Stolen Innocents (The Shadow Series Book 2) (23 page)

***

The audience clapped as Hunter McCord walked proudly up the center aisle. He was dressed sharply in a black suit with silk royal blue lapels. He spoke loudly into his microphone as the crowd came alive. Music played from the speakers and everyone rose to their feet. Everyone except Cole, Tristan, Tommy, Blake and Shane. Tommy and Shane booed loudly from the back, but stopped when Tristan elbowed them both.

“Good Mornin’ Everybody! My name is Hunter McCord and I’ve got a message for you! Hugs not Drugs!”

Tommy nearly jumped from his chair in anger. Cole stretched his long arm across his friend to prevent him from getting in even more trouble.

Hunter continued, “Everybody do me a favor! Face the person next to you and give them a hug!”

Cole and Tristan played along, and hugged each other happily. Shane went to give Tommy a bear hug, but was met with a look that said, “Go ahead. I dare you.”

Tommy bluntly said, “Touch me and I’ll give you a brain duster.”

Shane shrugged his shoulders and instead hugged Blake, lifting his scrawny cousin off of his feet.

“Hugs not drugs…” said Cole. “What are we, five?!”

“It’s better than last year’s theme, I guess. Don’t you remember ‘Drugs Are For Thugs’? When Vice Principal Irwin dressed up as a gang member? That was
way
worse.”

“At least that was funny. This is just insulting.”

Tristan took her eyes from her boyfriend and glanced nervously at Tommy. As the presentation continued, he glared at Hunter through his seething rage. Like a ticking time bomb, Tommy was going to go off. It was just a matter of time.

***

Joe flipped the sign in the front door of Monte’s Café from closed to open. He didn’t know if his regulars would come and he felt bad even worrying about it. Roger and Gwen O’Mara had lost a daughter, and he was worrying about sales. He had to shrug it off, though. He had a business to run. Around 10 A.M., many of Joe’s regulars started to crowd the dining room.

“Morning, Joe!” called Reverend Briggs from the front door as a waitress showed him to his usual seat.

“Good Morning, Reverend,” replied Joe. He was surprised how, despite what had just occurred over the weekend, his regular customers were still packing into the dining room.  Committing to take his mind off of his worries, Joe got to work in the kitchen and promised to keep Courtney O’Mara off his mind. No matter how busy he was though, he couldn’t help but worry about Natalie and Tristan’s safety.

Should I tell them to stay away until this is all settled?
Joe thought.

Joe wanted nothing more than for Tristan and Natalie to go to school and go straight back to Jack, away from the dark cloud that now hung over Mountain Road. He would feel better once the creep responsible was behind bars. But until then, what could he do? Joe’s thoughts continued throughout the day, unrelenting and nagging. At least at the restaurant, the girls were under his close, watchful eye. But what about when they left? That is when Joe remembered that Jack was having Tristan and Natalie escorted just about everywhere. Though most people think Jack’s actions were overbearing, he was cautious for good reason. He had lost Tristan once. Both Jack and Joe knew what it was like to lose someone due to another’s careless actions. They would never forgive themselves if it happened again.

***

Hunter managed to calm the crowd down and he now paced the front of the auditorium with a serious look on his face. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up, and he held his microphone just a few inches from his face.

“Let’s get serious for a moment. I went down a dark and dangerous path. I nearly didn’t return. That is why I wanted to talk to you all and to warn you. Don’t take the path I took. Drugs will lead you to the devil’s door. They take your soul and leave you an empty shell that will do anything and everything to get your fix. Don’t do what I did. All my family and friends turned against me. I was lying, stealing, dealing, and eventually flat lining. I nearly died. I sometimes think that the only reason I’m still alive is because God gave me another chance to warn all of you.”

Cole leaned to Tristan who was eyeing Hunter with a look of total disbelief, “Is this guy for real? I feel like I’m watching a televangelist.”

Hunter continued, “I now live a straight edge life. No drinking, no smoking, and no drugs. Do you know why? Because I’m worth it. I deserve a chance to be the best I can be, and you do too!”

Suddenly, a voice rang out over all the rest.

“You’re full of shit, McCord!”

Tristan’s eyes went wide as she looked over at Tommy who had stood up from his seat. His face was red and he was casting a vicious glare at Hunter McCord. Cole and Shane were trying to hold him in place. All eyes were on Tommy.

“You’ve always been a scum bag and you always will be!” Tommy shouted over the crowd at Hunter.

“Let him go…” Tristan urged.

As soon as Shane and Cole let go of Tommy’s arms, he bolted. At first Cole thought he was going to go rip McCord off the stage, but instead he barged out the auditorium side door. He sat on the back steps of the school, waiting for the ridiculous spectacle to end. It took every ounce of strength in his body not to attack McCord right on the stage in front of everyone. The only thing stopping him was the fear of being expelled just days before graduation.

Tristan joined Tommy on the steps, warning the others to stay. Cole, Shane and Blake remained in the auditorium as Tristan requested. Cole refrained from accompanying her this time. He knew the one person who could calm down Tommy was Tristan, and he didn’t want to irritate him further.

Hunter continued, “As that guy just showed, drugs can give you a bad reputation and can cause you to burn a lot of bridges. Don’t lose friends like me. Make the right choices with a clean, straight-edged life.”

“If he’s straight-edge, I’m the damn Pope,” declared Shane to Blake and Cole.

“Pope Kilpatrick. I like it,” said Blake with a laugh.

***

“You are four days from graduation. Seriously?!” complained Tristan as her brother gave her a testy glare.

“I’m sorry, I cannot stomach that!”

“Neither can I.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because he’s a violent drug dealer, and I don’t want him coming after me!” exclaimed Tristan reasonably.

“Let him try to come after me. Especially after what he did to Courtney.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I have a good hunch.”

***

Roger O’Mara walked through the entrance of Monte’s Café with a strained look on his face. He needed to get out of the house, even if it was just for an hour. Gwen had been sobbing on the couch all night long, Ally and Trixie hadn’t left their rooms, saying it was all just too much for them. He had let them stay home so that they did not have to face questions or prying eyes at school. Misty-Lee had slept at her boyfriend’s house last night. She wailed to Roger saying, “It’s just like before, Dad! I can’t do this again!” Roger just needed a break from the stale depressive state that had taken over his house. Joe saw Roger as he walked in and his guilt immediately kicked in. Joe felt so bad for the guy but his guilt was immediately stifled when Roger gave him a faint smile.

“I’m glad to see that you’re back open,” said Roger as he extended his hand to Joe. Joe shook it and returned the smile.

“Please let me know what I can do to help,” offered Joe.

“Actually, you could post one of these for me,” said Roger as he handed a poster to Joe.

“I’m offering a two thousand dollar reward for anyone that has information that leads to the apprehension of the person responsible.”

“Of course. I’ll post it. Leave a stack on the counter too, and I’ll make sure the customers see it.”

Chapter              16

June 19, 2000

Morrow Manor

Fox Hollow, PA

3:10 P.M.

Frank sat at the kitchen table reading the Elkhart Bugle when he began to growl from behind the pages. Jack looked up at his brother-in-law with a glare.

“What now?”

“You haven’t read the paper today, have you?”

“No, I’m trying to avoid it.”

“You’re gonna want to read it today…” Frank said as he tossed the paper to Jack.

On the front page, in big bold letters, the title of the article read, “Three Suspects Revealed in Elkhart Murder.”

In the center of the page, Tommy Morrow, Jesse Trafford and Hunter McCord’s photographs took precedence.

“Goddamn it!”

***

Sergeant DiNolfo waited for Tommy outside of Steeplechase Academy’s main gates when the 3:09 bell rang. His stomach dropped when he saw her standing just outside the wrought-iron gate with her patrol car in the background. He couldn’t read the look on her face, but he knew what this was about. It was his turn to tell her what he knew about Courtney’s murder. Without struggle, Tommy climbed into the back of DiNolfo’s patrol car as Tristan and Cole watched with deep-rooted worry.

***

DiNolfo charged into the interrogation room as she slammed the door behind her. Tommy had never seen her so angry before. Avoiding eye-contact, she grabbed a metal folding chair and sat less than a foot away from Tommy as she shook her head from side to side in disgust. Finally, she looked Tommy dead in his eyes and he immediately wished that she hadn’t. Her dark eyes were an abyss, bereft of emotion. Her usual calm was removed. There was no story behind her eyes, no sense of familiarity. DiNolfo was all business and Tommy would not find a friend in her today.

He shuddered as he thought,
Holy crap.

“Tommy, this is serious shit!” DiNolfo yelled as the atmosphere in the room became bleaker by the second.

“I didn’t do it,” Tommy insisted, defending himself.

“This doesn’t look good
at all
! Your clothes were found at the scene of the crime… A size eleven footprint that matches a pair of boots that you own were found in the mud next to the body… Not to mention reports of domestic disputes just hours before the murder…” protested DiNolfo as her tone became increasingly belligerent.

“I didn’t do it and you know it!” insisted Tommy.

“At this point, all I know is that much of the evidence we’ve bagged up points to you,” said DiNolfo very matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t kill my girlfriend!” yelled Tommy, his patience reaching the breaking point.

DiNolfo picked her chair up, swiftly turned it around and squatted down, aggressively getting as close to Tommy Morrow as she possibly could.

In a cool voice, DiNolfo continued, “Where were you between the hours of 5-7 A.M. on June the seventeenth?”

“Asleep,” Tommy quickly replied.

“Where?” DiNolfo demanded.

“In my sister’s room. In my father’s house. You know. Morrow Manor.”

“Can anyone confirm your whereabouts between the hours of 2 A.M. – 8 A.M. on June seventeenth?”

“Sure. Everyone can confirm because they heard me arguing on the phone with Courtney until about 3 A.M., and then they all saw me at breakfast.”