“You know you’re making yourself out to be a pretty good suspect.” Sam said as he closed his notebook.
“Yeah, I’m not too bright,” he said.
“Where were you the night your ex-wife was killed?”
“I was at a meeting all night.”
“What kind of meeting?”
“Alcoholics Anonymous,” Mark Burns said. He shifted his gaze to the table with the shears.
“That’s a better group than this D.A.,” Sam said.
“Yeah,” Mark said. “If I had gone there first, maybe Kate and I would still be married. Maybe she’d still be alive.”
♦♦♦
After Mark wrote down the information on which Alcoholics Anonymous meeting he attended, Sam left Highland Park wondering about the man with the strong jawline and piercing blue eyes. Could he be the guy? Everything inside Sam screamed no, it isn’t him, but it is almost always the husband or boyfriend. Maybe he’d get a better feeling from Brian Foley, the boyfriend. He lived in West View. Sam headed back towards town and then north. Brian Foley lived near West View Park and as Sam drove past, he could hear the sounds from the park and the music blasting from Danceland. It made him smile. Maybe he would take the family out to White Swan Park tomorrow on his day off. If Ballant would let him take the day off, since apparently only he could work this homicide.
He pulled up in front of an apartment building and got out. He found Brian Foley’s name and rang the buzzer.
“Yes,” an elderly woman’s voice said.
“Ma’am, my name is Detective Sam Lucas. I need to speak to Brian Foley about Katherine Burns.”
“One moment,” the woman said. “I don’t know how to work this thing. Brian, sweetie, there is a detective here to see you. How do you let him in?”
A moment later, he heard a click and Sam opened the door and walked up a flight of stairs to Brian Foley’s apartment on the second floor. After knocking, a much younger looking woman than Sam expected answered the door. “Ma’am,” Sam said as the woman opened the door.
“My name is Clara Foley. I’m Brian’s mother. He’s not doing too well. It has hit him rather hard. He and Katie were getting married next month.”
“I’m so sorry to have to disturb him,” Sam said. “I know this is a very trying time, but I must ask him some questions.”
“Of course, Detective. Please follow me. He’s sitting in the kitchen. Just sitting there. I tried to get him to eat something, but he won’t touch a thing. It has been hard enough just to keep him drinking some water.”
“I’m sure it has been very difficult.” When Clara led Sam into the kitchen, Sam saw a big man hunkered over an uneaten sandwich, his face blotchy with tears, stubble on his face. He wore a bathrobe that hung open exposing white boxers and t-shirt.
“Brian, this is Detective Lucas. He needs to ask you some questions. Is that okay?” Clara asked. She went over and scooped up the plate with the uneaten sandwich on it and disposed of it.
Brian Foley looked up at Sam. His eyes bloodshot to the point of total redness. “Why?” Foley sobbed. “Why?”
“Because you might be able to give me an understanding of who Kate was.”
“No,” Brian shook his head. “Why her? Why her?”
“I don’t know, but I am going to find out.”
“She was so beautiful.”
“She was,” Sam said. “How did you two meet?”
“At school.”
Sam opened his notebook and found the note about the elementary school. “Hilston?”
“Yes. We both taught there. She taught English. I taught Social Studies.”
“You’re a teacher?”
“Yes. We both were. She loved teaching. She loved kids. We were going to get married next month. We both wanted to have kids before it was too late.”
“Too late?” Sam asked.
“Well, I’m almost forty, she was thirty-four. We wanted to have kids before we couldn’t anymore. I guess that’s not going to happen, is it? I guess I’m never going to be a father. Why? Why would someone do that to someone else?”
“Wouldn’t she have had to quit if she got pregnant?”
“She would have. Not long ago she would have had to quit if she were married.”
“Can you tell me anything about her ex-husband?”
“Her ex-husband?”
“Yes. Mark Burns?”
“Mark? Of course. I haven’t seen him in months. He used to come around every now and again to help Katie with something or other. He was pretty handy. I’m not. But he stopped coming around and helping.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know,” Brian said.
“Did Katie ever talk about him?”
“No, not really. He was a nice guy. I wasn’t sure why they had gotten divorced to be honest. I was glad they had, but they were so nice to each other.”
“Do you think perhaps he tried to reconcile with her?”
“No. I don’t think so. I got the impression he was happy for her.”
“What about at the school? Were things good there?
“Yes. Everyone loved her. We started back to work this past week.”
“School is still out, isn’t it?” Sam asked.
“The kids aren’t back yet, but we come back earlier than most. Our principal is a bit of a hard case. He believes in being overly prepared.”
“If I were to stop by the school sometime this week, it would be open?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the principal’s name?”
“Barry Schofield. He’s an all right guy. Good principal. Tough on the teachers. Tough on the kids.”
“Yet, he didn’t force Mrs. Burns to quit when she got married to Mark Burns.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said yourself that it wasn’t that long ago that a woman would be forced to quit once they were married. Yet, she was not. Why is that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it was a secret. Barry and Katie were pretty good friends. He may have kept it a secret, so he could keep her. I don’t know though.”
“I hate to ask you this, Mr. Foley, but I have to. On the night that Katherine was killed, where were you?”
“Me and my brother had dinner out and then went to the Pirates and Reds game that evening. Then, we went back to his house and went to sleep. I came home the next day.”
“I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Mr. Foley.”
“Just find out what happened to my Katie please.”
“I will.” Sam stood and Clara led him out of the apartment. Before he could walk down the stairs, Clara stopped him. He stood a couple of steps down looking up at Brian Foley’s mother, tears in her eyes.
“He couldn’t have hurt her,” Clara said.
“I don’t think so either,” Sam said.
“She was such a strong and sweet woman. Such a shame. You will find who did this to her?”
“I always do,” Sam said.
“Always?”
“Always.”
♦♦♦