Dying to Teach Read online

  “Oh, we are, Mr. Reynolds, we are,” Angie said, “but we will let you and the police worry about that. The first priority for us has to be the show. These amazing people know that.”

  “In that case, we’ll make it happen. I’ll call a carpenter. He’ll make it all work for you.” He shook hands with Evan. “Nice job, son.” And then he left.

  “Wow,” someone said. “Can’t believe he’s going along with this.”

  “I thought for sure he was gonna cancel everything,” somebody else added.

  “Let’s get to work before he thinks about that,” Angie said.

  Evan laughed. “He knows the school’s insurance will pay for it.” He clapped his hands. “Okay, gang, let’s get back to work.” He pulled a tall redheaded boy aside. “Can you take over here? Just keep everyone focused. I’m going to locate that staging and see if it’s usable.”

  “You mean it might not be?” Angie asked.

  He raised his eyebrows and quirked a corner of his mouth. “Um, I may have spoken too soon.”

  She slapped her forehead with a palm.

  He laughed. “Not a problem. We have a carpenter coming. Right?”

  Angie rolled her eyes. “Just keep me posted.”

  She hurried to her office where Kiana was just ending her call. “Mrs. Philmore is getting stuff together right now. She said she’ll stay there all night if she has to.”

  “Great.” Angie told Kiana the news about the outdoor show.

  “Mr. Reynolds went along with it?”

  “He did.” Angie had an idea Randy would agree to anything if it meant she might stumble upon some clues.

  “What should I do now?” Kiana asked.

  “Maybe it would be best if you follow Mr. Reynolds and make sure he doesn’t get sidetracked hiring that carpenter.”

  “I have an uncle who’s a carpenter, I’ll use that as an excuse to badger him.”

  “Good girl.”

  Kiana and Angie stepped out of the office. Two police officers were standing in front of the ash-laden table. The women spent the next half hour giving a report to the police.

  Three hours later, Angie and the group of actors and stagehands stood at the head of the auditorium. The dripping had finally stopped. All doors stood open. Unbelievably, one of the janitorial staff was using a huge vacuum to suck water from the waterlogged chairs. Another janitor had set up enormous fans at either end of the room. Randy said his hope was that the place could still be made ready for the performance, but Angie’s juices were excited about the prospect of an outdoor show.

  “Man, he’s got his work cut out for him,” Kiana shouted over the roar of the fans. Her eyes locked on the janitor—the one who’d confronted them last night—maneuvering the large vacuum. As he moved from one chair to another, he flashed Kiana a vicious scowl.

  So the janitor, Lincoln Underwood, wasn’t ready to leave last night behind. What was the big deal? The kids had merely infiltrated the school after hours. And they’d found a picture. Why should he make such a fuss? If he thought they did anything wrong all he had to do was report it to Randy.

  So, why hadn’t he?

  A worse thought was—did he have anything to do with setting the fire?

  Seemed a stretch of the imagination but could he know something about that picture? That might account for his attitude. Angie shook off the question for now. Too much going on to worry about something so small. Her “Anybody hungry?” was met with a chorus of yeses. “Let’s head to the cafeteria. Mr. Reynolds ordered pizza for all of you.”

  The kids collected their wet belongings and clomped out. Though they were obviously exhausted, an air of excitement and fulfillment swelled among them. Angie trailed the kids down the hall. Now that the emergency passed and things were getting back on track, she had time for some questions. Who hated this show so much they were willing to chance burning down the school? Was it the same person who’d tossed the place earlier? Could it have anything to do with that photograph? If so, the janitor couldn’t be involved. He knew the picture had left the building.

  On a personal level, Angie wondered why Jarvis hadn’t been in touch. More than twenty-four hours had passed since she’d sent that photo. It was so unusual for him not to call.

  Kiana’s, “Is something wrong, Ms. Deacon?” made her jump. Kiana touched her arm. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, fine. Just wondering…I’ve been expecting a phone call.”

  “From Mr. Jarvis?”

  “Yes, why?”

  Kiana drew Angie’s phone from her pocket and handed it over. “He called while we were at the Common scoping out a place for the stage. We had a nice chat. I can’t wait to meet your puppy.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your puppy, Irish Red. He’s bringing her.”

  “He’s coming?”

  She checked her watch. “They should be here in about an hour. When are you two getting married?”

  Angie kept walking even though her feet wanted to stop. “Married?” Was there anything about their relationship he hadn’t told this child?

  “Yes, he said he asked you.”

  “I didn’t say yes—yet.”

  Angie escaped further questions because they’d entered the cafeteria. The others had already dumped their things in a heap on the floor and helped themselves to the mountain of pizzas set on a long table. Angie’s stomach growled. She realized she hadn’t eaten since the muffin at breakfast. Evan appeared at her side with a paper plate laden with two slices, one cheese, one bacon. He set it at the end of a table then slid onto the bench seat across from her.

  “Thanks.” Angie melted onto the seat, suddenly very tired.

  A half hour later, most everyone had gone. Kiana and Evan rounded up the empty boxes and delivered them to the kitchen. Angie stood, prepared to leave.

  “Mrs. Deacon, I know it’s late, but can we talk to you for a few minutes?” Evan asked.

  “Sure.” Angie sat again and took a sip from her can of diet soda. More than likely this discussion had nothing to do with the show.

  The teens took seats across the table. They looked at each other. As usual, a silent message passed between them. Evan spoke first. “We think that janitor set the fire.”

  She took a moment to process the news, not willing yet to admit the thought had crossed her mind also. “What makes you think so?”

  “It just makes sense,” Kiana said. “He came in while we were talking about who was in the picture with Ms. Forest. He demanded we give it to him.”

  “That’s when you came in,” Evan said.

  “We’ve been talking—wondering why he would care. If he thought we stole something he would’ve told Mr. Reynolds. That’s what he always did before.”

  “This time he didn’t,” Angie said, more to herself than the kids. “But why would he resort to setting the fire? He knew you’d taken the picture from the building.”

  “Because he knows how important this is to us.”

  “And he was paying us back because we got the better of him.”

  “I don’t know,” Angie said, but she had to admit, the kids might be right. “I think we should tell the police. That way if anything else happens…”

  “Will you do it?”

  She gave a tired nod and started to rise.

  “There’s one more thing,” Evan said. “Well actually, there are three things.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Jarvis raced down the painted cinderblock hallway following the sound of voices. What was it that brought danger to Angelina’s doorstep all the time? Time after time, it found her. She was like a magnet. No, he told himself, whoever set the fire would’ve done it anyway. Nothing to do with her.

  He hadn’t been in a school for years, but most were constructed in a similar way, and the voices seemed to be coming from the cafeteria. Conversational voices. Now and then he picked out the murmur of Angelina’s replies. Which meant she was on the receiving
end of a serious discussion. So what else was new?

  He burst into a cavernous lunchroom in time to hear a tall, thin teenage boy say, “Three more things.”

  The boy sat at a long cafeteria table beside a very beautiful dark-skinned girl. Angelina, who’d been standing, sank onto the bench seat across from them. They all noticed Jarvis’ arrival.

  The boy jumped to his feet and approached. He was good-looking, probably what the girls would call a hunk. He had on Dockers and a button-down shirt, not the standard teenage garb. His hair was neatly chopped, his eyes bright and alert. Right now, the boy was in protection mode.

  “It’s okay Evan,” Angelina called, “this is Detective Jarvis.”

  Evan stretched out an arm and shook Jarvis’ hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

  Over Evan’s shoulder, Jarvis saw the girl lean forward, tap Angelina on the arm and say something that made them both smile.

  Angelina gestured for him to come sit, which he did, making sure their thighs touched. It’d been far too long since he touched her. What the hell—he also leaned forward and kissed her under the right ear. “Missed you,” he whispered.

  Evan seemed convinced all was well and settled beside the girl, close enough, Jarvis thought, for their thighs to touch also. The girl had sort of a mystical aura about her with that flowing dark hair and almost-black eyes. He pictured her wearing a sari, and a bindi in the middle of her forehead. She could be plopped in the middle of New Delhi and fit right in.

  Angelina made introductions all around.

  “I thought you were bringing Irish Red,” Kiana said.

  “Changed my mind. I realized I might be here overnight. Sorry.”

  “Kiana and Evan were just about to tell me something that happened,” Angie said. “Go ahead, guys.”

  Evan, with animated interjections by Kiana, told a fantastic story of eavesdropping on an argument between Gwen Forest and some unknown person at whom she’d thrown breakable things.

  “So, hurry up and tell us—who came out of the office?” Kiana’s haunting eyes were alight with curiosity.

  Jarvis didn’t see the look Angelina shot Kiana but whatever it was it made Kiana laugh. “He told me all this before school but we were interrupted before he could say who. He was going to finish this afternoon before rehearsal—”

  “And then there was the fire,” Evan said.

  “Today is turning into a soap opera.”

  “Right. Stay tuned tomorrow for the next suspenseful event.”

  What was it about those two that they kept finishing each other’s thoughts?

  “So, who came out of the office?” Angelina asked.

  “Mr. Chalmers,” Evan said.

  “No way,” Kiana said.

  Why had the person’s identity surprised Kiana? She knew about the teachers’ relationship. Even so, she would only be aware of the couples’ in-school personas, the façades they presented in public. So an argument such as that would come as a surprise. Jarvis thought back to his school days. When he was younger, he’d thought teachers lived here, that this was their only life. But these kids were old enough to know the difference. They would know about sex. That all couples had disagreements. And sometimes they turned violent.

  “You knew they were seeing each other?”

  Kiana nodded.

  “What happened after that?” Jarvis asked.

  “Nothing. He stood in the hallway—the one that connects the green room to the wings—looking one way and another like he was deciding what to do. I got the idea he didn’t want to go past the kids—my band, who were on the stage setting up their equipment.”

  “Where were you?”

  “When he went by, I came out of the closet—the one next to the office.”

  “If he’d come back into the green room, would he have seen you?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Why would you take that chance?”

  Evan shrugged. “I got away from there fast, to make it look like I’d come from the costume room. Besides, I didn’t do anything wrong. I had every right to be there.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I started for the stage. I walked quietly.” Seeing everyone’s eyes on him, Evan shrugged. “I thought it would save embarrassment if he didn’t know I was there. A couple of the kids said hi to him but he didn’t answer. They were giving him this look like—” Evan broke off to demonstrate their perplexed expression. “It was so not like him to not speak. By the time I got on stage, he was gone.”

  “The kids say anything?”

  Evan thought a second. “No, but Sean was looking up the aisle, watching the doors still swinging.”

  “When exactly did all this take place?”

  “Three weeks and four days ago.” Jarvis shot him questioning look. He added, “It’s been on my mind a lot.”

  Jarvis could think of nothing else to ask, so he said, “All right. Why don’t you guys go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow morning—”

  “No,” said the kids at the same time.

  Kiana said, “We have mega stuff to do.”

  Angelina reached across and patted both their hands, lying side by side on the table. “I love the idea of having the performance outside. We can do it on the football field.”

  “We already have the bleachers for seats,” Kiana said.

  “Yes, good idea,” said Evan. “We can use the locker rooms to change in.”

  “It’s right near the auditorium so it’ll be easy to move things over.”

  “I guess that’s all settled,” Angelina said.

  She stood up and Jarvis followed.

  “Do you know if Donna phoned Mrs. Philmore?” she asked.

  “She did,” Kiana replied. “She double-checked the list with me first.”

  Angelina picked up her briefcase, which he hadn’t noticed on the table beside her. She put an arm around Kiana’s shoulders. The two women walked toward the door talking like old friends. Jarvis shrugged at Evan and they followed.

  “I wanted to say… You guys are amazing,” Jarvis said softly.

  “Sir?”

  “In my line of work I mostly meet kids who’re jerk-offs always looking for the easy way out. When I spoke to Kiana on the phone, she was so clear-headed and mature. She told me what you kids—the cast and crew, and you in particular—were doing to make sure the show went on. I just wanted to tell you how impressed I was.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate you saying so.”

  Jarvis pulled his business card from his pocket. “I want you to call me if you need anything.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Shall we go?”

  “Wait,” Angelina said, making Jarvis cringe. He so wanted this to be over. “Earlier you said there were three things you wanted to tell me.”

  Alternating as narrator, the kids told how they’d searched Ted Chalmers’ office and home. Jarvis held in the reprimanding headshake. There would be no guilting these two into quitting; warnings about their well-being would go unheeded.

  “We found a lighter and a can of fluid,” Evan said and waited while Jarvis formed his own conclusion.

  “Where is it now?”

  “We left it in Mr. Chalmer’s office, on the counter where we found it.”

  Kiana giggled. Jarvis turned his attention on her. “We also found some sexy underwear.”

  “Do you know if Mr. Chalmers was married before?”

  “And does he have a daughter?” Kiana added.

  Jarvis told them, “I will check,” though he’d already resolved to call Rodriguez as soon as he left here.

  Kiana and Angelina left the cafeteria. Evan lagged behind to say, “Thank you, sir for not giving us hell for investigating on our own.”

  “Don’t think I didn’t want to. One thing, though. Stop calling me sir. Just call me Jarvis, or, if that makes you uncomfortable, call me Detective. Though, that makes me uncomfortable.”

  Evan gave a toothy grin. “Works for me, s
— er, Jarvis.”

  Angelina and Kiana had stopped to wait for them on the sidewalk outside the building. The men caught up and the two couples walked around the building to their vehicles. Then Angelina stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder, and they waved as the kids drove away.

  “Aren’t they great?” Angelina said.

  “I told Evan that. I told him most of the kids I meet are troublemakers who’re always looking for the easy way out. That most kids would’ve said ‘oh well, the show’s off, let’s go home.’”

  “I can see why Gwen was so close to them. They’re awesome kids.” She hesitated as he started to walk toward her car. “I was just wondering if they really will go home. Last night after rehearsal they went out detecting.”

  “I think they’ll go home. They’ll feel secure knowing cops’re involved.”

  “You mean, the Carlson cops or Jarvis the cop?”

  “Both. They’ll be in school early though. Probably at the crack of dawn.”

  “Argh. That means I should be here too.”

  “Of course you will. And you won’t sleep a wink all night thinking about this.” He walked her to the Lexus and waited while she climbed inside.

  “I assume you’re coming back to the hotel?” she asked.

  “Is that an invitation?”

  “Duh.”

  “Where’s Red?”

  “Wilson’s got her. When I left their house the kids and the dog were chasing each other around the backyard.”

  “Make sure Ambrose doesn’t try to keep her.”

  He fake-punched her on the arm. “I knew she’d grow on you. Hey, by the way…when I walked into the cafeteria Kiana said something that made you laugh. What was it?”

  She pushed the button and her car started. She gave an exaggerated oh it’s nothing shrug. “She said you were a hunk…in spite of that hat.” Angelina backed the car from the space.

  He touched his hat—his trademark. He wasn’t so concerned about what Kiana thought of it, but the way Angelina said “in spite of it” had him thinking. She’d never mentioned the hat. The Lexus disappeared around the side of the brick building. He hurried to his Jeep and sped after her, not sure she’d wait—and he didn’t know the location of the hotel.