Melanie Travis 06 - Hush Puppy (24 page)

“So when he came to you and asked for a job, you didn’t feel you could turn him away?”

“I’m afraid it was a bit more complicated than that. Michael came to me with his grandfather’s mementos and a story that he planned to sell to the highest bidder. It may have happened a long time ago, but the tale still possessed everything the tabloids dream of—money, sex, the suicide of an innocent young girl. Michael Durant was in need of money, and he seemed to think that the Howard family owed him for the wrong that had been done.”

“The family and the school aren’t one and the same,” I pointed out.

“It would hardly have mattered, would it? We’d all have been tarred by the same brush. Michael had been struggling to make his living as an actor in New York. That’s where ‘Durant’ comes from. It’s his stage name. I gather he found the profession rough going. Last December his agent dropped him, and he decided he was ready to make a career change.”

“He threatened you with blackmail and you hired him?” I asked incredulously. “Please tell me there was more to your decision than that.”

“There are always outside considerations that enter into any such decision.” Russell’s brows lowered ominously. Clearly he didn’t like my tone. “I wouldn’t have hired Michael if I hadn’t felt he was equipped to do the job.”

“If he was equipped to do his job, he’d be doing it,” I said, getting to my feet. “And Howard Academy would have a spring pageant that was already in rehearsal instead of—”

“Melanie?” Russell’s voice was calm. “Sit.”

I sat.

“In a perfect world, one’s decisions would always remain unbiased. In the reality in which we operate, however, it is often necessary that compromises be made. My first consideration must be the good of the school—”

“And you think it’s a
good
thing to expose the students to a man who’d stoop to blackmail to accomplish his goals?”

“I think it was an abhorrent necessity, but a necessity nonetheless. And as you are determined to argue about this, you force me to point out that your own hiring might not bear up under the closest scrutiny either.”

For a moment, time seemed to stop. The room went perfectly still. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly. I couldn’t have.

“Excuse me?”

Russell sighed. “Melanie, how many applicants do you think we had for the tutoring position you assumed last fall?”

“I have no idea.” There was a loud buzzing noise in my ears. It was difficult to concentrate on what he was saying.

My confusion must have shown on my face because Russell’s voice gentled. “Nearly a hundred. Probably a dozen had qualifications as good as, or better than, yours.”

So help me, I didn’t want to know the answer. But I knew I had to ask. “Then why did you hire me?”

“It was strictly a financial decision, made for the good of the academy. Yours was the application that came contingent with a sizable donation from one of our alumnae.”

“Aunt Peg,” I whispered.

Russell nodded. “You didn’t know?”

“I had no idea.” My head was spinning. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation. “I’m sorry. I’ll tender my resignation at the end of the semester.”

“It won’t be accepted. And you have nothing to be sorry about. You’ve been an excellent addition to our staff, just as I knew you would be. The donation was only one small factor in the decision-making process. I only brought it up to try and make you understand how things work.”

Oh I understood, all right. Suddenly, I understood everything. That the job I’d coveted, worked for, and thought I deserved, I’d never truly earned. Even if I had been good enough to make it on my own, I’d never had the chance, because dear, conniving Aunt Peg had taken the matter out of my hands.

I slumped in my chair, feeling defeated. What a hypocrite Russell must have thought I was, denouncing Michael Durant’s hiring when mine had been every bit as suspect. No wonder he’d been self-righteous in his own defense.

Was this truly the way the world operated? Was I the only one who didn’t know?

The intercom on Russell’s desk buzzed. Still watching me, he pushed the button, and said, “Not now, Harriet.”

“I think you better take this,” the secretary’s voice was audible through the speaker. “Detective Shertz is on the phone, and he says it’s important. That young girl, Jane? He says she’s missing.”

Missing?

Russell picked up the phone and spoke into it briefly. His end of the conversation consisted mostly of one syllable words, and when he hung up, he didn’t look happy. “Detective Shertz is on his way over. He’ll be here in five minutes.”

There was no way I was going to leave now. As soon as Russell put down the phone, I picked it up, connected to an outside line, and called Alice Brickman. Once again, she agreed to cover for me. If this kept up, I was going to be indebted to her until the boys were in high school.

That done, we still had a few minutes to kill. “There are a few more things you need to know,” I said to Russell.

“Oh?” He looked like a man who was braced for bad news, which was good, because I couldn’t imagine he’d be happy to hear what I was about to say.

“Ed Weinstein.”

“What about him?”

“You know he smokes?”

“Of course. I don’t like it, but I can hardly dictate my employees’ personal habits. He takes his cigarette breaks outside.”

“Or in the boys’ bathroom. Or on the back stairs.” I watched Russell’s lips tighten and felt like a tattletale. “Unfortunately, that’s not all. Two days ago, I ran into him outside. He smelled of marijuana.”

“Are you sure?” His tone was sterner than I’d ever heard it.

“Yes. I’m also pretty sure that Jane’s friend, Brad, has been dealing drugs on campus.”

“To Weinstein?”

“Probably. And maybe others as well. Brad has a reputation as a supplier, and it would explain why he’s been hanging around the school.”

“What about Jane?”

“I doubt she has any idea. She looks up to him, kind of like a big brother. I would imagine he was the one who brought her over here in the first place. For some reason, he fashioned himself as her protector.”

“Interesting concept,” Russell mused. “Do we know who she felt she needed protection from?”

“Possibly Krebbs. I know he tried to run her off on several occasions. She retaliated by spying on him. It was a game to Jane, only Krebbs didn’t find it funny at all.

“Jane seemed to think that he was searching for something around the school. Then earlier today, one of the kitchen girls told me that Krebbs, along with several other people, had been sneaking up and down the back stairs.”

“The other people being who?” Now Russell looked disgruntled. I doubted anything I said could surprise him anymore.

“Ed for one, looking for a place to smoke. Jane, for another. She was probably following Krebbs. Brad Jameson, doing business. Michael Durant . . .” I paused, watching his face. “No explanation there, unless you have one.”

“Me? What would make you think I know what Durant was doing on the back stairs?”

“Because the other person Shawna saw was you.”

Russell’s frown deepened. “I do not sneak.”

The man had a point.

“As headmaster, I am in charge of the entire school. Anywhere I choose to go falls well within the scope of my duties. Which brings me to a point I feel bears discussion.”

Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. “Yes?”

“You seem to have acquired quite a lot of information about the goings-on at the school. I believe the last time we discussed this, I had your assurance that you would stay out of it.”

“You did, but . . .”

I was hoping for divine intervention. Amazingly, it showed up. Detective Shertz wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind, but his timing was impeccable.

“Mind if I come in?” The door pushed open, and Shertz entered the room. “Your secretary doesn’t seem to be at her desk.”

Harriet off-duty? That had to be a first. Maybe she was sick.

“Please, join us.” Russell rose and waved the detective to a seat. He glanced out the door toward his secretary’s empty desk and shook his head slightly. “I can’t imagine where she’s gotten to. Then again, everyone seems to be behaving oddly these days. Why should Harriet be any different? I believe you wanted to talk to us about Jane?”

“Right. According to her grandmother, the girl has disappeared. I gather she often spends a fair amount of time here, so I figured this was the logical place to start. Has either of you seen her today?”

Russell and I both shook our heads.

“A question?” So help me, I almost raised my hand. I’ve got to get out more.

“Yes?” Shertz swung his gaze my way.

“Since Jane came to live in Greenwich, she seems to have spent a great deal of time unsupervised. For the most part, I don’t think her grandmother’s had any idea where she was. What makes today any different? Why does she think Jane is missing?”

“It’s not just today,” said Shertz. “Mrs. Gaines hasn’t seen her grand-daughter since midday yesterday.”

“And she’s just now getting around to doing something about it?” I asked incredulously.

“She thought Jane would turn up. Like you said, the girl is pretty independent. I gather there have been some control problems. The mother pretty much let Jane run wild, and she’s having trouble adjusting to her grandmother’s rules. Mrs. Gaines was concerned last night, but she didn’t want to turn to the authorities until it was absolutely necessary.”

“She’s afraid Jane might be taken away from her,” I guessed.

“Probably,” Shertz agreed. “Anyway, by this morning, her fear for the girl’s safety was enough to override the other concerns. Today was to have been Jane’s first day back in school. But when Mrs. Gaines went to wake her up, the bed was empty, and it didn’t appear to have been slept in.”

“Jane talked about going back to school over the weekend,” I said. “She wasn’t delighted by the prospect, but she seemed resigned. I certainly didn’t get the impression she was thinking of running away.”

“Runaways usually take their gear with them. At the very least, they take their money. Everything Jane had was still where she’d left it. That was another reason why Mrs. Gaines didn’t contact us right away. She assumed the girl would be coming back.”

That didn’t sound good. “Do you think something’s happened to her?” I asked.

“Right now I’m not forming any theories, I’m just gathering information. When was the last time you saw Jane?”

“Saturday, early evening. We’d met at Krebbs’s memorial service here that morning. I was going to spend the afternoon with my aunt and Jane ended up coming with me. I dropped her off at her house around five-thirty.”

“You?” Shertz looked at Russell.

“That day, as well. I saw her briefly at the service. To tell the truth, the only reason I even noticed her presence was that I was somewhat surprised by it. I certainly haven’t seen her since.”

“There’s something you should know,” I said to the detective. Russell winced slightly, wondering no doubt which piece of dirty laundry I’d be airing. “Brad Jameson is missing, too.”

“How do you know?”

“One of my students told me earlier that Brad left town over the weekend.”

Shertz’s eyes narrowed. “Any particular reason your students would be bringing you information like that?”

Russell was glowering, but I didn’t have a choice. If Jane’s safety was at stake, I had to share everything I knew. “After what you told me about Brad’s reputation, I became curious about what he was doing on campus. I also wanted to find out if Jane was being exposed to a bad influence. So I asked a few discreet questions.”

“Last time you asked a few questions, I seem to recall you ended up with a bump on your head and a murderer on your hands. I thought we agreed you’d stay out of it.”

“I tried,” I said honestly. “But circumstances kept dragging me back in.”

The detective’s lips twitched. He did not look entirely convinced by my explanation. “Since I seem to have acquired a partner whether I want one or not, mind letting me in on what else you’ve found out?”

“Brad was dealing drugs on campus. In all likelihood, he numbered one of the teachers, Ed Weinstein, among his customers. By the way, nobody I’ve spoken to can connect Krebbs with the stash that was found near his body.”

Shertz nodded, encouraging me to continue. Russell walked over to the bar and poured himself another drink.

“The long-lost relative mentioned in Krebbs’s will, who stands to inherit a sizable amount of money, is also a teacher here.”

“We’re aware of that,” said the detective.

Russell looked up. “I wasn’t.”

“Sally Minor. Krebbs was her father’s cousin. She was embarrassed by the family connection and made him promise never to reveal it. I suspect he phrased the bequest the way he did as a sort of revenge. Nevertheless, Sally intends to step forward. She’s desperate for money.”

Russell looked as though he was about to protest. “A mother with Alzheimer’s,” said Shertz, forestalling the interruption. “Anything else?”

I glanced at Russell and lifted a brow. My vow of discretion was about to be broken. Fortunately, he seemed to agree that Jane’s disappearance had raised the stakes, because he nodded.

“Michael Durant, the drama coach is new at school this semester, which means he arrived on the scene about the same time that everyone began behaving suspiciously. Like Krebbs, he had a connection to Howard Academy’s founding family.”

“Born on the wrong side of the blanket,” Russell explained. He looked pleased finally to have something to contribute.

“Another thing,” I said. “Jane was convinced that Krebbs was searching for something here at the school.”

“Any idea what?” asked Shertz. He’d pulled out his pad and was making notes.

“Only a really vague theory.” I sat up in my chair. There was something I’d been pondering since Russell had filled in the blanks about Michael’s family history. “More of a wild guess, really.”

“You may as well go ahead and spit it out. At the moment, I’m taking anything I can get.”

“I spent part of the weekend reading Ruth Howard’s diary. Joshua Howard founded the school seventy years ago, and Ruth was his youngest daughter. She fell in love with a boy who’d been hired to do some work at the family home, got pregnant, and was planning to elope with him.”

Shertz made a spinning motion in the air with his hand, asking me to skip over a few facts and bring the story up to the present. I couldn’t, though; the middle was too important. I began to talk faster.

“In her diary, Ruth mentioned a hidden treasure. It was something her mother had set aside before her death. Ruth was going to use it to finance her getaway.”

“Did she?” Shertz asked, but it was clear he was fast losing interest.

“No. Honoria Howard paid the boy to disappear and sent Ruth away to have the baby. A year after her return, she committed suicide. The child was raised by the boy’s family and grew up to be Michael Durant’s father.”

“Let me get this straight,” the detective said skeptically. “You think there’s a treasure buried somewhere at the school and that Krebbs was trying to find it?”

“Possibly.” I frowned. “I told you it was only a hunch. And I doubt if the treasure is actually buried. But when the mansion in Deer Park was sold shortly after Ruth’s death, most of the family’s possessions were brought over here.

“Ruth had every intention of running away with Jay Silverman. He was a laborer, I doubt that he had any money of his own. Ruth was in love—”

“Wait a minute!” Shertz cried. “What did you say?”

“Ruth was in love—”

“Before that!”

“She was planning to run away with Jay, but he was—”

“Poor. Right. Who cares? Back to Krebbs. His family had worked for the Howard family for years. That’s where he grew up, right?”

“Correct,” said Russell. “Krebbs’s father was Joshua Howard’s butler. They lived on the estate.”

“Think about it,” said the detective. “Kids get into everything. Krebbs must have known about Ruth being sent away. He probably knew why, too. Chances are, he’d seen Ruth’s lover—”

Suddenly I realized what he was getting at. “Do you think Krebbs recognized Michael? He must have figured out who he was. That’s what he was trying to tell Jane. The name she heard him say wasn’t Jason. It was Jay’s son.”

“Strictly speaking,” Russell pointed out. “Michael Durant was Jay’s grandson.”

As one, Shertz and I turned and glared. Having come this far, neither one of us was about to debate the technicalities.

“Where’s Michael Durant now?” asked Detective Shertz.

“I can check his schedule,” said Russell. “Harriet must be back by now.”

She was. “Mr. Durant called in sick,” she said, lips pursed in disapproval. She was the kind of administrator who found all Friday and Monday illnesses automatically suspicious. “I would imagine he’s at home.”

“Thank you, Harriet,” Russell said distractedly. “That’s all.”

The secretary remained standing in the doorway. One by one, we turned to look at her.

“Well?” said Russell.

“Jane isn’t here,” Harriet said. “I mean, she’s not on the campus. I went and checked just as soon as the detective called.”

“What do you mean, you checked?” I asked.

Harriet smiled slightly. “Did you think you were the only friend that poor child had here? I’ve discovered Jane has a fondness for Twinkies. It’s something we have in common.”

The woman’s cheeks took on a rosy hue, but she was determined to finish her explanation. “That’s how we met, actually. I caught her red-handed slipping my midmorning snack out of my desk drawer. Jane didn’t look as though she’d had many treats in her life. It was just as easy for me to bring two as one. Every morning, I’d leave a Twinkie for her in a cubbyhole by the back stairs.

“Most afternoons, it was gone. Not today though. I’m sure Jane hasn’t been on campus. If she had, she’d have taken it.”

Detective Shertz was looking skeptical again, but I thought Harriet’s explanation made perfect sense. A Twinkie connection, indeed. Obviously the secretary had hidden depths.