by Helen Gray
began to read in detail again at the section about the manner of death.
Postmortem damage from natural agents include breakage, insect activity, carnivore chewing, and flaking and cracking from exposure to sunlight and the elements.
After removal of dirt and forest debris, no additional evidence of trauma was noted. However, the discovery of a bullet near the scene, and circumstances such as the hidden location of the remains, strongly suggest homicide as the cause of death.
No soft tissue was present. Based on climate, soil acidity, and amount of root growth in a few bone cavities, it is estimated that the individual died two to three years prior to being located.
Positive identification made through DNA tests and comparison of dental charts is that of Brock Goldman.
Toni skimmed over the remaining summary paragraphs, noting nothing fresh or new. “It all fits,” she murmured solemnly. The sure knowledge of the unacknowledged passing of a person she knew left her feeling bereft, confused—and angry. She also felt a sense of fear—but a stronger one of duty. Such an act should not go unpunished.
She had to voice those feelings. “I’d like some answers. If I can help, I will. Someone committed murder, and I want to help you find out who did it, and why.”
“That’s my job,” Buck reminded her. “But I’m open to any help that won’t put you in danger. I made a promise to Garrett, you know.”
Toni closed her eyes a moment, and then reopened them. “I know. I don’t want to worry my family, but I need to be a part of this, feel like I’m making a contribution. And I really don’t think it’s dangerous.” Not much anyhow.
He nodded at the second folder. “Why don’t you glance at those phone logs and see what you think?”
Toni opened it and began to study the lists of calls, dates, and times. After some time she placed it in her lap and looked up. “There are some numbers that were definitely regular contacts. Have you identified them?”
He nodded. “The four that occur most frequently are Wendy Rutherford, Madison Vickers, Damien Hudson, and Evan Hicks. Vickers was his girlfriend, Hudson was his attorney, and Rutherford was his co-chair of the festival. Hicks was his banker, but I’m not sure what else. I would have asked when I talked to him if I had known about these logs at the time. They all seem like people Brockman had logical reasons for talking to a lot, but I plan to question each of them.”
“May I talk to them if I see them?”
He considered the request for several moments. “I don’t see why not. Maybe you can pick up something different or get a fresh perspective on something.”
The final out of the game was made, and the seats began to empty. They finished their Cokes, tossed the cups in the trash barrel, and started to the parking lot as Buck put his hat back on his head.
Dack Murphy came running to meet them, pumping a fist in the air. “We were right!”
Gabe and Garrett trotted from the opposite direction and went on to the van.
“I’ll see you later.” Buck waved and strode away.
When all three teenage boys had gathered, Jeremy burst into speech. “Dad called me right after school, while we were coming down to the field, and said they positively identified the skeleton as Reverend Goldman.” He was flushed with the pleasure of success. “We were right,” he repeated.
“Yes, you were,” Toni agreed.
*
Tuesday morning when Toni arrived at school and checked her mailbox, she found a personal note from Ken Douglas, asking her to meet with him and the technology director during her third hour plan period. She assumed it had to do with the grade changes.
When she walked into his office third hour, Dillon was already present, probably in deference to her rigid schedule.
“I’ll make this brief so you’ll have time for a Coke before fourth hour,” Ken said, grinning across his desk at Toni. He wore his usual dark suit and white shirt.
“Thank you,” she responded dryly.
“Dillon has checked the times that grade changes were made and noted them in the margins of the list I gave him,” he said, returning to a business-like manner as he handed Toni a copy of the list he and Dillon were already holding.
“The changes were all made after school, between three and seven p.m.,” Dillon related. “I’m still working on the list of unexcused absences and tardies that were turned in yesterday. I’m guessing they’ll coincide with the grade changes—same students, same times.”
Ken loosened his blue striped tie. “I know Jeremy Barnes has been mentioned as the only student capable of getting into the system. As soon as I started questioning culprits, the rumor mill started. Jeremy himself heard the tale and came to see me.”
He paused a moment to gauge their interest. “He knows he’s a natural suspect, and he says he wants to prove he didn’t do it by helping catch whoever did. How do you feel about that?” He focused on Dillon.
“What does he want to do?” Dillon asked.
“He says he’s willing to come in early or stay after school, whatever will work around his ball game schedule, and check all the computers for keylogging software.”
Surprise crossed Dillon’s face, but then he considered it for a moment. “In order to do that, he would need an administrative password. I don’t think it’s a good idea to give that to a student.”
Ken eyed Toni. “What about giving Toni a password and letting her do the logging in? Then she could supervise while Jeremy does the checking. If Toni’s willing, that is.”
“I guess I could live with that,” Dillon agreed, his head bobbing. “It would speed things along. Determining which computers were used would tell me where to focus our twenty-five motion activated cameras. I’m running a program on the network that makes it possible for me to check machines by their IP number and view what specific cameras are recording as they’re running.”
Ken looked back at Toni. “You seem to have a good rapport with Jeremy, as well as being involved in the discovery of this mess. Will you help?”
“I can do that,” she agreed. Then she faced Dillon. “I can also check with the coach about Jeremy’s past attendance at ballgames and practices. They have one or the other every day after school, which would make the times you found impossible for him to have been in the building.”
Ken smacked his hand down on the desktop in satisfaction. “Good. Meeting dismissed.”
*
Wednesday morning Toni hurried the boys around so she could get to school a little earlier than usual. Once there, she went straight to the gym, seeking Jordan Hopper. She found the sweat pants, tee shirt and tennis shoe clad coach adjusting a pitching machine inside the long, heavy netting cage that extended across one wall of the gym where the team practiced when the weather was bad outside.
“Morning, Toni,” Jordan greeted her. Then he read her look. “Uh, oh, what’s on your mind?”
“Nothing that’ll cause you any trouble,” she assured him. “I just need to know whether Jeremy has been missing any baseball games or practices.”
Jordan studied her, not smiling. “Is this related to the murder case or the hacking? Or both?”
Toni gave him a level look. “I need to confirm that he hasn’t been inside the school building after school on a number of days.”
“Then you can put your mind at ease,” he said somewhat gruffly. “Jeremy hasn’t missed a game or a practice. There’s no way he could have been in the building after school since baseball season started during the middle of March. I hope you’re trying to help him.” Not convict him, his tone said.
Toni breathed a sigh of relief. “If it will make you feel any better, I don’t think he’s our hacker. Dillon says the grade changes have all been made between three and seven p.m. I was hoping you could help me clear the boy.”
Jordan visibly relaxed. “Jeremy never misses anything, and even if he did, I don’t think he did it.”
“He knows he’s considered a suspect because of his reputation a
s a computer whiz, so he went to the office and told Ken he didn’t do it. He also offered to help catch whoever is doing it.”
Jordan’s eyes brightened, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “The boy has more guts than I realized. I wish both of you luck.”
Chapter 9
Toni’s heart felt lighter as she prepared for her first class. This would be the last instructional day for seniors. Tomorrow and Friday they would be taking their finals. Even hour classes would take them Thursday, which would include only half of her sixth hour advanced biology students. Odd hour classes would test on Friday, which would be her entire first hour A&P and seventh hour forensics classes. Her second, fourth and fifth hour general biology classes were comprised of freshmen and sophomores, so they wouldn’t test until next week.
In first hour she had the class spend time reviewing. In second hour they did a population identity lab. Third hour she left the room as quickly as she could get away and went to Dillon’s office—if you cared to call it that. He had the use of a storage room in the back of the library where he did repairs and stored parts. Toni just hoped she could catch up with him. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spied him standing at a table, working on a machine in the main library.
Totally absorbed, he didn’t look up as she approached. “Hi.”
His head jerked around from the disemboweled machine, and he put his screwdriver on the table. He smiled. “Hey, imagine seeing you here. Yes, I got the times on that second list checked,” he continued, anticipating the purpose of her visit. “Have a seat.”
Toni dropped onto the chair next to him.
“The times of the other changes coincide,” he continued, sitting and pulling a folder from the middle of the table. He handed it to her. “The absence and tardy deletions were done in the same time frames, and at least half of them are for the same students who had grades changed. What have you learned?”
“Jeremy Barnes has been in regular attendance at games and practices since the middle of March.”
Dillon shook his head, as if rattling his thoughts around up there. “The changes started earlier than that, and it wouldn’t make sense that he could have done the ones in January and February, but none since then. It looks to me like he’s in the clear. I’ll catch Ken and bring him up to date.”
“In that case, where do you want Jeremy and me to start checking for keylogging software?”
Dillon’s gaze swept the library. “How about right here?”
“We’ll get on it.” She stood to leave, but paused. “If I had your cell phone number, it might come in handy.”
“You could be right.” He reached for a pen and scrap of paper. He jotted the number and handed it to her. He pierced her with a meaningful look. “The last time you left here with evidence, you ended up in trouble.”
Toni shuddered inwardly at the memory. After leaving him with a telltale photo enlargement, she had been accosted and nearly killed by the teacher who had murdered their superintendent. “Thanks,” she said, snatching the paper and practically running with it.
After a stop by the faculty workroom to make copies of her finals, Toni returned to her classroom and locked the tests in her supply cabinet. Fourth and fifth hours were repeats of the lab that second hour had done that morning. Sixth hour’s lesson consisted of a brief lecture, followed by a discussion and a couple of demonstrations on respiration.
Before it seemed possible, the day was nearly gone. Toni wrapped up the discussion from the previous day in seventh hour. Tomorrow they would finish it and review for Friday’s final. Shortly before time for the dismissal bell she began collecting semester research papers that were due that day. As she moved toward the back of the room, she overheard her detective trio whispering.
“He said she lives in a big fancy house that must be worth a fortune,” Jeremy was saying. “There was a Mercedes parked in her garage.”
Toni surmised that the subject was Mrs. Goldman.
“Jeremy,” she said, approaching them with her hand extended for their papers. “I’d like to talk with you. Can you stay after class for a couple of minutes?”
“Sure.” He handed her his paper, and then he jabbed a thumb toward his two pals.. “We have something we want to show you.”
Toni moved on, curious now, and collected the rest of the papers. “Use what time is left to study for your finals,” she instructed the class.
When the bell rang, the three boys remained seated while the room emptied and Toni monitored in the hallway. When she returned to her desk, they moved forward as a unit.
“Jeremy,” she said, eyeing him specifically. “I’ve talked with Mr. Douglas and learned that the grade changes are being done during times that you could not have been in the building or at any computer.” That was as specific as she meant to be.
He grinned. “Done after school, huh? Sounds like it’s being done while I’m at baseball.”
Toni met his look evenly, neither denying nor confirming.
Dack gave Jeremy a slap on the back. “It sounds like you’re in the clear.”
Jeremy smiled again, but then turned somber. “Maybe so, but I’d still like to catch whoever is doing it, so there won’t be any doubt left in anyone’s mind.”
“Mr. Douglas has proposed a way you can help,” Toni said. “He said…” The ringing of the phone interrupted her. “Just a moment.” She pointed at a chair, indicating he was not to leave.
She picked up the receiver. “Hello.”
“Hi, Tonikin,” her husband’s deep voice greeted her. “I’m in Kansas City, and I have a package I’ll be delivering to Poplar Bluff in the morning. It’s addressed to a Charity Haven.”
“Charity Haven,” she repeated, picking up a pen and jotting the name on the notepad kept on the bookcase by the phone.
“I’m sure that’s the name I’ve seen Nurse Vickers picking up stuff for before. She’s obviously on a list of people approved to do that. All she has to do is show her ID. I thought it was the name of an individual, but this sounds more like a place, or some kind of an organization. If I learn anything more, I’ll let you know. See you Friday.”
Dack was grinning like a Cheshire cat when she disconnected. “That’s the house! I’d bet money on it!”
“You mean the house where Cindy had her baby?” Jeremy asked, his look and tone skeptical. “She never mentioned a name, didn’t even know where the place she was in was located.”
“Sure,” Dack insisted in gleeful assurance. “The name sounds exactly like the kind of house she described.”
Jeremy shrugged, still doubtful. “If you say so.”
“Mr. Douglas is willing to accept your offer of checking computers for keylogging software,” Toni said, steering them back to the original topic. “But there’s a stipulation.”
His face lit. “What is it? When can I get started?”
“You can’t get started,” she said firmly. “An administrative password is required to log onto the machine, and they don’t feel they can give that to a student.”
His bright expression dimmed.
“What he proposes is that they give me a password. I would have to do the logging in, and then monitor while you check the machines.”
His smile returned. “No problem. When do we start?”
“When will your schedule allow you enough time for it?” Toni asked. “Don’t you have a game or practice every day after school?”
“Yeah,” he said, pursing his lips in thought. “Could we come in before school?”
Toni sighed, hating the thought of getting up that much earlier, but seeing no other option. “Okay,” she agreed. “Meet me tomorrow morning at seven in the library. How are you for finals? Do you need to study?”
“I’m good,” he assured her.
“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning,” she repeated, dismissing them. But they didn’t leave as expected.
“Uh, Mrs. Donovan,” Dack said, pulling a slip of paper from his pocket. �
��We have another idea.”
Oh, no. Toni almost held her breath. “What is it?” She tried to keep her tone level.
“Well, we thought we might try to get a grade changed. Everybody knows Jeremy doesn’t need any grade raises.” Dack gave his brainy friend a rolled-eye look. “And Q has never been real excited about grades—or much of anything that isn’t mechanical,” he added with a chuckle. “So that leaves me. Another point or two on my GPA could help me get a scholarship at SEMO. I plan to work toward a criminal justice degree while running our detective agency,” he added in explanation.
“How do you propose to get this done?” Toni asked, easing back in her chair.
His chest expanded. “I’ll go undercover, order some grade changes.”
She frowned. “Don’t you think whoever is doing it knows about the investigation by now?”
Dack frowned at that. “They may know, but money is still the issue.” He handed her the piece of paper he had been holding.
It was a price list. To have a grade boosted was ten dollars a level, as from a D to a C. An unexcused absence deletion could be had for six dollars. Removal of a tardy was two dollars.
“Where did you get this?” she demanded.
“Q got it from a friend,” Dack said vaguely.
Toni looked at Q, who nodded and shrugged.
She took a deep breath. “How do you contact this person?”
“I leave the money and a note explaining what to change. The last contact point we could get anyone to tell us about is an envelope attached to the bottom of a chair in the library. Please don’t ask who told us that, because we promised not to tell in order to get the information,” Dack finished in a breathless rush.
“I’m not in a position to approve anything like you’re suggesting. However,” she said, lifting a hand in a silencing gesture as Dack started to speak again. “I’ll talk to Mr. Douglas and see what he says.”
“We know it’s a long shot,” Dack said. “But we need to try something.”
“I’ll explain that,” Toni assured him.
