Unfortunate Demise (A Seagrove Cozy Mystery Book 7) Read online

  “I just wish it wasn’t taking him so long. And if there is any chance the two cases are related I have to bow out. Oxford will have to look for the girl, or reinstate me, one or the other. I’m going to talk to him about it tomorrow morning. This entire thing is just ridiculous.”

  “I agree. I think Oxford has lost his mind,” Sadie said. “And I thought he’d turned out to be okay.”

  “He’s stressed,” Zack said. “Something happened before he was assigned to this case. He won’t talk to me about it, but clearly it’s bothering him. He’s taking it out on you.”

  “Well, I wish he wouldn’t,” she said. “It’s making me hate him. Are you coming over later?”

  “I can’t, too much going on here. But I’ll call you before I head home if it’s not too late.” He sounded wistful.

  “I guess that will have to do,” she said, faking cheerfulness. “But you owe me one.”

  “I definitely owe you at least one,” he said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Sadie had been correct when she said the discovery of Curtis’ storage unit had been bad news, although not in the way she thought it was going to be. Sadie and Zack were not allowed to be there when the storage locker was opened, but Officer Wilson told them about it as soon as she was able.

  Most of the space was taken up by Eliza’s furniture. Her bed, dresser, desk--everything from her room and the sorority house--was stored in Curtis’ locker. And after they had pulled out everything they found a large freezer chest. There was an outlet in the storage space, and the freezer was turned on. When the officers opened the chest, they found Eliza’s body. Officer Wilson hadn’t heard how Eliza had been killed.

  “They are keeping information pretty close to the vest right now, boss,” she said to Zack. “But if I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

  She started to leave but turned back. “By the way, Eliza’s sorority key was not with her effects. I thought that was interesting.”

  She left Zack to comfort Sadie, who had begun crying at the news of Eliza’s death. Sadie sobbed quietly for a few minutes then pulled herself together.

  “I don’t care how it looks,” she said. “I don’t believe Curtis killed that girl. There has to be another explanation.”

  “For one thing,” Zack said, “anyone could have stolen or borrowed his ID and rented a space in his name. Whoever is behind all this is very good at deflecting attention toward others. They did it to you, and it’s likely they did it to Curtis as well. Don’t stop looking into it, Sadie. I can’t meddle without losing my job, but you can.”

  Sadie nodded her head. “I can, and I will. Oxford may be wearing blinders but I bet I can steer him to look in the right direction. I was able to last time. Why not now?”

  She pulled herself together and went to wash her face, Mr. Bradshaw trotting along behind her. He’d help, too. He always did.

  “Who is going to tell Eliza’s parents?” she asked, coming back from the bathroom with Mr. Bradshaw at her feet.

  “The police chief in their town of residence,” Zack said. “I’ve already spoken to him. I don’t envy him the job. Their daughter was brutally murdered and shoved in a freezer.”

  “Can we not talk about the details?” Sadie pleaded. “It’s just too much for me right now.”

  Zack put his arms around her and pulled her down so they were sitting on the couch. “Of course,” he said. “What shall we talk about instead?”

  “Can we talk about the facts – without the details?” Sadie asked. “I think I can hold it together if we stay away from what happened and just talk about motive and opportunity.”

  “That’s the thing, isn’t it? We don’t know where Curtis was killed. It’s hard to say who had the opportunity. And if there truly was cheating going on, there could be a number of discontents who failed a test.” Zack rubbed the space between his eyes.

  “There really is nothing to go on, and I don’t have access to any of the evidence.”

  “It wouldn’t matter if you did,” Sadie said. “All the evidence focuses on me. And I didn’t kill him, so what they’ve got is a lot of nothing. The only real clues are the necklace and the photo. And I think those were planted to incriminate me. Although what motive I would have is beyond me.”

  “I can’t help thinking this whole cheating scandal has something to do with it,” he said. “I just wish I had more information. Do you think you can wheedle the details out of the dean of students?”

  “I can try, but here’s something interesting. When I went to see David Schmitz, he told me it was a travesty that Curtis was accused of cheating. That’s the word he used, travesty. He said Curtis wouldn’t cheat in a million years, but that he would happily help anyone who asked.”

  “So you are back to thinking Curtis was framed for cheating?” he asked.

  “It makes sense, don’t you think? There’s a lot of it going around in this case.” Sadie looked at him with her eyes narrowed.

  “And you know who’s been doing the accusing? Ida from the sorority. And the sorority mother says she’s been acting strangely. I think we should go talk to her again. Can you come with me?”

  He shook his head ruefully. “I wish I could. I don’t like this case any more than you do. But do me a favor? Take Betty or Lucy with you. There is safety in numbers.”

  “I’ll take Mr. B, too,” she said. “He can be very intimidating when he chooses.”

  She leaned down and rubbed behind the terrier’s ears. “Very fierce.”

  Chapter Six

  Sadie took both Lucy and Betty to talk to Ida. The shop needed to be cleaned and reorganized before it could be reopened, but Sadie refused to leave that to Betty, even though she offered.

  “Finding out what happened to Curtis and Eliza is much more important right now,” Sadie said. “I need your ears and eyes.”

  They called the sorority mother and made an appointment to see Ida, although the woman seemed doubtful it would do any good.

  “She’s more and more withdrawn,” she said of the girl. “She’s very uncomfortable around other people, but come if you like. Perhaps she’ll warm up for you.”

  They found themselves back in the sorority living room. Mr. Bradshaw sat on Sadie’s lap on high alert. He growled loudly at Ida when she came into the room, eyes on the floor.

  “Poor doggy,” she said, “are you nervous?”

  She reached out a hand to pat Mr. B but he curled his upper lip to show his teeth and she hastily retreated to a chair on the other side of the coffee table.

  “What do you want?” she asked, sulking.

  “I was wondering if you could have been wrong about Curtis and the cheating scandal?” Sadie asked. “The administration couldn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing.”

  “That’s because they didn’t look in the right places,” Ida sneered. “Did you talk to David?”

  “David told me that Curtis did his best to help him; that they played cribbage in a café on the day before Curtis died,” Sadie said. “He didn’t believe Curtis ever would cheat.”

  “Which David did you talk to?” Ida asked, suddenly looking up, her eyes blazing.

  Sadie felt Betty recoil. She hadn’t been prepared for the crazy behind those eyes.

  “David Schmitz, like you told me to,” Sadie said. Mr. Bradshaw was vibrating in her lap. She put a hand on him to calm him.

  “Stupid! Not David Schmitz, David Smith! How could you have got that wrong?” Ida spoke between clenched teeth.

  “You are the one who said Schmitz,” Sadie said quietly. “I didn’t even know there was more than one David until the boy who answered the door said so. I had no idea what the other last name was.”

  “Talk to David Smith,” Ida said. “He’ll tell you.”

  “What will he tell us?” Lucy asked.

  “How Curtis sold him tests with the wrong answers,” Ida hissed.

  “I already told her.” She nodded toward Sadie. “He hates Curtis. He was glad when Cu
rtis was found dead.”

  “How did you know Curtis?” Betty asked quietly.

  “I didn’t know him, he was just a guy in a couple of my classes. He thought he was so smart, always knew the right thing to say. Talk about a teacher’s pet. It was disgusting.” She almost spat the words.

  “But not Professor Ives,” Sadie said. “He believed Curtis cheated.”

  Ida looked up again, her lip curled into a strange smile and her eyes gleamed. “Justin listened to me,” she said.

  “He believed me.”

  “He’s on probation now,” Sadie said sadly, “for accusing Curtis of cheating in front of the class – after he’d been cleared by the administration.”

  “That’s typical. The people with power know nothing. They should have listened to Justin.”

  “Shouldn’t he be Professor Ives, to you?” Lucy asked.

  “He likes his students to call him by his first name,” Ida sneered. “He understands us.”

  “Yes, he’s very young himself,” Sadie said. “He hasn’t learned the value of demanding respect from his students. And I imagine he’s easily swayed by pretty young students.”

  Ida smirked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

  “I have assignments due. I have to get back to work.” She stood up and left abruptly.

  “You must have been hitting too close to home,” Lucy said to Sadie. “She beat a hasty retreat.”

  Sadie put Mr. Bradshaw on the floor and stood up. “Let’s go talk to David Smith,” she said. “Although I already know what he’s going to say.”

  David Schmitz answered the door and his face lit up until he heard they wanted to speak to David Smith.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “Smithy isn’t, well, he isn’t very polite. He’ll probably try shocking you with language.”

  Sadie smiled at him. “Thank you for your concern, but we’ve probably heard worse than what he’s got. I need to ask him some questions.”

  David looked around furtively. “He lies,” he said quietly. “Don’t trust what he says.”

  “Oh, I’m counting on him lying,” Sadie said. “I plan to catch him at it.”

  David relaxed. “I’ll get him,” he said.

  He showed them into the living room, a formal space with a fireplace and expensive furniture but no television or stereo equipment. It looked unused.

  “Reserved for important guests,” Betty said. “The college president and parents.”

  “And the police,” Lucy said. “Who could believe anyone with a room like this was up to no good?”

  “I could,” Sadie said. “Wealth corrupts.”

  At that moment, David came back with another boy. He was dark haired and unshaven.

  “This is Smithy, David Smith,” David Schmitz said. “This is Sadie Barnett and Mr. Bradshaw,” he looked at Betty and Lucy.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know your friends’ names.”

  “Lucy Shylock and Betty Versa,” Sadie said.

  “This is David Schmitz.” They shook hands all round. Sadie didn’t like Smithy’s cold fish handshake.

  “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” David Schmitz said and left the room, closing the door behind him.

  Smithy sat in a high back armchair looking up at them. “Rude,” thought Sadie and gestured to Lucy and Betty to sit down. Sadie sat in the chair closest to Smithy.

  “Did you know Curtis Beaudry?” she asked.

  “Of course,” Smithy smirked. “Everyone did.”

  “So you know he was murdered?” Sadie said, watching him closely.

  “Yes, it’s common knowledge.” He had a sneer on his face now.

  “How did you know him?” Lucy cut in.

  He transferred his sneer to Lucy. “The same way anyone who wanted to pass without studying did. He sold test answers to desperate students. He and Davey would sit at a table in the quad playing cribbage. If you wanted a test, you went and sat with them a few minutes. You slipped him the test you needed and the money and the next day he’d hand you an envelope with the test in it. The correct answers would be circled.”

  “Handy,” Betty said.

  “Very handy, except when he got it wrong. I failed my chemistry test because he’d circled all the wrong answers. I got put on academic probation.”

  “You could have been suspended for cheating,” Lucy said. “You were lucky they didn’t catch you.”

  “I wish they’d caught him. A little public humiliation would have been very satisfying,” he said.

  “He was murdered. I think that’s probably punishment enough,” Sadie said.

  Her dislike for this young man was hard to disguise. “If he did anything to be punished for.”

  “You don’t believe me? Ask the dean of students he’ll tell you.”

  “I’ve talked to the dean, they found Curtis innocent of any wrongdoing,” Sadie said.

  “That’s because they couldn’t find anyone to testify against him. There are plenty who could have if they wanted to be exposed for cheating themselves. He did it alright, and I’m not sorry he’s dead.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  Sadie took this as a signal the interview was over. As they weren’t getting anywhere anyway, Sadie got up. Mr. B hugged her leg all the way to the car. He clearly didn’t like Smithy and wanted far away from him.

  “Here’s what I don’t understand,” Betty said in the car on the way back to the shop. “Ida clearly holds a grudge against Curtis, but did he ever actually sell her cheat sheets? Why does she still feel the need to bring him down?”

  “And why such a different account from the two Davids?” Sadie asked.

  “David Schmitz insists Curtis could not have done what they said. David Smith obviously hates him. I guess that’s reasonable, except their accounts of his character are so different. I don’t get it.”

  “Wait a minute,” Lucy said, sitting bolt upright. “Take me back to the frat house, would you? I have a question for that Smithy boy.

  “Stay here,” Lucy said when they pulled up in front of the frat house again. She jumped out and ran up the walkway and rang the bell.

  Sadie watched as Lucy stepped inside, wondering how long she should wait until she went to rescue her. But a moment later Lucy was running back down the walkway to the car.

  “He never actually got a test from Curtis. Ida always brought them to him, and she said she got them from a girl named Jane. He’s never met Jane.” Lucy buckled herself in triumphantly.

  “Wait a minute,” Sadie said. “That girl, Lilly… Hamlin, she said a girl named Jane always brought her the tests as well. I’d forgotten that. We need to find Jane.”

  Sadie took Mister Bradshaw for a quick run in the park before joining Lucy and Betty in her apartment. There were three cups of coffee and a bag of croissants on the coffee table when she joined them.

  “Perfect,” she said and took a sip of coffee. “Now I’m going to call Lilly Hamlin.”

  She found the card she’d asked Lilly to write her phone number on and dialed. But Lilly didn’t know much about Jane. She didn’t know her last name, didn’t know what dorm she lived in, had no idea what classes she was taking. All Sadie could find out from her was that she was a brown-haired white woman. She didn’t even know what color her eyes were.

  “Would you know her if you saw her?” Sadie asked. “In a picture?”

  “I think so,” Lilly said. “I don’t know for sure.”

  “Right,” Sadie said after hanging up the phone. “Now I’ll try Ida.”

  But Ida wasn’t picking up the phone. Sadie sat staring at her phone a few minutes and jumped when it rang.

  “Good news, Sadie.” It was Ellie, the lawyer.

  “They couldn’t find any evidence on any of your belongings linking you to Curtis’ murder. I convinced Oxford Ludlow that he should return everything if he doesn’t want to find himself in the middle of a lawsuit. They will deliver the boxes today.”

 
“Wow,” Sadie said. “You know how to get results.”

  “That’s why I’m paid the big bucks.” Ellie laughed. “But how are you doing? I know this has to be hard on you.”

  “I’m okay,” Sadie said. “A bit stumped at the moment, but doing okay.”

  “Good,” Ellie said. “Call me if you need me.”

  “Well, that’s good news,” Sadie said. “Oxford couldn’t find any evidence to incriminate me, duh, and they’re sending my stuff back today.”