Toni Donovan Mysteries- Books 1-3

by Helen Gray

  He returned to the stove and resumed stirring the pot. “I have spaghetti about ready. “What were your plans for tonight?”

  Her anger and frustration returned in a rush. “I want to see if I can find Tom Keller and talk to him.”

  The slightest flash of irritation crossed his face. “Your dad’s right. He says you’re burning the candle at both ends. You should stay home and rest.”

  “You mean forget about finding who attacked our son?” Her voice rose. “And probably killed Marsha Carter?” And tried to kill me.

  She closed her eyes, recognizing her fault. Running off to talk to Tom was exactly the opposite of spending time with her husband. But she had to go. She might learn something helpful from the old man. When she opened her eyes, she was calmer.

  “Where’s the van, Mom?”

  Gabe’s question made Kyle’s gaze intensify. “Yes, where is it? Why are you so late? John told us Jenny was home over an hour ago.”

  Toni turned around, fighting to keep her voice steady. “You boys go wash up for supper while I help your dad get his spaghetti on the table.”

  As soon as they left the room, Kyle gripped her arms and studied her grim expression. “All right, what did happen to the van? I take it you didn’t want to tell me in front of them.”

  “I was shot at tonight,” she said through clenched teeth.

  By the time she finished her story, Kyle’s eyes were stormy. “You’re telling me someone shot at you, and you actually ran after him?”

  The question suddenly made Toni feel foolish, so lacking in judgment. “It was instinctive,” she defended, the entire incident finally catching up to her. “I didn’t think. I just wanted to stop the person and …” She stopped, not knowing what she would have done if she had caught up to the culprit.

  Kyle heaved a deep sigh. “I’m glad I came home. I’ll go to Wally’s in the morning and see what the damage is to the van and contact our insurance agent. You need to stay here and see to yourself and the boys.”

  Toni shook her head. “I already told you I planned to go talk to Tom. Now I have to. I have to do something. Don’t you see?”

  Kyle went silent, gazing into her face and seeing the tears threatening to spill. “Toni, I’m trying to understand,” he said at last. “I think I do, but I’m afraid for you. Someone has attacked my family, and I don’t know what to do about it other than try to keep you home where you’ll be safe.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her back to him. “I can’t force you to stay here, as much as I want to, and I understand that you have to deal with things as you see fit. I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” he added in a softer tone.

  Toni sighed and gave him a hug. “I know. I understand your position, too. I don’t want to upset you, but I have to find out what I can, which means I still want to talk to Tom tonight. I’ll be careful.”

  “I’ll keep the boys,” he said, an edge of frustration still in his voice. “But let’s eat together before you take off. And if you’re not home in an hour, I’ll come looking for you.”

  Gabe returned to the kitchen. “Is supper ready yet?”

  “We’re hungry,” Garrett chimed behind him.

  Toni hurriedly went about setting the table.

  After supper she shrugged into her coat and headed for the door. “You boys do your homework and get ready for bed.”

  She drove downtown and turned onto Elm Street, passed the newspaper office, and went slowly up Second, watching for a dark colored Chevy with duct tape on the rear passenger window. When she found it at the end of the street in front of the Railroad Bar, she was relieved. In a bigger town, it probably would have been compounded. She parked in the small lot behind the building and walked around to the front.

  It was a two-story brick building with four apartments upstairs and the bar downstairs. The streets outside were poorly lit, and the bar was known for roughness. But it was right there in the heart of the small town in which she had grown up. Even though she had never been inside the place, Toni felt safe.

  When she entered, she glanced around quickly. The big roughly finished room was smoky and dimly lit, but she spotted Tom Keller at a small table near the west wall. She marched directly to it and sat across from him.

  “Hi, Tom. I’ll have a Coke,” she told the waitress who had followed her.

  Tom peered at her blankly. “Hi yourself.” He hiccupped, emitting a powerful alcohol breath.

  “How have you been?” Toni asked, trying not to inhale deeply.

  “Fine,” he replied thickly, staring at her through eyes hazy from drink. Suddenly his expression brightened with recognition. “Well, if it ain’t Toni Nash,” he pronounced slowly, jabbing an index finger at her. “No, that’s not right. You married that Donovan boy. Toni Donovan,” he repeated, proud of himself.

  “That’s right.” Toni hoped he wasn’t too fuzzy to answer questions. “I understand that your car has been playing tricks on you.”

  His face crinkled in confusion. “My car?”

  “Yes, your car,” she repeated. “It’s been identified as the one that tried to run over my son after the basketball game last Tuesday night.”

  The waitress returned and set a Coke on the table. Toni nodded and mouthed a thank you.

  Tom scratched his head. “Yeah, the cops asked me about that. I don’t think I was driving it. I can’t ’member.”

  Toni felt kind of sorry for Tom. He had once been a successful businessman, but drink and divorce—she wasn’t sure which spawned which—had eventually led to the bankruptcy of his business. He was an intelligent man who had lost his way.

  “Do you remember where you parked it that night?”

  “Musta been there on the corner,” he muttered, jerking a thumb toward the street. “That’s where I always park.”

  “Do you remember anything different about that night?” she persisted. “Did anyone ask for your keys? Chief Freeman said there was no evidence that the car was hot-wired.”

  Tom’s eyes darted around the room. He took a drink from the bottle in his hand before answering. “Wasn’t any different from any other night.” He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Just like I told the police, I always come down early so I can get my parking place. Sometimes I drive home later, and sometimes somebody takes me.”

  “Could someone have taken your keys without you knowing it?” Toni watched his face and sensed he was lying. What he was lying about, or why, eluded her.

  “Like I said, wasn’t nuthin’ different that night,” he repeated, sounding like a child who had memorized his lines and was determined to stick to them.

  Toni asked him a couple more questions and was met with the same response. Recognizing the futility of her efforts, she finished her Coke and got to her feet. “Thanks. Have a good evening.” She paid for the soda and left.

  Tuesday morning during her free period Toni went to the administrative offices to see the bookkeeper. “Good morning, Andrea,” she greeted the receptionist.

  Ryan Prewitt emerged from the superintendent’s office, an empty coffee mug in his hand. Blond and athletically built, he looked in need of caffeine. But he smiled when he saw Toni.

  “Good morning. Would you care for a cup?” He waved the mug in a friendly gesture as he went to the coffee pot on the counter in the small nook that served as their lounge.

  “No, but thanks. I just dropped by to speak with Dana.”

  “I’m sorry, she’s not here,” the receptionist said. “She called in sick this morning.”

  “Okay, I’ll check back tomorrow.”

  Toni returned to her room. At the end of the day she was preparing to leave when the librarian bustled into the room.

  “Oh, good, I caught you,” Loretta huffed, breathing heavily. She wore a blue pantsuit that stretched tight over her ample waist, and carried an armload of newspapers. “Here are last week’s papers for recycling. Where do you want them?”

  “Just dump them on the floor in
the supply closet.” Toni nodded toward the back of the room. “I’ll have a student bundle them and take them out tomorrow.”

  Loretta walked in her odd loping way to the supply closet, tossed the papers inside, and returned to Toni’s desk. “I have a bag of soda cans at home that I’ll bring tomorrow.”

  Toni smiled. “Thanks, we appreciate it. The students are proud of the success of their service projects.”

  “I know you use the money they earn to buy school supplies and Christmas presents for students who can’t afford to buy their own. That’s why everybody saves stuff for you.”

  Toni finished putting on her coat. “I’ll walk you out.”

  They fell into step down the hallway. “I stopped by to talk to Dana this morning,” Toni said conversationally, hoping Loretta’s penchant for gossip might prove helpful. “The secretary said she’s out sick, but she didn’t say what specifically is wrong.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Loretta said in her slightly grumpy tone. “She’s probably worn out.”

  “I know she’s divorced and a single parent.” Toni fished for more information.

  “It’s bad enough that she has a handicapped child, but that older boy of hers is an even bigger problem.”

  “The younger boy is about fourteen or fifteen, isn’t he?” Toni asked.

  Loretta’s gray curls bounced as she nodded. “He just turned fifteen, but he has cerebral palsy and requires total care. The older boy is nineteen and can’t keep a job. He has an illegitimate baby with some girl he got pregnant and dumped. She had a paternity test that proved it’s his baby, and he’s supposed to be paying child support. My guess is Dana pays any support that gets paid. That, plus extra expenses for the fifteen-year-old, has to be enough to keep her tired and depressed. The flu’s been going around, and she’s so exhausted she probably caught it.”

  “You could be right. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the papers.”

  They parted ways in the parking lot.

  Chapter 9

  Wednesday morning Toni tried again to see Dana. When she learned that the bookkeeper was still out sick, a tightening formed in her gut.

  On the way back to her classroom, she stepped into John’s room and told him about the shooting incident and the newspaper report that would hit the streets that evening. “Dad picked me and the boys up and brought us to school Monday and Tuesday. I got my van back yesterday after school.”

  “Toni, you have to let Buck and his officers handle this from now on,” he said in alarm, clearly shocked at her story.

  “No, it’s more important than ever now that this person be caught,” she insisted. “Garrett and I will never be safe until that’s done.”

  He scratched his head, his face clouded with perplexity. “I had no idea how stubborn you are.”

  She mustered a half grin. “Well, now you do. Gotta go.”

  When seventh hour dismissed, Beth Price hung back near Toni’s desk while the rest of the students exited the room. “Mrs. Donovan, I heard something about Jodi,” she said softly when they were alone. “If you’re still interested, that is.”

  “Of course, I am.” Toni sat down so the girl didn’t have to look up at her, hoping it would put her more at ease.

  Beth seemed to relax a bit. “Her new boyfriend is Donnie Fisher.”

  Toni’s heart sank. Donnie had graduated three years earlier, by the skin of his teeth. He was smart enough, but he had never cared about anything but girls and cars and did just enough school work to eke by. He had also spent a lot of time in ISS, mostly for fighting, if she remembered correctly. “Do you know what he’s doing these days?”

  Beth wrinkled her small nose. “I’m not sure, but I think he’s been in some trouble with the police. I don’t know what for. I think Jodi could do better than him.”

  Toni took a deep breath. “I hope she’s not in trouble. Thanks for the information, Beth.”

  “You’re welcome. Good night.” The girl left.

  The next morning Toni wasn’t surprised to learn that the bookkeeper was still out sick. Since she still had a little time before class, Toni went upstairs to the resource officer’s little cubbyhole of an office. Surprisingly Phil was there, visible through the glass door pane. He looked up and motioned her inside. “Have a seat. What can I do for you?”

  Younger than Toni by six years, Phil seemed competent. His work was split between the school and the local police force. He was at the school Monday through Friday, but he worked occasional weekends for the department when they were shorthanded during school months, and full-time during summers.

  Toni took the seat at the end of his desk. “I’m concerned about a student.”

  “Which one?”

  “Jodi Garrison. She’s been missing a lot of school, and this past week she showed up with a black eye and a split lip.”

  “What can I do about it?” Phil shoved his chair back at an angle and propped one leg over the other knee.

  “Probably nothing directly, but I hoped you might know something helpful. I heard she broke up with her longtime boyfriend and has a new one—Donnie Fisher.”

  “Aah,” he drawled in understanding. “You want to know what Donnie’s been up to and if he’s beating up on her.”

  “That’s about it. I don’t know that it’ll do any good, but if there’s any chance she’s being abused by him, knowing about it might help the counselor decide how to approach her.”

  “I’ll see what I can find out,” Phil promised. “Is there anything else I can do?”

  Toni sighed. “I wish there were. So much goes on that’s beyond our control.”

  “Let me check around. Maybe we’ll get a brainstorm.”

  When her last class ended, Toni rushed down the hall to turn in some paperwork before going to get the boys. Dismay hit her when she entered the office and saw a police officer posted by Ken’s door.

  “Here are those forms I promised you.” She leaned close enough to whisper into Pam’s ear as she placed them on the desk. “Are they questioning Ken again?”

  “Yes,” Pam whispered back, shooting a sideways glance at the officer. “Thanks,” she said aloud, taking the papers. “I need to buy some breath mints from the vending machine.” She reached into a bottom drawer of her desk.

  Toni realized Pam wanted to see her privately.

  Pam took some money from her purse, and they went out into the commons. “The police found out that a friend of Ken’s was a candidate for the superintendent job back when Marsha was hired, and now that she’s dead, the guy has applied again.” She dropped coins into the slot and fished out the packet that fell into the bin.

  Toni’s jaw dropped. “You mean to tell me they think Ken killed Marsha so a friend of his could have her job? That’s insane.”

  Pam glanced back at the office. Through the plate glass window they could see the cop still standing behind her desk. “I don’t know what they think. I just know they’ve been in there for over an hour.”

  “Thanks.” They exchanged grim looks and parted ways.

  That night after supper, needing to unload, Toni summarized to Kyle everything that she had done and learned since finding Marsha’s body.

  “I don’t have any answers for you,” he said quietly, putting the television remote on the coffee table. “I wish I did. I understand that you have to do everything you can to protect Garrett, but don’t forget to protect yourself. I have a very bad feeling about this whole thing.”

  “I’ll be careful,” she said, repeating her earlier promise.

  Just before he went out the door early the next morning, Kyle made Toni repeat that promise yet again. “I’ll be home late tomorrow night, but I’ll spend the weekend here at home.”

  With her promise in mind, Toni did no investigating that day, other than to confirm that Dana was still out sick and to call Sam Brinkman before going after the boys.

  “Are there any plans for an audit of the district?” she asked when she reached him.
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  “I’ve only been able to get hold of about half the board members so far,” he replied in a tone lacking urgency. “But I read about what happened to you Saturday. I hope you’re staying where you’ll be safe.”

  Toni told him she was fine and gave him the same assurances she had been giving all week to those who commented or asked about it. As soon as she could, she steered the subject back to the matter of Dana’s extended absence from school.

  He responded with more concern. “That sounds bad. I’ll press for a decision and get back to you.”

  Toni disconnected and reached for her purse.

  John stepped inside her classroom doorway. “Is it still okay for the boys to look after the puppy this weekend?”

  “They’re looking forward to it. Do you want us to pick him up?”

  “We’ll bring him by sometime after supper tonight.”

  After Toni and the boys got home, she graded papers, and then made hamburgers and fries. John and Jenny arrived about seven o’clock.

  “Here are Bingo’s things,” John said as he toted a large cardboard box through the doorway. “His toys, food and water bowl, some canned dog food, and a supply of newspapers.” He emphasized the last.

  Toni laughed. “We’ll put something across the kitchen door for a barrier and keep him in the utility room.”

  Jenny followed him inside, the puppy cradled in her arms. “We’re working on the training, but we have a long way to go.”

  Garrett trotted into the room, his shirt unbuttoned and his arms outstretched. “Let me have him.”

  “Okay, but be sure you put him in his box every forty-five minutes so he’ll go to the bathroom there and not on the floor,” Jenny instructed as she handed him the puppy.

  “We will.”

  “Let’s take him to our room,” Gabe called from the hallway.

  John took Bingo’s box to the utility room and put it between the dryer and pantry. Then he filled the water dish and set the dog food on the dryer.

  “Can you stay and visit?” Toni asked when he was done. “There’s supposed to be a good special on the Discovery Channel that might provide an idea or two for labs.”