Toni Donovan Mysteries- Books 1-3

by Helen Gray

  The sound of the William Tell Overture erupted from Kara’s purse. When she pulled out her cell phone and checked the ID, a smile lit her face. “It’s Logan.”

  “I’ll fix us something to drink,” Toni said as Kara greeted her fiancé. She waggled her fingers and left the room. To give Kara some privacy, she took her time in the kitchen, fixing mugs of hot apple cider and a tray of chips and salsa.

  When she returned to the living room minutes later, Kara was ending her call. Toni set the mugs on the coffee table. “How about sustenance?”

  “I’m not hungry, but the cider smells and looks good,” Kara said, her spirits much improved.

  “Did talking to him help calm your jitters?”

  Kara nodded and inhaled a deep breath. “I feel much better. The first thing he said was how much he’s looking forward to being married to me. I guess I just needed to hear him say that.”

  She paused, as if gauging her next words. “I told Logan about Dustin’s suicide. His first response was sympathy, of course. But his next comment was to point out how, on crime shows, anytime you hear of a suicide, foul play is suspected.”

  Toni started to brush off the observation, but hesitated. “Those shows create distrust and suspicion at everything,” she said after a moment. “Buck didn’t sound suspicious when he showed me Dustin’s note. But he didn’t say he was satisfied with the conclusion, either,” she added slowly.

  “Logan asked a lot of questions that I couldn’t answer,” Kara continued. “He wanted to know about the position of the gun, gunshot residue, things like that. I told him it only happened this morning, that you just heard about it this afternoon, and that you never said anything about it being suspicious.”

  For some reason the conversation caused Toni’s world to tip on its axis. When Buck told her about Dustin, she had been so shocked and grief stricken that she had not thought beyond the obvious. She shook her head in denial. “Buck would have said something if he suspected anything other than what it appeared to be.”

  “Would he?” Kara’s question was soft.

  Toni only had to think about it for a second. “No, he probably wouldn’t. If he suspected anything wrong, he would only share that with his officers.”

  “Well, if there’s anything out of whack, I’m sure he’ll work on it. He’s pretty savvy. He became police chief after I left here, but my parents have always said good things about him.”

  Kara finished her cider, put the mug down, and picked up her purse. “I need to go. My parents are expecting me.”

  After they parted at the door, Toni wrestled a wave of emotions. She was glad for the visit with her friend, and for Kara’s improved state of mind. But now everything came back at her in a rush. She clamped down on her thoughts and went to check on the boys, relieved to find them getting ready for bed. She took a quick shower and crawled into her own bed.

  Once under the covers, the horrible reality of Dustin’s death began to replace the initial shock and denial. As it sank in, Toni let grief have its way. Deep, wrenching sobs wracked her body. The entire month had taken its toll. Marsha’s death, followed by the attack on Garrett, and then the shooting attack on her, had left her stunned and uncertain. This latest death could not be borne. Her whole body churned with grief—and anger.

  Dear God in heaven, how can such evil exist? Why are these things happening? Please stop them.

  Gradually the tears lessened, and she lay staring up in the dark, struggling to breathe through stuffy sinuses. The tears had given her a small measure of relief, but now she was numb. She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, unable to stop the horrible visions flashing through her mind. Finally she fell into an exhausted and troubled sleep.

  A hand on her shoulder woke her sometime later. Toni forced her swollen eyes open to find Kyle sitting on the side of the bed. The small bedside light glowed behind him. He stared at her red puffy eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” His voice was deep with concern.

  Toni reached for him, grateful when he pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and told him about Dustin.

  He simply held her, while the front of his shirt grew wet from her fresh torrent of tears.

  *

  They had an excellent pastor, but in church the next morning Toni had a difficult time focusing on his sermon. Then suddenly the scripture he was reading from the book of Jeremiah penetrated her fuzzy brain.

  “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.”

  Toni had lost track of the context of the sermon, but she had an instant sense of empathy for women, and men, weeping for their children. She thought of the Guthries, and of her personal feelings regarding her own child being threatened, and she began to pray silently.

  Lord, please be with the Guthries. And don’t let anything happen to Garrett. Please don’t let any more of these awful things happen.

  After the benediction, she was solemn as she exited the church with Kyle and the boys. When they were in the minivan, she glanced over at Kyle, and then back at the boys. “I don’t feel much like being around people. Would you mind if we just go home and make hamburgers?”

  “Sounds fine to me,” Kyle responded.

  “Great idea, Mom,” came from Gabe. Garrett just nodded.

  By the time lunch was over, all Toni could think about was a nap. The amount of sleep she had gotten the night before had been broken and not restful. That, plus the emotional toll, had her exhausted. She started for the bedroom, but was waylaid by the ringing of the phone.

  “There will be an assembly in the gymnasium first hour tomorrow morning,” Ken Douglas said when she answered.

  “I’ll call Loretta,” Toni said lethargically.

  She made the call and then crawled onto the bed, thankful that Kyle had taken the boys to get milk shakes. She knew he had made the offer to give her some time alone, as well as giving him a chance to spend time with his sons. She appreciated it.

  *

  A somber crowd of ninth through twelfth graders assembled in the gymnasium Monday morning immediately after attendance and lunch counts were taken. The students filed in and took their seats without their usual boisterousness. They sat in sections by grade on one side of the gym, while teachers occupied chairs along the wall facing them.

  A small portable amplifier, microphone, and lightweight podium were positioned on the floor. Having drawn another tough assignment in his short tenure as acting superintendent, Ryan Prewitt stepped to the podium and addressed the students and staff in a strained and somber voice. “As I’m sure you all know by now, we have suffered another tragic loss among us.”

  Faces stared straight ahead, listening silently, with eyes being dabbed around the room. Toni’s pain paralleled the thick grief and pain of the students. The acid in her stomach slithered up into her throat, strangling her.

  “Our sympathies go out to the Guthrie family,” Ryan continued. “They have informed us that there will be visitation at the funeral home tomorrow evening from five until nine. The funeral will be Wednesday at two p.m. at the Woolison Funeral Chapel. School will be dismissed right after lunch to allow all those who wish to attend to do so.”

  He paused and motioned for the small group of adults sitting with Kelly Graham to come forward. “We have counselors from other schools in the area who have volunteered to make themselves available to any students or adults wishing to speak with one.”

  There were introductions of the counselors, along with directives as to where each would be located. When students began stepping forward to indicate their desire to talk to one of them, the meeting was dismissed with instructions to report to second hour classes. Those remaining were assigned to specific counselors.

  As Toni exited through the gym doorway, Ryan caught up with her. “Chief Freeman brought Marsha’s computer back this morning. Can you look at it during your free period
?”

  “I’ll be there. Your office or the superintendent’s?”

  “Superintendent’s. See you then.” He took off up the hall.

  At the end of second hour Toni took a blank flash drive from the supply cabinet in her room and slipped it into her purse. Then she hurried to the administrative offices.

  “Come on in,” Ryan said when she peered inside his doorway. He stood and rounded the desk. “It’s all yours for now. There are some matters in my regular job that need my attention, so that’s where I’ll be if you need me.”

  Anxious to get started, Toni perched behind the desk and booted the computer that someone—she assumed Ryan—had taken the trouble to hook up for her. She wasn’t interested in the kind of in-depth checking that the technicians would have already done. She located Marsha’s word processing files, which were voluminous. There was no way she could scan them meaningfully in the forty-five minutes she had. She took the flash drive from her purse, put it in the drive, and copied all the files and folders onto it.

  Next she accessed the e-mail account, discovering that it had been previously opened and the password saved. Thank you, she breathed silently to whoever had done it, not caring whether it had been Marsha, or if a technician had figured it out. She added copies of those folders to the flash drive and put it back in her purse.

  The remainder of the time Toni spent browsing through everything she could think to check, and finding nothing of significance. She shut down the computer and returned to her classroom with only five minutes to spare before the bell would ring.

  Classes were conducted in an abnormally quiet atmosphere with no pressure being exerted. Toni kept the students as busy as possible without any kind of stress, allowing them to work individually or in groups, and making no objection if they drifted into quiet conversations or even periods of despondent inactivity.

  Seventh hour was the worst, because Dustin’s absence was such a noticeable and harsh reminder of its permanence. Jodi Garrison was present. Sidney Rayford was not.

  When the bell rang at the end of class, Jodi approached Toni’s desk. “Uh, do you have any work you would like help with?” she asked quietly.

  Toni smiled. “I can always use an extra pair of hands. Why don’t you make sure all supplies are put away and computers shut down and covered properly? I’ll be back in a few moments.”

  She went next door to John’s room. He looked up as she entered. “I’ll get the boys,” he said, reading her face before she could speak.

  She thanked him briefly and returned to her own room.

  “Everything’s in order,” Jodi said.

  “How long do you need to stay?” Toni asked while scooping a jumble of work sheets from the last class into a stack for grading.

  Jodi gave her a half smile, half grimace. “An hour or so.”

  “Fine. Why don’t you get comfortable and do your homework. But before you start, would you run down to the vending machines and get us both a cold drink?” Toni took some money from her wallet.

  “Oh, I don’t want you buying anything for me.” Jodi shook her head in refusal.

  “I’d really like to,” Toni insisted. “Please?”

  After a hesitation, Jodi took the money and left.

  Toni called Kyle and explained that she would be home a little later than expected. Without asking questions, he said he would start supper. She disconnected and started grading the papers. Minutes later Jodi returned and plunked a can of iced tea onto her desk. She laid some change beside it. "Thanks."

  Gabe and Garrett charged into the room.

  John waved from the doorway. “I need to run.” He disappeared.

  “Have a seat and eat those,” Toni told the boys, indicating the Popsicles they carried. “Then you can get a game from the supply cabinet.”

  Jodi settled in with her homework, and Toni continued grading papers. Her eyes were getting bleary when the sound of Jodi’s book closing made her look up.

  Jodi got to her feet. “I can go now. Thanks.”

  *

  Kyle was taking a ham and broccoli casserole from the oven when Toni and the boys arrived home. After they ate, he took the boys to McDonald’s for Blizzards.

  Even though Toni had wished for time alone with Kyle, right now all she wanted was some time totally alone. Grateful for it, she settled on the sofa with her laptop, plugged the flash drive into it, and began browsing through the files she had copied. It was quite a hodge-podge, everything from notes from Jack Rayford, to memos from state departments, to notices of e-Bay purchases. She started working through them alphabetically. A+ School. Accelerated Schools. Accounting and Procurement. Accreditation and Classification. ACT. Building Codes.

  It was dry reading, test scores and percentages, comparisons of each to the one before it. Halfway through Career Ladder, the doorbell interrupted.

  When Toni opened the door, she found a distraught teenager standing under the porch light. Sidney Rayford’s face and eyes were red and blotchy, and tears glistened on her cheeks. She drew a ragged breath and burst into speech. “Mrs. Donovan, Dustin didn’t commit suicide. He wouldn’t have done that. I know he wouldn’t.”

  Toni extended a hand. “Please come inside.”

  The next thing she knew, the sobbing girl was in her arms. She pulled Sidney close and rubbed a hand over her shoulders. “Let’s get to where it’s warm.”

  Toni closed the door and steered the girl to a seat on the sofa, carefully moving her laptop onto the coffee table and closing the lid. Then she just held Sidney while she wept, stroking her long blonde tresses that lacked their usual sheen from brushing. She cried with the teenager, her heart aching as their tears streamed.

  When the storm eased, Sidney shuddered and drew from Toni’s arms. She ran a hand over her tear-ravaged face. “You tell us in class to study the evidence,” she challenged brokenly.

  Toni lifted the box of tissues from the coffee table. “Here. Let’s talk about it.”

  “He didn’t commit suicide,” Sidney repeated, pulling a tissue from the box. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “I know he didn’t.”

  “Tell me how you know he didn’t.” Toni took the girl’s hand in her own.

  Sidney sat up straighter and struggled for composure. “Mrs. Donovan,” she said when she could speak. “I know I haven’t always been the best student for you.”

  “It’s okay, Sidney.” Toni fought the tightness in her throat.

  “I knew you were the one person who would listen to me,” Sidney went on doggedly. “You respect the facts.”

  “What are the facts?” Toni asked. “Can you just relax and tell me about it?”

  Sidney nodded. “Dustin could be a pain. I know that,” she began, her mouth trembling. “But he wasn’t suicidal. He had an ego, and he hadn’t been depressed or withdrawn. He drank sometimes, but he didn’t do drugs, and he was never bored. He was a guard on the basketball team, full of life and looking forward to winning the district championship. Does that sound like someone considering killing himself?” she demanded, her voice rising in pitch.

  “It doesn’t seem to fit the profile of a suicidal person,” Toni agreed carefully.

  “He loved life. He loved a lot of things,” Sidney added, her speech trailing to a halt. After a moment she struggled on. “I thought he loved me, and I still think he did, but…”

  “But what? Are you afraid he loved someone else as well?”

  Sidney nodded. “He was seeing someone else, but I don’t know who.”

  “How do you know?”

  Sidney took a long shuddering breath. “I’m a teacher’s aide for Coach Hopper during sixth hour. I help him get things set up in the gym before games, or when an assembly or community meeting is scheduled in there. I also help in the office, typing schedules and things like that.”

  Toni listened in silence, letting the girl tell her story her way.

  “Lately Coach’s PE supplies have been disappearing, and some equipment ha
s been vandalized. So I decided to investigate.”

  Now Toni smiled. “Putting your detective skills to work, huh?”

  Sidney shrugged and gave her a weak smile in return. “Monday, while Coach Hopper was in the gym with his class and I was in the office typing schedules, I hid my digital camera on a shelf in the room. I set it to automatically take a picture every five minutes.”

  “I remember you being upset Tuesday.”

  “That’s because I was mad at Dustin for breaking our Monday night date. Anyhow, during sixth hour that day Coach Hopper sent me to deliver some memos to teachers, so I didn’t have time to retrieve my camera until after school while Coach and the team had basketball practice in the gym.”

  Toni began to grasp the significance. “You found the picture after school Tuesday.”

  Sidney nodded miserably. “As soon as I checked the camera, I found that picture of Dustin with…with some other girl.” Her voice broke.

  Toni knew what was coming next.

  “I was so mad at him for lying and two-timing me that I couldn’t sleep that night. So Wednesday morning I got up early and e-mailed the picture to all the kids on my address list. Now he’s dead, and it’s my fault,” she wailed, dissolving into tears again.

  “No, it’s not your fault,” Toni assured her. “You were hurt and striking out, but you didn’t cause his death.”

  “I was mad and looking for revenge,” Sidney insisted.

  “You’re growing up. We all make mistakes. Some of them are just worse than others. The important thing is to learn from them and not repeat them.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Sidney pleaded.

  “You can’t erase anything, but you can answer a couple more questions for me.”

  Sidney hiccupped and rubbed the back of her hands over her eyes. “I will if I can.”

  “Are you sure you have no idea who Dustin was with in the picture?” She didn’t mention that she had seen it.

  Sidney shook her head. “No. I was so stupid. I thought I was the only one he was going out with, until Monday night when he cancelled our date. I was suspicious then, but I had no proof.”