Murder in the Middle: A Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mystery (3 page)

Chapter 7

Jackson and Lynette ushered Sophie’s parents into the conference room. Pamela Pearson looked very much like the photos Lynette had seen of Sophie. She was an attractive woman, but as a consequence of recent events, dark circles underscored her eyes and her shoulders drooped as if they supported a bushel full of worries. John Pearson had salt and pepper colored hair and eyes the color of sapphires. He was squeezing his wife’s hand.

“We’re so sorry you’re having to go through this,” said Lynette. “We’re hoping you may be able to give us some direction. Was Sophie having trouble with anyone? Had she seemed upset lately?”

“Sophie was just beginning to get herself back together after Adam’s death. She has mentioned a few friends. She’d begun to see a man named Mitch a few months ago. Mitch the math teacher––that’s how she always referred to him. We met him over the holidays. They seemed like a good couple and she was happier than I’d seen her in a long time.”

“My wife’s right. Sophie was happy except for one thing. Someone had been harassing her. She’d received some threatening phone calls and e-mails. She thought it may have been related to Adam’s death, even at this point in time. After the accident, there had been rumors that Sophie had caused Adam’s death. Idiotic. Sophie wouldn’t harm a fly.”

“Adam’s family turned on Sophie after his death. They swore that he never would have gone to the edge of a waterfall like that. They claimed that he was afraid of heights––had been since he was a little boy,” said Mrs. Pearson. “Adam’s brother even made a scene at the funeral, accusing Sophie of killing Adam in front of all those people. He was dressed all fancy in his air force outfit…sure wasn’t acting as dignified as he looked.”

“Is Adam’s brother here in town?” asked Jackson.

“No, I think he went back oversees as soon as the funeral was over.”

“What motive did people think Sophie had for murdering her new husband?” asked Lynette.

“Life insurance money. How pedestrian is that? Sophie had a good paying job and she was in love with Adam. It’s not like he had a million dollar policy or anything.”

“Have you kept in touch with them at all?” asked Jackson.

“Not at all,” said Mrs. Pearson. “The last time we saw them was at Adam’s funeral.”

“Where do they live?” asked Lynette.

“They’re still here in Westbrook as far as I know,” said Mrs. Pearson. “Except for Sophie’s brother, like I said. Please find our daughter for us. I’m so worried about her.” She took out a tissue and dabbed her eyes.

“We’ll do everything we can,” said Lynette. “Have you spoken to Mitch Coniglio?”

“No. We got in late last night and wanted to get here first thing this morning.”

“We’ll speak to the Bartolo family and to Mitch Coniglio as well,” said Lynette. “We tried to question him yesterday, but he was out of town at an educational conference. He should be back today.”

“We have a tip line open,” added Jackson. “If she was taken against her will, it’s likely someone may have heard screaming or witnessed a struggle.”

“We’re staying at the Rocking Horse Ranch. Please keep us up to date,” said Mr. Pearson.

“We will. If you think of anything else, call us,” said Lynette. She walked them out of the station. Jackson was already making an itinerary when she came back inside.

“Let’s pay a visit to the Bartolos,” said Jackson. “After that, we can swing by the school and talk to Mitch, the math teacher.”

Just then, Susan walked in. She filled them in on her jewelry store visits.

“Mom, that type of bracelet is so common. I’m not surprised that you didn’t learn anything from your visits. And I don’t want you going around town asking about the case. It’s an ongoing investigation. You could inadvertently be tipping off the bad guy.”

“Well, it was worth a shot. You know we have to explore all leads. We don’t have much to go on.”

“
We?
Stop with that we stuff. This is not your case.”

“I mean the police department doesn’t have much to go on. I looked up the other two abduction cases. Have you found a connection there?”

Lynette let out a sigh. “Not yet. That trail went cold months ago and so far we have nothing new. But you know I’m not supposed to be discussing this with you.”

“I’m just trying to help. I promised Antonio I would.”

A distraught blond man pushed open the door to the station. His hair was mussed and he was out of breath. He introduced himself as Mitch Coniglio, Sophie’s boyfriend.

“Officer, I just got back into town. My girlfriend, Sophie Bartolo, she’s missing. You have to find her. What happened? I knew something was wrong when I couldn’t get in touch with Sophie. When I came into school this morning, Mr. Petrocelli filled me in. He told me to come down here right away and talk to you.”

“It’s detective, not officer, Mr. Coniglio,” said Jackson. “When was the last time you had contact with Sophie?”

“Two days ago. I called her from the conference. I was worried about her. She’d been getting threatening e-mails from someone.”

“Did she have any idea who was sending them?” asked Jackson.

“She thought it was related to her husband Adam’s death. She suspected it may have been Adam’s brother. He insisted that Sophie had killed his brother. That was no secret. He was stationed in Germany––he was in the Air Force. She suspected that he’d recently come back into town.”

“That’s a good starting point. We’ll go and speak to him. Call us if you think of anything else,” said Lynette. Mitch had calmed down only slightly before leaving the station. Jackson and Lynette pulled up the Bartolos’ address and headed out.

Chapter 8

Jackson and Lynette pulled up to a small brick house with white trim. Mrs. Bartolo answered the door. She wore a velour sweat suit and her hair was held in place with a headband. Jackson pulled out his badge.

“Mrs. Bartolo, we’re with the Westbrook Police Department. We’re working on a missing person case, possibly an abduction, involving your daughter-in-law, Sophie.”

“Sophie? She’s no longer my daughter-in-law. Missing? Good. Karma is catching up with her...”

“We understand that your family thinks Sophie may have been responsible for your son’s death,” said Jackson.

“You have that wrong,” said Mrs. Bartolo. “We don’t think Sophie was responsible for Adam’s death. We
know
she was.”

“Why do you say that?” asked Lynette.

“Besides the fact that Adam was afraid of heights and never would have gone near the edge of a waterfall, Sophie had a cold, ruthless side to her. When she and Adam were engaged, she was Little Miss Charming. Right after the wedding, she became a first class––let’s just say it rhymes with
witch
.”

“Can you be more specific?” asked Lynette.

“She started making digs at Adam every chance she got. She was sarcastic and treated him like a worm. Adam even confided in me that Sophie was not the woman he’d fallen in love with. He was beginning to regret marrying her.”

“Do you have any idea why her behavior had changed so radically?” asked Lynette.

“And why she wouldn’t have just divorced him had she regretted marrying him?” added Jackson.

“She wanted that life insurance money. They were suffering financially. Adam had been laid off at work. His company had been sold and the new owners cleaned house in an effort to save money. Adam and Sophie had bought an expensive home while they were engaged. They couldn’t afford to keep it with one income, but with the life insurance money, the whole mortgage could have been paid off. That’s exactly what happened. Sophie owns that house free and clear now.”

“We read the report and there was no evidence to indicate murder,” said Lynette.

“Think about it. A couple goes on a hike, no one else is around. How easy would it have been to push Adam over the edge and claim it was an accident? What evidence could they have? My other son is still pursuing this. He hasn’t recovered from Adam’s death––not that any of us has. He spends every free minute looking for something to implicate Sophie.”

“Have you heard from him recently?” asked Lynette.

“It’s been a few days. I’ve been trying to call since Sophie disappeared, but you know the military. There may be a special training going on where they don’t have phone access. Last time we talked, he was flying wounded soldiers out of Iraq and bringing them to the base hospital.”

“Could we get your son’s name?” asked Jackson.

“Certainly. It’s Caleb. Caleb Bartolo.”

Chapter 9

Susan couldn’t get the name Bartolo out of her head. She was thinking about it all night. Why did it seem so familiar? She hadn’t ever met Sophie. She turned on the vacuum cleaner and began going over the living room carpet. Ludwig leaped off the sofa and ran for cover. Susan knew he was going to take refuge under her bed. Johann, on the other hand, remained curled up on the recliner, unruffled by the noise.

Bartolo. Bartolo. Suddenly she remembered. Mike worked with a Scott Bartolo.
I’ll bet that’s Sophie’s father-in-law,
thought Susan. She could stop by to bring Mike some lunch, and who knows? Maybe Mr. Bartolo might just happen to be around. Susan packed a salad into a Tupperware container and grabbed a packet of ranch dressing from the closet. Then she threw together a turkey sandwich. She arrived at Mike’s office just as he was about to go on lunch break.

“Hey, Susan. What are you doing here?” asked Mike. He gave her a kiss and smiled.

“Just thought I’d surprise you with some lunch and a hot lunch date.”

“I see the lunch, but where’s the hot date?” asked Mike. He made a point of turning his head and scanning the office. Susan gave him a playful swat.

“Just kidding,” said Mike, rubbing his arm as if Susan had done some damage. “Let’s go into the break room.” Susan followed him and grabbed a Diet Coke from the vending machine.

“Mike, don’t you work with someone named Bartolo?”

“Yeah, Scott Bartolo. He’s down the hall from me. Why?”

“I’m wondering if he’s any relation to Sophie Bartolo.”

“He’s her father-in-law. His son’s death nearly killed him. I remember how torn up he was after that hiking accident. He was out for months. We were worried that he’d never get over it. I guess you never really recover from the loss of a child, but he pulled himself together enough to come back to work.”

“Has he said anything about Sophie being missing? He must be concerned.”

“After Adam’s death, he was angry at Sophie. Thought she caused Adam’s fall.”

“Do you think after we finish eating, you could introduce me to Scott Bartolo? Maybe he has some ideas about Sophie’s disappearance.”

“I can do that, but like I said, there were some hard feelings there. I doubt he’s even spoken to Sophie since then.”

After they finished eating, Susan followed Mike to an office down the hall. The door was half open, but Mike knocked anyhow. Susan loved that Mike always acted respectful of people’s time and territory. He introduced her to a man who looked to be in his early fifties, with neatly cut hair, dressed in khakis and a long sleeved dress shirt.

“Hello, Mr. Bartolo. It’s nice to meet you.” Susan shook his hand. “Mike has told me so much about you. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Sophie Bartolo has gone missing. Her boss, a friend of mine, asked if I would help find her. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“I don’t consider Sophie to be part of my family, not since Adam was murdered. What sort of questions? My wife and I just spoke to the police yesterday.”

“Do you know of anyone who may have wanted to harm Sophie?”

“The whole thing has blown over by now, but not for my family. That woman must have had plenty of enemies. She wasn’t a nice woman. I could see her rubbing lots of folks the wrong way. Besides, she’s a bookkeeper. Lots of folks have bones to pick with bookkeepers.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my mother last year and I know it doesn’t get any easier with time. Thank you, Mr. Bartolo. It was nice meeting you.”

“Same here. You can call me Scott.”

Susan thought about what Scott had said. It’s possible that Sophie’s disappearance had nothing to do with her husband’s death. Maybe it was related to her position as a bookkeeper. She decided to run over to the school and have a chat with Antonio. As usual, he gave her a magnanimous greeting.

“Susan, so good to see you. What brings you over here? Any news about Sophie?”

“Antonio, I was thinking––did any of your employees handle school funds? Maybe they had some kind of issue with the money that may have caused a rift with the bookkeeper?”

“Not any employees, but now that you mention it, I have a piece of information to share.” He closed his office door. “This is totally confidential but I’m telling you this because, first of all, I trust you, and secondly, there may be a connection to the case.”

“Go on,” said Susan.

“I was transferred here rather abruptly if you remember.”

“I do. My friends at the elementary school were sad to see you go.”

“It wasn’t by choice. The previous principal, Principal Talbot, had gotten into some serious trouble with the law. She was stealing money from the school. Sophie was the one who discovered it. The principal was arrested. She’s out on bail awaiting trial and she blames Sophie, of course, for reporting her to the police.”

“Would she have been capable of abducting Sophie?”

“I don’t think she could have physically done it. Unless she had a gun, maybe. With a weapon, anything is possible.”

“Maybe I should pay her a visit.”

“Susan, that’s ridiculous. It’s possible that this woman could have abducted Sophie, with a weapon no less, and you want to go after her? You need to call Lynette. Let the police handle it.”

“Why didn’t you mention this to the police?”

“Truthfully,” replied Antonio, “I didn’t think of it until you asked.”

“Okay, then. I’ll talk to Lynette.”

“Good idea. Don’t you do anything dangerous.”