Toni Donovan Mysteries- Books 1-3

by Helen Gray

  Jenny flinched. “I bet Miss Rayford was hot. She’s not one to tolerate being stood up.”

  “Well, I wish their private romance didn’t affect their behavior in class,” Toni said.

  “By tomorrow it will probably all be water under the bridge,” John predicted.

  Toni shook her head, her thoughts churning. “I don’t know. Sidney seemed pretty upset with him. I feel like there are invisible vibrations going on all around us, and I can’t read them. I know that’s not scientific,” she admitted, waving her palms.

  “I’d call it sensitivity,” Jenny said softly. “You care about the students and what happens to them.”

  “That’s a good thing,” John added. “But don’t let it drag you down. It’s important for you to maintain control to be effective as a teacher, but you can’t solve all their personal problems, as much as you might want to.”

  “We’re ready to go, Mom,” Garrett announced from the neighboring table.

  “Okay, in a minute,” she said, tearing the paper off her fortune cookie. When she read ‘Your innovative nature will help you come up with a solution,’ she laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Jenny asked.

  Toni handed the strip of paper to her.

  She read it aloud, and John chuckled. Then he leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. “Listen, I know you’re trying to keep your boys with you all the time because you’re concerned about their safety. Any time you need help picking them up after school, just let me know and I’ll go get them for you.”

  “Or I can if you’re both busy,” Jenny volunteered.

  “Thanks, I appreciate the offers,” Toni said, meaning it. “If today is any example, I’ll probably have to take you up on it.”

  “You can always swap some puppy sitting,” Jenny suggested, trying to keep a straight face and failing. When she laughed outright, John joined her.

  “What’s so funny?” Gabe asked, pausing in tugging on his coat.

  John sputtered. “Your mom got a Chinese fortune that was funny.”

  Satisfied, the boys each shrugged and headed for the door. Toni did the same. “I’ll see you in the morning. And I really do appreciate that after school offer,” she said to both of them.

  *

  As soon as they arrived home, the boys raced to their room. Toni changed into jeans and curled up on the sofa with the phone. She called the police station and asked for the chief.

  The television blared from the boys’ room.

  “Turn it down,” she called.

  “Hi, Toni,” Buck said as the volume lowered. “What can I do for you?”

  “Have you had a chance to view the video Ken gave you?”

  “Yes, and it looks like you’ve won your point. The time frame would require some pretty incredible movement.”

  “I didn’t win a point. I just wanted to defend a friend I’m convinced is innocent.”

  “Okay,” he conceded with a huff. “It looks like your friend is in the clear.”

  Toni breathed a sigh of relief. “What about the person who shot at me? Have you had any luck figuring out who it was?”

  His heavy sigh came over the line. “No, we haven’t. Apparently he—or she—parked up the hill somewhere around the dam. There’s no sign of a trail, and the bullets we dug out of your van are too smashed to be of any use.”

  Toni swallowed her disappointment.

  “Maybe this is a good time to ask a favor of you,” he continued, sounding reluctant, and a little agitated. “We’re getting an increasing number of reports from people with missing car parts. It’s turning into a real headache. My opinion is that it’s small potatoes. The number and type of parts is too limited for a big operator to bother with, so we’re wondering about kids. Could you put your ears to the ground? Let me know if you hear any talk, especially if names are linked. We have a couple of ideas, but no proof.”

  A thought formed and quickly crystallized in Toni’s mind.

  “Do you know something?” Buck asked when she took so long to respond.

  “I’m not sure,” she said carefully. “I have a student I’ve been concerned about. She has a new boyfriend, and she’s missing a lot of school. Recently she showed up with a black eye and split lip, making me think the boyfriend is abusing her. But, like you, I have no proof. The boyfriend is a mechanic.”

  “Does this boyfriend have a name?” he barked.

  “Donnie Fisher.” She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake and saying too much.

  “That’s a name we’ve considered. He works at Lonnie’s, doesn’t he?” The chief sounded world-weary.

  “I don’t know that he’s involved in anything like that,” Toni cautioned. “I just know he was in trouble a lot when he was in school, and I heard that he’s not kind to his girlfriends.”

  “He’s familiar with my facility. We’ve had him in here several times over the years, but he wiggles out of things. His folks always manage to scrape up enough money to pay his fines or get him a good lawyer.”

  “Sounds like a possibility then.”

  “We’ll start keeping a closer watch on him and do some checking on part numbers, if Lonnie will cooperate with us.” He didn’t sound real certain of Lonnie’s helpfulness. “Got another call.”

  “Thanks,” Toni said to a silent phone.

  Chapter 11

  Anxiety and a growing sense of urgency had Toni nearly jumping out of her skin all day Wednesday. It had been a month since Marsha’s death, three weeks since finding her body. If her killer wasn’t caught soon, odds were that the crime would never be solved.

  Jodi entered the classroom seventh hour just ahead of Sidney and took a seat near the window. She opened her textbook. Sidney went to a desk at the back of the room and sat in brooding silence instead of joining her work group.

  As Toni circulated about the room, checking progress at each workstation, she leaned over and whispered in Jodi’s ear. “You don’t ride a bus home, do you?”

  Jody shook her head.

  “Can you stay a minute or two after class?”

  Jodi raised questioning eyes. “Okay,” she said after several moments.

  Toni moved on, but stopped at the phone just long enough to ring John and quietly ask him to pick up the boys for her. Then she went to the table where Sidney still sat in idle silence. Toni slid onto the seat next to the stony faced girl and spoke softly. “Something is obviously bothering you. Would you like me to write a pass for you to go see the counselor?”

  Sidney just shook her head.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No,” the girl snapped. “I don’t feel well.”

  Toni glanced up at the clock. She doubted there was any physical ailment, but even if there were, not enough time remained to send her to the nurse. The bell would ring in ten minutes.

  “Okay, just rest. I hope you get to feeling better.”

  When the bell rang, Toni stood by the doorway as the students exited, and then returned to her desk where Jodi stood waiting. She smiled, hoping to put the girl at ease. “Would you like a soda?”

  “I don’t have time,” Jodi said. “I have to be at work by four.”

  It was now three-fifteen. Time to cut to the chase. “Jodi, I know you don’t want teacher interference in your personal life. I have no desire to meddle, but I do want you to know that I’m concerned about you and would try to help if you ever indicated that you were in trouble and wanted my assistance.”

  Jodi stood rigidly for long moments, and then she seemed to wilt. “Thank you, Mrs. Donovan,” she said quietly, sinking into the nearest seat. “I appreciate your offer, but you can’t help me. No one can.” Her shoulders sagged and her eyes glistened.

  Toni decided to be forthright. “Jodi, I think you’ve gotten involved with someone who’s mistreating you, and who may be involved in some dishonest activities.”

  Jodi hung her head, and tears trickled down her cheeks. “You’re right,” she said so quietly Toni
could hardly hear her. “I ran into Donnie a few days after Randy and I broke up, and he asked me out. I’m not sure why I said yes.” She shook her head in misery.

  Wishing she could hug the girl, Toni said, “You were vulnerable after a breakup.”

  “I guess,” Jodi admitted. “Anyhow, I went out with Donnie, and we had a good time. So I said yes when he asked me again.”

  “But it turned ugly,” Toni guessed.

  Jodi nodded. “He got possessive and told me I was his girl now and would do whatever he said. When I told him I didn’t belong to him, he… he hit me.”

  “And you were caught,” Toni finished for her.

  Jodi nodded again and raised her head. “I think he’s stealing stuff,” she said faintly.

  “Car parts?”

  Startled, Jodi’s eyes rounded. “Yes. He works in a garage, and he steals parts to put in the cars he fixes on his own after work hours. At least that’s what I think he’s doing.”

  “You’re afraid to report him or break up with him. You’re a smart girl, Jodi, and you deserve better. Will you let me help you?”

  Jodie shook her head adamantly. “You can’t.”

  “Jodi, it’s only a matter of time until the police get him. They already suspect him.”

  Jodi gasped. “Are you sure?”

  Toni nodded. “I’m sure. All I want is to see you safe. Can you possibly avoid Donnie for a few days?”

  Jodi considered for a moment. “My boss at the restaurant might let me have some extra work hours. That would give me an excuse for not meeting him some evenings.”

  Toni gave her a conspiratorial grin. “You might also have a teacher who requires that you stay after school to do makeup work.”

  Jodi returned a wan smile. “That might help me turn down dates.”

  “Good. I know you need to leave, so run along. But if your parents aren’t home and you need a place to go, will you come to my house? I live in the estates, the last house on the left, and here’s my phone number.” She jotted it on a piece of paper and handed it to Jodi.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Donovan.” The girl straightened her shoulders and left.

  Toni went next door where John and the boys were having their usual Popsicles. “I think I made progress with Jodi.” She outlined her conversation with the girl to John.

  “Are you going to tell Buck about it?” he asked, shrugging into his coat.

  “Right now.” She picked up his phone and made the call. When she had related the confirmation of their suspicions about Donnie, she disconnected and took the boys home.

  *

  The next day Toni noticed an unusual amount of behind-the-hand whispering and snickering during her afternoon classes. When the final bell rang, she stood by the door and placed a hand on Beth Price’s arm as the girl walked past her. “Got a minute?”

  Beth dropped back and waited. When the room emptied, Toni closed the door. “Do you know what the students found so amusing this afternoon? If so, is it something I should know about?”

  Beth’s face reddened, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m not sure I should tell you.”

  “Is it something that could cause harm to someone?” Toni wasn’t sure why she was pursuing this, but some instinct was driving her to do it.

  “I don’t think so. I’m not sure,” Beth amended, gnawing on her lip. “But maybe you should know,” she decided after a moment of worried indecisiveness. “A bunch of the kids got an e-mail with a…an…odd picture in it.” She gave Toni a pleading look. “Will you promise not to tell who told if I show it to you?”

  “I won’t tell unless it’s something that I have no choice about. That’s the best I can promise. But I’ll do everything I can to keep your name from getting back to the students.”

  Beth drew in a quavery breath. “I have a hotmail account and can’t access it at school.”

  Toni pushed her desk chair to the work desk where her computer sat. She had network rights that the students didn’t. ”I’ll log on and monitor you while you open your account.”

  Beth put her books on the desk and took the chair. Within a minute she had a file open.

  Peering over the girl’s shoulder, Toni saw a photograph of Dustin and an unidentifiable female. Only the back of his bare upper torso was displayed, but he was clearly recognizable. Only a bare arm and leg of the girl could be seen.

  “Do you know where this was taken?”

  Beth didn’t look up. “No.”

  If someone had taken this off school grounds, probably nothing could be done about it. If it had been taken on school property, or worse yet, during school hours, that spelled trouble.

  “Will you forward a copy of that to my e-mail address?”

  Clearly Beth didn’t want to, but after another hesitation she relented and did it.

  As soon as Beth left, Toni went next door to John’s room. “Can you wait here until I get the boys? I have something to show you.”

  “I’ll get them for you.” He grabbed his coat.

  Toni didn’t argue. Back in her room, she called the technology director. “Hi, Dillon,” she greeted him, thankful he was at his desk and answered. “Can you trace the source of an anonymous e-mail for me? It’s been forwarded a couple of times, and I’d like to know its original source.”

  “Forward it on to me, and I’ll see if I can work backward to an IP address.”

  “Thanks. I’ll do it right now.” She disconnected and rushed back to her own room. She had just finished sending it when she heard John and the boys coming down the hall. “In here,” she called. “You boys may go to John’s room for your Popsicles,” she said as they entered the room. Then she looked at John. “That’s all right, isn’t it?”

  “Sure.” His narrowed eyes told her he understood her wish to talk to him privately.

  She put the file back up on her screen.

  “That should be reported,” John said when he saw it.

  “I’ve already asked Dillon to trace the source. Do you think I should tell Ken about it?”

  John didn’t hesitate. “I think that would be smart.”

  “I remember Ken mentioning that he’ll be in a departmental meeting after school today, so I’ll call him from home tonight.” She shut down the computer and grabbed her things to leave.

  By the time she and the boys got home, Toni felt too drained to fix more than hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for supper. After they ate and the boys had gone to their room, she curled up in the recliner to grade papers, the cordless phone at her side. She had just read the first report when the phone rang. She answered absently. “Hello.”

  “This is Sam Brinkman. There will be a special meeting of the board and the principals after school tomorrow. It’ll be in the library, and we’ll be discussing the results of the audit we just finished. Since you’re the one who wanted one so badly, I thought you might like to attend.”

  “Yes, I would. Thank you for including me.”

  “It seems you’ve been included in a lot of things lately,” he drawled. “And you seem to be the one looking the hardest for answers.”

  As soon as Toni disconnected, she called Ken about the e-mail circulating among the students.

  “I have a doctor appointment in the morning, but I’ll look at it when I get to my office. Oh, will I see you at the meeting after school?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Next she called John. “I told Ken about the e-mail. He said he’ll look at it tomorrow.”

  “Good. He needs to know. We’ve covered ourselves.”

  “One more thing,” she said before he could disconnect. “Sam Brinkman just invited me to a meeting after school tomorrow. The board and the principals are going to discuss results of the audit they’ve been conducting the past three days.”

  “That sounds serious. I hope they found something helpful. Why don’t Jenny and I take the boys home with us after school so your parents won’t have to go after them.”

  “But you’ve looked af
ter them so much,” she protested.

  “Because I want to. We want to.” His tone changed, became almost pleading. “Toni, I haven’t said anything, but Jenny and I aren’t having any luck at starting a family. Borrowing your boys is a chance to have kids around.”

  “Then of course you can borrow them,” she said, overcome by a rush of sympathy. She knew they had both been in their late thirties when they married, but she hadn’t known of their struggles to have a baby.

  *

  Friday after classes Toni got a Coke and hurried to the library. She found a seat at the long table next to Betty Devore. Betty turned and peered at her through the thickest glasses Toni could ever remember seeing. “Not a coffee drinker, huh?”

  “Coke-aholic.” Toni popped the tab and reached for a Styrofoam cup from the stack on the table. She poured half the Coke into it and took a thirsty swig.

  Betty chuckled, her large body overflowing the chair.

  Sam Brinkman was the last of the seven board members to arrive. The three principals filed in after him and sat across the table from Toni and Betty. The atmosphere was grave.

  Dennis Guthrie stood from his seat at one end of the table. “Okay, let’s get started. I’m not a financial expert, so Mr. Prewitt, our acting superintendent, will explain to us what the auditors found.” He resumed his seat.

  Good move.

  The board members were all decent people and reasonably successful in their respective jobs, but none of them were public speakers or financial advisors.

  Ryan shuffled papers in front of him and remained in his seat. “As you all know, we’ve had a team of auditors here this week examining financial records of the district. Their report is not good.” He glanced from face to face around the table. “There are some irregularities.”

  “What kind of irregularities?” Dennis asked brusquely.

  Ryan cleared his throat and swallowed hard. “To begin with, our enrollment figures have been inflated, meaning we’ve been receiving more state money than we should.”

  Toni could almost hear the silent groans in the room.

  “Will we have to pay back a bunch of money?” one of them asked.

  “That’s what I would anticipate,” Ryan answered, his voice not quite steady. “And we’re not solvent enough to absorb a big payback.”