A Lesson in Murder

by Nick Bishop

  “Yes, but to give up so much in order to stand all day in a classroom…” He paused for a moment. “I liked Joe very much. I couldn’t have hoped for a better husband for my daughter. Still, you know, I wasn’t exactly in favor of their marrying.”

  “Oh?” Jed asked. “Why not?”

  “Their backgrounds are so different. He came from a terrible home. Drunken father, lazy mother.”

  “It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Ellie asked.

  “You have no idea. His parents didn’t want him to finish high school, or so he said. Wanted him to get a job instead. But it seems a neighbor saw his potential and talked his parents into letting him finish school. Same man, actually, who got him into archery.” He laughed without humor. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

  “What do you mean?” Jed asked.

  “It was archery that led to his death.”

  “Surely,” Ellie said, “you don’t fault him for excelling at the sport.”

  “Of course not. In fact, he often used to come to our place here for target practice. Afraid a stray arrow might cause an accident if he practiced at home. He and Laura had a condo, you know, and there was only limited space, and people were always coming and going.”

  “So how did Joe and your daughter meet?” Ellie asked, “if they were from such different backgrounds.”

  “At the Kent State campus in New Philly. Both education majors.”

  “That means they must have been about the same age then, right? But they’d never previously met.”

  “Joe lived in Dover; Laura here. We sent her to a private school in Canton.”

  “I see,” Ellie answered.

  “And,” Harry continued. “Joe had to work a couple of years before he could afford to enroll. In fact, he worked pretty close to full-time as a student, not only to support himself but to provide for that dysfunctional family of his.”

  “I think that’s very admirable,” Jed said.

  Harry shrugged. “You have a point. He glanced from Jed to Ellie. “Let me ask you something. Would you want a son-in-law who came from the same sort of background as Joe? As I said, I liked him a lot, or I never would have offered him an eventual partnership. But his world was totally different from ours. I’m sure he would have been very uncomfortable being around most of our friends.” He paused and shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m coming across as a snob, but I’m sure you understand what I’m getting at.”

  “Oh, perfectly well,” Ellie answered.

  Jed wondered if Harry was aware of the sarcasm in Ellie’s voice.

  “At any rate, Mr. Briner,” Jed said, “can you think of anyone, who for any reason would have wanted Joe dead.”

  “No one comes to mind, though I know he did have a run-in with an Amishman. And there was a student who threatened him. But I think the latter was just a burst of temper, and the kid wasn’t serious. Other than that… I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks for your time,” Jed said.

  Harry stood. “I hope you’re not thinking my daughter had anything to do with Joe’s death.”

  “Nobody stands out so far. We’re only investigating possibilities.”

  “I’ll tell you straight out. I had nothing to do with it, and neither did she.” He let out a pent-up breath. “My daughter has a fiery temper, I must admit, and I know that the day before Joe died, he and Laura got into a major disagreement. From what she told me, it had to do with his still not wanting to work for Briner House. Partly my fault, I guess. She came for a visit that morning, and again I told her she should try to persuade Joe to quit his job and work for me.” He looked from one to the other. “But believe me, Laura could never murder anyone. Of that, you can be sure.”

  “Okay, again thanks,” Jed said as he held the office door open for Ellie.

  ***

  “Wow,” Jed said once they were in the car and on the way back to the parking lot. “I can’t believe that guy. If I hadn’t met him before this, I’d think: ‘Hate at first sight.’ Or at least a very strong dislike.”

  “My impression also was far from a good one. My God, being against a man who already beat a lot of odds to become the teacher he wanted to be.”

  “Yeah, because he just doesn’t have the pedigree to fit in with their friends. I don’t often swear. But damn it, Harry is an unlikeable man,” Jed said.

  “He expressed a couple of times how much he liked Joe, but then spent time condemning him for being born into a dysfunctional family. And how would I like having someone like Joe as a son-in-law! The truth is, I’d gladly welcome such a person into my family.”

  “It’s certainly a different reaction than what I’d expect.”

  “Do you think he could be the one?” Ellie asked.

  “Who murdered Joe?” Jed shook his head. “To me he seems to be just an opinionated jerk, all bluster.”

  “You have a point.”

  Chapter Six

  Jed woke up the next morning and decided to call Sam, his friend with the Dover police. Since it was a Saturday, Jed wasn’t sure Sam would be in, but he was in luck.

  “Sam?” Jed said into the phone.

  “Hey, Jed, how’s ya doin’ buddy?”

  “Doing great. How about you?”

  “Same old, same old. A druggie here, an assailant there.”

  “Are you up to a visit?”

  “With regard to the murder of Joe Johnstone, am I right?”

  Jed chuckled. “Can’t fool you, can I?”

  “You’d have to get up earlier than this.”

  “Um hmm. Just listen to you.”

  Sam chuckled. “I’m free right now, if you’d like to drop by.”

  “Soon as I feed the cats.”

  “So, Sugar and Spice are still a part of your life, I gather.”

  “Great detective work, and yes they are.”

  “Thank you. They didn’t send this boy to the police academy for nothing.”

  Twenty minutes later Jed was at police headquarters. He told the receptionist he was there to see Sam.

  “You’re that friend of his, the reporter, aren’t you?”

  “The first part’s true, but not the last part.”

  “You’re no longer a reporter? Since when?”

  “Little more than a month. I’m now a seventh-grade teacher at Caraway.”

  “Wow, that’s a switch!”

  “Yep, and I love it.”

  “I’ll let Sam know you’re here.”

  ***

  The slender detective with brown hair and trim moustache came through a door to one of the offices. “Jed! Good to see you.” He held out his hand. “So, how’s life treating you, teach!”

  “Teach!”

  He laughed. “I call ‘em as I see ‘em.” He grinned. “Come on, back. I was just having a cup of coffee. Would you like one?”

  “And a doughnut?”

  Sam turned, a mock frown covering his forehead. “Doughnut!”

  “Teach, doughnut! What can I say?”

  “Seriously, are you glad you made the change?”

  “I am, Sam. I love being a teacher. Ask me that in ten years, and I may have a different answer. But I doubt it.”

  “Sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Jed sat in a straight-back chair in front of Sam’s desk. “As you inferred, it’s about Joe Johnstone.”

  “Nothing concrete so far, I’m sorry to say.”

  “I’d hoped—”

  “Yeah, me too,” Sam answered. “I’m sure you’ve been doing some digging too.”

  “I have.”

  “And?”

  “A few suspects, that’s all.”

  “Okay,” Sam said, “you tell me what you found out, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

  “Okay, Ellie and I talked with Jacob Yoder.”

  “You and Ellie. Steiner, right?”

  “The very same.”

  “You know what the chief calls her, don’t you?”

  “I didn’t realize they
know each other.”

  “The certainly do. Ellie and the chief have had many encounters.”

  “Many, huh?”

  “Half a dozen or so, I’d say.”

  “You did say encounters, not just meetings.”

  “As I started to say, let me tell you what the chief calls her.”

  “Okay.”

  “The snoopy, meddling old witch of the west.”

  “I see. And why such a moniker?”

  “According to the chief, she thinks she knows how to run the department better than he does. She drops in often. Tells him who he should suspect. Tells him how to trap the person.”

  Jed laughed. “And is she right?”

  Sam shook his head, a big smile on his face. “Thing is, Jed, most of the time, she is.”

  “Bet that rankles.”

  “So anyhow, if she’s working with you, I wouldn’t let the chief know.”

  “Let the chief know what?!” A man in his early sixties poked his head into the office. “Come on, Sam,” he said. “What shouldn’t I know?”

  “That Jed is helping investigate the Johnstone case.”

  “Why shouldn’t I know that?” He turned to Jed. “Good to see you.”

  “You too, Chief.”

  “So, what are you keeping secret? I mean I certainly don’t object to Jed’s helping out. He was a damned good investigative reporter. Let him investigate. Said and done.”

  “Uh, chief…” Sam said.

  “What is it?” The chief was a compact man, about five feet, eight inches tall, with white hair.

  “Someone is helping him with his investigation.”

  “Who might that be?”

  “Actually, someone you know very well chief. Ellie Steiner.”

  “That meddling old witch of the west!”

  “Chief,” Sam kidded, “you forgot one of the adjectives.”

  “I did what?”

  “Snoopy. You always call her the snoopy, meddling old witch of the west.”

  The chief nodded, half smiling. “I suppose I do.” He focused his gaze on Sam. “You may think it funny, but the less I hear of that woman, the better.”

  “She’s been a big help,” Jed said.

  “Just don’t ever show up at the station with her. Understood?”

  “Understood,” Jed replied.

  “Well, carry on. I have a meeting with the mayor. Fill me in later, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, he popped out of the office.

  “So, you were telling me who’s on your list of suspects,” Sam said.

  “Ellie and I have talked to a couple of people. I’m sure you know Joe—even though most considered him a very grumpy man—did everything he could to help his students.”

  “What does that mean?” Sam asked, leaning forward, elbows on his desk.

  “For one thing it means that he helped one of his Amish students, an extremely bright girl, it seems, continue her education well beyond the eighth grade. In fact, she’s now enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Ohio State. Her goal is to become a nuclear physicist.”

  “And her family is totally ticked off because of this, right?”

  “Ellie already knew Jacob Yoder, so—”

  Sam chuckled. “Why am I not surprised? Could it be because Ellie Steiner seems to know everyone in the whole darned county!”

  “Be that as it may, we went to the Yoder farm and met with the girl’s father. Yoder seems to be a very religious man. Told us a story about how once, when he was a kid, he took revenge on another boy…but then vowed he’d never do such a thing again. Thing is, I did see a bow standing in the corner of the front porch.”

  “So you think it’s possible he killed Johnstone?”

  “After talking with him I’m just not sure. If I hadn’t seen the bow, I’d have said no, he couldn’t have murdered anyone. But…”

  “Did you ask him about the bow?”

  “Yes, he said he uses it to hunt to provide food for his family. He uses a bow because he believes guns cause too many accidents.”

  “But you don’t believe him?”

  “I neither believe nor disbelieve. I just don’t know.”

  “I knew nothing about this, about Johnstone’s helping students. I’ll certainly look into it. Maybe give Yoder a visit and see how he reacts to a cop. Sometimes, as you well know, a suspect is so frightened by a visit from the police that he’s ready to spill his guts.” He looked up. “Anyone else?”

  “Several other suspects, but Ellie and I have talked to only one other person—Joe’s father-in-law.”

  “Briner House, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “What was your impression?”

  “To be honest I didn’t like the guy. Too pompous. Too puffed up by self-importance”

  “You and Ellie Steiner talked to him.”

  Jed nodded.

  “Tell me about the conversation. Do you think he might be the murderer?”

  “I shouldn’t say this because I may be letting my reaction to the man color my judgement. But despite his insistence that he liked Joe, I didn’t believe him.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Obviously, he’s a successful businessman, I’ll give him that. But otherwise, as I told Ellie, I think he’s an opinionated jerk.” Jed shook his head. “He kept talking about Joe’s background.”

  “Yes, I know Johnstone raised himself above his upbringing.”

  “Most people, I think, would look upon that as a positive thing.”

  “But Briner doesn’t, is that it?”

  “He ranted about the differences in background between his daughter and Joe—how Joe wouldn’t even know how to act around Briner’s friends.”

  “So he’s a snob!”

  “He is. And he kept talking about how he offered Joe a job and later a partnership, but Joe turned it down because he wanted to teach. Briner acted as though teaching was akin to cleaning outhouses.”

  “Great guy, huh?”

  “This may be something else you don’t know. A day and a half before Joe was murdered, he and his wife—and this is according to Joe—he and his wife had a major argument.”

  “I see. So, are you implying that his wife may have killed him?”

  “Ellie and I haven’t talked with her yet, but I’d certainly consider her a suspect.”

  “Johnstone, I understand, was himself an expert archer.”

  “Silver medaled in the last Olympics.”

  “So, isn’t it ironic he was murdered with a bow and arrow?”

  “Somehow it all has to tie together. But I don’t know how or why.”

  “Other suspects?” Sam asked.

  “One or two, but all I’ve heard about them is rumors. I’ll let you know once I check them out.”

  “Please do that, and thanks for stopping in.” He stood. “I’m sorry, but, like the chief, I have a meeting I have to attend. I know the conversation’s been one-sided, but maybe we can get together the first part of the week, and I’ll tell you how things are going with the investigation. Again, I’m sorry to have to rush off.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jed called Ellie to see if she’d like to have lunch at the diner in New Philadelphia. “I met with Sam Branson this morning to talk over the case.”

  “Oh, yes, your police detective friend.”

  “Yes, my usual police contact when I was with the Union Tribune. I told him everything we’ve found out so far.”

  “What was his reaction?”

  “He was pleased but didn’t have time to talk about the police investigation. We’re going to meet again in a few days.”

  “Maybe we can go together to talk to him.”

  “Ellie?”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t think that would be advisable.”

  “Oh, and why is that?”

  “We might run into the chief.”

  “Oh, yes, dear Chief Jason Clark. What did he say about me?”

  “It’s what Sam t
old me he calls you…though Sam did admit that when you…advise the chief, you’re almost always right.

  “’Fess up, Jed. What does he call me?”

  “You sure you want to hear this.”

  “I’m sure students have said worse behind my back.”

  “Okay. He’s dubbed you “the snoopy, meddling old witch of the west.”

  Ellie burst out laughing.

  “I expected you to be upset.”

  “I have a pretty thick skin. It comes from all the things I’ve overheard from students over…well, let’s just say, a lot of years of teaching.” She shook her head. “So, you didn’t find out much from Sam.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Any more thoughts on who the killer might be?”

  “As you know, I didn’t like Harry Briner. Not at all. But that doesn’t mean he’s guilty of murder.”

  “I feel the same about him. But I think we still have a few other possibilities. Joe’s wife, for instance, and Gary Bochart.”

  “Who’s Gary Bochart?”

  “The student who threatened Joe last year.”

  “I don’t really know what happened.”

  “Well, I’m basing this only on what I’ve heard, but I need to give you a little bit of background…which may account for what happened.”

  “Okay.”

  “Gary is a very bright kid and more than anything wants to go to college. His parents can’t afford it, so he’s trying his best to get a scholarship.”

  “And he thinks Joe did something to mess up his plans.”

  “Yes. First, let me tell you that Gary is very defiant. Very cautious about reacting with anyone.”

  “Is there a reason?”

  “He was arrested and spent a couple of weeks in Juvie two years ago. This year he’s a senior.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Nothing! That’s the problem.”

  “Then why was he in juvenile hall?”

  “A case of mistaken identity. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Oh?”

  “He was at Buehler’s with a friend from school, Scott Johnson.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Two other boys—from Massillon, I think—grabbed money from a cash register and ran outside. Apparently, they ran around the corner just as Gary and Scott were ready to enter the store. Gary happened to have had a couple of hundred dollars in his wallet.”