The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer (9 page)

“Did you hear about Mrs. Fedewa?” Sarah asked.

“Yes, I did. It's a tragedy,” she said shaking her head.

“We're investigating her murder,” Jackie jumped in.

Mrs. Parker chuckled behind her hand. “You don't say?”

Sarah saw her blue eyes twinkle with unexpressed laughter, and her hand hid her smile. When her eyes twinkled, she appeared to be an aging sprite in hiding. Her slight build added to this image. The faded librarian smock she wore was her disguise to the world.

“Yeah, we are. We just can't figure out why someone would want to hurt her,” Sarah frowned.

“I can't give you an answer. We used to be good friends before…” Mrs. Parker stopped and tears filled her eyes. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed them.

“Before what?” Jackie asked.

“Well, her son was kidnapped.” She paused to think. “Let's see…it must have been about thirty years ago.”

“For real?” Sarah's heart lurched in her chest.

“Yes, his name was David. It was all over town. The family paid the ransom and everything, but David was never returned.”

“What a horrible tragedy,” Sarah frowned.

“Yes, it was. When David wasn't returned she just pulled away from people.”

“I wonder why she did that?” Sarah chewed on her lip.

“I guess it was too hard for her to be around them, too painful.” Mrs. Parker gazed down and Sarah saw sadness fill her eyes.

“Ah, maybe we should research the kidnapping then.” Sarah made eye contact with Jackie.

“I'm sure there were articles in the local paper. Follow me girls, and I'll set you up on the microfiche machines.”

Mrs. Parker motioned for the girls to follow her. She walked toward the rear of the library. Sarah and Jackie trailed close behind, exchanging excited glances.

The librarian stopped when she reached an alcove in the back. She had Sarah sit down, and then showed the girls how to operate the machines. The whirring of the machine broke the silence in the media center. It sounded loud and obnoxious to Sarah, an irritating noise like the unwelcome buzz of a mosquito to someone trying to fall asleep.

“Mrs. Parker, one last question,” Sarah said.

“Yes?”

“Why was David Fedewa kidnapped?”

“The kidnappers never said why, but I believe it was for the money. They demanded a ransom, you know.”

“Did the Fedewa's have a lot of money?” Sarah asked.

“Yes. They owned the lumber mill in town. It had been in their family for generations.”

“Was David ever found?” Jackie asked.

“No,” Mrs. Parker said with a catch in her voice.

“Hmmm.”

The librarian cleared her throat. “Okay, you'll want to start with August sixteenth. The year would have been…1978.”

“Thanks.”

“Girls, if that's all, I must get back to my other duties.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Parker,” Sarah said.

Mrs. Parker nodded and left to finish her other tasks.

Sarah began reading through the local paper,
The Harrisburg Banner
, on the date Mrs. Parker recommended. Jackie started researching follow-up articles looking for clues.

“Hey, Jack, listen to this,” Sarah whispered. “It says here David Fedewa was abducted from the community pool on August fifteenth. His dad went to use the bathroom, and when he came back David was gone.”

“Was there a commotion or anything like that?”

“Nope. No sign of a struggle, and there were no strangers at the pool that day. It's like he vanished into thin air.”

“Strange,” Jackie frowned. “I wonder if he walked off with someone he knew?”

“A good question, detective,” Sarah said in a low voice. ”I'm going to print this off so we can study it later.” She pressed the print key. “Did you find any follow-up articles?”

“No. They just say the police are stumped, and they're asking the public to come forward with any information.”

“It might be a good idea to talk with the detective that worked on the case. His name is Detective Swift.”

“What a great idea, I wonder if he's still on the force?”

“We can always call down to the station and ask for him,” Sarah said.

“Yep.”

Sarah glanced at her watch. “Let's get going. I'm anxious to find out what Lacey learned.”

The girls packed up their papers and left the library. The heat hit Sarah as soon as she walked out the door. It baked her skin, and she felt like she was walking into an oven. It reminded her of the time she went with her father to pick up a pizza.
Their favorite pizzeria stood on the corner down the block from their house. People came from miles around to devour Mr. Mancini's famous pizza pies.

Mr. Mancini was a happy Italian who allowed the Coles behind the counter that evening. He had just installed a new pizza oven and wanted to show off. With joyous flair, he demonstrated the art of pizza making. Throwing the dough high in the air, and then catching it just before it hit the floor. When the dough was stretched to the right size, the happy Italian piled it high with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, Sarah's favorite toppings. Singing at the top of his lungs in Italian, he opened the new oven and slid the pie inside. Sarah remembered the fiery heat as it toasted her face.
Every time they ordered a pizza, she insisted on going back to Mr. Mancini's pizzeria. She loved the laid back atmosphere and the sheer joy the pizza man experienced when he made a pie. Smiling at the memory, she hoped to find her passion in life, just like the pizza man.

“We've got to start riding our bikes,” Jackie said, pulling Sarah from her thoughts.

“No kidding.”

“We're almost there.”

Up ahead, Sarah spied the willow tree. Its green leaves appeared cool and refreshing. The flimsy branches floated in the breeze, suspended in the air like a bright windsock on the lakeshore. Sarah picked up her pace, anxious to escape the sun. Jackie matched her stride for stride.

“Hey, guys,” Lacey greeted them when they walked beneath the pliable limbs.

“Hey,” Sarah said, and Jackie waved.

“Guys, this is Scott Johnson.” Lacey introduced the slim boy next to her. His deep tan contrasted with his blue eyes and blond hair.

“Hi,” Sarah and Jackie said in unison, exchanging perplexed looks.

Lacey got right to the point. “He was wondering if he could be in our club, too.”

Sarah dropped her gaze and stared at her shoes. “I don't know, we don't have any other boys in our club.”

Scott gave Sarah a winning smile. “I could be the first one.”

“We haven't talked about new members or anything,” Sarah hedged.

Scott frowned. “That's all right. Why don't you guys have a quick meeting, and I'll take a swim.”

“Okay…I guess,” Sarah said, giving Lacey a withering look.

“No problem, I'll be over here.”

The silence grew uncomfortable as Sarah waited for Scott to walk out of earshot. She watched Lacey fidget with the hem of her T-shirt and dance from one foot to the other.

“Thanks for springing that one on us, Lacey,” Sarah fumed when Scott was far enough away.

“What's your problem?”

“You can't just go inviting everyone into the club.”

“He asked if he could be in the club. Besides, he could help us.” Lacey pouted, and pulled her hair away from her face.

“You can't just let anyone in the club. What if he doesn't take us seriously?”

Lacey sighed. “I hadn't thought of that, but Scott seems like a good guy.”

“Where'd you meet him?” Sarah placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, glaring at her sister.

“At Hinkle's. We just kind of started hanging out a couple of weeks ago.”

“So, you don't actually know him, do you?”

“Sarah, knock it off. His dad's the chief of police,” Jackie said.

“So what? We have a cop that's trying to pin a murder on us.”

Lacey nodded emphatically. “Right, we need help. I don't want to go to jail.”

“All right, guys,” Jackie jumped in to referee. “We'll let Scott in, but from now on, you have to check with us before you even tell anyone about the club.”

“Yeah,” Sarah said peevishly. “We just started the club, and you're not in charge.”

“Okay, okay.” Lacey rolled her eyes. “Let's go tell Scott.”

“Sarah, Scott is a good guy,” Jackie whispered.

Sarah took some deep, calming breaths as the girls walked toward the creek. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lacey shooting angry looks her way. She glared back at her. Jackie walked between them, oblivious to the non-verbal communication being exchanged.

“Yeow! Son of a gun!” Scott bellowed from the creek.

Sarah forgot about her anger and exchanged looks of alarm with the other Super Spies, before racing off in the direction of the brook.

 

The girls found Scott sitting on the bank of the stream with his foot in his hands. Blood ran off of it in rivulets before dripping into the sand.

“What happened to you?” Lacey asked.

Scott's face contorted with pain. “I stepped on something sh-sharp.”

Sarah noticed he shivered in spite of the heat. “Let me take a look at that.”

Scott pulled his hand away from the cut. Sarah stared at it and felt sick. The wound ran from one side of his heel to the other and blood flowed freely from it.

“I think you're going to need stitches,” Sarah said.

“Yeah,” Scott gulped.

“How are we going to get you to the hospital?” Sarah scanned the area around her.
I wish I'd ridden my bike.

“I'll call my dad.
He'll pick me up in his cruiser.
” Scott scrambled for his cell phone in his pile of clothes. “I need to put pressure on this cut. Can you hand me my T-shirt?”

“Sure,” Lacey said.

“You should put your foot above your heart. I remember that from health class,” Sarah instructed.

“Yeah, why don't you lie back on the bank and stick your foot up in the air. We'll put pressure on it,” Jackie said.

Sarah grabbed his T-shirt and pressed it over his cut. “Now push against me.”

Scott pressed his foot against Sarah's thigh, and then started pushing buttons on his phone. Within minutes, she heard the sound of a siren fill the air.

“Help is on the way,” Lacey said.

“I never thought I'd say this, but it's good to hear that sound,” Sarah said with a sigh.

Jackie snickered and nodded.

Scott's dad pulled up and leapt from the cruiser. Sarah watched as he searched for the teens along the water's edge.
In his hand, he carried a first aid kit. Spotting Scott, he rushed toward him, wearing a worried frown.

The chief ignored the girls and focused on his son. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I could puke any minute.”

“Do you feel cold or faint?”

“Cold.”

“Can one of you girls grab the sweatshirt in the back of the car? And bring the water bottle too.” The chief opened the first aid kit and rummaged around inside.

“Sure,” Lacey jumped up and ran to the cruiser. Returning with the sweatshirt, she draped it over Scott, and then handed him the water bottle.

“Thanks.”

“Let's take a look at this cut,” Chief Johnson pulled the blood soaked T-shirt away from his son's injury.

Scott winced.

“What in the world did you step on?”

“I have no idea,” Scott said. He draped his arm over his eyes to block out the sun.

The chief bent down and grabbed some gauze out of his kit. “I'm going to bandage this foot up, then we'll get you to the hospital. Are you feeling any better?”

“No.”

“We need to get you out of the sun.”

The chief went to work on Scott's foot. Scott grimaced, but kept silent, letting his dad labor.

Sarah watched the chief dress Scott's wound. She noticed he worked efficiently like he'd bandaged a cut this deep a million times.

She realized Scott was the spitting image of his father, same blond hair and blue eyes, the same deep tan.

Jackie whispered in Sarah's ear, “You can tell Scott's going to be a hottie when he's older.”

“Tsk. Only you would think about that when we've got someone lying on the ground bleeding.”

“What's wrong with that?”

“It's an emergency, and all you can think about is whether or not he's going to be cute. Who cares? We've got an emergency here.”

“It's not a life threatening emergency,” Jackie scoffed.

“You would say the same thing even if he was dying.” Sarah shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Girlfriend, you're way too serious. Lighten up.”

“Scott,” the chief said, bringing the bickering to a halt. “That was one deep cut. Do you have any idea what you stepped on?”

“I don't know. I was walking in the water and lost my balance. When I tried to get it back I felt this huge pain in my foot.”

“Where were you walking?”

“Over by that tree.” Scott pointed toward a sapling hanging over the water's edge.

His father squinted as he gazed toward the water. “You girls better stay out of the water until we find whatever Scott stepped on. We don't want any more injuries like this.”

Sarah made a mental note of the sapling, and then nodded in agreement with the other Super Spies.

“Okay, let's get you to the hospital.” Chief Johnson helped his son to a standing position, and then draped his arm across his shoulders. He chuckled. “You're going to have to ride in the back. Can you imagine the gossip down at Hinkle's? The chief of police had to arrest his own son.”

“Yeah, but Dad, you don't have to use your lights and siren, you know.”

“Oh, but I do,” he said, laughing at Scott's horrified expression.

The cruiser pulled away from the cul-de-sac with its sirens blaring and lights flashing. Jackie and Lacey stood at Sarah's side. They stayed there until the sound of the siren disappeared.

“Let's look for whatever Scott stepped on,” Sarah said.

“You heard the chief. He doesn't want us going in the water,” Lacey protested.

“I know, but I'm going anyway.”

“You have a problem with authority,” Jackie snickered.

Sarah laughed. “So what?
”

“So… nothing, let's look.”

“You guys,” Lacey pouted.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “You don't have to look. Jackie and I will.”

“Come on, Sarah.”

“Lacey, what is your problem?”

“The chief of police told us not to go in the water.” Lacey crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her sister.

“So what?.” Sarah gave her sister a dismissive wave. “Do you think he's going to arrest us for going in the water?”

“We were arrested yesterday when we didn't do anything.”

Sarah shook her head. “We weren't arrested.”

“We were handcuffed and put in a police car. That's sounds like being arrested to me.” Lacey stamped her foot to make her point.

“That's because you had blood all over your shirt.”

“Guys, knock it off,” Jackie said, waving her hands in the air. “Sarah, let's look. Lacey, if you don't want to help then stand on the bank until we're done.”

“Don't say I didn't warn you guys,” Lacey said, sticking her nose in the air.

Sarah made a face at her sister. “Don't worry, we won't.”

The water swirled around Sarah's legs as she searched, rushing past her as it made its way downstream. Feeling the strong pull of the water, she braced herself against the current. It was hard to see anything at the bottom of the creek bed with the water surging past, but she didn't give up. At first, the cold water had been a shock but now Sarah enjoyed its briskness. Walking through the frigid water drained the heat from her body, making the sweltering sun bearable.

A half an hour went by before Sarah caught a glint of something shiny in the creek. She plunged her hand into the icy current, only to find the object out of reach. Taking a deep breath, she dove under water. Opening her eyes, she saw the glint of metal. It was hard to see through the chur
ning water, but Sarah persisted
. Her lungs ached for air, so she surfaced, gasping for breath. Diving down again, she used a tree root to pull herself closer to the shiny object. Her heart almost burst through her chest when she realized what it was. Wedged between two rocks was a knife with its jagged edge sticking straight out into the creek. Shooting to the surface, she gasped for air one more time, before plunging below and prying the knife free.

Jackie shrank back in horror when Sarah pulled the huge knife out of the water. It sported a leather handle with an eight-inch blade and jags at the end.

“Holy crap!” Jackie gulped as she stared at the knife. “That is one nasty knife.”

“You can say that again.” Sarah examined the knife in her hands. “Scott's lucky he didn't get hurt worse. This could have gone all the way through his heel.”

“Holy cow!” Lacey shrieked from the creek bank. “Is that what I think it is?” She danced from one foot to the other.

“What's the matter? Gotta go to the bathroom?” Sarah smirked.

“Shut up.”

“Just stop freaking out, would you?” Sarah grumbled.

“Look at this.” Jackie pointed to the spot where the tip of the knife should have been.

“It must have broken off,” Sarah said.

“Yeah, it looks strange.”

“We better show this to the chief,” Sarah told Jackie.

“No doubt,” Jackie said as she made her way to the bank.

“They're probably still at the emergency room,” Lacey pointed out.

“Let's go.” Sarah rushed toward the bank, splashing water everywhere.

“We need to put the knife in a backpack or something,” Jackie said.

“You're right.” Sarah pursed her lips and blew air through them. “We can't go walking into the hospital with a knife. Let's stop at home and I'll grab my backpack.”

The girls sprinted back to the house. Sarah dashed in the back door and flew downstairs. She changed out of her wet clothes and grabbed her backpack. Rushing out the front door, she found Jackie and Lacey in the yard.

“It will be faster if we ride bikes,” Jackie suggested.

“True. You can ride on the back of mine,” Sarah said.

The Cole girls grabbed their bikes and pedaled to the emergency room. Lacey took the lead, and Sarah and Jackie wobbled behind her.

“For a beanpole, you sure are heavy,” Sarah puffed.

“Wimp.”

“Cork it.” Sarah grunted as she leaned forward and pushed down on her pedal.

“Just keep pedaling.”

“Man, I'm out of breath already.”

“That's because you keep talking. Shut up and pedal.”

“Maybe you should pedal and I should ride.”

“I don
't think so,” Jackie snickered.

They reached the hospital and locked their bikes to a lamppost standing outside the emergency room door. Sarah brushed her hair away from her sweaty temples and sighed.

“What's the matter, girlfriend? Are you all tuckered out?” Jackie teased.

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

“I can't. I'm too tired from hauling a beanpole on the back of my bike.”

The girls looked at each other and laughed.

“Come on you two,” Lacey groaned, holding the door for them.

Walking down the corridor, Sarah was surprised to find the hospital so quiet. Whenever she saw a hospital show on TV there was always a flurry of activity. Doctors rushing to the emergency rooms, nurses screaming down the halls for doctors, and orderlies pushing bodies covered with blood on gurneys. This hospital contrasted sharply with the image Sarah had of them. It seemed peaceful
to her, as she took in the shiny
waxed floors and the subdued conversations at the nurses' station. She spied a sign reading 'Emergency Room' and motioned for Jackie and Lacey to follow her.

The Super Spies walked into the brightly lit waiting area. Chairs lined the walls of the room with wooden tables in the corners. Plants and magazines sat on the tables, giving the area a comforting atmosphere.

Sarah saw the chief first as he paced in the waiting area. He was the only one in the room. She noticed he kept glan
cing at his watch as he walked.

“Hi, Chief,” Sarah greeted.

“Hello, girls.”

“How's Scott?” Lacey asked.

“He's getting stitched up. He's going to be okay.”

“We found something in the creek, after you left.” Sarah opened her backpack.

“I thought I told you girls to stay out of the water?” The chief stopped pacing and frowned.

“I didn't go in the water,” Lacey said, crossing her arms across her chest and giving Sarah and Jackie a superior look.

“Good for you,” he winked at Lacey.

“I think you should arrest them.”

The chief laughed. “I can't arrest them for going in the water.”

Sarah smirked. “Told you.”

“You should, they didn't follow orders.” Lacey put her hands on her hips and gave Sarah and Jackie a reproachful look.