Trial by Fury by Jance J. A

Author:Jance, J. A. [Jance, J. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Crime, Suspense, thriller, Adult
ISBN: 9780061754715
Goodreads: 10683639
Publisher: William Morrow
Published: 1986-12-01T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

18

When I stepped away from the locker, Andi Wynn was looking uncertainly from Peters to me. “What is it?” she asked. “What did you find?”

“Look for yourself,” I said.

She did. I watched her expression when she turned back to face us. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s a trophy case,” I told her. “The cheerleaders’ trophy case.”

“What does it mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s get out of here, Peters.”

I welcomed the fresh air when we stepped back outside. I felt sick. Ned Browning, too. The one who had been so protective of his “young people.” He, too, had fallen victim to the cheerleaders’ hit list. More than once.

We were nearing the office when I rounded a corner and ran full tilt into Ned Browning himself. Ned Browning and Joanna Ridley.

Joanna looked surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Working. What about you?”

She nodded toward Ned Browning, who was carrying a large cardboard box. “Mr. Browning asked me to come get Darwin’s things. They’re hiring a replacement and he needs to use the desk.”

Ned nodded. “It was most awkward, having to call, even before the funeral, but the board has moved forward and hired a replacement. He’ll be here at school tomorrow. I felt Mrs. Ridley was the only one who should handle her husband’s things.”

“Did you find out anything?” Joanna asked.

More than we expected, I wanted to say, but I didn’t. Instead, I reached for the box Ned had in his hands. “Would you like me to carry this to your car?”

She nodded, and Ned handed it over. It was fairly heavy. “I’ll be getting back to my office,” he said. He turned to Joanna and took her hand. “Thank you so much for stopping by. Will you be attending the memorial service tomorrow night?” he asked. “Mrs. Wynn here is in charge of planning it.”

Joanna glanced in Andi’s direction and shook her head. “I don’t know. I doubt it. It’ll depend on how I feel after the funeral. I appreciate what you’re doing, but I may be too tired.”

Ned nodded sympathetically. “I understand completely. It would be nice if you could. It would mean a great deal to the students, but of course your physical well-being must come first.”

He took Joanna’s hand and pressed it firmly. “You take care now, Mrs. Ridley. We’ll hope to see you tomorrow. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”

Ned Browning scurried away toward his office, the little shit. I wanted him out of my sight. I turned to Peters. “I’ll help get this loaded into Joanna’s car and be right back.”

We left Andi Wynn and Peters standing together in the breezeway. “Where did it come from?” Joanna asked.

“What?”

“The picture. I thought you were going to find out how the man at the newspaper got it.”

“Oh, that.” Maxwell Cole’s column seemed eons away. “No,” I told her. “I haven’t been able to locate him yet.”

“Oh,” Joanna said. She sounded disappointed.

Her Mustang was parked in the school lot. She led the way to the trunk and unlocked it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.