“Please, come in, dearie,” Mrs. Bird said. “Have a seat, and I’ll get your slacks.”
Liz looked at the furniture that was covered with clear plastic protectors and said, “I can only stay a moment. I need to go back to the lodge and get a few things ready for dinner tonight, but thanks.”
While Mrs. Bird went into her sewing room to get the slacks, Liz looked around. This is bizarre. This has to be the most sterile looking home I’ve ever been in. It doesn’t look like anyone even lives here. There’s not a book, a magazine, or a plant anywhere, and I’m sure there’s not a pet. She’s either a clean freak or the most controlling person I’ve ever met in my life.
“Here are the slacks, dearie. I think you’ll be very happy with them. They look brand new.”
“You’re a genius, Mrs. Bird. No one could ever tell my dog almost ruined them. Thank you so much. I have some other things in my car I’d like you to repair, if you have the time.”
“Of course, dearie. This is my business. It’s how I support William, my young son. I’m the President of the Women Whose Husbands Left Them Club. I’m so glad I learned how to sew when I was a young girl. I never thought I’d have to use it to support us, but when Bill left, I had to do something to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.”
“I admire you, but I have to say I’ve never heard of that group. This being such a small town, I’m surprised a group like that could find enough women to support it.”
“I founded the group. There are three of us, and that’s enough. Bill left me when William was a baby, almost fifteen years ago. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t hate him for leaving William and me. He’s such a good boy. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“I’ll be back in a minute, Mrs. Bird. I’ve got to go out to my van to get the other clothes.”
Just as she got to her van, Liz noticed a young teenage boy riding his bicycle up the sidewalk and turning in at the Bird home. That’s the boy who was sitting with all the football players at the funeral. That group seemed like such an odd combination. He sure doesn’t look like a football player to me. As a matter of fact, I can’t believe his mother would allow him to play football.
She got her clothes out of the van and walked back to the house. The front door was open. Mrs. Bird said, “Mrs. Lucas, I’d like you to meet my son, William Bird. He comes home for a special lunch I prepare each day for him, and then he goes back to school. You know the food in school cafeterias isn’t healthy and probably contains pesticides and who knows what other kinds of poisons. I have to be careful and protect my William from dangers in the world like cafeteria food. That’s why I require him to come home from school so I can make a safe lunch for him. William, this is Mrs. Lucas, the owner of the Red Cedar Spa.”
Liz didn’t understand why, but she was sure William’s face paled, and he looked frightened at the mention of her name. “Nice to meet you,” he hurriedly said. “Mother, I need to do some homework before I go back. I’ll be in my room. By the way, I’ve got a computer meeting after school.”
“It’s nice meeting you too, William. Mrs. Bird, here are the clothes that need repairing. How long do you think it will take?”
“Probably not too long, a couple of days. I’ll call you when they’re ready.”
“Great. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Again, thanks for doing such a beautiful job.”
All the way back to the lodge she pondered why William Bird had suddenly paled and looked frightened when he met her and what his relationship was with the members of the football team he’d been sitting with at the funeral. She couldn’t begin to imagine what, if anything, the football players had in common with a young, small, frail-looking boy like William Bird.
CHAPTER 13
Brent Ackler, Kaitlin Mosley, Manny Sanwapatu, and Nerdy Birdy met at the back of the high school parking lot at 3:00 that afternoon just as Brent had asked them to do. Brent and Kaitlin were waiting in the front seat, and Manny and Nerdy got into the back seat.
“Dude, what’s so important that we had to meet here? Heard yours and Kaitlin’s grades were changed, and you’re both going to graduate with a 3.0 average, so let’s just chill. Everything’s legit,” Manny said.
“Yeah, it looks like we made it, but we’ve got a little problem.”
“I knew it, I just knew something would go wrong,” Nerdy sniveled. “What is it? What’s happened? Are we going to get caught?”
“Kaitlin, why don’t you tell them what you overheard today,” Brent said.
“You know I work in the school office every day for an hour. I noticed when I got there this morning that the computer wasn’t on the computer desk where it’s supposed to be. It’s not like I work on it, but right away I noticed it was gone. I mainly do a little filing and answer the phones when the assistant principal’s secretary is busy. Anyway, I overheard her ask him when the police chief was going to return the computer, because she really needed to use it. He told her he thought the police chief was going to bring it back tomorrow. What worries me is why he took it in the first place. Did any of you talk about what we did? I mean, why else would the chief of police come out to the school and take the school’s office computer?”
They were all quiet and then Manny spoke. “Nah, I didn’t say nothin’ to nobody. Like who’d care? It’s no big deal. You two just did a little better on a couple of tests than people thought. Don’t know why the chief of police would be involved, but I sure don’t think there’s any way someone could have found out about what we did. It’s probably something completely different.”
“What if they did?” Nerdy asked in a shaky voice. “We could be expelled.”
“Nerdy, quit worrying. Kaitlin and I just want to make sure no one talks about what happened that night. If we hang tight, there’s no way anyone will ever know it was us. Anybody could have changed the grades. Could have been the teachers. If they can’t prove it was us, there’s no way they can take those grades away. Just want everyone to know how important it is to keep quiet about it. Don’t say anything to anyone. We said we wouldn’t talk the night we did it. Everybody still square with it?”
Three heads nodded in agreement.
“Good. I just want to make sure that we’re all okay with it, cuz my dad got a phone call a few days ago from an unidentified person saying that someone had told Mark Scott what we’d done. This person said I’d been involved in a computer hack and that my grades were changed so I could get into Stanford. My dad couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman who had called him. Whoever it was said I better be careful. “
“What did you tell your dad?” Nerdy asked.
“I told him I’d taken care of the situation, and that I would be going to Stanford on the football scholarship in the fall. I told him he could forget about the call. He asked me if I was worried that Mark might tell someone. I told him no. I actually talked to Mark and suggested real strongly that he not say anything to anyone about it. Mark wouldn’t tell me how he found out about it, but he said he understood, and he wouldn’t tell anyone. I told my dad I’d talked to Mark, and he was fine with it. He said something about him making sure that I’d be okay. I know he and Sybil, that’s the school secretary, are tight. Maybe he talked to her about it. Don’t know, and it really doesn’t matter now that Mark’s dead.”
“Brent,” Kaitlin said, “this is just too weird. I didn’t know you and your father had talked about it. I probably better tell you that my dad has really been riding me about studying for my exams and getting into Stanford. I told him I was definitely getting a 3.0 average, and he could just leave me alone. He told me he’d gotten a phone call from someone who said I was involved in a computer hack at the school. He asked me who Mark was because the person who had called him had said someone had told Mark about it, and he hoped Mark didn’t go to the authorities. My dad wanted to know all about Mark. He said if this Mark guy told anyone it could be the end of my chance to get into Stanford,
and it could really hurt his reputation. He said he’d take care of it. I know it wouldn’t be the first time my dad’s given money to someone to keep quiet about something, but now that Mark’s dead it doesn’t seem to be a problem.”
“Well, Nerdy, that leaves you. Say anything to anybody?”
“Nnnnooo,” he stammered, “I haven’t said a word to anyone.”
“You sure about that?” Brent asked, while at the same time Manny let his massive left hand drift towards Nerdy and come to rest on the back of his neck. Nerdy visibly flinched when he felt the big hand on the back of his neck.
In a quivering voice he answered Brent and said, “Yes. I’m sure.”
“Okay,” Brent said, “just a few more days until graduation and then it will all be behind us and pretty soon after that Kaitlin and I will be on our way to Stanford, the first students from Red Cedar High School to get there and me on that football scholarship. Things couldn’t be much better. Think we’re through with this here meeting. Just remember, keep your mouths shut. You two guys go ahead and get out of the car. Me and Kaitlin are gonna stay here for a while.”
Manny and Nerdy got out of the back seat of the car. Nerdy walked over to his nearby bike, his heart racing and his breathing coming in short gasps.
CHAPTER 14
After the meeting in Brent’s car, Nerdy got on his bike and started pedaling as fast as he could for home. All he wanted to do was get in bed and pull the covers up over his head.
At least they don’t know I’m the one who told Mark I hacked the school computer and changed Kaitlin and Brent’s grades. I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer, and Mark promised me he wouldn’t tell anyone. I wonder if he told his girlfriend, Emily. I’ll never forget that night and what Mother said to me.
He thought back to what had happened when he got home after the school break-in. To Nerdy, it seemed like it had happened only yesterday. Just the thought of what his mother had looked like and said when he got home sent a chill down his spine.
Nerdy had told Brent to drop him off around the corner about half a block from his house. He knew his mother was a light sleeper, and he was sure that a car stopping in front of the house would wake her up. He remembered walking around the corner and seeing all the lights on in the house and his mother standing at the front door waiting for him. He wasn’t sure who he was more afraid of, his mother or Manny.
“William, where have you been? You didn’t tell me you were going out, and you know you need to clear it with me whenever you leave this house.” She held the door open and looked up and down the street. “William, I want you to tell me everything you did tonight. I want to know where you were and who you were with. If you don’t, you know I have ways of finding out, and the punishment will be far worse than the belt you usually get.”
“Mootthherr, please listen. I’m so scared. I didn’t want to do it. They made me. They were going to hurt me. Mother, please.”
“Someone was going to hurt my little William? Who? Tell me now!”
“It was that big guy, Manny, and Brent an...”
He spent the next half hour telling her what had happened from the time Brent had talked to him at school to when Brent had left him off to walk the rest of the way home.
“William, do you know what will happen to you if anyone finds out you broke into the high school and changed some grades on the school’s computer? Of course I’m not surprised by your conduct given the background your father had. I’ve tried so hard to raise you to be an honest, truthful, law-abiding, and a God-fearing person. I don’t want your father’s poisonous genes to get in the way. If you’re not careful, you’ll turn out just like him. Let me think about this. Get to bed, and we’ll talk in the morning.”
He remembered sleep had been a long time coming that night. He could hear his mother pacing back and forth, her furry pale pink bedroom slippers making a soft sound with each step she took. Finally the sounds stopped, and he was able to fall asleep. When he awoke the next morning the events of the night before came rushing back, and he felt sick to his stomach.
“William, I want to see you in the kitchen.”
“Yes, Mother.”
A few moments later he sat across the kitchen table from her. Her lips were drawn together, and there was an angry scowl on her face. “William, I want to know the full names of the three other people you were with last night.”
“Mother, I told you...”
She interrupted him. “You mentioned Manny and Brent. Give me their full names.”
“There was Brent Ackler, Kaitlin Mosely, and Manny Sanwapatu.”
“So you changed the grades for Brent and Kaitlin, right?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“You didn’t do anything about Manny’s grades, correct?”
“I’ve heard his grades aren’t very good. They’re good enough to graduate, but not good enough to go on to college. I think I heard him say his father was going to get him a job on one of the fishing boats.”
“If he wasn’t going to have his grades changed, why was he there?”
“To threaten me. Brent said if I didn’t change the grades on the computer, Manny would hurt me. He put his hand on the back of my neck and squeezed it real hard, Mother. I was afraid he’d kill me if I didn’t do it.”
“Well, it seems to me that you were threatened and you didn’t have a choice. Brent and Kaitlin have a lot to lose if anyone finds out about it. I don’t think anyone would blame you for what you did. Let me think about it some more, and we’ll talk this evening when you get home from school. Graduation’s coming up, and hopefully, this will soon be forgotten.”
She straightened his collar and brushed his blond hair up into a pompadour, just like she did every morning for him. “Have a good day, William. Stay away from those three people.”
“I’ll try to, Mother.” He was walking out the door to get his bike from the garage when he heard a horn honk. Mark Scott, who lived across the street, waved at him and rolled down his window. “Nerdy, want a ride to school?”
“Sure Mark, thanks.” He walked over to Mark’s old car and got in. “Looks like it’s running pretty good, Mark.”
“It’s been great ever since you helped me with it. Where did you learn all about cars, or is it just part of your computer thing? And Nerdy, I got to tell you, you’re not looking all that good. Something bothering you?”
“Actually, my mother taught me all about cars. When my father left, she decided she never wanted to rely on a man again, and she learned everything she could about cars and how to fix them, and yes, to answer your question, something is bothering me.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Mark, I promised Mother I wouldn’t say anything.”
“Why don’t you tell me anyway? You’ll probably feel a lot better if you get it off your chest. You know I won’t tell anyone. What’s going on?”
Nerdy took a deep breath and told him about how they’d broken into the school and how he’d hacked the school’s computer. He told him how angry his mother was.
“Mark, if this gets out, I could be expelled or worse yet, put in juvenile hall. I don’t know what to do.”
“Nerdy, you were threatened. You didn’t have any choice but to do what they asked. You’re not at fault. Your only fault was being really good with computers. I don’t think anyone would hold you responsible. The ones responsible are the three of them, particularly Brent. How about if I go to the principal and tell her what you’ve told me? It’s not fair that Brent and Kaitlin skate on this and ride off into the sunset to Stanford. That’s not right.”
“You can’t tell anyone. You said you wouldn’t, and Mother would kill me if she ever found out I told you.”
“Take it easy, Nerdy. I’m glad you told me about it, but it really sucks.”
“Thanks for the ride, Mark. See you later.” Nerdy got out of the car and headed to his classroom, his blond pompadour bouncing as he walked.
*****
> When he got home from school that afternoon, Nerdy’s mother was waiting for him. “William, sit down. I’ve been thinking about your little problem, and the best thing we can do is not tell anyone. I’m sure the others won’t, because they would have so much to lose if it anyone finds out. You didn’t tell anyone today, did you?”
Mrs. Bird could read William like a book. “William, answer me. You told someone, didn’t you? I can see it on your face. Who did you tell?”
“Mother, I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t keep it in. Mark gave me a ride to school this morning, and he could tell something was bothering me. He asked me what it was and promised he wouldn’t say anything about it, and I believe him.”
“William, you are such an innocent trusting little fool. You can plan on Mark telling someone about it. I remember talking to his mother one time, and she was so proud of him because she said he always did the right thing. You can plan on it, he’ll tell someone, and then you’ll be a candidate for juvenile hall and expulsion from high school. If it’s juvenile hall, you’ll be taken away from me for a long, long time. I hope you’re proud of yourself, William, for the possible grief your conduct is going to bring to me.”
Nerdy stared at her, his eyes as round as saucers. “Mother, don’t say that. As long as Mark doesn’t tell anyone, we’ll be fine.”
“I hope so, son, but it would be nice if we had a little insurance to guarantee a safe outcome for both of us,” Mrs. Bird said with a faraway look in her eyes.”
CHAPTER 15
Liz nearly tripped over Brandy Boy as she and Winston walked into the lodge. He opened one eye lazily as if to acknowledge her and then quickly closed it. She smiled and shook her head. It’s a good thing I have Winston. Actually I’m rather amazed I was able to teach Brandy Boy the trick of taking brandy to the cottages when he hears the little ding-ding-ding if a guest rings the bell outside their cottage. That’s kind of a miracle! Other than that, he’s pretty much worthless.
Murder and Brandy Boy: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series Book 2 Page 6
