by Kristi Rose
13
Friday
From the driver’s seat of his patrol cruiser, Leo propositioned me.
Well, he propositioned the private investigator me.
“I’m riding out to the Danners. Need to talk to Laura about Levi. How about you come along and see if you can get some questions answered about Josh.”
My response was to climb into the passenger seat. The last few nights’ sleep had been fleeting. Instead of lying there frustrated, I’d tried to build a picture of Principal Josh. I began by taping evidence of his scams to my wall. The invoice from June’s. The invoice for water, billed to the school board for twenty cases and dated the day of the festival. The picture I took from inside his closet. The sketch I’d made of his office the day he’d died.
I liked this guy less every day, though I didn’t see anything worth murdering over.
My main objective with Laura was to find out if Josh replaced the things he took. He’d had plenty of time. And to ask what else he helped himself to besides water, batteries, and gasoline.
The Danners lived on five acres of land close to Wind River’s city limits. What once looked like lots of open space and a simple house, I now saw as potential to be self-sufficient in a disaster. Specifically, an erupting volcano. Off from the road were three buildings. The house, a barn, and the business, a square concrete building. Cows and goats roamed the large fenced spaces between the house and the business.
At the entrance to their driveway, a dirt road, stood a large sign for Danner Pest Control with a picture of a stink bug toting a large arrow on its back that pointed to the driveway. The drive was a long road that split about a quarter of a mile down. To the left was the business and to the right was the house. We went left.
The business was a brown, square, one-story building. An area in front of the office had been graveled, and large wood parking stops shaped like logs marked six spots. One was taken.
The house, a simple well-maintained ranch was painted a rusty red with white trim. A large barn painted the same colors stood a football field’s length behind it.
I was curious about Laura Danner and her children, specifically Levi. From my limited exposure, the kid hadn’t been happy with Josh and his philandering, help-himself ways.
“June said Laura and Carl were big on being self-sufficient.” I pointed out the window. “They’re way better prepared than I am. I mean, I’m good with nature stuff, knowing what’s safe to eat, making a fire, so I’d do okay in a zombie apocalypse. But should a volcano erupt and there were no grocery stores, I’d be up a creek.”
Leo scratched his head, giving my statement thought. “That probably comes from Carl and Laura’s background. Both are Cowlitz, and as a tribe, we pride ourselves on being prepared for all possibilities.”
I needed to be prepared on so many levels in my life.
“Did you know Levi Danner got in Josh’s face at the Fall Festival?”
Leo shook his head.
“What’s Levi like?”
Leo shrugged. “Laura and Carl worked hard at their company, and now she does twice the work since Carl died. She’s trying to get Levi involved, but he’s going through his own stuff from losing his dad. It’s hard being fifteen with no man around to guide a young boy. And I can’t see Levi opening up to Josh and letting him in. He’s known me his entire life, and I struggle to get through to him.”
“He’s not gonna warm up to a man helping himself to his family’s cache.”
Leo grunted. “True. Levi was arrested a month ago for shoplifting. Was running with a bad crowd. I wonder if there’s a correlation between that and Josh coming into his mom’s life?” He arched a brow at me.
I wrote the question in my pocket notepad. “Or at the very least it started when Levi noticed Josh was helping himself to their stash. How is Laura keeping Levi out of trouble?”
“He’s been doing community service with me, helping at a soup kitchen, working on the reservation, helping with small construction projects, and he plays on my weekend flag football team.”
I swiveled in my seat to face him, hurt that this was the first I was hearing about his weekend activities. “What? You have a team? How did I not know about this?” I loved playing football.
“Because it’s for teens. Something for them to get involved in because they don’t want to do it at the high school level.” He gave a nonchalant shrug. “So I run a weekend game. I have enough teens to have two teams.”
“You do this by yourself?”
“Oliver Gee from the station and Tupi Wildhorse help. When Hue’s home, I get him involved.” Hue was Leo’s kid brother and one of my closest friends. Tupi was the high school mechanics teacher. He was Leo’s age, and his first name was Herman, which he hated. He used his middle name instead. Tupi also belonged to the same find-Bigfoot-research team as Precious.
“Hue knows you have a flag football team and never told me? I’d love to help. I could even be a ref or something.” I was kinda iffy on the rules of flag football, but I could study up. I’m sure there were videos about such a job. I preferred the competition of the game. And winning. I liked to win.
“Yeah, that’ll be a hard no. You become a crazy person when your team isn’t winning. Besides, when you go to prison, you can get your own team there.” He gave me a large open mouth grin.
I wasn’t sure which fight I should pick first.
“Look, we’re here,” he said, feigning mock surprise, and put the SUV in parked.
Like I didn’t know this was some dumb attempt to stop the discussion. The man was a chicken.
“I’m not done with you,” I said.
“I’m not worried,” he said while opening his car door.
“You should be,” I mumbled then got out of the car.
I didn’t know what to expect from Laura now that my dad’s story was out. No telling how she’d react to me being the person of interest in the death of the guy she was dating.
Leo held the door open, and we went inside. The lobby was a standard square with a counter at the center and two offices on the right side. Each office had a door and a large window. The first office was dark, the door closed. The second was lit up.
Levi was at the counter, looking less than thrilled. His eyes lit up when he saw Leo.
“Hey, Coach, what up?” He gave him a chin nod. “I mean, Officer.”
Leo extended his hand to shake. “Levi, nice to see you helping your mom. I hope your knee’s feeling better. We have a big game this weekend.”
Levi’s eyes narrowed.
Leo continued. “Last time we played Tupi’s team, they beat us.”
“We’re gonna take them this time, Coach.” His words were heavy with determination.
Leo crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels. “I sure hope so. Because I bet Tupi that losers have to buy the burgers, and I’m counting on that coming from his wallet.”
Levi pounded his hand into his fist. “You got it, Coach. We’ll make them eat it.” He laughed.
At first glance, his shaggy hair, slouchy jeans that looked like highwaters but were all the rage these days, and a Prince T-shirt gave Levi a casual, sloppy appearance.
But his mannerisms said otherwise. He surveyed the room under a slit gaze, as if expecting something to pop out. His hands, when not in use, were fisted, and his shoulders were hiked to his ears.
Anger. The kind a kid gets when they think the world is out to get them. I’d been familiar with that type of anger myself. Maybe that’s why I could see it.
But all that aside, Levi Danner’s one positive attribute was his desire to please his coach. He held on to every word Leo said and was quick to assure Leo he wouldn’t let him down.
Leo cupped Levi on the shoulder. “I’d love to talk strategy with you, Levi, you’ve got a sharp mind for it, but I need to speak with your mom.”
A slight pink erupted on Levi’s cheeks, and he ducked his head to hide it. “She’s in her office. Just knock.” H
e pointed to the office with the lights on.
Leo led the way and did the knocking. Through the window, Laura gestured for Leo to come in. When I walked in behind him, Laura looked surprised.
Leo started the conversation. “Laura, I have a few questions for you. Is this a bad time?”
She looked between Leo and me.
“A few questions about what?” She eased out of her chair and looked out the window toward Levi.
Leo rushed to say, “Oh, no. It’s not about Levi. He’s doing great.”
She collapsed back in her chair with relief. “I thought maybe he was in trouble again.”
Leo said, “This is about Josh Chapman.”
Again, she looked between me and Leo before saying, “And she murdered him.”
Leo shot me an apologetic look. But before I could say anything, Levi came into the office.
He said, “Mom, I gotta run.” He glanced at me. “I got that thing.”
She nodded. “Okay, but come right back when it’s over. You’re still grounded from using the car for anything but errands.”
Levi’s shoulders slumped. “Fine,” he said. I envision the eye roll. He clomped out her office.
Laura said to Leo, “I’m not comfortable with her being here. You have questions? Fine. But why is she here?”
“Because I’m being accused, and I know I didn’t do it,” I said. “I’m trying to figure out who did.”
“Said the woman who married a crook. Or pretended to be married to him,” Laura said.
Not that I knew he was a crook when I married him. He had to die for me to find out the truth.
Laura continued, “Besides, lots of people in prison say they’re innocent.”
She had a point. There was an entire podcast series about such issues.
“I’ll go wait outside.” I gestured toward the door and his cruiser. Leo and I had discussed this in advance in case Laura wouldn’t be welcoming. Our end game was to get answers.
Outside, Levi was skirting around the building. I followed the teen.
I found him on the backside, the aroma of tutti-fruity wafting in the air, and he was righting a large rusty tin bucket.
“Dude,” I said. “Haven’t you heard how bad those things are? Like, no joke. People are dying from something called vaping lung disease. It’s been in the news.” I remembered what June said about Levi leaving behind some vape juice vials.
Poor kid nearly choked on the pen from surprise. In his haste to block the bucket he ended up turning it over displaying his hidden stash of vape vials. He quickly reset it then swiped a vape pen from his mouth and tried to hide it in the folds of his hand.
He stood stock straight. “I don’t watch the news.”
“Well, when you have adult vices, maybe you should develop some adult habits to keep yourself informed. Just a thought.”
“You gonna narc me out?” He toyed with the vape pen.
“I won’t tell your mom.” I leaned up against the wall.
“Yeah, like I believe that.” He stared down at his hand. “You going to say something like, ‘I won’t have to because you’ll tell her.’”
The kid was snotty, but there was an underlying tone of fear in his voice. Personally, I believed if a child still feared their parent, then there was hope for the child.
“No, I’m not going to say that.” I didn’t point out I hadn’t said I wouldn’t tell Leo. “You should at least google the stories. They’re scary.”
He nodded, perhaps his way of saying he would. Teens were hard to read. “You’re the girl who killed Principal Josh, right?” He side-eyed me as he relaxed against the wall, tucking his vape pen away.
“I’m the girl who was in his office when he died, but I didn’t kill him.” I was getting used to saying this. “He was dating your mom, right?” Weird that Levi called him Principal Josh.
“Was. But she dumped his sorry ass—I mean butt. Sorry.” He stared at his hand, likely jonesing for a puff of his pen.
“Was this before or after he took your mom’s water, batteries, and gas?”
Levi straightened. “How’d you know about that?”
“I was there when you confronted him at the fair.” I mimed like I was taking pictures. Levi nodded in understanding.
“Principal Josh was a dirtbag. He didn’t deserve my mom.”
Said like a kid who wanted the one thing he couldn’t have, his father.
“She seemed mad about the water.” I was hoping the kid would open up a bit.
Levi shrugged.
I pointed to the barn. “Is that where you all keep everything? You know, I keep seeing articles about how St. Helens could erupt again or Rainer, which means Tacoma would be G.O.N.E. Gone. Stockpiling is smart. I just don’t know where to start.”
There was a long pause before Levi said, “There are books out there. Good ones to get you started. There’s no shame in being prepared.”
“None,” I agree.
“But Principal Josh used to tease us. Saw no point. Even broke the lock when he took the water.”
“Did he fix it when he replaced the water?” I still didn’t have my initial question answered.
Levi scoffed. “Mom kicked him to the curb right after. I guess that’s why he never bothered to replace the water or the lock.”
“And then he died,” I said.
“Because you killed him.”
“I didn’t kill him,” I said in protest. “Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere?” This kid irritated me.
Levi snorted. “Juvie for rich kids, but I doubt it matters right now because my teacher died.”
I gasped. “Your teacher died?”
“Yeah, because you killed him.” Levi laughed.
The pieces came together.
“You’re in the Recoded and Reshape Community Program?”
Levi nodded but wouldn’t meet my eyes. Ashamed maybe?
“Is there a kid named Troy Gunn in your class?”
Levi pushed off the wall and stepped away. “I dunno. I’m not allowed to talk to the other losers.”
I let him go, watched him walk across the field to his house. I stared at the barn. What did it look like inside with the Danner family stockpile?
“Samantha?” Leo called from the front of the building.
I pushed off the wall and went back to the front.
First thing I did inside the cruiser was narc out Levi and the vaping.
14
Friday
After Leo deposited me off at my apartment, I opened the door to find Toby and Precious lounging in my living room. I tossed my backpack to the floor and went to the fridge for a green apple kombucha.
“We’re going on a field trip,” Precious squealed as she jumped to her feet.
“Field trip?” I glanced at Toby. A vape pen dangled from his lips. I assumed it was empty. Lady M was cocooned in her banana-shaped pouch that hung from around his neck. Toby might not vape with addictive juice, but obviously the act of vaping was a habit.
A quick glance at my watch told me we were just after high time. “Are we cutting into your private driver time?”
“Dudette, who cares about private driver when there’s a field trip?” He puffed on his pen. The smell of biscuits and gravy filled the air.
I gasped. “Are you kidding me? People are dying from vaping, and you can’t even go,”—I counted on my fingers the days since we all met— “three days? Are you crazy? You say there’s no nicotine in there, but clearly you’re addicted.”
Precious pointed a finger at Toby and laughed. “Told you she’d flip out.”
Toby stroked Lady M. “Chill.” He patted down the air in a way to emphasize I needed to simmer down.
I crossed my arms.
Toby tapped the vial. “It’s an old vial. Found it rolling around in my car.” He puffed in defiance.
“Oh, well, in that case, an old vial is fine. I mean, these toxic vials could have been around for a year and only started coming
out on the market based on shipping and store stocking.” I turned to Precious. “The news hasn’t said for sure how old or new the vials are, right?”
She sat on the couch and tucked her feet under her. “Nope. Only that people were dying.”
We both gave Toby a pointed look.
He sighed and whipped off the lanyard attached the pen. “Fine.” He handed me the vial.
“Thank you. Besides, the smell of biscuits and gravy is making me hungry. Okay, tell me about this field trip.” I tucked the vial in a junk drawer in my kitchen.
“I got the video from Chuck’s. Took forever. He sent it over during high time. I was eating Doritos and chilling and thought what the heck? It’s not like I had to be overly observant. I needed to catch someone jack open a trunk. So I gave it a look-see. Boom. Right in living color. Chick gets out, pops open the car with an auto slim jim in, seriously, three seconds. She reaches in, pulls the trunk latch, then locks the car behind her,” Toby said. “A pro.”
I said to Precious. “Remind me to put a slim jim in my toolbox.”
She kicked her legs onto my coffee table. “Already ordered one.”
Toby snapped his fingers to get our attention. “Here’s where the pro goes amateur stupid. She takes the briefcase and gets back in her car, a beat-up Rav-4. Then she does a U-ey right there in front of the market. Clear shot of her license plate front and back. Took me five minutes to track it on the DMV site.”
Precious gushed, “It belongs to someone who knew Principal Josh back when he lived on the peninsula.”
I said, “Any chance her name is Jenna Miller?”
Surprise showed on both Precious and Toby’s faces.
Precious asked, “How did you know?”
I leaned against the bar. “She had an appointment with Gillian and was a no show.”
Precious clasped her hands together in excitement. “She’s our field trip destination.”
I shook my head. “The last field trip we went on Toby was shot. This Jenna Miller was watching Gillian for an opportunity to take her briefcase. How far would she have gone to get that briefcase had Gillian not put it in her trunk and gone into the market? It would be stupid to assume she’s not dangerous.”