the stroller’s handle. “Well, I better let you go. Kristin will be waiting for her chicken noodle soup, and who knows how much longer these two will behave themselves.”
Skye started to push the stroller down the first aisle, but Gillian followed. “Any news about the bombing at the bowling alley? We were shocked to hear that annoying woman was a gambling addict.”
“To the best of my knowledge, no one has said that Ms. Myler was a compulsive gambler.” It always amused Skye how quickly people jumped to conclusions. “Where did you hear that information?”
“Nowhere. It’s just obvious since she was so hooked she was playing even after the alley was closed.”
“Oh,” Skye said noncommittally and kept walking. “See you on Saturday.”
Gillian wasn’t easily dismissed and she kept pace as Skye quickened her steps. “It’s no surprise someone killed that Myler woman.”
“Because she was denying everyone’s claims?” Skye paused in her escape.
“That, too,” Gillian agreed. “But when she was at our house looking at the damage to our screened porch and shed, she took a call and I overheard her side of the conversation.” Gillian absently played with a wisp of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. “Paige said to whoever was on the other end of the line that she was determined to become the youngest vice president in her company and that she was willing to lie, cheat, or sleep her way to the top.”
“Interesting.” Skye smiled. Now she had the perfect excuse to stop at the police station and take her husband to lunch.
Chapter 16
’Cause My Baby Says It’s So
After loading her groceries and the twins into the SUV, Skye drove to the police station. The PD shared both a building and a parking lot with the library and city hall, so it wasn’t unusual for the area to be full of activity, and today was no exception.
Once she had the babies in their stroller, Skye quickly walked across the lot. The formerly black asphalt had faded to a murky gray, and cracks marred the surface. Since the tornado, people were continually stopping by the city hall and the police department to pick up or drop off paperwork, to lodge a complaint, or to ask for help and the increased traffic had taken its toll on the blacktop.
The odor of gasoline and exhaust was heavy and Skye quickened her pace to get the twins out of the polluted air. She hurried into the police garage and used her key to let herself in through the PD’s back entrance.
Once inside, she heard the faint clacking of a computer’s keyboard and the murmur of someone on the telephone. As she pushed the twins down the narrow corridor she glanced in the break room’s window. It sparkled as if it had just been cleaned and Skye smiled at the image of May wielding her infamous bottle of Windex. Never let it be said that Skye’s mother left a pane of glass go unpolished.
Inside the break room, a skinny man with long, stringy hair sat at the table. Wally was standing in the open doorway with a scowl on his handsome face.
Before Skye could greet him, he twisted his head toward the seated guy and said, “I’ll be back when your attorney gets here from Chicago.”
As Wally closed the break room door, he caught sight of Skye and hurried toward her.
“What’s going on?” Skye asked once Wally had kissed the top of his babies’ heads and enveloped her in a hug.
“That’s Zeus Hammersmith.” Wally jerked his jaw at the man who had laid his head down on the tabletop and appeared to be taking a nap. “He’s the guy that lost a lot of money in the
video gaming machines at the bowling alley and claimed that the machines were rigged.”
“He’s the one that said Bunny would be sorry for stealing his cash, right?” Skye murmured, mostly to herself, but Wally nodded and she asked, “What does he have to say about the bombing?”
“Good question.” Wally rubbed his chin. “Unfortunately, he lawyered up as soon as we asked him to come in to the station and talk to us.”
“Shoot!” Skye peered through the window into the break room, attempting to analyze the heavily tattooed man’s actions and motives.
“All he would say was that he had nothing to do with the explosion.” Wally’s voice dripped with cynicism.
“If his attorney is coming from Chicago, that’ll take at least ninety minutes, which means you’re free for a while.” Skye brightened. “How about the twins and I take you to McDonald’s for lunch?”
“That sounds like the best offer that I’ve had all day.” Wally grinned. “I’ll call Martinez in to babysit the suspect. Hammersmith’s lawyer was in court when he phoned him, so he won’t be here until three at the earliest.”
“Great. While we wait for Zelda, we can feed your son and daughter.”
As Skye nursed the babies in Wally’s office, he sat with her and brought her up to speed. Paige had been staying at the Up A Lazy River, and Anthony had searched her motel room. He hadn’t found anything beyond the normal clothes, toiletries, and business-related items. Paige’s laptop was password protected and had been handed over to the county crime techs to unlock. And Wally had walked through the bowling alley but hadn’t discovered anything helpful.
Half an hour later, Skye pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot with Wally right behind her in his squad car. He’d wanted to drive separately in case he got an emergency call and had to leave quickly.
Walking inside the fast food restaurant, Skye was surprised that the place was so busy. It was well after the lunch rush and this crowd couldn’t have anything to do with tomorrow being Halloween.
It took a while to get to the front of the line, then a little longer to order because Nora, the girl behind the counter, was one of Skye’s past counselees. Nora was part of a vocational program that allowed students to work in local businesses a few afternoons a week.
Skye had started seeing the girl right after the tornado because Nora had been convinced that it was her fault that her parents had been injured in the storm since she wasn’t home at the time it happened. It had turned out that Nora was the one who always alerted the rest of her family to upcoming bad weather, and her guilt had led to panic attacks. Skye had worked with Nora to overcome these attacks and deal with her sense of defeat at her house being destroyed and her grief at the loss of so many of her treasured possessions.
Once Nora finished thanking Skye for helping her, she took her order. A few minutes later, Skye and Wally got their food, grabbed napkins, and headed toward their favorite back corner booth.
Skye parked the stroller at the end of the table and slid into the bench seat. If she was lucky, with their tummies full and diapers freshly changed, the twins should sleep for the next couple of hours.
As soon as Wally settled across from her, Skye said, “Right now, I’m starving, but don’t let me forget to tell you about the visit from my mother and grandmother and my encounters at the supermarket. I have several tidbits of info that might relate to the bombing.”
“Will do.” Wally grinned and quickly distributed the food from the tray.
“Do you think that Zeus is behind the explosion?” Skye took a bite of her Big Mac and nearly moaned in ecstasy. She’d been trying to avoid greasy food, but there was nothing like a Mickey D’s burger.
“Maybe not.” Wally took a healthy swallow of his soda. “But he’s definitely hiding something if he lawyered up that fast.”
“What’s your current feeling about the bomb’s real target?” Skye ripped open a packet of catsup and squeezed it in the lid of the Big Mac’s cardboard box. “I know you were leaning toward something to do with Bunny and the bowling alley. Did the info about the criminal propensities of her not-quite-ex, Aiden O’Twomey, tip you over in that direction?”
“I’ve been going back and forth.” Wally paused and ate a bite of his Quarter Pounder. “Once we get the report on how the explosive was detonated, I think it will be clearer. If it was a timer, it was more likely aimed at the alley. If it was someone nearby, I’d be more inclined to think Paige Myler was the intended victim.”
“When will you find out?” Skye asked selecting a fry from the shiny red carton. “It’s been two and a half days since the blast.”
“Depends on how busy the state bomb squad is right now.” Wally finished his Quarter Pounder in two more bites, then unwrapped his second sandwich. “They’re responsible for every incident south of I-80.”
“Are there that many bombings?” Skye asked, a fry halfway to her mouth. “I had no idea there was that kind of activity outside of Chicago.”
“Yeah.” Wally’s expression was sheepish. “I didn’t realize it either.”
Skye wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Speaking of Bunny’s sort of ex-boyfriend, have you had time to look into him yet?”
“Uh-huh.” Wally crunched into his Chicken Bacon Clubhouse. “While Quirk was searching for Zeus, I talked to a pal in the city.”
“And?” Skye glared. She hated it when Wally teased her like this, trickling out information and making her beg for each tidbit.
“According to my buddy”—Wally leaned forward and lowered his voice—“O’Twomey is small time. He exaggerates his connections to organized crime.”
“Okay…” Skye drew out the word. “But he’s still a bad guy, right?”
“No question about that.” Wally drained his soda. “Nowadays he’s known as Gentleman A, but when he was younger, he did a nickel in the Joliet Correctional Center before it closed.”
“I guess you were right about warning your father.” Skye frowned. The guy might be small potatoes criminally speaking, but he still sounded dangerous. “Is O’Twomey on the top of your list of suspects?”
“Let’s just say I’d really like to talk to him.” Wally crumpled up the wrappers from their food and put them on the tray.
“Hmm.” Skye snatched the last of her fries before Wally added the carton to the pile of trash. “Do you have his address?”
“The only one I could find is a post office box.” Wally scowled. “There are companies that rent digital PO boxes to people and assign them a U.S. mailing address, which they then use at the DMV.”
“Well, heck.” Skye paused, then snapped her fingers. “How about requesting his passport records? You could at least see if he really returned from Ireland on the date he told Bunny or if he’s still there.”
“The request is in.” Wally’s lips thinned. “But as usual, we aren’t a top priority.”
“Of course not.” Skye leaned over to check on the twins. Her daughter was peacefully asleep, but her son was starting to fuss. Reaching into the diaper bag for a pacifier, she found the napkin where she had written Yuri’s license plate and put it on the table. “It seems as if, at least for now, O’Twomey is a dead end.”
“Pretty much.” Wally shrugged. “All of my officers and the county deputies who patrol in our area have the guy’s latest DMV picture and are on the alert for him entering or leaving the city limits.”
“Good thing Scumble River only has a few roads in and out of town.”
“There is that.” Wally nodded at the napkin she’d retrieved from the diaper bag and asked, “What’s that?”
“I’ll tell you after you get me a Strawberry & Crème Pie.” Skye waved her hand toward the counter, then added, “And a large decaf please.”
She had a momentary flash of guilt thinking about the calories. But she’d checked with her ob-gyn yesterday afternoon, and W
ally had been right about the doctor’s instructions not to attempt to lose weight while breastfeeding in the first few months after giving birth.
When Wally returned with her dessert order, as well as a hot caramel sundae and cup of coffee for himself, he took a pad from his pocket, clicked on his pen, and asked, “Ready to tell me what you’ve been up to this morning?”
Skye outlined what her grandmother had said about Carson and his date, then ended with, “I hadn’t even thought about Bunny coming to the baptism. Not that I don’t want her there, but now I’m picturing this O’Twomey guy showing up with a machine gun and killing everyone.”
“That’s a problem.” Wally stroked his jaw. “I know Dad will be hurt if we say she isn’t welcome, and you don’t want that, right?” He paused, and when Skye nodded her agreement, he continued, “So how about if I hire some off-duty county deputies to provide extra security?”
“That’ll work.” Skye patted Wally’s hand. “Just don’t let your father pay for them. He’s already given us enough.”
“I agree.” Wally turned his hand over and threaded his fingers with Skye’s. “But one thing to consider is that Dad is one of those rare people who gives without remembering and takes without forgetting.”
“True.” Skye squeezed Wally’s hand and let go. “But I still want to curtail his spending on us.”
“Got it. I’m going to call Dad as soon as I get back to the station to make sure Bunny told him about O’Twomey, but I won’t mention that I’m hiring security,” Wally assured her. “Then I’ll put the word out among the county deputies that I’m looking to hire as many as are available and willing to work.”
“Terrific.” Skye ate a bite of her pie, savoring the strawberry flavor, then said, “Another matter that Grandma mentioned made me think about how now that we have legal gambling machines around here, do they affect the groups like the church and American Legion who count on bingo and King of Diamonds and such to fund their activities?”
Die Me a River Page 16