Body Over Troubled Waters

by Denise Swanson

  “Let’s see what the circumstances are first.” Wally didn’t need a less-than-proficient animal running around in an unpredictable situation.

  Wally assessed the surroundings. The main office consisted of an open central area behind a chest-high counter. Beyond that was a first aid room where the itinerant nurse worked, a bathroom, and the principal’s large office was in the rear.

  He checked behind the counter. The only place to hide was under the school secretary’s desk and that space was empty.

  Pointing to the closed door on his left, Wally ordered, “Quirk, you and Anthony have the first aid room. Be aware that it has an attached bathroom. Martinez and I will process the hall bathroom and the principal’s office. Remember, innocents may be hiding or be in the hands of the perp. Weapons at the ready, but they’re our absolute last choice.”

  Fanning out, they proceeded to clear the area. Quirk and Anthony reported that there was no one in the first aid room and Martinez and Wally found the hall and bathroom empty.

  Finally, with Martinez at his heels, Wally moved on to the principal’s office. The door was ajar, and as he reached for the knob, he heard voices.

  Putting his finger to his lips, Wally peered into the gap. It was dark, but he could just make out the profile of a slight woman holding a gun. He squinted. Was that the school secretary, Opal Hill?

  Judas Priest! What in the world was she doing with a pistol, and who did she have it aimed at?

  He waved Martinez away, and they retreated to the main office. Once they were out of earshot, Wally informed his officers of his observations, then ordered Martinez to retrieve her spare vest from the squad car. If this was a hostage situation, he would need a mediator.

  The county’s hostage negotiator was forty-five minutes away at the sheriff’s office. The situation couldn’t wait that long.

  Intellectually, Wally knew that his best option was Skye, but his chest tightened at the thought of putting her in danger. Still, as the police psych consultant, she had the required training for the circumstances and she was her own person. As much as he’d like to protect her, he couldn’t make decisions for her.

  Grudgingly, Wally told his officers to sit tight and, texting his wife as he walked, he headed toward the auditorium’s backstage entrance.

  Skye met him on the threshold, and after a brief hug, he asked if she was willing to help. Before he could list all the reasons that she should turn down his request, she grabbed his hand and started tugging him down the hallway.

  Wally had been afraid Dr. Wraige would insist on accompanying them, but instead the superintendent sprinted past them and disappeared into the boys’ bathroom.

  Skye shook her head, then said, “I can’t imagine what Opal would be doing holding someone at gunpoint unless that person is the threat.”

  Wally noticed that his wife’s beautiful emerald-green eyes were clouded with concern and offered, “Opal could have been the one to trigger the lockdown. She might have, then contained that person in Homer’s office until help arrived.” He paused, then asked, “But where would she get the weapon?”

  Although Wally certainly hoped his initial scenario was the case, the gun was a sticking point.

  “If I had to guess, Homer had it in his desk.” Skye shrugged. “He’s spouted off about not needing a safety officer because he could protect the school himself. I thought he was full of hot air, but…”

  “Okay.” Wally nodded. “Let’s pray that’s the case and that Opal doesn’t accidently shoot someone.”

  Once they reached the foyer, Wally instructed Martinez to fit Skye with the Kevlar vest she’d gotten from her squad car, then he and Skye approached the principal’s office.

  Standing to the side of the door, Skye shouted, “Opal, it’s Skye and Wally. Are you okay?”

  “Thank the Lord.” Opal’s voice was shaky. “I’m fine. I got the threat under control. Come on in.”

  Wally motioned for Skye to stay behind him and eased through the door. When Opal saw him, she stepped to the left and gingerly gave him the gun she’d been holding.

  A teenage girl wearing a short pink satin dress with feathered wings stood with her hands up. At her feet was a bow and arrow. The bow was painted a sparkly red and had a piece of pink yarn as its string. The arrow had a glittery heart tip and silver streamers.

  Wally tried to stop Skye as she stepped around him, but she shook him off, moved over to Opal, and asked, “Why is Bambi Doozier dressed as cupid, and why were you holding her at gunpoint?”

  Chapter 3

  Valentine’s Girl

  “There was no one around and when she came in with a weapon, I had no choice,” Opal sobbed into Skye’s shoulder. “I never believed that I could, but then I thought about all the innocent children in class, and I just did what Mr. Knapik taught me to do.”

  Students and teachers had been notified that the lockdown was over and everything was fine. Parents had been emailed or sent a text reassuring them that there never had been a threat, and classes had resumed.

  Zelda was watching Bambi Doozier in the health room, while Anthony went into town to track down Homer. Opal reported the principal had come to the main office right after the superintendent had walked off the stage. He’d told her to hold down the fort while he made a donut run and left the building.

  Evidently, Dr. Wraige’s impromptu assembly had interfered with Homer’s usual morning visit to Tales and Treats to pick up his breakfast pastries. Skye could sympathize with the principal’s desire for the combination bookstore and café’s tasty delicacies. She’d been too busy with the twins to eat before heading off to work, so right about now, she could use a long john.

  Everyone else had been instructed to return to their normal Monday morning activities. That is, everyone but Skye, Opal, Dr. Wraige, and Wally, who were crowded into Skye’s office.

  She wasn’t sure why Wally hadn’t wanted them to use Homer’s lair, but he’d insisted they leave it exactly as they found it. And because Scumble River High School had long ago turned their conference area into a special education classroom, the psych office was their only option.

  Wally and Dr. Wraige were perched on two metal folding chairs facing Opal and Skye across the small trapezoid table she used for testing students. The men shifted awkwardly in their seats, bumping knees on the table legs and jabbing each other in the side with their elbows as they tried to get comfortable.

  Skye ignored their grumbles and patted Opal’s back as she murmured, “Wally and Dr. Wraige just need to ask you some questions so they know exactly what happened. No one blames you.”

  Dr. Wraige snorted his disagreement, but Skye shot him a silencing look over Opal’s head as the secretary continued to cry in her arms. He rolled his eyes, then flung up his hands as if giving up.

  Skye was thankful when Wally took over and said, “Opal, when Bambi Doozier entered the building this morning, was she alone?”

  “Yes.” Opal slowly straightened, accepted the tissue Skye handed her, and wiped her eyes. “The bell had already rung. She was a minute tardy.”

  “That isn’t like Bambi,” Skye informed Wally. “Her brother, Junior, and her cousin, Cletus, yes, but Bambi is a conscientious student.”

  “Did she say why she was late?” Wally had his memo pad out and was taking notes. “Did she have an excuse from her parents to explain it?”

  “I didn’t ask.” Opal sniffed and blew her nose. “I saw that she was carrying a weapon and I told her to halt. Then I triggered the lockdown, ordered her into Mr. Knapik’s office, retrieved the official school pistol from his desk drawer, and waited for the police to respond.” She blinked at Wally and creased her forehead. “Wasn’t that what you all taught us to do when we had the active shooter drill here last September?”

  “Not the part about the principal’s gun,” Wally muttered. “We definitely didn’t t
each anyone that. Homer must have added that step himself.”

  “Well, yes.” Opal tilted her head, reminding Skye of the tiny bluebird that often visited the feeders near their deck. “Mr. Knapik said the pistol was a secret. It was only for him and me to use.”

  Wally blew out a breath, frowned, then raised his eyebrows at Skye. He clearly was having a difficult time figuring out what to do about Opal’s actions.

  Skye gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment and asked, “Opal, didn’t you notice that the bow and arrow Bambi was holding were a part of her costume? That they were basically toys?”

  The secretary opened her mouth, then licked her lips and shrugged. “It’s not my place to make that kind of decision.”

  “Still, you had to have realized the weapon really wasn’t capable of harming anyone.” Skye probed as she studied Opal, whose tired brown eyes were half-closed.

  The sixty-something woman looked asleep on her feet. She had sole responsibility for her elderly mother. And while there was a home health aide who stayed with Mrs. Hill during the day, once Opal was through with work, she took on the role of caretaker.

  “I…I…” Opal stuttered, then lifted her chin and said, “We have a zero tolerance policy. No weapons of any kind, including toys, are allowed in school.”

  “That is true,” Skye assured Wally. She turned to Dr. Wraige and asked, “I can’t recall if the rule specifically says anything about the correct response to a toy weapon. Do you remember?”

  “Confiscation and detention.” Dr. Wraige leaned forward and shook his finger in Opal’s face. “There is nothing about hitting the lockdown alarm. Or waving a gun around for that matter. We could be sued by that girl’s parents. Earl Doozier has already tried to bring one suit against us that on our behalf Mrs. Denison-Boyd was only narrowly able to avert. I’m sure he won’t hesitate to do it again.”

  Skye shared a look with Wally. He had already been scowling, but the reminder of Earl’s involvement deepened his frown. The Doozier family was a thorn in the side of both the school and the police department.

  Heck! Probably the entire citizenry of Scumble River, as well as its neighboring towns, thought they were a nuisance. Not that anyone would dare say that to their face. Not if they valued their personal property.

  Earl Doozier was the patriarch of the Red Raggers. The townspeople called this group of loosely related kinfolk by that derogatory term because they tied the strips of scarlet cloth around most of their possessions to claim them.

  The clan was hard to wrap one’s head around. They were the kind of folks that mothers warned their children not to rile and that teenagers dared each other to challenge. In short, they were the type of people that no one was willing to cross without being backed up by a heavily armored vehicles and several assault rifles.

  No one purposely got on the wrong side of the Red Raggers or knowingly trespassed into their territory. In a nutshell, because they didn’t live by the rules of society, everyone tiptoed around them.

  Throughout her years working as the school district’s psychologist, Skye had formed a special relationship with Earl Doozier. She helped him and his family with the school’s bureaucracy, and in turn, Earl protected her from whatever he perceived as a threat. Sometimes it was a real danger and sometimes it was one that was only in his imagination.

  Skye blinked back to the present and realized that Wally, Opal, and Dr. Wraige were staring at her expectantly and she narrowed her eyes. If she was smart, she’d refuse to take on the Earl situation. She had enough on her plate without adding him to it.

  However, after a few seconds, Skye blew out a resigned breath and said, “Fine. What do you want me to do?”

  Knowing how bad things could go if Earl was approached in the wrong way and got his feathers ruffled, she just couldn’t walk away without helping. Not that she wasn’t tempted, but the idea of the possible chaos overrode her desire to stay out of it.

  Dr. Wraige straightened his tie. “Apologize for the school and explain that this was all a mistake. Assure him that Bambi isn’t in any trouble and this won’t go on her record.” He tapped his nails on the tabletop. “Is there something we could offer him to compensate him and his family for the embarrassment?” Skye opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he shook his finger. “Something within reason, of course.”

  “Let me think.” Skye was in a tough spot.

  Approaching Earl was difficult because his wife, Glenda, hated Skye. She had somehow gotten it into her head that Earl was in love with Skye, and her jealousy knew no bounds. No matter how often Earl told his wife that wasn’t true or that Skye was too chunky for him, the Red Ragger queen ignored his assurances.

  Skye had to handle this carefully or instead of Bambi in Opal’s gunsights, Skye would end up in Glenda’s—and she would be armed with a rifle, not a puny little pistol. This would only work if the school’s compensation was something Glenda wanted.

  But what?

  “While Skye is figuring out how to save the district’s butt yet again, I still have a few questions.” Wally tapped his pen on his memo pad. “I understand that the school safety officer has been terminated. Will that position be filled by someone else?”

  Skye hadn’t had a chance to give Wally the lowdown, but Dr. Wraige quickly summed up what he’d told the staff at the meeting, ending with, “So we’re actually expanding that role in our district.”

  Noticing that the superintendent didn’t mention either Tavish’s last name or the information that the man was Dr. Wraige’s son, Skye made a mental note to let Wally in on that little fact.

  “I’ll need this Tavish’s number. Has he started working yet?” Wally asked.

  Dr. Wraige reeled off the digits, then said, “He’s currently checking the residency of some students who claim to be living with their aunt but whom we suspect are just using her address so they can attend school in this district. Would you like me to call him in?”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Wally shook his head. “But when he has a chance, ask him to stop by the station so I can meet him and we can coordinate.” He paused, then added, “The sooner the better.”

  “Will do.” Dr. Wraige nodded. “You and Tavish should get along well. He was an MP in the army, so you probably have a lot in common.”

  “Hmm,” Wally answered noncommittally. “Any idea why neither Homer nor the guidance counselor responded to my officer’s texts?”

  “Homer changed his cell phone plan and probably forgot to update the manuals with his new number.” Dr. Wraige shook his head. “I have no idea about the guidance counselor.”

  Opal raised her hand, and when Wally nodded at her, she said, “Mr. Pool’s attending a conference in Chicago.” She looked at the superintendent and asked, “Didn’t you see the documentation that I sent over to you about his absence and expenses?”

  “Karolyn probably just filed it away.” Dr. Wraige shrugged. “If the principal approves it, I don’t need to see every piece of paper.”

  Hmm. That was odd. Skye would have bet that the superintendent was a micromanager.

  “So out of our three contacts, one was fired, one was not at work, and one never gave us his new number,” Wally said calmly.

  Skye wasn’t fooled by his mild tone of voice. Her husband’s handsome face was the color of her favorite merlot and his biceps were bulging as he squeezed his hands into fists. He was definitely angry.

  “That’s about the size of it.” Dr. Wraige’s expression was conciliatory. “We will certainly make sure these types of errors do not slip through the cracks again. I guarantee Tavish will be keeping the police department fully informed. I’ll make sure that he has that as a priority.”

  “Good,” Wally snapped, then took a deep breath and asked. “Any idea where we go from here?”

  Dr. Wraige raised a brow. “I would think that would be your job
to decide.”

  Skye shook her head. He just couldn’t let Wally have the last word. Some people should use a glue stick instead of a ChapStick on their lips.

  Attempting to prevent a clash, Skye hastily said, “I’d like to speak to Bambi to see if she’s okay.” Skye rolled her shoulders, trying to release the tension that had been there since the lockdown alert had sounded. “Being held at gunpoint would be disturbing for most people, but she is a Doozier, so…”

  “So you’re hoping she’s had enough similar experiences to have not been too traumatized,” Wally filled in when Skye trailed off.

  “Exactly.” Skye figured that growing up as Earl’s daughter had to have toughened her or maybe even made her immune to threats. “I talked to Bambi a few minutes before we left the main office and she seemed fine. The only thing that was bothering her was missing a test in her math class.” Skye checked her watch. “Now she’s missed second, third, and most of fourth period as well.”

  Dr. Wraige pointed his finger at Skye. “Tell the girl not to worry and instruct all her teachers to give her an A for today.”

  “As you know, I am not an administrator and have no authority to order a teacher to do anything.” Skye calmly met his gaze. “That would be Homer’s job.” She pursed her lips. “If he ever shows up.”

  “Believe me, Mr. Knapik and I will be having quite the chat when he returns.” Dr. Wraige rose from his chair and looked at Wally. “You and your wife seem to have this under control, so I’ll be going.”

  “Wait,” Opal squeaked. “What about me? Am I fired or under arrest?”

  Both men answered, “No,” then Wally said, “I’m going to let it pass this time, but never, and I do mean never, wave a gun around in school again.” He paused for a second, then added, “Or anywhere else.”

  Skye was relieved that Wally had the discretion and kindheartedness to overlook what Opal had done. The woman was only acting on orders from Homer. If anyone was going to be arrested it should be the principal, not his secretary. Skye glanced speculatively at her husband. Was there any chance he could charge Homer with a crime?