Murder Is Private (16 page)

Chapter 36

“Good Morning, Susan,” said the secretary. One nice thing about this school was the friendly office staff. Audrey had wisely chosen staff who made a good first impression on prospective students and their families.

“Good morning.”

“Check your mailbox for an important memo.”

Susan stopped and retrieved a notice from her mailbox before heading to her classroom. Grades were due tomorrow.
Turn in third-quarter grades
?
I have no idea how to do that.
The deadline is tomorrow?
She’d have to get some help.

During planning time, she popped over to Alonzo’s room, but he was in the middle of a sectional rehearsal. She was beginning to feel panicky. Next, she tried Schwartz. He had the same planning hour as she did and she found him working at this desk. His office was homey, with an overstuffed couch taking up most of the space, and knick-knacks from his travels prominently displayed on shelves.

“Come in, Susan. Want a cup of coffee?”

“No, thanks. I’m in a bit of a tizzy. I got a notice about grades being due tomorrow and I have no clue what to do.”

“It’s easy. Come, I’ll show you.” She sat down at his desk with him.

“I never had to do grades on a computer before.”

“Here’s the gradebook. Do you know Celia’s teacher number?”

“Yes, Audrey gave it to me.”

“Log in here. Good. Now there’s your class list. See. Just type in the grade for each student, then go to your next class list by hitting here.”

“You’re a life saver!”

“Go ahead and do it while it’s up on my computer. I need to run to the office. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

It wasn’t as difficult as she’d thought. In fact, it was quicker than doing it the old-fashioned way by hand. She had a question about one student and had to copy down his student number. She searched through the drawers for a pen and paper. In Schwartz’s bottom drawer, she found a blue binder.
Here we go again!
She thought it was paper. Instead, it was a photo book.

She leafed through the pictures. Every photo was of Schwartz and Celia! Celia was even wearing the Austrian bracelet. Of course! Schwartz must be Celia’s secret lover. Why hadn’t she put it together before? He’d been to Austria, and Derrick was furious about something at the funeral when he’d punched Schwartz in the nose. He’d probably found out that his wife was having an affair with him. That means it was Schwartz who was doing or hiding something illegal. He must be the one Celia had to convince to go to the police. What was he hiding? Was he involved with the drug ring? He had an accent. Was he the one fighting with Celia in the arboretum––or was it Alonzo?

Susan heard footsteps outside in the hall. She put the album back quickly, slammed the drawer shut, and pretended to be entering grades.

“Getting the hang of it?” said Schwartz.

“Almost done. Don’t know what I would have done without your help. Thanks!” Schwartz was gentle and sweet. Could he possibly have murdered Celia? If he did, the threat of Celia going to the police and turning him in must have been the motive. What had he done that was so bad?

After school, Susan dropped by Trinity Village for another chat with the receptionist.

“Hi, Susan. Can I help you with something?”

“I just dropped by to say hello. You know, that Dr. Jacobs is a miracle worker. Those pills he gave me really helped. I’m wondering if he uses them a lot for his patients here. Do you know?” Susan pulled out the bottle. “It’s these.”

“I’m just the receptionist. I wouldn’t know. That’s a question for the nurses. Are you coming to the concert tonight? Dr. Jacobs will probably be there. He was a music major back in the day. Especially likes the chamber groups. He used to play one of those big string instruments.”

“That’s interesting,” said Susan. “Did he go to a conservatory?”

“No,” replied the receptionist. “Some big university with a music school. Indiana or Iowa. Something like that.”

“I need to get going now. I need a nap if I’m going to stay awake for the concert tonight,” said Susan.

Instead of heading out, Susan scooted toward the nurse’s station. The nurse on duty had a permanent scowl etched on her bony face. Susan waited around the corner, trying to decide what to do.

Fortuitously, the nurse was called away from the desk.
Time to make my move.
Susan ran behind the desk. The computer was open to email. She didn’t want to chance messing with it. Her heart was thumping. She thumbed through the papers on the desk. Nothing.

She flipped through the patient charts which were stacked next to the computer. Each chart listed Oxycodone under medications. Three for three. And all these patients were on the first floor. They were all under the care of Dr. Jacobs, but equally significant was the fact that Marshall was their night nurse. She put back the chart, accidentally knocking a stack of clip boards to the floor. In the silent hallway, it sounded like trash cans clanging.

“What was that?” called out the nurse. She started heading Susan’s way.

Now what? There’s no escaping. I’ll never get out without being seen.
She ran into the nearest patient room and closed the door. An elderly woman was sitting up in bed, watching TV.

“Do I have a visitor?” said the woman.

Think quickly. Come on, creative muse. What story can I concoct?
Beads of sweat dampened Susan’s brow.

“Hello, I’m the community liaison for hospitals and health care facilities in the area.” Susan held her breath, waiting to see if the woman bought it.

“Nice to meet you. Emma Sanders.”

Susan exhaled. “Everything okay around here? Are you being well taken care of?”

“I guess so. No complaints.”

“The food is palatable? And they give you adequate medication for pain?”

“The food all tastes the same. No salt. They think all old people have high blood pressure or something. I don’t take any pills. I don’t have no pain.”

“I’ll let you get back to your show.” Susan gingerly cracked open the door. She stepped into the hall. The nurse had her nose buried in papers. Susan’s heart started racing.
What if I get caught
? She had no other option but to try.
Here I go…

She ran on tiptoes around the corner. She spied an exit. Carefully, she slipped out the side door.
Phew.
She leaned against the building and caught her breath. She remembered that one of the charts she’d perused belonged to Emma Sanders. It had clearly listed Oxycodone under her medications.
If Emma never took pain meds, then where were those pill going?
she wondered.

Chapter 37

“I’m glad I talked you into coming to the concert with me,” said Susan as they sat together in the audience at Trinity Village. “Do you still remember anything from all those years of piano lessons?”

“I can still find middle C,” said Lynette. “Beyond that, not so much. Is that your buddy Alonzo conducting?”

“Yes. And the kid on the violin, his name is Kymani. He and Alonzo have something going on. Alonzo pretends he hardly knows him, but I saw them eating at IHOP together on a Saturday morning.”

“He’s the kid you saw in the arboretum, right?”

“Yes. And he gave something to that male nurse back by the door at one of the concerts. The nurse’s name is Marshall. He works the first floor here, and I saw him carrying a big cardboard box out of Dr. Jacob’s office the other day.”

After the concert, Lynette and Susan saw Alonzo, Kymani, and Marshall having a pow-wow in the lobby. Kymani and Marshall each carried a violin case. They left the building together.

“Lynette, can’t we follow them, see where they go?”

“Mom, let’s leave it to Kevin.”

“We’ll stay far behind. This way we can tell Kevin where they headed and if they stayed together. Something is in those violin cases, and I’m betting it’s not instruments. Since when does the night nurse walk around with a violin?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“You’re a detective. I’ll be safe with you and we aren’t going to confront them or anything. They’re leaving. Come on! We’re going to miss our chance.”

“All right,” said Lynette, “Let’s go. But safe distance and no noise. I don’t want them to see you stalking them, especially if they’re as sinister as you think.”

When Marshall, Kymani, and Alonzo got to an unlit section of the campus, Marshall switched cases with Kymani, then turned around and walked back toward Trinity Village. Kymani and Alonzo walked to the auditorium.

“Look! They’re going inside,” said Susan.

“And we aren’t,” said Lynette. “Let’s watch from here.”

Minutes passed, and Susan’s skin tingled. “Look, Lynette. See the lights flicking from the third floor tower? That’s what I saw the night I was abducted.”

A few minutes later, Susan recognized the sound of a whizzing motor boat. She pulled Lynette’s arm and took her around the corner of the building. The boat stopped at the pier.

“Who’s that?” said Lynette, pointing to a man exiting the auditorium. “My eyes are acting up tonight. Can you see who it is, Mom?”

“It’s Alonzo. He’s carrying a violin case. Now he’s walking out on the pier.”

“And now?”

“He’s handing the violin case to the boat driver.”

“I hear the boat speeding away,” said Lynette.

“And Alonzo’s heading back to the auditorium. He’s not going in. Looks like he’s heading back toward Trinity.”

“Who’s that?” said Lynette, pointing. “I can’t make out who it is. Do you see? Behind that tree. Look! Someone’s following Alonzo.”

“When he gets under the street light, maybe I can see who it is,” said Susan. Several minutes passed. Words spit like bullets from Susan’s mouth. “Lynette, I see. I see who it is. Oh my God! You’re not going to believe this! It’s George!”

Chapter 38

The next evening, Audrey and Susan walked to the auditorium together to attend Senior Awards Night at the Hemingway School.

“This is so bittersweet,” said Audrey. “I’m going to take the stage and tell the parents how great our school is and how wonderful the students are. I’ll announce kids who are winning scholarships to some of the most prestigious conservatories and universities in the country. School pride will ooze out of my mouth. The parents will beam. Such a fallacy. In the midst of all this, I know our doors will be closing at the end of the year.” Audrey sobbed.

“What do you mean, Audrey? It’s not over yet. Don’t give up.” Susan put her arm around Audrey’s shoulder.

“I canceled the donor benefit dinner this afternoon. We sold too few tickets to make it worth our while. It’s over. Tomorrow, I’ll send out letters to our parents, advising them to find an alternate placement for next year. Then I’ll contact the new applicants.”

“Hold off a while, please! I have a feeling the police are getting closer to finding Celia’s murderer.”

Audrey wiped her tears. “We’re here. I have to go backstage. The front rows are reserved for faculty. Meet you at the reception afterwards out in the foyer.”

Susan felt her stomach tighten. She was determined to wrap up this case. What a shame for this school to close its doors. She thought about Bibi, Starr, and Manolito. Next year they would be seniors. If they had to transfer after three years here, it would be heartbreaking.

When the ceremony ended, Susan found Audrey at the reception, surrounded by throngs of parents. This would take a while, she realized. Susan grabbed a piece of cake and chatted with Gabby and Alonzo.

“There are rumors about the school closing next year,” said Gabby. “I don’t know where I’d go if I lost this job. I don’t want to work at a public school. I hear they’re downright dangerous these days.”

“You’ll be fine,” said Alonzo. “The bad kids don’t hang out in the school library.”

“What about you, Alonzo? Where would you go?” asked Susan.

“I’ve been thinking about going back home to Argentina for a while now. My Mom has cancer, and my father can barely pay for her treatments. They’re about to lose their home. I should be there.”

Susan spotted Schwartz across the foyer. He was heading up the stairs.
Where on earth is he going?
she wondered
.
Lynette would tell her to stay put. Keep out of danger. But this was Schwartz, sweet Schwartz. Besides, he was more overweight than she was. She could outrun him if she had to.

Here we go again.
She was getting good at discreetly tailing persons of interest. She padded up the stairs behind him. Schwartz stopped at the second floor. He worked his way behind the stored scenery. He wheeled a large wooden tree away from the wall. He crouched down on hands and knees.

What is he doing?
Susan held her breath and watched. The dust burned her eyes.

Schwartz ran his hand along the bottom of the wall. He softly knocked across the area that had been hidden behind the tree. He pulled at the wall, revealing an opening.
Was it a secret passage?
she wondered
.
Susan strained her eyes to see in the dimly lit room. Schwartz pulled something out. It was a violin case. Maybe he was hiding drugs there too. Was he part of the group? What happened next surprised her.

Schwartz opened the case and took out a bow. He rubbed rosin over it. Then he lifted the violin out of the case as if it were a newborn baby. He cradled its body under his chin and his fingers caressed the neck. The violin cried a mournful song as Schwartz drew the bow back and forth. It was the same piece she’d heard the night she was abducted. It was beautiful. Eerie, but beautiful.

“Schwartz, what are you doing?” Susan called out. Schwartz nearly dropped the instrument.

“Susan? What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing. It’s you, isn’t it? The strange music at night. The auditorium isn’t haunted. It’s you. Were you trying to scare people away?”

“No, of course not.”

“I get it now. You play creepy music to scare people away, while Alonzo and Kymani run the drug deals. Kymani signals by flicking the lights upstairs. Then the boat parks at the pier, where Alonzo delivers a violin case full of drugs.”

“It’s not what you think, Susan.”

“You’re cornered, Schwartz. I’ve caught you red handed.”

“Yes, you did. I can carry this burden no longer. Forgive me, Celia. I’m ready to confess.”