“Wouldn’t it be better for all our kids if the killer was caught fast? With your skills, you can make that happen. You can’t just selfishly walk away. I mean, I’m the first to admit I’m a coward, but you’re not.”
Placing her hands on the arms of her chair, Casey rose. Her heart thumping, she moved close to Marie. Uncertainty clouded Marie’s eyes and she stepped back.
“That is not the first time you’ve called me selfish, and I really resent it,” Casey said. “I am not selfish. I’ve already done more for you and your brother than anyone else around here. And don’t ever use Summer to manipulate me, understand?”
“Fine.” Marie headed for her desk. “Whatever.”
Casey tried to focus on her timesheet, but she was too furious to think. She had to get out of here. Scrunching the paper with the landlord’s number into a ball, she marched out of the room. While Casey jogged downstairs, it occurred to her that Marie might have a point about helping find the killer fast. Looking over her shoulder, waiting for the bad guy to be caught, wasn’t her style. Should she at least phone Paval? No one would have to know, and she really was curious about Gabrielle’s alibi. Why else would she still be carrying this ball of paper?
In the lunchroom, Casey poured herself a coffee and sat at the back of the room. She removed her cell phone from her purse, flattened the paper, and memorized the number. After she’d come up with a suitable story to tell Paval, she started pressing digits.
Paval answered on the second ring. After pleasantries were exchanged, Casey asked him if he knew Gabrielle’s phone number. “We have Jasmine’s personal belongings in her locker, and my supervisor said I should contact next of kin. Since Jasmine’s mother’s been ill, I thought I’d try Gabrielle.”
“I doubt she’ll pay to have anything delivered to Parksville.”
David Eisler sauntered in at the other end of the room. When he spotted Casey, her muscles tensed. She looked out the window. Half a dozen conversations were going on in here, so he wouldn’t be able to hear her from this distance.
“Casey, are you still there?” Paval asked.
“Yes, do you know if she’s employed?”
“I’ve no idea, but since she showed up on a weekend, she could be. All I have is a home number. Give me a minute and I’ll get it for you.”
Eisler stared at her as if he expected her to do something wrong. At last he turned away and poured himself a coffee.
When Paval returned and recited the number, Casey scribbled it on the sheet. Eisler started toward her, but three drivers at a table said something to him and he stopped. Casey swept the paper into her purse and held her breath.
“Thanks, Paval, and just one more thing: did Jasmine ever say anything about moving away?”
“No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d wanted to get away from her ex, and she did talk about spending time with her mother.”
“That reminds me, did you ever see a woman with Birch during these stalking episodes?”
“There had been someone with him a couple of times over the past month, but this person always stayed in the car. I can’t honestly say if it was a him or her.”
Eisler was still with the drivers. Since Paval knew a lot about what went on in his building, she said, “Did Jasmine ever mention a man named David Eisler calling her, or coming by her place recently? He has light brown hair, a tan, and nice clothes.”
“Hmm, my wife said something about a man in a suit lurking by the building’s entrance about a week before the murder. Ursula saw him when she was getting the mail and asked what he wanted. He said he was looking for Jasmine, so she assumed he was one of Jasmine’s nightclub acquaintances.”
Casey kept her gaze on Eisler. “Did he give a name or say anything else?”
“I don’t know. You should probably ask Ursula.”
“Is she around?”
Eisler’s conversation ended and he headed for her. Damn.
“She’s working days this week. Today she’s meeting a friend at the Silver Groove after work.”
The club Ursula had mentioned when Casey first met her.
“Thanks, bye.”
As Eisler drew nearer, she sat up straighter. “Miss Holland.” Eisler’s icy tone reached the table before he did.
“Mr. Eisler.” She sipped her coffee.
Eisler rarely sat with people. He seemed to prefer standing and looking down at them.
“Are you feeling better after yesterday’s mishap on the M10?”
“Pretty much.” She picked up her coffee and stood.
“Have you completed an injury report?”
“I will this morning.” She’d felt too lousy to complete the form yesterday and had forgotten about it until now.
Anxious to get out of here, Casey left the room. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Eisler had another reason for approaching her and that it had everything to do with Jasmine.
FIFTEEN
FOR SUMMER’S SAFETY, THE PRINCIPAL had allowed Casey to park close to the door so Summer could enter the car quickly. As she waited inside the school’s exit, Casey watched, through the glass in the door, for anyone who looked like he shouldn’t be on the grounds. Her cell phone rang.
“Hey, it’s Lou. Mom says you can bring Summer over anytime.”
“Great.” Barb’s house was only five minutes from her place. “I’ll take her after supper.”
“Think she’ll want to go?”
“Given that Winifred moved in yesterday, she’ll be running out the door.” Casey scanned the grounds. “Would you like to go dancing tonight? Summer will be safe and neither of us have early shifts tomorrow, and the club I have in mind plays your kind of music.”
“Disco? Really?”
“Totally.” Casey grimaced. Much as she loved Lou, she didn’t share his taste in music.
“I thought you hated disco.”
“Yeah well, things have been stressful lately, and I wanted to make up for dragging you to Birch’s trailer.” The strain Casey had sensed in their relationship since she’d agreed to help Marie hadn’t eased, and the danger to Summer had made things worse. “We could use a fun night.”
“I’m kind of tired. How about a rain check?”
Casey glanced down the empty hall. “That’s not going out, and this is Thursday, so maybe the place won’t be too crowded.”
“Is going out that important to you?”
The bell rang and kids began rushing out of classrooms. “There’s another reason, which is to talk to Jasmine’s landlord’s wife about David Eisler.”
Casey spotted a frowning Summer shuffling down the hall. She hadn’t been happy when Casey told her she couldn’t hang out with friends after school, but Casey wanted her close to home.
“What about Eisler?” Lou sounded edgy.
“Ursula Gallenski apparently talked to a man at her building who wanted to see Jasmine. Based on Paval’s second-hand account, it sounds like him, but I need to talk to her to be sure.”
“I thought you’d quit investigating.”
“It’s just one simple question.”
“We need to talk about this.”
“Oh, Summer’s coming, I’ve got to go.”
Lou could talk all he wanted, but he wouldn’t change her mind. One way or the other, the truth about Eisler had to come out.
• • •
“MUST YOU USE the back door?” Winifred glared at Casey as she and Summer stepped into the kitchen. “It’s very disruptive.”
Utensils covered the counter, and Winifred was wiping out a drawer.
Casey wrinkled her nose at the smell of bleach. “Since I park my car out back, it’s also very convenient.”
“Where’s Cheyenne?” Summer scanned the kitchen and hallway.