We could have saved him.
One of us should have stayed with him until the ambulance arrived. Leaving him had been a mistake.
The anonymous call at the bakery flashed into my mind.
Stay away, if you value your life.
Those words sounded more ominous now that Sam and Jayden had both died so suddenly.
Who was that anonymous caller? Why did they want us to stay away? Who drove that pickup truck? Who killed Sam? And now Jayden?
My mind swirled like a tornado was hurling through it.
Someone had set these scenes up carefully. We were being forced to see things for what they were not.
Katy turned to me and lowered her voice.
“He was heading back to his girlfriend and parents. He wasn’t happy, but he was going home to start fresh.”
I nodded.
“This makes absolutely no sense.”
Chapter Thirty
A dozen girls had gathered in the corridor near the front entrance.
They stared at Jayden’s body, mouths open. A few pushed to get a closer look. I only recognized one face in the crowd. Isabella was staying in the back, watching the scene, a strange expression on her face.
Tom and another teacher came down the main stairs from the second floor, clutching one another, horror in their eyes as they spotted Jayden.
Martha May turned to them.
“Don’t you know the protocol?” she said.
“Yes, Ms. May,” stammered Tom. “The classes went on lockdown as soon as we heard the shot, but we came down to—”
“Get these girls back upstairs and stay in class till I tell you.”
Martha shooed the girls off angrily. Then, without a word, she turned around and marched back to her office. Even from where we were, we heard her door slam.
Tom and his colleague ushered the girls back to the second floor.
All the while, the guard stood by the door, shaking and muttering to himself. I got up and walked up to him. I had so many questions, but he wasn’t in a state to talk.
“Why don’t you take a break?” I said, putting a hand on his trembling arm.
“I didn’t do it, miss…” he said, looking at me through clouded eyes. “I didn’t—”
“It’s okay,” I said, squeezing his arm, hoping he wouldn’t get a heart attack or something. “We believe you. Why don’t you ask Cathy to make you a cup of tea?”
With a sad nod, he turned around. I watched him shuffle toward the kitchen, wishing I’d asked for his name.
When I turned around, Sally had disappeared.
“I told her to go wait in the clinic,” said Katy, leaning against the wall, her phone in her ear. “She looked like she was about to have a panic attack.”
“Nine-one-one?” I mouthed, pointing at her mobile.
She nodded.
While Katy made the call, I marched over to the clinic, my mind buzzing.
It could have been anybody.
Anyone could have come down the stairs or through the front doors, plucked the guard’s gun from his belt and shot Jayden point-blank. But they would have had to lure him out of his bed and into the corridor. That was what had me scratching my head.
I peeked inside the clinic.
Sally was bending over the cot Jayden had been lying on. She was folding the sheets, her head bowed low. Her movements were jerky, almost mechanical, like her mind was elsewhere, far away.
“Leave that be, Sally,” I said.
She jumped and turned around with a startled look. Her face was flushed and her ears were bright red.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” I said, “I’d suggest you leave everything as is until the police come.”
She stared but didn’t answer.
Then, she loosened her grip on the sheets, letting them fall back to the bed. Without speaking, she turned away from me, rubbing her face as if this was all too much for her.
“Don’t touch anything,” I said, before turning back to join Katy and wait until the ambulance arrived.
We stayed by Jayden’s body, silently ruminating over what had happened. It felt disrespectful to speak of his death in front of him, though Jayden clearly could no longer see or hear.
I wished I could cover him up with a sheet, but we had already contaminated the scene as it was.
When the paramedics arrived, they immediately cordoned off the area with yellow tape and told us to leave.
The two police officers who’d attended Sam’s death scene arrived soon after, the senior officer frowning as he spotted us. I could imagine what he was thinking.
The out-of-towners again. Everywhere they went, a dead body was sure to show up.
There wasn’t much we could do other than follow their directions. With strict instructions to remain in the building, Katy and I went to the only place we knew we could get more information.
The kitchen.
Cathy was making tea for everyone. The kitchen staff seemed to have taken a break and crowded around us at the table, eager to learn what had happened up in front. The old guard was hunched in the corner of the kitchen, asleep in front of an untouched cup of tea.
Like the teachers, the staff had a protocol to follow.
They had to stay in the kitchen if or when they sensed danger. This was the first time any of them had heard a gunshot, but it was enough for Cathy to stop everything and lock the doors. She’d only opened them up after she heard the sirens.
Two deaths in a row had unsettled everyone.
Some slouched next to us at the table, while others leaned against the counter, murmuring at each other, and shaking their heads in dismay.
None of them had seen a black pickup truck on the school grounds before.
Cathy came over, sat down, and pushed two cups of hot tea toward us. She had her own special mug, one with Mickey Mouse ears, in her hand.
“First Sam, now Jayden,” she said. “How can this happen?”
Between Katy and me, we told her what we’d seen, but we kept our suspicions of a potential killer to ourselves.
“He was my favorite teacher,” said Lou-Anne, wiping her eyes. “Why would he do this to himself?”
“He was a good man, that one,” said Harry, the sous chef, still in his chef hat and apron. “Told us he had a sweet girl in his hometown. Showed us pictures too. He was going to go back and marry her soon.”
He gave us a hard look.
“Don’t you ladies believe everything you hear,” he said, wagging a finger our way. “Plenty of nasty sniping in a school like this.”
“Sniping?” I asked. “About the teachers? Or the students?”
“Jayden was a good man,” said Cathy, shaking her head. “I never believed that nasty rumor going around.”
“What rumor?” asked Katy. “What are you all talking about?”
“Vicious,” replied Cathy. “That’s what it was. Dirty, vicious gossip.”
Chapter Thirty-one
“Something about him doing funny things with the girls,” said Harry, making a face. “Selling them drugs and things. Don’t believe a word of it.”
I looked around the crowd, wondering who had been spreading this rumor.
Isabella? Her friends? Martha May?
“Have you heard these stories before?” I asked.
“Never,” replied Cathy. “Mr. Brown was respectful and polite. Even with us in the kitchen.” She grimaced like she’d swallowed something bitter. “That Ms. Ruby woman, now, is something else. Comes here screaming at us, throwing things around hysterically, wants everything right away, like we’re palace servants or something.”
“She’s worse than Ms. May,” said Lou-Anne. “Can’t stand her. Mr. Brown was nothing like her.”
“Sam, may he rest in peace,” said Harry, “he used to treat Mr. Brown like a son. It’s always the good folk that get taken away, isn’t it?”
I looked down at my teacup, willing the tea leaves to put this puzzle together for me.
> Think, girl, think.
My head felt heavy, like it was filled with mud. Things had happened so fast since we arrived, I was having a difficult time wrapping my mind around what was really going on in this school.
I turned to the crowd around the table.
“When was the last time you all saw Brianna Madison?”
“At dinner,” said Cathy. “The night she disappeared.”
“Did she look scared or nervous or different in any way?”
Cathy looked over at Lou-Anne, who shrugged.
“She was her normal self,” replied Lou-Anne. “She’s always got her nose in her phone. She’s not allowed to bring it to the dining hall, but she’s sneaky and gets away with it. Never looks up, never says thank you. Nothing.”
“Never eats much either, that girl,” said Harry. “Skinny as a rake and with all that black makeup. Not a healthy kid, I tell you.”
“I wish I could check up on these girls,” said Cathy. “Especially the young’uns. They’re alone here, away from their families, but it’s not my place.”
Harry shook his head. “Ms. May wouldn’t want us interfering with those girls’ education now, would she? We’re just kitchen workers.”
“What do you all think of your principal?” I asked, thanking him silently for the segue I’d been waiting for.
Cathy gave a start. “Ms. May?”
I nodded. There was only one principal, as far as I could tell. Most of her staff were looking away now, like students who’d been asked a question they didn’t want to answer.
“What do you mean?” asked Harry, his voice guarded.
“To start, does she treat you well?” asked Katy.
I caught two of the younger staff members roll their eyes.
Cathy sighed and pushed her tea mug away.
“You’ve probably heard by now,” she said. “She’s not too happy with me.”
“Because you’re trying to unionize?” I asked.
She nodded. “It’s not a secret.”
“We’re not slaves,” said Harry, his voice hardening. “But she treats us like we’re nothing.”
“She doesn’t throw things around like Ruby, does she?” asked Katy.
“Oh, she’s a smart one, that Ms. May,” huffed another staff member. “She knows exactly how to keep us down without getting into trouble.”
“How?” I asked.
“You tell them, Cathy. Tell them how nice our boss is.”
Cathy let out a heavy sigh and looked at us, unsmilingly.
“We haven’t had a raise in five years. She deducts a hefty rent and heating fee from our checks, and that goes up every year. Plus, she gives us one annual week of vacation. Only one and never at Christmas.”
“And if we ever get sick and need time off, she docks our pay,” added Harry.
“Whoa,” said Katy. “That’s harsh. Illegal even.”
“Whenever I go to talk to her about it, she’s too busy,” said Cathy, a glum look on her face. “Nick’s a real good guard dog too.”
“She’s hampering you,” I said.
Cathy nodded. “The odd time I get the chance to talk with her, she tells me we’re bound by contract.”
“Are you?” I asked.
“I ain’t no lawyer, so when I got hired here, I signed the papers she gave me. I guess I should have checked, but it’s too late now.”
“Can’t you quit?” asked Katy. “She’s not holding you hostage, is she?”
“There’s a penalty fee when you quit,” said the sous chef, shaking his head. “Don’t think we haven’t talked about that.”
“It’s not like there’s a lot of other work in town,” said one of the staff, looking down at his shoes. “We’re lucky we have jobs. Sometimes the devil you know is better, you know what I mean?”
“But a quitting fee?” said Katy. “Is that even legal?”
“Why don’t you get the contracts checked by a good lawyer from town?” I said. “If they’re not legitimate, you may have grounds to get out without a penalty. You might even be entitled to reparations.”
“Maybe that’s what I need to do next,” said Cathy in a dejected voice, twirling her Mickey Mouse mug in her hand. “A lawyer’s gonna cost us, but maybe that’s gonna help.”
“What about the mayor?” I asked. “You said the principal and him are close. How close?”
No one spoke for a while. They stood silently, eyes averted, as if trying to rustle up the courage to speak, or deciding if it was worthwhile to talk.
“He’s not a nice man, that one,” said Cathy finally. “If you ask me, he’s the one who’s telling Martha May how to control us.”
“Why would he do that? What does he have to gain?”
No one spoke, but I could feel their animosity for the man.
“If things were going well in town, I wouldn’t be here,” said Harry in a somber voice. “I’d find a job there. But every year, the taxes go up, with nothing to show for it. No projects, no work. I’d bet most of the city money goes into that man’s pocket.”
I cleared my throat. “What do you know about the personal life of the mayor?”
“Shiny on top but dirty as a pig’s belly underneath,” quipped Harry.
“Dirty?” I paused, trying and failing to think of the right words that would get more information without making them clamp up. “Dirty as in he likes to prey on others?”
“You got that right,” said Lou-Anne, giving a visible shiver. “He’s a creep. Whenever I see him on the street, I cross to the other side.”
“Does he visit the school often?”
“Never seen him here,” said Cathy.
I scanned their faces, wondering if they knew of the mayor’s nightly exploits on the other side of the fence.
“But I’ve heard he’s always trying to get the school to send the girls to town,” added Cathy as an afterthought.
I sat up.
Is that how he picks his victims?
“These kids have money. They’re so bored out of their minds stuck here, so even a trip to a small town is a treat. They spend a lot on food, souvenirs, anything they can get their hands on. Good for the girls. Good for the town too.”
“Oh, really?”
If I had to guess, the man was after unhindered access to the girls outside the school, rather than any little business he could drum up on what these students paid for trinkets and hot dogs. What a despicable piece of scum.
“They’re all in this together,” said Harry.
“Who’s all in what together?” I asked.
“Ms. May, the mayor, and all the hotshots in town,” he said in a voice like I should have already known. “They don’t care for the likes of you and me.”
“They’ll push you around ’coz you’re out-of-towners,” said Lou-Anne. “They’ll try to pin everything on you.”
A murmur of assent went around the room.
“The chief as well?” I asked, a sinking feeling coming to my stomach.
“Be careful,” said Cathy, her face taking on a warning expression. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Sam told us he saw Ms. May give the police chief an envelope and tell him to keep the runaway girl under wraps.”
My heart leaped.
“When and where did this happen?”
“By the lake. Sunday afternoon.”
“Did they see Sam?” I said, sitting up.
“Don’t think so,” replied Harry, shaking his head. “Sam always kept quiet. He blended so well with the bushes, nobody ever noticed him in the garden.”
He’s a fixture. I remembered Martha May’s words at dinner on our first night.
Katy stared at me. “But if they spotted him watching them, he would have been in trouble.”
“Enough trouble to get killed?” I said.
“For the sake of the school’s reputation,” said Cathy, her mouth in a grim, thin line.
Before we could probe further, the kitchen door banged open.
We a
ll turned to see who it was.
Chapter Thirty-two
The two local police officers barged inside the kitchen like they owned the place.
The chief turned to Katy and me, and scowled.
“You two,” he barked. “Did you transport Mr. Brown here after an accident?”
“That’s correct,” I replied, holding my gaze steady.
“Sit down,” he snapped, though we were already seated. “We have some questions for you.”
Cathy raised her eyebrows. The rest of the staff shot him frightened looks.
“You lot,” said the officer, turning to them. “Out.”
Within seconds, the staff had melted away from the kitchen table and disappeared into the back.
Using slow and deliberate movements, the two officers took their seats across from us and opened their notepads. I knew that trick. They were trying to assert authority over us.
Katy and I waited for the barrage of questions I was sure to follow.
It was clear we had irked the chief. For the next ten minutes, he asked the same questions over and over again and we gave the same answers back.
All the while, the image of the principal bribing him whirled around in my brain. I had only Cathy’s word for it, but she had no reason to lie.
At least, from what I could see.
“I know there was a suicide note,” I said, for what felt like the tenth time. “But we don’t think that’s how Jayden died.”
The chief’s scowl deepened.
“That scene was staged,” said Katy.
“Really now? What makes you say that?”
“As we have already mentioned,” I replied, “what most likely happened was someone took the guard’s gun while he was sleeping and shot Jayden. Why won’t you consider that?”
“Because it’s clear as day to me that Mr. Brown shot himself. Any idiot can see that.”
“What about the truck that tried to ram him just now?” said Katy. “Doesn’t that count for something?”
He raised his bushy eyebrows.
“Ah, but I only have your word for that.”
“Didn’t you spot his car rolled over in the ditch when you came over?” I asked. “It was five minutes from here. Surely you didn’t miss it?”
Merciless Crimes: A Thrilling Closed Circle Mystery Series (Merciless Murder Mystery Thriller) Page 13