Part 12 (1/2)
”Are you all set by yourself again today?” Maggie asks, turning slowly toward the front door, still staring at Claras photo.
”Yeah. I have a feeling youre getting close to figuring all this out. You can make it up to me then.” Clem smiles. ”Go, get out of here. Youre not even hearing what Im saying.”
Clem is right. Her words go in one ear and out the other, Maggie barely registering their meaning. She folds the paper in half, sticks it under her arm and slips her handbag over her shoulder. She walks quickly back to her car, wanting to know everything about Stewart.
Maggie sits down in her car and knows she has to make a phone call. Unfortunately, its not to Trista. Maggie wants to ask her again to dig around in Stewarts past, but she does the right thing and calls Detective Daniel Stevens. Shes been lazy about keeping him appraised of her investigation, and if shes lucky h.e.l.l have information for her.
”I thought youd skipped town with how quiet youve been,” Daniel says when he answers the phone. His voice is friendlier than Maggie would expect.
”Yeah. Sorry about that.” Maggie is ready to leap into what she knows and what she wants to know but Daniel interrupts her.
”Denis told me the good news. Clem must be happy.”
Maggie smiles. ”Thrilled. Sorry you werent there. If Id known . . .”
”I wouldnt have wanted to crash your double date.” His tone turns only slightly sour. Changing the subject, he continues, ”But Im glad you called. Were making progress. Stewart Coles appearance in Silver Springs led us to do some research on his background. Were bringing him in for questioning and fingerprinting right now.”
”I didnt know you found any fingerprints in Claras room, only blood?” Maggie asks.
”Were doing a DNA test too.”
”So no fingerprints from the crime scene?” Maggie confirms.
”Correct. But once hes here, we may as well get him in the system.”
”Great. Because I tried to talk to him this morning and he wanted nothing to do with me. So I followed him to town where he went to the town offices trying to get his hands on Claras life insurance money.”
Daniel doesnt answer right away. ”Thats good to know. Thanks.” She can hear a pencil scribbling away. She must be on speakerphone. ”Anything else youve found out?”
Maggie tells him about her conversation with Marla and David, but they dont look as guilty as Stewart right now. And if the police are also suspicious of his actions, shes confident they cant all be wrong.
”Great. Dont be a stranger if you learn something else,” Daniel says and hangs up.
Maggie leans back in her seat and closes her eyes for just a moment. With the police handling Stewart, she desperately wants to confront Karl, even if just for her own closure. She gets back out of her car and walks the block and a half to the Silver Times offices.
Maggie doesnt have a plan. But every time she thinks about Sundays article, her blood boils and she needs to make that stop. She sits on a bench across the street from the newspapers office and reads todays article.
Ginger Rae is completely honest and candid in the editorial. She doesnt sugar coat or look for sympathy or make excuses. She just shares the truth about Claras life, rather than the drivel Karl wrote two days ago.
When Maggie finishes, she puts the paper on the bench, adds a rock on top of it so it wont blow away, and confidently walks into the Silver Times office.
”Good morning. How can I help you?” a young woman asks from behind the front desk.
Maggie forgot about that piece from her visit yesterday when Drew ushered them straight to Ellens office. ”Im here to see Karl Jacobs,” Maggie tells her.
The receptionist checks something on her computer before answering. ”Im sorry. Hes out of the office this morning.”
”Do you know where I might be able to find him?” Maggie asks, making her voice sugary sweet.
She checks something else on her computer and Maggie waits patiently. ”Hes working on a piece at the middle school. Theres an art show today.”
Maggie doesnt wait to hear any other details. ”Thanks,” she says and turns to walk away.
She practically runs back to her car, wis.h.i.+ng shed driven the short distance so she didnt have to waste any time. The middle school is on River Road, not far from Main Street, but walking there would mean even more time for Karl to go back to the office and Maggie would have to continue her wild goose chase.
The parking lot is packed at the middle school and Maggie has to park on the street. Thankfully her small car can fit into tight s.p.a.ces and she finds a spot not far down the road. By the time shes inside, its past ten in the morning and she feels like shes already lived a whole day.
There are signs everywhere directing her where to find the art show. The gymnasium is full of students standing in front of paintings and drawings, jewelry, sculptures and photographs. Adults cl.u.s.ter around each one and Maggie meanders through the crowd in search of only one person.
Karl is in the middle of the room, camera to his eye, capturing the action. Maggie keeps her distance but never takes her eye off of him.
He lowers the camera and pulls out a pad of paper and pencil. The student he interviews, who he just photographed, is a young girl whose nerves are visible even though Maggie cant hear what shes saying.
Maggie watches the conversation unfold, walking closer so she wont lose Karl in the crowd when he moves on to the next student. She doesnt take in any details of the students work but overhears adults exclaim over some of them. They must be good.
Maggie follows Karl around the gym for nearly two hours, listening to snippets of his interviews and noticing who he focuses on. The whole time, she avoids conversation with anyone and thinks only of Sundays article about Clara. She cant wait to give him a piece of her mind.
Finally, nearly at noon, the art show seems to be winding down and Karl packs up his things. Maggie stays close behind and follows him outside. She waits until hes loading his car and then announces herself.
”Karl Jacobs?” she asks, surprising him. Its clear that he had no idea she was there. ”Maggie Boothe. We met on Sunday at Winona Landiss house when you were interviewing Ginger Rae Speed.”
His face doesnt register recognition until she tells him where they met. ”Oh right. Maggie. Good to see you again. You have a student here? Some of those pieces were really great. Especially for middle schoolers.”
Maggie shakes her head. ”No. No kids. I wondered if I could speak to you about something.” She looks around in the parking lot. Many parents and visitors to the art show are now exiting the school and heading to their cars. ”Somewhere . . . less crowded.”
Karl nods, completely at ease. ”Sure. I was going to stop by the river to eat lunch. Follow me there.”
Maggie agrees and walks quickly back to her car, making a plan in her head. Besides chewing him out for his slander on Sunday, she also wants to know more about his relations.h.i.+p with Clara.
Karl pulls out of the parking lot and Maggie follows. They drive only a short distance from the school and he stops in the same parking area Maggie picked yesterday to eat lunch and take a walk. He gets out, lunch bag in hand, and walks to a picnic table. Maggie follows, not sure how this conversation is going to play out.
CHAPTER 27.
Opal doesnt move a muscle. Her whiskers remain still and her tail doesnt even twitch. Shes determined to redeem herself in the eyes of Jester, the big black cat who is somehow in charge of the group of cats Opal has fallen into.
Shes been high up in the same pine tree for hours. Shes been keeping her eye on Oscar, the golden retriever shes unlucky enough to share a house with.
Oscar barely moves too. He lies in the shade of a second pine tree and keeps his eyes trained on a single spot in the yard.
Its taken Opal longer than shed like to admit, but shes almost positive she knows whats buried where hes watching. She thinks its the collar she wore for a short time last spring, and that recently went missing. As soon as it was gone, everyone wanted it-Jester, Oscar, and even her human, Maggie.