Murder Is Secondary (3 page)

Chapter 9

Joey stormed into the house, slammed the door, and threw his backpack and gym bag on the floor. “Mom, I’m seriously going to kill Amber with my bare hands,”
 
he said.

Julie came running out of the kitchen. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I got a call from an admissions director at MIT during lunch today. Apparently, they had received a venomous letter saying that I cheated my way to the top of my class, and that I won the National Science Contest because I had stolen the idea from another student. Thank God the admissions officer didn’t buy it and called to warn me. I know it was Amber.”

“That’s unbelievable! I bet we can bring charges against her for this,” said Julie.

“I thought about it,” said Joey, “but remember her dad is a big shot lawyer and I bet he’d figure out a way to weasel out of it. Besides, I don’t have the actual letter. I’ll have to come up with another way to make her pay for this.”

“You’d better call the other colleges you applied to and warn them that this might happen. Who knows what other trouble she’s stirring up?”

“Oh, I will. She’s going to get what’s coming to her one way or another. I’m going to take a shower.” Julie heard the familiar sound of her son punching the bathroom door. She hoped he hadn’t put a hole in it again.

No one is going to interfere with my son’s future
, thought Julie. She rubbed her right hand over the scar on her left wrist as was her habit whenever she got upset.
I did what I did in order to give Joey a shot at a wonderful life. That girl is some piece of work. First she goes after Tank, and now my son
. Julie had grown fond of Tank Copland and hated to see him going through this. She thought about his warm smile, his clear blue eyes, and how he smelled like citrus and fresh cut grass.
Stop,
she thought.
Don’t let yourself go there. You swore you’d never get involved in another relationship
.

Chapter 10

Susan walked through the doors of the media center, determined to find out who else had made accusations against Tank. Surely there would be some clues here as to who she was. As she was shelving books, one of her very favorite past students, Carolina Rogers, walked in. Susan had just recently retired from teaching elementary school music and Carolina had been an enthusiastic chorus member back in Susan’s elementary school days. Carolina’s mother had been the principal of Westbrook Elementary (and Susan’s boss), until she was murdered during last year’s holiday concert. Susan had always been fond of Carolina, but after she solved her mother’s murder, she and Carolina became extremely close.

Carolina didn’t resemble her mother at all. She had inherited her father’s olive skin and shiny black hair. Susan gave her a big hug and exchanged pleasantries. Maybe Carolina would have some information.

“Carolina, what have you heard about this Amber Bernstein and the accusations she made against Mr. Copland?”

“Probably the same things you have. She says he told her that in order to get an ‘A’ in his class, she’d have to work for it––and he didn’t mean by studying.”

“Do you know any girls around the school who might be corroborating her story? Does Amber have any girlfriends?” asked Susan.

“Not really. She had a good friend last year––until Amber slept with her boyfriend. That was quite a drama. Amber posted embarrassing pictures of the guy––drunk and in his underwear––all over
Instagram
the very next day. Wait. She’s been hanging around with that girl Peyton Meyers a lot these days. I don’t get that. Peyton follows her around like some kind of abused puppy dog.”

“Peyton Myers?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I saw Peyton in here this morning. Look. That’s her over there making copies.” Peyton was a petite blond. She was dressed conservatively and wore her hair pulled back with a headband.

Susan was getting a clear and consistent picture of Amber Bernstein. She would try to have a chat with Peyton Myers to see if she could garner any more information.

“Well, Carolina, if you hear anything else, would you give me a call? Mr. Copland is my husband Mike’s best friend and he’s been through a lot. I’m afraid they’re building a case against him and may be arresting him any day.”

“I love Mr. Copland,” replied Carolina. “He was so kind to me last year when my Mom died. If I hear anything I’ll let you know. If anyone can help him, you can. You’re the best, Mrs. W.”

Susan resumed shelving books. After a while, she worked her way towards the front desk and told Janet what Lynette had said. She knew Janet was witness to a myriad of student interactions, seeing as she was in the media center day in and day out. Susan believed she had to stop Tank from being arrested and the best way to do that would be to find the other student who’d lodged an accusation of sexual harassment against him and get her to confess that she was lying.

“Well,” said Janet, “Amber certainly doesn’t have a lot of friends, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s holding something over someone’s head in order to get them to lie and back up her story. That would be very much in character for that girl.”

“Something like what?”

Janet thought about it for a few minutes then said, “Hmm, for example, something happened at the end of last year that really bothered me. Something didn’t seem to fit.”

“What was that?”

“There was a tight group of top students that used to come in and study everyday through their lunch time. They were always working on those advanced placement classes. Through an anonymous tip, it was discovered that some of the kids had been illegally using Adderall––you know, the drug for attention deficit disorder.”

“And what was strange about that? I’ve heard that it’s becoming a problem in many high schools and colleges. The kids take it so they can stay awake all night and study. Whatever happened to coffee and Red Bull?”

“Well,” said Janet, “it’s not the fact that they were using it. It’s the fact that of the five kids who were taking it, four got into big-time trouble, but one girl, Peyton Myers, never did. I probably shouldn’t be speculating, but after that, I began seeing Peyton with Amber––a lot. I had never seen them interacting before the incident. When they were together, it wasn’t how it usually is with teenage girls. They weren’t laughing, giggling, of taking selfies on their phones. They always seemed so serious together. Peyton seemed downright annoyed, maybe even scared of Amber.”

“Do you think maybe Amber helped Peyton get out of trouble with the whole Adderall thing?” said Susan.

“I think it isn’t all that far-fetched, but Amber wouldn’t have done that out of the goodness of her heart. She would have wanted something in return.”

“Are you thinking maybe Peyton issued a statement against Tank and that she was being coerced into it by Amber?”

“That’s my theory. I’ve been media specialist here for nearly thirty years and I’ve learned to read these kids. If not that, then something similar.”

Susan agreed that this seemed quite plausible. “Janet, isn’t that Peyton over by the copy machine?”

“That’s her. Smart girl, nice too. That guy next to her––that’s her new boyfriend. Talk about opposites attracting––that kid was arrested for breaking and entering last year. He has his own parole officer, can you believe it? Tough guy, barely passing his classes. I don’t know what Peyton sees in him.”

“Maybe she thinks she can
save
him. You know how some girls think that with a little love and understanding, they can rescue these bad boys.”

“Who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one who supplied the Adderall.”

“This may just be the lead we’re looking for,” said Susan. She was determined to speak with Peyton Meyers and explore the relationship between her and Amber Bernstein.

Chapter 11

Julie locked the back door to her classroom and started for home.
Wish I didn’t have to walk through all this dirt to get to my path. I’ll be glad when this housing development finally gets built.
She didn’t live far and it was a good way of getting in some daily exercise. Besides, this way, Joey could uses the car after practice.

The sun was low in the sky and the wind was blowing colored leaves from the trees. She knew that soon the time would be changing and she’d be walking home most days in the dark. Julie felt an uneasiness today. Her skin tingled as her mind jumped to the inevitable fear that she’d been living with these past fifteen years. Was she being followed? She heard a crunch as if someone was stepping on the dry leaves behind her on the path. She turned around quickly, but no one was there. She continued, quickening her pace as she walked toward home. She heard a sound and let out an involuntary scream. She had developed quite the startle reflex. The hair on the back of her neck felt prickly.
It’s just my imagination
, she thought.

Ever since Joey had appeared on
Sixty Minutes
a few weeks ago, the old terror had begun haunting her. She tried so hard not to be seen on camera but at one instant, she had turned away from one camera just to find another staring her in the face. She was only on screen for a moment––but still. As she continued, she became more certain that she was being followed. She quickened her pace even more, then went into an all-out run, nearly losing her shoe in the process.
Of course, today would be the day I forget my sneakers,
she thought. And now it was starting to rain. Great. She’d left her rain jacket and umbrella in her classroom. Just a few more minutes and she’d be home. The sun continued to sink into the mountains, but Julie made it home before it grew dark. She locked the door behind her, caught her breath, and turned on the lights. Should she call the police? And say what? That she thought she was being followed home. She certainly couldn’t offer an explanation as to why someone would be stalking her. If it were a robber, or a rapist––both rare phenomena in this town––he surely could have caught up to her. No, she would just sound ridiculous. Maybe she was just imagining it after all. But what if she wasn’t?
Maybe I’ll give Susan a call,
she thought. Her daughter is a detective. Maybe she’ll come over and have an unofficial look around for me.

Chapter 12

“Look, Susan, I know this might sound crazy, but I think someone followed me on the way home. I was wondering if Lynette could come over. I don’t want to call the police about this because I don’t exactly know what I would say. It could be my imagination. Maybe she could look around outside.”

Susan was anxious to help. She began to call Lynette but then stopped.
She’s probably exhausted after working all day,
thought Susan. She and the baby need their rest. Mike isn’t home yet. Maybe I’ll just go by and see if I can take a look around. After all, Julie lives practically around the corner. Susan put on her sweater and headed to Julie’s apartment. She called Julie on the way to tell her she was coming alone. Joey answered the door.

“Susan, thanks for coming,” said Julie, appearing behind her son. “You were right––we can handle this without bothering Lynette. Here, I have a couple of flashlights. Joey’s going to help us.” Julie handed a flashlight to Susan and another to Joey. “I hope it doesn’t rain.” She grabbed her keys and they stepped outside.

“I think we should start by retracing your path back toward the school,” said Susan. “Scan the ground and alongside the road as we go.” The trio slowly and carefully proceeded. Streetlights kept the sidewalk well lit, but once they veered onto the dirt path, the flashlights proved to be essential.

“Hey, shine your lights over here,” said Joey. “There’s something shiny.”

“I see it,” said Julie.

He brushed leaves away from the base of an oak tree with his bare hands while the two women shined their lights at the trunk. The wind began to pick up.

“What is that?” asked Julie.

“Where?” said Susan. Joey began wiping away the dirt and leaves. He picked up an object.

“Oh, it’s just an empty soda can,” replied Joey. They continued along the path. Susan kicked small piles of dead leaves that were in the path, while Julie scanned the wooded area alongside it. Susan buttoned her sweater.
Maybe fall was coming after all,
she thought.

A car with its headlights on high beam passed along the road through the wooded area. Julie jumped when she heard it speed by.

“Look over here,” said Susan. She shined the flashlight on an oversized boot print. “Surely your feet aren’t this big,” she said to Julie.

“I didn’t notice that before. It looks as if someone was going toward my house.”

“It must be recent,” said Susan. “Look here, coming out of that puddle. There are more wet prints. It rained this afternoon. If the prints had been there earlier, they would have gotten washed away.”

“It hasn’t been long since Mom came home and this path hardly gets much use,” said Joey.

They continued along the path until they were at the construction site and could see the back door of Julie’s classroom.

“I see boot prints in the dirt heading behind those trees. It looks as if someone wanted to stay hidden until Julie passed and they could follow,” said Susan. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t your imagination after all, no siree. Do you have any idea who may be following you?”

Julie hesitated and rubbed her wrist. “No, I can’t think of anyone at all.”