Killer Connections

by Franklin W. Dixon

  We headed for Lee’s dorm next. This time his door wasn’t locked. We tiptoed in and took a look around. It looked like your typical dorm room. Dirty socks on the floor. Books everywhere. Celtics posters and pictures of cute girls on the wall.

  “I don’t see anything suspicious here,” said Frank. “And it looks like he has his laptop with him. At least it’s not here.”

  I’d just leaned down to peek under the bed. “Hang on,” I said. “Check this out. He’s got, like, a whole trash dump down here.”

  “What do you mean?” Frank kneeled down to look for himself. The space beneath the bed was crammed with soda cans, bags from burger joints, and junk food wrappers of all kinds. A lot of them. As in, a lot.

  I pulled out a candy bar wrapper. “Looks like Lee has a real junk food fixation.”

  “But why would he keep the wrappers under here?” Frank looked puzzled. “As far as I know, there are no rules about junk food at Firth, or eating in the dorms, or anything like that. Why wouldn’t he just toss this stuff?”

  “And how does he eat this much junk and not weigh three hundred pounds?” I shrugged. “Maybe he’s got an eating disorder or something.”

  “That would explain the secrecy, I guess.” Frank looked dubious. “Anyway, let’s keep going. I want to see if we turn up that key he took.”

  We continued our search. I checked the bookcases and closet while Frank took on Lee’s messy desk. After a moment I heard him make the funny little “hmm” noise he always does when he’s found something interesting.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  Frank glanced up at me. “This is a little weird. I just found a pamphlet with the bus routes and fares between Sugarview and Boston.”

  “What’s so weird about that? Lee’s from Boston, remember?”

  “That’s not the weird part.” Frank held up something that looked like a computer printout. “There’s also a reservation slip for a ticket to Boston. For late tomorrow night.”

  I blinked. “Tomorrow? Why would he go down there in the middle of the school week?”

  “And in the middle of the night.” Frank looked troubled. “Think he might be planning to run away from Firth for some reason?”

  We couldn’t come up with any good answers for that. So we kept searching. But we never did find any sign of that key.

  Finally we gave up and moved on to Patton’s room. “Do you really think Peachy could be our guy?” I wondered as I poked around a stack of magazines and other papers on his bedside table. “He’s not exactly the master criminal type.”

  “I know. It’ll be kind of embarrassing if it turns out he’s outwitted us all this time.” Frank finished flipping through the clothes in the closet and wandered toward me. “But he does have a pretty good motive to cause trouble. Getting into GTT seemed really important to him.”

  There was a printed program in the stack I was going through. It was from a chamber concert at a church hall down in Sugarview. “Wow, who knew Peachy was so cultured?” I commented. I was about to toss the program aside when Frank grabbed it out of my hand.

  “Hey,” he said. “Looks like this concert was this past Sunday afternoon.”

  “So what?” I was already moving on to the pile of school papers on Patton’s desk.

  “So that’s why Patton was so dressed up that day.”

  I glanced at him with a smirk. “Did you catch the fashion bug from all the preppy boys here, bro?”

  “No, I’m serious.” Frank stared at the program. “This means Patton was off campus all afternoon. Probably from soon after Nigel’s arrival to when we saw him come in for dinner. He didn’t even have time to change clothes.”

  I’d just come to Patton’s last chemistry test. There was a big red D scrawled in the corner, along with a note from the teacher warning that if Patton didn’t catch on soon, he was going to blow himself up.

  “I think I just found the evidence that it was Peachy who blew up the GTT tree the other day,” I joked.

  Frank glanced over at the test. “Actually, I think we just proved the opposite,” he said, pointing again to that concert program.

  “Huh?”

  “If Patton was at this concert on Sunday afternoon, it means he wasn’t on campus when that bomb went off,” said Frank. “Have you seen a calendar anywhere?”

  “Right here.” I grabbed Patton’s weekly planner off his desk and flipped back to the previous weekend. There was a notation on Sunday: Concert with Great-Aunt R.

  “That doesn’t necessarily prove he didn’t do it,” I pointed out. “He could’ve set the bomb on a timer or something. And then made sure he was off campus so he wouldn’t be suspected.”

  “True. If he was capable of making a bomb like that in the first place.” Frank waved a hand at the chemistry test. “That seems to indicate he doesn’t have the know-how to pull it off.”

  A couple of quick phone calls, and we were both convinced. Patton had been nowhere near Firth for most of Sunday; the school’s limo driver had dropped him off in Sugarview and picked him up later. And Patton’s science teacher confirmed that he barely knew a compound from a test tube. That seemed to rule him out as our bomb maker.

  “Okay, so Patton’s off the hook for that,” Frank said. “Do we still think he could be behind the other stuff?”

  “Not really. Except maybe changing Lee’s grades. That could’ve been totally unconnected to the rest, though. Just Peachy messing with the guy he saw as his main competition.”

  “So Patton is out. Spencer is probably out unless something new turns up.” Frank shrugged. “Who else have we got?”

  “Nigel Nabb. Lee. Maybe Darity.”

  “Or Destiny,” Frank added. “Although I doubt she has the discipline to pull off most of this stuff and then keep quiet about it.”

  I nodded and checked my watch. “Come on, we’d better get out of here,” I said. “Classes will be letting out soon. Let’s lie low at my place and figure out what to do next.”

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t take Killer with us?” Frank asked as he watched me close the dog’s kennel door behind him. “He’d be a handy excuse if we get caught.”

  “We won’t get caught.” I clicked the kennel door shut and tested it. “Besides, who’s going to believe we just happened to be walking the dog in Darity’s office? After dark?”

  Frank grinned. “Guess you’re right. Come on, let’s go.”

  Soon we were heading into Firth Hall, It was almost nine o’clock, and we expected the place to be empty and dark. Frank was pretty sure he could get access to the headmaster’s computer again, plus we wanted to see whether that key was back in its spot.

  But we got an unpleasant surprise. The lights were all on, and Darity was there despite the late hour. His office door was ajar, and we could see him sitting inside with several serious-looking men.

  “… and while we appreciate your passion for progress, Dr. Darity, we’re concerned that you’re changing too much, too fast,” one man was saying.

  Another joined in. “Yes. Firth has always been a place with strong traditions,” he said. “We fear your, er, improvements may be the reason for all the recent unpleasantness.”

  “Indeed,” the first man put in. “Dr. Montgomery would never say so directly, of course, but I’ve known him long enough to see that he’s worried about the way things have been going these past few years as well.”

  “I understand your concerns, gentlemen,” Dr. Darity spoke up, his voice somber and controlled. “But I assure you, I have only the best for Firth in mind.”

  “But surely you can see our concerns,” one of the men said. “It’s one thing to bring the school into the computer age. But doing away with long-cherished traditions? Changing the very makeup of the student body? Those are harder for some of us to swallow.”

  “Are you referring to my daughter?” Darity asked. “Because she’s a one-time exception. I have no intention of making Firth coed.”

  “That’s all ve
ry well and good,” the first man said. “But she is not our only concern, or indeed, even the greatest… .”

  Frank shot me a look. “Sounds like those must be the trustees, or maybe some of the important alums,” he whispered.

  “We’d better scoot,” I murmured. “Don’t want to get caught eavesdropping.”

  We moved off far enough to talk normally. “So now what?” Frank said with a frown.

  “It sounded like they were just getting started in there,” I said. “Darity might be in for a long night.”

  Frank sighed. “Okay, time for plan B. Let’s grab Killer and see if he can sniff out anything around any of the crime scenes.”

  It seemed like kind of a weak plan. But I couldn’t come up with a better one, so I agreed.

  We headed back to my cottage. When we got there, the first thing I saw was Killer’s kennel door standing open.

  “Oh, man,” I muttered. “That stupid mutt must have busted out! I just hope he didn’t go far.”

  “Hey.” Frank sounded worried. I turned to see him hurrying toward the cottage’s front door. It, too, was standing open.

  I jogged after him. When I got inside, he was staring at an open cupboard. The one where Killer’s food was kept. Then he glanced at the hook where his leash normally hung. Empty.

  “Check it out,” he said, sounding grim. “Unless Killer is smart enough to pack a bag, looks like he didn’t leave on his own.”

  Dog Gone

  It was a good thing I probably wouldn’t be at Firth for much longer one way or another. Because I didn’t hear a word Mr. Westerley said in English class the next morning.

  Killer was still missing. So far, though, Joe and I were the only ones who knew that. Aside from whoever had dognapped him, of course.

  The fact that the dognapper had taken Killer’s leash and dog food gave us hope that he was okay. But that didn’t stop us from worrying. A trained ex-police dog like Killer wasn’t likely to prance off with just anyone like some overfriendly pet golden retriever. Who could have taken him? And how?

  I couldn’t help recalling that meeting we’d overheard in Darity’s office. Was Killer one of those dusty old Firth traditions that the new headmaster would prefer to see go away?

  Or could Nigel be behind this? He might be killing two birds with one stone. Getting back at Killer (and Joe) for scaring him by the pool, while also creating a better story for his show. After all, people were suckers for tales of animals in peril.

  Joe was killing two birds with one stone that day too. He’d headed down to Sugarview right after breakfast. That way he got himself out of sight for a while so people wouldn’t notice that Killer wasn’t around. At the same time, he was planning to pay a visit to Killer’s previous handler, Hunt Hunter. She lived in Sugarview, and we hoped she might be able to help us. We’d even wondered if she might be the dognapper.

  “Maybe she snatched Killer because she missed him,” Joe had proposed, looking hopeful.

  That didn’t seem too likely to me. Hunt had to know she’d be first on the suspect list. But I hadn’t bothered to say so. Why bum Joe out?

  The bell startled me out of my thoughts. Gathering up my books, I hurried to my next class.

  I caught up to Lee in front of the door. “Hey, Frank,” he greeted me. “How are you feeling? Hope that fall yesterday didn’t take too much out of you.”

  He sounded as friendly as ever. I wondered if he’d missed the news about that blog post. I’d noticed a few suspicious looks from others. Under the circumstances, it was the least of my concerns. But it was a constant reminder that time was running out for this mission.

  “Still a little muscle sore. But I’ll live,” I told Lee. “Listen, I saw Destiny in the infirmary while I was there. She okay?”

  Lee looked worried. “Yeah, she’s finally getting better,” he said. “But whatever she ate yesterday really hit her hard. She still couldn’t keep much down this morning.”

  “Really?” I hoped I didn’t sound as surprised as I felt. I’d assumed Destiny was faking. But if she was, it sounded as if she had Lee fooled.

  And what if she wasn’t faking? Darity was still one of our suspects; the only one with easy access to the medication we’d found in the Winner’s Cup. But now I had to wonder. Would he really poison his own daughter—not just once, but twice? Despite our concerns about his honesty, I just wasn’t convinced he’d do that. It was clear that he cared about Destiny, even if the two of them didn’t have the best relationship.

  But there was someone else on our suspect list who wouldn’t hesitate to do that much and more. Nigel Nabb. Everyone said that if he couldn’t find a good story, he wasn’t above creating one. Could that be what he was doing right now?

  “Frank?” Lee poked me in the arm. “Earth to Frank. You’re a million miles away.”

  I snapped out of it, forcing a smile. “Sorry,” I said, heading for my desk. “Just thinking about our quiz today.”

  At dinner that night, Lee shoveled one last bite of mystery meat into his mouth and stood up. “Catch you guys later,” he said. “I’ve got some cramming to do for tomorrow’s science test.”

  I couldn’t help remembering that bus ticket we’d found in his room. Would Lee even be at Firth tomorrow to take that test?

  But I didn’t have time to worry about that. A few minutes later I spotted Joe tiptoeing toward the exit.

  “I’d better bounce too,” I said, grabbing my tray. “Later, guys.”

  “See you,” said Spencer. Most of the others just grunted or waved and returned to their conversation. It had mostly revolved around Nigel Nabb. He’d been all over campus that day, filming and interviewing people. It sounded like he was digging for any dirt he could find. Including the real reason for Ellery’s sudden departure. I had no idea where he’d heard about that one, but I hoped he wouldn’t track it back to us. That was all we—or ATAC—needed.

  I hurried to catch up with Joe. He was still sneaking along.

  “Hey,” I hissed into his ear. “Where’s that dog of yours?”

  He jumped about a foot in the air and spun around. When he saw it was only me, he scowled. “Real funny, bro.”

  I grinned. Sometimes it’s impossible to resist messing with him.

  But my smile faded fast. “Come on, let’s get out of here before anyone asks after Killer for real.”

  “I’m with you.” Joe shot a look at the headmasters’ table. “At least Dr. Montgomery and that eagle-eyed old biddy sidekick of his aren’t here tonight. They’d be sure to notice their precious canine tradition wasn’t around.”

  Sure enough, the seats usually occupied by Montgomery and Mrs. Wilson were empty. That wasn’t too unusual. The pair often took their meals at the Cottage.

  “Don’t freak out,” I told Joe. “It’s not like you usually bring Killer to dinner with you anyway.”

  “Okay. Still, the sooner we get out of here, the better I’ll feel.”

  I couldn’t argue with him there. Soon we were safely outside at the edge of the Green. It was a chilly, breezy night. That meant nobody was strolling around outside to overhear us. Good.

  “So how was your trip to Sugarview?” I asked Joe. “Anything to report?”

  “Not really. Hunt wasn’t home. Her brother said she’s in Maine at some dog show or something.”

  Great. Another dead end.

  “Okay, here’s what I found out today… .” I quickly told him about Destiny’s food poisoning.

  “Are you sure Lee was telling the truth?” Joe asked. “Maybe he was covering for his girlfriend.”

  “Maybe. But it didn’t seem like it.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I’m really starting to lean toward Nigel as our top suspect.”

  “Really?” said Joe. “I mean, yeah, the guy is scum. But don’t forget, he wasn’t even on campus yet when most of the stuff went down.”

  “I know. But maybe we’re getting too hung up on the timing here.” I turned and started wandering down the walk with Joe
beside me. “Trying too hard to force all the incidents into one pattern. Which doesn’t make much sense, seeing that we’ve already nabbed two separate culprits.”

  “I guess.”

  “So maybe we should just focus on the most serious and recent incidents and take it from there.” I glanced at him. “And from that perspective, like I said, Nigel looks like our best bet.”

  Joe raised one eyebrow. “I can’t believe this,” he said. “Did we, like, switch personalities when I wasn’t paying attention? Because usually you’re the stickler for working out all the details, and I’m the one who’s all freewheeling and ready to leave stuff out.”

  “So are you saying you’re not on board?”

  “Nope.” He grinned. “Let’s go with it. Now that you mention it, Nigel is a pretty tasty suspect. He has a lot of resources and stuff behind him. You know, what with the TV production studio and all …”

  “Exactly.” I nodded. “He could have started all the rumors that have been flying around here. He could even be the one behind the FirthFirst blog. His researchers might have been able to dig up that medical info and my true ID.”

  “We already suspected him of vandalizing Darity’s house to create more of a story,” Joe added. “And he did turn up the same day that bomb went off at GTT. I’m sure someone on his staff knows enough about basic chemistry to have pulled that one off, whether they got the ingredients here at Firth or brought them from somewhere else. Come to think of it, maybe that person in the hoodie I chased was someone working for Nigel.”

  “Right. And after that little incident at the pool …”

  “Nigel probably has a grudge against Killer,” Joe finished grimly. “Hello, dognapping. Not to mention he’s probably not crazy about me and Destiny, either. Think he put something in her food?”

  “Not sure how he’d manage that, but you never know. Maybe we can question her later about what she ate yesterday.” I rotated my arm as we walked, trying to work out some lingering soreness from my fall.

  Joe noticed. “So what about the rope thing? How could Nigel guess that Montgomery was going to make you guys climb it? Let alone that you’d be the one shimmying up there when it broke?”