thirty-three

As they drove over to Lucas Oil Raceway, Francine was starting to become okay with the idea that Charlotte had a plan, even if she didn’t know the details of it. She almost had to. Charlotte rode to the track with Joy so they could confer alone, sending Marcy over to ride with her. Francine was grumpy to be stuck with Marcy and hardly talked to the publicist. Marcy never stopped talking, however. She babbled on and on about Lucas Oil, like Francine had never been there, even though it was a major attraction only twenty miles from the Speedway and hosted big drag races on its drag strip and lots of Automobile Racing Club of America events on its smaller oval. When they arrived, Joy went to the press area to meet with the track network’s crew, leaving Marcy with them. Marcy distributed their free tickets. The three women were admitted and then walked the bare-ground trail to the first entrance. Francine tried to think of a way to get rid of the publicist but couldn’t come up with anything.

To the right of them rose a massive wall of sloped concrete that held stands. Though practice was getting ready to start, there was practically no one in the stands.

Charlotte looked at the mostly empty seats. “Is this normal? It’s about one o’clock. I thought this would be like the Indy 500, where people arrive long before the race.”

Francine remembered having the same thoughts when she and Jonathan went to SpeedFest several years back, before Jake had been taken into NASCAR. “No, it’s like this. Practice and qualifications are getting ready to start. Before the lineup of the final race is determined, they’ll have a bunch of heats, probably starting around three o’clock. By then it’ll be filling up. You have to remember that the real draw isn’t the midgets but the Silver Crown series race that happens after that. The stands will be full by then.”

One step at a time, Charlotte led the women up to the first row of bleachers, where she laid out a large sheet of paper with a crude, hand-drawn map of Lucas Oil Raceway on it. Marcy and Francine held on to the edges to keep the wind from blowing it over on itself.

Francine knew the layout. The oval was the place where the midget car race would take place. The short sides of the oval faced north and south. Along the north and west sides of the oval, inside the track, Charlotte had drawn little rectangles that were labeled Pits. Inside the center of the oval extending to the east side was a large area she’d labeled Support Vehicles.

“This is how the track is laid out,” Charlotte said. “After Francine left last night I did a little research, and then this morning I called and talked to Alice because she’s a race fan and knows this place like the back of her hand. The key thing will be finding out where each racer’s pit will be located. We need to pay particular attention to Jake and to Sara. If they have a relationship, we should be able to determine just what that is.”

“Where’s Mary Ruth stationed?” Francine asked.

“Ah, yes, our spies. Mary Ruth and Alice will be back here in the support vehicles area. They need to be close to where they’ll serve their food. I’ve alerted them to be looking for anything suspicious. If they notice anything, they’ll call us on our cell phones.”

“What could they possibly see back there that’s suspicious?” Marcy wanted to know.

“They might hear some gossip that could be a game changer. Right now, I’m operating on instinct. With some additional intel, I might be able to zero in on the killer.”

Francine had to choke back a laugh at the word intel. The track announcer said something incomprehensible and the first midget car raced out onto the track.

“Wow, they’re loud,” Charlotte shouted.

Francine handed her some earplugs. “That’s with only one car out. Wait until the heats start, when more of them are running. Then it gets really loud, and you’ll need these.”

“Good thing we’re already losing our hearing. Otherwise, I’d be worried.”

The driver decided not to complete his qualification and the track was quiet for a few minutes.

Charlotte glanced at Marcy. “We need someone stationed here at the entrance to see who comes in.”

“Sorry, but you’re not ditching me,” Marcy said. “Don’t think you’re going to go off and solve this thing while I sit here twiddling my thumbs.”

“We need to take advantage of the fact that there are three of us,” Charlotte explained. “No one who’s not part of a racing team can get into the infield without going past this spot. It would be useful to know if any of the suspects are coming our way.”

Marcy eyed her. “The only suspects are part of a racing team.”

Charlotte shook her head. “Not so. Larry, for example.”

Francine expressed her surprise. “Larry? Is he going to be here? I thought we agreed he wouldn’t have done it.”

“Nonetheless, he can’t be fully ruled out. And Joy said Alice told her he was coming.”

Marcy folded her hands over her chest. “Not going to work. I’m going with you.”

“Ahem,” said a male voice. The women turned and found Jud standing behind them. He was dressed in his police uniform.

“Hi, Jud,” said Charlotte.

“Where are your friends from the press?”

“I’m sure they’re not far behind,” Francine said.

“The crowd’s so sparse right now, I’d have thought you’d see them.” He sat in the row behind them.

Marcy sniffed. “There aren’t that many of them now.”

“I’ve heard that,” Jud said. A second racer went onto the track and the noise level climbed. Jud shouted his next question. “Francine, could I see you for a moment?” He indicated a spot behind the bleachers.

Francine was mystified as to what Jud could possibly want from her, but she obliged. When Charlotte tried to follow them, Jud frowned at her until she sat back down. “What is it?” she asked when they’d gotten far enough away she was certain Charlotte couldn’t hear, even if the midget car was still qualifying.

“I’m worried about you and Charlotte.”

“Why?”

Jud put his hands in his pockets and got a sheepish look on his face. “I’ve chased the press away to make you all more appealing, but it seems to have backfired. Now, hardly anyone is following you, and with the race happening, I can’t spare the manpower to keep you from getting into more trouble.”

“What makes you think we’re going to get into more trouble?”

“Charlotte attracts trouble, and you’re here on a mission. Tell me what your plans are.”

“To the best of my knowledge, our plans are to follow Jake around, and maybe Sara Baggesen. Charlotte says she thinks she knows who the killer is, but she’s not letting on.” Francine considered telling him about Friederich’s iPod, but since Charlotte technically didn’t have it anymore, she decided she wouldn’t. It would only make Charlotte mad, and if she was correct that the mystery would be solved today, then the iPod might not enter into it.

For some reason, Jud seemed relieved by the information. “I don’t suppose there’s any harm in your doing that. Just promise me that the two of you will stick together.”

Francine nodded. “But since I’ve answered your questions, how about if you reciprocate?”

“If it’s information I can let out, I will.”

“Do you seriously suspect Larry?”

“Not of murder, but there’s something he’s hiding.”

“It may not be criminal. How about Jake? Do you suspect him? He told us he has an alibi.”

“He does, but it’s one person’s word. We understand Jake’s reason for not coming forward with the information right away. That doesn’t mean he’s in the clear.”

Francine thought a moment. “Jake told us that Friederich’s strength was ‘cheating legally.’ Jake took one of his cars from Friederich’s garage. But what about the second car that disappeared, the unmarked one? Could he have taken that one, too? Have his cars been checked to see if they have some kind of advantage Friederich concocted?”

“We thought of that. Both his car and his backup car have been checked. Nothing unusual was detected.”

“Do you mind if I ask who examined them? I mean, knowledgeable people have missed these kinds of things before.”

“We had Excalibur Racing do it. They wanted to help since Friederich worked for them.”

Francine remembered that Vince Baggesen worked at Excalibur. “But who at Excalibur checked it?”

“I’d have to consult my notes. One of their experts. I spoke with their acting chief mechanic, not the person who evaluated the car.”

“When you get a chance, I’d appreciate knowing.”

Jud gave her a hard stare. “Why?”

Francine briefly considered telling him the truth. “Charlotte will ask.”

Jud was not fooled. “If I get you the name, will you tell me why?”

The noise of the midget car quieted as it pulled off the track, and shortly after the announcer gave the qualifying time. The sudden quiet distracted Francine, but she looked back at Jud to find him expecting an answer. “Sure,” she said. “It probably won’t make any difference, but yes, I’ll tell you.”

Jud’s cell phone rang. He looked at the number and walked away from Francine, talking to the caller. She wondered if he would remember to get her an answer.

As Francine returned to the stands, she saw Charlotte sitting on the edge of the bleacher seat gazing in her direction. “What did he want?” she asked.

“He’s worried because we aren’t being followed by the paparazzi. You remember that was part of his strategy to keep us safe. He thinks we’ll get ourselves in trouble.”

“Well, let’s not disappoint him, then. C’mon, Marcy.”

Marcy and Charlotte seemed to have come to some kind of understanding because they were acting chummy. “Where are we going?”

“Into the infield. It’s time to find out where Jake and Sara have their pits.”

The three women used the tunnel that went under the track to get into the infield. As they were walking, they heard Joy’s unmistakably chirpy voice interviewing someone over the loudspeakers. The questions and answers flowed naturally.

“Listen to that!” Marcy said enthusiastically. “She’s doing great.”

Francine had to agree. Charlotte seemed distracted and didn’t comment. When they got out of the tunnel, they hadn’t walked too far along the pits before they came across Joy.

Joy pointed to the man behind her shouldering a video camera. “Look! The track network gave me a cameraman.”

Marcy pumped a fist. “Cool.”

“We’re heading over to Sara Baggesen’s pit. She’s next up to qualify.”

“Where’s Jake’s pit?” Charlotte asked.

“Way back over there,” Joy said, pointing in the opposite direction. “Not optimal for our purposes, is it, Charlotte?”

“Not at all.” Charlotte was clearly unhappy.

A look passed between them. It made Francine nervous. “What purposes? What have you got planned?”

“Nothing, Francine. Just stay close.”

The women followed Joy and her cameraman to Sara’s pit. Along the way, Charlotte pulled out her map and Joy identified Sara’s area, which was located at the north end where the racers exited into the pits, and Jake’s position at the southwest corner, where the cars left the pits to get onto the track.

“I bet it’s a seniority kind of thing,” Joy said. “Jake’s been around the block enough.”

“I wonder where Mary Ruth’s van is from here.” Charlotte shaded her eyes, even though she was wearing sunglasses and a floppy hat.

Francine pointed away from where they stood, near Sara’s pit, back toward Jake’s. “I thought you saw it when we were in the bleachers. Remember where all the catering trucks were parked in the back of the infield? Mary Ruth’s pink van is reasonably close to Jake’s pit.”

“I guess we’ll have to hike all the way back there to get any free samples,” Charlotte said.

Joy cupped her hand around her ear as though she were trying to listen to someone talking to her. That was when Francine noticed she was wearing an earpiece. Joy said to her cameraman, “We’ve been told to stand by. Sara’s getting ready to make a qualifying run.”

“We’re here at a good time,” Charlotte said.

The noise level inside the track was even louder than when they were in the bleachers.

Sara’s car raced out onto the track. When it did, Joy’s cameraman dashed into the pit and set up. He motioned Joy to follow him. The other women moved closer to the pit area but stayed on the outside.

Sara completed her practice lap. When the announcer gave the speed, he said it was the fastest lap of the day. She made her first qualification lap, but it was slower. “Did it look to you like she backed off on her speed?” Francine asked. “It looked like it to me.”

Charlotte nodded. “It did, and I’d say it was deliberate.”

Sara’s second lap completed her qualification run. It came in a little faster but still behind the quick practice lap. The announcer said Sara Baggesen had the fastest qualification time so far. Francine was suspicious.

The crowd cheered for Sara. “Sounds like she has a lot of fans here,” said Marcy. She moved into the pit to get closer to where Joy and the cameraman were finishing setting up.

There were no other qualifiers at that moment, so the noise abated while Joy did her interview, which was broadcast on a couple of giant screens. Joy congratulated Sara, asked a couple of soft questions, then said, “You blistered the track with your practice lap, but then you seemed to back off on your speed. What was going on with your car?”

“It felt a little loose,” she said, “and I wasn’t comfortable at the corners, so I had to take a bit off the speed. But the qualification run ought to hold up. It’s pretty fast.”

“Well, congratulations, Sara, and I hear congratulations are also in order for you having completed your black belt in karate.”

Sara looked confused. “You must’ve heard incorrectly. I don’t have my black belt. I’ve been focusing more on modeling lately. In fact, I’ve just signed with a local agency. Can’t talk about where I’ve auditioned, but I hope to be in a commercial soon.”

Francine turned to Charlotte. “Why is it I feel you were responsible for that question?”

Charlotte looked as puzzled as Sara had been. “But that symbol you showed me, Francine. I researched it. It indicates someone highly experienced in martial arts.”

“She didn’t deny she took karate, she just said she wasn’t that far along.”

“At some point she must’ve wanted it then, for it to have been tattooed on her ankle.”

“What were you trying to do, link her to the blood choke?”

Charlotte got a sheepish look on her face. “Sort of.”

Joy wrapped up her interview. Police and security guards began filtering into the area.

Francine pointed to them. “Looks like something’s happening.”

“There’s Toby!” Charlotte said. “I’m going to go talk to him. Maybe he knows what’s going on.”

She started to take off, but Francine held her by the arm. “I think we should stay together. Jud is heading to talk to Sara. Let’s go find out what he knows.”

“He’s not going to tell us anything. And I’ll be fine talking to Toby. What trouble can I get into?”

“Charlotte, if addiction to trouble had a twelve-step program, I’d have you enrolled.”

“I don’t want him to get away. Let me go.”

“Set your cell phone to vibrate and hold it in your hand. You’ll never hear it ring when it gets noisy and I may need to contact you.”

Charlotte made a beeline for Toby, and Francine made one for Jud.

Jud held up a hand. “Before you ask, I can’t tell you what we’re doing.”

“Will you let me guess? You’re going to check the car because it went abnormally fast. You want to know if it has any technology Friederich might have developed.”

“Cannot confirm or deny,” he said.

Francine smiled. “You’re good at bluffing, Jud, but I’ve known you for a long time.”

He shook his head. “I can’t say any more.”

“Then answer my question from earlier. Who was it at Excalibur Racing that checked Jake’s car over for you? I bet you found out it was Vince Baggesen, and now this qualification seems suspicious.”

“It was Vince Baggesen. That’s all I can tell you.”

Francine watched as Jud went into the pits. The police were trying not to attract attention, but she thought it was clear to anyone watching that something must be wrong because the police weren’t in anyone else’s pit. They stopped to talk to Vince Baggesen. Francine wondered where Darla was. In fact, now that she thought about it, it was strange that Darla had not been around to watch Sara qualify. What could Darla be doing that was more important? Maybe she should find Charlotte and head over to Jake’s pit. What if Darla knew about Jake and Sara and decided to put a stop to it?

Francine looked around for Charlotte and panicked. She was nowhere to be found. Then some of the crowd around the pits parted for Toby in his bright yellow Security shirt. Francine hurried over to him. “Where’s Charlotte?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She was here a minute ago. I gave her the iPod back, and she went off toward the catering area.” He pointed in that direction. “She said she was looking for my grandma.”

“Were you able to get the password for the iPod?”

“No, but I was able to reset it. I told her the new password, but I’m not sure she knows how to work the device.”

Francine pulled out her iPhone and called Charlotte. Fortunately she answered, almost on the first buzz. “Where are you, Charlotte?”

“I’m over by the Fox Sports tent, trying to find Mary Ruth. Francine, I think I know who killed Friederich. Sara’s tattoo threw me off, but now it all makes sense.”

“That’s great, but do you have proof ? Because I think I can get proof.”

Charlotte sounded cagey. “You tell me who you think it is first.”

“I’m not trying to one-up you. I think we can prove this, and then we can take it to Jud. Toby says you have the iPod.”

“I do, but the answer is so much simpler.”

“Charlotte, please. Just follow my directions exactly. Remember, we thought the proof was on the iPod.”

“I don’t know how to work it.”

“I’m going to tell you.”

“Well, I’ll have to put the phone down to get it out. I’m juggling my purse and my cane.”

“Please, just do it quickly.”

“Okay, I’m holding the iPod. Now what?”

Francine told her how to turn it on.

After a bit, Charlotte said, “Okay, it’s on.”

“Sign in. Use the new password Toby gave you.”

“Is this going to take long?”

“It might, but this is really important. Did you press it?”

Charlotte sounded distracted. “Yeah.”

“Now look at the screen. You should see a bunch of little icons. Is one of them ‘videos’?”

“It is.”

“Tap on it.”

“I’m juggling too much stuff again, Francine. Let me put my purse on the ground.”

The announcer said that Jake Maehler was next up to begin his qualification run. The crowd noise picked up.

“Wait, Charlotte. Before you do that, let me tell you all the steps. You’ll see a list of videos after you tap on the screen. You can move through the list by putting your finger on the screen and scrolling up. See if there’s something that looks homemade, like Friederich filmed it himself.”

“Okay.”

Francine waited. She had gnawing feeling that somehow things were wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. The announcer said Jake’s name again to make a qualification run, but there was no accompanying noise of his midget car. “Charlotte, I think something’s happened to Jake.”

But Charlotte never responded. Francine heard a female voice talking to Charlotte, one she recognized immediately. Then she heard a crunch, loud and clear through the phone. The connection went dead.