Murder in the Middle: A Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mystery by Diane Weiner Page A

side was flush with the wall as expected, but the other was pushed slightly forward. She brought it to the pharmacist’s attention.
    “I’d never noticed that before. I left everything as is.” Josie ran her hands over the edge of the board.
    Susan reached over and unlocked the counter opening. Once she could reach his desk, she stuck her fingers between the board and the wall, chipping her nail polish in the process. She tugged at the cork board until one of the nails popped out. Huh? A manila envelope was tucked in the hiding place.
    “What’s that?” asked the pharmacist. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before.”
    “Strange place for an envelope. Unless, of course, you’re trying to hide it.” Susan opened the envelope and read over the contents. “This looks like a report from some private investigator. Look at the letterhead.”
    “Why was he hiding that?” said the pharmacist.
    Susan flipped the pages and read through it. “This looks like it’s about Adam Bartolo’s fall at Lake Minnewaska. See the diagram? It shows the trajectory of Adam’s fall.”
    Josie read over her shoulder. “It says based on the position of the body and the distance from the edge, Adam couldn’t have been pushed. The conclusion says it was an accident.”
    “It sure does,” said Susan. She pulled a sheet of legal paper out of the envelope. “This is odd.” She turned the paper over.
    “What? What does it say?”
    “It’s pretty cryptic. It says no push/off, and there’s a handwritten diagram showing the waterfall with arrows and a body at the foot of the cliff. ”
    “I’ll call the police,” said the pharmacist.
    “No, better yet, I’ll drop it by the police station and make sure it gets into Lynette’s hands. Let’s look more closely at his desk.” Susan picked up a small notepad which was next to the phone. “This looks like maybe Caleb wrote something and then tore it off. Hand me a pencil.” Susan sketched over the paper with the side of the pencil. “Look at this,” she said. Her heart was pumping faster.
    “It’s a name. Dr. Witherspoon.”
    “Do you know who that is?” asked Susan.
    “No. It’s not anyone I’ve ever heard of. Not a doctor that signs any prescriptions I’ve seen around here.”
    “It looks like there’s a phone number too but I can’t make it out,” said Susan. “I’ll Google him.”
    “Better yet, I have a directory of all the licensed doctors in the state. Here. Let me look.” The pharmacist flipped through the pages and found four different Dr. Witherspoons listed.
    “Too bad we don’t have a first name.” said Susan. “We’ll just have to go down the list and try to find out which one Caleb was calling.”
    “The first one’s a pediatrician. The next is a general practitioner. Can’t see why he’d want to talk to either of them.”
    “Hmm, this one is a forensic pathologist.” Susan pushed her bifocals up. “That could be it. Maybe Caleb had a question about Adam’s murder, even after reading the report.”
    “I’m sure your daughter will be able to find him.”
    “Yes, she’s a great detective. I’ll give her this information also.”

Chapter 34

    Susan intended to bring this new information right to Lynette, but in the words of the great poet Robert Burns, ‘plans oft times go astray.’ The hair on the back of her neck prickled. Was she being followed? It’s just your imagination. Her arms shook on the steering wheel as she noticed a tan Toyota two cars behind her. It turned left when she did, and kept a safe distance behind. She could feel her pulse pounding like a jackhammer on the side of her neck. This isn’t good. Rusty drove the plumbing van, so she doubted it was him. What kind of car does Lindsay drive? Then she made a sharp right and the car did the same. In her rear view mirror, she couldn’t clearly see the driver, but he or she was wearing a hat and scarf. Susan raced through a yellow light. The Toyota passed the