Rivaled in Murder

by Helen Gray

  “Do you think that boy’s as innocent as he seems?”

  Toni took her time answering. On the drive over earlier, she had shared with Pam what she knew of the murder investigation that was not confidential. “I’m not sure. His car was definitely the one at the school when the girls were attacked. He seems believable, but I’ve heard a lot of believable sounding excuses from students that were proven untrue. It’s hard for me to accept that he has no idea who borrowed his car and used it to go attack Zoe and Melody.”

  Pam nodded. “I agree.”

  Between games they went to the concession stand for snacks. When the person ahead of them turned from the counter, a soda in her hand, Toni recognized the former Clearmount student she had hoped to encounter.

  “Hi, Megan.”

  Megan Ritter looked up, and a smile broke out across her face. “Hi, Mrs. Donovan. It’s good to see you. And you, too, Pam,” she said when she spotted Toni’s companion.

  “Do you have a minute?” Toni asked.

  Megan nodded. “Only a minute, though. I need to get back to my girls.”

  “You’re the cheerleader sponsor, right?” Toni knew that, but wanted to initiate conversation. Megan had graduated from college last year and signed a contract to teach math here at Brownville. Even though she was only a first year teacher, she had been cheerleader captain during two of her high school years at Clearmount, which made the attractive blond an excellent candidate for this sponsorship at a time when Brownville had needed one.

  Megan nodded. “You want to ask about those killings, don’t you?”

  “If you don’t mind.”

  Megan stepped over to a vacant spot by the wall. “I doubt I can tell you anything you don’t already know, but ask away.”

  Toni motioned for Pam to join them, letting her know that privacy was not needed. “I’ve heard that the boy was a girlizer,” she said to Megan.

  Megan grinned at the term. “He was.”

  “I’ve heard that, too,” Pam interjected.

  Megan’s head moved back and forth. “It’s been a crazy year to get my feet wet in teaching.”

  Toni remembered her own first year. “It’s been my experience that, if you make it through the first two weeks and get a routine established, you’ll survive. You’ve apparently done that. The second year will be much easier.”

  “I love teaching, and I’m learning how to handle discipline. But those murders have thrown everyone for a loop.”

  “Do you have any idea who might have done it? Are there any incidents you can recall between the victims and other students that could have led to such a thing?”

  Creases formed between Megan’s eyebrows. “I can’t imagine anything that would lead to anything so horrible.”

  Megan seemed sincere, but Toni knew that a first year teacher and sponsor could easily miss signs that a more experienced one would not. “Did Brant date any of the cheerleaders?”

  Megan’s frown of puzzlement was replaced by a look of certainty. “Oh, yes. I remember hearing that he dated Mallory. And Angie. And then Di …one.” She paused, the frown reappearing.

  Toni’s heart rate quickened. “What?”

  Megan glanced around before speaking. “Well, one afternoon in practice I noticed that Dione had some big bruises on her arm. When I asked her about them, she said she fell off a horse and hit some rocks. I was afraid Brant might have hit her,” she admitted slowly.

  “Why?”

  “Well, Dione and Mallory had been friends for a long time. But when Brant dated Dione, after having dated Mallory, Mallory got mad. I’m not sure if the girls have made up yet or not.”

  Toni edged closer to her former student, not wanting to risk being overheard—even though the hallway was noisy with chattering people moving about. “Do you think Dione could have killed him for abusing her? Could jealously have made Mallory do it? Could she have done it to protect her friend?”

  Megan grimaced. “I don’t know. I never thought about any of the girls being capable of such an act, even though he led them on and two-timed them.” She glanced at her watch. “I really need to run.”

  “One more question,” Toni said quickly. “Did you ever hear anything about Brant selling drugs?”

  Megan’s eyes widened. “No. If that was happening, I’m more blind and naïve than I thought.”

  “Thanks. Go look after your girls.”

  “Nice to see you,” she said as she hurried away.

  Toni and Pam moved back to the concession stand and purchased snacks. With their bags of popcorn and sodas in hand, they munched their way up the hallway.

  Ahead of them, Toni spotted another Brownville teacher with whom she was acquainted. She stepped up her pace and moved alongside the woman. “Hi, Kim,” she said brightly, as if just noticing her. “How are you?”

  Kim Waters smiled and stopped next to the wall. “I’m fine. How about you?”

  Toni introduced Pam, and they chatted for a few moments before she steered the conversation around to the murder case. “I have a couple of your former students in my sixth hour class. They were good friends with Shelby Warren, and they’re having difficulty dealing with her death.”

  Kim’s face clouded. “It’s a terrible thing. The students here have been devastated, and scared.”

  “My students mentioned that Shelby had been worried that a previous boyfriend of hers by the name of Todd was into drugs. Do you know anything about that?”

  Kim frowned, her head moving slowly back and forth. “I know you’re talking about Todd Wilkins, and I know the history about his sister and the fight with Brant, but that happened months ago.”

  Toni didn't bother explaining that she also knew the history. What she wondered was if the boy's name had been linked in any way to using or dealing drugs. His principal thought he was innocent of murder and not into drugs, but it didn't hurt to check.

  Kim’s husband walked up beside her. “It’s been nice seeing you. Gotta go,” she said, heading on up the hall with him.

  Toni and Pam finished their forgotten popcorn and soda and tossed the empty bags and cups in the nearby trash cans before returning to their seats. When the second game ended, they headed for the parking lot. It was snowing lightly, and the wind was biting. Once huddled inside Toni's van, they waited a few moments while the heater warmed.

  “I enjoyed the evening, but I’m afraid this was a waste of time so far as learning anything helpful,” Toni said as she put the van in gear.

  “You got to meet Farris and watch our team play against them, and their cheerleaders perform,” Pam pointed out.

  “You’re right. And you got to see your son play.” She backed out and headed home. They rode in silence, each tired and lost in her own thoughts. Toni looked up at the sky, unable to see any stars through the haze of fine snow. She needed God’s wisdom and guidance.

  Chapter 9

  The next morning arrived too soon for Toni. She woke tired and sluggish, dressed in a gray pantsuit and black shoes to match her mood, and guzzled a cup of coffee. By the time she and the boys arrived at school she felt a little better.

  Determined to become more proactive, she called Buck during third hour.

  “I know about the nursing home matter,” he said as soon as he answered. “I’m heading out there in a few minutes to talk to some personnel. But there’s something else I can tell you.”

  Toni waited while he took a long, slow breath.

  “Those two girls you gave me the names of didn’t kill those other kids. The Brownville police chief says he talked to Misses Dione and Britney and checked their not so graciously provided alibies. They were at a drinking party their folks knew nothing about, but some of their classmates did, during the time period of the shooting.”

  “I made a couple of contacts,” Toni said quickly, afraid he would disconnect.

  “What have you done now?” he asked none too gently.

  She took a deep breath and told him about the visit to the cou
sin in jail, and then to the guy named as a possible hit man.

  “Toni,” he said in exasperation, “you’re going to snoop around and land in more trouble than you can handle if you’re not careful.”

  “I am careful,” she defended instantly. “The cousin was behind bars, and I took someone with me to find Anderson.”

  A harrumph reached her ears. “All right. I’ll see what I can find out about a possible murder for hire.”

  “And a teacher,” she added quickly.

  “A teacher?”

  “A Brownville social studies teacher, Chuck Wells, has been accused of paying for the hit. And I didn’t snoop anywhere for that information,” she couldn’t help adding. “My principal talked to the Brownville principal and learned it. He shared it with me this morning.”

  “Okay, okay, I’m sure their local police are looking into all this, but I’ll do some checking.”

  Toni started to thank him, but found herself holding a soundless receiver.

  John brought sodas and his heated leftovers to her room at lunch time. While they ate, she shared her and Faye’s suspicions and follow-up results.

  “Let me know if you need me to look after the boys while you snoop with your mother,” he said as he headed back to his room. “I’d like to see that dear woman’s killer caught.”

  When Zoe and Melody entered the room sixth hour Toni knew instantly that something else was wrong. Worry showed in the tension along their shoulders and jawlines, the tightness around their eyes. She met them at their desks, eyeing their downcast expressions.

  "What is it?"

  As usual, Zoe spoke first. "Farris is missing."

  Melody's chin trembled. "Shelby and Brant disappeared. Then they were found dead.”

  “Kids are being killed, and we’re next," Zoe blurted, all bravado gone from her.

  Toni read the fear in the girls and knew it was for both Farris and themselves. An ominous sensation chilled her entire body.

  "No, you’re not. We won’t let that happen. You're both fine. Farris is probably fine." Her words were meant to reassure herself as much as the girls. She had no platitudes for them. She understood their fear. And shared it.

  Zoe heaved a deep breath. "We got a text message from a friend during lunch. She said Farris didn't show up for school this morning. He missed a chemistry test first hour, and Glenda says he wouldn't do that. She's worried."

  Toni glanced from one to the other of them. "Do you want to go talk to the counselor?"

  Both girls shook their heads.

  "Okay, get ready for lab."

  By the end of the day Toni's muscles were taut with tension. The girls worried, so she worried. She and the boys made their way to the van in the moisture-laden cold, their faces shielded by the hoodies of their heavy coats. When they arrived home, Toni was surprised to find Melody’s little blue car parked in front of her house. As Toni pulled into her garage and parked, both Melody and Zoe emerged from the car and came up the driveway at a brisk pace.

  “Go on inside, boys,” Toni said, grabbing her purse and satchel. She waited by the van for the girls.

  “Mrs. Donovan, we’re scared. No one will be home at our houses yet, and we need to talk to someone who understands,” Zoe said hurriedly. “Do you mind if we visit for a few minutes before we go home?”

  Toni could never reject such an open plea. “Come on inside, and I’ll fix some hot chocolate to warm us.”

  “Thank you,” Melody said quietly as they walked that way.

  Once they were all seated in the living room with their hot drinks, Toni leaned forward in the armchair. The girls didn’t seem to have any new developments other than the disappearance of Farris. She sensed they just needed to be around someone who was familiar with their school world and sympathetic to their emotional state.

  “Why don’t you tell me more about Farris? How did you become such good friends with him?”

  The subject seemed to settle them a bit. They both produced weak grins.

  “We weren’t always friends,” Zoe began. “We had attended school together from the first grade, and Farris was dubbed Forrest Gump around the start of junior high, but we didn’t have any direct connections with him.”

  “One day he sat in front of us at a school program where a boring video was being shown on a big screen TV,” Melody said, her mouth curved in remembered amusement.

  “Suddenly it went mute,” Zoe took over again. “Then the channels started changing back and forth. Everybody started laughing and wondering what was causing it.”

  “We figured it out,” Melody blurted, forgetting about her hot chocolate. “We spotted Forrest using a universal remote to do it.”

  “When the teacher walked over to Forrest to accuse him, he slid the device behind him,” Zoe jumped in again. “We scooted our back packs over it to hide it.”

  Melody’s mouth moved as Zoe finished her sentence, anxious for another turn at the story. “When we gave it back to him in the hallway later, he asked what he had to pay us to keep quiet. We told him nothing.” She spread her palms. “We’ve been friends ever since.”

  Toni knew that every school had its pranksters. She couldn’t condone what the girls had done, but she wasn’t about to criticize them at this point. Telling the story had taken their minds off their situation for a few moments. She still wasn’t sure what to think about Farris.

  They grew quiet and focused on their hot chocolate.

  “That amoeba was gross in lab today,” Melody said when she finished her drink, giving a squeamish shiver. While being examined under a microscope, it had ruptured from lack of liquid on the slide.

  “It wasn’t so bad,” Zoe countered. “But Jeff had to make a big deal about it being dead. And the next thing I knew, I was thinking about Shelby again.” Her lip trembled.

  Since Shelby’s name had arisen, Toni took advantage. “Tell me more about her. What was Shelby like?”

  The girls exchanged glances, sad thoughts overtaking them again. But then their expressions became reminiscent.

  “The three of us lived so close together that we grew up doing things together,” Zoe recalled. “We invited one another to our birthday parties and joined all the same clubs and teams. We did everything together, more like sisters than just neighbors and school friends. I missed living close to Shelby and Mel when I had to move here. But when Mel ended up living only a mile from me and transferring to this school, it was better. And we kept in touch with Shelby and some others as much as we could.”

  “Shelby’s dad abandoned her and her mom when she was nine,” Melody said. “Her mom—her name is Selena—had a hard time as a single parent, but she always did the best she could for Shelby. She clerks at a grocery store there in town.”

  “I guess it was hard for Shelby when you two left the school.”

  Zoe nodded. “She cried for days when she found out I had to move.”

  “It was the same when I had to leave,” Melody murmured despondently.

  Toni nodded, aching for all three of them. “How about you two? Was the change as hard for you?”

  They both nodded.

  “I wasn’t mad at my parents about it,” Zoe said. “Dad had needed a job for a long time. So when he found the one here, I was happy for him. But last year was rough.”

  “This is also where my mom found work after the divorce,” Melody added. “Changing schools was hard, but leaving Shelby and our other friends was even harder.”

  “After the first semester, we realized that we didn’t have to lose touch with them,” Zoe said. “After that we started making new friends. Soon we had two sets of them.”

  Toni understood better now just how hard Shelby’s death had hit them.

  “We still miss being able to see our Brownville crowd all the time,” Zoe said. “But now that this awful thing has happened, I guess it really was for the best.”

  Toni smiled. “God must have had a hand in moving you.”

  They seemed c
almer now, but their sadness had returned.

  Gabe and Garrett literally bounced into the room. “We want a Popsicle. Does anybody else want one?” They eyed the girls, their expressions keen.

  Both girls seemed ready to refuse, but hesitated. “Will you be our boyfriends while we eat them?” Zoe asked boldly, startling them.

  Gabe recovered fast. He looked at Toni. “Is it okay?”

  She considered. “Will you be polite and serve them?”

  “Sure,” he agreed easily.

  For the next fifteen minutes the two girls and two younger boys licked, chewed, and dripped sticky Popsicles. The boys, thrilled at the attention, produced enough antics to cheer the girls.

  “Thank you, boys,” Zoe said as they donned their coats. “And thank you, Mrs. Donovan. I feel better.”

  Melody seconded her sentiments, and they took their leave.

  Toni fixed supper and was putting it on the table when Kyle arrived. They were clearing the table when her cell phone rang. She hurried to the living room and took it from her purse.

  It was Zoe. "Farris had a wreck,” she nearly shouted without preamble. “His car was found at the bottom of a big hill. He's hurt and in the hospital. We're going to see him."

  Toni's breath caught. "Do you know how serious he’s hurt?"

  “No,” she said faintly.

  “Are your parents with you?”

  “They’re not home from work yet. Neither is Melody’s mom.” The phone went silent.

  Toni went to the kitchen door and spoke to Kyle. "I need to leave the boys with you and go meet the girls at the hospital. Their friend Farris has been hurt. I'm sure we won't be allowed to see him, but someone might give us a report on his condition. And the girls should have an adult with them."

  "Go check on them," he told her.

  Toni grabbed her coat and purse and raced to the garage. Once on the road, she boosted the heat and gripped the steering wheel tighter as the wind buffeted the van. Foreboding looking clouds loomed in the distance. The girls shouldn't be out in these elements without protection. She shoved the accelerator, anxious to reach them.