he was trying to protect his youngest daughter.
“Not really. Wally said she seemed almost like she couldn’t care less.”
“Mmm. Why don’t you meet me for breakfast at the Feedbag? I want to run some ideas by you.”
“Okay. I’ll keep my eyes open.” May sounded energized.
“Great. Say, how about calling Charlie and Vince, and seeing if they can join us?”
“You have a plan?”
“Part of one, but this time Wally’s not going to be able to call me the Lone Ranger. If I go in, it’ll be with backup.”
After the call, Skye took a leisurely shower and examined the possibilities. She coaxed her hair into a chignon and put on her most expensive outfit. She didn’t dare wear fake jewelry, so she put on the only real ones she had— the Leofanti emerald ring and a string of pearls her parents had given her for graduation. She wished she had some of the pieces her ex-fiance had given her, but he had taken them when he moved out on her. Skye thought Lorna would be more willing to talk to someone who seemed her social equal.
After calling the school and telling Opal she would be making home visits that morning, she tucked a small tape recorder into her purse and drove to the restaurant.
Her troops were already assembled. Skye pulled out a chair and sat facing the three expectant faces. “Mom has filled you both in?”
The men nodded.
“Great. Here’s the plan.” Skye outlined what she wanted the others to do while she was attempting to get Lorna to confess. “Any questions?”
Vince was the first to speak. “How can I hear anything if I’m hiding in the bushes? How do you know she’ll ‘entertain’ you in the library and not the living room?”
“By the looks of the living room, no one ever goes in there. And as to you hearing, I’ll tell her I’m warm, and ask that she open the window a crack.” Skye looked around. “Anything else?”
“Why do I have to stay in my car?” Charlie pounded the table. “Are you thinking I’m too old to really help?”
“No. If I thought that, I wouldn’t have had Mom call you.” Skye patted her godfather’s arm. “You need to be on your CB in case we need Wally fast. You’re the only one who’s got any pull with him.”
Charlie grinned. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“Mom, you okay with watching the back of the house?” Skye suddenly looked worried, thinking maybe she shouldn’t have gotten her mother involved. “I could get Trixie if you want.”
May huffed. “The day I can’t take a walk in the cemetery is the day you bury me there.”
“Great. Vince, you take Mom and pick up your old walkie-talkies, so she can alert you if she sees anything. If either of you thinks there’s a problem, Vince tells Charlie, and Charlie calls Wally.”
Everyone nodded.
“Vince, remember that if I say, ‘Oh my, look at the time,’ I’m in trouble. Get help.” Skye looked around the table. “Since the cemetery is the only place where we can inconspicuously park cars anywhere near the Ingelses’, we’ll meet there in fifteen minutes.”
Skye went over her plan in her head as she pulled into the Ingels’ driveway. Her mom should be in place with binoculars, Vince would be along the library side of the house in the bushes, and Charlie would pull into position as soon as Lorna shut the door after Skye.
She rang the bell. No answer. She rang again.
Not a good sign. Skye was already wrong about one thing. The woman wasn’t dressed, and she doubted Lorna had been up yet.
“Mrs. Ingels, I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Skye Denison, the psychologist from the school.”
The woman turned and walked away, leaving the door ajar. Before following, Skye thumbed up the button in the knob, disengaging the lock.
As Skye trailed Lorna across the foyer, she noted that the woman had continued to go downhill since the last time she had seen her. Today her blond hair hung in hanks, with one side flattened. Her skin seemed to have coarsened, showing large pores, discoloration, and wrinkles. She was dressed in a stained floor-length bathrobe, with bare feet peeking from beneath the hem. Skye felt a momentary twinge of sympathy. If Lorna had killed her daughter, clearly she was suffering for it.
Lorna shuffled into the library and curled up in a wing-back chair. She finally spoke. “What do you want?”
“Ah, I was wondering if I could do anything to help you.”
The woman glared. “Can you bring back my daughter . . . daughters?”
“No, but perhaps I can help you locate Linette. Do you have any idea where her father might have taken her?” Skye reached into her purse and clicked on the tape recorder.
“No.” The word was whispered so low Skye wasn’t sure she had heard it.
Skye perched on the coffee table, which brought her knee to knee with Lorna. She took the other woman’s hand, “Do you know why he would take Linette and leave?”
Lorna jerked her hand away and grabbed a nearby wineglass. “No, why would I?” She gazed into the red liquid as if she would find the answer there.
“Could it have to do with what happened to Lorelei?” Skye persisted gently.
“No.” The woman shook her head wildly.
“Maybe Mr. Ingels thinks he’s protecting Linette by taking her away.”
Lorna’s head snapped up, and she narrowed her eyes, her whole body stiffening. “Why would you say that?”
The swift change in Lorna was a bit frightening. Skye stood to put some distance between them. “Ah, it’s really warm in here. All right if I let in a little air?” Without waiting for an answer, Skye moved toward the window and lifted it several inches.
Lorna’s mouth tightened. “I didn’t say you could do that.”
“Sorry, thought I was going to faint for a minute there. Can’t stand being hot.”
“You’d better leave now.” Lorna rose, finger-combed her hair, and straightened her robe, seeming to notice the large red wine stain near the waist for the first time.
Skye forced herself to go on. “I know this is hard for you to hear, hard for you to think about, but I found Lorelei’s diary. I know what you did.”
“Where? How? You can’t!” Lorna flung herself toward Skye. “I don’t believe you.”
Skye took a hasty step back, but Lorna had grabbed her wrist in a clawlike hold. “The diary was in a gap between the wall and her cheerleader locker. It tells everything,” Skye said.
“You had no right to read that.” Anger seemed to revitalize Lorna.
“Maybe not, but the police do have a right.”
Lorna’s flushed cheeks paled. “The police?”
“Yes, they’ll probably be here to arrest you at any minute. I just thought maybe you’d feel better if you talked about it. I can’t imagine what it would be like to kill my own daughter. It must be tearing you apart inside.” Skye felt a little queasy, as if she were pulling off the legs of an insect. But Wally said that they needed a confession, and it wouldn’t be fair to Lorelei if her death went unsolved.
“I never meant any of this to happen.” Lorna wilted again, releasing Skye’s hand. “A month ago I had a successful husband, two beautiful daughters, and a life that everyone in Scumble River envied.” She was silent for a moment before continuing, “You know, you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for a lifetime.”
“Sounds like you were living a fairy tale. What made things go wrong?”
“It was all Lorelei’s fault.” Lorna sank into the love seat, facing away from Skye.
Skye was forced to move away from the door to see her face. “Lorelei’s fault?”
“She was a beautiful girl. And so smart and talented. She had everything. Sometimes I even thought she might be psychic.”
