Buster was in the Reads' neighborhood. He questioned people young and old about whether or not they had seen anything fishy. One old lady, Mrs. Thornbush, was particularly interesting to talk to. She was a healthy woman of sixty-five, with gray hair, and chestnut eyes. Buster took note of how healthy she looked. He figured he couldn't rule her out because of her age.
"So you were here at home last night?" Buster asked.
"That's where I was." The lady replied.
"Are you sure you didn't maybe, take a walk? Maybe over to the Read house?" Buster persisted.
Mrs. Thornbush thought for a second. She tapped her chin, looking upward, before replying,
"Y'know I think I did take a little stroll after dark."
"Did you notice anything strange at the Read house?"
"I know they had lots of company. Why?"
"Did you see anyone around the house?" Buster asked.
"Besides the company?"
"Yes."
"There was someone with a hoodie walking around the neighborhood when I went back inside. I didn't know what to think so I quickly locked all my doors." Mrs. Thornbush said.
Buster took a quick peek inside. He noticed a hooded jacket hanging on a doorknob.
"A hoodie like that?" He pointed inside. Mrs. Thorbush cautiously said, "Yes."
"Final question: Do what do you think of Sue Ellen Read?"
Mrs. Thornbush shrugged. "All she ever does is stay at home."
"She has a kid."
"Which is why she needs a job. To support her family. The economy isn't what it used to be. I happen to think she's spoiled with all she's got. A husband, a fancy house, a fancy car, all without working for any of it."
Buster wrote something in his notepad. Mrs. Thornbush raised her eyebrow.
"Do you have any tools?" Buster asked.
"Yeah, I've got wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers."
Pliers. Just what Buster needed to hear. "Thank you ma'am." He said, before walking off. In his notepad, he wrote,
Suspect List
Mary Thornbush
-Breakline-
It was Francine and Sandra's lunch break. They sat watching the news. Both were shocked to learn that Sue Ellen had gotten into a car accident.
"Oh my." Sandra whispered. "It says her brakes were cut. Who'd want to kill Sue Ellen?"
Sandra whipped her head towards Francine. Francine looked at her coworker. "What? It's tragic!"
Sandra looked back at the TV.
"Do you think this could be a sign?" Francine asked. Sandra sighed. "Good Lord. What are you getting at Francine?"
"Maybe it means that Arthur and Sue Ellen weren't meant to be together."
"If that were the case, they would have divorced a long time ago." Sandra said, exasperated.
"Yeah I guess so. I hope Sue Ellen's alright." Francine stated, earning her a strange look from Sandra.
Buster entered the supermarket. He looked around to see if Francine or Sandra were around. He walked up to a young blonde girl and asked her, "Hi, do you know if a Francine Frensky is around?"
The girl nodded and pointed towards the back of the store.
"Sure. She's in the break room, just go straight back."
"Thank you." Buster walked off towards the break room. When he entered, he flipped out his badge.
"Buster Baxter, Private Detective. I'm here to ask some questions." He said.
-Breakline-
Arthur was leaning back in the hospital chair. He never left Sue Ellen's bedside. He woke up groggy from a nap. He ran a hand over his face before giving a sharp exhale. He looked at Sue Ellen. She looked peaceful. The monitor continued beeping, a sign that she was still okay.
Someone stepped into the room. Arthur looked up. It was Kate. She pulled a chair to sit next to her brother. Arthur hadn't seen Kate in a while. She was twenty-three now, with long, golden locks of hair. She had married a guy named Cody, and she was a teacher at Lakewood Elementary.
For a while they just sat. Arthur cleared his throat. Kate looked at him.
"How'd you find out?" He asked.
"DW told me." Kate replied. "I'm so sorry."
Arthur just shrugged. It fell quiet again. Arthur said, "I haven't talked to you in years. Why's that?"
"Life. You know how it is. Something's always coming up." Kate replied.
Arthur gave a "hmm" sound. He then asked, "Why are you here?"
"I thought you might need some comfort." Kate smiled sadly. When Arthur didn't respond, she just looked ahead, silence overtaking them once again.
-Breakline-
Buster arrived at his office, processing some new info. Francine had said that she was home alone that night, watching TV. She said that she had called Muffy on the phone, and they had talked for a while. When asked about how she felt about Sue Ellen, she mentioned that she felt hurt that Sue Ellen married Arthur. She mentioned things like "didn't deserve him", "spoiled brat", and various other phrases that made her suspect.
Buster looked at his notepad. Mrs. Thornbush couldn't have committed the crime. He reasoned that she was too old. But she fit clues: She had been out around the neighborhood that night, she had a hoodie, like the one she claimed the criminal was wearing, and she had the tools to carry out the sabotage. But why would she rat out herself?
Buster figured it must've been to throw him off the trail. He'd seen that tactic too many times to be fooled by it again. He decided to not rule her out just yet. Besides, she had motive. That was evident from their conversation earlier.
Francine was a different cookie. Her story might check out. Buster decided to visit Muffy tomorrow to check the authenticity of her claim. But Francine also had motive. Sue Ellen married her ex, had a happy life with him, while Francine stayed miserable. He decided to keep a close eye on both his suspects.
-Breakline-
It was the next day. Elwood City was bustling about, unaware of the troubles besetting the Read family. Before work, Francine had driven over to Muffy's, to talk. Muffy had invited her friend in with open arms.
"What's up Francine?" Muffy asked.
"Did you hear that Sue Ellen got in an accident?" Francine inquired.
"Yeah. Is she gonna be alright?" Muffy wondered.
"I hope not." Francine said bluntly.
"Why'd you say that?" Muffy asked.
"It's just that, she's got everything! She stole Arthur from me, she married him, had a kid, and now he has a good job, and he gives her nice things, like the most expensive car out there, and I'm stuck in a dead end job, with hardly any niceties to speak of!" Francine rambled. "I just want her to be put in her place. She doesn't deserve anything she has. I'd like her to just lose all of it."
"I know how you feel Francine. You want Arthur on the market again." Muffy said, sitting down on her couch.
"Yeah." Francine confessed, a little embarrassed. "I want what she has. I just want success."
"Well, Francine," Muffy started. "I'm your best friend. I'd do anything to help you. Anything. And I can tell you with full confidence, that if that car crash doesn't kill her, something else will."
Francine nodded, contemplating this new information.
-Breakline-
Arthur had gotten the day off of work. He stayed at Sue Ellen's side, afraid that if he moved, when he came back she would be gone. After a grueling eighteen hours the ginger girl finally opened her eyes. She looked back and forth for a bit, before figuring out where she was. Arthur smiled at her.
"Hey!" He said. Sue Ellen stretched out her hand. Arthur grabbed it, and Sue Ellen smiled.
"You'll be alright." Arthur said, trying to comfort himself more than anyone.
When the doctor came in, he was stunned. Surprised, he said, "You're awake!"
Sue Ellen gave a weak nod, and Arthur looked at the doctor.
"This is good. She should recover much quicker now." The doctor reassured. "You were fortunate to survive that accident, Mrs. Read."
"Is the other driver okay?" Arthur asked. The doctor nodded.
"He wasn't hurt nearly as bad as your wife here." The doctor replied. The doctor squeezed Arthur's shoulder. "I'll be back." He left the room. Arthur slunk back into his chair, relieved, and a tad bit more hopeful.