“No. My life just sort of got out of hand.”
“That seems to happen to you a lot.” His voice was steely.
She twitched, feeling that their relationship was another aspect of her life that was slipping out of her control. “Shoot. I’ve been meaning to call you.” It was good to see him, although he was clearly irritated with her. Even angry, he always seemed so calm, so together. She had always been attracted to sophisticated men. “Sorry.”
While Skye told him about being kidnapped by her cousins, the new set of crazy parents, and her broken windows, Simon put his arm around her and hugged her wordlessly. She deliberately left out the superintendent’s ultimatum, afraid to hear Simon’s advice.
“You’ve had a tough week.”
“Yes, I have. Before I forget, I wanted to thank you for the balloon bouquet.”
“I didn’t send you balloons. What are talking about?”
She shrugged and explained, concluding with, “I wonder who sent them.”
Simon’s eyes hardened, but he remained silent.
After a few seconds of wallowing in the comfort of his arms, Skye pulled away. Simon was such a take- charge kind of guy that she feared he would take over and “fix” her life if she showed the slightest indication of allowing that to happen. “Everything’s fine now. I was just a little shaken. Sorry to worry you.”
He took her face in his hands and leaned forward until their lips were touching. “When all this is settled, we need to have a serious talk.” He kissed her lightly and sat back.
Skye tried to keep her expression noncommittal as her thoughts raced.
Simon glanced at his Rolex and reached for the door handle. “Sorry to run off on you, but I’ve got a wake at four, and it takes at least half an hour to get everything set.”
“Sure, I understand. By the way, I’m staying with my parents until my windows are fixed, so call me there. I do plan on being at work tomorrow, since it’s the last day and I hate to miss the awards assembly. One of the kids I see for counseling won the essay contest.” Skye craned her neck to look up at him.
“I forgot to tell you why I was looking for you in the first place.” Simon squatted beside the open doorway, took her hands, and lowered his voice. “We got the results of your grandmother’s autopsy. She was poisoned.” He offered her the snowy white handkerchief from the breast pocket of his gray suit.
Skye waved it off. She wasn’t going to cry, even though she felt a catch in her throat and was saddened that someone had shortened a life that was already starting to wane. After a few moments of silence, she took a deep breath and asked, “How about Grandma’s housekeeper? It was her in the well, right?”
“Yes, it was her. We don’t have results of her autopsy back yet, probably tomorrow.”
“Do you anticipate any other cause of death?”
“No, it was probably the same poison that killed your grandmother.” A line formed between Simon’s brows. “The chief told me to share this information with you, but I can’t say I approve. It’s his investigation; still I don’t think he should be spreading evidence around. It’s hard enough to keep a secret in Scumble River.”
“Maybe the chief realizes that I can help in finding out what happened to my grandmother.” Skye shook off Simon’s hands, remembering how she disliked his arrogance, his belief that he was always right. “And since ninety-nine percent of my job requires confidentiality, Wally probably trusts me enough to know I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
Simon raised an eyebrow. “There was a pan of brownies wedged in the well alongside Mrs. Jankowski. That’s apparently how the poison was administered. And the stomach contents of your grandmother contained brownies.”
“What kind of poison was it?” Skye asked.
“We don’t know yet.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter. Dead is dead.”
May and Jed were sitting on lawn chairs in front of the open garage when Skye drove down the gravel lane. Their house, a red brick ranch, was situated on an acre of lawn that looked like the plush fur of a green stuffed animal. Flowers lined the sidewalks and edged the buildings. Perfectly trimmed evergreens protected three sides of their lot.
A family of plaster deer stood guard near the edge of the drive, and a concrete goose dressed in a graduation cap and gown graced the back steps. Skye shook her head, wishing she could persuade her mother to get rid of the goose, or at least stop dressing it up.
Skye yelled a greeting to her parents as she slid out of the car and headed inside. She showered and changed into blue denim shorts and an orange University of Illinois T-shirt. A quick check showed Bingo asleep on Skye’s bed. Full food and water bowls were on the floor and his litter box was clean. Her mother might not like indoor animals, but she was sure taking good care of this one.
Skye grabbed a can of Diet Coke from the fridge and slid her feet into sandals, then joined her parents outside.
Not surprisingly, May spoke first. “So what was so important that you had to go into work?”
Skye contemplated the issue of confidentiality before speaking. “I’m not sure how much I can tell you. There’s a youngster I evaluated and did not find learning disabled. If he had been diagnosed with an LD handicap he would get certain help in taking the college entrance exams, which would probably raise his scores. His father is pressuring the superintendent to make me change my mind and call him LD.”
“And if you don’t?” May asked.
“Dr. Wraige never said, but I had a feeling I would be fired.” Skye slumped against the side of the garage. Just saying the word made her feel weak.
“I think I’ll invite Charlie to dinner tonight.” May hopped up from her chair.
“That wouldn’t be because he’s president of the school board, would it?”
May shrugged. “Of course not. It’s just been a while since he’s been over and since you’re here, I thought it would be nice for him to get a chance to visit with his goddaughter.”
“Thanks, Mom, but Uncle Charlie has done enough by helping me get this job in the first place. I’ll work this one out on my own.” Skye leaned down to scratch a mosquito bite.
“Okay, but call him if things get rough.” May continued into the house, talking over her shoulder. “I’ve got to check on dinner.”
Jed took a swallow from his can of beer and stared off at the fields. “I hired Warner Post to fix your windows. He said they’ll have it done by Sunday.”
“But I already called around. Everyone told me it would be two weeks before they could even start. I hired someone else.”
Jed crossed his arms. “They’ll be fixed before those other guys get around to it.”
“Dad, you don’t have to do stuff like this. I can take care of it myself.”
“It’s better to hire people we know.”
Skye took her mother’s vacant seat, leaned back, and contemplated the clouds. Finally she said, “Thanks. But from now on let me handle stuff like this myself. I’ll ask for help if I need to.”
Jed adjusted his cap. “I’ll go out tomorrow and make sure they’re working.”
She counted to ten, all the while reminding herself how much her parents loved her. “Thanks, Dad. I’ve got to go into school tomorrow since it’s the last day.” Skye sipped her soda. “I’d better go give Mom a hand with dinner.” Skye headed toward the door.
May was peering into the oven when Skye entered the kitchen. The smell of roasting beef made her mouth water, and reminded her that she had eaten only a few crackers and cheese for lunch.
She leaned against the counter. “Mom, have you spoken to Chief Boyd lately?”
“I’m working midnights this week so he talked to me this morning when he came in at seven. I know Grandma was poisoned.”
“Did he tell you about the pan of brownies?” Skye reached to get plates from the cabinet.
“Yes. He’s going to have everyone in the family back in for questioning.” May’s expression didn’t give away her feelings. “He also said I could go in and clean up the mess from the search.”
