Murder of a Creped Suzette

“I have no idea,” Skye admitted. “And I’m hoping it wasn’t Owen’s, but the fact that he and Suzette didn’t show up where they were supposed to be on the same afternoon . . .”

“Yeah. And even though their dual absences could be a coincidence, we need to check out Owen, as well as the other owners of black trucks in the area.” Wally made a note on his pad. “Here’s what I’ll do. I will personally have a talk with him, telling him that we’re meeting with everyone in the area who drives a black pickup.”

Skye chewed on a thumbnail. “You’re not going to tell him it has anything to do with Suzette, are you?”

“No,” Wally assured her. “I’ll tell him we’re investigating a hit-and-run during that time that involved a black truck. If he gives me the name of his friend and that person confirms his alibi, we can clear him without causing any collateral damage.”

She tilted her head, thinking, then nodded. “Yeah, that should work.”

“Anything else about the case?” Wally asked.

“Yes.” Skye crossed her legs. “I was thinking about yesterday when the EMT climbed up on the steamroller to see if he could move it.”

“And?”

“And he came right back down and told Quirk that even though the key was there, he couldn’t figure out how it ran.”

“Right.” Wally leaned back in his chair. “The construction foreman had to be called.”

“Exactly.” Skye nodded. “So, driving a steamroller is a skill requiring special training. And whoever killed Suzette had to have had that training.”

“Shoot. I should have asked about that last night at the scene.” Wally picked up the phone and punched a couple of numbers. “Martinez, I want you to contact the construction foreman and get a list of his workers who know how to operate heavy equipment, in particular a steamroller. When you finish that, run a background check to see if any of the Country Roads people ever worked in an occupation where they might have learned to drive a steamroller.”

Wally hung up and Skye asked, “Have you established a timeline yet?”

“According to the foreman, he dismissed most of his workers around twelve thirty because it didn’t look like the rain would let up anytime soon. They were all gone when he left the site at three o’clock.”

“Any evidence Suzette was still alive at that time?”

“Yes. The foreman stopped at the office trailer and spoke to Taylor. He said he saw Suzette.”

“Does Taylor confirm that?” Skye asked.

“Not only him, but Suzette was on the phone with the mayor, so Dante verifies it, too.” Wally read from the file in front of him.

“Suzette didn’t have her own transportation,” Skye remembered. “Did Taylor say why he left her alone out there without a ride to town?”

“He claims that when he left at three thirty, she told him someone was picking her up.”

Skye swallowed hard. “She must have meant me.”

“That was my guess.”

Skye was silent. Would Suzette still be alive if she hadn’t stayed around to meet Skye?

“So that puts the time of death between three and four thirty.” Wally looked up from his notes.

“So, who doesn’t have an alibi for those ninety minutes ?”

“Most of the construction workers claim they were at the Brown Bag Bar all afternoon, but with the amount of alcohol they consumed, I really don’t trust their memories.”

“How about the music people? The guys in the band, the sound techs, the roadies?”

“Only three of them were alone during that time.”

“That narrows it down.”

“To a certain extent. But most of the ones with alibis were part of a big group at a bar, so they might have slipped away. Or the killer could be someone we’re not aware of. We’ve learned little about Suzette’s background. And so far, we haven’t found anyone who can think of why someone would want to kill her.”

Skye opened her mouth to mention Kallista and Flint’s animosity toward Suzette, but she was interrupted by the telephone.

While Wally answered the call, Skye took Toby out back for a walk. She definitely didn’t want a repeat of the incident that afternoon, although Wally’s shoes couldn’t possibly cost as much as Homer’s.

Wally was off the phone when she got back. “That was the ME.”

“Oh?”

“He finished his preliminary examination. The victim was probably immobilized by a blow to the head before she was run over by the steamroller.”

“So she might have been dead or at least unconscious before being crushed?” Skye thought about it. “That makes sense. No one would just lie there and let that happen.”

“The ME’s sent all the samples he obtained to the lab.”

Skye couldn’t read Wally’s expression. “That’s what you wanted. Right?”

“Right.” Wally nodded. “And although the DNA evidence on the exterior of the body was compromised by the conditions, the ME’s exam did give us a lead to follow.”

“Which is?” Why was Wally hesitating? This couldn’t be good news.

“He found semen inside the body.”

“Yikes!”

“Exactly.” Wally rubbed his chin. “Now the question is, did she have consensual sex or was she raped?”

“The ME couldn’t tell?”

“The body sustained too much damage.”