Murder Is Elementary (8 page)

Chapter 24

“Well, if you paid better attention to your son’s needs he wouldn’t need to curse at the teacher and attack his classmates. A fifth-grader biting another student? Get out of here. They should require a license to have children,” screamed Jody. She stood up from her desk.

“You’re going to hear from my lawyer. How dare you talk to me like this? My taxes pay your salary.” The irate father stormed out of Jody’s office. Jody took the opportunity to slam the door behind him. She took a deep breath and counted to ten. Antonio came running in.

“Are you okay? What happened with that parent?”

“Just another case of a parent turning a blind eye to his child’s issues. I’m fine. I do want him to be suspended for the week though. At least his teacher and classmates will get a break.”

“I’m on it,” said Antonio. Antonio had seamlessly taken over the role of principal. His faculty respected him and accepted his authority. The parents, for the most part, were relieved to see that the school was moving past the tragedy of Vicky’s murder.

“We’re having a little party at the house Saturday night to celebrate my promotion. I hope you can make it,” said Antonio.

“That sounds like fun,” said Jody. “I’ll be there. Can I bring anything?”

“No, Hayley has it covered but thanks.” Antonio strutted back to his office. A few minutes later, Theresa came in with her lunch.

“Hey, ready for lunch?” said Theresa.

“Sure, I could use a break.” Jody took a sandwich out of her mini fridge.

“I’m glad they canceled the faculty meeting. I’m exhausted and just want to get home early today,” said Theresa.

“I hear you. I’m pretty tired myself after dealing with that crazy parent.” Jody opened her desk drawer. “Here, have some chocolate.”

“Thanks. So, are you going to the party Saturday night?” Theresa ate the chocolate and then took a yogurt out of her lunch box. “I hear that house of theirs is really something. It’ll be worth going just to check it out.”

“Sure. I’ll pick you up on the way. A new principal is certainly a reason to celebrate.”

Chapter 25

Hayley had finally gotten the baby down for a nap. She dusted the living room furniture and took out the vacuum. There was a lot of work to do before Saturday. Next, she went into the study and dumped the wastebasket.
There’s so much clutter in here,
she thought.
I wish Antonio could be a little more organized.
She seldom came in here but with the party on the horizon she wanted the whole house to be in shape just in case anyone wandered in here. She straightened up the papers on the desk, but was still dissatisfied.
Let me see if I can stuff these in a drawer
she thought. She opened the first drawer but it was too tightly packed. Then she opened the middle drawer. This one had potential. She pulled out the folders that were already in there. If she consolidated some of this junk maybe there would be room. She opened the first folder and threw away the papers that were obviously trash. She opened the second folder and began leafing through its contents. There were drawings that Tony had made, a birthday card she’d given him a few months ago, and…another card. This one didn’t look like something she’d have chosen. It had a cartoon of a busty waitress on the front carrying a tray with a stack of syrup covered pancakes. Inside it said, “Want some sugar?” It was written to
boy toy
and signed
Love, Vicky.
Just confirms what I already knew
, thought Hayley.
It’s okay though. He’s definitely going to pay for this.

Chapter 26

Susan used the funky scissors to cut around a photo taken last summer on their anniversary cruise. To some people, a cruise was as mundane as going out to dinner, but to her and Mike it was a big deal. They’d saved all year for it and Mike had secured his vacation time months in advance. It had been wonderful. They flew to Miami and cruised around the Bahamas for a whole week. Susan had never been on a cruise before. How unusual was that, to find a woman in her sixties who had never been on a cruise before? She was a little afraid of getting seasick but she never even had to use the acupressure bracelet or the ear patch she’d packed. Here was a photo of them with the trophy they won playing the on-board version of
The Dating Game
. She pasted it on a turquoise square of construction paper and then arranged it on a nautical-themed scrapbook page.
Boy, this is tedious
, she thought. She’d been working for hours and just now finished one page.

 
Her mind wandered back to Vicky’s murder.
Hmmm,
she thought.
I still wonder about those contacts on Vicky’s secret cell phone
. Maybe someone who worked at the Omni would remember seeing Vicky with someone. The Hilton wasn’t far from there either. She knew it was definitely a long shot. And what would I get from that? It’s possible, though not probable, that she could find out the identity of
boy toy
or
macho man
. Perhaps one of them had had a good reason for wanting to kill Vicky. Anyone could have come in and put that cupcake on her desk. Anyone who’d spent any time with her at all would have known about her severe peanut allergy. The school was open the night of the concert. Susan evaluated staying home and finishing another page of her scrapbook, against going into the city for a little investigating. She could get lunch there and do a little shopping. There wasn’t much traffic on a weekday and she’d be home before Mike got back from work. Okay, she’d talked herself into it. She fed Johann and Ludwig, then changed into a pair of black pants and a cashmere sweater. It felt nice to put on real clothes and do her makeup. Most days she lived in sweats and yoga pants.

Susan hopped into her blue Prius and entered the address of the Omni into the GPS, patting herself on the back for knowing how to do this. It was a beautiful, clear day. The sky was as blue as a robin’s egg, the air was crisp and dry, and the sun made the snow glisten. It was her favorite kind of winter day. She turned on the radio. They were playing a
Maroon 5
song. Adam Levine was a far cry from Pavarotti but she enjoyed his songs. An hour later, she pulled in front of the Omni. Sunlight reflected off the glass skyscraper. She gave the valet her key and walked through the ornate lobby doors.
Wow, this place is beautiful,
she thought. The floor was marble and the walls were decorated with colorful modern artwork. Black leather sofas and love seats formed a conversion pit in the center of the lobby. She walked up to the front desk.

“Can I help you?” said the woman behind the desk.

“Good morning, I was wondering if you remember seeing this woman. I dropped my wallet right in front of your hotel a few weeks ago and she picked it up and returned it to me. You know, that’s unusual for city people. Anyhow, I had taken a photo of your beautiful lobby doors and, low and behold, when I went home and saw the pictures, she was in that one. I know I thanked her already, but when I got home I was thinking maybe I should have offered her a little reward.”

Susan held her breath. She showed her the picture on her phone. It was actually from one of Susan’s concerts. “I guess I dropped my wallet while taking out my camera.” Susan surprised herself with how elaborate her lie was. She hoped it would be believable.

“No, I’m sorry I don’t recognize her,” said the uniformed ‘customer welfare specialist.’ That was her actual title. Susan was surprised that whole thing could fit on a badge.

“Thanks, anyway.” Susan decided to try the ‘uniformed room hygiene specialists.’ She took the elevator to the tenth floor.
Even the elevators are ornate,
thought Susan. She brushed her hair in the mirror, feeling suddenly self conscious. Susan worked her way down, showing Vicky’s picture to any of the cleaning women, bell hops, and room service workers she saw in the hallway. No one remembered seeing her. Susan couldn’t help feeling disappointed even though she knew coming into this that it would be a long shot.

Susan got back into the car and tried the same routine at the Hilton. The lobby was less ornate than the one at the Omni, but it was impressive none the less. She tried the restaurant first. This time she hit pay dirt. The waitress in the café remembered seeing Vicky.

“Yes, she came in here a few times with a handsome, dark haired guy. He had these great dimples––a real charmer.” The waitress handed the phone back to Susan.

Dimples,
thought Susan.
Handsome? Dark haired?
She scrolled through her photos and found another concert picture. This one had Antonio in it.

“Was this the man you saw by any chance?” asked Susan.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s him.”

Now she knew Antonio was either
boy toy
or
macho man.
Susan wasn’t sure how this information would be helpful but she had a hunch it would be. She had to figure out a way to relay this new info to Lynette without getting a lecture about snooping.

“Thank you,” she told the waitress. It was long past lunch time and Susan was starving. After enjoying a spinach salad and French onion soup, she left a generous tip and headed back home.

Chapter 27

Antonio and Hayley lived in an upscale neighborhood in the newer part of town. On Saturday night, Susan and Mike arrived at the Petrocelli house carrying a platter of cut vegetables and artichoke dip. Susan’s emerald green dress complimented her stylish blond hair. Mike wore a striped dress shirt and gray slacks. The invitation said semiformal dress which Susan knew he’d interpreted as not having to wear a tie. His wavy brown hair had just been cut and Susan could smell a hint of aftershave. She loved how he looked when he was dressed up. Mike knocked on the cherry wood door.

“Come in. So glad you’re here,” said Hayley.

“This house is beautiful,” said Susan.

“Thanks. We really worked with the builder to get it just the way we wanted it. We had the fireplace moved from the living room to the den.” Hayley pointed to a door on the other side of the living room. “We added a Jacuzzi and a walk-in closet to the bedroom, and we upgraded to granite countertops in the kitchen. I’ll have to give you the tour later.”

“Well, it looks lovely,” said Susan. “I hope you enjoy many happy years here.”

Hayley looked gorgeous in a low-cut silver dress. Her hair was sculpted into an up-do. She took their coats and ushered them into the living room. Susan put the vegetable platter on the table which was filled with miniature quiches, egg rolls, Swedish meatballs, and bacon-wrapped scallops. Classical music played softly in the background.

“What can I get you to drink?” she asked

“I’ll take a glass of white wine,” answered Susan.

“I’ll have the same,” answered Mike.

Susan was glad he was savvy enough not to ask for a beer. Somehow, beer just didn’t go well with canapés and bacon wrapped scallops.

“Hi, I’m Margaux. I’m Hayley’s mom,” said a classy-looking woman in a black cocktail dress. Susan thought the designer dress a bit over the top for semi-formal. She extended her hand. Susan could definitely see the family resemblance, especially around the chin area.

“I’m Susan and this is my husband Mike. I worked with Antonio.”

“Glad to meet you. I’m so happy that Antonio finally got a principal job. No one can support a family on a teaching salary.”

Susan was thinking that you indeed could if you could live without up-dos and granite countertops, but she refrained from voicing her opinion. Just then Theresa and Jody arrived.

“What an incredible spread,” said Jody. “And this house is gorgeous.” They assembled heaping plates of food and came into the living room.

“Hi, Susan. You look great. We miss you at school. My kids don’t come back from music as excited as they did last year. They miss you,” said Theresa. She sat on the leather couch next to Susan.

“Thanks for telling me that,” said Susan. “I miss them too, although I can’t say I’m not enjoying all the free time I have now.”
I’ve lots of time to paste pictures into scrapbooks and organize the refrigerator
, thought Susan.
How did I ever survive having the mayonnaise thrown into the crisper drawer?

“You’re lucky you’re gone,” said Jody. “Kids today are crazier every year. Their parents are too. I wish these parents weren’t so clueless. If it’s your kid you should know if they are heading into problems, don’t you think?” She took a bite of her egg roll.

“Yes, I saw a lot of changes in the years I taught. When I first started teaching most of the kids wouldn’t dare talk back to a teacher or a parent. There’d be maybe one bad seed in the bunch. It’s all technology’s fault. They just play those video games and text all day long,” said Susan.

“I think it’s because families don’t eat dinner together anymore,” added Theresa.

Antonio came over in the middle of this conversation.

“Don’t worry, I’m cleaning up the behavior now that I’m in charge.” Antonio chuckled but Susan knew there was some truth in that. Or, at least Antonio believed it was true.

“I’d like to propose a toast.” Hayley’s father clinked a fork against his champagne glass. He was tall and handsome with the same dimples that Antonio had. Hayley had hired a helper for the party. She came around with a tray of champagne. “To Antonio and his new position. I knew it would happen eventually.” Glasses were raised and the guests drank to Westbrook Elementary’s new principal.

“Come get some dinner,” said Hayley. The appetizers had been replaced with trays of lasagna and carved ham. There were dinner rolls still warm from the oven, and the butter was shaped into little rosebuds. Susan and Mike helped themselves and sat down at a folding table covered with a linen tablecloth.

“This is delicious,” said Mike. “I haven’t had ham in a while.”

“It sure is. I love this lasagna. You know me and Italian food; we’ve had a love affair all my life,” said Susan.

Jody and Theresa set down their plates and had seats at the table with Susan and Mike. “These rolls taste like they just came out of the oven,” said Theresa. They cleaned their plates while conversing. All four of them went back for seconds.

“Excuse me, but I need the ladies room,” said Susan. She rose from the table and felt how full she was. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Susan tried the bathroom door but it was locked.

Hayley walked by. “There’s another bathroom in our bedroom,” said Hayley. It’s just at the top of the stairs on the right.”

Susan found the bedroom without a problem, but when she opened what she thought was the bathroom door, it turned out to be a walk in closet. She flicked the light on.
It’s at least as big as a bathroom
, thought Susan. She couldn’t help rifling through the clothes on Hayley’s side of the closet. Hayley had impeccable taste. Lynette would have called this snooping, but really it was just research. Who knew when she would have a fancy banquet to attend? Suddenly something gold and sparkly caught her eye. On the floor, behind the clothes, was a gold sequined purse. It looked familiar but Susan didn’t think it was Hayley’s. This was a little gaudy for Hayley’s taste. Besides, Hayley always carried a fabric bag. Susan had even ordered a Vera Bradley diaper bag for Hayley’s baby shower because she’d heard Hayley mention loving that designer on more than one occasion.
I wonder what that’s doing here?
She knew it was wrong to keep snooping but she couldn’t help it. She unclasped the purse. Inside was a leather wallet. It still smelled new. Susan found Vicky’s driver’s license and credit cards inside.
Oh, my God
! she thought. This means that either Hayley or Antonio killed Vicky. She found an Epi-pen in the purse as well.
This would have saved her,
she thought. Either Hayley or Antonio was so cold-blooded that they’d put peanuts in the cupcake and then made sure Vicky would die from anaphylactic shock.

Which one, though? Antonio benefited from Vicky’s death because he got her job. It was difficult to come by a principal job in Westbrook. And he was having an affair with her. Maybe she threatened to tell Hayley. Then again, maybe Hayley found out about the affair and took it out on Vicky. Hayley could be very calculating. She could picture her executing such an elaborate plan.
I’m sure she hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep with a new baby.
Maybe she even has post-partum depression. Maybe she snapped from exhaustion. And she did enjoy baking.
Her chocolate brownies were to die for. Oops, that was not a good choice of words,
thought Susan. It was impossible to determine which of the Petrocellis had stashed the purse here.

Susan suddenly heard voices in the hallway and quickly thought to close the closet door and turn off the light. How embarrassing would it be to be caught in here? She held her breath and her heart was pounding. Oh no, now I’m sweating in my good dress. She hoped she wasn’t in the process of creating underarm stains but then she remembered she had bigger issues. Someone was coming into the bedroom. She heard talking.

“Oh, here it is. I must have left it in here. The doctor said to use it with every diaper change because the baby’s rash was pretty bad.” Susan recognized Hayley’s voice and hoped she didn’t remember having sent her in here to the bathroom. “No problem. I’ll take care of him,” Susan recognized the young voice as that of the hired helper. Then she heard the bedroom door close and it was quiet again. Susan let out her breath. She gently opened the closet door, went down the stairs and rejoined the party.