by Levi Fuller
“What do you think?” Margo asked.
“There is only one way to find out,” Marcia answered in a firm voice.
They marched up to the porch and rang the doorbell. While waiting, Marcia looked over the rustic porch furniture; it looked like what they had at the cabin. She wondered if everyone in town went for the rustic look.
When the door finally opened, it was Margo who smiled and stepped forward. “Tanya Abbot?” she asked.
The woman on the other side of the screen door looked to be in her mid-forties, her not mid-thirties, as she was. Her short blonde hair hung lifelessly and dull as if it hadn’t been washed in a while. She wore a jogging suit with no makeup. She had an air of resignation about her. She didn’t smile at them.
“Not anymore,” the woman said. “Tanya Zinder. Abbot is my maiden name.”
“I’m Margo, and she’s Marcia. We’re looking into the death of Mandy Salter. Got a minute?”
“Oh, I heard about you two. You’re the cold hunters.”
“Cold case hunters,” Margo corrected. “And that’s us. We’d like to interview you if you have a minute.”
“I don’t know what I can tell you.”
“Whatever it is, it will end up in the book we’ll write. You might see your name in print.”
The woman half-smiled, as if that might be a good thing. Then, she pushed open the screen door. “Come in. Want some coffee?”
The sisters walked into a messy house. The living room carpet was covered in all kinds of toys, even though there was a chest sitting against the wall.
“Sorry for the mess,” Tanya said. “I can’t get the twins to pick up after themselves.”
The kitchen was no better than the living room, with the sink holding the remnants of breakfast and cereal boxes littering the counter.
“How old are they?” Marcia asked.
“Cody and Dallas are seven; they’re in first grade. They try sometimes, but they haven’t gotten the hang of being neat yet. Have a seat. Cream and sugar?”
“Black for me,” Marcia said.
“Cream and sugar are fine,” Margo added.
The sisters sat as Tanya filled three cups from the coffee carafe.
“We noticed the police car outside,” Marcia said. “Was there a problem?”
“No, just the morning run. They’re looking for Fenton. He’s my husband. He owns the Down Low. It’s a bar, and it gets broken into once a month no matter what. I told him to hire a security guard, but he’s too cheap. The alarm system goes off almost every night, which brings the police to our door. They come looking, and I’ve to send them to The Blaster, where Fenton works out every morning. They head there first, but that’s not the protocol. It’s a complete nuisance if you ask me.”
Tanya handed them their cups and fetched the cream and sugar. She gave them a polite smile. Marcia thought Tanya must have been pretty once upon a time.
“Forgive me,” Tanya said. “I haven’t had time to look you up on the net. So, if you could sort of fill me in, that’d be great.”
“It’s simple,” Margo said. “We investigate cold cases, murders mostly. Cases that have been forgotten and unsolved by the authorities. When we solve a case, we then write a book about it, as a kind of documentary. We publish the book and make money from it. Not a lot of money, mind you, but some. The real payoff is putting someone behind bars or giving survivors some peace of mind.”
“Yeah, that would be nice—peace of mind. I haven’t had any peace of mind in twenty years. I was her best friend, you know, from third grade. It was Mandy and me. We did everything together, played volleyball and soccer. Mandy was better than me, but she never made me feel inferior, you know?”
“We do,” Marcia said. “Tell us about her.”
“What do you want to know?”
“We especially want to know about any boyfriends, enemies, or people she saw regularly.”
“You don’t think some stranger killed her?”
“We’ve done some research in the area of any abductions by strangers. It’s not as common as you might think. Most victims know their abductor. She was not molested and held for four days, leading us to believe that she knew who took her. Which was another reason to kill her.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe the stranger was female. That would explain the lack of sexual assault, right?”
“It would, but every abductor has a reason to take someone. If you know of some female who had a reason to grab Mandy, that would help.”
“No, I don’t know of any woman who hated Mandy enough to kill her. I don’t know of anyone who would want to harm her. Mandy got along with everyone. That’s why I always thought a stranger did it.”
“Why don’t you talk us through the last time you saw Mandy. That might help.”
“Well, it was the day she was kidnapped. She was at school, and it was the usual stuff. Mandy and I were part of the jock group. You know, the athletes. We were always at odds with the ‘bitches’, as we called the girls from rich families. There were cliques, and girls slipped in and out of cliques all the time.”
“Were any girls especially mean to Mandy? Did any threaten her?”
“Only one. Patrice Lee was one of the bitches, and she hated Mandy. It had something to do with Randy Nokes. Patrice liked Randy, but Randy was Mandy’s guy if you know what I mean. We were freshmen. We thought love was forever. After freshman year, Patrice didn’t even look at Randy. That’s how things were.”
“But Patrice threatened Mandy?”
“Yeah, but not seriously. Just saying things like, ‘take a look at my boyfriend, and I’ll make you pay.’ That sort of thing. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Idle threats?”
Tanya nodded. “Nothing, you lost sleep over.”
“All right, any other girls who might have taken Mandy?”
“Not that I can think of. None that Mandy wouldn’t fight. She wasn’t one to just quit.”
“What about the other boys? Anyone jealous who would grab her?”
“Not that I remember. There was Randy, but he wasn’t serious about anything. After she died, he mourned for, like, a minute. He was just another stupid guy.”
“Any incidents with Randy or another boy?”
“Mandy got into a shouting match in the cafeteria with a Jimmy Peters.”
“Related to Billy Peters?” Marcia asked, leaning forward.
“Younger brother.”
“What did they argue about?”
“The woods. Mandy was upset because Billy Peters was cutting down trees. We didn’t know at the time, but Billy was growing weed out there. Jimmy told Mandy to keep her nose out of Billy’s business.”
“You think they were serious enough to have a fight or something?”
“I don’t think so. That year, there seemed to be a fight every day in the cafeteria. Don’t ask me why. It was mostly people showing off for one reason or another. More coffee?”
“Why not?” Margo said.
“May I use your bathroom?” Marcia asked.
“Sure,” Tanya said as she stood and pointed. “Down the hall.”
Tanya poured Margo more coffee and sat again. “Do you think you’ll be able to solve this case?”
“We’re sure of it,” Margo lied. “It’s just a matter of time and effort. We don’t take a case if we aren’t sure we can solve it.”
“I thought so. You two dress so well; you must be successful,” Tanya replied in an envious tone.
“We like to think so. Let’s start with the teachers and staff. Did anyone at the school show any special interest in Mandy?”
Tanya went to a cabinet and pulled out a package of Oreos, which she set on the table. “I love Oreos. I have since I was a kid. Help yourself.”
Margo took a cookie, as that would help cement a connection with Tanya. Margo didn’t say that she hated cookies.
“All the teachers liked Mandy,” Tanya said. “She was smart, and she worked
hard. She wasn’t a goody-goody if you know what I mean. Just a good student.”
“Any staff? You know, custodians or counselors or admin types?”
Returning to the kitchen, Marcia grabbed an Oreo. “I love these. How did you know?”
Tanya chuckled. “Everyone loves Oreos. I guess you could say Mr. O’Brien showed some interest. He was the volleyball coach, and he used to work with Mandy after practice sometimes. He thought she had potential. And there was Mr. Cummins, the assistant principal. He would sometimes give Mandy a ride home after volleyball. Mandy’s mother was a nurse and worked nights. Her father wasn’t home too often.”
“We’re aware of that. Tell us about Mr. Cummins.”
“Well, for one thing, he was gay. Or is gay. I think he’s still around. Being a gay man in the mountains isn’t all that easy. Well, it wasn’t twenty years ago. Mr. Cummins didn’t flaunt it. I don’t think he ever hit on any of the students. But he did vacation in San Francisco and Key West. I think he spent his summers there too.”
“What about Mr. O’Brien? Did he ever make a pass at any of the players?”
“No, not that I ever knew. He and his wife lived up on a mountain. He was always doing some project up there. I think he had a Christmas tree farm at one time. Christmas trees are a big business around here.”
“Any wife or kids?”
“Oh, yes, he was married. He still works at the high school. Still lives up the mountain. I think he’s pushing sixty if I remember correctly. He took Mandy’s death hard. When she disappeared, he organized search parties. Spent a few days in the woods, hunting for her.”
“And Mr. Cummins?”
“He was out there too. Most of the men and boys were out there, looking for any sign of Mandy.”
“You?”
Tanya shook her head. “I’ve never really been the outdoors type, if you know what I mean. My idea of camping out is a motel room without a remote.”
Tanya burst out laughing, and the sisters followed without any hesitation.
“The big question is,” Marcia said. “I’m sure you’ve thought about it more than once during these past twenty years. Who do you think killed Mandy?”
“I told you, a stranger.”
“And if it wasn’t a stranger?”
Tanya frowned and nibbled on a cookie, lost in thought. “I suppose I would say Mr. Males.”
“The sheriff?” Margo asked in a disbelieving tone. This case was getting more and more exciting by the minute.
Tanya nodded. “Only because he had everyone searching the wrong side of the mountain. It was almost as if he knew the body wouldn’t be found there; you know what I mean?”
“Anything else?”
“Rumor was his wife was having an affair with Mandy’s father. The sheriff’s wife would leave for days at a time, and no one knew where she went.”
“Where is she now?”
“In the cemetery. She died of an overdose, although that’s not what the obituary said.”
“Suicide?”
“Yeppers. But when you’re friends with the coroner, it suddenly becomes accidental.”
“All right. Thank you for your time.”
“You’re welcome.”
Tanya walked the sisters to the front door, expertly maneuvering the messy floor.
“Is there any reason we should interview your husband?” Margo asked.
“I don’t see it,” Tanya said. “We met in Charlotte, so he’s not from around here.”
“By the way,” Marcia said. “Who was the last person to see Mandy alive?”
“Not me,” Tanya said. “I went home after practice. Mandy stayed to practice her serve.”
“With the coach?”
“No, by herself. Coach O’Brien walked out with me. He gave me a ride home.”
Marcia started the engine and turned the car around.
“What do you think?” Margo asked.
“I think she’s hiding something, but I don’t know if it’s past or present.”
“I agree. We’ll have to run down her husband.”
“That can probably wait till later when the bar opens.”
“In that case, what do you think, the volleyball coach?”
“That makes sense. He was one of the last few to see Mandy alive.”
“We should probably call him.”
“Maybe he can do lunch.”
Margo pulled out her phone, looked up his number, and made the call. Marcia listened to their short conversation.
“He’s been expecting our call,” Margo said. “Seems everyone in town knows who we are and why we’re here.”
Marcia shrugged. “Small towns. Not much to do besides gossiping. Where are we meeting him?”
“School cafeteria.”
“Back to high school?”
“And just when you thought you had escaped for good.”
“We don’t have to eat the food, do we?”
“Not with any luck.”
“Park in the faculty lot.”
As the sisters walked toward the school entrance, they heard someone whistle behind them. They turned at the same time. A student was waving at them.
“Some things don’t change,” Margo said.
The man who stepped out of the school smiled. “Welcome to Havermill High.”
CHAPTER7
Margo walked into the cafeteria, feeling a sense of familiarity with the place. Although the students and décor changed, the essence was the same as when she was in school. The room was divided into cliques or tribes. Some tables were owned by the jocks, some by the nerds, and some by the goths. Some were mixed, but only by appearance. She was sure that the kids at the tables thought the same way. It wasn’t race or fashion that defined people; it was their thinking. The radicals were radical only to others. Inside their tribe, they were all the same.
Terry O’Brien might have been pushing sixty, but he looked fifty at most. His gray hair was neatly parted. His dark blue eyes were always looking past Margo, which she attributed to long years policing the cafeteria. He had learned to be alert at all times. Kids did crazy things—but not on his watch. He wore simple black pants and a gray polo shirt with the word “coach” embroidered on the chest. That the kids looked his way as he walked by revealed that they respected him. He took them to the farthest table along the corner of the room and sat with his back against the wall so that he could see the entire room.
“I’m on lunch duty,” he said. “If you don’t watch them, you’re asking for trouble.”
“We know,” Marcia said. “We were in high school once.”
He gave them a friendly smile. “I’m guessing you didn’t attend public high school.”
“No, but we have plenty of friends who did.”
“And private schools have the same issues as public ones,” Margo added.
“Word in the school is that you’re here because of Mandy Salter. About her death.”
“We are,” Marcia said. “We appreciate anything you can tell us about that.”
He looked away for a few seconds. “It’s been a long time. I mean, at my age, it’s a long time. There are some things you don’t like to remember. Mandy is one of them.”
“Why not?”
“Because I blame myself for her death.”
“Can you explain that?” Margo said, jumping on any new information.
“If I hadn’t left when I did, if I hadn’t left her behind, she would probably still be alive. But I did leave her, and someone grabbed her, and well, the rest is water over the dam.”
“Why did you leave when you did?”
“My wife called. There was a rat in the garage. She wasn’t good about things like that. I had to rush home. That was my job to keep her from going off the deep end.”
“After you took home Tanya,” Marica prompted.
“Yes, I dropped off Tanya first. It was on the way.”
“When you left, Mandy was still in the gym?”
�
��Yes, she was practicing a jump serve I wanted her to master. She was a good athlete. Not the best athlete on the team, but a good one. If she could add a reliable jump serve to her game, she would’ve been one of the best.”
“Did she often stay late and practice by herself?”
“No, not too often. Only when she needed extra work. And most times, I was there with her. A good coach hangs around and makes sure the kids are practicing with good technique.”
“But you couldn’t because of your wife.”
“My fault, really.”
“Did you get the rat?”
“Yes. It wasn’t difficult. A pitchfork will do. The trick was getting it out of the garage and into the garbage before she saw it.”
“Who would want to kill Mandy and why?” Marcia asked.
Across the room, two girls jumped up and started yelling at each other.
“Excuse me,” Terry said, rising to his feet.
The sisters watched as Terry rushed across the room to separate the two girls. One girl was sent packing immediately. She looked upset while the other sat back down obediently. After a couple more minutes, Terry came back.
“Twenty years ago,” he said, “only the boys got into shouting matches. Now, it’s the girls too. The least little thing sets them off. It’s like working in a land minefield. I’ll be happy to leave.”
“Retiring?”
“Next year. I’m fully vested in the retirement fund. There’s no reason to keep working.”
“Going to stay in the area?”
“No, I’m moving to the coast, out of the mountains. I don’t like snow anymore. People change as they age. The heat begins to feel really good.”
“Back to Mandy,” Marcia said. “You left her all alone. Who had it in for her?”
“No one, as far as I knew. She didn’t have any enemies. The teachers liked her. She was respectful. She did what she was asked to do. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
“What about her boyfriend, Randy Nokes?”
“That was going nowhere. Mandy was too smart for Nokes. I think she called him a boyfriend because all the other girls had boyfriends.”