by Dylan Keefer
***
“You’re a cop, aren’t you?”
Brock had slowed down a bit and walked just ahead of Micah for a few minutes in silence. Micah looked up at the boy.
“What makes you say that?”
Brock smirked. “Been around enough of them. You all have the same look; especially when you’re in the presence of a criminal.”
“Is that what you think you are?”
“Come on, man,” Brock kicked at a loose rock on the ground. “I know my sister. I know she got you on this trip to turn her little brother on the good path. Go ahead and give me your speech.”
Micah adjusted his backpack on his lap. “What do you mean? I don’t have any speech to give you, Brock. I’m not here to lecture you or get you to change.”
Brock didn’t respond at first. He looked at Micah and took a deep breath. “My parents shoved me off on my sister. She’s always been the one to take care of me, but her—uh—husband is a dick. Thinks I’m going to bring drugs into his home of something.” He watched Micah to see a reaction, and there was none. Part of the reason was because Micah was tired from hiking, and the other part was because he knew the Brock really wanted to talk about this. “I hate cops, you know.”
“That’s okay,” Micah said. Brock laughed.
“You really aren’t here to reform me, are you?”
“No, I’m not. You’re sister cares about you. I’ve only known her for a little while, and for someone who seems to have no fear, she really worries about the people she loves. You talk about how much she’s been there for you. If I did offer advice, I would say that you should probably change for her.”
“Aren’t you supposed to say that I shouldn’t change for anyone, but myself?” Brock said. Micah shook his head.
“I think that’s a bunch of crap,” Micah laughed. “I wouldn’t change for myself. I didn’t change for myself. I used to do drugs and go to parties. I acted like a fool because I didn’t care about myself. I drank and got into fights. See, all I thought I would do in life is go into the army and fight in wars, but I had a younger brother. He wanted to be a cop because he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. He’s that type of guy. He didn’t care about carrying a gun or busting bad guys. He wanted to make a change.”
“What happened?” Brock asked.
“He made it into police academy, and we were going to his graduation. We were on this two-lane road. The music was blaring. The windows were down. We didn’t notice the drunk driver that had drifted over to our lane. I escaped the accident with a few scratches, but my brother was paralyzed. He can’t walk. He can’t move anything from the chest down.” It had gotten easier to talk about this topic now. Micah figured the boy could use the motivation. “I changed because of that situation. I changed because I wanted to for my brother. He couldn’t do what he wanted to do, but he could change the world starting with changing my life. You love your sister. If there is a reason for you to change anything, let it be for…”
Micah stopped for a moment. He looked around. Everything was quiet, but he was sure that he had seen some questionable movement in the trees around them. Brock stopped as well.
“What? You see something?” Micah didn’t answer at first. Right then, they were joined by Brock’s girlfriend.
”Hey,” Raven grabbed hold of Brock’s hand. “Your sister says we’re close. Why did you guys stop?”
“I think he saw something,” Brock said. Raven laughed.
“Probably a random animal. C’mon, I want to get to this spot already.” Micah turned as she pulled Brock ahead of them. He slowly began walking forward but kept his eyes on the surrounding area.
***
The ‘hot teacher case’, as Eric called it, was turning into a very interesting one. Raine and Ailani decided that she would go and talk with the fiancé while he continued to take care of Ms. Cummings. Eric hopped in the passenger’s seat and let out an excited sigh.
“This is crazy. You know what I think? I think that a parent found out about the fight club and killed him.”
“Don’t think the wife did it?”
“No,” Eric said. “I mean, I shouldn’t jump the gun, but if she only went on the offensive against Ms. Cummings and not on her husband then she wouldn’t kill him.”
“We will see, won’t we?” Raine rolled the windows down and leaned back on the head rest as she drove. “So, you and Malanie—what’s going on there?”
Eric tried to sit back and look relaxed, but the question caught him off guard. “Uh—um—you know, she’s a good friend.”
“I don’t believe you,” she stated. Eric frowned, but didn’t dare look at the woman. “You know, Malanie is a very private girl; so, for her to let you into her life is a big deal. That means you’re special.”
Eric nodded. “At first, she was just a mystery, you know. This girl from Hawaii who could surf and swim, and she was always volunteering or doing something. I thought I was interested in Dani, but the more I hung around Malanie…” He paused and laughed. “You got me talking.”
“You wanted to talk about it,” Raine said. “Most of the time, if you’re emotionally involved, you want to talk to someone.”
“That’s a fact, huh? So, do you know if Malanie is interested in me? She talks to you about everything, right?”
“Let me clarify the phrase ‘most of the time’. Malanie is a different beast altogether.” Eric nodded, but Raine could see that his face fell a little. She elbowed him in the side. “But I saw the way she looked at you on the beach. Don’t hold back, okay.”
James Borland lived in a pretty upscale area. It was extremely upscale compared to a teacher’s salary. One car occupied the driveway; a brand-new SUV. Raine parked behind the car.
“The door is open,” Eric pointed out. They both exited the vehicle and started to walk up the walkway in between the two sides of the immaculate lawn. Once they got to the steps, a small blur ran through the door and down the steps. Raine knelt as the child ran into her arms.
“Well look at you, flying out of the house,” she laughed as the boy giggled in her arms. Raine really didn’t spend a lot of time around kids. She didn’t grow up with them, she didn’t have friends with them, and kids never really entered her mind. The way things were going with Micah she might need to rethink that. They were officially together, and in Raine’s mind, probably heading to marriage. Probably. Either you are sure or you’re not. The problem was that she had been down that road before. When her fiancé had died so many years ago, she had closed herself off to that idea. Love and marriage were a painful memory. Now, with Eli Samuels locked up for life, the past really was the past.
Raine tussled the little boy’s hair and stood up as young woman jogged out of the house. She wore yoga pants and a black shirt with the shirt tail tied up high on her rib cage. Her hair was pulled back and sweat poured down her face.
“Jackson, mommy told you not to run outside yet,” she said as she bent down and picked him up, swinging the child from side to side. He giggled loudly. She looked up at the strangers. There was a little concern on her face as she glanced at the car in the driveway. “You selling something?”
“No. We aren’t.” Raine said. “I assume, you’re Mrs. Borland?”
She nodded and shifted her son onto her hip. “Meaghan Borland. Who wants to know?”
“I’m a special investigator with the police, Mrs. Borland. I have to talk to you about your husband, James.” Raine showed her some credentials, and the woman nodded.
“Come inside,” she said. “I just finished a yoga session, and I was heading out to take my son to the park. Got a little waylaid with some work.”
They followed her into the house. The décor and style of the house matched the lavishness the outside of the house portrayed. Meaghan put her son down, and the child ran ahead of them. She guided them to the living room.
“I have water, tea, lemonade—what would you like?”
“We should prob
ably talk,” Raine said. She couldn’t tell if the woman was avoiding talking to them or just pretending to be a good hostess.
“Was he arrested for something?” She tapped her foot nervously on the floor and bit her lip. Rain shook her head.
“He was found dead this morning.” Raine watched the wife’s facial expression. The change she saw wasn’t what she expected. It was ever-so slight, but there was almost a sense of relief. “You’re not upset about this, are you, Mrs. Borland.”
“Call me Meaghan,” the woman said. “And you both look like lemonade people. I’ll be right back.”
Eric scratched his head when she disappeared. “What just happened?” Raine looked around the house. It was spotless. Sure, there were scattered around, and the TV was on mute with some exercise program running in the background. Raine stood up and started to walk around. The wall held pictures of family, but mostly extended family. There were a few of her and the boy, but only one of them with James. One other picture stood out. Meaghan stood with her arm around someone she had seen a hundred times before. Raine grabbed the picture.
“You a fan of his?” Meaghan had returned with the drinks. She placed both on the end table in front of where they were sitting.
“Derrick Herd. He’s the star of Making Moves. I love that show.”
Meaghan smiled. “I’m glad to hear it,” she pointed to herself. “I’m the director.”
Raine raised an eyebrow as she put the picture back. Eric grabbed his drink. “Really? You direct the series?”
“I know. Stay-at home mom fits me, but director…” she sat down across from them and sighed. “I’m a little bit more assertive and tough on set.”
“That explains a lot,” Raine said taking her seat next to Eric. “Lavish lifestyle didn’t fit the teacher profile, and you don’t fit the profile that we were given either. Wanna tell me why you aren’t upset about your husband and father of your child’s death?”
Meaghan swallowed. She leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees. “I’m not upset because I really could care less that he’s dead. It sounds bad, but he’s been dead to me for a long time. As far as I’m concerned, he was just taking up space in my life.”
“He was murdered,” Eric said with a frown. “That doesn’t faze you at all?”
Meaghan bit her lip. “I feel really bad about this, but I’m not shedding a tear over it.” She sat up. “James and I got pregnant, and then got married. I had just landed the director role for Making Moves. He’s younger than I am, and I never expected to get married to him. But I’m a young director and adding single mom to my resume right when my career was making a big move was not a good idea. So, we got married.”
“But you didn’t love him?” Raine said. “So, when you went down to the school that he taught at to yell at Ms. Cummings?”
Meaghan rolled her eyes. “I could have cared less if he was sleeping with that bimbo. He just wasn’t being smart about it. I told him that whatever he did, he needed to keep it out of the public eye. Going down there and yelling at her was a mistake. I actually went to yell at him, but I saw her first.”
“They never slept together,” Raine said. “Who told you they did?”
“A reporter. He had seen them together one night. She was all over him. I had to pay some money to make sure that didn’t get out.” Meaghan looked at Raine. “Honestly, in another year, I would have divorced him. The show just needed to solidify itself for me to be able to take that hit.”
“Now, you don’t have to wait,” Eric said. Meaghan looked down.
“You must think I’m a monster,” she said softly. “I love our son so much, and James loved him, too. But we’re better off without James.”
“He was found floating in the water in a cove on the west side of the island,” Raine said.
“We have a boat. He takes it out once a week if he can,” Meaghan said. “He has five nights a week with Jackson, and two nights, he has the freedom to do whatever he wants. I don’t ask as long I as I don’t have to find out. Figured that most of it was spent with the blonde.”
“Let me guess,” Eric said. “Friday nights are one of those nights?”
Meaghan nodded. Raine cleared her throat. “Meaghan, James was spending time with Ms. Cummings, but not in the way that you think. They ran an underground fight club for high school students.”
Meaghan’s jaw dropped. She stood up and motioned for them to follow. She led them to the basement door and flipped the light on for them. “You might want to see this, then.”
Eric whistled in response to the large basement filled with MMA equipment. Punching bags, weights, gloves, posters, trophies, and anything you could think of had the basement looking like a private gym.
“He used to fight in college as a hobby. James loved fighting. He was very mild mannered, but when it came to fighting, you could see the passion. I never saw him fight, but apparently, he was good.”
“Apparently,” Eric said looking at the trophies.
“He trains at a gym not too far from here,” Meaghan said. “He goes to stay in shape and spar. I can’t believe that he would start a school fight club. And this woman helped him? She’s going to jail, right?”
“Yes, and we’re working on the details of that?” Raine said. “Do you know anyone who would want to hurt him?”
Meaghan shook her head. “I don’t know anything about him other than what I’ve told you, and that’s not much.”
“Mommy!” Jackson’s voice cried from the stairs. Meaghan jogged up the stairs, leaving Eric and Raine to look around.
“So, we’ve got a dead guy who ran an illegal underage fight club and possibly did some inappropriate things with some of the girl students. A sham of a marriage that was only to keep up appearances because the wife didn’t want bad press. This guy is not a saint—everything about him is a lie.”
Raine’s cell phone rang. She picked it up and held a very brief conversation. “That was the M.E.,” she told Eric. “James was killed before being dumped into the water. There was a massive blow to the head that killed him, but the other bruises on his body were made at the exact same time as the blow. And get this. There was an anesthetic in his system. Someone made sure that he wasn’t going to put up a fight.”
***
“Becca, right?”
Ailani closed the door to his office and walked around to his side of the desk. The girl nodded. She seemed a little less nervous there than in the school. Ailani sat down. “Well, I just talked to your parents and filled them in on the details. You’re not in trouble with us, but your dad is on the way apparently. You might have a different reaction from him.”
“He’s not going to be happy,” she sighed. “A lot of rumors are going on around school. Some think that Mr. Borland’s wife killed him. Some think that it was Ms. Cummings.”
“You really think she could have done it?”
“No,” Becca said. She smiled. “Ms. Cummings is book smart, but not smart enough to get away with murder or even attempt it.”
“Uh huh,” Ailani said. He sat back in his seat. “Why are you so willing to come and tell me about all of this stuff? If this is as big of a secret as it seems, aren’t you worried about anyone finding out you talked?”
Becca nodded. “Of course, I am. But I’m going to college and hopefully medical school. I don’t want to take any chances that this comes back to bite me. My parents did a lot for me. So, yeah, I’m going to help you guys.”
“So, tell me about the fight club. You said it meets every Friday.”
“And we aren’t texted the location until after school,” Becca said. “When we get to the location, we have to deposit all of our cell phones into a box. Don’t want video footage of the evidence. Your name is thrown into a pile, and if it’s picked, you fight. So you always have to be ready.”
“So you could not have to fight for weeks right?”
“Not exactly, you have to fight at least once a month. So, if you haven’t f
ought in that month, you get a fixed match,” she explained. “And in the summer, the even gets bigger. It includes kids from other schools. More fights, longer nights, and more action.”
Ailani couldn’t believe it. These were all underage kids. Boys and girls. He leaned forward. “And Mr. Borland. He was inappropriate to the girls?”
Becca blushed a little. “I don’t know. He treated some of the girls different. He was more hands-on with the pretty ones. Gave them hugs. Massaged them. Flirted.” She shook her head. “I never saw anything bad happen, but I really don’t know.”
There was a knock on the office door, and an officer stood outside with a man who looked extremely concerned.
“Dad,” Becca said standing up as he stepped into the room. He walked up quickly and hugged her.
“Baby, what in the world? Oh!” He stepped back from the hug and winced.
“You okay?” She asked. He nodded and looked at Ailani.
“Is she in trouble? What do I have to do to fix this?”
Ailani motioned for him to sit down. “Your daughter isn’t in trouble. In fact, she might be our biggest help in solving her teacher’s murder, Mr….”
“Just call me, Joe.” He reached over and placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “So, this Borland guy was making kids fight each other?”
“It was a fight club, dad,” Becca said. “The kids did it voluntarily.”
“You didn’t. I know you,” he said. “You hate seeing anyone hurt. I can’t believe you would fight. Especially because you know how I feel about people I love being involved in that stuff.”
“But you…” He gave her a glare. Ailani felt something was off about their interaction. Joe looked back at him.
“I’m fine with my daughter helping, but I don’t want her in danger.”
“All we need her to do is get us the location of the fight tomorrow night. We can take it from there.”
“I can get it to you after school tomorrow,” Becca said. “What are you going to do?”
“The medical examiner said that he was beaten to death and thrown into the water. Someone had to know enough about fighting to do the damage they did. I’m thinking someone who had extensive fighting knowledge.” Ailani gave Joe his card. “But we are going to find out what happened, and we will make sure that your daughter is safe.”