Toni Donovan Mysteries- Books 1-3

by Helen Gray

  “I don’t know,” Toni said, shaking her head.

  “I understand that your friend discovered a switch of flash drives with the victim. Now his is stolen.”

  That very thought had been whirling through Toni’s mind. “We gave Mr. Campbell’s drive to Quint to turn in to the police department.” She didn’t mention making copies of it.

  “What was the one John was wearing?”

  “We went to Best Buy, and he bought a new one,” she explained. “We …uh, we had been to see Mr. Campbell’s widow to ask if she could find John’s drive in her husband’s things.”

  The officer frowned and made a quick note. “Did she find it?”

  “No, that’s why we went shopping for a new one.”

  “So the thief got a brand new drive with very little, if anything, on it.”

  “That’s right. I need to call John’s wife and tell her about this.”

  “Go ahead. I have to get going.” Chilton headed for his cruiser.

  Toni decided that calling Jenny, who was back in Clearmount, was more important than talking to Quint.

  “John’s all right,” were the first words out of her mouth when Jenny answered. “There’s been an incident, and he’s in the hospital, but he’s okay.” She went over everything she knew about the mugging.

  “I’ll be on my way in ten minutes,” Jenny said. “I should be there by six. Which hospital?”

  “They said they were taking him to St. John’s.”

  As soon as they disconnected, Toni hitched her bags onto her shoulder and started back to the OTC campus for her van. She dialed Quint as she walked.

  “I’ll be heading to work in a little over an hour,” he said after she repeated her story for him. “I’ll see what I can learn and get back with you later.”

  “That young Officer Chilton, the one we met Saturday, was at the scene,” she added. “He said he’s going to talk to your chief about including you on the case.”

  There was a moment of silence. “That’s all right. But don’t get it in your head that if—and that’s if—I end up on the case, that it gives you detective rights.”

  “Nor does it deprive me of my rights as a private citizen,” she pointed out, slowing and shoving at the bags that were slipping off her shoulder. She veered into the parking lot where her van was parked.

  When she arrived at the hospital, Toni went to the desk and asked about John. When told that he was just being admitted to a room and given a number, she rode the elevator up to the next floor. When she found the room, she peeked inside to see a nurse walking away from the bed. John was asleep.

  “Is he all right?” she asked the nurse in a whisper.

  The buxom, gray haired woman nodded and stepped out into the hallway. “He’s fine. Are you a relative?”

  “A close friend. I’ve called his wife, and she’s on her way.”

  “Good. Seeing her will make him feel better.”

  “What are his injuries?” Toni asked.

  “Besides the broken arm, he has some bruised ribs and a knot on the back of his head. He needs sleep more than anything right now.”

  Toni exhaled in relief. “Then I’ll go home and check on my boys. I’ll come back about the time his wife should arrive.”

  When she arrived at the Donovan house, the boys were in the driveway shooting baskets at the hoop Dan Donovan had attached above the garage door for them. She parked at the curb rather than interfere with their play.

  Both boys raced to meet her. “Hey, Mom, tryouts for the basketball team are August sixth and seventh. Jimmy Hayes called and told me it’s gonna be announced in the paper next week,” Gabe told her breathlessly. Jimmy Hayes was a classmate and friend whose parents both taught at the Clearmount School, and his dad was the assistant junior high basketball coach. Gabe and Jimmy were excited about entering junior high and playing on the team.

  “Well, I’m glad to see you’re practicing,” she told her grinning eldest.

  She looked to Garrett. “Are you starting to like the game?”

  “Yeah, some,” he said. “But I still think I might decide to play golf instead.”

  “You have plenty of time to think about it.”

  “Grandpa said he’ll take us to eat at the Pasta House tonight,” Garrett added, eyes shining.

  Toni grinned. Dan was a pushover where his grandsons were concerned. He loved Kathy’s girls, but he saw them a lot more—and they didn’t care about sports.

  “You’re pretty late,” Gabe observed.

  “There’s a good reason,” she said. “John was hurt and taken to the hospital.”

  His face expressed shock. “What happened?”

  She gave them a brief explanation. “Would you mind if I don’t go to supper with you and your grandparents? I’d like to go to the hospital and visit John when Jenny gets there.”

  “No problem,” Gabe assured her. “You need to see about John.”

  “Why did somebody hurt him?” Garrett wanted to know.

  “I think they tried to rob him,” she said evasively.

  “Did they?”

  “The only thing taken was his flash drive,” she admitted. Her youngest son was way too intuitive for his age.

  Garrett frowned. “That’s weird.”

  “You’re right. Listen, these bags are getting heavy. Why don’t you two shoot some more baskets, and I’ll go talk to your grandparents.”

  *

  Toni found her mother-in-law in the kitchen. “The boys said you’re eating out tonight, so why are you working in here?” she chided from the doorway.

  Barb grinned. “I’m just whipping up a chocolate cake for later.”

  “I need to talk to you as soon as I get rid of this stuff.” Toni indicated her bags. “I’ll be right back.”

  When she returned to the kitchen and explained about John and wanting to go visit him, Barb was sympathetic. “We’ll be glad to look after the boys. But don’t you want to eat before going to the hospital?”

  Toni shook her head. “His wife is on her way from Clearmount. Since she’s alone and worried about her husband, I thought she might let me treat her to a meal.”

  Barb nodded. “I think that’s a nice idea. Dan’s at the golf course, but he should be home soon. I hope he can get the garage painted next week.”

  As usual, Barb’s thoughts were reverting quickly to her self-absorbed domestic world. Toni escaped before her mother-in-law could get off on some zany topic that she didn’t have the patience to listen to right then.

  “I have to grade some papers. If you need help with anything, just call me,” she said as she headed back to the guest bedroom she had been given.

  Once inside, she booted her laptop and pulled up Jesse’s files she had copied in a folder. This time she worked through each file one at a time, studying them in careful detail. There were four files named CLASS, with a date next to the title. She took time to open each one and examine it. They were just what the names implied, assignments for each day of the class.

  When she finished checking all the text files, Toni saw that the next four files were Excel spreadsheets. The file names were just two letters. The second one, JC, was the one she and John had randomly opened before. The file name struck her as nothing more complicated than Jesse Campbell’s personal initials. She knew it contained a list of receipts and expenses. She tackled the others alphabetically. When she opened BP, she saw a table of names, addresses and amounts. There were only three or four names on the list, but they repeated multiple times down the page. She clicked the print button.

  Next she opened KC. It was a similar list. She printed it. Then she did the same with OT. The remaining half dozen files were articles Jesse Campbell had saved from the Internet that looked like research for class assignments.

  Finished, Toni flexed her shoulders and shut down the computer. She called Jenny again, and wasn’t surprised when she got no answer. There would be no cell service through a good part of the terrain between
Clearmount and Springfield. She would try again soon.

  After visiting with Barb Donovan for a few minutes, she called again and reached Jenny. “Where are you?”

  “I’m just passing through Mountain View,” Jenny said.

  “You should make it to the hospital in about an hour and a half. I’ll meet you there.”

  Traffic was sparse, so Toni made good time. When she entered the building at six o’clock and saw no sign of Jenny, she went directly to John’s room—and found her sitting in a chair next to John’s bed. She rose and greeted Toni with a hug. Only four eleven, she barely came to Toni’s chin. “Thanks for calling me.”

  John was propped up against the raised head of his bed. His face looked worse than before, dark bruises and deep scratches standing out against his pale skin. His left arm was in a cast. “Hi, Toni,” he said weakly.

  Jenny poured iced water from the plastic pitcher on the bedside table into a glass and stuck a straw in it. “You sound parched,” she said, holding the glass near his lips and bending the straw toward him.

  John sipped. “That’s good. Want to sign it?” he asked Toni, nodding at his cast. His voice was slurred, and the grin he attempted came off kind of crooked. Toni guessed he was on some strong medication.

  “Sure.” She reached into her purse for a pen and scrawled her name on it with a flourish. Giving it a gentle pat, she stepped back.

  “Now, tell me how you’re doing—and be honest,” she ordered.

  “I’ve felt better,” he said, enunciating slowly and licking his lips. “But I’m okay. The doctor said he’s keeping me overnight for observation, but I should be dismissed in the morning. I told him I need to be out by eight so I can make it to class.”

  Toni frowned. “Don’t push. I’m sure your instructor will understand.”

  John’s mouth twisted. “I’ll be okay, but I can’t afford to get behind. It’s a tough class.”

  Toni took a deep breath. “Do you feel like looking at something?”

  He shifted further up on his pillow, and Jenny hustled to rearrange the pillows behind him. “What do you have?” he mumbled.

  Toni pulled the printed sheets from her purse and handed them to him. “I printed these files from Campbell’s flash drive. What do they look like to you? I didn’t print the one we looked at earlier.”

  John studied the top sheet. He frowned and flipped to the next one, and then the next. “They look like lists of payments to people,” he said, speaking slowly and carefully. “But I see no evidence of what they’re for.”

  “The file names don’t indicate what they’re for either. They’re just two letters that make me think they’re initials of some kind.”

  “I don’t know what they are,” John said tiredly, letting his head loll back against the pillow. “But I don’t have a good feeling about them. I’m too tired to think.”

  “You mean they seem secretive?”

  He nodded and closed his eyes.

  Toni took the papers as they slipped from his fingers.

  Jenny stood watching as her husband slept. “Just what he needs,” she said, raising a hand to rub his brow. She withdrew it and returned to her seat.

  Quint stepped inside the room. In full uniform, he did a cop-like visual of the room, taking in John’s sleeping form and Jenny’s presence next to him. “Hi, Jenny. I’m sorry about all this.” He had known them for years.

  Jenny’s smile was tight. “Thanks, Quint. I hope you guys catch whoever did this.”

  “We’re working on it,” he assured her. “As a matter of fact, I’m here in an official capacity.” He turned to Toni. “How about we go someplace else to talk and let John sleep without us disturbing him.”

  “You guys go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on John,” Jenny said.

  They went to the waiting room down the hall. “Do you think this incident is connected to the Sequiota Park death?” he asked when they were seated on a short sofa.

  Toni hesitated. “Are you assigned to the case now?”

  He nodded. “The chief talked to me when I reported for my shift today. He said Brad Chilton indicated he would welcome any extra input I might be able to contribute. I agreed because it’ll make it easier for me to keep an eye on you.”

  Toni started to tell him she didn’t need a watch dog, but he raised a palm for silence.

  “I know you’re pretty good at digging out facts and piecing them together. You’ve proven that back home. But I don’t want you playing detective and putting yourself in danger.”

  Toni gave him an open mouthed look. “You know I can’t stay out of this. You don’t think John got mugged for a school research paper. Neither do I.”

  “You have no business nosing around,” he insisted firmly.

  “But it’s personal for me,” she argued. “My son found the body, and now my friend has been attacked.”

  Quint studied her. “So you do think the two incidents are connected.”

  “My gut says they are.”

  “What else tells you that?”

  “The fact that someone was after that flash drive. Someone thought it was Jesse Campbell’s.”

  “I was afraid of that,” Quint admitted with a long heave of breath. “I haven’t had an opportunity to see what’s on the one I took to the department for John.”

  Toni hoped her face didn’t give her away. She didn’t think having a copy of it should get her in trouble, but she didn’t want to test the issue. She decided to go on the offense. “Okay, you’ve questioned me. What information do you have that you can share with me?”

  “Not much. I haven’t seen an autopsy report yet. The only thing I can really tell you at this point is that they found Campbell’s car. The techs are still going over it.”

  “Where was it found?”

  “Right there at the park. When it cleared out in the evening, a late model black Suburban was still sitting at the north end of the parking lot. The plates checked. Do you have any ideas?”

  Toni shook her head. “I have more questions than ideas. I tend to think of the killer as a man, but I know that women can be formidable enemies, and there are some pretty strong ones around. Strength probably isn’t as important as timing, catching him off guard. I’m guessing it was an act of rage, and it could have been anyone.”

  He grinned. “You’re no help.”

  “Who benefits from his death?” Toni asked, needing to air some of the questions plaguing her. “Who are his survivors? What was he mixed up in? Who were his friends?” She didn’t mention that she had already met his widow.

  “I need to find out those things. I also need to get moving,” Quint said. “I just wanted to touch base with you and check on John.” He got to his feet and headed down the hall.

  When Toni returned to the room, John was still sleeping. Jenny looked like she was about to fall off her chair from exhaustion. “You’ve had a long day, and John’s fine. Why don’t you let me take you to get something to eat? I’m hungry,” she added in persuasion.

  Jenny sighed and gathered her purse. “I am hungry.”

  “You’re also tired. You’ve got to take care of yourself. Why don’t you spend the night with me after we eat? My in-laws have plenty of room, and they would welcome you.”

  “No.” Jenny shook her head in refusal. “I’m sure the friends John is staying with would take me in as well, but I want to stay here with John. I’ll sleep on a sofa in the waiting room.”

  Jenny was small, but she was as stubborn as any redhead of Toni’s acquaintance. She didn’t argue with her any more.

  It was dusky when they walked out of the hospital. The air was getting a damp feel that made Toni think rain might come during the night. They got into her van and headed for Appleby’s. As she navigated the streets, Toni put Jesse Campbell from her mind and concentrated on Jenny.

  “John’s tough, both physically and mentally. He’s going to be stiff and sore for a few days, but he’ll be fine,” she said, hoping to reassure her
friend.

  Jenny faced Toni, her expression troubled. “Do you think this is related to that murder at the park?”

  Toni didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want Jenny to worry. So she hedged. “I doubt there’s a connection, but I’ll keep in touch with Quint and make sure the police keep John safe if it turns out there is.”

  After a meal accompanied by very little conversation, Toni drove around by the Donovan house and picked up a pillow and comforter for Jenny to take to the hospital with her.

  Chapter 7

  When she returned to the house about nine o’clock, Toni stepped out of her shoes at the door and wiggled her toes to get the kinks out of them. Resisting the temptation to go straight to the computer, she stopped in the den to chat briefly with Dan and Barb. Then she went to the bedroom where the boys were playing a video game. She sat on one of the twin beds and tucked her feet up under her.

  “Is that a new game?” she asked.

  “Uh huh. Grandpa got it for us,” Gabe said, not taking his eyes from the screen.

  “Are you guys having a good time this week?”

  “It’s fun, but it’s better at home with our own stuff,” Garrett said, also focused on the game.

  “I’ll take you home Thursday afternoon, but I hope you’ll be polite to your grandparents and let them enjoy this time with you until then.”

  “Okay,” Gabe said nonchalantly.

  Garrett just nodded.

  “Well, it looks like you don’t need me. I guess I’ll go on and leave you alone.”

  They paused the game and turned to face her. “We know you’re busy, and we’re not babies. We can take care of ourselves,” Gabe said in his most serious manner.

  Toni’s head tilted, and her mouth curved in a half frown. “Well, it’s nice to know that you can take care of yourselves, but it’s not so nice to find out that I’m not needed.”

  Both boys grinned, got up from the floor, and gave her a hug.

  “Now I feel better,” she said, grinning. “Okay, finish your game. Then you probably should take your baths and go to bed. If you keep staying up late at night and sleeping in mornings, it’s going to kill you when school starts.”