something weird to that, too.”
CHAPTER 16
If the Clue Fits
It was close to two-thirty before Skye was able to break away from the funeral lunch. She was already on her way to the grade school when she remembered her plan to attend cheerleading practice that afternoon. Looking down at her suit, she realized she needed to go home and change, again. Making an abrupt U- turn—not an easy maneuver in a car the size of Rhode Island—she turned toward her cottage.
After putting on black sweatpants and an orange University of Illinois T-shirt, Skye fed Bingo and headed to school. The dismissal bell was ringing when she arrived, which meant she had a few minutes before she needed to meet Trixie.
The main office was crowded and noisy with teachers and students getting ready to go home. Skye emptied her mailbox and ducked into the empty health room to skim her messages. Most were from parents or staff, and nothing was marked urgent. She’d return the calls tomorrow.
One slip of yellow paper caught her eye. It was from Thea, the daytime police dispatcher. What could she want?
Skye reached for the phone. “Thea? Hi, it’s Skye.”
“I can’t talk now. Call me back in ten minutes.”
“Thea, what’s going on?” Skye figured her mom had found out some important information on the murder and wanted Thea to tell her about it ASAP.
“Call me back,” Thea repeated.
“Okay. Look, Thea, sorry I can’t call back then, because I’ll be coaching the cheerleaders.” Skye spoke quickly, sure Thea was about to hang up. “Tell Mom I’ll stop by after practice.”
“No—” Thea started to speak. “Sorry, got to go. Bye.”
That had been weird. Skye chewed on her lower lip. What was up with Thea? She’d stop by the station after practice and find out. Right now it was time to learn some new cheers.
She found Trixie and her merry band of cheerleaders in the girl’s locker room. “Hi.”
“Hi, we’ll be out in a minute. The girls are just changing.” Trixie was dressed in a plain white leotard and sweatpants. “Let’s wait in the gym. The process takes a while.”
The two women settled themselves on a bleacher.
Skye asked, “How’s Owen doing?”
The question about her husband brought a scowl to Trixie’s face. “How would I know? It’s spring. He’s getting the machinery and fields ready for planting. He’s up before dawn and doesn’t drag his butt home until after dark. The only way I know he’s still living in the house is that the dishes of food I leave in the oven are empty when I come back.”
“Yeah, it’s a tough time of year. Dad and my uncles are the same way.”
“I’m beginning to think there isn’t a good time of year for farmers. Owen was always a hard worker, but now that we—and the bank—own the land, he’s obsessive.” Trixie popped off the bench.
“He’ll be better in a month or so,” Skye said, following her.
“I doubt it. Hey, did you hear this joke? How many men does it take to screw in a lightbulb? One. He just holds it up there and waits for the world to revolve around him.” Trixie stuck her head in the locker room. “Five- minute warning.”
Skye was still snickering as the cheerleading squad filed out. They wore warm-up suits of silver and black, and carried matching pom-poms. The back of each jacket was embroidered with a black widow spider.
Skye stiffened. The pom-poms. It wasn’t a piece of tinsel that Wally had found on the gym floor. It was a strand from a pom-pom. Had it been there from the last cheerleaders’ practice? Or had it been clinging to the clothes of the killer?
Trixie’s voice interrupted Skye’s thoughts. “Most of you know Ms. Denison, the school psychologist. She’s going to help me out today.”
The nine girls started talking.
“Quiet.” Trixie continued, “I’ll take the junior varsity and Ms. Denison will take the senior squad.”
Skye grabbed Trixie’s arm and whispered fiercely in her ear, “I don’t know what to do.”
Sotto voce, Trixie said, “Just have them run through their routines.”
“I don’t know their routines. I was never a cheerleader.”
Trixie shrugged. “Have them do cheers one, five, seven, and ten. Watch their timing, their smiles, their voice levels. Just have them do it again and again until it looks perfect.”
Skye took the scrunchie from her wrist and put her hair into a ponytail. She was already starting to sweat.
Her squad, which consisted of Zoe, Caresse, Farrah, and a raven-haired girl she didn’t know, had gathered at the end of the gym nearest the stage. They were doing stretches and talking.
Skye sat on the steps to the stage and listened. Zoe was saying to the unknown teen, “Boy, Tara, you’ve really missed it. Why didn’t you go to the funeral today?”
Tara answered, “Hey, I just got back into town at noon. I only came to school at all so I could come to practice.”
Farrah joined them. “How was California?”
“Wonderful.”
“I can’t believe your parents let you take two weeks off of school to go on vacation with them,” Caresse interjected.
“They don’t like going during the regular spring break. Too many college kids, and the prices are all doubled,” Tara said, then lowered her voice. “Plus, Dad had a job interview, but no one is supposed to know. He doesn’t like the way things are going at the bank.”
Skye perked up. Something funny at the bank. Could Charlie be right about Allen Ingels being involved in something fishy?
Caresse, obviously not interested in something as mundane as jobs, asked, “Did you meet any movie stars?”
Skye got up from her perch. If the teens wouldn’t talk about anything interesting, they’d have to practice. “Okay, girls, please take your positions for cheer number one.”
“Aren’t we going to elect a new captain?” Caresse asked.
“I’ll ask Mrs. Frayne about that later,” Skye answered.
Zoe put her hands on her hips. “I should be the captain. I got the most votes after Lorelei.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Frayne will do what’s fair.”
Zoe shot Skye a poisonous look. They practiced for half an hour, then took a break. The girls dug out water bottles and towels from their tote bags. Trixie and Skye sat on the bleachers and supervised.
Skye explained to Trixie Zoe’s concern over who would be captain. Trixie answered, “We need to hold tryouts for two new members of the squad anyway, and I’m not electing a new captain until we have a full team.”
“Zoe seems certain she’ll be it.” Skye kept one ear tuned to the girls, but they were discussing prom dresses, not Lorelei.
“She may. Most of these girls are fairly impressed by the superficial.”
“Well, to be fair, most teens are. It’s one of those lessons they have to learn before becoming grown-ups.” Skye paused. “What worries me after meeting their moms is that they don’t have good role models at home.”
“Are you going to the pageant Saturday?” Trixie asked, bringing up a tangential subject.
“I want to, but I haven’t thought of a good reason to be there.”
“No more convenient cousins, huh?” Trixie teased.
“No. None of my relatives have girls entered in the Miss Central Illinois contest. I asked Gillian if she thought I could get away with just hanging around backstage on my own, and she said the security guards would throw me out.”
“Sounds like you’ll have to just go sit in the audience.”
“I suppose. You want to come along?”
