Crowning the Slug Queen (A Callie Stone Mystery Book 1) (9 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

It was after eleven a.m. and Callie decided to head over to the library to see if she could catch Steven Felson at work. She didn't have a library card anymore, but she didn't intend on checking anything out anyway. She parked in the public garage that hadn't been there when she had been a kid. Even the library has to change sometimes, she thought.

The library was located across from the bus station in the heart of downtown. Callie thought libraries in general were a bit of a dichotomy in a town like Skinner. On one hand, they were repositories of socialism--holding the knowledge of the ages, allowing anyone with the reading skills any knowledge they sought, whether it was farming, bombing or documentary film making. On the other hand, libraries were paid for and supported by taxes and the government. Here were all these free thinking types who came to the library in order to find the information necessary to be free thinkers and anarchists. She wondered if they ever thought on the irony of it.

She entered the library and almost immediately saw Steven. This was the first time she had seen him in his real persona and not just in a photo or in make-up and she didn't think he looked well. His eyes were red rimmed and she wondered what had upset him so much. Maybe the death of Molluska?

She got in the short line because she really didn't want to call attention to herself and waited until he was free. "Hello, I was wondering what were the residency requirements for a library card?"

Steven took one look at her and his eyes began to fill with tears. "Oh, my...Callie, isn't it terrible? What happened at the pageant?"

She looked around and saw a small alcove off to the left where there was a pair of comfortable chairs. "Let's go over here so you can compose yourself. I have some tissues in my purse."

He called one of the other librarians over to take his place and they walked over to the lounge chairs. Callie handed him a tissue.

"Thank you, that's very kind," he sniffled, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes.

"Steven, can I ask you a question about Molluska? But I don't want to make you any more upset."

"The police were asking me questions for over an hour last night. You can't make me feel any worse."

"Did they ask about the applications?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't think they'd had any time to read them in depth. Only the personal information, so they knew where we lived and how to find us."

"I noticed you and Molluska had almost the same answers to some of the essay questions. Can you tell me why?"

"Because I never wanted to enter the stupid pageant in the first place. I only did it for her, so I just copied her answers," he said tiredly.

"For Molluska?"

"Yes. She thought if she could win the pageant, she could gain, I don't know, some political clout in town. I think she wanted to run for a seat on the city council or run for mayor."

"But, I thought she was foreign born. I mean, I could hear it in her accent."

"She was originally from Estonia, but she moved here over a year ago. I met her in the library as she was studying for the citizenship exam. She became a US citizen 2 months ago." He went into a new batch of sniffles. "She had such dreams, she was a really great person. Full of hope and optimistic."

Callie began to get a suspicion. "Steven, were you in love with her?"

"Yes, there's no use hiding it now. I'd been having an affair with her since we met."

Something didn't make sense. "Are you gay? I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, and I know I keep on calling Molluska, her, but she was really a man named Alex. Were you in love with him?"

Steven shook his head. "She would have actually gotten away with it I think--she even had you fooled. She had learned how nutty Skinner is and she didn't think she could win the pageant by just entering normally. Alex was really Alexandra."

Callie felt her brain spin and took a deep breath. "Let me clarify. She was a woman, playing a man, playing a woman, so she would win a slug themed beauty pageant?"

Steven nodded. "She was smart and was trying to win using whatever was handy. She made me enter so there would at least be one contestant who would lose. We both knew no one would turn down an application from the mayor's husband, but I would have no chance of winning."

Callie thought it did make a certain cockeyed sense. At least in Skinner. She realized that's why Scott McMillian had kept looking at her oddly when she was using the feminine pronoun for Molluska. Although Callie had used it out of convenience and to keep herself from being confused, he had thought for a moment she knew the dead person's actual gender and wondered how she had known. Scott had examined the body and he had to know she was truly a woman and not a man playing one. Callie wondered if the killer had known what Alexandra Herrman's true gender was?

"You really have an attraction to strong willed women, don't you?" asked Callie.

Steven shook his head. "All it's gotten me is trouble. I didn't tell Dot about the affair, but I'm afraid it's all going to come out now."

Thinking back on how Dot watched both Molluska's and Steven's performances at the pageant practice, she wasn't sure Dot hadn't already figured it out. "You might be surprised by what Dot knows. I mean, you guys share a car, if you drove it to Alex's at all, she might have noticed that," she said.

"We've only shared for the last two months or so. Dot hit a deer and really banged up her front bumper. We finally had the money to take it to the shop just this week."

Callie wondered where Dot got the funds for her shoes when she couldn't even afford to get her car repaired.

The line at the check-out counter had grown and the other librarian there was gesturing to Steven. “I have to get back to work,” he said.

“Thanks for talking with me. I’m sorry for your loss. Are you still going to participate in the pageant?”

He nodded. “It will make me feel closer to her.”

Callie went and found a table in the main reading room and worked on her script for the show to update it now that one contestant would not be participating.

She left the library and headed to Chester's Fish Market to pick up lunch. She got two orders of cod and chips and then a third order of scallops and chips for the two of them to split. Back at the time when they were in high school they used to stop off at Chester's on their way home and get this exact same order. Callie smiled at the memory. Of course, with the metabolism of teenagers, an order and a half of deep fried fish had a lot less impact than it did now.

Audrey's house was located on the hill off of City View Street in an area of town where the trees had matured and the landscaping looked as if people had lived there for years. This wasn't the place where Scott and Audrey had lived at the time of their marriage. They didn't even own a house back then, but had rented in a more downscale area. Callie knew Audrey's dad would keep her living in whatever style she wished and had been surprised then to find her and Scott not living high on the hog.

Callie didn't remember hearing from her mom and grandma if Audrey had a job, so assumed this house was paid for by Audrey's father.

As she knocked on the door, hands full of sacks of fish and chips, she could hear children crying in the background. "Consuela, quiet them down!" Callie heard Audrey yell before she opened the door.

Audrey Wolcott hadn't changed much in the years since Callie had last seen her. She still had the willowy height and vibrant red hair Callie had envied when they were friends back in high school. Callie's own hair was more of an auburn and always looked dull compared to Audrey's gleaming red. Audrey was thinner now, and not necessarily in an attractive way, thought Callie. There was a new fragility to her that hadn't existed in high school. In fact, Callie thought she looked almost as thin as Molluska. Audrey wore a bright blue top with a paisley swirl pattern and long loose sleeves.

"Here, let me help with that." Audrey grabbed two of the bags while Callie kept the third one and closed the door behind her. There was no noise from the children.

They went into the kitchen that was far different from Coral's kitchen. There was a sub-zero freezer and refrigerator along with a Bosch dishwasher built with a front that matched the gleaming surrounding cabinetry. Audrey might live in Skinner, Callie thought, but she had a kitchen straight out of the Hamptons. There was a marble kitchen island in the center surrounded by four high bar stool chairs. Audrey put the bags on the island. "I hope you don't mind if we eat here instead of the dining room. It's so formal in there. This is more fun."

Callie said, "This is fine with me. You have a beautiful kitchen."

"I don't cook much, but Consuela can make magic happen in here," said Audrey.

"Who's Consuela?"

"She's my entire staff. Helps cook, clean and take care of the kids. I don't know what I'd do without her." Callie wondered what Audrey herself did all day if she didn't cook and had someone else watch over the kids.

Audrey moved over to the fridge. "Is iced tea ok to drink?" Callie nodded and pulled the small trays of fish and French fries out of the bags. "You even remembered the extra scallops!" claimed Audrey. "It's nice to know some things haven't changed."

They sat down on one corner of the island, facing each other. "You look good," ventured Audrey. "I think those years in New York have changed you. I didn't really get to talk to you at the wedding." Her face fell a bit at that. Her hand shook as she lifted the iced tea glass to her mouth. The sleeves of her shirt fell back and Callie saw some bruising along the inside of one of her arms.

Callie said, hoping to move the subject along, "I don't know if it's New York, or my job or just being able to leave here. I think getting away gave me a better perspective of what I am as well as what's good about Skinner."

"God, I remember all you wanted to do was shake the dust of this Podunk town off your shoes." Callie hadn't even waited until the traditional fall start of college to leave. Once she had the scholarship to Johnson and Wales, she had signed up for summer classes and was out of Skinner less than a month after high school graduation. "I guess you were right about that."

Audrey had stayed in town, her sights set on nothing but being Scooter's wife. She had studied at the UO for two years, but then dropped out and worked at a series of retail jobs until she married. Callie remembered Audrey had a real eye for fashion and ended up doing the window displays for a number of stores in town.

Callie decided she had to ask. "So what happened Audrey? I mean, I know you got divorced, but what are you doing now?"

"Well, I have the kids," she said. Callie wondered how often this was her excuse for not doing anything.

"I know, but what happened to the fearless Audrey? The one who would get me in the worst sorts of trouble because she was looking for excitement? It looks like you're doing well here, but are you happy?"

Audrey didn't just look unhappy, she also looked angry. "It was that damn Scooter McMillan. I know you never liked him, and I guess you were right."

Callie didn't want to admit she'd seen Scott and thought he had also changed right along with the rest of them.

"What did he do?" asked Callie, not certain if she really wanted to know.

"He found a new love--the police force and who knows what else." She sniffed. "Remember how we always used to break up and then get back together again?"

Callie nodded.

"Well, one day we had a fight about money. Another fight about money. Scooter insisted we live on his pay check and I wanted more. I wanted out of that crummy house in East Skinner. He found out I'd talked to my dad and dad had bought us this house. So we argued. I decided it would just be easier to pack up everything and move here--Scooter would come back and the issue would be over. Instead, he stayed in that rental five blocks from the train tracks and refused to come here."

"I'm sorry," said Callie.

"We had just grown so far apart, with me at home with the kids and him always gallivanting off to save some poor soul in Skinner. He never had time for his own family," she said bitterly.

Callie wondered how hard life had been at home. If Audrey were this tense and angry when she had a beautiful place to live and hired help, what must she have been like as a stay at home mom? Not that Callie could entirely excuse Scott. The end of the McMillan marriage could easily be laid at both their doors.

"And how are your girls? I got the birth announcement, but I don't think I've even seen Facebook photos of them."

"Come on." Audrey wiped her hands on a napkin and got up, heading out of the kitchen in the opposite direction from which they had come in. They passed through a large living room. The gleaming hardwood floors were covered with cream throw rugs that matched the warm cream of the oversized couch and love seat. Callie wondered if the kids ever came into the living room.

They walked down a hallway, past a room that looked like the master suite with a large four poster bed in it. There was a single closed door and then the hallway opened up into what Callie could only describe as a children's suite.