It was obvious the young man was waiting for her to speak. “How terrible.” She forced out a few more tears. “Would it be all right if I made a call?”
He frowned and she hurried to explain. “To my grandmother, Aunt Esther’s sister.”
“Sorry, the phone’s not working. It looks like maybe she tripped and yanked the jack from the wall. Would you like to come to the station to make the call?”
“Could I take a quick look around? Aunt Esther was getting some . . . ah . . . family papers together for me and I really need them right away.” Skye couldn’t believe she was this calm and thinking so clearly.
“Well, I shouldn’t . . .”
Skye moved closer and looked at him through her eyelashes. “I understand. You don’t really have the authority to make decisions . . . it’s just that I need those papers for a scholarship. If I don’t turn in my application by tomorrow I’ll lose my chance.”
“Oh . . . go ahead. As long as I see whatever you want to remove.”
I’m really sorry for the trouble he’s going to get into for being so nice to me.
She smiled gratefully and headed to the room Miss Prynn had indicated yesterday was where she kept her records. Several rows of filing cabinets lined the wall of what was intended to be a bedroom. A cursory glance told Skye that the system appeared to be alphabetical. She went straight to the L’s. The drawers weren’t locked and the files were all neatly arranged.
Skye took a tissue from her pocket and used it to rifle past Leanardo, Lemons, and stop at Levins. Where was Leofanti? She quickly checked for a misfile but found nothing. Taking a breath, she looked once again, this time noticing an empty hanging file where Leofanti would go.
Did that mean Miss Prynn had been murdered? But by whom? Simon and Doc Zello were the only ones who knew of Skye’s interest in finding her. Did Doc have something to hide? Skye shook her head. No, that was silly. He wouldn’t have given out her address. And Simon had no motive at all.
The officer was clearing his throat and Skye swiftly closed the drawer and joined him in the living room. “Guess she didn’t have a chance to get what I needed together. I don’t suppose I could look around for the papers.”
The young man shook his head. “Sorry, we have to go to the station now.”
“Thanks anyway.”
“Sorry. Do you want to follow me to the station or would you rather ride along with me? I’ll make sure you get a lift back to your car.”
“I’ll follow you.” Skye hoped she could slip away without his noticing. “But give me the address just in case we get separated.”
He took out his card and jotted the information on the back. “I’ve got to lock up. I’ll meet you by the steps.”
Skye waited for the officer to turn away from the front door. She ran to her car, dove inside, and made an illegal U-turn. Taking a right at the next corner, she prayed the young man hadn’t noticed the make and license plate of her vehicle.
As soon as Skye was sure she wasn’t being followed, she stopped at the first working public phone. Using the card the police officer had given her, she placed an anonymous call telling him to look for jatropha curcas poisoning in Miss Prynn’s death.
It took her a long time to drive back to Scumble River. She’d gotten thoroughly lost trying to escape from the police. When she glanced at her watch as she pulled into her driveway she was startled to see that it was ten to one. She had five minutes to prepare to meet with the superintendent.
She was back in the car in three minutes, having only grabbed her briefcase and checked her answering machine. There was no message from Simon.
Scumble River High School was deserted for summer vacation. This time of year it was typical for the only people in the building to be administration and custodial.
The outer office was empty when she arrived, so she knocked on the superintendent’s door.
When she got no answer, she slipped into the adjoining rest room, glad for the chance to freshen up.
A few minutes later Skye heard the thumping of people knocking into furniture and the loud laughter of the inebriated. She opened the door a crack and peered out.
Dr. Wraige and Karolyn passed by, arms around each other. Their faces were flushed and a wave of alcohol fumes rolled over Skye as they went by the rest room. Wraige whispered into the redhead’s ear before kissing her neck. She giggled in response. Skye’s mouth dropped open.
The superintendent proceeded into his office and the secretary sat down at her desk.
Great. Now how do I get out of here without Karolyn realizing I witnessed their little love scene? Skye wondered.
Minutes ticked by and Skye was keenly aware that she was now late for her appointment to be fired. She was about to push open the door and test her acting ability when she heard the phone buzz and Mr. Wraige’s voice ordering Karolyn into his office.
As soon as the secretary disappeared into the other room, Skye shot out of the bathroom and into the hall. She waited until Karolyn came back to her desk before entering again.
The secretary looked up, then ran her finger down the page of her appointment book. “You’re late.”
“Sorry, I got tied up and couldn’t get away.”
“He won’t be happy.”
Funny, he looked darn right jolly a minute ago. Skye bit back a smile.
After the secretary buzzed her boss, Skye was shown into the inner sanctum and told to sit down. Wraige had tidied up his hair and his complexion was back to its usual gray tone.
“Ms. Denison, thank you for coming in during the summer.” He glanced at his watch. “I hope we’re not keeping you from anything more important.”
“No, not at all.”
He paused, obviously waiting for her to apologize for being late. When she didn’t speak, he continued. “I hope you had a chance to review that testing we spoke of.”
She nodded, but made no move to open the file on her lap.
“And did you find anything you had overlooked before?” Wraige leaned forward, a look of annoyance on his face.
Skye smelled the mouthwash he had used in an attempt to cover the odor of alcohol. “No. As I said before, Cray Clapp is not learning disabled. He has an IQ of one hundred and twenty-nine and his achievement scores are all within the expected limit for that ability level. Furthermore, there are no signs of any processing problems.”
“The mayor is going to be very unhappy.” Wraige rose from his chair, swaying slightly.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but parents are often unhappy with the outcome of my tests. That doesn’t mean I am free to change those results.” Skye leaned back and looked into his bloodshot eyes.
“Your lack of team spirit may very well influence our decision whether to keep you on for next year.”
“Perhaps you forgot, but if you aren’t going to renew my contract you need to notify me in March, according to the union agreement.” Skye held his gaze.
“There’s always a loophole for incompetence.”
“I see.”
Wraige smiled cruelly. “And with your past history, ineptitude shouldn’t be hard to prove.”
“I don’t suppose you want to hear the truth about my previous dismissal?”
“I don’t really care about the truth.”
“Your contract is up for renewal this year too, isn’t it?”
“Don’t think your Uncle Charlie can save you this time.” Wraige sat on the edge of his desk.
“Actually, I was thinking more of the other board members. Especially Mrs. Hopkins.” Skye watched his puzzled expression. “Isn’t she a close friend of your wife?”
“Yes, Roberta and Patricia are friends. What does that have to do with anything?” His brows met over his nose.