‘Thank you, Matt. This is all very helpful but you really need to do one thing more. You need to press charges against Ms Schaffer.’
‘Not me, man. No way. You force me to come in and I’ll deny it all.’
‘Could you come in and give me a written statement of what we talked about today? You wouldn’t need to file a complaint against her and you wouldn’t get into any trouble over the vandalism – I’ll see to that.’
Matt stood up. ‘No. Can’t do it. Can’t get involved. It would freak out my mom. And I’ve got a girlfriend now – a decent girl, a smart girl. I think it’s getting serious. I don’t want to screw that up. I want to forget the past, not wallow in it. You’re going to have to find somebody else. And I’ve got to get back to work.’ He turned around and walked outside.
How would she go about finding someone else? Was there someone new in Brittany Schaffer’s life? Or was there an old boy toy might be willing to go public? She pushed up out of her chair, got another latte for the road and continued her search for answers.
SIXTY-SEVEN
Back in her car, Lucinda called in and got an address for Julie Troutman’s home and workplace, a Kroger grocery store. She called there, found out Julie was not at work and then went to her apartment building.
The four-story structure appeared to date from before the Second World War but the exterior and the grounds looked well maintained. Inside, the wooden banister by the stairs had a fresh coat of paint; the wooden steps with their swayback of wear had to have been original.
Lucinda went up to the second floor and rang the doorbell by apartment 207. With the door chain in place, it was answered by a studious-looking young woman wearing lavender sweats and tortoiseshell eyeglasses. A pencil was balanced on the top of one ear. She looked more like a nerdy college student than anyone’s ‘piece of ass’, Lucinda thought.
‘May I help you?’
‘Are you Julie Troutman?’
‘Who are you?’
‘Lieutenant Pierce. Homicide,’ Lucinda said, flashing her badge.
‘May I see that, please?’
Lucinda held the wallet with her identification close to the crack in the door and waited while the woman peered at it.
‘Yes, I’m Julie Troutman. Just a minute, please,’ she said and shut the door. Lucinda heard the clatter of the chain on the other side before the entryway opened and Julie invited her inside.
The room Lucinda entered was sparsely furnished with an old, fat television set, a bookcase filled with jumbled volumes and a seen-better-days green sofa that was partially covered by a multicolored throw. Julie went to the far end of the sofa and sat sideways and cross-legged. Lucinda took a seat at the other end.
‘Do you know Jimmy Van Dyke?’
‘Yes. Is it true he’s been arrested?’
‘Yes, Miss Troutman. When did you last see him?’
‘A week ago on Sunday evening – well, all night. He didn’t leave until I went to a class at the community college. He dropped me off on his way home.’
‘What time on Monday morning?’
‘Class started at nine fifty that morning. I think he dropped me off a little past nine thirty-five.’
‘Did you stay here in the apartment all that time?’
‘Oh no, we walked up to the Walking Dog Sunday evening to get something to eat.’
‘When was that?’
‘I really don’t know. But we weren’t gone long.’
‘And then you stayed in the rest of the time?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you know David Baynes?’
Julie winced. ‘I’ve heard his name but I never met him.’
‘His name seemed to have struck a chord with you. Why is that?’
‘That was the kid who was blown up at the high school, right? Him and Mr Fred?’
‘Yes. Did Jimmy tell you about that?’
‘Actually, Jimmy was with me when I saw it on the news.’
‘Do you often watch the news together?’
‘Not really. Jimmy is usually not interested in it.’
‘But he was that night?’
Julie sprang up from her seat. ‘Can I get you something to drink? I have Coke and Dr Pepper or I could make a pot of coffee or a cup of tea.’
‘No, thank you,’ Lucinda said.
‘Well, I’m parched. I need something. Back in a click.’
Lucinda thought Julie was spending far more time in the kitchen than she needed to grab a can of soda. She rose to follow the girl in there but, before she took a step, Julie returned to the living room.
Sitting back down, Julie said, ‘So, you were asking me about David Baynes?’
‘Actually, we were talking about the news the night of the explosion. You were about to tell me about Jimmy’s reaction to it.’
‘I was? Oh. Um, you know, I was so shocked looking at that news footage, I don’t know that I recall his reaction.’
Lucinda sighed. ‘Miss Troutman, I could arrest you as an accessory after the fact but I really don’t want to do that. It’s all up to you. You have to decide to tell me the truth or you have to be willing to face the consequences.’
‘You would arrest me?’
‘If you left me no other choice.’
‘But finals start tomorrow. I have to study. I have to show up to take the test. You can’t do this.’
‘As I said, Ms Troutman, I don’t want to do that but …’
Julie got up again and went to the window overlooking the street, her back to Lucinda. Neither woman said a word. After a minute, Julie placed her hands on the sill and leaned forward, resting her forehead on the glass. In another moment, she shrugged out a sigh and turned around to face Lucinda. ‘She put him up to it.’
‘She?’ Lucinda asked.
‘Yes. That teacher, Brittany Schaffer.’
‘Why do you think that? Is that what Jimmy told you?’
‘No. But I was here. I heard everything he said to Todd.’
‘Todd Matthews?’
Julie nodded.
‘He was here?’
‘First, he came into the Walking Dog and approached our table. He started yelling at Jimmy. Nothing he was saying made any sense to me but Todd was like that a lot – always angry, usually destructive, except when he was too bummed out to speak or move.’
‘Why was that?’
Julie shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I know his parents made him crazy ’cause they were always bickering and he usually seemed to think it was all because of him. He didn’t feel like he could ever please his dad. In some ways, even though there wasn’t much age difference, he always seemed to seek Jimmy’s approval, like he looked on him as a father figure.’ Julie laughed. ‘But maybe that’s just my psych class talking.’
‘Did Jimmy seem to understand why Todd was angry that night?’ Lucinda asked.
‘Yeah, right away and it made Jimmy mad. He jumped up and pushed at Todd and said, “Outside, Matthews. Not in here.”
‘Todd said he didn’t care who heard. Jimmy went out the door anyway and Todd chased after him. I scooped up what was left of our food into a bag and followed. When I stepped outside, Jimmy grabbed my hand and said we were going home. Todd said, “You can’t walk away from me. You tell me why you killed him.” Jimmy shouted, “Shut up, asshole,” and kept walking. Fast – he was half-dragging me.
‘Todd kept coming and yelling about killing somebody and wanting to know if Jimmy did it on purpose and why he did it. Jimmy broke into a run, pulling me along with him. We got to the building, ran up the stairs. Jimmy slammed the door shut and threw the deadbolt. A minute later, Todd was there, pounding on the door, screaming.
‘I told Jimmy, “Let him in. Talk to him. Somebody will call the police if you don’t.” And he said, “Good, let them take him away.” But then a funny look went across his face and he went across the room and pulled open the door and jerked Todd inside and Jimmy said, “OK. Stop yelling at me and we can talk.” And Todd sto
pped yelling. That’s when I learned what really happened that morning.’ Julie hung her head and threw her hands over her face.
‘Tell me what you learned,’ Lucinda coaxed.
‘When we were seniors at the high school, Jimmy had a thing with that teacher.’
‘Brittany Schaffer?’
‘Yeah. I knew him then and I knew he was crazy about her but I didn’t really know about their relationship until she dumped him. That’s when Jimmy came to me the first time. I’d had a crush on him for years but he never seemed to notice I was alive. But although he started spending a lot of time with me, all he wanted to talk about was that teacher. Even when we were in bed together, he’d say, “Brittany would do this” or “Brittany would do that” to try to get me to try something new. I kept telling myself I needed to dump him, but every time I decided it was the last time, I caved again. Pretty pathetic, huh?’
‘I’m sure we’ve all made stupid relationship decisions. When did Jimmy start seeing Brittany again?’
‘A couple of months ago. He even told me about it. He said that she told him that David Baynes was a mistake and she wanted Jimmy – wanted to marry him. I told him that would never happen. He got really mad at me and left. I didn’t see him for weeks until he showed up the night after David died.’
‘OK. That brings us to a week ago. Now, tell me what you learned that Sunday night when Todd and Jimmy talked.’
‘According to Todd – well, that’s not exactly right since Jimmy didn’t deny anything, so I guess that was the same as him admitting it – but, anyway, Todd said that he helped Jimmy build the bomb because Jimmy said that nobody would get hurt and it would just make a mess. Todd was mad at the principal about something and the idea of her office getting trashed gave him a kick. Like I said, Todd was always mad about somebody or something – either that or he was depressed as hell. Jimmy admitted that he lied about the reason for setting the bomb. Jimmy said that David had become a problem for Brittany – that David found Brittany in bed with a freshman and got really angry. He said it was over between him and the teacher and that he was going to report her for having sex with students. Jimmy said that was why he had to kill David to protect Brittany. Jimmy said she was all upset and crying and saying that if he really loved her, he would make sure that David didn’t get her in trouble.
‘She knew they were building a bomb. She just let them do it. Jimmy said she didn’t know any details but she knew he was going to take care of David for good. Todd said, “Why did you drag me into this? I didn’t want David dead – I didn’t want his blood on my hands.” He swung at Jimmy and Jimmy pushed him to the floor.
‘Jimmy said, “I needed you. David wouldn’t trust me but he would trust you. I needed you to get him to the school.”’
‘Do you know how they managed that?’
‘Oh, yeah. Apparently, Todd told David that someone had taken naked pictures of Jimmy’s sister Tamara and her reputation was going to be ruined and that she was going to be kicked out of school and Jimmy’s mom was going to throw her out of the house. Todd told David that Tamara didn’t agree to having the pictures taken, didn’t know they were taken at the time and couldn’t stop crying about it.’
‘He fell for that story?’
‘From what I could gather, he balked at first and then Todd told him that Ms Schaffer always said that David was a knight in shining armor. And that she was sorry about having sex with that other boy. If she only could win David back, she would be faithful forever and they could live happily ever after. I can’t believe he fell for it but apparently he still had a thing for her.
‘So Jimmy drove them over there Sunday morning, dropped David and Todd at the back of the building. Jimmy told him he couldn’t go inside to steal the photos of his sister because he would be the first one suspected. Todd told him that he’d been dating Tamara so he’d be second on the list and, since David didn’t know Tamara, no one would ever think he did it. So Todd showed David how to get inside and then ran around to the front and got in the cab of Jimmy’s truck. Todd kind of freaked out when Jimmy started leaving without David, but Jimmy joked him out of it. Made funny remarks about David being stuck at the school and caught in the act with vandalized file cabinets. When Jimmy dropped Todd off at home, Todd was laughing, too. Thought it was all a big joke. Then Todd heard the news.’
‘Did Jimmy’s explanation Sunday night calm Todd down?’
‘Sort of – but more like it made him really depressed. When he left, he was mumbling about the blood on his hands – David’s blood, Mr Fred’s blood. I swear if I’d thought he was going to commit suicide, I would have done something about it that night. But it never crossed my mind. I was kind of in shock just knowing what Jimmy did and not really wanting to believe it.’ Julie’s lower lip quivered and tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘I know I should have said something before now but I felt so guilty about Todd, I just pretended like it didn’t happen.’ She let her arms hang limp and silently sobbed, her shoulders heaving with effort.
Lucinda put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. ‘I’m going to need your written statement, Ms Troutman. I do have this interview on tape so it can wait until tomorrow after your test. Can I trust you to come in then?’
Julie nodded.
‘And are you going to be OK?’
Julie pulled a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose. ‘Probably never again. But I’m not going to do anything stupid, like kill myself.’
Lucinda pulled out a business card and scribbled on the back. She handed it to Julie and said, ‘I wrote my personal cell number on the back. You get any stupid ideas, you call me before you do anything, OK?’
Julie nodded her head and whispered, ‘Yes.’
‘Maybe you shouldn’t be alone tonight.’
‘Hey, I’ll be OK. Honest. In fact, I didn’t really expect this but I think I feel a little better now that I’ve told somebody.’
SIXTY-EIGHT
Lucinda called Rita Younger. ‘I need to speak with Brittany Schaffer. You can make the arrangements or I can pick her up. If I pick her up, handcuffs will be involved. Your choice.’
‘You are such a drama queen, Lieutenant. I will be delighted to make my client available in my office in an hour and a half if you will tell me what is on your mind.’
‘I need clarity on a few items. I have had one young man tell me of his sexual experiences with Brittany Schaffer while he was one of her students. I’ve had a young woman tell me about her boyfriend’s escapades with your client. And I’ve also had a statement that she knew the boys were building a bomb in her garage and did nothing to stop them or alert the authorities, making her a suspect in a terrorist attack.’
‘My, my, my! You do dredge up the strangest things. I’ll tell you right now, without talking to my client, a few things that everyone knows. First of all, teenage boys brag about conquests that only happened in their minds. Second, teenage girls whose boyfriends develop a crush on a teacher tend to feel inadequate in comparison and therefore they are jealous and will stop at nothing. Third, quite often when someone points a finger at someone else it is done to divert attention from their culpability. Nonetheless, I will have my client here in one and a half hours to dispel your odd notions.’
Lucinda showed up a few minutes early and had to wait. When the door to the office opened, Lucinda entered, shut it behind her and turned on the tape recorder. She walked out forty-five minutes later with exactly what she wanted – an audiotape of Brittany ripping Jimmy to shreds.
When she arrived at the jail, Jimmy was waiting for her in an interview room. ‘Jimmy, you have admitted to the murder of David Baynes, correct?’
‘Yes, I have. Do I need to do that again?’
‘No, not just now at any rate. Matt Halgorn told me you could describe the tramp stamp on Brittany Schaffer’s back.’
‘Matt is a liar.’
‘Julie Troutman told me that you killed David for Brittany Schaffer.’
�
�Julie is a liar.’
‘Supposedly, Todd Matthews said that you were just playing a joke on David Baynes and he wouldn’t get hurt.’
‘Todd’s dead.’
‘Yes, he is. Does that bother you?’
‘It was stupid. I wouldn’t have given him up.’
‘Maybe he felt guilty,’ Lucinda suggested.
‘Well, boo hoo.’
‘I heard that David was sharing Brittany’s bed and that’s what this was all about.’
‘You were misinformed. Brittany had nothing to do with this.’
‘Do you call all your teachers by their first name?’
‘She hasn’t been my teacher for nine months.’
‘Did she promise to marry you?’
‘Do you want me to take back my decision to waive my right to an attorney?’
‘Wouldn’t blame you if you did, Jimmy. But before you do that, I’d like to play you a recording I made just a little while ago.’
Jimmy shrugged. ‘Whatever.’
Lucinda pressed the button and Brittany’s voice filled the room. ‘Jimmy is a troubled boy. I knew he needed help. And putting him in prison was not a place he’d get that help.’ Lucinda stopped the tape. ‘Do you recognize that voice, Jimmy?’
‘Should I?’ Jimmy said.
‘I would think you would, if for no other reason than the fact that you sat in her classroom for all of the last school year. Who is it, Jimmy?’
‘Ms Schaffer. Brittany Schaffer. English, third period.’
‘Very good, Jimmy. Now, I’d like you to listen a little longer.’
Brittany’s voice continued, ‘That’s why I didn’t report what happened. I told his mother he needed counseling. I wished she’d listened to me.’
Lucinda’s voice said, ‘Exactly what happened, Ms Schaffer?’
‘It was the middle of the night. About two months ago. I was sleeping – very deeply. I didn’t hear a thing but suddenly felt a heavy weight on top of me. It was Jimmy Van Dyke. He was tearing off my clothes. I fought him. I screamed. But you’ve seen where I live – with the windows shut on a cold March night, the people in all the other houses were too far away to hear a thing.’
Chain Reaction Page 27