Toni Donovan Mysteries- Books 1-3

by Helen Gray

  “I don’t think it solves our murder,” he said tiredly. “But it uncovers another secret. Keith confessed that he was the drunk hit and run driver who hit Tom Keller and put him in the hospital for several weeks.”

  Her tired brain slowly recalled the incident. “Tom was drunk, too, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes, but he apparently saw something he didn’t understand. He told Goldman that he had seen the devil and described it in such detail that it made Goldman remember that the car Keith Ryker drove, and still drives, has a bumper sticker with a fire breathing bull just like Tom described. Tom had seen it from the ground when he was knocked down and thought the devil was breathing fire down on him.”

  “Why didn’t Goldman just come to the police with his information?”

  “He wanted Keith to persuade his son-in-law to take over the counselor role at Charity Haven.” Keith’s son-in-law pastored a church in a nearby town.

  “It sounds like the preacher really was planning to leave town. Did Keith have any kind of alibi for the time Goldman was killed?”

  Buck’s sigh sounded across the line. “Nothing solid. Keith says he can’t remember much about that night, but Tom remembers that bumper sticker, and apparently got Keith to admit what he did.”

  Toni glanced at the clock. “Well, it’s another dead end.”

  “Get some sleep.”

  *

  Toni didn’t waste any time Wednesday morning. Still tired, but ready to get the term finished, she crawled out of bed an hour earlier than usual and made a potato casserole for the pot luck lunch to be served at noon. Then she dressed in jeans, a red cotton shirt, tennis shoes and red socks for a full day of physical work.

  The weather was gorgeous, already sunny and breezy when Beth Price arrived to spend the day with Gabe and Garrett. The girl welcomed any chance to babysit with the boys.

  When Toni got to school she went directly to the teacher’s lounge with her casserole. Furnished with an old sofa, a coffee table and two long tables pushed together end to end and surrounded with folding chairs, it had been tidied for the day. Paper tablecloths covered the tables that were already being loaded with appetizing dishes. A small table in the corner of the room held large coffee and tea pots. Soda and snack machines stood against one wall.

  Toni spoke to other teachers in passing, placed her dish on the table, and made a beeline for her classroom. She spent the morning packing personal items from the room and file cabinets, clearing bulletin boards, and clearing out trash.

  Potluck lunch with her colleagues was enjoyable. Everyone loaded their plates and carried them into the cafeteria to sit at the tables normally occupied by students. There wasn’t enough seating for them in the lounge, and the cafeteria and maintenance staff were cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms.

  When they returned to their rooms, John offered to help Toni carry packed boxes to her van.

  “Why don’t we just work together and load both our vehicles,” she suggested. “You can take the larger boxes, and I’ll take the smaller.”

  “Good plan,” he agreed.

  By three o’clock they had everything stowed in their vehicles, at least all they intended to take that day. They each still had an aquarium and a few small pieces of equipment that had to be handled with special care.

  “Are you going to the game?” John asked when they finished, his tone indicating he expected she was.

  “Of course,” she responded matter-of-factly. “I’ll go get the boys as soon as we’re off duty and come right back. Beth Price is babysitting today and tomorrow.”

  John glanced at his watch. “We have another half hour before we’re free, and I’m done with everything I intend to do today. Let’s go have a Coke.”

  “Good idea.”

  *

  The post-season game was a nail biter, and disappointing in the end. Clearmount lost eight to nine, ending their season. They had to be satisfied with being champions of their district.

  Toni felt drained and grubby. The temperature had risen to the upper eighties, and the dry dust floating in the air had formed a film of grit everywhere. She remained on her bleacher seat as other spectators left the ball field.

  Gabe and Garrett trotted up to join her. “What are we eating tonight?” Gabe asked.

  Toni sighed tiredly. “What would you like to eat?”

  “Sonic burgers,” Garrett suggested hopefully.

  “Sonic burgers it is.”

  They got their burgers, fries and drinks and ate them at one of the picnic tables on the canopied walkway in front of the local Sonic. When they finished, they cleaned up their trash and got back in the van.

  All the while Toni’s mind had been spinning in a fragmented fashion. She was developing theories, and identifying the roles, but she couldn’t tie them together or figure how to prove them. The motive had to be money, or love gone wrong, something concrete. She felt as if she was floundering in quicksand. What could she hope to accomplish that the police hadn’t? There had been so much time between the actual crime and the discovery of it. Was it too late to uncover the tracks of a killer?

  When she reached their turnoff, she drove on past it and returned to the school, overcome by a sudden urgent need to do something. She didn’t know what. But she was inexplicably drawn back to the school grounds.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” she said as she turned in at the entrance.

  Both boys stared at her in question but didn’t say anything. When she parked next to the large pavilion near the ball field, she got out and began walking down the road, her purse swinging from her shoulder, the boys following her. They passed the ball field, veered off the road, and took the sidewalk that led past the lower field and down to the lower park. When they reached the park, they headed across the lawn toward the creek.

  The boys broke into a trot, passing Toni and running down across the edge of the lawn.

  At the edge of the water Toni saw them stop and talk for a moment. Then they turned to face her. “Is it okay if we go wading?” Gabe called.

  “That’s fine,” she called back. It was still hot, and the shallow water rippled over the rocks in an inviting rush. She was tempted to join them.

  Toni hiked over the rise of the lawn and down near them. Then she wandered along the creek bed to a place where she had to step on some large rocks to get across a spot where the creek angled across the path she was following. When she reached the other side, she walked on, passing under the bridge toward the place where Goldman’s remains had been found.

  When she reached the area that was no longer surrounded by yellow tape, she shivered. It felt eerie, as if spirits walked over the area that had been a man’s grave. She stood for a moment, gazing around in every direction. Then she moved slowly around the area, stopping every few feet to inspect the bushes and clumps of grass. But nothing emerged to give her fresh insight or relief for her nagging questions.

  Feeling defeated, Toni headed back under the bridge and over the rippling stream crossing. She looked forward over the creek and saw that the boys had waded downstream, well beyond the crime scene. Garrett bent over and stuck his hand in the water. She picked up her pace.

  “Hey, I think I’ve found some money,” he called to Gabe as she reached the bank near them. He pulled his hand out of the water and examined something. Then he frowned. “It’s not money,” he said in disgust and started to toss it back into the water.

  “Wait a minute,” Toni called impulsively. “Let me see it.”

  Chapter 22

  Garrett looked up, his hand halted in midair. “It’s just an old round thing,” he said. But he came wading toward her. “It was stuck under the edge of a big rock.”

  Toni took the object from him when he reached the edge of the water, and found herself looking at a pin of some kind. It was dirty, but showed spots of gold, which had to be what had caught Garrett’s attention in the water. It looked professional.

  She rubbed her thumb over it, removing part of the
dirt. Then she leaned down and swished it through the water. When she had it looking cleaner, she held it up and examined it more closely. There was a quickening in her breast when she perceived what it might be.

  Toni pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed her mother. “Hi, I just wanted to see if you were home,” she said when Faye answered. “Are you too busy for us to drop by?”

  “I’m going to the hospital after awhile, but right now I’m cleaning up from my snack,” her mother answered. “Come on over.”

  “Let’s go, guys,” she called to her boys after disconnecting. “We’re going to see your grandma.”

  Their reluctance to leave the water disappearing, they waded to the bank and picked up their shoes.

  When Toni pulled into the Nash driveway, Faye opened the door. “What’s wrong?” she asked as they entered the house. “You sounded urgent.”

  Toni pulled the pin from her pocket. “Garrett found something in the creek, and I want you to tell me what it is.” She handed it to her mother.

  “It looks like a nurse’s graduation pin,” Faye said, rubbing a finger over the front of it. “Here’s a capital S, followed by a lowercase t, and then a capital J. That probably stands for St. John’s, or maybe there’s a St. Joseph’s.” She rubbed it some more. “Someone graduated in 1996.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Toni said, her heart rate quickening. “Is there any way to know who lost it?”

  Faye turned it over and examined the back side. She peered closer, then turned and went into the bathroom. She emerged rubbing a tissue over it. “It’s worn down,” she said, squinting as she studied it. “But I think I’m seeing the initials. The first is an M. The second looks like an I, or maybe an L. Make that an L. The last is an S.” She handed it back to Toni.

  Toni took it, her heart rate slowing in disappointment. She studied the back of it for herself. Her mother was right. The letters MLS could be distinguished. “Thanks.” She stuck it back in her pocket.

  “I’m going to the hospital for visiting hours,” Faye said. “If you and the boys want to ride along, I might talk them into letting me push Russell down to the lobby for a short visit with them.”

  Toni thought a moment. “Let me drive.”

  It was late that night when they returned home, and the boys were asleep in the back of the van. Russell was improving enough that his doctor had said he might be released later in the week. The boys had not gotten to visit with him, so Toni and Faye had taken turns staying downstairs with them while the other visited with Russell. They had stopped for banana splits on the way home. Worn out, no one had any trouble falling asleep.

  *

  Thursday morning Beth arrived promptly at seven-thirty. “I’ll bring them to the school at noon,” she promised.

  Toni put on khaki shorts, a pale blue tee shirt, and blue socks, since lunch would be an outdoor picnic. When she arrived at school, she transported the last of her personal things from her classroom and stowed them in her van. Then she stood in line at the principal’s office for checkout, her arms loaded with binders, manuals, and a folder of miscellaneous forms and paperwork. It took a half hour to advance to the head of the line, and then another five minutes to present her inventories, lesson plan binder, special ed folders, and all the forms that had been signed by the bookkeeper, secretary, and others. The last form she signed was the one to keep her room key for the summer.

  When Toni walked away from Ken’s desk, she returned to her room and looked around to reassure herself that she had everything personal removed. Satisfied that she was done, and it was still an hour until lunch, she got her purse, locked her door, and went outside where she could use her cell phone. She called information in Springfield and asked for the number of the St. John’s school of nursing. As soon as she had it, she dialed.

  “St. John’s. May I help you?” a receptionist asked.

  “I’d like to speak to someone who can help me find the name of a 1996 graduate.”

  “I’ll connect you to Human Resources. Just one moment.”

  Toni waited through a hold, and then someone came on the line. “Human Resources. This is Patty. May I help you?”

  “My name is Toni Donovan, and I’m a teacher at Clearmount High School. I’ve found what I believe is a graduation pin from your school, and I’d like to return it to whoever lost it if I can find out who that is. Any help you can give me will be appreciated.”

  “What can you tell me about the pin?” Patty asked.

  “Well, it has the letters St and J on the front and the date 1996. The initials on the back are MLS.”

  “It sounds like it could be from here,” Patty said. Let me search our database for that year and see what names I can find with those initials. It may take a few minutes. Can you hold?”

  “Yes.”

  There was a click, and then silence. Toni appreciated not being subjected to someone else’s idea of appropriate taped music.

  “Hello, are you still there?”

  “I’m here,” Toni said, a trickle of anticipation making her antsy.

  “I only found three students listed in that year’s graduates who have all three of those initials,” she said with a slight drawl. “There was a Martha Louise Smith, a Michelle Lynn Stewart, and a Madison Leigh,” she spelled out the name L-e-i-g-h, “Sullins.”

  Toni didn’t have paper and pen handy, but she didn’t need to write the names down. The last one had locked into her brain.

  “I don’t have current information on any of them,” Patty was saying.

  “That’s all right,” Toni said, struggling to concentrate. “Thank you for your help.” She disconnected and stood there for a moment. Could the pin belong to Madison Vickers? Had she been married, accounting for a changed last initial?

  Toni put the phone in her purse and reentered the building. At John’s room, she stepped inside. “How are you getting along?”

  He looked up from his desk. “All done. I was just doodling, waiting for lunch time.”

  Toni pulled up a seat. “I need to verbalize some thoughts.”

  He laid his pen on the desk. “If it’s about the murder case, I’d love to hear how you’re progressing, all the details.”

  For the next half hour she related everything she had learned and done most recently. Having worked alongside her when their superintendent had been murdered, John was a good sounding board.

  “Sounds like you’re zeroing in on the killer,” he said when she ran down.

  “I think the pin puts Vickers at the crime scene, but I don’t see any way of proving it.”

  “You’ll find one,” he said with confidence.

  “Attention, staff,” a voice announced from the overhead intercom. “The board and administration invite you and your families to join us at the large pavilion for lunch. We will begin serving in fifteen minutes.”

  Toni and John made sure their rooms were locked and headed for the pavilion. As they arrived, Beth’s little green Volkswagen pulled in at the entrance. When the girl drove alongside the pavilion, Gabe and Garrett hopped out. Toni walked over to the car and took a prepared check from her purse. She handed it to Beth through the car window. “Thanks for helping me out yesterday and today.”

  “I love babysitting for you,” Beth said. “Call me any time.” She drove away.

  After everyone finished eating, and the group had dispersed, Toni rounded up her boys and got in the van to leave. Then she had another impulse.

  “How about a trip to the library?” she asked them. “You don’t have any school work now, but you should continue reading.” Spoken like a true teacher.

  Gabe directed a disbelieving look at her from the front passenger seat, Garrett a similar one from behind the seat. “The library’s right next to the police station,” Gabe pointed out.

  “You want us to spend some time there while you talk to Buck,” Garrett added.

  “Guilty,” she admitted meekly. “But if you’re not ready for that ri
ght now, you could play in the little park right behind the police station.”

  “The park,” they said in unison, grinning.

  Shrugging, Toni started the van.

  When she entered the station, the officer in front just smiled and jerked a thumb toward Buck’s office. She went to the door and peeked inside. “I’m back,” she announced.

  Buck looked up from his computer. “That means you’ve done something.”

  “No, Garrett found something.” She approached the desk and placed the pin on it. “He found this in the creek last night, downstream from the crime scene.”

  “Garrett, huh?” He picked it up and studied it.

  Toni took a seat. “Mom says it’s a graduation pin from a nursing school. The letters on the front made St. John’s a good guess.”

  He raised his eyes, his brows arching. “You called them,” he said with surety.

  Toni shrugged and gave him a non-apologetic grin. “There’s a date on it and some initials on the back. I called St. John’s and talked to a lady in human resources. She found three graduates from that year whose initials match.”

  He turned it over. “MLS?”

  “One of those names was Madison Leigh Sullins.”

  “Now that is interesting,” he said, his manner becoming more business-like. “I’ve also gotten some interesting information that fits. The fingerprints from the business card you gave me belong to Charity Sullins.”

  “So her name really is Charity,” Toni said, a bit surprised. “She’s obviously not a sister to Vickers, and somehow I don’t get the feeling she’s her mother.”

  “My guess is she’s an aunt,” Buck said. “An aunt with a record for assault and theft. There are no earnings records on her for the past several years, about the length of time that home has been out there. That tells me the woman is being paid in cash.”

  “There’s no question of her involvement.”

  “It ties in with another piece of information that came in today. Evan Hicks called from the bank. He’s been checking with his banker friends, and one of them at a bank in Farmington found an account that looks like what we need. It has an official sounding name, HVS Trust Account, and it has had thousands of transactions run through it over the past several years.”