Keyed in Murder

by Helen Gray

  Across the room Toni kept a surreptitious eye on the male quartet of men who seemed to be having a rather heated discussion. “That’s half the guys on our club list,” she said in a soft conversational tone. “I’d love to hear what they’re talking about that’s so fiery.”

  “They are pretty intense,” Kyle noted.

  “Should we figure out an excuse to talk to them?” John asked.

  “Buck has already done that,” Toni said. “I don’t think we could learn anything new, especially in a public environment like this.”

  She mentally reviewed the occupations of those men. Denver Hewitt owned an insurance agency, and Luke Kingsley had a mini mart. Allen Lawson had his chiropractor practice, and Hugh Zambroni owned this place. Stuart Hartman couldn’t get away from his position at the school during weekdays, and Frank Chandler worked construction projects out of town. Bart Ramsey’s office was downtown, so it surprised Toni that he was not present. After an autopsy and other delays, the remaining member of their group would be buried that afternoon. She assumed these suit-clad men were headed to the funeral after lunch.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of their food, and they bowed their heads while Kyle said a brief blessing. Toni found her salad deliciously enjoyable, and her smoked salmon was also quite good.

  When they were all finished eating, they paid their bills and left the building. They parted company with John and Jenny at the parking lot.

  On the drive back to town, Toni said, “Those eight couples are the tight, exclusive group we heard they are. I’ve heard they spend multiple nights a week out at that place all year round, but they leave early on Friday nights. No one can say for sure where they go or what they do, but Rick thinks they have private parties in their homes. Rumors are that drugs and booze flow freely and things get pretty wild. Rick hears a lot, but he hasn’t heard of any conflicts among them that should have led to murder.”

  “We already know all that,” Kyle said.

  She tipped her head at an angle. “So this trip was a waste of time.”

  He glanced over at her, a teasing grin on his face. “No, it wasn’t. It was pleasant time spent together, without the boys.”

  However good the outing had been without the boys, that evening was spent with them.

  At home. Relaxing. Being a family.

  Toni and Kyle were lounging in front of the TV when Gabe entered the living room in a rush. “I looked up the web site of the new bowling alley,” he announced, his voice cracking only slightly. “It looks really neat. They have their leagues listed, and their news and contact numbers, email address, and the hours they’re open all on it.”

  “Did you like it when you went out there?” Garrett asked, having entered the room behind his big brother.

  Toni nodded. “It was nice.”

  Gabe turned to Kyle. “What about you, Dad? Did you like it?”

  “They served good food,” Kyle said.

  “Didn’t you bowl?” Garrett wanted to know.

  “No, we just ate at their restaurant.”

  “I want to go bowling,” Gabe announced.

  “Me, too,” Garrett chimed.

  “I still have some of my birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa Donovan. I’d like to spend it going bowling. Will you take us?” Gabe asked.

  Kyle aimed a raised brow look at Toni.

  She shrugged. “I don’t mind. When would be a good time?”

  “Saturday’s their best day for open bowling,” Gabe said, always ready with his facts. “Can we go next Saturday?”

  Toni looked at Kyle again. “It’s okay with me. Can you make it then?”

  He checked his phone calendar. “I can’t that morning, but I could in the afternoon.”

  “We’ll plan on it then.”

  *

  Monday after school Toni and John processed the second batch of student fingerprints the principals had collected. While they worked, Toni told John about her boys wanting to go bowling and their plans for the upcoming Saturday.

  When they finished recording their work, John went to his room to tell Jenny and the boys they were leaving.

  On their way out of the building, Toni dashed into Ken’s office and gave him the notebook of their work.

  The look he directed across his desk at her displayed satisfaction. “Thanks. I hope this helps us identify some of those kids. They need help.” Compassion mixed with righteous anger in his voice.

  The next day, in the middle of her A & P class, Toni’s classroom door eased open a bit. Ken’s face appeared in the small opening. He beckoned for her to come to the hallway.

  “Continue reading the chapter,” she instructed the students. “When you’re done, answer the first set of questions on paper.”

  She stepped out into the hallway, but stood where she could watch the class through the small glass window above the door knob.

  “I have to tell someone,” Ken said, the first sign of animation she had seen in him recently.

  “You look like it’s something good.”

  He nodded. “The fingerprinting has given us an arrest. The police matched one of them to prints on the superintendent’s car. It may be tough to prove the kid keyed the car based on that alone, but we have more coincidences that will support the boy’s guilt. He’s clammed up, of course, but the police are leaning on him, trying to get names of others involved.”

  “I hope they get the leader,” she said, turning to go back inside the classroom.

  “There’s more.”

  Toni halted.

  “Over the weekend two sixth graders broke into the middle school and spray painted a hallway of lockers and display cases. They were caught on surveillance tape.”

  Toni didn’t ask for names of the boys apprehended. She wasn’t ready to risk hearing that children of friends, colleagues, or church members had possibly been arrested. Since they were juveniles, their names shouldn’t be in the paper, but their vandalism probably would be. The rumor mill would supply the identities to the student body, and therefore to the community.

  “I’m glad progress is being made on that matter. I just wish the murders would be solved.”

  “I agree,” Ken said, his pleased expression dimming.

  Toni returned to class, feeling somewhat lighter.

  That lightness was ruined as she, her boys, and the Zacharys crossed the parking lot on the way to their vehicles after school. She heard her name yelled and looked around to recognize Allison Brower running toward them.

  “Mrs. Donovan,” the girl cried frantically. “My friend’s little brother has been beaten up. Gina just found him in her car.”

  Visions of finding Gabe in the back of her van flashed through Toni’s brain. “Where is she parked?”

  “Over there.” Allison pointed to where the back door of a small white car stood open, with someone leaning inside, presumably Gina Simmons.

  Toni, John, and Jenny all headed that way at a run, Gabe and Garrett following.

  “Should I call the police?” John asked as they ran.

  “Let’s take a look and decide who to call.”

  As they reached the car, Gina stepped back and came erect, her face twisted in anger. “Those beasts hurt Gary,” the attractive, dark haired girl said in a near shout.

  Toni leaned over and looked inside the back seat of the car. Gary Simmons lay in it, his lip swollen and bleeding, with a knot turning dark on his forehead. He held an arm to his chest protectively.

  “Let’s take him to the clinic,” Toni said, her first impulse. But she quickly changed her mind when she remembered that these two had a single mother who worked two low paying jobs. Gina waitressed on weekends and some days after school at a local restaurant. The girl had undoubtedly bought this older car with her earnings. “I’ll call my mom,” Toni amended, giving Gina a look of understanding that told her there would be no bill to worry about this way.

  “Thank you,” the girl whispered as Toni placed the call.


  Gary, meanwhile, had pushed himself upright in the seat, clutching a hand to his chest. “They told me I had to join their stupid gang,” the fifth grader said fiercely. “They pulled my finger back till I think it’s broken.” He turned the hand over so Toni could see it.

  “Will you talk to the police?” John asked. “I’ve called them.” He glanced at Toni for approval, and she nodded.

  “You bet I will,” the boy said loudly. Then he managed a wry grin. “I punched Dilly in the belly so hard he yelled. They ran away after that.”

  “Where did this happen?” Toni asked, fearing the answer while listening to the phone ringing in her ear.

  “They jumped me in the hall and pulled me into the bathroom. They said I had to join their gang or they’d beat me up. I told them no way. So they both started hitting me. But I did some hitting, too.”

  Toni had to give Gary credit for spunk. But she feared that his resistance would mean more attacks. “Hi, Mom,” she said as her mother answered. “Can you and your medical bag run down to the parking lot here at school? Yes, it’s similar,” she said when Faye asked if it was another incident like with Gabe. “It’s Gary Simmons,” she added, knowing Faye would understand the lack of insurance or money for medical bills.

  The financial situation of this family was probably why the gang considered Gary a good candidate for membership. They figured he would join for a chance to make some money. That didn’t fit for Gabe, so Toni wasn’t sure why he had been targeted.

  “Mom will be right there,” she said to Gina after disconnecting.

  Ryan Prewitt arrived at that moment, breathless, his face thunderous. “Gabe called,” he said, peering inside the car at Gary.

  “My mother’s coming,” Toni informed him. “She’ll tend to his injuries.”

  The middle school principal nodded. “Thanks. I’ll take it from here.”

  “Gary mentioned the name Dilly.”

  She suspected he had referred to Dillon Weatherly, who happened to be buddies with Dennis Goines, one of the boys who had attacked Gabe. As her mother’s car veered into the parking lot, Toni experienced a sense of déjà vu. Faye had been called here after school more than once. But she was ever ready to provide nursing care when needed.

  Toni and the Zacharys hung around for a few more minutes, but left after a police officer arrived and Toni had hugged Allison and Gina and been assured that Gina would call her mother, tell her what had happened, and convince her that Gary was all right and she didn’t need to take off work. Gina would take her little brother home and look after him.

  “She’s a very responsible girl,” Toni said to John and Jenny, as they walked back to their own cars.

  Toni spent the next day seething inside over what had happened the day before. That afternoon Rick Montgomery came walking toward her room as she stood by the door while students exited at the end of the last class.

  “I heard about that incident in the parking lot,” he said with a sad shake of his head when he stopped next to her. He lowered his volume. “I’ve also heard a little more about that game.”

  “Come on in,” she said, motioning for him to follow her.

  “I only have a minute,” he said once inside the room. “So I’ll make it quick. According to a student I recruited to question another student, here’s how it works.”

  Toni had to think fast to follow him. “You enlisted a student spy?”

  He nodded. “Once members are recruited into the gang, there are performance expectations. They have to draw a card from a stack. On the back of each card is a mean deed they have to perform to earn the amount of points that particular deed is worth.”

  “I assume the higher the point value, the more dangerous and meaner the deed.”

  “Right. And they have to earn a certain amount of points in a certain amount of time, or they’re penalized.”

  “They’re only kids,” Toni groaned. “That’s awful.”

  “Right. See you tomorrow.”

  Chapter 18

  Gabe and Garrett had looked forward to and talked about their planned trip to the bowling alley all week, and watched anxiously for Kyle to arrive home for lunch Saturday. After he arrived, they rushed through their lunch and traipsed in and out of the house, checking to see if Toni and Kyle were ready yet.

  By the time they arrived at the parking lot of Striker Lanes, Toni thought the boys were going to leap out of the van before Kyle brought it to a full stop. When she turned in the seat to aim a look back at them that let them know it would be the end of their trip if they did, they eased away from the door handles.

  “I see Melissa Ramsey and Kayla Zambroni,” Garrett said, peering out the door window.

  Toni looked across the lawn and recognized the girls leaning on the porch railing. As Gabe and Garrett climbed from the van, the girls left the railing and came down the porch steps. The two pairs met on the lawn.

  Toni’s gaze met Kyle’s amused expression.

  “I guess we’ve been replaced as their escorts, or coaches, or whatever,” he said wryly.

  “I intend to keep my eye on them,” she assured him.

  They got out and caught up to the four at the porch steps. Garrett turned to face them. “Missy and Kayla said they’ll show us around.”

  “Let’s get our shoes and bowling balls first,” Toni said, smiling at the two girls. Missy, a cute little blond, was in Garrett’s grade. Dark haired Kayla was Gabe’s age. That was all fine and dandy, but Toni wasn’t excited at the prospect of any budding relationships just yet.

  Inside the establishment, they were greeted by the thunder and rumble of bowling balls thumping and rolling on the lanes, the whir of balls returning, and the click of machines resetting. In the background a low hum of laughter and chatter drifted from the lounge.

  They selected their gear, and Gabe took pride in paying for his own. Then Kyle accompanied Toni to a spot three lanes over from where the boys and girls had settled.

  Over the next two hours Toni observed their surroundings while bowling. She noted how Gabe and Kayla would sit and chat while Garrett and Missy bowled, and then the pairs swapped positions. They seemed to be having a good time, and she didn’t register any problematic behavior.

  Overall, Toni enjoyed the afternoon, but she was tired by the time they headed home. She lolled her head back and let the chatter from the back seat flow past her.

  Gabe moaned about splits, and Garrett laughed about his gutter balls. Their scores had been close, but Gabe’s slightly better average kept his older brother status intact. He was proud of the fact that he had made a strike in each game.

  When they arrived home and had their coats put away, Gabe took a root beer from the refrigerator and followed Toni to the living room. He plopped onto the sofa, but he didn’t turn on the TV. His manner had turned serious. He sat quietly until she and Kyle had settled in chairs with their own cold sodas.

  “I’m glad you let me do what I wanted with my birthday money.” The comment included both parents.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it, Son,” Kyle said.

  Gabe nodded and set his root beer on the coffee table. “Kayla and Missy are out at the bowling alley a lot, since they’re best friends and Kayla’s parents own the place.”

  Toni wondered where this was leading, but didn’t interrupt.

  “I asked them questions,” he continued, “like you do, Mom.”

  Toni managed to keep her face impassive, but noted Kyle’s mouth twitching. “I hope you were polite.”

  “Oh, yes, I didn’t say anything bad. I mostly talked to Kayla. I just asked her about what she likes to do and things like that—and what her parents like to do.”

  Kyle’s brows rose, but Gabe was focused on Toni.

  “I assume they like to bowl,” she said.

  Gabe nodded. “But they argue a lot. Kayla and Missy both said their parents are having trouble, even fighting.”

  “Did they say why?”

  “Kayla said
she thinks they’re worried.”

  “Does she think they’re worried about money?”

  Now he shook his head. “I don’t think so. She said she’s afraid it’s something about their business.”

  “Melissa said she heard her mom and dad fighting,” Garrett said, having entered the room and plopped down beside Gabe. “She said it scared her to hear them yelling and fighting.”

  “Did she say what they fought about?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah. She said they were fighting about her mom’s stupid hat. Missy said she doesn’t understand why her dad doesn’t like it, and why it’s such a big deal. Her mom was just wearing an old sport visor.”

  Suddenly Gabe’s mood changed. He heaved a sigh, picked up his soda, and stood. “I guess asking questions wasn’t such a good idea. If it’s just hats they’re fighting about, we didn’t find out anything important. Sorry, Mom.”

  Kyle shook his head as their precocious and spooky sons went to their room. “Do you think we’ll survive parenthood?”

  “I sometimes wonder,” she admitted, “but I’m voting yes.”

  Toni started to get up, but the land line phone rang. She dashed to the kitchen counter and grabbed it. “Hello.”

  “Is this Mrs. Donovan?” a familiar voice she couldn’t immediately place asked.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “This is Levi Reynolds,” the man said. “I needed to tell someone my news, and you came to mind since you’ve been so good to my sister and me.”

  “I hope it’s good news.”

  “It is for me. Not so good for my kids’ stepdad. Because of Butch’s police troubles, plus the fact that he and my ex have split, and Bonnie testified about Jake’s lies, I’m getting partial custody of my two little boys. I might even get full custody if their mom ends up in jail for helping Butch with his sneaky dealings.”

  “I’m happy for you,” Toni said, meaning it.

  “Thanks for listening,” he said and disconnected.