by T W Morse
Hannah reaches for the door on our left — it opens! We run in, closing the door behind us and sliding over to the teacher’s desk to hide.
We can hear Sally trying the doors like we did. She sounds crazier than usual. “I’m gonna shoot your girlfriend first. Then I'm going to take my time with you, Ulysses Adair. Oh, and Miss Reyes, maybe I’ll take a trip to that stupid cafe and introduce myself to your parents.”
With this, Hannah tightens her fists while I shake my head at her and wipe her tears away. I place a finger on her lips and whisper, “I’ve got an idea.”
I lead Hannah over to a locked, glass cabinet labeled “chemicals” and quickly scan for the right compound. There it is — potassium.
“Yes!” I whisper. I break the glass with a thick textbook, hoping the sound doesn’t travel to the hallway.
“What are you looking for?” Hannah says impatiently.
“I remember watching an experiment on YouTube that I’m going to recreate,” I whisper.
“Okay?” Hannah says, a little impatiently.
“Potassium in water makes an explosion. We’re going to create a distraction. When she is stunned, you bring her down.”
“Oh, I got this!” Hannah replies, excitedly cracking her knuckles.
The potassium is in a large beaker submerged in an oil bath to keep it stable. It is a very volatile substance and could easily ignite. I retrieve a metal bowl and a dropper syringe. I dash to the front of the room. I can see Sally is only a few doors away and getting closer. I stick the syringe into the jarred potassium, extracting a large portion. I place the potassium in the bowl carefully and center the bowl right in front of the door. Hannah places herself behind one of the lab counters, shielding herself from the blast. I grab the eyewash water bottle that is filled with water and kept in every science lab, just in case eyes get irritated by chemical reactions. The bottle has a nozzle I can use to spray into the bowl from about a foot away before ducking for cover. I gesture to Hannah to cover her ears. She gives me the thumbs up.
Sally finally reaches our lab door. Opening it slowly, she creeps her way into the classroom. I remember the lesson Dad taught me about the American defeat at Bunker Hill, which was really at Breed's Hill — but I digress. I remember he said the American General Israel Putnam famously said, “Don’t fire till you see the whites of their eyes!” I adopt General Putnam's philosophy and wait until she is completely through the door jam. She hasn’t seen me yet as I’m hiding behind one of the lab desks. I see her take another step, and that’s when I reach around the corner and aim the eyewash bottle at the metal bowl. I squeeze hard before ducking back for cover. BOOM! The potassium and water mixture rapidly creates potassium hydroxide. A large fireball explodes, startling Sally. She screams in horror, falling back against the door, and drops her gun.
Hannah comes out of her hiding place with lightning speed. She first punches Sally in the stomach using her left fist, and with her right she punches her in the neck, causing Sally to gasp for air. Hannah isn’t done yet. For good measure, she spins her tiny frame around, whipping her leg and landing a roundhouse kick to Sally’s jaw. Sally crumbles, unconscious, to the floor.
I stand with my mouth wide open, gasping for air from shock and exhaustion. “You’re amazing!” is all I can say.
“Aww, you’re pretty awesome too, Ulysses Adair,” Hannah returns, burying her head into my arms before giving me a big kiss.
Dad and Mr. Nelson both appear in the doorway. “We heard the explosion, you alright?” Dad asks.
“I think the kids did just fine,” Bob says, looking down at the unconscious Sally Gibbins.
We all form a huge bear hug as we hear the sweet sound of police sirens blaring outside.
CHAPTER 45
- ULYSSES -
HELLO DOLLY!
W e are at the sheriff station for hours on Thursday. We find out Dad’s phone did record everything. Also, Helena and Sally are so vengeful they cop to everything from the murders of the three crime bosses in New York to our old assistant principal, Mr. Peters. And of course, the murders of Mr. Wright and Principal Barron.
Dad made the trip to the station after they stitched up his wound at the hospital. He was told he has to wear a sling for a couple of weeks and may need some physical therapy, but the doctors gave him the all clear. He stayed overnight for observation, but he wanted to be with us at the station, so he checked himself out early.
Deputy Diaz and Detective Brute had followed Dad’s clues and were in the process of raiding the house of Ms. Simmons, aka Sally Gibbins, while Hannah and I were being thrown into the trunk by Ms. Clifton, aka Helena Gallant.
Detective Brute is very thankful for our investigation and closing out six murders for him. He is very forgiving of some of our methods and concealment. He does inform Dad and me in his sternest, thickest Southern drawl, “If you eva - get in the way - of anotha - police - investigation - I will - personally - throw y’all in jail!” Dad and I agree profusely to never again get involved with another police investigation.
Terry and Jack were vindicated this morning and put back on the team, which makes Mr. Nelson extremely happy, especially since he has a game in two days.
But the most excitement today is when we are giving witness testimonies down at the sheriff station and it occurs to me where the Royal Cinquedea was hidden.
I am sitting there thinking about everything that transpired the night before and happy school was cancelled, because much of the school is an active crime scene. Something is gnawing at me about what Helena said to us when she was speaking about Donald Wright. I sit for the longest time trying to think what exactly it was that she said that sparked a memory. Then, while waiting with Dad, Hannah, and Mr. Nelson in a cramped interrogation room with Detective Brute, he has a file delivered to him by a female detective. When she gives him the file, he says, “Thanks - doll.” In his drawl. I mean, pretty sexist, but that isn’t what made my memory click. Helena hated dolls.
“The doll!” I blurt out.
Detective Brute looks at me like I have two heads. “What - doll?” he asks, confused.
I look at Dad and then Hannah. “I know where the Royal Cinquedea is hidden!” I say, smiling. “Remember when Helena said she hated dolls but Mr. Wright gave one to her as a gift?”
“Yeah,” Dad replies, unsure of where I am going with this.
“When Hannah and I went to the Gallant home, I stumbled across a really old nasty doll right at the fence line abutting the conservation area,” I add.
“Let’s go!” Dad smiles. We follow behind Detective Brute’s police-issued Ford Interceptor with Dad’s Prius.
When we arrive at Mr. O’Leary’s house, he looks at all of us like we are crazy. Everyone follows me as I try my best to follow the path I took only a few days earlier. I head into the tall grassy conservation area, and sure enough, right by the fence line a decrepit, nasty looking old doll sits staring up at us.
“Yeah, Ulysses. It's an old creepy doll. In a backyard of an old creepy house. It even has an old creepy math teacher living here. No jeweled knife is in that thing,” Mr. Nelson says jokingly.
I lean down to pick it up. The doll is heavy. I turn her over and rip open her seam, reaching my hand into the doll’s stuffing.
“I think all those years ago Toby Gallant hid the Royal Cinquedea in one of his daughter’s cast-aside dolls. He sewed it up with the knife inside and hid it in this field for safety, thinking he would retrieve it before escaping and never tell anyone. He took the secret to his grave,” I say before taking a deep intake of air and swallowing hard. In my hands is a hard object, and I pull it out for everyone to see. I hold a shining, gold, ornate Venetian knife, adorned with tiny gemstones and diamonds, perfectly preserved. “I present to you, the Royal Cinquedea!”
CHAPTER 46
- ULYSSES -
NEVER BACKING DOWN
T hree weeks have passed and life is starting to return to normal. Me, Dad, Hannah, and Mr.
Nelson’s names were plastered all over the local and national news. We were celebrities at school, too. We not only solved six murders, while almost dying, but we also found the missing Royal Cinquedea, which came with a sizable finder’s fee. Dad and Mr. Reyes say it’s for my and Hannah’s college funds.
The Mangrove High boys’ basketball team is in the playoffs and is expected to go far. With their star players, Terry and Jack, and their fearless leader, Mr. Nelson, the sky's the limit.
Hannah and I are doing great. I got a job busing tables at Penny University Cafe. It’s a lot of fun working with her at my favorite restaurant.
It’s not all good news, though. We had Conrad’s going away party at Penny University. Hannah and I cried our eyes out and hated seeing him move away to New York, but we understood. Conrad and his mother were facing scandal and backlash after his father’s crimes and business dealings came to light during his murder investigation. We promised we’d visit and stay in touch.
That wasn’t the only bad news: Our school district did a search for a new principal. With all their immense knowledge and wisdom, they chose our new principal — Silas O’Leary. Yeah, that’s right! Mr. O’Leary is now running Mangrove High. Who knew he had his administration degree? Dad didn’t. He’s not happy.
My dad asked me last week if I was okay with him dating again.
“You gotta be kidding me, Dad. It’s way overdue!” is what I told him. We both cried at my response. “Mom would be so proud of us,” I added.
He told me, “Let’s try and not get into any more trouble investigating crimes.”
“Dad, there are never any guarantees in life,” I said, quoting something Mom always used to say to us.
Dad decided to bring a date by Penny U tonight to meet everyone. Mr. Nelson said he met her when he was in physical therapy. I guess she’s a physical therapist helping Dad to get movement back in his arm after being shot, so he could play guitar with me again. Yeah, you guessed it. It’s Friday at Penny University. Open mic night!
“You ready?” Dad says to me as we sit down with our guitars, center stage, with a huge crowd around us.
“Oh yeah, Dad!” I reply.
“What do you want to play?” Dad asks.
“How about Petty’s ‘I Won't Back Down’?”
“Ulysses, that sounds — swell. 1-1-1-2-3-4.” Dad winks back at me as he counts us in.
--- THE END --
Look for further adventures with Logan and Ulysses in future installments of:
The Adair Classroom Mysteries
By T.W. Morse
https://adairclassroommysteries.sitey.me/
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