Murder of a Creped Suzette

CHAPTER 18

“Your Cheatin’ Heart”

Flint stuttered for a moment or two, then took a breath, smoothed his hair, and pulled his celebrity persona around him like Superman’s cape. His trademark sexy grin appeared, and in a sensuous drawl he said, “You must have misunderstood me, darlin’.”

“I don’t think so.” Skye stared coolly into his molten toffee eyes and crossed her arms. “I was only a few feet from an open window.”

“Have you been around many performers?” Flint intensified his smile.

“That depends on what you mean by performer.” Skye allowed her lips to curve slightly. “I’m a school psychologist and deal daily with teenagers, parents, teachers, and administrators—many of whom are putting on an act for my benefit.”

Flint’s chuckle was forced. “Real artists usually blow off steam before a live gig.” His expression was now little-boy earnest. “Everyone knows it’s just nerves and we don’t mean anything by it.”

“Really?” Skye persisted, not swayed by Flint’s attempt to charm her. “Does that include Mrs. Taylor? She seemed to share your opinion of Suzette.”

“Kallista is a singer, too. As soon as her throat is better, she’ll be back onstage.”

“Maybe sooner rather than later, now that Suzette’s gone,” Skye suggested, testing to see if Flint would offer up Kallista as an alternative suspect.

He seemed to think about it for a couple of seconds, but straightened his shoulders and said, “You’re not even close.” His charisma slipping, he sneered, “Suzette was far from the sweet young thing she pretended to be. As my grandpa used to say, she had honey on the lips, but vinegar in the heart.”

“Yet only you and Kallista have spoken badly of her,” Wally said, the Texas twang now gone from his voice.

“No one who wants to make it in show business is as nice as she pretended to be.” Flint gave a hard, bitter laugh. “And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who had a problem with her.”

“Fair enough.” Wally moved into Flint’s personal space. “But when I asked you that the first time we spoke, you said Suzette kept to herself. Were you lying then or are you lying now?”

“Neither. She kept to herself, but she was ambitious, so she had to have made enemies.”

“Right.” Wally flicked the singer a scornful glance. “You need to wipe the corner of your mouth. Some BS is stuck there.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

“Name someone.”

“Figure it out for yourself.” Abruptly Flint’s manner changed from cajoling to confrontational and he thrust his face close to Wally’s. “I’m looking out for number one, and that doesn’t include doing your job for you.”

“My job requires the public’s assistance.” Wally held his ground. “We’re asking all the men connected with the Country Roads tour and the construction crew to give us DNA samples. Can we count on your cooperation?”

“Will it get you out of here?”

“You bet.”

“Then, sure.” Flint shrugged. “Whatever.”

“I’m shocked Flint is willing to give us his DNA,” Skye whispered as they left the cabin. “Have the others agreed so easily?”

“He’s the first one I asked. And I’m contacting the county tech to come get it now before he changes his mind.” Wally grinned. “Tomorrow I’ll see if I can parlay James’s cooperation into making the other men look bad if they aren’t prepared to follow his lead.”

“I’m a little surprised you didn’t try to get everyone’s specimens after the semen was discovered,” Skye commented as they reached the car.

“I wish I could just check them all, but there’s a huge backlog at the lab. I have to pick and choose whose DNA I request expedited, and I’ve been saving one spot for Owen’s.” Wally’s expression was frustrated. “On the other hand, now that I have a good pretext for requesting the samples, I’d rather get them while the getting is good, even if they never get tested.”

After Wally finished phoning the techs, Skye asked, “What do you think he meant when he said that Suzette wasn’t the innocent she seemed to be and that other people had problems with her?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“Was that his way of pointing the finger at Kallista without getting in trouble with her husband?” Skye slid into the T-bird. Earlier, she’d asked Simon to keep Toby overnight, and now she was glad she had. It was a mighty tight fit when both she and the dog had to share the passenger seat of the tiny sports car.

“Maybe.” Wally started the Ford’s engine and put it into reverse. “I’ve got Anthony keeping an eye on Kallista’s RV. As soon as she gets home, he’ll call me. Then we can go talk to her and find out.”

“What will we do until then?” Skye asked. Wally hadn’t mentioned interviewing another suspect.

“Until then, we’ll have some supper.” Wally trailed a caressing finger from her shoulder down her side and onto her thigh. “I feel like a jerk for starving you yesterday, so tonight I’m prepared.”

A couple of minutes later, Wally stopped the car next to the riverbank. He popped the trunk and lifted out a gingham-covered basket. Walking with one arm around Skye, he guided her toward a picnic table. From there they could see the cerulean blue water and the tiny waves lapping the rocky shore.

Wally spread the cloth on the table, arranged the food, and waved his hand toward the meal. “Your feast awaits, my love.”

“Thank you.” Skye took a bite of her sandwich—both the bread and the roast beef were obviously homemade—and mumbled, “Dorothy?”

Dorothy Snyder was Wally’s part-time housekeeper and a fantastic cook.

“Of course.” Wally scooped a mound of creamy yellow potato salad onto his paper plate. “I asked her to drop the chow off at the PD.”

“Yum.” Skye gestured at the surrounding trees whose leaves were beginning to change to the gold and red colors that were the very essence of autumn. “This is perfect.”

“Yep.” Wally took her hand. “When I heard the temperature was going to be in the sixties today, I realized this might be our last chance for a picnic.”

“You are so thoughtful.” Skye squeezed his fingers. “Even in the middle of an investigation you think of us.”

“You’re always on my mind,” Wally said.

“But if Anthony calls, we can pack up and leave immediately.” Skye’s gaze was shrewd. She knew Wally was too good a cop to let even her interfere with a case.

“Yes, but in the meantime”—Wally opened a can of caffeine-free Diet Coke for Skye and a Dr Pepper for himself—“we can have a nice dinner in a romantic setting. Maybe we can even pretend we’re on a regular date rather than hunting down a stone-cold killer.”

“That sounds wonderful. I’ll try my best.” Skye managed to forget the murder and everything else for the next half hour as they ate and talked, but when Anthony’s call came in alerting them to Kallista’s presence at the trailer, Skye knew the fun was over—at least for a while.

While they were repacking the basket, throwing away their trash, and loading the T-bird, Skye asked, “Did you get any info today from the Nashville police or on Owen’s Red Cross blood or about the victim’s DNA or the fingerprints from the self-storage?”

“No, no, no, and no.” Wally started the sports car and headed toward Kallista’s RV, which was still at the park. “The ME promised me the victim’s DNA results tomorrow. The city attorney is still looking into the legality of your suggestion about Owen’s donated blood. There have been no hits on the fingerprints. And the Nashville police haven’t found anybody who knows anything about Suzette’s past.”

“Darn.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Wally agreed. “Except for reinterviewing the Country Roads and construction employees, which yielded zilch, the only thing I accomplished today was talking to Owen and rechecking where he was during the murder.”

“Is he aware yet that he’s a suspect?” Skye asked.

“I don’t think so. I told him that a black pickup had been involved in another accident during that time period, but this time someone got a partial plate and it fit his license number.”

“Did Owen believe you? Did he come up with an alibi?”

“Maybe and no. Since he was alone working at the farm that Monday afternoon, he couldn’t think of anyone who’d seen him.” Wally turned onto the gravel road leading to the Country Roads Tour Airstream. “Too bad the animals can’t talk.”

“That’s for sure. Toby could solve the case for us.” Skye chuckled. “I take it Owen continues to refuse to say who he was with last Saturday.”

“Yep. He’s maintaining that we have no right to ask him for that information.”

Skye was silent for a few seconds, then offered tentatively, “I have an idea about finding Suzette’s twin. But I don’t know how good it is.”

“I’m all ears,” Wally encouraged. “Since this case isn’t a priority—no imminent danger suspected—the federal database has informed me that they won’t have any information for at least two weeks.”

“How about those genealogy sites online? Couldn’t you use those to track down Suzette’s brother?”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Wally thought for a moment. “I’ll have Martinez check out a couple sites tomorrow.”

Skye hated to bring up the subject of Wally’s ex-wife, but she had to know the status of that situation. “Anything new with Darleen?”

“Around noon today I tried that number you gave me again. This time, a guy answered on the first ring.” Wally pulled the car next to the silver trailer but made no move to get out. Instead, he turned to Skye and took her hands. “He said basically the same thing he said to you.”

“Basically?”

Wally sighed. “I told him that if Darleen wouldn’t provide a truthful account of our married life without being paid, I’d just wait for the annulment process to continue without her input. He said in that case Darleen would write a letter disputing my claims about the marriage and I’d never get an annulment.”

“Is that possible?”

“I’m guessing that if such a document surfaced, it would be my word against hers.” Wally wrinkled his brow. “The guy said to call him tomorrow night at seven and have the money ready to hand over to him.”

“I’ll call Father Burns in the morning and make an appointment for after school. We need to check what he has to say about the situation.” When Wally was silent, Skye asked, “Right?”

“Yeah.” Wally frowned. “I guess that’s the logical next step. We’ll decide what to do after we talk to him.”

“Okay.” Skye kissed Wally’s cheek; then as she was getting out of the T-bird, she said over her shoulder, “One thing at a time.”

It was nearly six o’clock when Skye and Wally climbed the trailer’s steps. Skye lifted her fist to knock, still thinking about what Wally had just told her, when Wally’s hand closed over hers and gently pushed it down to her side.

She turned and saw that he had his finger to his lips and his head inclined toward the door. Once she moved closer and concentrated, she could hear an argument coming from inside the RV.

The sound was muffled by the trailer’s walls, but Skye heard a man shout, “All I’m saying is that we need to cool it for a while.”

“Fine. If you’re going to be a jerk about it, maybe we should cool it for good.”

Skye figured the second voice had to be Kallista’s. She mouthed the name to Wally, who nodded.

“Baby, you know I don’t want that,” Mr. Jerk wheedled. “I love you.”

“You sure aren’t showing it,” Kallista screeched. “You’ve got your eye on that sound-and-lights chick, don’t you?”

“Of course not, sweetie pie.” Mr. Jerk’s baritone dropped into bass range. “You’re my one and only. You know I want to marry you as soon as all the papers with the music theater deal are signed and we can both get shed of Rex. You can get a divorce and I can get free of my contract.”

“Then why don’t you want to see me anymore?” Kallista sobbed.

“Baby doll, I’m just trying to protect you,” Mr. Jerk sweet-talked. “Rex is acting suspicious and I don’t want you to get into trouble. We both know he’s got a temper.”

“Yeah.” Kallista’s voice faltered. “But he’s mostly just a lot of hot air, and he doesn’t care if I have my little flings, as long as the guy isn’t any threat to his ego.” Her tone brightened. “Which is why I let him think I was messing around with one of the boys in the band. And since he doesn’t know which one, nobody gets hurt.”

There was a lengthy silence, and just as Wally raised his hand to knock, Kallista said, “It would have been so much better if Rex was the one under that steamroller instead of that bitch. If he was dead, I’d inherit it all and we wouldn’t have to wait anymore.”

Another lengthy silence, then Kallista said, “You’d better go. Rex might come back any minute.”

Before Skye could react, the door swung open and Flint James nearly plowed her down in his haste to exit the Airstream.

He stopped abruptly, stared at Skye and Wally, then blurted, “Excuse me. I was . . . uh . . . just checking to see if Rex wanted to ride with me to tonight’s meeting.” He pushed past them and disappeared in the direction of the footbridge that led from the park to the motor court.

Kallista moved out of the shadows, took in the situation, and fluttered her lashes at Wally. “Why, Sheriff, I almost didn’t recognize you out of uniform. I mean, in regular clothes.” She giggled. “Although I bet you’d look mighty fine out of them, too.”

“It’s ‘Chief,’ ma’am.” Wally tipped an imaginary hat. “But thank you.”

“What can I do for you, Chief?” Kallista moistened her glossy pink lips.

“Well, I was hoping you’d have a few minutes to talk with me.”

“I surely do, Chief.” Kallista wiggled past Skye, entwined her arm with Wally’s, and drew him inside. “Can I get you a beer?”

“No, but don’t let me stop you.” Wally beckoned for Skye to join them.

Skye obliged, noting that the door opened directly into the living room. She chose a straight chair that was nearly hidden behind a red-lacquered three-panel screen stenciled with black dragons.

Kallista tugged Wally to a black leather sofa and playfully pushed him onto the cushions, joining him after fetching a Corona for herself. She continued to act as if Skye were invisible, petting Wally’s biceps with one hand and slugging back the beer with the other.

Skye gritted her teeth, but remained quiet. While Kallista manhandled Wally, Skye glanced around the Airstream’s interior. It was much roomier than she had expected, and all the furniture looked expensive.

Kallista gave a high-pitched laugh, and Skye focused back on the woman pawing her fiancé. The blonde was running her tongue along the neck of the beer bottle while caressing the bottom half.

While Kallista flirted, Wally went over the same questions with her that he had with Flint. What were her activities on Monday afternoon and where had she been at the time of the murder?

And like Flint’s, Kallista’s answers matched her previous ones. She had spent Monday afternoon in Joliet and was at the movies at the time of the murder.

“Did you ever find that ticket stub we talked about?” Wally asked.

“No.” Kallista shook her head. “I probably threw it away.”

“If we show your picture, would the theater employees remember you?” Wally persisted. “Maybe the ones at the candy counter.”

“Do I look like I eat candy?” Kallista ran her hands down her flat stomach. “I save my calories for this.” She held up the Corona.

“Good choice.” Wally smiled, then said, “Pardon me for asking, but when we got here it sounded as if you were having some marriage trouble. Isn’t Mr. Taylor a good husband?”

“He could be.” Kallista finished off her beer. “But he stinks at doing impressions.”

“I see.” Wally laughed politely. “What was your relationship with Suzette like?”

“She was my husband’s gofer. We didn’t have a relationship.” The blonde hiccupped. “She did what she was told and that was that.”

“I understand she kept to herself, but was there anyone she was close to?”

Kallista narrowed her unbelievably violet eyes. “You mean besides my husband?”

“She and Mr. Taylor were friendly?” Wally encouraged the woman to continue. “In what way?”

“She wanted him to make her a star and he wanted into her pants.”

“Do you believe what Kallista said about Rex wanting to sleep with Suzette?” Skye asked the minute she and Wally were back in the car. “Or that Suzette might have had sex with him to get ahead?”

“No one but Kallista has suggested anything like that regarding Suzette.” Wally put the T-bird in gear. “But I think Taylor’s the kind of guy who tries with every woman he meets.”

“Really tries or just sort of tries?” Skye fastened her seat belt. “I mean, from what little I know about Rex, he does appear to be the type, and I did see him attempt to hug Suzette at the meeting in the mayor’s office last Sunday.”

“He’s like the guys you see in a casino. They put a quarter in nearly every slot machine they walk past. If it hits, great, and if it doesn’t, they go on to the next one.”

“You might be right, because he didn’t appear upset when Suzette shrugged off his arm.”

“Exactly.” Wally made a U-turn and headed out of the park. “Each time I’ve seen Taylor, he’s coming on to one woman or another, but it seems more of a habit than a serious effort.”

“How about Kallista and Flint? Their affair certainly complicates matters.” Skye paused, thinking. “What if Suzette found out about Flint and Kallista’s plans to run away together, and they killed her to stop her from telling Rex?”

“Except for the lovers’ quarrel or rape scenario, that’s the best motive I’ve heard so far.” Wally tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “On the other hand, why would Flint have sex with her first?”

“He’s a jerk?” Skye closed her eyes. “Or Flint was having an affair with both women.” Her lids popped open. “And Kallista discovered them in the act. In a rage, she killed Suzette—whom she considered her competition for both men in her life.”

“I suppose that’s possible, but did she act alone or did James help her?”

“My money’s on Kallista.” Skye wrinkled her nose. “Obviously she didn’t like Suzette.”

“Judging from the way she treated you, I don’t think Kallista likes any other women.” Wally squeezed Skye’s hand. “And by the way, thank you for going along with that whole production.”

“No problem.”

“Because Kallista is just a screen saver, not the real deal like you.”

“Screen saver?” Skye’s expression showed her confusion.

“Yeah.” Wally winked. “She looks good, but she’s useless.”

Skye smiled. “Anyway, I trust you and I appreciate you trusting me when I told you about having Simon take care of Toby.”

“Speaking of Toby, since he’s not an issue, and you stopped and fed Bingo before we went to see Flint, how about spending the night at my place?”

“Well . . . I think that’s a fine idea.” Skye stroked Wally’s thigh. “Especially since there was one thing missing from our picnic.”

“What’s that?”

“Dessert.”