A.W. Hartoin - Mercy Watts 04 - Drop Dead Red (37 page)

“But now I have to know. Amelie and Paul spent an afternoon with Stella and Nicky in Paris and fifty years later Millicent and Myrtle give your parents a house. Why? It’s going to drive me crazy. What could possibly have happened on that one day that would make you a Bled godchild and your parents so important?”
 

I smiled. “We’ll just have to find out.”
 

“I like that we.”
 

Me, too.
 

“First, there’s a little matter of rape, murder, poisoning.”
 

Chuck snorted and smiled. “Are you still on that? We’re talking history here. Major stuff.”
 

“I think Donatella considers the poisoning of her children pretty major. Get dressed. We’ve a school to visit and crimes to solve.”
 

Chuck didn’t move. “Are you going to Fike me?”
 

Stevie laughed. “She is so gonna Fike you.”
 

“Actually, I’m not. You two are clearly not leaving and the longer you’re here, the better chance I have of waking up to a Costilla banging on the door. Let’s finish this and get Stevie home.”
 

Chuck stuck out his hand. “Agreed.”
 

We shook on it and I meant to keep my word. Mostly.
 

Chapter Twenty-Three

BY THE TIME we got out of the house, the sun had turned the previous day’s rain into a weighty humidity that made my hair curl into corkscrews by the time we walked by Lafitte’s Blacksmith shop. Chuck and I went straight on St. Phillip and Stevie juked to the right.

“Not so fast.” Chuck shot out a long arm and snagged Stevie by the collar as he tried to make a break for it.

“Come on, man. I’m no detective. I’ve got business to attend to,” said Stevie.
 

Chuck let go and patted his sidearm. He’d decided to go professional in the clothes department and wore a blue blazer over his shirt and tie in order to look more cop-like and conceal his shoulder holster. I thought the jeans and snakeskin boots made him look like a TV cop instead of a real one, but he said that’s what people want cops to look like and he never got any complaints. The way he said it, made me think it was the ladies who weren’t complaining.
 

“What business?” asked Chuck.

“I gotta see a guy about a thing.”
 

“What guy? What thing?”
 

Stevie smiled his goofy, oddly winning smile and I was about to say, “Let him go.”

“Knock it off, dipshit,” said Chuck. “I’m not a chick.”
 

Stevie continued to smile. The idiot couldn’t help it. He was genuinely happy most of the time. “You know, I got to see about my next move. Can’t stand still. I gotta—”

“I’m going to stop you right there. If you think you’re selling those stereos, you’re out of your damn mind. Those are evidence of a crime. After we wrap this Donatella thing up, I’m bringing you to Big Steve and we’re reporting those stereos to the locals.”
 

“Man, I got to get some cash.”
 

“You want to die?”
 

“The Costillas haven’t found me yet.”
 

“You’ve been lucky. I would’ve left you at the house, if I could trust you, but you’ve got that look in your eye,” said Chuck.
 

Stevie squashed up his face. “What look?”
 

I didn’t know what the look was either. Stevie only had two expressions, goofy and dumb.

Chuck patted his side arm again. “The look like you’re going to take off and get killed. Come on. You’re with us for the duration. I promised your dad I’d keep you alive.”
 

Stevie shrugged, resigned to the situation. I took his arm and we stayed on St. Phillip until we arrived at the school. It was quiet, but humming with life the way schools do.
 

“You two stay out here,” I said. “I’ll get the scoop on Mrs. Schwartz’s phone call to the school.”
 

Chuck’s left eyebrow shot up. “You wouldn’t be trying to Fike me, would you?”
 

“No. I’ve already been here. They like me.”
 

“Are they women?”
 

I clenched my jaw. “Yes.”
 

“Then they’ll like me better.”
 

“Hoy-day, what a sweep of vanity comes this way,” I said with a sneer.
 

“You don’t think I know where that’s from,” he said.
 

He didn’t. Not because he was stupid or uneducated, but because he didn’t have Mr. Sheridan for AP Lit. Mr. Sheridan loved Shakespeare and was a nightmare grader. Only my ability to memorize quotes kept me from getting the dreaded C in his class. That and I agreed to wear hose and those weird puffy shorts for the Bard’s birthday.
 

“What’s it from then?” I asked.
 

The door of the school opened and Kathy Brun, the principal, came out with a student. “Miss Watts, you’re back. Good news, I hope,” she called down the stairs.
 

“Not exactly.” I turned to Chuck. “Saved by the teacher.”
 

“Shakespeare. Timon of Athens.” He grinned at me.
 

“What the?”
 

“I helped you study for that final. As I recall you still owe me a kiss.” He started up the stairs and turned his smile on Kathy, who was momentarily stunned.
 

“I didn’t get an A,” I whispered and then said, “Hi, Kathy. Do you have a minute?”
 

She shooed her student off to a waiting car. “Yes, of course. Is it about Donatella? We’ve had no news.”
 

“Abrielle and Colton are better, but they won’t be released any time soon.”
 

I introduced Chuck, and Kathy blushed. The woman actually blushed. I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her that behind that body and face was a true pain in the ass. But I needed her to like Chuck and, honestly, I doubt it would’ve made any difference from the way she looked at him. He wasn’t
that
good-looking. Get a grip, woman.
 

Then I introduced Stevie, not as easy. I said he was my assistant and Kathy didn’t buy that for a second. She looked like she wanted to register him for special ed.
 

After the introductions, we settled into her office and I told her about the phone call. She shook her head. “I don’t remember any call about Donatella. Do you think it’s important?”
 

“Possibly,” said Chuck and he went on to dazzle her with why. It was boring and I stopped listening after the second sentence. Stevie was biting his nails and I itched to get a move on. I had a weird feeling that moving was important and that dazzling a principal wasn’t.
 

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted the love fest. “The call came in late, like at three-thirty. Were you still here?”
 

“Absolutely. We have after-school activities and I always stay.”
 

Chuck sat back in his chair and watched me. I’d never had anyone watch me interview before. Well, nobody like Chuck anyway. He was a pro and suddenly I was self-conscious.

“Go on,” he said.
 

“Um…so are you sure you were in the office at that time?” I asked.
 

Kathy thought about it. “I did have to go down and handle a fight in the courtyard. Boys. You know how they are.”
 

“How long were you gone?”
 

“Twenty minutes at most.”
 

“Someone answered the phone. Who else was in the building?”
 

She named six teachers and a custodian. “There may have been some parents, but I don’t think they’d answer the phone.”
 

“Can you ask if anyone took that call?” I asked.
 

Kathy called each teacher in their classroom and got six negative answers. The custodian, Mr. Hobbs, came into the office and said he never answered phones. Too busy for that nonsense. The man turned to leave and I called after him. “Wait. Did you see any other teachers here that day?”
 

“Other than those six?” asked Mr. Hobbs.

“Yes.”
 

“I think Mr. Donnelly came in for a bit. He said he forgot some papers.”
 

Mr. Donnelly. Perfect.
 

“I’ll go see him.” I waved everyone back into their seats. “I know the way. Mr.
Donnelly and I have a great rapport.”
 

I left with the weight of Chuck’s frown on my back and trotted down the hall to the science classroom. The door was open and kids were shouting answers. It sounded like some sort of chemistry bingo game was going on. I popped my head in and waved. Mr. Donnelly turned and his jovial face got serious in an instant. “Miss Watts, you’re back.”
 

“I have a quick question, if you don’t mind.”
 

“Not at all. Joey, you’re in charge.”
 

Joey, a gangly boy of about twelve, ran up to the front of the room, knocking into three girls in the process and eliciting screams of protest. Mr. Donnelly suppressed a smile as he came out into the hall.
 

“Boys. No sense at all,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
 

“Did you answer the office phone on the day Donatella flew to St. Louis?” I asked.
 

His brow wrinkled. “I never answer the phone. Why?”
 

“Are you sure? Someone answered the phone. The call came in after school was out. Mr. Hobbs remembers seeing you in the building.”
 

“That was a Friday, right? No. I don’t have after-school activities on Fridays. I leave immediately.”
 

My shoulders sagged. Fantastic. I thanked him and he headed back to his now raucous classroom. But he stopped in the doorway and spun around. “Wait, Miss Watts.” He pulled out his phone and checked something. “I did come back in. My fifth graders’ chemistry essays were due on that day and I forgot them.”
 

“So you answered the phone.”
 

“I completely forgot. When I came in, the phone was ringing, I ignored it because, like I said, I don’t answer the phone. But on the way out, it was still ringing and I thought it might be an emergency. They just asked if Donatella had left for St. Louis and I said that she had. That was it.”
 

“What did she say exactly?” I asked, crossing my fingers for something, anything significant.
 

“She? No, it was a man.”
 

Holy crap! The fingers worked.
 

“A man? Are you sure?”

He smiled and I saw the charm in him. If Donatella hadn’t been married…

“I know a man’s voice when I hear it.” There was a crash and a squawk in his room. “I have to go. Sounds like giving Joey a shot wasn’t my best idea.”
 

I grabbed his arm. “All he asked was if Donatella had left?”
 

“Yes.”
 

“Did you tell him that she left earlier than she planned?” I asked.

“No, he didn’t ask.”

“It wasn’t Rob by any chance?”
 

“No. Definitely not. I know his voice. This voice was much deeper.” Mr. Donnelly patted my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry I forgot. It was a ten second conversation.”
 

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
 

“Will this help Donatella?”
 

“It will. I have a feeling.”
 

“And that’s important?” he asked.
 

“Very in my world.”
 

Another crash erupted in the science room followed by a burst of laughter.

“Gotta go,” said Mr. Donnelly and he dashed through the door yelling, “Joey!”
 

I walked back down to the office and heard more laughter. Kathy loved being left with Chuck. There they were kicking back, eating cookies and drinking coffee. I leaned on the doorway and crossed my arms. He was supposed to be investigating, not flirting.
 

“Oh, Miss Watts,” said Kathy. “You’re back.”
 

“Yes, I’m back.”
 

“What’s wrong?” asked Stevie.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” I said.

Chuck gave me a twisted smile. “Nothing wrong, eh?”
 

“Nothing. Not a thing. Donnelly answered the phone and get this, it wasn’t Mrs. Schwartz. It was a man.”
 

“A man? That’s interesting.”
 

“That’s right. I’m going to the frat. You can go interview Mrs. Schwartz and find out who made that call. You’ll like her. She’s right up your alley.” I thanked an astonished Kathy and flounced out, quickly trucking out of the building. I was mad. Not mad. That wasn’t right. I was steamed. It was coming out of my ears, hot angry steam. That Chuck. Making me crazy. How could anyone be that irritating and rude and obnoxious and so completely, unfailingly Chuck.