Merciless Crimes: A Thrilling Closed Circle Mystery Series (Merciless Murder Mystery Thriller)

by Tikiri Herath

  “Haven’t any of them complained?” I asked.

  “Peer pressure’s a pretty good motivator at that age, isn’t it?” replied Cathy. “If the popular kids are smoking, drinking, taking drugs, and having sex with the hottest teacher in school, the others are going to feel left out.”

  “These rich girls can do whatever they want,” said Lou-Anne. “They’re not like us. My ma would have taken the belt to me if I drank when I was their age. They live a glamorous life.”

  Glamorous?

  Katy and I stared at her in disbelief.

  I suddenly realized why they didn’t seem as horrified as we were. It wasn’t the extra cash they made, and it wasn’t apathy either.

  If the students of this school came from the upper strata of society, everyone in this kitchen came from the bottom. The girls were different in their eyes, so different they might as well have come from another planet.

  So, they tolerated the intolerable, shrugging it off as what rich folk do.

  Seeing our faces, Cathy gave us a glum look.

  “What do you want us to do? We just work here.”

  Chapter Forty-four

  Two plates with French toast appeared on the table.

  “Thanks, Harry,” I said, as the sous chef turned back to his stove.

  “Eat before it gets cold,” said Cathy, pushing a bottle of maple syrup toward me. “We may not be able to help those girls, but we can cook up a good meal.”

  I wasn’t hungry, but they were opening up to us.

  “What can you tell us about Nick Davies?” I asked, pouring the syrup on my toast.

  “He’s sort of new too. Been here two years.”

  “What’s his background? He looks like the most unlikely assistant to a private school.”

  “Oh, you’re wrong about that,” said Cathy. “He’s the perfect assistant. Ms. May loves him. Treats him like her favorite and he stays loyal, just like a pet.”

  “Nick and Sally seem to be quite close,” said Katy.

  A few heads nodded around the kitchen.

  “They’re together all the time,” said Lou-Anne. “I serve their table, and I hear them whispering every night.”

  “Didn’t Sally go to school here?” I asked.

  “Oh, little Sally,” said Cathy with a sigh. “She was such a sweet kid.”

  “A scholarship student?” I said.

  Cathy nodded.

  “She wasn’t like the others. Nice and polite, until…” She stopped and looked away.

  I leaned over.

  “Until what?”

  “Something bad happened,” said Cathy, not looking at us anymore. “She changed. Became this strange, quiet kid. Stopped laughing and playing like usual.”

  I’d bet I knew when that change happened.

  “That was when her best friend disappeared from school, right?” I said. “We read something about it in the papers.”

  Cathy nodded, staring at her mug.

  “Did you know Clara Smith?” asked Katy.

  “She and Sally were like twins,” said Cathy. “They shared a room and did everything together. They even looked so much alike, we thought they were sisters at first.”

  “It wasn’t like they had anyone else to hang out with,” said Harry. “They weren’t cut from the same cloth as the other kids, if you get my drift.”

  I nodded.

  “Poor Clara was only here for a few months,” said Cathy. “Then she was gone. So bizarre, there was a rumor going around it was bad spirits.”

  “Bad spirits?” I said, raising an eyebrow. More like bad humans, I thought, but I kept that to myself.

  Cathy shrugged.

  “Does anyone know what happened to her?” I asked.

  “A couple of cops came and did a search, but they never found her,” replied Harry. “They didn’t seem very confident, to tell you the truth.”

  “What do you think really happened?” I asked.

  The kitchen went silent.

  “Ran away from a bad place,” said the sous chef, finally.

  “Clara didn’t fit in here,” said Cathy. “Sally didn’t either. They were like lost ducklings. No one to turn to. The other girls were rough with them. It got real mean at one point.”

  “How mean?” asked Katy.

  “You’ve seen Isabella, haven’t you?” said Lou-Anne, refilling our coffee cups.

  Katy and I nodded.

  “There’s an Isabella in this school every year I’ve been here,” said Cathy. “It was the worst the year Sally and Clara joined. I’ve been here forever, so I’ve seen it all.”

  “What did they do to them?” I asked.

  Cathy looked away and sighed, like she didn’t want to relive bad memories.

  “I wish I had a stronger spine and enough cash. Then I’d get away from this godforsaken school and town. Take my family down to sunny California or something.”

  “Me too,” said Lou-Anne. “Wish I could run away like Brianna did.”

  No one spoke for a while.

  All I could hear was the dishes clinking, water running, and Harry’s spatula scraping against the skillet.

  Katy and I ate, letting the quietness settle around us. It was like everyone was lost in their thoughts, coming up with their own version of escape plans from their bondage.

  “Was Brianna being bullied?” I asked, finally.

  “At the beginning, like every new girl,” replied Cathy.

  “Did she have a fight with Ruby or Tom?”

  Cathy shook her head.

  “Do you know if she had a boyfriend in town?”

  The head cook looked up at her staff. “Hey, y’all know anything about Brianna’s friends outside of school?”

  A chorus of “no” came from different parts of the kitchen.

  “None of us have seen him, just heard about him from Isabella,” said Cathy.

  It seemed like everyone in this school held a little piece of the puzzle. I was having a hard time figuring out what was missing and how to put it all together to make a coherent picture.

  “Do you know why Sally Robertson would come back?” I asked, trying a different avenue.

  “What do you mean?” asked Cathy.

  “Why would she return to a place full of bad memories?”

  “Been wondering that myself,” she said, looking thoughtfully at her cup. “She has a good degree. Could have found a job anywhere.”

  “Do you think she came back to take revenge for what happened to her friend?”

  The entire kitchen turned my way. I stared back. They knew much more than they were sharing.

  “She’s angry at someone and she’s here to get back at them, right?” I said, scanning their faces. “Who’s she mad at? Martha May?”

  I detected a flicker of fear in Cathy’s eyes.

  “Who knows? This is nothing more than village gossip.”

  She stirred and got up from her seat.

  “Morning’s half gone and I’ve so much to do today,” she mumbled, stepping up to the kettle and turning it on.

  As if a magic spell had been broken, everyone went back to their duties, and the sound of taps washing dishes and the spatula against the pan resumed.

  I was glad Cathy’s dismissal was much gentler than Martha May’s. But the message was just as clear. Our chitchat was over.

  Thanking her for breakfast, Katy and I turned around to leave.

  We’d just stepped out of the kitchen when we saw Nick Davies dart through the corridor away from us.

  Katy and I stopped and watched him scurrying along the corridor.

  “I’d bet you he was listening in just now,” whispered Katy.

  Chapter Forty-five

  Ever since I met Nick Davies, I’d felt something odd.

  He was a meek and loyal employee to the principal and deadly scared of the students, but he was hiding something.

  Just like everyone else here.

  Nick scurried through the corridor toward the front entranc
e. We followed him silently, pacing ourselves. The main doors closed as we turned the corner.

  “He’s left the building,” whispered Katy.

  After waiting a moment, I pulled the front door open and peeked out. Other than the security guard dozing in his chair, there was no one else outside.

  Where did that man go?

  The guard jerked awake as we stepped out.

  “Hey,” I said with a friendly smile. “All good here?”

  “Can’t complain,” he replied, in a croaky voice.

  Katy grabbed my arm.

  “I see him,” she whispered in my ear. “Going around the building.”

  “Have a good day now,” I said, with another smile and wave at the guard.

  He gave us a salute.

  “You ladies take care.”

  Leaving him to get back to his nap, Katy and I stepped down and traced Nick’s footsteps along the east wing.

  There were two main entrances to the school building. One was through the kitchen’s back door and the other at the front.

  If Nick was sneaking through the front and taking the longer way to the back, it was because he hadn’t wanted anyone to see him.

  “Isn’t he in a hurry?” said Katy as we reached the end of the wall. We stopped at the corner and peered out.

  Nick had picked up his pace.

  After scanning the area for unwanted observers, we followed the path that curved around the building.

  Walking by the sports center gave me flashbacks of our first night when we patrolled the school with Jayden. A twinge of sadness crossed my heart.

  Jayden didn’t deserve to die like this.

  The more I thought about it, the more certain I was he didn’t kill himself. Someone had considered his life disposable. He had been eliminated to stop him from talking.

  About what? Or whom?

  That was the question I needed to figure out.

  And now, more than ever, I was determined to find out.

  “He’s heading toward the lake,” whispered Katy, as we hurried to not lose sight of Nick in the distance. “What’s he going to do there?”

  The trail looped around the lake and had little shelter from trees. We were out in the open. If Nick stopped and looked behind, he could have easily spotted us.

  Feeling eyes on my back, I twisted around.

  But I couldn’t see anything.

  If anyone was watching from the windows of the building, they’d spot us in a heartbeat.

  I motioned to Katy to get off the trail.

  We scampered toward the trees that lined the perimeter of the lake, keeping a sharp eye on Nick’s silhouette.

  The fallen leaves had created a damp carpet on the forest floor, a beautiful motif of blood-red and fiery orange that absorbed the sound of our footsteps. I took in the cool fresh air around us, glad we were dressed in warm gear and hadn’t forgotten our hiking boots.

  We hurried along the tree line, staying in the shadows.

  “He has company,” whispered Katy.

  Someone was waiting for him at the other end of the lake.

  We needed to get closer to see.

  I tapped on Katy’s shoulder and pointed at the rowing shed.

  Saying a quick prayer under my breath and hoping Nick and his companion wouldn’t look our way, I cut through the woods toward the back of the shed with Katy.

  I didn’t breathe until we stepped through the back door.

  It was dark inside, but I didn’t dare turn the light on.

  Rows of canoes and kayaks were stacked along the wall and racks of oars, lifesavers, and floating vests lined the floor. We tiptoed around the equipment and crept toward the front to get a better look at Nick and his friend.

  “Is that Sally?” said Katy, peeking out from the edge of the window.

  I crouched on the other side of the bay window that looked out to the lake.

  “Wait,” I said, seeing his companion more clearly now. “That’s Isabella.”

  She didn’t look happy. She was gesturing wildly, pointing at Nick, as if she was accusing him of something. Nick put his hands up, as if to protest.

  Nick no longer looked like the meek assistant. Whatever they were discussing was serious business to both of them.

  “Wish I could hear them,” said Katy.

  “If Win had come with us,” I said, “she could have brought her fancy gear.”

  “Her spy equipment?”

  “Would have made our lives a lot easier.”

  “Hey, Nick’s leaving,” said Katy. “He looks mad. Maybe she won the argument, after all.”

  Nick spun around and marched back toward the school, leaving Isabella stomping her feet and shouting something at him. They were both fuming.

  My curiosity grew.

  Katy and I crouched lower as Nick got closer.

  My heart raced as I realized he could cut through the rowing shed as a shortcut back to the school. We could hide behind the kayak racks, but it wouldn’t take a lot to find us in here.

  I slipped my hand into my vest and pulled out my Glock. I wasn’t about to make stupid assumptions now.

  It was so much easier to fight thugs and gangsters. You always knew where you stood with them. You knew who the bad guys were and who the good guys were. Civilian situations were confusing, because I never knew till the very end who the villain was.

  Nick got closer.

  I gripped my gun tighter.

  Chapter Forty-six

  Nick Davies walked briskly along the trail straight back toward the school, oblivious to our presence inside the shed.

  We watched in relief as he retraced his path and disappeared behind the sports center.

  We turned back to Isabella.

  She was on her phone now, either messaging someone or looking something up. She looked like a schoolgirl waiting for the bus, the way she was casually leaning against that tree at the edge of the forest.

  We watched her, waiting.

  Fifteen minutes later, I’d begun to feel the cramps in my thighs, and that girl was still on her phone.

  “For heaven’s sake,” said Katy. “What’s she doing? Playing Civilization IV?”

  Another ten minutes and we were still crouching behind the window.

  “Is she going to stand there all week?” grumbled Katy.

  “Remember when we used to stake out traffickers in Nairobi? We’d hang out all day.”

  “That was different. We were younger. Second, they were human traffickers. Not a silly high school kid. She’s a bully but not a worthwhile target.”

  “I wouldn’t speak so quickly,” I said and stopped. “Wait, she’s moving.”

  We peeked through the sides of the window.

  To my surprise, Isabella turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the school.

  “She’s heading into the woods?” said Katy in a shocked voice. “All by herself?”

  “There must be something in there,” I said, feeling my heart beat a tick faster. “We should have checked out the woods the first day.”

  “Didn’t we have our hands full with two suspicious deaths, a crazy midnight hazing ritual, and a downright nasty principal?”

  Katy was right, but I wondered if we’d been so distracted that we’d missed the clues that would lead us to what really was going on in this place.

  “What’s she doing, walking in there alone? She’s not even dressed for it in that short skirt and school shoes,” said Katy. “It’s a rain forest, for heaven’s sake.”

  “Let’s find out what she’s up to,” I said, straightening up and stepping toward the door.

  After a quick glance to make sure no one was watching, Katy and I stepped out and gently closed the shed door behind us.

  We stuck to the tree line, keeping an open line of sight to the trail on our left. Dodging tree trunks and squeezing in between thorny bushes, we wandered further and further into the thicket.

  I kept one eye firmly on the left, where I could
make out the faint outline of the young girl as she traipsed through the woods.

  It was an eerie place.

  These woods.

  Leaves fell gently around us. Gnarly branches twisted around us, like ghostly arms ready to snap us up.

  The feeling of eyes on my back never left me. I swiveled my head from side to side with every step, gripping my weapon, ready for anything to jump out.

  I tried to recall the wild animals that inhabited this part of the county.

  Coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and black bears. Those, we could handle. Even the bears. Thank goodness they don’t have grizzlies in New England, I thought as I stepped around an oak tree.

  It was the humans we had to be careful of here.

  But, other than the sound of our boots softly crunching on the dead leaves, the woods were silent.

  We kept walking.

  It was a good twenty minutes when we lost sight of Isabella’s silhouette altogether.

  There was no way for us to search for her without exposing our presence.

  I stopped and scanned the area.

  We were in the thick of the woods now. We’d been heading north, in the same direction the girl had gone, but it was hard to say which way was which anymore.

  We stood and listened for a moment, to see if we could hear the girl.

  But it was deadly silent.

  “The trail vanished a while back,” whispered Katy, standing close to me, and giving an unnerved look about her. “How do we find our way back now?”

  I pulled my phone out from my vest pocket and sighed in relief. The reception bars were green. If worse came to worst, we could call for help.

  I clicked on the compass app. It took a few tries, but the needle finally rested in place.

  “We’re not far from the school,” I said. “If we head south for twenty minutes, we should get back on the trail that loops around the lake.”

  “But where did that girl go?” said Katy, frowning, swiveling her head. “How in heck does she find her way around in this place?”

  “She must know the woods well,” I replied. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come in here by herself like that.”

  “Do we press on?” said Katy with a resigned sigh.

  I was about to answer, when my phone buzzed, making us both jump.