Sour Grapes by Jeff Shelby

Author:Jeff Shelby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: female sleuth, amateur sleuth, cozy mystery, small town mystery, farm mystery, mystery without murder, restaurant mystery
Publisher: Jeff Shelby
Published: 2018-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

THIS WAS NEWS TO ME.

“Lance Larson has stolen a statue before?”

Gunnar sat back on the couch and folded one leg over the other. “Back in high school.”

“Tell me,” I demanded.

“It was a homecoming prank,” he said. “Happened a few years after I graduated, but I can’t remember the specific year. Our rival, Greenville, has this tiger statue in front of the school. And every year, kids would go over the night before the game and mess with it. TP it, or dress it up. Some kids used silly string on it, too, but that was after I graduated, too. Anyway, one year they decided to go a little farther. The rivalry had amped up a bit and so the night before the game, some kids went and stole the statue.”

I didn’t grow up in a small town so hearing Gunnar explain this to me was a little like listening to the rituals of some faraway culture. My own high school had been massive, and our football team hadn’t been particularly good. Our rivalry with one of the neighboring schools consisted solely of taunts at games. Defacing and stealing statues? No one would have thought to do that at my high school. Because no one cared enough.

“How did he steal it?” I asked. “Wasn’t it like bolted to the ground or something?”

“Nope. It was just a big wood-carved tiger. Some alum donated it back in the 70s, I think.”

“So what happened? Obviously they found it,” I said, picturing the tiger I’d seen out in front of the high school on the few occasions I’d driven by. It was still there, in all of its faded glory. Based on its appearance, I was pretty sure it was the one Gunnar was talking about.

“Someone ratted,” Gunnar said with a smile. “Felt guilty about stealing the mascot and went to the principal.”

“And Lance was responsible?”

“He never owned up to stealing it,” Gunnar said. “But it was found in his garage.”

I let out a low whistle. “Did he get suspended or punished in any way?”

Gunnar smiled. “He had to bring it back to Greenville. And then he had to give a formal apology to both schools. They made him do it at an assembly. Stood up with a microphone and everything. I think he had to perform a whole bunch of community service, too. Specifically for Greenville High.”

“What about the other kids who were responsible?”

Gunnar shrugged. “No one else admitted being involved, and Lance refused to name names. So he took the brunt of the blame, even though everyone assumed others had a hand in it, too.”

I mulled all of this over. I could see a high school kid protecting his friends and taking the fall, especially if he knew the punishment wouldn’t be harsh. And sure, he’d had to perform community service, but it wasn’t like he was suspended or expelled, and it didn’t sound as though it had gone on any sort of permanent record.

“This sort of sheds new light on things,” I finally said.

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