The Complete Bleaker Trilogy Box-set

by Jeremy Peterson

  Jennifer moved closer, literally on the edge of her seat. She wanted to reach for the paper even though she had no idea what it held. “What is it, Will?”

  “This is my Dad’s last bank statement. And this,” he pointed to one line of text on the paper, “is the last time he used his debit card. Twenty-two dollars and sixty-seven cents. Convenient store in Julesburg. That is only fourteen miles from his hometown.”

  “So, he made it home?” Jennifer said, nodding her head.

  “I would say so, yeah. He made it home. So then what?”

  Jennifer shrugged.

  “Look at this.” Will opened his laptop and fired up the browser. There was a page already up and he handed it to Jennifer.

  “What’s this?” she said, grabbing the laptop and scanning the article. It was from the Omaha World Herald and the headline read: Entrepreneur Found Dead in Tree House.

  “Really?” she said, smiling at the absurdity. “What does this mean? Why does this matter to you?”

  He scooted a little closer to her and reached for the laptop. She handed it over and he scrolled to the top of the page, pointing at the date. “This was two days after my Dad’s last credit card purchase. And get this,” he tapped the map in the general vicinity of Chaplin Hills, “this old guy’s tree house is two blocks away from my Dad’s house … two.”

  “Damn,” Jennifer said, impressed.

  “Yeah. Quite a coincidence, huh?”

  “Yeah, I’d say so. But what does it mean? Really?”

  “Listen to this,” Will said. “This old dude dies, right? The circumstances look a little fishy but it’s a tiny backwards town where the cops are stupider than normal cops and the dead dude’s kids’ want their share of the inheritance ASAP, so nobody presses the issue.”

  Jenn shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. But it sounds like you’re inferring quite a bit there. If the cops said it was an accident, then it was probably an accident. My Mom always says that the most logical explanation is usually the correct one.”

  “Damn, you’re no fun.”

  “Sorry. It’s just—”

  “Naw, I’m just busting your balls—err, whatever … I mean, you’re right. I didn’t infer those things, but I did read this blog from some conspiracy website. I Googled the dead dude’s name and it was the second or third article that popped up. Apparently, there were a lot of things about the case that didn’t add up. Like this maid or gardener or something that insisted it was a murder. That town has nine hundred people living in it and, like, one or two cops. Can you imagine that?”

  “When did you do all of this?”

  Will shrugged. “Last night. This morning … just now.”

  “You gonna show your Mom all of this?”

  “No. I’m done with that. She doesn’t want to hear about this stuff anymore. Maybe I could see that … it’s gotta hurt to keep going back.”

  Jenn didn’t think she believed him. “Okay,” she said. “So what are you gonna do? How far is Chaplin Hills from here …”

  “Five hundred and seventy miles … give or take a mile or two.”

  Jennifer smiled. “You’re gonna go aren’t you?”

  “I have to. I have to try at least.”

  Jennifer nodded. “I think so, too.”

  Another knock on the door and this time, both of them jumped. Jennifer giggled.

  “Dinner’s here kids,” Will’s mother said. She opened the door without waiting for a response. “And Jennifer, I insist you stay. I ordered enough pizza for all of us and then some.” She glanced around the room. “I told you to clean your room. You never know when a pretty girl might stop by.”

  Jennifer laughed and Will blushed. “Jesus, Mom!”

  “Well, didn’t I?” She turned to Jennifer, “I hope you like pepperoni and mushroom.”

  “Ooh, I love pepperoni and mushroom.”

  “Eat up, kids. There’s plenty more.”

  “Can’t do it, Mrs. Grant. No room,” Jenn said, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach.

  Will shrugged and grabbed another slice.

  “So, Jennifer, how did you wind up in charge of detention?”

  “Well, I’m not really in charge of it. I just sit there and do my homework. So far it’s only Will … so it’s been pretty easy.”

  “I see,” Rene said.

  “Mrs. Nelson, my social studies teacher, recommended that I volunteer for it. She said it would look good on my college applications.”

  “She’s right. That’s great. What are you gonna study? What are your big plans after high school?”

  Jenn shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “It’s probably stupid but I want to teach. English, especially.”

  “Oh, that’s nice. And not stupid at all, Jennifer.”

  Jenn blushed.

  “Yeah,” Will said. “You can take over from that dick, Mr. Woodley.”

  Wills mother frowned and looked at him sideways, “Watch your mouth, please, smart guy. I’m trying to eat here.”

  Jenn laughed and covered her mouth. “Will tells me you’re a librarian.”

  “He’s not lying. The one down on a hundred and eleventh; just off of New Hampshire.”

  “Oh right. I know the one. Do you like it?”

  “I do. The pay isn’t the best but it’s pretty good, and it’s enough. My Grandma was a librarian in the elementary school that I went to, and she was so cool.”

  “Speaking of cool,” Jenn said, “I love your hair.”

  “You’re too sweet, but I would trade it in in a heartbeat if I had beautiful red hair like yours.”

  Will ate one more slice of pizza and spaced off as the girls gabbed about girl stuff. It was weird—like having dinner with the sister he never had, and at one he couldn’t stop staring.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Wednesday

  The bell rang and both Jenn and Will looked at the big clock over the chalkboard. “Lunch time,” Will said, smiling. “You want to eat with us?”

  “That would be great.”

  “Cool. You bring a lunch?”

  Jenn held up a paper bag.

  Will nodded. “Okay. I gotta stand in line with the rest of the dumb ass’s for whatever they’re serving today, so …”

  “No worries. I’ll wait at your table with Aaron and your friends.”

  A tiny spike of jealousy dug into his guts and he struggled to shake it off. “Okay. I’ll hurry.”

  Will cut in front of some of his classmates. They were in the physics club (or was it the math club?) so he didn’t think they were they type to call him on it. He was right; they didn’t say a word. He rushed his way through the lunch line, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to see Jenn conversing with both Aaron and the always-perplexed Joey. With his mystery meat smothered in sauce, Will finally broke free from the assembly line and joined his friends at the table. He wasn’t surprised to find Aaron hitting on his new friend.

  “So, any plans for the weekend, Jennifer?” Aaron asked.

  She glanced at Will as he joined them. “Maybe. I’m not sure yet.”

  “Because I was wondering if—”

  Jenn interrupted Aaron’s advances by asking Will if he had told them his plans yet.

  “No, I haven’t. Not yet,” Will said.

  “What plans?” Joey asked.

  Jenn shrugged and mouthed the word ‘sorry’. Will shook his head as if to say, don’t worry about it, and shot her a brief smile.

  “I’m taking a trip this weekend. Tonight, actually.”

  “Your mom taking you to Toys ‘r’ Us again?” Aaron asked.

  “No. I’m taking your mom to a different kind of toy store.”

  Jenn interjected with a, “Boys, settle down, please.”

  Will took a deep breath and continued. “I’m going to Nebraska.”

  “You’re going to Nebraska? Like, on purpose?” Aaron asked.

  “It’s my Dad’s hometown.”

  “So? That’s not your fault.�
��

  “I’m gonna try and track him down.”

  The table was silent for a moment. Finally, Aaron said, “Wow. So your mom finally bought in, huh? And you guys are leaving tonight?”

  “Naw, just me. I’m gonna take my bike.”

  “Bull shit,” Aaron blurted. “That old heap of a motorcycle?”

  “What? She runs like a dream. And I finally got the headlights to work.” He dropped eye contact as he continued. “The brake lights work … most of the time. And I can always signal my turns with hand signals.” He demonstrated by awkwardly waving his arms.

  Aaron snorted. “Oh, yeah, man, great plan. Are you taking bail money, ‘cause you probably should.”

  Will shrugged, “It should work.”

  Aaron cocked a thumb at Will and looked to Jenn as if to say, are you hearing this guy? “No, dude, it won’t. It’s the worst idea you’ve ever had.” When Will tried to defend himself, Aaron cut him off, “In fact, it may be the worst idea anyone has ever had. Congratulations.”

  Will punched Aaron on the shoulder, eliciting some stern words from Mr. Donaldson, the wrestling coach, in the process.

  “It’s all right, coach, I can handle this guy,” Aaron said, smiling.

  Mr. Donaldson didn’t look like he appreciated the sentiment coming from the tiny skater punk. “You’re skating on thin ice, young man.”

  Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Me? What about Mike Tyson over here?” He pointed at Will. The teacher shook his head and walked away, leaving both boys to ignore the teacher’s condescending gaze, before returning their attention back to the argument.

  Will exhaled loudly. “I don’t have a choice … it’s all I got.” He glanced around the table, looking each of them in the eye. Finally, he focused on Aaron, “Do you have a better idea, genius?”

  “I don’t have any ideas. I’m just here to shit on yours.”

  “Thanks for nothing, douche.”

  “You’re welcome for nothing, dick.”

  “I agree with Aaron,” Jennifer interrupted. “This sounds dangerous.”

  Will threw up his hands. “You guys, listen; I don’t have any other option. Unless I steal a car or something, I’ve got to take my bike.”

  Aaron sat back in his chair and shrugged. A smug, half smile creased his face. “You’ll never make it. The cops will pinch you before you make it out of the state. Guar-an-damn-teed.”

  Aggressively, William pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. “I gotta get back to the goddamned detention room. I’ll see you all later.”

  Aaron watched him storm off and looked cockeyed at Jennifer. “Have fun with him for next hour.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” she said. The three of them sat silently for a moment before Jenn finally excused herself and followed Will—albeit, from a safe distance.

  Joey reached for Will’s abandoned lunch plate and began cutting off chunks of mystery meat. “I miss Toys ‘r’ Us,” he said through a mouthful.

  Aaron could only shake his head, “I know you do, buddy.”

  Jennifer entered the detention room and wasn’t surprised to find it empty. With a sigh, she sat at the head desk and stared at the empty room. Eventually, she pulled out her Kindle. The Old Man and the Sea stared back at her but she couldn’t concentrate.

  Where was he?

  He was going to get himself in more trouble than he was already in if he didn’t get his ass back here.

  What does it matter to me?

  It was a good question. And she didn’t have any answers. She cursed under her breath. Fifteen minutes passed and, finally, she decided that she couldn’t just sit there any longer.

  She poked her head out of the detention room and looked up and down the hall. Empty. She turned left, away from the Principal’s office and towards the student lockers where she heard the rattle of a stubborn padlock, and she knew she had found him.

  He saw her coming and rolled his eyes.

  Asshole, she thought.

  “I don’t need your help, Jennifer.”

  “Well, I’m just—”

  “I know. But I’m fine.” He tossed one more book into his backpack and stared blankly into his locker. “Go back to the room before you get into trouble.”

  Jennifer sighed. “What are you gonna do?”

  “I’ll see you later.” He flipped his pack over one shoulder and began to walk away.

  “Are you gonna go today? Now?”

  He glanced over his shoulder and gave her a half smile before turning the corner and marching out of sight.

  “Shit,” she murmured under her breath.

  The final bell rang nearly three hours later and Jenn headed for the door. She hadn’t seen Will since their last talk and she wondered—and not for the first time—why she cared what her new troubled friend was getting himself into.

  “Jennifer,” a voice called from behind her. She turned and saw Mr. Davis, her Social Studies teacher, standing in the doorway to his classroom. “I’d like to talk about your midterm assignment if you are free.”

  Jennifer hesitated, still walking slowly backwards away from her teacher. “Um, okay.”

  He smiled and motioned for her to join him in his empty classroom. She looked over her shoulder towards the exit but allowed herself to follow Mr. Davis. “It’s really good, Jennifer. Really good. You have a gift.” He reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder.

  Jennifer’s heart flinched. She smiled uncomfortably and shrank away from the teacher.

  “I’ve entered you in the Southwest Scholastic contest this weekend in Santé Fe. I hope you’re available … it could be a real opportunity.”

  Jenn was only half listening and she shook her head as if trying to knock the cobwebs from her mind. “The what?”

  “The Southwest Scholastic contest. Oh, let me tell you, young lady, it’s only the largest academic meet in the region, and I think you could really establish yourself if you put your mind to it. In fact, I would be willing to tutor you privately anytime this week to get you ready. If you’d like, of course.”

  “Oh, I don’t know—”

  “This is the time, Jennifer, to go the extra—”

  It was Jenn’s turn to interrupt him, “Sorry Mr. Davis. I’m late for … something.” She sidestepped him and hurried through the doorway. He called after her but she wasn’t listening.

  Kids poured out of the school in droves and she had to worm her way through the masses. The parking lot was on the south side of the school and that was the direction she was fighting for. She avoided the packed sidewalk and ran over the lawn towards her car. The clack of skateboards slamming off the concrete was a common occurrence and this day was no different. Normally, Jennifer would pass the skateboarders without a second glance, but today, she spotted Will’s curly haired friend amongst the other skaters.

  What was his name? Joey? No, that was the weird one. Adam? Close but not quite … Aaron. That was it!

  “Aaron!” Jennifer called out across the school grounds.

  The boy looked up as he heard his name. He kicked the rear of his skateboard and sent it flipping into the air where he snatched it without effort, the whole time coolly scanning the yard for the source of the call. Jennifer yelled his name again and motioned to him. Another skater—this one tall, skinny, with bushy black hair stuffed under an Oakland Raiders ball cap—spotted her. He tapped Aaron on the shoulder and pointed to the pretty redhead approaching them. Jennifer ignored the leering smirk on the skinny skater’s face and instead chose to focus on the task at hand.

  “Aaron,” she said. “It’s me, Jenn, Will’s friend from …”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, a smile stretching across his face. “I remember you.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry to bother you—”

  “Naw, you’re fine. What’s up?”

  “Well, I was just wondering if you’ve heard from Will?”

  “Not since lunch. And you were there for that insightful exchange.”

  �
�Right.” She looked away disappointed.

  The skinny skater tapped Aaron on the shoulder and motioned to Jennifer, “Is this the one you were telling me about? The one that let you—”

  “Jesus, Jay, can’t you see we’re talking here. And no, it isn’t. This is Will’s friend.

  “Right,” Jay said, winking.

  Aaron gave Jenn an apologetic look and turned back to his friend. “Jay, you’re being a dick in front of my new friend and neither of us appreciates it. Now, why don’t you do us all a favor and go skate into traffic.” He made a shooing gesture with his hands.

  The boy shrugged his shoulders and turned to go, but not before firing a final shot over his shoulder, “I figure all your stories are just bullshit anyway.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah … get outta here ya mouth breather. I shudder to think what you do with my stories when no one’s around anyway.”

  Finally, the boy retreated and, if he had anything more to say, it was lost amongst the rushing traffic.

  “Sorry about that guy, he’s a …” Aaron shrugged his shoulders and trailed off, not sure how to finish his thought.

  “It’s okay,” Jennifer said.

  “I want you to know that I never said a word about you. I mean it.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I probably did mention something about another girl … Erica … but that was all true. Err, not that that makes it any better … Jesus, I’m sorry. I’m a pig and I should be ashamed of myself. I have a mother and a big sis—”

  Jenn wanted to be courteous and wait for him to finish but she didn’t have the time (or the heart) to let him continue. “Aaron, I’m in a hurry. Forget it, okay?”

  He sighed and struggled to make eye contact. “Shit, right. What can I do you for?”

  “Will … he didn’t come back to the room.”

  Aaron shook his head. “Skipped out on detention, huh? Man, he is really trying to make sure they nail him to the wall, isn’t he? Ever since his dad left, it’s been like this. I keep waiting for it to get better, but …”