Triple Threat

by Alexis Koetting

  Armin spoke slowly. “I had learned my daughter was seeing Mr. Macie privately. Some kind of coaching.”

  “And how did you learn that?” Jeffers asked.

  Armin took a deep breath before answering. When he spoke, his voice was firm and his jaw tight. “My son had come upon them that morning and he informed me when he came home for lunch. I immediately went to the school. Mr. Macie was in his office. He knew at once why I had come. He tried again to appeal on Elsbeth’s behalf. I told him his relationship with my daughter was not appropriate and that their meetings were to cease immediately; otherwise I would have no choice but to speak with Principal Harvey.”

  “Not appropriate?” I asked.

  “Ms. James, with the exception of myself, her brothers, and certain family relations, Elsbeth is not to be alone in the company of any man. Not until she is married.”

  “But Al Macie was her teacher. He wasn’t just any man.”

  “I made myself very clear on a number of occasions that his was a class my daughter was not to have any involvement with. Therefore, he was not her teacher and the fact that she persisted on seeing him although I had expressly forbidden it is an even greater indication of her sin.”

  I’d not had much of a religious upbringing, although my grandmother had taken me to church when I first went to live with her. During one sermon the minister read a passage from the Bible that said, “The soul who sins shall die,” and I started wailing, believing my parents’ accident to have been punishment for them having been bad people. I loved my parents and couldn’t imagine anything they’d done had been bad enough to warrant such a sentence. They hadn’t sinned. God had been wrong. I refused to go to church again after that. Of course, I knew now that that’s not how things work, but hearing Armin Penner talk about his daughter’s “sin” made me wonder if he knew it.

  “How did the meeting resolve?” Jeffers asked.

  “Mr. Macie apologized and assured me he would bring an end to their arrangement immediately. I thanked him and left.”

  “And did he?”

  “Elsbeth didn’t say as much, as that would mean confessing her transgression, but that night I heard her crying in her room and concluded that Mr. Macie had been true to his word.” He took a moment to consider his next words. “My daughter … is … has always been … somewhat of a dreamer. She’s very much like her mother in that way. When she was growing up, it was really quite delightful. But she is almost eighteen now. And with her mother gone, she has responsibilities. There are rules. She knows that.”

  “Did you have any other contact with Al Macie that we should know about?”

  “I did not. I learned of his death when the school called and asked me to come tend to Elsbeth. I was saddened to hear of it. He struck me as a good man. I’m sure he meant no harm. My daughter can be … very clever about getting what she wants.”

  “Do you know why she was at the school so early that morning?”

  “She told me she was meeting a girlfriend to study for a test.”

  “Where was Leland that morning?” I asked.

  “Leland? The boys are usually up and at their chores come sunrise. The farm keeps us all busy. They know what they have to do. I don’t supervise.” The blue of his eyes iced over as he looked at me.

  “Thank you, Mr. Penner,” Jeffers interjected. “I think that’s all for now. We’ll let you get back.”

  “Ms. James,” Armin said, as we moved to leave, “it is contrary to our faith to take the life of one that God has created.”

  I smiled. “I wish everyone believed that.”

  We passed the barn on our way back to the car in time to meet Corney coming out nursing a bleeding nose and Leland not far behind.

  “Dammit, Lee,” Corney said, spitting a few drops of blood onto the ground.

  “You watch your mouth. And I better not see anything like this again,” Leland said, indicating the iPod in his hand before stomping off in the direction of his father. The headphones still hung from Corney’s ears. I checked the time. Lunch.

  “This is why Ellie was so insistent that her meetings with Vince happen at lunch,” I whispered to Jeffers. “Leland comes home. I bet it’s the only time he’s not monitoring her.”

  “Because he’s monitoring him,” Jeffers said, nodding to Corney, who looked at us, smiled weakly, then retreated to the barn. “The faith might frown on taking a life, but obviously punching one’s brother in the face gets a pass.”

  “Or maybe Leland thinks some rules don’t apply to him.”

  “Some? Or all?”

  Chapter 11

  I convinced Jeffers to stop by the school before heading up to see Glynn. Something Armin Penner had said wasn’t sitting well with me and, if my hunch was correct, it was for good reason.

  I left Jeffers in the car and climbed the steps to the school two at a time. Gerald Harvey was coming out of his office as I made my entrance.

  “Just the person I was hoping to see,” I said, catching the principal off guard.

  “Bella. Ms. James. This isn’t one of your days, is it?”

  “No. I was hoping to have a word with you.”

  “I’m on my way to a meeting. You’re welcome to walk with me.”

  “This shouldn’t take long,” I said, falling into stride.

  Harvey cleared his throat and used his forefinger to loosen the collar of his shirt, which was all but swallowed up by his set of chins.

  “Mr. Harvey, if a parent were to come to you believing a teacher was having an inappropriate relationship with their child—” Gerald Harvey’s pace slowed. “I’m not saying anything has happened,” I added quickly, “I’m simply curious as to what steps would be taken to investigate?”

  He stopped and turned to look me square in the face. “Ms. James, believe me when I say that words of that nature are things no principal ever wants to hear.” He exhaled deeply and resumed walking. “The word ‘inappropriate’ suggests … sexual misconduct.”

  “But surely not all claims are sexual? Isn’t it possible that—”

  “Anything’s possible, Ms. James, but the implication, whether true or not, is that some kind of sexual behaviour has taken place.”

  “And what happens when a claim like that is made? That a teacher has been ‘inappropriate’?”

  “All complaints are subject to a lengthy inquiry. I’m sure it’s no different from any other investigation. Everything is done fairly and impartially, but,” he shook his head, “usually the damage has been done. While there has been truth behind many an accusation, and those teachers punished severely, there have also been many innocent teachers whose reputations and careers have been ruined.” He stopped again. “I’m sorry, Ms. James, I have to ask, is there something I should know?”

  “No. Thank you. This has been very helpful.”

  “We take complaints of this nature very seriously, whether they are made by parents … or colleagues?”

  “Everything’s fine. I promise. I just wanted some clarification. I’m sorry to keep you.”

  I left Harvey looking after me and ran out of the school to where Jeffers was waiting.

  “You were right,” I said, getting into the car.

  “Usually am,” he said with a wink.

  “Remember you said Armin Penner must have threatened Al Macie in some way in order to get him to stop seeing Ellie once and for all?”

  “Yes. But after talking with Penner today, I’m not sure there was any indication of that.”

  “Oh, but there was. Mr. Penner accused Macie of having an inappropriate relationship with Ellie. Remember?”

  Jeffers nodded. “And that he would go to the principal if he didn’t stop coaching her.”

  “Right. According to Gerald Harvey, in situations like these, the word ‘inappropriate’ immediately implies ‘sexual.’ If Macie didn’t end things with Ellie and if Penner had been true to his word and had gone to Gerald Harvey with his complaint, Macie’s career would have been over.
His reputation would have been ruined. He’d have lost everything.”

  “Nice catch, Samuel. All right, we know Macie would have understood the seriousness of the insinuation. The question is, did Penner?”

  “He knew perfectly well,” Glynn said furiously, pacing the length of his living room. “You said Armin Penner, right?” Jeffers and I nodded. “Armin Penner ran for Lord Mayor here several years ago. Lost by a landslide but not for lack of political savvy, I’ll give him that. Trust me, he knows the kind of implications a word like ‘inappropriate’ has. I don’t believe this. Al would never have …” Glynn’s anger started to give way to grief. “It’s no wonder Al gave in. Teaching was everything to him. Amazing, isn’t it? How much power one little word has?”

  Jeffers and I exchanged a look. “Glynn, are you sure we’re talking about the same Armin Penner?” I asked. “Penner’s family is Old Order Mennonite. From the little I know of the faith, any kind of political participation is often rejected. Even voting.”

  “Well, the Armin Penner I know wasn’t any Old Order Mennonite. But how many Armin Penners are there around here? It’s got to be the same man,” Glynn said, as he slumped into an armchair and crossed his legs. One of the Great Danes got up from where it was sleeping in the corner of the room and dropped its gigantic head in Glynn’s lap. He stroked it lovingly.

  “How long ago was this?” Jeffers asked.

  “Four, maybe five years ago.”

  Jeffers scribbled in his notebook while I mentally filed away the fact there was obviously more to Armin Penner than we realized.

  “Mr. Radley, I take it from your reaction that Al never mentioned this?” Jeffers said. Glynn shook his head. “Do you have any idea why he would keep something like this from you?”

  “He wouldn’t.” He raised the dog’s head up to his own and gave it a gentle kiss on the forehead. As if it were some kind of signal, the dog trotted into the kitchen. Glynn then got up from the chair slowly. A man weighed down by grief and the promise of emptiness around every turn. “I have to feed the dogs. Can I get you anything? I’m going to make some tea.”

  “Tea would be nice,” I said.

  There was a partial view into the kitchen from where I sat in the living room. Just enough so one could still entertain guests while cooking but not have the full mess on display. From what I was able to see, the kitchen didn’t look as if it had had much use of late. I guessed the dogs were the only ones eating. And perhaps only Roger at that, as Edith had not been seen since we’d arrived.

  “I have a bit of a temper,” Glynn said from the kitchen. “We do twenty-four hour shifts and need to be focused so Al would often wait to tell me things he knew would set me off until I got home. Didn’t want me distracted in case we got a call. I’ve only got Earl Grey.”

  “That’s fine,” I said.

  “Every time I left for work, Al would say, ‘Come home to me.’ Because I was the one with the dangerous job. Or so we thought.” Glynn came into the living room with a small dish of something orange. “Edith hasn’t been able to keep her food down. The only thing she seems to be able to tolerate is puréed yams.” He looked at the dish sadly and disappeared down the hall.

  Jeffers and I waited until we were sure Glynn was out of earshot before turning to each other.

  “Is it the same Armin Penner?” I whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Jeffers said.

  “How can you not know? You’re from here. Don’t you follow local politics? How do you vote?”

  “This isn’t my riding, Samuel.”

  “But he would have been in the news.”

  Jeffers shrugged.

  “If Armin Penner the politician and Armin Penner the overbearing father are indeed one and the same, that means the conversion to Old Order Mennonite practices is relatively recent,” I said. “It would certainly explain why Corney was sneaking time with his iPod and why Ellie’s dreams extend well beyond her faith.”

  “And why Leland still thinks with his fists.”

  “Of the three children, Leland strikes me as the one who has embraced it most of all.”

  “That may well be, Samuel, but some things are just inherent and it’s obvious that kid has one hell of a mean streak.”

  “Did he kill Al?” Glynn asked from the hallway.

  The question caught me by surprise and I quickly looked to Jeffers.

  “We don’t know, Glynn, I’m sorry,” Jeffers said. “I’m afraid our leads are few, but I assure you we are following all of them.”

  “But it’s possible. Right?” Glynn persisted. Jeffers remained silent. “Oh, come on. You just said the old man threatened Al. So it is conceivable that his son took it upon himself to—”

  “Glynn,” Jeffers said, raising his voice slightly, “At this time, it is not something we’re considering. However—”

  “Why not?” Glynn was on the verge of becoming hysterical and I couldn’t help but agree with him. Somebody killed Al. Why not Leland Penner?

  “The boy is fifteen years old,” Jeffers explained, calmly, “I’m sure you can imagine what kind of damage an accusation like that would do to a young man.” Jeffers likened an accusation against Leland’s to the one Armin Penner had levied on Al. He was right, of course. The last thing we needed was for the grieving widower to take it upon himself to seek vengeance. Especially when there was nothing to go on other than the fact that the kid was creepy and a bully to his siblings. Eventually Glynn’s shoulders slumped, his eyes closed, and his body sought the support of the wall. “Glynn, I promise you, we are doing everything we can to find Al’s killer.”

  Glynn nodded. The kettle started to whistle. Glynn looked to be in no state to deal with it so I excused myself to fix the tea. When I returned moments later, neither Jeffers nor Glynn had moved.

  “Glynn,” Jeffers said, still using the calm voice, “there is something else we’d like to ask you about.”

  Jeffers looked to me. I looked back, skeptical. “What?” I mouthed.

  I lip-read Jeffers’ response, “Leduc.”

  “No,” I said, voiceless.

  “Just do it,” was Jeffers’ soundless reply.

  A sigh from Glynn brought an end to our silent exchange. Jeffers raised an eyebrow in my direction.

  “Glynn,” I started reluctantly, “I’d like to talk to you a bit more about Vince.”

  Glynn groaned. Peeled himself off the wall and resumed his seat in the armchair. “What’s the guy done now? I suppose he’s been given Al’s promotion?”

  “Al’s promotion?”

  “It hadn’t been announced yet, but Al was taking over as the new drama consultant for the district. It was going to take him out of the classroom, which he wasn’t thrilled about, but he was even less thrilled about what the government cuts were doing to the curriculum. Especially where drama was concerned. He felt that, as consultant, he’d really be able to make a difference. Change people’s way of thinking, you know? Show them why it’s so important the arts be given equal attention. Equal value.” Glynn smiled at the memory. “You couldn’t have a better advocate for the arts in the schools than Al. Certainly not Vincent Leduc.”

  “Why do you think he’d be offered the job?”

  “He got Al’s class. I just assumed.”

  “And why would Vince be such a bad choice?”

  “Because Vincent Leduc only cares about Vincent Leduc,” Glynn shifted in his seat as his words took on more vehemence. “Actually, no, that’s not true. The only thing Vince cares about or, I suppose I should say, cared about, was Al.”

  “You mentioned before that Vince was always competing with Al. That he had a kind of obsession with him.”

  “To put it mildly,” Glynn scoffed.

  Jeffers and I exchanged a look.

  “Is there anything more you can tell us about that?” Jeffers put in. “Other than Vince’s career seeming to mirror Al’s—”

  “It did! It didn’t ‘seem’ to, it did.”

&nbs
p; “All right. I’m sorry.” Jeffers took a breath. “Was there ever anything else in Vince’s behaviour? Did he ever threaten Al? Or you?” Glynn shook his head. “Did he ever do anything that might support your claim that Vince’s interest in Al went beyond—”

  “Have you met him, Detective?”

  “No.”

  “But Bella has.” Glynn turned appealing eyes to me. “You can’t quite put your finger on it. But there’s something about him that’s … not right. You must have felt it.”

  I nodded ever so slightly, which seemed to appease.

  “To answer your question, Detective, no, Vince has never threatened us. But just because he’s never done anything untoward or been troublesome in any way doesn’t make me wrong.”

  Jeffers looked pensive. His brow was furrowed and his eyes moved haphazardly around the room. I’d seen this kind of thing before. Jeffers’ mind was racing. “Do you think he could have killed Al?” he asked.

  Glynn let out a guttural laugh. “No way. That would be like killing a part of himself.”

  “Maybe the part that’s been standing in his way,” Jeffers said.

  ***

  “Think about it. If Vince has been following in Al’s footsteps all this time, wouldn’t he want to get ahead eventually?” Jeffers asked when we’d returned to the car. We’d left poor Glynn to ponder the possibilities that not one but two people may have wanted the love of his life dead. “Maybe the only way he felt he could do that was to eliminate the competition.”

  “But Jeffers, we don’t know if there really was any competition.”

  “Glynn said—”

  “I know what Glynn said, but there’s nothing to support it. You said yourself this was a weak lead.”

  “I’m not so sure now. I want to meet him. I need to see for myself what you and Glynn both think is so off about the man. That’ll give me a better idea how to proceed. Or if. Maybe it will just put me right back to square one.”

  “The Penners?”

  Jeffers nodded. “I’m going to head back to the station and see what more I can learn about Armin Penner and his family. You want me to drop you at home or at the theatre?”