5 Murder at the High School Reunion

by Steve Demaree

  Lou, on the other hand, has been a puzzle guy. Lou’s always been puzzling, but his hobbies include both types of puzzles, crossword and jigsaw, plus some other types of puzzles found in books, like logic problems. Most of the time Lou has spent at home, he could be found working some type of puzzle or reading a classic novel. Until Wii Fit entered our lives, neither of us attempted any exercise greater than the effort it took us to get out of bed each day, which on some days was quite an effort.

  When Lou and I entered semi-retirement, we added another hobby, only this time both of us added the same hobby. Both of us have always been fascinated with solving things, so when we learned that there was a bookstore in Hilldale devoted strictly to mysteries, Lou and I headed over to Scene of the Crime to check it out, and we returned home with thinner wallets.

  Because both of us left the store with an armload of books, we became as big of a hit there as we were at the Blue Moon Diner. Myrtle Evans, the elderly owner of Scene of the Crime, smiled when she learned that her newest customers were big spenders. As we returned to replenish our stock by picking up new titles to try, she learned a little about us and what our tastes were like, but we never let on that we were police detectives. Anyone who knows anything about mysteries knows that there are many types of mysteries, and many mystery fans prefer one type of mystery to another. While whodunits were our favorites, we ventured out from time to time and tried other types of mystery authors. This was easy to do at Scene of the Crime, because each section and room identified the type of mysteries it held.

  It had been several weeks since Lou and I had finished our most recent murder investigation. That amount of time off had given us ample time to pare down our stack of unread books. When I mentioned this to Lou, he was as eager as I was to go shopping.

  We opened the door of the Scene of the Crime, causing the bell to ring and Myrtle Evans to look up from where she sat on her stool behind the counter. I could almost see the drool dripping from her mouth and the dollar signs registering in her head.

  “I’ve been expecting you boys.”

  “We’re getting that predictable?”

  “Well, let’s just say that the other day, during one of our slow times, I thought of the two of you and figured you’d be back in soon. I took the liberty to choose some titles for you.”

  She got up off the stool, and searched the shelf behind her, where she had put two, large, shopping bags full of books. One at a time she lifted the bags up onto the counter. They weighed more than something a woman her age should have lifted, but she had both bags on the counter before either of us could assist her.

  “Now, if you boys don’t want any of these books, I understand, and if there are any more you want, feel free to look as you usually do.”

  “You’ve always steered us in the right direction before, Mrs. E. I’m fine with these if Lou is.”

  Lou and I always bought the same books, and we read them in the same order. Since we read at roughly the same pace, it gave us an opportunity to talk about each book as we read it, much like we do with each murder investigation as it goes forward.

  Lou nodded to me that he was fine with her selections if I was, so I turned to Mrs. Evans.

  “No, Mrs. E., you’ve always steered us right before. These will be fine. Just tell us how much we owe you.”

  “I included a book from some of your favorite authors, plus I added books by a couple of authors you haven’t tried yet, ones I think you’ll like. Let’s see, that comes to $287.54 each.” To some people that might sound like a lot of money, but all of the books were hardbacks, and a couple of them were early editions of books written a long time ago.

  Lou and I paid, but lingered a while talking books with Mrs. Evans, and a couple of customers who came in that we’d met before. It was fifteen minutes before we grabbed our books and headed for home. Well, I took Lou home, then went home and plopped down at the dining room table. I usually opt for some place more comfy, but I wanted a flat surface to lay the books on.

  Neither Lou nor I bothered to look at any of the books while we were still in the store. I was excited to see what new treasures I owned. I reached into the bag and plucked the first book, A Little Class on Murder by Carolyn Hart. I’d read some of the others from Hart’s Death on Demand series, and thoroughly enjoyed them, so I was glad to have another one.

  Each time I bought another bagful of books, my routine was the same. When I got home, I took out one book at a time, glanced at it for a moment, and then put it aside. After I’d removed all the books from the bag, I’d sit down in the chair and read the dust jacket to see what the book was about. Then, I’d call Lou and one of us would suggest which offering to read first.

  I reached back into the bag, and pulled out another title. This too was a Carolyn Hart mystery, but one from her Henrie O series, which I liked even better than Death on Demand. Death on Demand was the name of a bookstore devoted solely to mysteries, much like Scene of the Crime, but in the Death on Demand series, the bookstore owner, a young woman, finds herself trying to solve a murder that takes place on the resort island where she lives, an island much like Hilton Head. Henrie O., on the other hand, is an elderly woman who gets mixed up in murder and may have to travel to do so. My new Henri O. title was Death on Lovers’ Lane.

  I continued to reach into the bag and pull out another selection until the bag was empty. When I finished, I found out that Mrs. Evans had included books by my two favorite authors of contemporary British mysteries, Martha Grimes and P.D. James, as well as a British author new to me, Jill McGown. I looked forward to reading The Anodyne Necklace by Grimes, Unnatural Causes by James, and A Perfect Match by McGown.

  Other contemporary selections included Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews, an author new to me, The Camel Club by David Baldacci, an author I’d heard of but had yet to read, Loves Music, Loves To Dance by Mary Higgins Clark, Tell No One by Harlan Coben, The Firm by John Grisham, and A Diet To Die For by Joan Hess. I laughed when I read that title. My newfound commitment to losing weight made it a fitting time to read that book.

  Mrs. Evans didn’t forget to include some of the great classic authors, as she added The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, The Case of the Curious Bride by Erle Stanley Gardner, Patient in Room 18 by Mignon Eberhart, and The Bishop Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine.

  I counted the books, fourteen in all. I planned to get busy reading, and read as many books as I could before those bodies were discovered, provided there were any bodies to discover.

  I sat down and read the dust jacket or back cover of each book. All of them sounded great. If only I could lose weight reading. Since Lou got a head start on me, I was sure he was anxiously awaiting my call.

  “Did you make it through all of yours yet, Lou?”

  “No, Cy, I was waiting to start reading until after you called.”

  “Smart aleck. I know you haven’t started reading yet, but do you have any idea where we should start?”

  “Well, just so you remember what your top priority is, why don’t we start with that Joan Hess book? I remember how much we liked that other book of hers we read.

  “It sure was funny, and from what I can tell, this Donna Andrews book is supposed to be funny, too.”

  “Looks like we’ve got a good variety.”

  Both of us were eager to get to our books, and since we’d decided which book to begin with, we said our goodbyes.

  +++

  Our books were the only things that kept the next few days from being difficult for us. Lou and I were used to being together everyday. Before we retired, I picked him up each day and the two of us went about the city’s business, one murder at a time. When there were no murders to investigate, we still rode around together, did whatever we needed to do to earn our keep, and ate all three meals together. When Doc ordered me to lose weight or desist, Lou suggested that each of us eat at home. He knew that I had a far better chance of losing weight if I stayed at home, and he knew that
I wanted to remain a cop as long as he did.

  It was two days later when I called Lou. I’d finished reading A Diet To Die For that morning. When I got ahold of Lou I found out that he’d finished the book the night before. We spent ten or fifteen minutes talking about the book, catching up on our Wii exercises, and deciding which book to read next. We opted for A Perfect Match. Both of us had almost finished our second book of the week by the time I picked up Lou for church on Sunday morning.

  We didn’t see each other the next week, but we talked once a day on the phone, discussing the book we were reading and how much weight both of us had lost. It was much the same the following week. I didn’t see Lou until I picked him up for church. If we kept our noses to the grindstone, both of us could finish our fourth book of the last two weeks before that Sunday was over. As it turned out, it was a good thing we did.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Monday, the phone rang just as I was getting ready to leave to see Doc. According to my Wii scales, I had lost enough weight to satisfy him. I hoped his scales agreed with mine.

  I picked up the phone.

  “I don’t have time to talk. I have to get to the doctor.”

  “It’s me, Cy. I just want you to know you need to be ready to go back to work.”

  Each day we worked on a case, Lou had a thought, which was ultimately helpful in our solving the case. I called them Lou’s messages from God.

  “You got a message?”

  “I think so. At least I received a thought that said, ‘North To Alaska.”

  “That was a Johnny Horton song, wasn’t it? I don’t want to go to Alaska, and I have no desire to become a singer, either.”

  “I agree with you on both counts. I’m sure that soon we’ll know what the message means. Just between you and me, I don’t think that someone shipped those bodies to Alaska.”

  We cut out the riffraff. I now had a second reason to get to Doc and get the weighin over with.

  +++

  I arrived at Doc’s office. My new weight surprised him. I’d lost thirteen pounds. At two-hundred-ninety-eight pounds, I was a new man, or at least a slightly smaller version of the old one. As it turned out, it was good that I lost the weight and received Doc’s blessing. Well, I didn’t exactly receive Doc’s blessing. He asked me to come back once a month and weigh in. As long as I’d lost weight each time, he’d allow me to keep my job. And keep my job I did. Mere minutes after I left Doc’s office, I received a message that the county high school custodian had returned from his vacation. He’d opened the walk-in freezer and found the two missing persons. Not exactly Alaska, but a good hint, anyway.

  +++

  I called Lou and then headed to his place. He was ready when I arrived. He ran out the door, jumped in the car, and acted like he wanted to kiss me.

  “Cy, I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Lou, we saw each other yesterday. Remember? Church?”

  “I know, but it’s hard getting used to not being with you each day.”

  “You had me worried there for a minute. I thought I was going to have to draw my gun to keep you from kissing me.”

  “Not on your life, Red Ryder, and don’t try anything with me, either.”

  “Don’t worry!”

  +++

  Frank Harris, the medical examiner, was heading to the front door of the school when Lou and I arrived. I’d planned on Wiiing before I left the house. I knew that those two frozen bodies wouldn’t mind if I did, but I decided to work my exercise regimen in later. I tooted the horn at Frank, who turned around, waved, and waited for Lou and me.

  “Lou, it looks like I’m seeing less and less of you, but about the same amount of Cy.”

  I knew Frank meant weight when he said that, and not how often he saw either of us, because if he saw one of us he saw the other. I smiled. When a man is used to weighing three-hundred-three pounds, and has lost down to two-ninety-eight, not even his own mother would notice the difference. Some people have trouble telling that someone who has lost fifty pounds has lost weight, provided that person is well overweight, which is what most of my world think I am.

  “It’s good to see you, too, Frank. I assume you haven’t had anything to do for a while, so this will give you something to do.”

  “Unlike you, Cy, who only have to work after someone has been murdered, I’m called in for many kinds of death. However, it is good to see you,” Frank uttered, as he reached out and patted me on the back.

  “Listen, Frank, can we postpone finding the bodies until tomorrow?”

  “And why do you want to do that, Cy?”

  “Well, I got in that pot too, and my day is tomorrow. Why don’t we keep them nice and cold until then?”

  “Well, there are three reasons why I don’t think that’s a good idea. First of all, the custodian already found the bodies. He might not take too kindly to keeping these bodies for another day. And what if he talked? It would give the police department a black eye.”

  “I don’t know how you count, Frank. Was that one, two, or all three reasons?”

  “Let’s call it two. The other reason is it wouldn’t be fair to the person who won the pool.”

  “I won’t tell if you don’t tell, Frank.”

  “Now, Cy, you’re not telling me that you would cheat a fellow officer, are you?”

  “No, Frank, but it’s harder to lose when you come close. By the way, how much was the pot and who won?”

  “It came to $270.”

  “That much? Who won?”

  “I stopped by and picked up the money on the way out here.”

  “And how many days have you had this guy hide the bodies?”

  “Remember, Cy, he just got back from vacation this morning.”

  Rather than waste the rest of the morning sweating in the sweltering heat, Frank and I dispensed of pleasantries, and he and Lou followed me into the school. We were met at the front door by an average-looking, sandy-haired man dressed in khakis, with a white patch on his shirt, with blue writing that said his name was Walter. I guessed that the man was somewhere in his late forties.

  “I’m Lt. Dekker. This is Sgt. Murdock, and the medical examiner Mr. Harris. Are you the man who found the bodies?”

  “I’m afraid so. I’ve been on vacation since the night of the reunion, just got back to work today. Sometimes, when I’m here by myself, I go a few days without openin’ the walk-in ’frigerator or freezer, but it’s hot today. I kept workin’ up a sweat and forgot to fill up the ice trays in that old, small ’frigerator. When I went over and unlocked the big freezer, I opened it and found…well, follow me, you’ll see.”

  “Did you recognize the two people?”

  “To be honest with ya, I didn’t look at ’em real close, but I doubt if they’re anyone I knowed. I went outside, checked all the doors and winders to see if anyone had broken in, and didn’t find nothin’. I just got back in afore you pulled in. Could it be that these two have been here since the reunion?”

  “I assume you’ve read about the two people who turned up missing after the reunion.”

  “Can’t say as I have. See, I’ve been out of town, visitin’ my daughter and her family. Just got back to town Saturday night, didn’t go nowhere yesterday. Does that mean you have a good idee who they might be?”

  “We think so. Was it a man and a woman?”

  “Like I said, I didn’t check. But come to think of it, I think one of them was wearin’ a dress. Anyways, I panicked for a minute, didn’t know what to do. Then, I locked the freezer back in case someone came in, though I didn’t expect no one. I called the principal, but just got a message. He might be out of town, too. He’s not ’spected to be back ’til next week. Anyways, I called you guys, then went and walked around the school to see if I could spot where somebody got in the school while I was gone. Nothing.”

  We talked as we walked. We turned right, walked down the hall and turned left into a large kitchen. A walk-in refrigerator and freezer
stood against the right-hand wall. The custodian walked over to the wall, just past the two units, and stopped just before he got to a door that was on the back right side of the building. He removed a key from a nail, made sure he had the right one, and unlocked the padlock on the freezer.

  He took off the lock and opened the door, then stood back so we could see. There were two people lying face down in the freezer, huddled together. The two were facing away from the door, but I noticed right away that the one on the right was wearing a dress, and had shapely legs that certainly didn’t belong to any man. We encountered no smell, but noticed both frozen people had skin that had a slight red tint to it. Luckily, Lou and I wouldn’t be around when the bodies were no longer frozen.

  None of the three of us recognized the victims, so I motioned for the custodian in to step in and see if he knew either of them. He did so, and then shook his head, indicating that both people were strangers to him. Somewhat shaken, he stepped back out of the freezer as soon as he could.

  Lou and I let Frank look over the victims first. To give him privacy, the two of us ushered the custodian out of the kitchen and asked him for some place we could sit and talk. He led us to his office, near where we came in. As we were about to enter his office, which was more of a glorified closet, the print crew arrived. I gave them directions to the kitchen, then joined Lou and the custodian in his small workspace.

  I motioned for Walter to take a seat. I took the only other chair. Walter told Lou he could find a chair in the cafeteria across the hall. Since Lou wasn’t some dumb sergeant, he brought back a chair, rather than sit in one in the cafeteria. I waited for Lou to return before I began to see what the custodian could tell me.

  “The name on your shirt says ‘Walter.’ Are you Walter?”

  “Yep. That’s me, Walter Gillis. I’m the custodian here, been here three years now.”

  “And were you here the night of the reunion?”

  “Yep. I left on vacation the next day. I was anxious to get away to see my daughter and grandkids, but I knowed I couldn’t run them people out of the school until 1:00. They was allowed to stay until then.”