A Killer Read (12 page)

“Like what?” Jolene asked.

“Well, maybe you want to write a short story. I think some of you are quite the storytellers.”

Everyone laughed as they left. No one came up to admit that they’d already been dropping off bits of a story for her to read, which is what she’d hoped to hear. She checked with Molly, wondering if she’d seen Troy leave. She hadn’t. Lizzie hoped he’d return at the next class. Sometimes they didn’t. She hated to lose a participant, especially one who was so close to getting his GED. But she had a feeling Troy’s thoughts were elsewhere. It happened.

She put all thoughts of the class out of her mind as she arrived home and did a quick touch-up to her makeup. The doorbell rang at precisely nine fifteen.

“H
ey, Lizzie,” Mark said as she opened the door. He handed her a single large white chrysanthemum. She wasn’t sure what surprised her more, the flower or Mark in a black long-sleeved sweater and black pants, giving him an edgy but oh-so-sexy look.

“You look great,” he said.

“And you look very un-policeman-like.”

“That’s what I was hoping. I thought we’d go to the South Slide. You do like jazz, I hope?”

“Sounds perfect. And thanks for the flower. Let me just put it in water before we go.”

He asked her about her class on the way, and she was happy to describe it, ever so briefly. By the time they were seated at a small table overlooking the river, the talk had turned to cooking.

“I can’t believe you took a cooking class,” Lizzie repeated.

“Well, it was that or starve. My mama was never much
of a cook. I think she had a menu of three items: fried grouper, hamburgers and of course, the ever-popular mac and cheese. And after my daddy left, my brother Mikey and I often just grabbed whatever we found in the fridge.”

“How old were you… when your daddy left?”

“I was fourteen; Mikey was eleven. How old were you when your daddy died?”

“Ten. My mama gave up on cooking, too. In fact, she gave up on everything.” Lizzie took a drink of the Merlot she’d ordered. “She had a wonderful network of friends who took over our feeding. They’d take turns, a week at a time, cooking extra for their families and dropping off part of it for Mama and me. I’m eternally grateful to them all, but it didn’t help my cooking skills.”

“I heard you went away to college in Auburn.” He offered her some nachos from the basket that had been placed on the table, then some of the avocado chili dip before helping himself.

Funny, she thought. And she’d not heard very much about him. The usual small-town grapevine must work differently for men and women. “Yes, I got my bachelor of science in education and a master’s at Auburn. Then I headed out with my degree to work for three years in the ‘faraway’ city of Montgomery, and then took my reading specialist certification at Alabama in Huntsville. It just seemed right at that point to come back to Ashton Corners.”

“Never yearned to see a bit more of the world?”

“Oh, I had a part-time job and saved like crazy so I’d have enough to take the last couple of weeks each summer before school started and do some traveling. Still do. I went to Ireland this year. Loved it but totally stressed out over the driving.”

“Left side, isn’t it?” Mark leaned back in his chair, looking totally at ease. He was also totally focused on her, she realized.
Nice.

“God, yes— and you can’t believe how hard it is to keep
that in mind when turning a corner or entering a roundabout. And the country roads, so narrow and everyone driving so fast. I can’t believe I made it out of the country without an accident. But I loved it. I’d even go back someday, but next time, I’ll leave the driving to someone else.”

Lizzie scrutinized him right back and realized she enjoyed being with this new Mark Dreyfus. She felt relaxed for the first time in days. “And what about you? You must have traveled in the army. But is there other traveling you’d like to do?”

His eyes clouded briefly, but there was no trace of it in his voice. “I’ve had more than my fill of travel for a while, but someday, a holiday somewhere with hot sun and sandy beaches would be great. And I’m just hoping I can afford to do it while I’m still young enough to enjoy it.”

By the time he saw her to her door, she realized he’d avoided talking about his life in the army and what had brought him back home.
Next time
, she promised herself, knowing there would be a next time.

“I can’t believe we’ve not talked about the murder at all,” she said, sliding her key into the lock.

Mark laughed. “You’re so suspicious. I told you it wasn’t about police business tonight.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “Tomorrow, though…”

L
izzie didn’t think to check her cell phone until lunch the next day. She’d had it on vibrate through her morning sessions, this time at Sheridan Middle School, but pulled it out of her purse as she finished her tomato and cheese sandwich in the staff room. This was her first session at Sheridan this fall, and teachers, old friends, kept sitting down beside her, anxious to catch up. She noticed she had six missed calls. She really should get caller ID, she thought for the hundredth time. Only one voice message. She just had enough time to listen to it before having to get to the
next class. Molly’s anxious voice asked her to call as soon as possible.

Lizzie excused herself from the group lingering at the table and stepped outdoors to make the call, wanting a few moments of fresh air, too. Molly answered on the first ring.

“Oh thank you, honey, for finally getting back to me,” Molly said. “I’ve noticed something else missing, and I hate to say it, but I’m sure it was there before last night’s classes.”

“What is it, Molly?” Lizzie groaned inwardly. She’d been hoping the thefts weren’t tied to the literacy program, although the thought had crossed her mind after none of Molly’s missing items had been found in Telford’s possession.

“It’s a small jewel-encrusted table lighter. Again, not too costly but it did belong to Claydon.”

“Where had you kept it?”

“Again, in Claydon’s den, which was locked. I had it on a shelf along with his pipe and humidor and cigar case, above his liquor cabinet. I really am certain it was there earlier in the day.”

Lizzie thought a moment. “You said the door was locked?”

“I’m certain of that, also.”

“Wow. I guess we have to seriously consider the possibility that someone from the literacy program stole the items. So I wonder who among the students might be an accomplished lock picker? Molly, I’m sorry but I have to dash to class. We can talk about it some more when I come by after school for Andie’s tutoring session, okay?”

“That would be good. I’m really sorry to keep bothering you with all this, especially when your plate is already so full. Maybe I should just bake us up a nice treat. My way of saying thanks.”

Maybe I should run all the way over there, try to lose those extra calories ahead of time
, Lizzie thought as she tucked her cell phone back in her purse. She hated to think
that any of the literacy participants would take advantage of Molly’s hospitality by stealing her things, but it seemed the obvious conclusion. And what about Troy leaving so abruptly? Could he be the thief? A part of her mind played with it while she went through the afternoon’s appointments.

When she arrived at Molly’s, she didn’t have any other answers. She brought her laptop in with her and set it up on the kitchen table, next to the cup of hot tea and piece of fresh red velvet cake awaiting her.

“I thought we’d just run down these class lists,” she explained, between bites. “Oh, Molly, so delicious, as usual.”

“Well, y’all know I bake when I get nervous. Just like you and your almond butter. Oh, don’t look so surprised. I’ve known about your addiction to the stuff for a long time now. At least it’s healthy,” she said with a small laugh.

“Yes, and fattening. Anyway, I’d hate to think of any of these kids as thieves.” She turned the laptop so that Molly could also see the screen. “The first person who comes to mind, of course, is Troy Nebock. When he left in a tirade last night, maybe he broke into the den and helped himself to the lighter. But why only that one item?”

“It beats me. I’ve been wondering that myself. I mean, all the things stolen were beautiful with small jewels, fakes I should point out, so not of much value if he tries to resell them.” Molly played with her watch on her right wrist, a Rolex. She loved jewelry, necklaces in particular, and bracelets, and had plenty to go with every outfit. However, she always wore the same watch. Lizzie would bet it had been a gift from Claydon. It had that elegant look that screamed “lots of money.”

“Then maybe there’s another reason for the thefts. Is there anyone else on these lists that you’ve heard anything about?”

Molly read through the lists carefully and shook her head. “There are several names here I don’t know at all and
couldn’t even put a face to, even though I’m sure to have seen them, even talked to them. Isn’t that just terrible? Let me go over this while you and Andrea have your session.”

Andie barged in through the front door, meeting Lizzie in the hall as she came out of the kitchen. “Sorry I’m late,” Andie said, bending over to catch her breath.

The skull on her backpack looked like it was crawling down her back to attack her head. She straightened up almost immediately. “Old Man Marley wanted ‘a quick word’ with me,” she mimicked in an old man’s voice.

Lizzie thought back to “Old Man Marley,” as she and her classmates had also called him. She shuddered at the memory of him keeping her after class, several times that spring term, to drill trigonometry into her brain. Grade eleven, it was. She supposed she should be thankful; the extra study time was enough to get her through the year-end exams. She wondered if his specialty was still terrorizing students in math.

“What subject?” Lizzie asked.

Andie grimaced. “The dreaded math.”

“No matter that you’re a few minutes behind schedule. We still have lots of time,” Lizzie added cheerfully.

Another grimace. “Yeah, whatever.”

Lizzie’s turn to grimace. She waited until Andie had settled onto a comfy club chair, rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her copy of Shakespeare’s
The Taming of the Shrew
.

“Why don’t you put your book away for now,” Lizzie began. Andie looked surprised, then suspicious. “And just tell me, in your own words, what the story is about.”

Andie leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t have a clue.”

Lizzie had suspected as much. “You didn’t find the Coles Notes any help?”

“Look, Lizzie”—she placed her hands on her thighs and
moved forward to the edge of her seat—“it doesn’t matter what the notes tell me. When I read over the words, they’re still like Greek to me. I just can’t get it right.”

Lizzie was ready for her. She pulled a DVD out of her bag and handed it to Andie. “I’d like you to watch this before next Thursday. It’s the stage production of
The Taming of the Shrew
, and it’s quite a delightful story. Really, it is. Maybe, after seeing the play, the words will come easier when you read it. I’d like you to give it a try, anyway.”

Andie hesitantly took the DVD, a skeptical look on her face. “Yo, I’ll try it, but it doesn’t change Willie’s words.”

Lizzie hid a smile. “Trust me, we’re working on that.”

Andie flipped the DVD over and sat with her head bent for several minutes. Lizzie hoped she was actually reading the write-up on the back. However, the next question had Lizzie adjusting her hopes to Andie eventually viewing it at home.

“What’s up with the murder?” Andie asked without raising her eyes.

Lizzie sighed. “Not much. The police are still working on it. Have they interviewed you?”

“Yeah. My mama had to be there, though, and she was none too pleased. But she’d make a good lawyer. Each time they asked me a question, she’d tell me I didn’t have to answer it.” Andie looked at Lizzie and made a face. “Like, I’d actually know something.”

“She was protecting your rights.”

“Sure. And she was in a hurry to get to her bridge club. Anyways, I didn’t have a whole lot to tell them, did I?”

“She’s right, though,” Lizzie said. “If ever they want to question you and your mama’s not available, I’ll be happy to sit in. It just needs to be an adult, not necessarily a parent.”

Andie nodded. “Yeah, okay.” She looked back down at the DVD for a few minutes. “Is there anything I can do, you know, to help? I mean, like, we were there and all. And I
know the cops are leaning on some of the book club members.”

Lizzie felt pleased that Andie wanted to be involved, that she had bonded with the others. “I’ll let you know, Andie. Although I really hadn’t thought the book club would get involved in a real murder.”