Murder of a Stacked Librarian: A Scumble River Mystery

by Swanson, Denise

  “Okay, you guys.” Skye laughed along with everyone else. “You’re right. This is much better.” When they all simultaneously replied with the word duh, she added, “But my thinking was that Trixie and I work for the school district, so we have to be a lot more careful of our reputations than people in other professions. No one wants their kids to be educated by someone who gets drunk and watches men take off their clothes.”

  “Well . . .” Trixie trailed off. “I guess you have a point there, and poor Wally is in the same boat.” She looked over to where the guys were whooping at someone’s Skee-Ball prowess. “No one wants a police chief with a hangover and some bimbo’s panties in his pocket.”

  “Except maybe Uncle Dante,” Ginger said, gnawing on a hot wing.

  “Why would he want that?” Skye was relieved that the cost of the party had been forgotten. “I mean, I know Uncle Dante isn’t a big fan of Wally’s, but he wouldn’t want any bad publicity for the town. His biggest ambition is to make Scumble River a destination for day-trippers. Look at his last scheme to turn it into the Branson of Illinois.”

  “The tourist attraction idea is old news.” Gillian took a swallow of her chocolate martini. “I heard Uncle Dante talking to Mama, and he wants to do away with the police department and use the money we’d save to build a big incinerator at the edge of town.”

  “Incinerator?” Trixie nearly choked on the onion ring she’d stuffed into her mouth. “What in God’s green earth do we need with an incinerator? Scumble River doesn’t have that much trash. Do we?”

  “Uncle Dante’s plan is to charge neighboring towns to use the incinerator.” Gillian licked the foam from her upper lip. “He told Mama that it will pay for itself in a couple of years, then be a real cash cow for Scumble River.”

  “Cow patty is more like it,” Skye muttered.

  “And he wants to finance this moneymaking idea of his by eliminating the police force entirely?” Trixie asked with a look of incredulity. “So there would be no law enforcement in town?”

  “Uncle Dante says we can contract for services through the county sheriff’s department for a lot cheaper than what we spend on the police budget.” Ginger wiped her fingers on her napkin. “He says we spend way too much for what we get since we don’t have that much crime.”

  “Is the mayor on crack?” Frannie’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “How about all the murders? According to my sociology class, the only reason a town like ours doesn’t have more crime than it does is it has a good police force doing its job.”

  “Uncle Dante is like a lot of people.” Skye tried to keep her voice calm, but the news of her uncle’s plan had struck her like a blow to the stomach with a weed whacker. “Reality is what he wants it to be and has nothing to do with the true facts.”

  “If Uncle Dante succeeds”—Gillian crunched a nacho chip thoughtfully—“that would mean Wally would need a new job, wouldn’t it?”

  “I guess . . .” Skye’s voice trailed off.

  Gillian puckered her brow. “And you two would have to move away.”

  “Probably.” Skye forced herself not to scream at her cousin. “Is this a recent plan?” Certainly, she’d been busy with the wedding and the holidays, but surely, someone would have mentioned Uncle Dante’s proposal. Say, for instance her mother, Dante’s sister. May should have been having a fit at the idea of Skye leaving town. “I wonder why I haven’t heard anything about it.”

  “Oopsie! Guess I’m the big mouth.” Ginger winked. “I forgot. Mama said it’s a huge secret and Uncle Dante wants to sneak the whole thing through the city council in executive session without giving any of the townspeople a chance to object.”

  “Ah.” Skye finally smiled. “Did Aunt Minnie suggest you might want to slip up and tell me about it?” Aunt Minnie, May’s younger sister, wouldn’t have the guts to go against Dante, but she’d be okay with having her daughters play the dumb-blonde card in order to warn Skye. “Or were you supposed to drop a hint to my mother?” Minnie was a lot smarter than most people gave her credit for being.

  “Of course not,” Gillian protested halfheartedly. “Mama would never break Uncle Dante’s confidence like that. She’ll be so upset with us.”

  “Don’t worry,” Skye assured her cousins. “I won’t let on how I came by this piece of news.” She pasted an innocent expression on her face. “You know how hard it is to pin down a rumor in this town.”

  They all agreed that gossip was like small change; you never could remember where you picked up a certain dime or penny. After that, they switched the subject to something lighter, and a few minutes later Skye excused herself, saying she needed to mingle.

  As soon as she was out of sight, she made her way over to where the guys were eating. As she’d suspected, Trixie had invited Skye’s dad, uncles, and male cousins, as well as Wally’s officers. Jed and his brother, Wiley, were in a corner drinking beer and mostly ignoring a NASCAR race on a big-screen television set, but almost everyone else was playing various games.

  Skye scanned the rest of the guys, noticing Dante when he chortled triumphantly while pulling in a towering stack of multicolored chips. Uncle Charlie sat next to the mayor, a thoughtful expression on his face. He eyed the other three men at the table as he picked up the deck, shuffled, and dealt the cards.

  Uninterested in the poker game, Skye glanced toward the golf simulator. Her brother, Vince, her cousin Hugo Leofanti, and officers Roy Quirk and Anthony Anserello were competing in a tournament. The four of them frowned in concentration as they putted.

  Justin, Ginger’s husband, Flip, and Gillian’s husband, Irvin, were taking turns at the Skee-Ball machine. As the device spit out tickets, the three guys stuffed their winnings into their jeans pockets. The vouchers could be redeemed for prizes displayed on a table in the rear.

  Skye didn’t see Wally anywhere in the gaming zone and he hadn’t been over in the lounge area, so where was he? Swiveling her head, she finally spotted him off to the side of the lobby, talking to his father and a man who had to be Quentin. Carson was a distinguished-looking older version of his son, and Wally’s cousin could pass as his younger brother.

  Carson was gesturing emphatically and appeared to be attempting to convince his son about something. And although Quentin nodded his agreement, his expression belied his concurrence.

  Skye was trying to decide whether to interrupt the men when Bunny Reid tottered over to them in five-inch rhinestone and marabou-feathered stilettos. She was known for her outlandish fashions, and tonight she had outdone herself. She had on a bright green lace minidress that would have been better suited to a woman of twenty-eight than fifty-eight.

  Bunny wound her arm through Carson’s and tossed her red curls. He smiled down at her and she patted the deep vee of her neckline, drawing his eyes down to her cosmetically enhanced boobs. Once she had his attention, she whispered something in his ear. He shook his head, but she leaned closer and whispered again.

  Skye couldn’t hear Carson’s reply, but Bunny’s voice carried. The redhead sniggered and said, “I don’t care about top or bottom; my favorite position for a man is CEO.”

  Carson chuckled and murmured something else that Skye didn’t hear, but Bunny swept her hands over her hips and said, “Thank you, kind sir. I have indeed found the fountain of youth. Turns out it was in a tequila bottle all the time.”

  With that, Carson shrugged at Wally and Quentin and allowed himself to be pulled away.

  Trust Bunny to zero in on the richest, most eligible man in the place. Skye wondered what had happened to the not-quite-divorced, over-the-hill TV star Bunny had been dating. Maybe he’d gone back to his wife. The ditzy redhead didn’t seem to have much luck with men. Which was a real shame, since she’d been desperately seeking a husband for as long as Skye had known her.

  Originally, Skye had debated whether to include the flamboyant redhead and her daughter, Spike Yamaguchi, in the wedding events. Although Skye considered both Spike and Bunny friends, it wa
s sometimes awkward having the mother and half sister of her ex-boyfriend around. And the last thing she wanted was for Simon to show up with the excuse that he was Bunny or Spike’s plus one.

  However, in the end, Skye had decided that it would hurt both women’s feelings if they weren’t part of the festivities. So, much to her mother’s dismay, since May wasn’t a fan of the redhead, Skye had added Bunny and Spike to the bachelorette party and wedding guest lists.

  Now, as she watched Wally’s father laugh at something, then lead the flirtatious redhead over to the tiny area in front of the jazz quartet and start to dance with her, Skye was glad she’d chosen to include Bunny. Especially since it looked as if Wally was relieved to have his father distracted from whatever point the older man had been trying to make.

  As soon as Carson and Bunny left to dance, Quentin thwacked Wally’s arm and wandered over to the golf simulator. He shook hands with Vince, and the two men immediately struck up a conversation. While Skye wondered what a big-shot oil executive found to talk about with her brother the hairstylist, she was happy to see the guys bonding.

  Wally was now standing alone, but before Skye could get to him, a blonde wearing a long sequined gown joined him. Skye froze. What was Emmy doing here? Skye certainly hadn’t invited her. Had Wally put her on the guest list? Who else would have? Only Trixie, Quentin, Skye, and Wally were supposed to have added names. Surely, when Skye had had her meltdown earlier in the day, Trixie would have mentioned if she had invited the dancer, and Quentin didn’t know anyone in Scumble River, so it couldn’t have been him.

  Skye edged behind a column. Part of her was fuming, but her cooler, more rational self was wondering when she’d become such a shrew. That part of her urged her to either join Wally and Emmy or walk away. It lectured her that it was childish to hide and spy on them. Still, she couldn’t make herself move into view.

  Suddenly, Emmy nodded to the quartet, and the musicians stopped playing “Come Fly with Me” and swung into a sexy rendition of “Let Me Entertain You.” Emmy pulled Wally into the center of the lobby.

  Once everyone at the party had gathered around, the blonde started to dance to the song. Slowly, she removed one of her elbow-length gloves and trailed it over Wally’s chest in time to the sensuous beat of the burlesque music. Finally, she threw it into the crowd, where Vince nabbed it, earning him a frown from his pregnant wife.

  Emmy’s second glove was caught by Justin, and Skye quickly glanced at Frannie, whose expression now matched Loretta’s. She noticed that Bunny had a firm grip on Carson’s hand, and other women were moving in to stake a claim on their own men. Skye was comforted to see that she wasn’t the only one with a jealous streak.

  By the end of the song, Emmy was down to a black satin corset with a short tulle tutu. She had divested herself of the sequined gown, a pair of thigh-high stockings, and a red ribbon garter. After the applause died down, she kissed Wally on the cheek, gathered her discarded clothing from the various men who had captured the items she’d tossed, and then ran for the front door.

  Skye chuckled, relieved at the outcome. Apparently, someone had hired Emmy to do an extremely tame version of a striptease. Skye’s gaze raked the throng, searching for the culprit. A second later, she spotted Quentin following the blonde. He stopped Emmy just before she exited and handed her an envelope. She stuffed it into her décolletage, hugged Quentin, and left with a wave of her hand.

  Hmm! Skye wondered if Simon was aware that his new girlfriend performed burlesque at bachelor parties. Not that Skye was about to tell him, but this was Scumble River, where news traveled fast. Then again, maybe he’d just be happy it wasn’t his mother stripping.

  When Skye looked back, Wally was surrounded by all the men, laughing and talking. Should she pull him away and tell him about Dante’s plan regarding the police force now or wait until tomorrow? Tomorrow would be soon enough, she decided. She’d let him have a good time tonight. After all, there was nothing he could do about the mayor’s scheme right this minute.

  On the other hand, there was something Skye could do. The last person Dante would want knowing about his plot would be his sister May. Not only would it mean she was out of a job, since no police force meant no police dispatchers, but May had finally gotten her daughter back home and nearly married. She would not be pleased that her brother was about to ruin everything.

  So, feeling a little like a five-year-old, Skye went to tattle on her uncle.

  CHAPTER 19

  Leave No Page Unturned

  After Emmy’s burlesque act, most of the men and women remained together, and when the jazz quartet struck up the Ronettes’ version of “Be My Baby,” several couples drifted onto the dance floor, with Carson and Bunny leading the way. Soon Trixie and Owen joined them, then Quirk and Spike, with Anthony and Judy Martin following closely on their heels.

  Watching the part-time officer and the library director sway to the music, Skye wondered if Wally had ever talked to Judy about Yvonne. He’d never mentioned interviewing her, and there hadn’t been any notes about it in the file.

  Thinking that Judy might have some information about the substitute librarian, Skye decided to have a chat with her before the evening ended. Maybe she knew about someone Yvonne had ticked off during her tenure at the Scumble River Library of whom the police were unaware. After all, it never hurt to have another suspect, especially when so many of their original ones seemed to have airtight alibis.

  As Skye searched for her mother, she spotted Frannie and Justin playing Skee-Ball. The young couple appeared to be getting along fine, but Frannie’s clothing choice of yellow and Justin’s of red were at odds. Something was up with those two, and Skye wanted to know what. They were both extremely competitive, and now that Justin would also be in the University of Illinois’s journalism program, they’d be vying with each other for grades, internships, and the attention of their professors. That kind of rivalry might not work out very well in their personal relationship.

  Skye’s gaze moved to the poker game. Uncle Charlie was gone and Loretta had been dealt in. Dante was no longer smiling. In fact, the only man at the table who looked happy was Vince. He was leaning on the back of his wife’s chair and grinning as she gathered in a huge stack of chips.

  Where in the heck was May? Skye scanned the lobby again and frowned when there was no sign of her mother. May was usually in the thick of things. She adored being the center of attention and withered if she felt neglected. Was she off pouting somewhere because Jed refused to dance and no one was making a fuss over her?

  Maybe May was in the bathroom. As Skye headed toward the corridor where the restrooms were located, she passed the door to one of the two theaters and heard her mother’s voice. What was May doing sitting in an empty auditorium when there was a party going on?

  Skye was about to walk inside when she heard Uncle Charlie’s booming baritone say, “May, honey, tell me what’s wrong.”

  Charlie Patukas was Skye’s godfather. He’d never married or had any children of his own, and he had been like a father to May, whose real dad had died when she was young.

  “There’s too much happening, and I feel like I’m missing something.” May’s voice quavered. “Between the holiday rush, Vince and Loretta’s pregnancy and their new house, and the cruise Jed and I are taking with my knitting group, it seems as if everything is passing by too fast. What if I forgot something for the wedding?”

  Her parents were taking a trip? When were her folks going?

  Skye didn’t remember May mentioning a cruise. Was her mother keeping it a secret? Skye pursed her lips. Why would she do that?

  Skye needed to find out, but it wasn’t easy to get information from May, and Skye didn’t have time to go into a lengthy interrogation right this second. Probably not tomorrow either, since she was booked solid with the murder investigation, the rehearsal, and the dinner. And the day after that was her wedding. She’d have to wait until after she got back from her honeymoon to find ou
t more about her mother’s cruise plans.

  As Skye moved down the aisle, Charlie said, “I’m sure Skye’s got it under control. That girl was born organized.”

  May and Charlie sat side by side facing the movie screen. With their backs toward Skye, she noticed how tiny her mother seemed next to her godfather’s six-foot, three-hundred-pound frame.

  “That she was.” May’s voice held a smile. “She used to hang all her Barbie clothes according to color and length, not to mention lining up Vince’s Matchbox cars by their make and model.”

  “See.” Charlie patted May’s back. “Everything will work out fine.”

  “I hope so.” May sighed. After a few seconds, she seemed to shake off her qualms and changed the subject. “Did you taste that meatless lasagna? It was really good.”

  “I’ll eat vegetarian pasta when Italian sausage starts growing on trees.”

  “Oh, Charlie.” May giggled.

  “But that reminds me: Did you notice how much money Wally’s father and cousin seem to be throwing around? This party alone had to cost a pretty penny, and I heard the cousin paid for it all,” Charlie said. “What do they do for a living?”

  “Wally said they’re both in the oil business and the CEO of the company they work for is very generous.” May’s voice reflected her pride. “Their boss is footing the bill for this party and the rehearsal dinner, and he even let Carson and Quentin borrow the company plane to fly here.”

  Skye smiled to herself. Apparently, Wally had already put out a smoke screen regarding his family’s wealth. Telling May that his dad and cousin worked for the business rather than owned it had been a brilliant move. Anyone curious about Carson and Quentin’s spending habits would eventually ask Skye’s mother, who would tell them the cover story Wally had concocted. And it had the advantage of being close to the truth.

  “Well, that explains a lot.”

  “And speaking of flying—” May broke off as she saw Skye, narrowed her green eyes, and demanded, “How long have you been standing there?”