Murder of a Pink Elephant

by Denise Swanson

  Vince shoved a drum at Skye, who took it automatically; he then took a drum in each arm and along with Finn followed her down the steps. Both men were coughing, and the smoke had thickened so much she could no longer see in front of her. She paused to get her bearings and try to remember where the fire exits were.

  Picturing the gym layout in her mind, Skye led Vince and Finn to the right and using the wall, felt her way to the door. She used her body to push the emergency bar and the door swung open. The three of them stumbled outside.

  The fire department was already on the scene. Flashing lights, sirens, and excited voices filled the frigid night air. A firefighter came up to them and demanded, “Did you see anyone else inside?”

  “No.” She set down the drum she had been clutching and pushed hair from her eyes. “The kids all ran toward the front as soon as someone started screaming ‘fire.”’ She was interrupted by a bout of coughing, then asked anxiously, “Didn’t everyone get out?”

  The man shrugged and stepped aside for the EMT.

  Skye called after him, “Is anyone making a list of the kids who are safe? Parents will start coming here soon.”

  He shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

  While the EMT examined Finn, Skye asked Vince, “What happened to Logan and Rod?”

  Vince had commandeered a couple of blankets and was wrapping his drums in them, but he spoke over his shoulder. “Logan wasn’t on stage when the girl yelled ‘fire.’ Rod grabbed his guitar and took off down the right side steps as soon as the alarm went off.”

  Then they were probably safe. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

  “I’m fine. How about you?”

  “Fine.” Skye hugged him. “But I have to go see about the kids and start making a list so we know who’s accounted for.” She looked at the havoc around her and shuddered. Kids were scattered everywhere, many wearing oxygen masks and lying on gurneys. What if everyone hadn’t made it out of the building?

  No, she couldn’t let herself start thinking that way. The students would need her to be calm. “Can you get to a phone and call Mom, Dad, and Simon, and let them know we’re okay?”

  “Sure.”

  She needed to find Charlie and Trixie and Justin and Frannie and … her mind overloaded. So many. Skye heard herself moan and realized she was dangerously near a total breakdown. She bit the inside of her cheek until it bled. The coppery taste shocked her back into focus. She didn’t have the luxury of giving in to her feelings. She had things to do, but what first?

  She needed paper and a pen. Her small evening bag, its strap draped across her chest, contained only a comb, lipstick, keys, a few tissues, and her wallet.

  Her car. She ran across the lot to the front entrance. On her way she spotted the police chief, Wally Boyd, but didn’t slow down. When she reached the Bel Air, she unlocked the door and grabbed a pad and pen from the glove compartment, then went around to the trunk and exchanged her dress shoes for the boots she kept there for emergencies. Now she was ready to start making a list of those present.

  Skye started toward a group of teens sitting on the front steps, shivering in the cold. People hadn’t been able to grab their coats before getting out. She scanned the area for another adult and spotted one of the chaperones, who appeared to be wandering around in a daze.

  Skye yelled, “Over here.”

  The woman looked at Skye without seeming to see her. Skye sprinted over and took her arm. “The kids need your help.” She tugged the teacher toward the front steps. “Take these kids and any others you can round up over to the junior high.” Scumble River Junior High School was located just across the athletic field from the high school.

  “How will I get in?” The woman’s voice quavered.

  Skye reached into her purse and pulled a key from the ring. “Here. This opens the front door. Take the kids into the office and have them start calling their parents.”

  As a backup, Skye took their names, parents’ names, and phone numbers, too. A lot of parents had police scanners and would already be on their way to the school.

  Skye found another bunch of students sitting on the hoods and trunks of the parked cars, Justin and Bitsy among them. “Have any of you seen Frannie Ryan?” Skye asked.

  They all shook their head. Justin, a sheepish look on his face, offered, “I think I saw her on the other side of the building when we first got out, but then we got separated.”

  Skye noticed that the boy had dropped Bitsy’s hand as soon as she asked about Frannie and was now swallowing hard and fighting back tears. “Thanks. I’ll keep an eye out for her and send her over here if I see her.”

  Bitsy tried to retake Justin’s hand, but he pulled out of her reach and said, “I’ll come with you.” Skye started to shake her head, but he coaxed, “It’ll be faster with two of us.”

  “Okay.” Skye nodded. “Show me where you saw Frannie last.”

  Justin gestured with his thumb. “This way.”

  As they walked away, she caught sight of Simon getting out of his Lexus. She waved and yelled, “I’m fine. Vince is fine. We’re looking for Frannie. Talk to you later.”

  She and Justin continued to make their way to the edge of the parking lot and onto the snow-covered ground. They crossed to the opposite side of the gym, where the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms and indoor swimming pool were located.

  Skye was extremely familiar with this area, since she used the pool nearly every morning to do laps. There were only two ways out on this side. One was an emergency exit and the other was through the swimming pool enclosure. The only way into the pool area was through the locker rooms.

  Justin cleared his throat and pointed to the pool exit. “There. I’m pretty sure I saw Frannie right here when we came out the emergency door.”

  Skye scanned the vicinity. Except for a few bare trees, there was nothing but snow-covered ground. If she had fallen or was lying unconscious, they would see her.

  Where could Frannie be? Surely if Justin had seen her outside the gym, she was okay. Skye turned to him. “She’s not here, so she must be back where we came from.”

  As they stepped around the corner, Skye heard Charlie’s booming baritone. He was standing next to his Cadillac, yelling orders that no one was listening to. Cars were screeching into the lot, and parents were shouting and crying for their kids.

  She told Justin to go to the junior high, then hurried over to Charlie and tugged on his sleeve. A grin of relief spread across his face. “Skye, you’re okay.” He swept her into a bear hug. “How about Vince?”

  “He’s fine. He went in search of a phone to call Mom and Dad.” Skye hugged him back. “One of the chaperones took a bunch of kids over to the junior high to start calling their parents. I think that’s where we should set up our base, since it’s so cold out and most of the kids don’t have coats.”

  “I’ll tell the fire chief and then start spreading the word. You should go over there too. You’re shivering.”

  “I still haven’t found Frannie or Trixie. Have you seen them?”

  “No.” He frowned. “But I’m sure they’re around here somewhere.”

  “I’ll meet you over at the junior high as soon as I find them.”

  Charlie reached into his car and threw a neon orange hunting jacket at Skye. “If you’re staying out here, put this on.”

  “Thanks.” She shrugged into the huge padded coat and snuggled into its warmth, not caring that she looked like an oversized traffic cone. The odor of Charlie’s cigars was reassuring. “See you at the junior high.”

  Skye decided to walk the perimeter of the school grounds. As she passed one of the athletic equipment sheds, she heard voices and looked inside. Trixie was huddled under a tarp with a group of teens. Skye hugged her friend as they both cried.

  Trixie hiccupped. “I thought you were dead. The last anyone saw of you was when you headed toward the fire.”

  “I’m fine.” Skye patted Trixie’s back. “But I wa
s so scared when I couldn’t find you.”

  Trixie sniffed. “It was so cold out, and the firefighters wouldn’t let us into the rest of the school in case the fire spread, so I wasn’t sure what to do. Then I thought of this shed and herded as many kids as I could inside with me.”

  “I sent one of the chaperones over to the junior high with my key.” Skye gave Trixie one last hug and let her go. “You’d better take these guys over there and have them start calling their folks.”

  “Aren’t you coming?”

  Skye lowered her voice. “I still haven’t found Frannie. Have you seen her?”

  “No. How about Justin?”

  “He’s safe. I’ve seen Vince, Charlie …” Skye continued to name everyone she had accounted for so far as she walked Trixie and her group toward the junior high. She stopped at the edge of the athletic field and waved them on, then turned back to search for Frannie.

  An hour later, Skye looked around the parking lot and bit her lip, fighting tears. All the teens had been taken over to the junior high and the parents who showed up had been directed there too. The only people who remained in the high school parking lot were the firefighters, the police, and Skye.

  She approached the police chief. She and Wally had an unusual history but were currently pretending they were just friends. Skye asked him, “Do we know anything yet?”

  “It appears to be a relatively small fire, more smoke than flame, and it was contained in the gym. Best of all, people got out fast, so smoke inhalation shouldn’t be too much of a problem. A few kids were taken to the hospital to be checked out, but the EMTs didn’t seem too concerned.”

  “That’s good news. Have they found any … ?” Skye trailed off, unable to force herself to put her thoughts into words.

  “No.” Wally put his arm around her. “But they haven’t been able to get to the stage area yet, since that seems to be the center of the fire and burned the hottest. They don’t have the equipment for that kind of search. They had to radio Laurel and ask to borrow theirs. It should be here soon.”

  Skye hid her face in his chest. “Frannie Ryan’s missing.”

  “I know. Xavier is going nuts. He keeps trying to sneak into the building. Simon has him locked in his car to keep him from slipping past us and getting hurt.” Wally sighed. “The firefighters have searched the gym and the surrounding area twice. They don’t know where else to look. They hope she went home with someone. The only other possibility is—”

  Skye cut his words off with a shake of her head. She refused to think that Frannie might be dead.

  Wally said, “Go over to the junior high. Maybe they have some news over there.”

  Skye nodded but decided instead to take one more look around the building.

  At some point in the chaos, she had acquired a flashlight, and as she rounded the corner, she thumbed it on. The snow, a hodgepodge of hundreds of footprints, held no answers. She aimed the beam at the door of the swimming pool enclosure since that was where Justin had last seen Frannie.

  Almost the entire wall of the enclosure was made up of nearly opaque blue safety glass. As she swung the ray of light away from that wall, she caught sight of something. Could it have been a human shadow or was that just wishful thinking?

  She ran toward the door and grabbed the knob, fearing it would be locked, but it turned easily under her hand. The firefighters must have opened it. She flung the door wide and stepped inside, sweeping the enclosure with the beam of her flashlight, but saw nothing other than the pool, a couple of safety rings, and a pole with a hook on the end. The area appeared exactly as it did every morning when Skye swam laps. It was difficult to believe a fire had occurred a few feet away.

  She took a step backward; she must have mistaken the pole for a person. No, wait. What was that sound and where was it coming from? Skye moved toward the doors leading to the locker rooms. She heard another faint noise and this time could tell it was coming from the boys’ side.

  Skye pushed open the door. Surely the firefighters had checked this area, although it appeared untouched by the fire, so maybe not. The Scumble River Fire Department was staffed by volunteers and didn’t have the manpower of the bigger crews.

  “Help!” The word was muffled nearly beyond recognition.

  Skye followed the sound toward the shower area. Had another teen decided on a spur-of-the-moment bath?

  To the right of the showers were rows of lockers. One was rattling, and Skye wrenched open its door. Frannie burst out of the locker screaming.

  CHAPTER 7

  Dark Side of the Moon

  Frannie’s hands were tied behind her back with a jockstrap, and her face was covered with a pair of gym shorts, one of the legs having been forced over her head. Skye snatched away the shorts, and the scream died on Frannie’s lips as her eyes locked onto Skye’s. Whimpering, Frannie’s lashes fluttered and she slumped in Skye’s arms.

  She staggered backward, smacking into a wooden bench bolted to the floor. The edge caught her in the back of the knees, making her stumble. She tried to regain her balance, but Frannie’s weight was too much, and Skye fell, hitting her head on the seat.

  The world went black for a second, then she became aware that she was flat on her back, and there was a heavy mass on her chest, hindering her breathing. Skye focused. Frannie was out cold and lying on top of her.

  She gently rolled the girl off her and freed Frannie’s hands from the jockstrap. Struggling to her feet, Skye wondered, How will I get Frannie out of here? She needed a wheelchair or … Skye looked around. The coaches’ office was connected to the locker rooms. Thankfully, the normally locked door was ajar. She ran inside and snatched one of the desk chairs, pushing it beside the unconscious teen. Frannie moaned but didn’t open her eyes as Skye heaved her onto the seat.

  Skye gripped the back of the chair and started to push. Which way should she go? If she tried to go out the pool door, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to maneuver the chair over the snow-covered grass. It would have to be the gym. She hoped it was safe.

  As she wrenched the chair to the left, Frannie moaned again and Skye increased her speed. Her flashlight had broken when she fell against the bench, and the room was dark except for the dim emergency lights.

  Once she entered the gymnasium, she yelled, “Help. I have an injured girl here.”

  Her words echoed off the walls and no one answered. As far as she could see, the room was deserted. Pools of water lay everywhere, and the stage was nothing more than a chunk of glowing wood. The air was still smoky, and Skye coughed repeatedly as she pushed the chair through the debris.

  Where was everyone? She was nearly to the front door when she heard a soft thud coming from the back of the room. She kept going. Frannie was her main concern. One of the firefighters could investigate the noise.

  Skye barreled through the exit, cold wind and stinging wetness slamming her in the face—it had started sleeting. She looked around for help. The firefighters were standing around their truck, loading hoses and other equipment onto the vehicle. Wally and one of his officers were stringing yellow police tape around the burned portion of the school. No one noticed Skye or the injured girl.

  Suddenly Frannie roused and started to sob. She jumped out of the chair and tried to run, but Skye grabbed her and wrapped her arms around the girl. Her attempt to comfort Frannie was futile. The girl just cried harder and struggled to break free.

  “Help!” Skye yelled as she tried to move Frannie toward the fire truck. “Over here.” She was out of breath. “Someone, I need help.”

  Finally, the fire chief noticed her and came rushing over. “What the f …”

  Skye cut him off. “We need some help. There may still be someone inside. I heard a noise in the backstage area. And I have an injured girl here.”

  The chief spoke into his radio. “We have an injury at the high school parking lot. Send the bus.”

  “Ten-four.” The radio crackled.

  Next he alerted the f
irefighters about the possibility of someone still being in the building. The equipment they needed had just arrived from Laurel, and two of the men suited up and went inside.

  Finally, the chief turned to Skye and tried to help her with Frannie, who was still crying and trying to break away from Skye’s hold. “Let me take her.”

  Frannie stiffened when he touched her. She stopped struggling against Skye and now clung to her.

  Skye smoothed damp hair from the girl’s face. “It’s all right, honey. The chief just wants to help you.”

  Frannie whimpered and clung tighter. The chief seemed unsure what to do next, and Skye was out of bright ideas herself. The wail of the ambulance prodded them back into motion. He waved the paramedics over to them, and the EMTs peeled Frannie off Skye, loaded her onto a stretcher, and adjusted an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.

  The chief asked, “Where did you find her?”

  As Skye and the chief followed the group to the waiting ambulance, she explained.

  He scowled. “My men checked that area. No one was there.”

  Skye shrugged. She didn’t know if the firefighters had failed to open every locker or if Frannie had been put inside after they had searched the area. Right now she didn’t care. Instead she said, “Her dad is Xavier Ryan. We need to get hold of him.”

  “He and the coroner were here a few minutes ago. I’ll call Reid’s cell phone. They won’t have gone far.”

  The chief made the call, and seconds later, Simon’s white Lexus screeched into the lot and fishtailed to a stop. Xavier and Simon burst from the car and raced toward the open back door of the ambulance.

  Skye joined them in time to hear one of the paramedics say, “She has a nasty lump on the back of her head and appears to be disorientated. She needs to go to the hospital. Laurel, St. Joe’s, or Kankakee?”

  Xavier hesitated and Simon said, “Laurel’s the closest. We can always transfer her to Chicago if need be.”

  Xavier nodded. “Laurel. I’ll ride with her.”