Come Dark (31 page)

Chapter Thirty-nine

At nine-fifty that night, the ringtone on Estelle's cell phone joined with the little instrument's vibrating dance. Too exhausted to sleep, she had joined Bill Gastner and the rest of the family on the patio, letting the soft night humors wash away the drama of the day.

The displayed number carried the familiar area code for Pinnacle County, New York.

“This is Undersheriff Guzman,” she said. For a moment there was no response. When it came, her caller's voice was husky, but the impatience came through clearly.

“Hi. This is Stacie Stewart. The sheriff here said that I should call you.”

“Ah, good evening.” Estelle rose from the patio table and walked back inside to the quiet of the living room. “I'm pleased that you called, Stacie.”

“What did you need?”

“There are some good people who are worried about you.”

After what could have been a sigh, Stacie's tone was flat. “I'm sure they'll get over it.”

Estelle paused. The last thing she wanted to hear was the click of disconnection. “You heard about Clint Scott?”

“I talked with Todd not too long ago. He said that someone killed Clint. I don't believe that.”

“I'm afraid that it's true. A young man is accused in the killing, Stacie. He's admitted to it. At this point, it appears that his actions are unrelated to any relationship there may have been between you and the victim. But some events occurred that evening that you might be able to help us with.”

“I can't imagine what.”

“After the volleyball game, did you return to the school?”

“Yes.”

“To see Scott?

“Yes.”

“Was that a usual place for you two to meet?”

Stacie hesitated. “We'd met at school after a game once or twice before.”

“And this time?”

“This time I was going to tell him face-to-face that we weren't going to see each other anymore.”

“Did you see him? Did you tell him that?”

“I didn't have the chance.” She paused and Estelle let her think uninterrupted.

“Someone killed him? Is what my husband said really true?” Hesitation cracked her voice, but her self-control was remarkable. “I was thinking that was just a really bad joke. That maybe he'd found out about us.”

“No joke, Stacie. At the school, and not long after you were there.”

“How do you know that? How do you know when I was there?”

“You were seen.” Estelle could hear the young woman suck in a long, shuddering breath. Apparently she was having difficulty being as stone-cold as she had first sounded. “Tell me what happened.”

“All right, look. As I approached the school, I saw two guys doing something. One of them was up on a ladder. And then all of a sudden, Clint comes charging out of the back door of the school. I don't know. He must have heard them or something. Maybe he could see them out that little slit window on the side.”

“Had Mr. Scott left the back door open for you?”

“Yes. He said he would do that.”

“Had he done that before for you?”

Silence for the count of ten, and then Stacie said, “That's no one's business but ours.”

“In a case like this one…” Estelle started, then changed course. “We have a homicide here, Stacie. Any details that are related to the incident are important. So Coach Scott bursts out through the door…then what?”

“He yelled at the two kids. I couldn't understand what he was saying. I think they were tagging the building.”

“How far away were you at this time?”

“I guess twenty-five yards or so. As soon as I saw Clint, I stopped. He didn't see me.”

“He was yelling, and you couldn't understand him?”

“Well, they were all three yelling at once, kinda. He swatted one of them away, and then somehow the ladder went down. The kid was way up high on it, and he went flying, all tangled up. He hit the ground so hard. And then this other kid…it was hard to really see…but it looked like he had a gun. And I'm thinking, whoa, no. I'm not going to get in the middle of this.”

“What did you do?”

“I ducked away. I should have done something, but I didn't. I mean, no one knew I was there. So I just…left. I mean, I looked back just as Clint pitched the ladder into the back of the little truck they had there. I heard him say like, ‘Take your junk with you,' or something like that. I was on the other side of the faculty parking lot when I heard the truck tear off.”

“Do you know what happened after that? Later that night?”

“Todd told me, but I still don't believe it. Nobody is going to do something like that to Clint Scott.”

“And you didn't think it would be reasonable for you to contact us as a possible important witness?”

“Is that why you called the sheriff here?”

“Yes. We don't just let these things go, Stacie.”

“Okay, so I was there. All right. I was there. But I didn't see what happened later. That's all there is to it. I'm sorry for Clint. You probably don't believe me, but I am.”

“You two were close for quite some time, then.”

Stacie scoffed. “Close. That's good.”

“The volleyball game video shows you sitting right behind Clint Scott, sometimes your elbow on his shoulder, appearing to enjoy yourself. Now you're telling me that you were already thinking then, right at that moment, that you were going to break it off with him? ”

“That's exactly what I was thinking…like for the past ten years, thinking. Or trying to think. Look, I'm not altogether proud of what I've done over the years. I first…” She broke off and cleared her throat. “Look. Have you ever been addicted to something like heroin?”

“No.”

“Then you don't understand. That's what my relationship with Clint Scott was like, from day one. I've come to realize that now. When I'm away from him, I can think it through, I can say ‘never again.' I can do all those things that therapists say I should do. But then when I'm close to him, my God, he's like a drug to me. I can't get enough of him.”

“Why not just marry him? You've said that this went on for years, Stacie. Why not be done with it and marry the guy?”

“It's kinda pointless to speak ill of him now, don't you think?”

“We deal in motives, Stacie. The why of it all.”

“The why. Well, the why is that, other than the sex, marrying Clint Scott would be like marrying the fancy electronic scoreboard down at the end of the gym.”

“Ah. That sort.”

“Yes. That sort.”

“So, at the game this week, you were thinking of breaking it off.”

“I was. Yes. I could see that it was going to become more and more awkward, especially as Ginger grows up. You know, Posadas is a small town, Sheriff. Todd doesn't know, I can't ever let him know… No doubt about it, I had to end it.”

She tried an uncomfortable laugh. “Go cold turkey. So I agreed to meet with him at school, in the office. We knew no one would be there.” She scoffed again. “I mean, it's not exactly the first time, right? I'm sure some friendly folks have filled you in on that. But, yes, I was going to go and tell him that it was over, once and for all.”

“Did he know that was on your mind?”

“I don't think so. Clint was Clint, you know? I'm sure he wanted a repeat performance, something to cap his victorious evening. So, yes, maybe I was a little forward, a little too friendly, at the game. I wanted to make sure that he waited at the school for me. And, yes, I suppose he thought that I had other intentions.” She pronounced the word carefully, as if afraid she might leave out a syllable. “I wanted the time to make things clear to him.”

“After the graffiti incident, after the two young men drove away, why didn't you go inside the school right then?”

“That wouldn't be too smart, would it? He's just had an argument with some jerks, he's confiscated a gun, so he's armed…what, I'm going to go in there to announce that the party's over? I don't think so.”

“The party?”

“Look, it's no secret that Clint and I…that we…look, you talked to Dana, I guess. She would have told you.”

“What would she have told me?”

A thin laugh greeted that. “You're so much the cop, Estelle.” The use of her first name surprised the undersheriff. “I hope you're happy with Dr. Guzman and those two perfect little kids of yours.”

“This isn't about me, Stacie.”

The phone shifted, and Estelle heard the rustle of tissue. “Look, I'm sorry. I had no cause to say that,” Stacie said finally. “You know, Todd and I went to that concert a year or two ago that your son gave at the school. Him and the kid who played the flute? It was beautiful.”

“Thank you. Did you have reason to fear Clint Scott? Did you have reason to think that the gun he'd confiscated from the two young men somehow put you in danger?”

“Well, duh. Yes, I suppose I was a little bit afraid of him. I knew he had a quick temper, and I could see that he would be already worked up. And now with a gun? Like I said, not good timing for an ultimatum.”

“And the next day, that's what you did. You just left, unannounced.”

“I knew that the eastbound Trailways bus stopped at the Posadas Motel once a day, and I had already planned to be on it.”

“Leaving daughter and husband. Even the dog.”

“Yes.” Her voice sounded dull. “Todd will cope. Especially if he has our daughter with him.”

“Stacie, why did you leave your daughter and the puppy in your car at the store? Why not at home? At the bank with your husband…anything but that.”

“I just thought…I don't know what I thought, except I did not want a confrontation with Todd. I asked Dana to take me to the motel from the store. You know, it was right around noon, and sometimes Todd comes home for lunch. I didn't want any confrontations. I didn't want any complications. That's why even the dog went along. Ginger has a fit if her puppy isn't with her. And who knows what that little turd would tear up if I left him alone in the house.”

“You're not all that fond of him.”

“I hate that dog. Todd thinks he's great, but he doesn't have to deal with him day in, day out. He's like a little, high-powered rat.”

“You weren't surprised when Clint didn't telephone you the next day?”

“I just thought, ‘Oh well, that's the way it's going to be.' I'd catch the bus, and then Dana could just go right back and pick up Ginger. Just a couple of minutes. The store is only a block or two from Dana's house, so it seemed easy. And I didn't want to argue with anybody about my leaving. I didn't want…Todd would have made a scene. With Dana taking Ginger, I'd have half a day head start.”

“What did you expect Clint Scott to do? I mean, you didn't know what the circumstances would be later that evening, but you must have had thoughts that he would be upset with you.”

A long pause followed. “Like I told you, I had no idea what happened after I saw him with the two kids. By the time I got to the school, I was having second thoughts anyway. And even though he's such a self-absorbed guy, he can be a charmer. I didn't want to give him a chance to change my mind.” She laughed without much enthusiasm. “That's the way he is. It's like addiction, you know? You can say all the right things, but when it comes right down to it? When I'm face-to-face with him? Not so easy.”

“Self-absorbed? What's that mean, Stacie?”

“His way or the highway sort of thing. I had come to understand that, after being with him altogether too long. I guess I'm a slow learner, Sheriff. I don't know why. Every time I looked at Ginger, it was a reminder.”

“You and Clint had been in this affair since when?”

“What difference does that make? And affair? I hate that word. Scott called it recreation. What, since the year after I graduated. That's how long I've known him. I went to college, and we saw each other now and again. And, yeah, some recreation. Then I got that job in Lubbock, and that helped. I put blinders on for those years. Came close a couple of times, 'cause there's always plenty of guys out there looking for recreation, you know what I mean?”

“Sure.”

“Then I came back to Posadas, 'cause my dad was sick and my mom was having a rough time with it. I met Todd at a bank Christmas party. I went there to clean up some account mess that was driving my mom crazy. Todd seemed like such a nice guy. Not demanding, just…what…? Cozy. Good looking and cozy. And I'm thinking, maybe this is it. I walked right into a good job with the electric company, and I'm thinking, finally…”

“And then Ginger came along.”

“Yes, she did.”

“She was Scott's child?” Estelle's blunt question prompted a brief hesitation.

“Yes.”

“Did he know it?”

“Scott? As I said, he was self-absorbed. So I don't think so. I didn't tell him.”

“Does Todd know?”

“No. And he won't…ever. Unless you tell him. But she reminds me of Clint every day. The same laugh. The same eyes. I had to get away from that for a while. You won't tell Todd…please.”

“That's not our job, Stacie. In summary, what interests us is that you were near the scene that night of what later became a homicide…Thursday night after the game. You saw the confrontation. You left immediately, without ever talking to, or confronting Scott. And that's essentially it.”

“Yes.”

“There is not sufficient cause to extradite you back to New Mexico, at least not at this time. You might have been charged with a misdemeanor for leaving your child in the car, but that's all. If there is no plea bargain for the young man who killed Scott, if there's a trial, you may be subpoenaed as a witness. You understand that?”