Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

E very time Maisey heard Skidmore’s name, she felt queasy. She didn’t even know the man, and something told her she didn’t want to.

After they’d gotten up, showered, and dressed, Aaron took her to one of the local pancake places for breakfast before they set out to find VinceSkidmore. It was hard to carry on a conversation, though, because of a group of boys sitting two booths away. They were loud and rowdy, and she was getting tired of listening to them when Aaron stood. Oh, shit. Here it comes , she told herself and silently prayed that he didn’t knock the shit out of one of them.

“Hey, fellas, you’re getting kinda loud.”

“We paid for our food, and we can do whatever we want,” one of them popped off. There was a beat of silence before she heard the same kid say, “Sorry, officer. Didn’t realize we were bothering anybody.” Yep. Just as I thought , she laughed to herself. He’d flashed that badge and they’d shut the hell right up.

“Mind if I have a seat?” she heard Aaron ask, and she crept around the table and slipped into the other side of the booth so she could see what was going on. Hell, he’d sat down in the booth with them! It was hard to keep from laughing aloud.

“Uh, no, sir. Go right ahead.” After he already has , she told herself, shaking with pent-up laughter. Like he was going to wait for your permission!

“I just wanted to ask you something. Figured you might know. You go to Whitley County, right?”

“Nope. We graduated last year,” another boy said. “Me and Hank are going to vocational school for auto mechanics,” he said and pointed to yet another gangly youth. “And Royce here is going into the army.”

“Oh! Well, congratulations, Royce. Sounds like the three of you have your lives figured out. What about you, hoss?” he asked and pointed to a fourth one.

“My daddy owns an excavating company, and I’m going to work for him. Family business and all,” the kid said.

“Gotta love our local businesses, right?” Aaron said, reached over, snatched a fry off Royce’s plate, and popped it into his mouth. The boy didn’t say a word. “So, I was just wondering… I’ve got a classic car for sale. Fifty-seven Chevy. Red and white, red carpet, red and white tuck and roll upholstery. All factory stuff. And there’s a guy here who wants to buy it. Said he can pay cash, but I dunno. He was a teacher at the high school. I was wondering if you could tell me if he was for real. I really don’t want to waste my time with a poser, know what I mean?” The boys nodded. “Name’s Skidmore. VinceSkidmore.”

Two of the kids started laughing, and one snorted. The one whose name hadn’t come up, the first one to speak, said, “Oh, yeah. Mr.Skidmore. He’s definitely good for it.”

Aaron cocked his head slightly and let his eyebrows rise. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“Motherfucker won―”

“Language. There are ladies present,” Aaron said and pointed to Maisey, so she smiled and waved from her seat in the booth.

“Oh, sorry, sir. Didn’t mean no disrespect. Uh, Mr.Skidmore won the lottery. So unless that dickhead―” She saw Aaron shake his head again. “Um, stupid son of his spent it all, he’s loaded.”

“His stupid son?”

“Yeah. Colin. He’s a real…” The boy leaned in and whispered something. It was all Maisey could do to keep from laughing.

“You think he spent all his dad’s money?”

“I dunno. That’s a lotta money,” Hank said, and the other boys nodded.

“How much was it?”

“I heard it was a hunnert and fitty million,” Royce answered.

Aaron acted surprised. “Wow. That would buy a lot of porn magazines.” Maisey laughed to herself. Yep, Aaron knew teenaged boys. That would be the first thing they’d plunk money down for.

“Uh, it would buy you the women so you could make your own porn magazine!” the kid with the excavating company said. Well, I see who’s the entrepreneur of the group , Maisey thought, still laughing internally.

Aaron nodded. “True. But Mr.Skidmore… Pretty good guy? Good teacher, good person?”

“Well, okay teacher,” the first kid answered. “Liked to do experiments that little kids would do. Said he was keeping it simple because he didn’t think we were ready for anything that took brain power.”

Ouch! Maisey thought. What a thing for a teacher to say to a bunch of high school kids!

“But he’s a good person, right?”

Excavator boy shrugged. “I guess. Some of the girls said he gave them the creeps, but that’s all. Said they could feel him staring at them from behind.”

Every hair on Maisey’s body rose. That would give me the creeps too , she heard her brain whisper.

“But you think he’d take good care of the car if I let him buy it?” Aaron asked.

“Oh, yeah. I mean, he was neat and tidy and all. Dressed nice enough. Had a nice house here in town, but I heard they bought a big one out in the county after he won the lottery,” Hank said.

“Good enough. Well, I thank you for the info, and hope you guys do well for yourselves. And your name? I didn’t catch it,” he said toward the boy who’d spoken first.

“Nate. And that there,” he said, pointing at his excavating company friend, “is Troy.”

“Nate, Troy, Royce, Hank, nice meeting you. If you ever need anything and I can help you, don’t hesitate to call me.” She watched as Aaron took business cards from his pocket and handed them to the kids.

“So if we have a DUI…” Troy started.

“You’re going to jail. Don’t even bother.” Aaron was grinning when he said it, but she knew he meant what he said. Zero tolerance. No question about it.

As he slipped back into the booth beside her, he leaned over to whisper to her. “Was I slick or was I slick?”

“Oh, yeah. Slick, baby. Slippin’ and slidin’ all through that little interrogation. Made me proud,” Maisey said, nibbling on her toast. “Especially that comment about the porn magazines. Perfect touch.”

Aaron’s grin was a mile wide. “Good. Now we know a little more about the Skidmores. I think it’s about time to go find out for ourselves. Eat up. We need to get going. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long day.”

Everything Aaron had heard and told Maisey was true. The house was crazy huge. She remembered the land from when she was a kid, and that was not the house that originally sat on the acreage. It was brand new, and it was quite fabulous.

“Wow,” Aaron said as he stepped out of the car and gently pressed the door closed. Maisey watched and did the same. “This is really something.”

“I’ll say.”

“Come on. Let’s go see if―” He stopped and threw a finger up to his lips.

Arguing.

Two male voices were snapping back and forth at each other, and it only took her a minute to figure out who was who.

“But it’s an investment! These things only get more valuable with time!”

“It’s a car. The minute you drive it off the lot, it loses value.”

“Not one of these! They actually go up. And just think how much fun it’ll be to drive.”

“Just think how much fun it’ll be to wrap it around a tree and kill yourself!”

“Oh, I’d be careful in that baby.”

“Do you know how much that thing costs?”

“Yes. I know. And it’s worth it.”

“Almost a half million!”

“It’s not like we don’t have it!”

“ We don’t have anything! I have the money! It’s mine, and I have no intention of pissing it away on a stupid car.”

“Yeah, but if it was a private flight to Belize with a hooker, bet he’d lay out the money for that,” Maisey whispered to Aaron, who quirked a corner of his mouth up and nodded.

The arguing went on, and finally, Aaron whispered, “Let’s go.” He marched straight to the door and rang the bell.

The door popped open and before them stood a small Asian woman, dressed all in pale blue with a white apron. “May I help you?” she asked, her diction perfect.

“Yes. I’d like to talk to Mr.Skidmore, please. I’m DeputyAaron Friedman, Whitley County Sheriff’s Department.”

“Please, just step inside and I’ll tell him you’re here.”

As she walked away, Maisey and Aaron looked around. There were expensive paintings all around, sculptures, beautiful chandeliers, heavy, gorgeous carpets. A staircase swept upward on their right and ended at the balcony above that overlooked the foyer. Aaron whispered, “Wow.”

“Yeah. Wow is right.” It was total sensory overload, and Maisey could barely stand it. There was just too much going on with the decor.

A man, not a lot taller than Maisey and a little thick in the midsection, stepped into the foyer. “Yes, hello, I’m VinceSkidmore. Is there something I can help you with, officer?”

“That’s deputy, sir, and yes. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. Now, let’s see,” Aaron said, looking at a little notebook he kept in his pocket and flipping the pages forward and back. “We’re in the process of investigating the death of VictoriaHunt. New evidence has come to light, and we’re asking questions of everyone we can think of.”

“Certainly, but I didn’t know her. I mean, I knew who she was, but I didn’t know her personally,” Mr.Skidmore said.

“Did you attend her talk at the school just a few weeks before she died?”

“Uh, no. I had a planning period, and I was in the middle of grading tests, so I stayed in my room. Besides, it was more for the female students. Now if you’ll―”

“Did you have any problems with anybody at the school?” Aaron asked.

“Uh, do you mean teachers, parents, or students?”

“Yes,” Aaron said decisively.

The older man sighed. “Well, there were the usual class clowns, and the typical non-conformists. Had a few parents who were at the school constantly, trying to get teachers to give their slacker kids good grades so they could pass. As for the staff, I never had a problem with anybody. We all got along, insofar as I know anyway.”

“I see. So when exactly did you win the lottery?”

When he answered the question, Maisey made the immediate connection. As the principal had told them, he’d won the lottery just a week before Victoria came to the school to speak. “And ten days later, I quit. Didn’t need to work anymore. Teaching is so underappreciated.”

“That it is, sir. Can you tell me anything you might remember about that time period, anything that struck you as odd, or anything you might have forgotten to tell the police?”

“I didn’t talk to the police. I was already gone from the school when she was killed, and the school was our only common denominator. Otherwise, there was no connection at all.” That was true, as far as Maisey could tell. They hadn’t known each other. So why did she get the feeling that he was involved in some way?

“You have a son, correct?” Aaron asked Mr.Skidmore.

“Yes, Colin.”

“And he was a student at the time, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Could I speak with him, please?”

“Sure, but he’s not here. He’s on a trip with his grandparents. He won’t be back for a week.”

Would Aaron mention hearing them argue? Maisey knew he wouldn’t. He’d just caught VinceSkidmore lying, and he’d play it close to the vest and hang onto that information. “Could you have him give me a call when he comes home?” Aaron asked and handed Mr.Skidmore a business card.

“Sure, but I doubt he could tell you anything.”

“We’ll just ask him a few simple questions and I’m sure it’ll be fine. And thank you for your time, sir,” Aaron said with a nod and turned. “We’ll see ourselves out.”

“Thank you for stopping by. Wish I could’ve been more help,” Mr.Skidmore called after them.

Aaron helped Maisey into the car, and as soon as he was in and the door closed, she turned to him wide-eyed. “Colin is out of town.”

“Yeah. If he’d lie to my face like that, what else is he hiding?”

“Who knows, but I have a sick feeling about that guy,” Maisey grumbled.

“Me too,” Aaron said as he turned the car toward home.

Maybe the next coat episode would help her figure out more. For the time being, though, it felt like they were just spinning their wheels. But there was one thing Maisey knew for sure.

Somebody out there knew something. And she had every intention of finding them.