Murder of a Creped Suzette

While the animals were occupied with their dinners, Skye changed out of her work clothes. She had already put on a pair of jeans and was pulling an emerald green sweatshirt over her head when she heard the muffled sound of the doorbell ringing.

It was going on seven thirty, around the time Wally had said to expect him. Had he forgotten his key? That wasn’t like him at all.

Curious as to who could be dropping in on a Friday night, she ran down the stairs, pushed aside the curtain covering the front window, and caught her breath. What was Darleen Boyd doing on her front porch?

There was no love lost between Skye and Wally’s ex-wife, so when she opened the door, she kept the chain on. “Darleen, what a surprise.”

“I’ll bet.” Darleen was nearly six feet tall and cadav-erously thin. “I need to talk to you, woman to woman. Can I come in?”

Skye hesitated. It was probably best to exercise a certain amount of caution. “I’m sort of busy right now. Maybe we could meet for coffee tomorrow morning at the Feed Bag, or the new bookstore in town has a café that serves fabulous baked goods and cappuccinos.”

“Please.” Darleen held out a hand, and Skye could see that her nails were bitten so short they looked raw. “It needs to be tonight.”

Skye couldn’t think of an excuse to turn Darleen away. Wally’s ex-wife might dislike her, but she’d never been violent. “If it’s important—”

“I promise I’ll make this short.” Darleen was shivering uncontrollably, and her baby-doll minidress revealed skeletally thin arms and legs.

“Well . . .” Why wasn’t Darleen wearing a coat? Skye bit her lip. It went against her nature to turn down someone in need, especially such a waiflike creature. Darleen looked as if a stiff wind would blow her away, and October was known for its blustery weather.

“Please, just five minutes.” Darleen’s voice was desperate, but her expression was hard to read. “Really. I’ll be in and out before you know it.”

“Okay.” Skye nodded, unhooked the chain, and swung open the door.

Instantly, a man who had been standing just out of Skye’s line of sight propelled Darleen over the threshold, crowding in right behind her. He was huge, with bulging biceps and long blond hair tied back in a ponytail. An enormous cross hung from a thick gold chain around his neck.

Darleen stepped aside and Mr. Muscles grabbed Skye so that his forearm rested against her throat. She screamed and tried to wiggle free, kicking back at his shins and clawing at his arm, but the Incredible Hulk seemed impervious to her efforts to free herself.

He swung Skye around so that she was facing the staircase, and ordered over his shoulder, “Dar, don’t just stand there like an idiot. Check out the place and make sure we don’t have company.”

“Uh, sure, Gary. Sorry,” Darleen stuttered, then disappeared up the steps.

Realizing she would not accomplish anything by struggling, Skye decided it was time to use her skills as a psychologist. “If you tell me what you want, I’ll be happy to get it for you—then you can leave. We don’t need all this drama.”

Gary snorted but otherwise remained silent, still holding Skye prisoner. While they waited, she tried to think of an escape plan. Just before the creep had grabbed her, Skye had noticed that neither Darleen nor her boyfriend had closed the front door. If she could get loose, she could make a run for it. But where would she go?

While Darleen was searching the second floor, Skye tried to think of a place to hide if she managed to free herself from Gary’s chokehold. Too bad it wasn’t as warm as the previous week; she could have headed for the river and swum away from her captors.

Darleen’s whiny voice broke into Skye’s thoughts. She scuttled down the staircase, complaining, “You should see the fancy bathroom this bitch has. No wonder Wally refuses to give me the money I deserve. He’s spending it all on her.”

“Hey.” Skye couldn’t let that pass. “I paid for that myself by working for my cousin. And believe me, that job was no piece of wedding cake.”

“Yeah. Right.” Gary made a scornful noise. “Now, ladies, if that’s settled, was anyone up there? Or did you spend all your time in the bathroom, Dar?”

“Oops! Sorry, Gary.” Darleen covered her mouth. “It’s all clear.”

“Then check the rest of the house.” Gary’s voice took on an impatient edge, and as Darleen ran toward the kitchen, he sneered, “What a dimwit.”

“She has a college degree, so she can’t be too dumb,” Skye retorted. She hated it when men talked badly about their girlfriends.

“That was before the coke and the weed and the pills.” Gary snickered. “That’s why I don’t take none of that shit. Did you see that commercial on TV with the egg? The one that says, ‘This is your brain on drugs’?”

“Yes.” Skye heard Toby barking. When he abruptly quieted, she flinched. What if Darleen had hurt the little dog? She knew Bingo would be okay. The cat would have fled at the first sign of an intruder. “Glad to see the public service announcement made an impression.”