Free Murder Is Private by Diane Weiner Page B

the murder. There were witnesses.” For a moment, she thought he’d take a swing at her. Thankfully, he stepped back and dropped his fist.
    “You know nothing. Get off my property and don’t come near me again.”
    “Or what? You’ll beat me like you did Celia? You’ll set me on fire?”
    Susan saw the veins popping out of his neck. Her heart was pounding. She was about to run, when he gave her a shove and slammed the door shut. She ran around the corner of his house, then leaned against a tree and caught her breath. She couldn’t wait to see him locked up in a cell.

Chapter 18

    Susan burst through the front door, sweaty and out of breath. “Lynette! Where are you? Lynette!”
    “Hush,” whispered her daughter, bustling down the stairs. “I just put Annalise down for a nap. What’s wrong?”
    “I just had a run in with Derrick Watkins.”
    “Are you okay? Did he come to the school?”
    “No, it was at his house.”
    “At his house? What on earth were you doing at his house?”
    “I found a wedding photo in Celia’s office and wanted to return it to him. I was going to leave it at his front door, but he saw me.”
    “Are you crazy, Mom? I told you to stay out of trouble, but you never listen. Did he hurt you?”
    “No, but I’m sure he killed Celia. He grabbed the photograph from me and threw it on the ground, the cold jerk. He hated her. And the man has a temper. You know that from the funeral. Remember how he gave Schwartz the bloody nose?”
    “It doesn’t mean he killed her.”
    “Did you find any witnesses who corroborated his alibi? No, right?”
    “Not yet. I’ll call Kevin and see what’s going on.”
    “He’s guilty,” said Susan, smoldering with anger. “I know it. Oh, and an anonymous witness heard them fighting in the arboretum the night of the murder.”
    “An anonymous witness? How did you come by that tidbit of information?”
    “I can’t say. I promised I’d keep his identity a secret.”
    “ His identity. It’s one of your students, right? A male student. A music major. It wouldn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who he is. Really, Mom.”
    “Did Kevin check the emergency room records to see if Celia had ever been admitted with suspicious injuries?”
    “I wish you’d trust the police to do their job without your prodding, Mom. Kevin went over to the ER this afternoon.”
    “Just pass the tip along to Kevin, Lynette. I promised my, uh, brother that I’d help.”
    “And you, stay out of trouble. You never learn.”

    After dinner, Susan took a walk around the neighborhood to try to sort out the recent events. She put what she knew together. Derrick had been having a fight with Celia. She tried to get away, but he followed her into the arboretum. His temper got the best of him, and he whacked her in the head, killing her. Too bad they hadn’t found the murder weapon yet. At least as far as Susan knew they hadn’t found it. Of course, Lynette wouldn’t tell her if they had. Maybe there’d be some good physical evidence when they did––fingerprints, or Derrick’s DNA.
    Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around, but saw no one. What if Derrick was coming after her? She race-walked along the sidewalk. Looked again. Still no one. It was stress. She was imagining things. She picked up her pace. Now she was almost jogging. She could hear herself panting. Then, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She froze. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. Was it Derrick? How am I going to get out of this?
    “I need to talk to you.” She was expecting to hear Derrick’s gruff voice, but was surprised when a woman spoke.
    Susan froze in her tracks. When she could make her feet move again, she turned around. She was face to face with a petite red head.
    “Who are you? What do you want?”
    “I need to tell you something. Derrick didn’t kill Celia, and he never beat her. She was the one abusing him.”
    “What? Who are