The Lunatic Detective

by Sharon Sala

  “Turn around,” Tara said softly. “All you have to do is turn around and then follow the light.”

  DeeDee held out her hands to Tara. It looked as if she was begging, but Tara knew differently. She was saying thank you the only way that she could.

  Tara felt her joy as vividly as she’d once felt her sadness. “OMG, DeeDee, you have to stop or you’re gonna make me cry.”

  The little ghost turned into a swirl of mist, and then she was gone.

  Tara’s vision blurred, but she swiped away her tears, watching Emmit Broyles being led away. Then she turned back to the pit and drew a shuddering breath at the sight below. They’d dug away enough dirt so that DeeDee’s complete skeleton was revealed. She felt cold all the way to her soul. Such a waste of a precious life.

  When the Forensic team found the locket Tara had mentioned, with the initials SDB on the inside, all doubts anyone had vanished.

  Nate Pierce picked up his jacket, nodded once to Tara, then walked away.

  Uncle Pat suddenly appeared at Tara’s elbow. She leaned against his shoulder, taking comfort in the warmth of someone living as she stared blindly at the tiny white bones. So sad. So sad. But Sarah Delores Broyles had justice at last.

  “We see you, DeeDee. We see you. You’re not missing anymore.”

  Tara didn’t bother to go back to sleep after Emmit’s arrest. The Forensic team and the coroner were in the back yard until just after seven a.m. There was crime scene tape on the property, and the hole that they’d dug was still open when she went into the kitchen to make coffee.

  Their landlord, Gene Whiteside, had been horrified by the revelation, but he had no idea of Tara’s involvement in the discovery. Rutherford was keeping the media in the dark about it, too. The story was going to be that, during an ordinary plumbing crisis, the digging in the back yard had revealed bones. At that point, the people on the property had notified the police, who’d taken over from there.

  The vagueness of the details might have brought further questions, except for the hubbub about Emmit Broyles’ arrest. He’d long been a citizen in high standing, once a member of the City Council, and a long-time member of the Elks Lodge and the local country club. His wife, Flora, had fainted upon hearing the news and had been taken to Stillwater Medical Center.

  For Tara, it was back to business as usual. Even though Uncle Pat had given her permission to stay home from school if she wanted, she’d opted to resume her normal routine. She’d put on an old pair of jeans, a short midriff length black tee, and her favorite pink hoodie. She pulled her hair back just like Angelina Jolie, and called herself good to go. Then she packed her books in her backpack and headed off to school.

  Dozens of kids that she knew passed her in their cars on the way to school but no one waved or offered her a ride. She wondered what it would be like to wake up knowing your every need, both physical and monetary, would be met every day, then made herself focus on reality. There were worse things in the world than not having a car, like dying and getting buried in your own backyard.

  She caught more than one person watching her from their front porch as she walked by. She knew they were curious, but she just put her head down and kept on walking. They’d find out soon enough about what had happened from the TV and the newspapers.

  She reached Husband Street where the high school was located and was surprised to find Flynn waiting for her at the corner. He was, as usual, beyond hot in a black and white tee and stone-washed Levis. His thick, dark hair brushed the neck of his shirt, and the skull and barbed wire tattoo showing below the sleeve gave him just enough flare of danger to be interesting, although she knew now it was just a facade. Flynn O’Mara was as honest and straight as they came.

  When she saw him smile, her heart gave a bounce. She hadn’t realized how fragile she was feeling until she felt his arms slide around her shoulder. He gave her a quick hug and kiss, then moved into step beside her.

  “I heard you finally found her,” Flynn said.

  “Yes. Did Uncle Pat call your Mom?”

  “With all the gory details, including how old man Broyles lost his cool.”

  Tara grinned. “That’s one way of putting it.”

  Flynn sighed. “I would have liked to have seen that. The sorry ass. I can’t believe he was stalking you, and you never said a word to me about it.”

  Tara shrugged. “So, what could you do? What could anyone do? Just telling the police he was stalking me wouldn’t have proved anything. It would have been his word against mine, and you know how adults treat teenagers. We had to find DeeDee to prove there was a reason he wanted to shut me up.”

  “Still, I hate to think of you going through all that on your own.”

  Tara glanced up at him, and then grinned. “Just so you know . . . I’m pretty tough.”

  Flynn chuckled. “Was that a warning or just an observation?”

  “Whatever it needs to be,” Tara said.

  They walked a short distance without speaking, which Tara thought was so cool. How great was it that she could be with a guy and be so comfortable that she didn’t have to talk if she didn’t want to?

  Tara was getting high on love and feeling pretty good about the world when all of a sudden, she felt that dark, ugly feeling again. The one with a hate that spelled death. She glanced up, then all around, but saw nothing obvious. There was just the usual traffic on the streets and the usual kids walking to school like they were. She wished she could get a handle on it, but until she figured out who was doing it and what it meant, she was helpless. At least it was far enough away that it wasn’t making her physically sick.

  Flynn noticed Tara was preoccupied in some way, and frowning. “Everything okay?”

  Tara shifted focus, letting go of the unwanted emotion, and nodded. “Absolutely,’ she said, and then looked up.

  Stillwater High was just ahead. Blue and gold streamers were hanging around the front doorway, and all the cheerleaders were decked out in full uniforms, bouncing around among the students who were gathering.

  “What’s up?” Tara asked.

  “Homecoming. I guess they’re firing up the school spirit. There’ll be a pep rally tomorrow night. Can you come?”

  “Oh. Probably. Maybe. Uncle Pat grounded me yesterday, remember? He may retract and he might not. But homecoming might be what saves me. Maybe everyone will be so keyed up about the game that they’ll ignore the cop cars that were at our place all day and night.”

  Flynn frowned. “You think you’re gonna get some flack about that?”

  Tara arched an eyebrow. “Practically every kid in school drove past my house yesterday, and that’s not usual, so I know there will be some. But hopefully, not much.”

  Brace yourself.

  OMG. Millicent. Are you serious?

  Don’t worry. I’ve got your booty.

  Tara suppressed a grin. No. You’re supposed to say, I’ve got your back.

  I thought your booty was back there, too.

  Ha. It is, but that’s not . . . you don’t . . . Oh, never mind.

  Whatever.

  Tara heard Millicent pop off in a huff.

  Unaware that Tara had just had a conversation with a ghost, Flynn grabbed her hand, as if warning anyone who needed to know, that she was not alone. They walked up the steps and into the school.

  Tara, Luna and Flynn walked into school holding hands. Bad luck put Prissy, who was still put out about getting kicked off the cheerleading team for cheating on a test, and feeling like all kinds of an outsider for not getting to wear the cheerleader outfit and be a part of the upcoming pep rally, squarely in their path. Prissy sent her embarrassment and anger spinning toward Tara.

  “We saw the cops at your house,” she said, as Tara and Flynn walked by. “Heard you all got busted for making Meth.”

&nb
sp; Of course a good dozen or so students heard the accusation, stared at Tara and Flynn, and then scuttled down the hall, anxious to spread the latest news.

  Tara’s mouth dropped. A short time ago, Prissy had been all buddy-buddy because she and Flynn had found Bethany, but now she was back to her miserable self again.

  “You are so pathetic, Prissy,” Flynn said. “Every time you open your mouth, stupid comes out.”

  Tara just rolled her eyes and kept on walking. She wasn’t going to stand in the hall and justify herself to someone who was trying to take her misery out on everyone else. Besides, they’d all know the truth soon enough.

  “Are you okay?” Flynn asked.

  Tara grinned. Of course I’m okay. Imagine how stupid she’s going to feel when the truth gets out.”

  “Yeah, right,” Flynn said.

  “Okay . . . so I’ll see you later,” Tara said, as they reached her locker.

  “Stay tough, Moon girl,” Flynn said, then glanced up and down the hall, making sure no teachers were watching before giving her a quick goodbye kiss.

  Tara’s cheeks were still warm when she walked into first hour.

  Mrs. Farmer, the first hour teacher, was writing assignment notes on the blackboard when she saw Tara come in. She looked a little startled, then smiled nervously before looking away.

  Tara sighed. Crap. Please tell me she doesn’t believe all this gossip, too?

  She heard you got caught shoplifting and your uncle had to bail you out of jail.

  “No way!” Tara said, then jumped, realizing she’d said that out loud.

  A couple of students looked at Tara, then at each other before bursting into laughter. Tara rolled her eyes. Great. The day was promising to be a total disaster.

  I’ll handle this.

  No, Millicent, no. OMG, do not make a scene.

  But Millicent didn’t respond, and Tara took her seat with trepidation, afraid of what was going to happen next.

  Students continued to come in, and the closer it got to the last bell, the faster they were moving. One boy walked past her desk and whispered “crack head” under his breath as he passed. A couple of girls who sat a few desks behind her snickered as they walked past her, too. Even though she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of, she was surprised by how much all this hurt.

  She opened her book and stared at the pages without knowing what was on them while her eyes burned with unshed tears. Finally, the last bell rang and the class began.

  By noon, Tara was a bundle of raw nerves.

  Flynn took one look at her when they met at her locker before lunch and said, “You’re not okay, and don’t pretend you are. I heard all the gossip, some of which even involved me robbing a quick mart and hiding out at your house before getting caught. I was almost flattered, but really, how stupid is that? If I’d robbed a store, then how come I’m out and walking around like anyone else? Gossip sucks.”

  Tara bared her teeth in a fake smile. “You can say that again.”

  “Okay—”

  She put her hand over his mouth to stop him, and she couldn’t help a little grin.

  “I got a smile out of you,” Flynn said. “It was worth it. Hey, I have to stop by the gym to get a new lock. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria as soon as I’m done.”

  “I’ll wait for you outside,” she said.

  Flynn was slow in showing up, so Tara went in on her own. She chose her food without care, wondering how she was going to manage to swallow the hamburger and fries she had on her tray. She was about to pass up dessert when someone slipped into the line behind her and poked her in the back.

  “Hey, lunatic . . . pick the cake. If you don’t want it, I do.”

  Tara’s heart skipped a beat as she pushed her milk aside and slid the cake onto her tray. It was Nikki! And she’s talking to me.

  Nikki grinned. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”

  “I’ve just been doing my thing,” Tara said. “How about you?”

  “Had a dental appointment this morning. Missed the first half of the day, so I’m just now getting to school. Oooh, this actually looks good,” she said, as she pointed to the chicken nuggets and fries. “I’ll have that.” She added some a small bowl of jello and a brownie, and grabbed a carton of milk.

  They got to a table, then sat. A couple of minutes later, Mac and Penny showed up with their trays and joined them.

  Tara was waiting for the other shoe to fall. Surely they’d all heard the gossip. Surely they would ask. But when they didn’t, she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.

  “Well, aren’t you going to ask me what was going on at my house yesterday evening and all through the night?”

  Nikki swiped a french fry through the last of her ketchup, then pointed to Tara’s tray.

  “You gonna use that ketchup?”

  “No, help yourself,” Tara said.

  “I don’t need to ask,” Nikki said, as she squeezed ketchup on the last of her fries. “I figure if you want to talk, you will. If you don’t, it doesn’t change my day.” Then she grinned, making her almond-shaped eyes sparkle.

  Mac licked salt off her fingers, then looked at Tara. “Gossip is stupid,” she said. “As soon as I found out you and your Uncle weren’t hurt in any way, I didn’t think too much more about it.”

  Penny was more honest. “Well, I want to know, but I want to hear it from your lips.”

  Tara grinned. “Ha! Honesty. I didn’t think it was possible.”

  The girls looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

  Tara wiped her hands on her napkin, then shoved her tray aside and leaned forward.

  “Okay. Here’s the scoop, and you guys are getting it before it hits the papers and TV. We had a plumbing problem. Uncle Pat started digging in the back yard where the landlord said the lines would be, and guess what he found?”

  “What?” they all asked.

  “Bones. Human bones.”

  “NO WAY!” The shriek came from all three at the same time, causing everyone around them in the cafeteria to look.

  “Way,” Tara said. “So we called the police. They come out with the Forensic team.”

  “OMG, just like CSI?” Mac asked.

  “Just like,” Tara said. “And it gets better. They found an entire skeleton . . . of a young woman. There was a locket with the bones. It had the initials SDB on it. So they got to checking old records, and found out some people named Broyles used to own the property way back. So, long story short, this young woman named DeeDee Broyles never got reported missing, so no one knew she’d been murdered.”

  Nikki shuddered. “That’s just awful. Do they know who did it?”

  “Oh yeah,” Tara said. “Her brother did it. She found out he’d been stealing money from his job and was going to tell so he killed her. Broke her neck.”

  Mac’s mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide with disbelief. “I can’t imagine how freaky that was, having a body buried in your backyard and all. Didn’t you get scared?”

  “Why?” Tara asked. “Ghosts can’t hurt you. Only real people can hurt you.”

  Penny shuddered. “Still, it gives me the creeps.”

  “Yeah, most people feel that way,” Tara said, without elaborating. She wasn’t about to tell them that her two best friends, except for Uncle Pat, were ghosts.

  “So, do we know where the brother is?” Nikki asked. “Is he even still alive? He must be pretty old.”

  “He’s not only alive, he lives here in Stillwater. They arrested him last night after he admitted it.”

  “OMG,” the girls said in unison. “That is so crazy. Are you serious?”

  “Oh yeah,” Tara said.

  “So, what’s his name?” Mac asked.

 
; “Emmit Broyles.”

  Nikki squealed. “No way! I know him. He belongs to the same country club that my dad belongs to.”

  “Well, there aren’t any country clubs where he’s going,” Tara said.

  At that point, Flynn came toward them carrying his tray. “Got room for one more?”

  “Sit, sit,” Nikki said. “So, were you in on all that, too?”

  Flynn looked at Tara and grinned. “You told them?”

  “Of course, she told us,” Nikki said. “BFFs tell each other everything.”

  Tara felt her heart skip a beat. She’d never been anyone’s BFF before.

  Flynn nodded, as he took a bite of his sandwich. “I only got in on a part of it. I knew the body was there before I left, but I wasn’t in on any of the digging, or the killer being arrested.”

  “So, basically, you missed everything, didn’t you?” Nikki said.

  Flynn grinned. “Basically.”

  Everyone laughed again, which made the students around them stare once more. Let them wonder, Tara thought.

  A few minutes later, Tara and her friends carried their trays to the cleanup area, then headed out into the halls.

  “I’ve got to finish a bit of homework,” Nikki said. “See you when I see you.”

  Mac and Penny followed, because that’s what they did best, leaving Tara and Flynn alone.

  “Wanna go outside?” Flynn asked.

  Tara nodded.

  They started up the hall, and were almost out the door when the principal, Mrs. Crabtree came out of her office.

  “Miss Luna, would you step into my office for a few minutes? I would like to talk to you.”

  Oh, great! Not her, too, Tara thought. She looked at Flynn, who shrugged then walked away, leaving Tara to follow the principal back into her office. Tara knew what she was going to ask, and she was ticked off that she felt it was even her business to ask.

  “How are you this afternoon?” Mrs. Crabtree looked all around the room, as if expecting something to fly through the air.