by R. L. Stine
“We spoke to Mrs. Maloney and to the teacher. What’s her name?”
“Montgomery,” his partner offered.
“You know. We’re trying to cover every angle. Grasping at straws, really.”
He and Mark stared at each other. Mark waited for him to continue. He could smell Autumn’s lemony perfume. Was it on his cheek?
“We asked the principal to go over everything that happened on Wednesday,” Pinto said. “We just asked if anything concerning the deceased stuck out in her mind that day. Anything at all.”
“What were you looking for exactly?” Mark asked. He leaned forward and crossed his arms over the desk.
“We didn’t know,” Pinto said. “Just trying to get an idea of the boy’s day.”
“I don’t understand,” Mark said. “You talked to the principal. So . . . why did you come here?”
“Well . . .” Pinto removed his cap and tossed it onto the arm of the couch. “The principal remembered that Derek Saltzman had a fight with your boys that morning.”
“Huh? A fight?”
“A spitting fight.”
Mark felt his cheeks grow hot. “I don’t think so. My son Ira would never spit on anyone.”
“Mrs. Maloney recalled that Derek Saltzman spit water on your son Ira and on your twin boys as well.”
Mark shook his head. “First I’ve heard of it. I do know that Derek has been in trouble before.”
“Well, we thought your boys might have some kind of information or recollection from that day,” Pavano chimed in. “Something that might give us a clue.”
“That’s pretty fucking desperate,” Mark said, tapping the desktop with both hands.
“We agree,” Pinto said quickly. “But there’s one more detail.” He turned to Pavano, as if asking for permission to continue.
Pavano gave an almost invisible shrug.
“This isn’t being given out to anyone,” Pinto said, playing with his cap, twirling it on one hand. “If you could keep it confidential. I mean, not spread it around to people in the community.”
“Yes. Of course,” Mark said.
“Well, you see,” Pinto continued in a voice just above a whisper, “the boy’s murder is very similar to the murder that occurred in your driveway.”
Mark couldn’t hide his surprise. “How do you mean?”
“The victim was burned,” Pinto said. “Like with a blowtorch. Very similar. Only in the boy’s case, his head was burned completely off. We found his skull—no skin on it or anything. We found his skull all scorched . . . under his bed.”
Mark stood up. He took a deep breath and held it, fighting down his nausea.
“Horrible,” he muttered. “Like a fucking horror movie.”
The two cops nodded. Pinto spoke first. “So, since the murders were similar, and since your sons had the spitting fight with the victim on the morning of his death, we just thought it wouldn’t hurt to talk to them for a few minutes. With your permission, of course.”
“But tell me again. You certainly don’t suspect—” Mark started.
Pinto waved a hand. “Of course not. No kid could do what we’ve seen in these murders. Pavano and I, we’re just trying everything.”
“You know, I’ve thought a lot about the murder in my driveway,” Mark said, sitting up straight, leaning his head against the back of the desk chair. “I mean, it’s hard to stop thinking about it.”
“That’s for sure,” Pinto replied.
“I mean, it’s not like you guys leave and I just turn it off. I think about it day and night.”
“And?” Pinto said, showing a little impatience.
“Well, I just think you’re looking in all the wrong places. I mean, coming here? That’s a waste of your time. These murders . . . They’re so violent. And nothing like this has happened in Sag Harbor before, right? So you need to check out new arrivals. Find someone who’s moved here very recently, someone with a violent past. The summer people haven’t arrived yet. That should make your job easier. I’m not a cop, but I’d be checking mental hospitals and—”
“Thanks for your advice. But you have to understand you’re our number one suspect,” Pavano blurted out.
Mark felt his face grow hot. He saw Pinto flash an annoyed scowl at his partner.
“A guy comes to your house with bad news,” Pavano said, ignoring Pinto’s displeasure, “he ends up dead in your driveway. A kid gets into a fight with your boys. The kid ends up dead in his room.”
Mark wished they wouldn’t concentrate their stares on him like that. Yes, he could feel he was blushing. But blushing could mean all kinds of things. He’d written a paper on it. Why was he thinking about that paper now?
“I can testify that Mark isn’t a murderer.”
The voice made Mark jump. Lea came floating barefoot into the office, in a sleeveless blue top and blue short shorts. Her hair fell loosely around her face.
Mark thought she looked beautiful, except for her eyes, which were red and tired from staring into the laptop screen all day.
The two officers climbed slowly to their feet. They all nodded at each other solemnly.
“Mark can’t even kill a lobster,” Lea said. “He’s so squeamish, I have to drop them in the pot. He looks the other way. Really.”
Pinto studied Mark. “I’m allergic to shellfish,” he said.
“Too bad,” Lea offered.
“Mrs. Sutton, you were away when the murder occurred in your driveway,” Pavano said.
“I was in the city. I had some meetings. But I hurried home. I knew the kids would be upset.”
“They’ve been very edgy and out of sorts,” Mark added. “I’ve tried to get them to talk about it, but . . .”
Pinto turned back to Lea. “The twin boys were out in the front yard when the victim was murdered. Have they said anything to indicate—”
“That they saw anything?” Lea interrupted. “No. Not a word. Mark asked them directly more than once. They say they were in back. In the guesthouse, in their room. They didn’t see a thing. And I believe them.”
“The twins have had their lives turned upside-down,” Mark said. “Losing their parents and their home on the island, moving to a very different place. I’ve been watching them very closely. I think I’d know if they were keeping something from me.”
“Well, we appreciate all your help,” Pavano said.
“We came to ask the three boys just a few questions. Do you think that would be okay now?”
Mark turned to Lea. “Roz was going to take them into town to buy dinner,” Lea said. “But go ahead.”
“I guess it would be okay,” Mark said. “But if the talk begins to upset them—”
“We’ll know when to stop,” Pinto said, glancing at his partner.
“I’m happy to cooperate, even if you think I’m your number one suspect. But as I said, this is pretty ridiculous, a total waste of time,” Mark muttered, walking to the office door.
“We have to do everything,” Pinto said. “This isn’t our usual kind of case.”
“I’ll go get the boys,” Lea said. She turned to Mark. “I’m going back to my work. Roz will take the boys and get dinner when they’re finished here.”
Mark turned to the cops. “The boys are out back. In the guesthouse. They’ve been hanging out there. All three of them. My son is shy and difficult. But I think he’s bonding with his new brothers.”
“Nice,” Pavano muttered.
Mark realized that was too much information.
I’m their top suspect. God. How stupid is that?
He heard the boys clomping down the hall.
I’ll cooperate the best I can. But of course my main goal has to be to protect my kids.
51
A few minutes later, the three boys stepped in. They glimpsed the two police officers and lingered near the office door.
All three boys wore loose-fitting denim jeans and oversize dark T-shirts. Ira carried his game player in one hand. The twin
s had sweet smiles on their faces, which seemed strange to Mark. Why were they always so happy?
Pinto motioned for them to sit on the floor. He squinted from one to the other. “Those arrows on your faces.”
“We saw them on kids at your school,” Pavano offered. “The principal said—”
“It’s our new school symbol,” Daniel interrupted. He turned his face to show off his blue arrow.
“What does it mean?” Pinto asked.
“Up,” Daniel replied. “Up with Sag Harbor Middle School.”
“Nice,” Pinto said. But he gave his partner a look that said it wasn’t so nice. “Is everyone at your school wearing them?”
“They will be,” Daniel answered. “It was the principal’s idea.”
“Different,” Pavano commented.
“We just want to talk to you for a few minutes about your friend Derek Saltzman,” Pinto said, leaning toward the boys with his hands on his knees. “Of course you heard about what happened to Derek.”
The boys nodded somberly. “It’s very sad,” Daniel said softly.
“Is that how you feel? Sad?” Pinto asked.
The three of them nodded again.
“He wasn’t very nice,” Ira said, eyes down. “But he shouldn’t be killed.”
“Not very nice?” Pinto’s eyes widened.
“He was mean to a lot of kids,” Ira said, glancing at Mark.
Mark nodded, signaling him to be honest about Derek.
“Was he mean to you?” Pinto asked Ira.
Ira nodded. He stuffed his hands into his jeans. “Yeah. He took things from me. Candy and stuff. He did that to everyone. My friend Ethan, too. He took their stuff. He bossed kids around. A lot.”
“It’s . . . very scary,” Samuel chimed in. “What happened to Derek.” Mark saw a tear glisten on his cheek.
Daniel’s shoulders trembled. “I’m scared,” he said, eyes on Mark. “Why did a killer do that to Derek?”
Samuel and Daniel both sobbed. Tears tracked down their faces. Ira kept his head down. He kept picking at a scab on his thumb.
“I think that’s enough for now,” Mark told the two cops.
Pinto leaned closer to the boys. “Are you feeling too sad to answer a few more questions?”
Silence. Ira spoke first. “It’s okay.”
“You said Derek was mean. Is that why you got in a fight with him Wednesday morning?”
The question made Mark clench his jaw. But the boys didn’t react at all.
“It wasn’t a fight,” Daniel said, raising his blue eyes to the cops. He wiped tears off his cheeks with both hands.
“It was just a joke, don’t you know,” Samuel told them. “That’s all. A water-spit joke. We didn’t have a fight.”
Pavano tapped notes into his phone. Pinto studied their faces.
“You didn’t get angry when Derek spit water on you?”
“Just a joke,” Daniel muttered. “The boyo was joking us.”
“Mark? Can you come here a minute? I need some help.” Mark heard Roz call from the kitchen.
He jumped to his feet and motioned to the two cops. “Be right back.” He hurried from the room.
Pinto scratched the side of his face. “Just one more thing. I need to ask you twins one more question.”
They raised their eyes to him.
“You see, we talked to the school bus driver. He told us you two weren’t on his bus Wednesday afternoon. Is that true?”
Daniel and Samuel exchanged glances. “Yes,” Daniel answered. “We missed the bus, don’t you see.”
Pinto: “Where did you go?”
“To Derek’s house.”
Both officers leaned forward. Pinto studied the twins’ faces. “You went to Derek’s house after school? Why?”
“To tell him no hard feelings,” Daniel said in a tiny voice. “We told him we weren’t mad at him. You know. About the water spitting.”
Pavano typed furiously on his phone. Then he stopped. “Does your father know you were at Derek’s house?”
They both nodded. “He came to pick us up,” Daniel said. His shoulders started to tremble again. His twin wiped tears from his eyes.
Pavano and Pinto exchanged glances again. “Funny. He didn’t tell us about that.”
“It was so scary,” Daniel uttered. “Samuel and I—we were scared.” Both twins looked to the doorway, checking to see if Mark was there.
“Why were you scared?”
“Pa yelled at Derek,” Daniel replied, voice trembling. “Pa yelled at him. He was real mad. For spitting on us, I think. And Pa slapped Derek. He slapped Derek twice.”
Both boys were sobbing now. “We were so scared,” Samuel said.
“Pa made us promise not to tell,” Daniel added, glancing to the door. “But it wasn’t right. Pa shouldn’t have done that. It made us scared.”
52
“I need to talk to you boys.” Mark burst into the guesthouse. “This is serious.” His head was spinning. His muscles felt tight from . . . anger.
He wasn’t expecting the scene confronting him. Ira and Ethan on the floor, backs against the wall of the small bedroom, books in their laps. Two lanky, dark-haired boys Mark didn’t recognize, hunched on the twin’s beds with video games in their hands. A boy and two blond girls in front of the TV on the dresser.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
The twins appeared from the closet in back. They carried bedsheets and pillows in their arms. Their eyes went wide when they saw Mark.
“Put those down,” Mark snapped. “We need to talk.” He gestured around the room. “If you two want to invite friends over, you have to tell us.” He knew he should get his anger under control before he talked to them—but how could he?
“Sorry, Pa,” Samuel said softly.
“Some friends from school, don’t you know,” his twin added. “It’s Friday night, so—”
“I don’t care what night it is. Come over here. I’ve been questioned by those two policemen for the past hour. Did you tell them that I was at Derek Saltzman’s house?”
Mark felt himself lose it. He grabbed them both by the shoulders. Hard. “Did you? Don’t lie to me. Tell the truth.”
“Ouch.” Daniel squirmed under his grip. The cry made Mark realize what he was doing. He let go and took a step back. The other kids were all watching him.
“Sorry. Tell me what you told the police. Did you lie about me to the police?”
“No,” Daniel said. “Sammy and I wouldn’t lie, Pa.”
Mark stared at them both. He was breathing hard. His head throbbed. Daniel was lying to him. His face was as innocent as ever, but he was lying.
“Samuel, did you tell the police I was at Derek’s house?”
“No, Pa. I didn’t tell them anything. Why are you mad at us?”
“You’re lying. You’re both lying, aren’t you?”
He saw the frightened faces on the other kids. Ira was watching him warily, chin trembling.
And then Mark saw something else.
Something sparkly in the open drawer of the bed table. He strode across the room, in front of the two boys he didn’t know, reached into the drawer and pulled it out.
Holding it by its silver chain, he raised it to his face. Then he turned to the twins. “Isn’t this Elena’s necklace? The amethyst necklace? The one she is missing?”
The twins gazed at it as if they’d never seen it. They didn’t speak.
“This is ridiculous,” Mark said. “Are you two thieves as well as liars?”
For some reason, that made them giggle.
“It’s not funny!” he exploded. “You all have to go home! Go on. Get out of here. All of you! I have to talk to these two.”
“But we are home,” one of the blond girls said. When she turned, he saw the fat blue arrow on her cheek. They all had the arrow, he realized.
Mark motioned to the twins. “Come with me. Now. We’re going to get to the bottom—”
“Mark!
” Through the open window, he heard Lea’s shout from the house. “Mark? Are you out there? We’re going to be late.”
I should cancel tonight. I’ve got a serious problem with these boys.
I won’t be good company, that’s for sure.
But it’s the first night I’ve been able to persuade Lea to go out—
“Mark? Where are you? We have to go.”
He waved a finger at the twins. “Later. We’re going to have a long talk later. When I get home. We have to get at the truth here, do you understand?”
They both nodded. Mark turned to Ira, on the floor against the wall, but Ira avoided his eyes. Mark spun away, clenched his fist over the amethyst necklace, and stomped to the door.
“Bye, Pa,” Samuel called.
“Yes. Bye, Pa,” Daniel echoed.
“Bye, Pa,” they called in unison.
———
“Look. Look at this.” Mark ran into the kitchen, waving the amethyst necklace in front of him. “Lea—”
Her head was tilted to one side as she adjusted a dangling red earring. “What’s that?”
“It . . . It’s Elena’s necklace. The one that’s missing. The twins had it. They stole it. They stole it, Lea.”
She straightened up. Brushed back her hair with both hands. “Calm down, sweetheart. You sound like a crazy person.”
He let out a long breath. “Are you listening to me? The twins stole this from Elena’s room. They are thieves, Lea, and—”
She took the necklace from him and smoothed the chain through her fingers. “I’m sure there’s a good explanation, Mark.”
“No. No, there isn’t.” He didn’t intend to sound so frantic, but he felt he might explode with anger. “And—and they lied, Lea. They lied to the police. Didn’t you wonder why I was in there being grilled for an hour?”
“I was getting ready, dear. I thought you wanted to go out and have a good time. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“You’re not even listening to me. Those boys you brought here—”
“I know how you feel about them.” Her voice suddenly sharp. “You’ve made it perfectly clear.”
“We’ve got a real problem, Lea. Can’t you understand that?”
