by Don Easton
“The second name is Marie Sainsbury,” continued Bloomquist. “She gets along well with most of the more troubled students. The third is Bob Dunn. He teaches math but is also a phys. ed instructor. He coaches sports and sees the students after hours. Sometimes they go on road trips together.”
“Anyone else?” asked Jack.
“Possibly Amanda Flowers. She is new to teaching. She did her practicum with us last year and came on full-time in September. She’s young, single, and pretty. A lot of the male students probably have a crush on her.”
“You said that Bob Dunn teaches math and phys. ed. What do the other three teach?” asked Jack.
“Bob replaced Lyle as a math teacher when Lyle ended his term with us last June.”
“The information the police are receiving is current,” said Jack. “I believe we are looking for a teacher who was here last year and this year. What about Marie and Amanda?”
“Marie teaches English, but is also a guidance counsellor. She talks to a lot of the students. Amanda teaches history and art.”
“I see,” replied Jack, while jotting down the information in his notebook.”
“If you plan to interview my staff, I would like to be present,” said Bloomquist. “It is most upsetting that someone would deal with the problem in such a devious manner and without consulting me. I’m sure the whole issue could have been dealt with a lot more effectively. Explains this nonsense of why police officers keep storming into my school.”
“Oh?” replied Jack. “I wasn’t aware that police officers had been storming into the school?”
“So far they’ve only made arrests in the parking lot and on the street out front,” replied Bloomquist. “It is only a matter of time. I know how these things work. After all, my second wife was a cop.”
“And how do these things work?” asked Laura, sounding innocent.
“There is no need to be facetious,” replied Bloomquist. “What’s your next step? Busting into student lockers?”
“Were there certain lockers that you think we should —” Laura stopped when she felt Jack’s knee nudge her leg.
“I forgot to mention something,” said Jack. “I was provided the times of when the tips were called in. Most were received between two and two-thirty in the afternoon. Would that narrow it down?”
Bloomquist looked smugly at Jack and said, “Had you bothered to tell me that to start with, we would not have needed to waste everyone’s time. All our teachers are busy teaching during that time. They wouldn’t be making calls of that nature. The person who is ‘reporting’ is no doubt a student. Perhaps skipping class.”
“I’m sorry,” muttered Jack. “I should have thought of that. I feel like an idiot for wasting everyone’s time.”
“I married an idiot. Lived with her two years before we divorced. Perhaps you should get together with her,” smiled Bloomquist.
Jack locked eyes with Bloomquist and within seconds Bloomquist looked down and said, “Obviously I am only joking.”
“Well, Morris, I’m sure I will be seeing you again,” said Jack coldly. As he slowly arose he placed his hands on the table and leaned closer to Bloomquist and stared into his eyes. Bloomquist instinctively cowered back in his chair and looked down.
* * *
“What a jerk!” said Laura, as soon as they returned to their car.
“He’s a bully,” said Jack. “I hate bullies. I understand why the teacher didn’t go through the normal channels. That’s why I made up the story about the calls coming in during class hours.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“We need to protect her.”
“Her?”
“Amanda Flowers. Let’s find out where she lives and talk to her right away.”
“Why her?”
“The tips are recent enough that we know it’s not Lyle Ryker. Bob Dunn is a coach and I don’t see jocks and kids in sports as being the type to know the details provided to Crime Stoppers. That leaves Marie Sainsbury and Amanda Flowers. Sainsbury is a guidance counsellor. She wouldn’t want to risk her credibility with the students by taking a chance on saying anything. That leaves Amanda. Young, idealistic, and trying to make a difference. Not burned out yet. My money is on her.”
* * *
Jack checked the Motor Vehicle Branch and came up with Amanda’s address. Her driver’s license said she was twenty-five years old, but upon meeting her, Jack saw that she looked younger. He could see why many of the students would have a crush on her. She had flowing, shoulder-length blond hair, a cute figure, and a pretty face accented by large blue eyes.
After initial introductions, Jack said that they would like to speak to her concerning some of the students. Amanda invited them inside to the living room.
“Nice home,” commented Jack as they were led inside. “Do you live here alone?”
“I live alone, but unfortunately the house isn’t mine. The owners are a retired couple who are travelling around the world for a year. I’m house-sitting. Doesn’t cost me a dime as long as I look after the place.”
From the tidy yard and clean interior, Jack knew that Amanda was fulfilling her end of the bargain.
Once they were comfortably seated, Amanda offered tea or coffee. Jack and Laura politely declined and Jack said, “We are here to talk to you about your Crime Stoppers tips.”
A look of irritation crossed Amanda’s face. “I thought that was supposed to be confidential!” she said.
“It is,” said Jack. “We didn’t find out from Crime Stoppers. We received a tip that the bad guys have narrowed it down to three teachers. We met with Morris Bloomquist and he —”
“Mr. Bloomquist knows that it’s me?” said Amanda fearfully.
“No, not at all,” hastened Jack. “We asked him for a list of teachers who are popular with the students. Your name was one of them.”
“How did you know it was me?”
“Logical deduction. We left your principal thinking it was a student, but if we figured it out, so might the bad guys.”
Amanda gave a large sigh of relief. “I think Mister Bloomquist would fire me if he knew. He is against having students arrested. He believes it gives the school a bad name.”
“I’m not impressed with the man,” said Jack.
“He’s not really a bad person … it’s … well, his ex-wife was a police officer. A messy divorce may have clouded his judgment.”
“Our concern is that the bad guys are narrowing down their list of suspects,” said Jack. “We have received information that they are willing to murder whoever is tipping off the police.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” said Amanda bitterly. “But something has to be done. QE has turned into a zoo. Kids stoned out of their minds … violence, gangs. Last weekend we had a top student commit suicide. If we had made QE a safer place where kids would open up … I don’t know … none of us saw it coming. I —” Amanda stopped to wipe a tear from her face.
“We know about Julie Goodwin,” said Jack, sadly. “I applaud you for your efforts to clean things up, but you need to back off. We have reason to be genuinely concerned for your safety.”
“Lots of students confide in me,” said Amanda. “I’m pretty careful because I don’t want a student to get into trouble. I know what these gangsters are about. When I’ve called Crime Stoppers with information, I have been really careful to ensure that there is nothing passed on that would endanger any individual student. The information I have provided has been common knowledge to lots of students.”
“If we figured it out, so might the bad guys,” repeated Jack. “In the future, I would appreciate you calling us and not Crime Stoppers.
“And you will do something about it?”
“That’s a promise,” replied Jack.
* * *
Jack and Laura were leaving Amanda’s home when Jack received a call on his cellphone.
“Hey, Jay! How ya doin’?” said Rodine. “Is Princess with you?”
“I’m doing great,” replied Jack. “Any luck with that apartment?”
“Ya, I’m with Sy now. Told him about ya. If you want, you can come over and check it out right away.”
An hour later, Rodine introduced Jack and Laura to Sy as they entered the apartment lobby. Sy stood with his arms folded over his chest and gave Jack a hard look.
“They’re okay,” whispered Rodine nervously to Sy. “I told ya, Jay is my cousin for fuck sakes. I’ve known him all my life.”
Inwardly, Jack cringed. Rodine had made a serious error by saying they were related. Later, if he and Laura were identified, there would be no way for Rodine to say that he had been duped.
Sy nodded, but his attitude was one of suspicion. They took the elevator to the fourth floor and Sy used a key to let them inside the apartment.
“There’s still someone’s stuff in here,” noted Jack.
“The owner’s dead,” said Sy. “His relatives have until the end of the month … two weeks from now … to get the shit out of here. I’m still not sure if I’ll be renting it to you. A friend of mine has expressed an interest.”
“Suit yourself,” said Jack. “I’ve been looking for a place with underground parking and Rodent says you’re a good guy, but if you have someone else that —”
“Rodent?” answered Sy.
“Yeah,” smiled Jack as he looked at Rodine. “That’s what I’ve always called him.”
“Yeah,” chuckled Sy. “His little face does look a bit like a rat’s.”
“Fuck you,” replied Rodine, while glaring at Jack.
“Anyway,” continued Jack. “I prefer to pay cash. No receipts and no name on the intercom. If your friend isn’t interested, I’m willing to pay you two Gs a month.”
Sy sucked in a little wind. Two thousand dollars a month was double what the apartment was worth. He rubbed his chin with his hand as if in deep thought and said, “Cash, eh? You know, I’ve always been a believer of first come, first serve. If you got a thousand-dollar damage deposit to put down, it’s yours to move into at the end of the month.”
* * *
It was nine-thirty the following morning and Tommy Sloan was late for school when he gunned the engine of his purple Trans Am and drove through a stop sign. His action did not cause an accident, but it did come to the attention of Constable Dale and Constable Button who were in a nearby patrol car.
“See that?” said Button. “I stopped that kid once before. The little asshole has a real foul mouth. Hit the lights, I’m going to write him up.”
Seconds later Tommy turned on his signal and pulled over to the curb.
“Yes, Officer, I know I didn’t stop,” he said. “I’m late for school,” he said, as an explanation.
“Too bad, but you’re getting a ticket,” said Button.
“Yes, sir. I guess I deserve it,” replied Tommy.
“Another thing,” said Button. “Shut the car off and hand me the keys.”
“I’m not going to try and outrun you,” smiled Tommy, as he did as instructed.
“Good. One more thing. Step out of the car and place your hands on the roof.”
“You fuckin’ pigs got no right to search me!” yelled Tommy.
Twenty minutes later, Constable Button placed Tommy into an interview room where he was allowed to call a lawyer.
“Tell your lawyer that the quarter-pound of meth we seized out of your shorts was individually grammed up,” said Button as he closed the door.
* * *
Twelve hours later, Chugger, a prospect from Satans Wrath, picked up Sy at his apartment. After an hour of counter-surveillance tactics, including switching cars, Chugger parked behind a car wash called Wet Willy’s. It was closed for the night.
“The rear door is unlocked,” said Chugger. “Go on inside. I’m supposed to wait here.”
Sy did as instructed. He recognized Cocktail who was seated in the customer waiting area with another man. He did not know who the man was, but the gold insignia ring on his hand said he was a full-fledged member of Satans Wrath.
“You think it is a teacher from QE who is talking to the police?” asked Cocktail, dismissing any small talk.
“According to my brother it is. He said the cops tried to make it look like nobody tipped them, but too many guys have been busted lately. Three or four teachers are the only common denominator.”
“Which ones?” asked Cocktail.
Sy gave Cocktail all the surnames.
The biker looked at Sy and said, “Sit here, while we make a call from the office.”
Sy waited as the biker and Cocktail entered an office and closed the door behind them.
Once inside the office the biker looked at Cocktail and asked, “Any ideas?”
“It’s Amanda Flowers. She could pass for Playboy material and struts around with a real attitude. She isn’t much older than the students. There isn’t a straight boy in that school who wouldn’t want to fuck her. They talk to her like she’s their friend and not a teacher. She needs to be taught a lesson.”
“Not a fatal lesson,” said the biker. “We don’t need the heat.”
“Not kill her,” said Cocktail. “She lives alone, house-sitting and looking after someone’s cat. The owners are away. I have an idea that will leave a lasting impression upon her. Something to make a lasting impression on any others who decide to stick their noses where they don’t belong.”
The biker listened to Cocktail’s plan and said, “Sounds good. Tell Sy to carry it out.”
Sy stood up when Cocktail and the biker returned.
“We know who it is,” said the biker. “It’s the bitch by the name of Flowers.”
“How do you know?” asked Sy.
“How we know is none of your business.”
“Should we do something?” asked Sy.
“Yes,” replied Cocktail. “Miss Flowers needs to be taught a lesson.”
Sy listened carefully to Cocktail’s plan and saw the biker give his nod of approval.
“I’ll arrange it for tomorrow night,” said Sy, getting up to leave. He glanced at Cocktail before heading toward the door as Cocktail’s plan rolled around in his brain.
Sy was no stranger to violence, nor did he shun it, but the evil grin on Cocktail’s face convinced him that this was one person he would never cross.
His plan, it’s gonna be bloody … bloody and fuckin’ cruel. Every time she looks in a mirror …
Chapter Seventeen
It was ten o’clock the following night when three youths crept across the lawn behind Amanda Flowers’s home. Being the third week of May, the sun had set an hour earlier and the yard was mostly in darkness. A few lights were on in the house. The back porch light was also on, but a large shrub blocked most of the light to the yard.
Two of the youths were fifteen years old and the third was sixteen. All of the boys had lengthy juvenile records for assault, drug trafficking, and auto theft.
The youths were both giddy and nervous about the instructions they had received from Sy. A brutal and multiple rape was to be followed by carving the word RAT on her forehead.
The youths ducked low in the yard when they heard the back door open. It was followed by a soft feminine voice that yelled, “Kitty, kitty, kitty! Come on, Whiskers! I’m leaving the door open. If you’re not in by the time I scrub my teeth, you can spend the night outside!”
The youths heard the footsteps fade back into the house and a moment later, an upstairs bathroom light came on.
“This is gonna be fuckin’ easy,” said the oldest, pulling a pistol from his belt. The pistol was only a pellet gun, but it looked real and he knew Flowers would be too scared to tell the difference.
He glanced at his two friends who nodded and smiled back as they each pulled out hunting knives.
The one youth brandished his knife in the air, simulating carving the letters R-A-T. “Easy and fun,” he said.
“Too bad Tommy couldn’t be here,” said the other.
The youths placed their weapons on the lawn in front of them, dug in their pockets, and each pulled out a ski mask.
Instantly, three powerful beams of blinding light illuminated the backyard. The mouths of all three boys simultaneously hung open.
“Police! Don’t move!” screamed a command as black-clad men appeared out of the darkness pointing Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns at them. The favoured automatic weapon of the Emergency Response Team.
The youths gasped simultaneously, their eyes wide with fright as the members of the ERT circled them. Seconds later, the boys were all handcuffed and laying face-down on the grass.
Jack and Laura heard the scenario play out from where they sat with an ERT commander in the back of an ERT van parked a block away.
At noon the day before, Amanda had called Jack to thank him for having Tommy arrested. Jack said that he knew nothing about it. After hanging up, he called Rodine and told him to have a beer with Sy and find out what he was thinking.
Later, Rodine had called Jack back and said, “Sy met with Cocktail and some biker. They figure a teacher by the name of Flowers has been ratting and got Tommy busted. I’m surprised Sy told me, but I think he was so freaked out by Cocktail’s plan that he had to tell someone.”
Jack winced when he heard the news, but wasn’t surprised. He found out so they could also figure it out. He asked Rodine what Cocktail’s plan was and listened as Rodine told him about the intended rape and mutilation with a knife.
At first Jack had felt nauseated because he knew that to identify Flowers as the intended victim would compromise Rodine. Then he came up with a plan to protect Flowers and Rodine.
Jack told his bosses that Tommy was an important figure in The Brotherhood because his brother was a leader. He said it was rumoured that The Brotherhood blamed a teacher for Tommy’s arrest, but that he did not know which teacher.
Jack suggested the possibility that a drive-by shooting of a teacher’s house could occur, or perhaps The Brotherhood would break into a teacher’s home and commit a violent assault. Jack added further fuel to the fire by telling Morris Bloomquist, who panicked and demanded protection for himself. He also provided a list of several other teachers’ names, including Amanda Flowers.