Seventeen

 

“Ben Nezer and Jacklyn Marley are married?”

“Oh, dear, I shouldn’t have said anything.” he said, two fingers to his lips. “I’m a pastor; I know how to keep a secret, truly, but . . . I don’t see why those two young people have not celebrated their marriage. It was all I could do at the Nezer party to keep from shouting it aloud.”

“You did have other things on your mind,” Jaymie said in disbelief. Did he not remember that she was there and knew what concerned him most that night? His violent confrontation with Ben’s father at the party kept him from celebrating anything.

“But it is such a wonderful event, a blessing, truly,” he said with a sunny smile. “I suppose they became acquainted when she worked for his father, you know . . . in and out of the house all the time. Very intelligent young woman.”

“You know her well?” Jaymie asked, trying to regain her bearings in the middle of a puzzling conversation.

“I knew her when she worked at WC.”

“I have only met her a couple of times, I must say.” And one of those times was when she was hacking into the murder victim’s computer.

She didn’t want to alarm the pastor at how grave and disturbing she considered the news of their marriage, and the new complexion it put on anything to do with their interactions with Nezer. She would never have put those two together. But maybe that was Inkerman’s intent. If he had killed Evan, the shocking news of the marriage would deflect nicely, given Jacklyn Marley’s past fractious relationship with Evan Nezer. And the pastor had already commented on Jaymie’s investigative habits. Perhaps he was trying to steer her away from his own involvement.

He couldn’t know that the opposite had instead happened; from being one of the last suspects on her list, this conversation had pushed him up near the top. “What do you think of her?”

“I don’t know her well but she’s a very attractive young lady. And a good teacher, from what students have told me. Very knowledgeable. Being considered for a full-time position, too.”

“Until Evan Nezer got her fired,” Jaymie blurted out.

He looked dumbstruck and placed one hand on his chest, in a theatrical expression of alarm. “Is that truly what happened? I knew she was let go, but . . . are you sure it was Evan’s doing?”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

“How unfortunate. And how complicated. I can’t imagine how Ben dealt with his father after the man got his new wife fired.”

“You said they married a month ago?”

“Yes, about that. I must go,” he said suddenly, clicking the lock release of his car and grabbing the handle, jerking the door open. “I can’t have my class and my appointments left waiting.”

“But, Pastor, if I could just—”

“No, no, I must go.” He hurriedly got into the car, started it, and backed out, Jaymie having to jump out of the way to keep her toes from being run over.

Her mind working furiously, Jaymie got into her car, turning up the heat full blast to warm her hands, which had gotten icy as she stood talking to the pastor. She tried to separate her new strong suspicions of the pastor—brought about by her own cynical read of his motives in telling her about the marriage, and his suggestions that Ben must have been angry when his father got Jacklyn fired from the college—from reality. None of this changed the fact that the pastor’s motive seemed weak to her, anger over a lousy book review.

Unless there was something more she wasn’t seeing.

She absently checked her phone. Heidi, Bernie and Val had all said yes to having girls’ night at the Queensville house. She also got a text from Austin saying he had more info if she’d like it. Since she now wanted to ask him more about Jacklyn’s time at WC, she checked her watch—she still had an hour and a quarter before she had to meet Jocie’s school bus—and texted him to meet her back in the food court and she’d buy him a tea.

“Sometimes I feel like I spend most of my time in you,” she said, patting the dash of her lovely newish SUV.

She returned to WC, met Austin at the Tim Hortons, and splurged on a ten-pack of Timbits as well as steeped tea. The food court was crowded, with giddy groups of young people, their loud conversations melding into a babble of youthful noise, interspersed by serious students trying to study for upcoming exams. They found a table away from the others by the big atrium windows again. Clouds were bunching up on the horizon, piling like dark gray mounds of mashed potatoes gone bad. Food metaphors, even ugly ones, were never far from Jaymie’s mind.

“Okay, whatta you got?” Jaymie asked, popping a Timbit in her mouth and washing it down with tea. She was going to float home . . . or waddle, given how many treats she had eaten and how much tea she had drunk.

“Well, my dear,” he said, leaning across the table, “my college reporter friend has discovered that as it turns out, President Belcher was fired from her last job—or ‘resigned,’ air quotes—because she was accused of taking bribes.”

“Bribes? In a college? In exchange for what?”

“My source has not discovered that yet. Still working on it.”

“Okay, wait—” Jaymie got out her phone and texted Nan with a very brief description of the info, asking if her bulldog reporter would follow up. “Now, what do you know about the two others, the college provost and dean, Carter Crossley and Andy Markham?”

“Those three are always together,” Austin said, plucking a chocolate Timbit from the little carrying box. “I’m just a student, but even I know it’s not normal for the president, the provost and a dean to be in ‘meetings’ all the time.”

“What would that have to do with anything?” Jaymie thought for a long moment. Evan Nezer had obviously gone out of his way to hurt people. He seemed both power-hungry and malicious, a bad combination if ever there was one. That might be why Ben and Jacklyn hadn’t told him that they were married, the fear that Evan, out of spite, would find a way to destroy Jacklyn even beyond refusing to pay her and getting her fired from the college. Was he holding other information, some secret beyond Belcher’s bribery? And maybe that was what Jacklyn was actually looking for on his computer at the party, information Nezer might be holding on to, either to ruin her or the college president.

Austin drank more of his tea. “I say, if Belcher did it before she’ll do it again, you know? The bribery thing.”

“You don’t think she’d be frightened off from doing anything illegal? I mean, if I’d been caught doing something, the last thing I’d do was repeat it.”

“Honey, you should know that’s not how humans work,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Folks always think, Well, I did it wrong last time but I’ve learned. This time I won’t get caught.” He popped a white sugarcoated Timbit into his mouth, powdered sugar puffing out in a cloud.

Jaymie nodded. “You are very wise, Austin,” she said, smiling across the table at him.

“Call me Obi Wan Austin,” he snickered, then popped another Timbit in his mouth. He pushed the box away, chewed, swallowed, then said, “Girl, those are lethal! Like crack for a chunky boy like me.”

She laughed out loud and impulsively asked, “Would you come to girls’ night tomorrow night with my friends?” She felt heat rise to her face and knew her cheeks were going rosy. Eyes wide, she said, “I didn’t mean . . . I’m not calling you one of the girls, you know. Of course, if you come it’s not a ‘girls’ night’ anymore. I’d love you to meet Heidi and Bernie and my sister, Becca.” She paused in consternation. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”

Austin took a long gulp of tea and smiled across the table at her. “You’d have to do something a lot worse than calling me one of the girls to offend me, Jaymie. I know what you mean, and I would love to come to girls’ night, even though I’m not one of the girls.” He shrugged. “But I don’t have a car. I’m living with my mom. She lets me borrow her car to get to school, but she uses it to get to work in the evening.”

“I could pick you up! C’mon . . . say yes!”

“In that case, if it’s really no trouble, I’d love it!” He took her phone and added his address to his contact information.

He had one more class he had to get to, and then he was going to talk to the reporter for the school newspaper to ask if she’d found anything out. He departed, and Jaymie cleared the table and headed out too. She decided to swing past the office to see if there were any courses she’d be interested in, so she headed down a long hall, only having to ask the way once before coming to a glass and brick central foyer, with big glass doors that led to the parking lot. She had always come in another way, and so had not been here before.

She entered the office that served both the academic and technical branches of the college and asked about extramural classes, and was given the fall course calendar. She flipped through it, noting cooking classes, wreath making, sewing, and other craft classes. Voices raised out in the hall drew her attention. Slinking to the doorway, she peeked out. Finn Fancombe was there, speaking to President Belcher. Her two sidekicks were coming toward them, but not before Finn spoke loudly.

“I want to know what you knew, and when you knew it!” he said loudly. “Nezer told me something at the party. He said he didn’t want to accuse me of plagiarism, but that you wanted me gone ’cause I was causing too much trouble about the damn campaign you and your goons started to get that conservative asshat talk radio turd to come here to teach.”

Nezer was trying to placate Finn? Why? The president, a look of alarm on her lined face, backed away from the young man. She said something, but Jaymie couldn’t hear her. Some of what Finn said jibed with things Austin had heard, that the college wanted to be rid of him because he was a troublemaker, a protester against the college leadership.

“You are lying!” he bellowed in response to whatever she had said to him. “I thought Nezer was the bad guy, but now I know the truth.”

This was intriguing. Crossley and Markham approached from either side and grabbed his arms. Finn shook them off. “I’ve seen the letters, you know,” he said, facing the college president. “The emails, telling Professor Nezer why you wanted him to say I plagiarized. He didn’t want to do it, but you made him.”

“That’s absurd,” President Belcher said, her tone just the right amount of condescending and placating. “I know you’re upset that Evan is dead. We all are, but—”

“No, you wanted rid of me because I’m not going to be silenced. I won’t let you turn this wonderful accepting place into some repressive think-tank thought-police state for right wing thugs!”

Jaymie’s eyes widened. She strained to hear as the college president muttered to her two colleagues. She could only hear part of what she said.

“. . . and get rid of him,” Belcher muttered.

“No, I will not be silenced!” Finn howled.

Finn backed away, hands spread, as the college president urged them to tackle the grad student.

“Get him out of here!” Belcher yelled. “I don’t care how.”

They were unwilling, Jaymie was pleased to note, and eyed the college president with uncertainty verging on rebellion.

Belcher, her goons mutinous, turned back to Finn. “Okay, look . . . I can help you. Now that Professor Nezer is gone, we can forget the whole unsavory business. You can resume your master’s study.”

That was a bribe, and it made Jaymie wonder, had Belcher ordered the murder of Evan Nezer? As far-fetched as it seemed, maybe it was the solution. A bell tolled the hour. She had to get going, and soon, Jaymie thought, glancing down at her watch. However . . . this was too interesting.

“I know what your problem is,” Finn said, calmer now. Some students wandered past and paused, watching the strange tableau. One raised her cell phone, videoing the confrontation, Jaymie guessed. “You’re afraid that all the dirty laundry is gonna be aired, now that Nezer is dead. You shoulda thought of that long ago. You should have talked to me and made this offer before Professor Nezer was dead. Now every word you wrote to him is going to be out there, and everyone is going to know how corrupt this college presidency is. All the graft, all the bribes, all the underhanded dealings. And me? I’m not going to need you, once it’s all out in the open. Because I was right all along.”

He started to walk toward the doors as Belcher stood watching, unable to react, her fists clenching and unclenching. But he paused and turned back, his face shadowed at that distance. “I know you’re worried about what Ben knows and will do or say, now that his father is dead. But you know what? You should be more afraid of me!” He whirled and left, with Markham, the dean, trailing him out of the building.

What the heck did he mean by that? Jaymie exited the office into the hall, noting that President Belcher and the provost, Carter Crossley, had their heads together and were talking intently. Pastor Inkerman came in the front doors accompanied, surprisingly, by Jacklyn Marley. He hailed President Belcher and took Jacklyn’s arm, rushing her over to the college president.

He said something that Jaymie couldn’t hear, but whatever it was, the college president reacted badly, stiffening and whirling. She pushed past Jaymie into the office, yelling that she was not to be disturbed for the rest of the day. Jaymie went out to speak with the pastor.

“Jacklyn, Pastor Inkerman . . . what’s going on?”

The woman shook her head. “It’s nothing. The pastor thinks I should be able to get my job back, that’s all. I told him no, but . . .”

Inkerman, his expression grave, said, “There are things going on here and I’m not pleased. Not pleased at all. This college should be a place of freedom . . . freedom to protest and to tell the truth.” His cheeks went a dark pink. “I have a few things to say to the president and she is going to listen.”

“Vaughan, please, don’t do this,” Jacklyn said, her eyes filling with tears. She grabbed his jacket sleeve and tugged it. “She’s not going to listen. And you could end up getting fired.”

“Did you see Finn Fancombe on his way out of here?”

Jacklyn nodded. “Yes. Things are getting . . . tense.”

Jaymie leaned in and murmured to Jacklyn, “Did you tell Finn things? Did you find stuff on Evan Nezer’s computer?”

She nodded, tears dribbling down her cheeks.

“What is going on, Jacklyn?” Jaymie said, puzzled by the tumult that seemed to be surrounding the pastor, Jacklyn, Finn and the college leadership. Her phone was buzzing, but she ignored it. The real-life drama going on was far more enticing. Should she say something to Jacklyn about her marriage to Ben? Or would that be betraying the pastor’s trust? She opened her mouth to speak, but Jacklyn followed the pastor into the office, and moments later they all disappeared behind a door that slammed shut.

Jaymie was left alone in the echoing hallway. It was time to get home; she just had time before Jocie’s bus delivered her.

 

• • •

 

The Christmas tree farm sales lot, the broad area between the big oak tree with the treehouse and the field of trees, was a busy place. As she pulled up and parked she could see that the crew had loaded thirty or forty wrapped trees on a truck that was pulling away. That was likely for the tree lots in Wolverhampton, Algonac and beyond.

As she got out of the SUV she recognized one of the casual workers Jakob had hired. “Johnny!” she cried, waving at him.

Johnny Stanko galumphed over to her in his size-fifteen boots and grabbed both her hands in his, shaking them vigorously. He reminded her of an oversized puppy sometimes, the way his enthusiasm and clumsiness combined. “Jaymie! How are you? After I helped on the cider booth, your husband said he might have a job for me. He’s hired me to work for the season and he’s gonna let me choose a tree for myself! I know exactly which one I want . . . that big one out there that you can see the top of!” He pointed out to the tree field.

Jakob had known the way to the fellow’s heart, it seemed. He was a big kid in many ways, his past problems due more to poor impulse control and alcohol abuse than any real evil in his heart. “I’m so happy he hired you. I meant to ask you the other day . . . are you still working at the bar?” Though a sober alcoholic, he had worked as a barback for a place on the highway.

“Naw, they got bought out,” he said, waving one big hand. “They turned the place into a ritzy joint. I didn’t fit in. I stayed to bus tables for a while, but . . . naw. I’m doing odd jobs until I find something new.”

“Well, Jakob must have liked you. He only works with people he likes.”

Johnny grinned and ducked his head.

“How goes it with you and Cynthia? You’re still friends, right?” she asked, thinking of seeing him on the CCTV footage on the night of the arson.

“Sure, we’re good buddies. She lets me do odd jobs, too, for her and Ms. Jewel. I’ve been picking stuff up for them and moving stuff around. And for Mr. Bill, too. You know that, I guess.” His expression darkened. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Bill Waterman? Yes, he’s going to be fine, Johnny,” she said, patting his shoulder. “He’s out of the hospital and staying with his daughter right now.”

He nodded. “Good. I’m glad. I thought he had a heart attack because of the fire and stuff. Amos was so mad at the one who set fire to Mr. Bill’s work, the cider booth, you know.”

“Amos . . . oh, the fellow who collects bottles behind the Emporium!” Jaymie was struck by what he said. “Did he see anything?”

“Sure. He saw who did it.”

Jaymie gasped. “Did he tell the police? Did they question him?”

Johnny drew back at Jaymie’s reaction, blinking and nervously clenching his hands. “Uh, I don’t think so. He’s scared of police, you know. Like me. They . . . they’re kind of hard on him sometimes. They accused him of breaking into sheds, and he didn’t do it. So he’s not too sure.”

“But they must have spoken with him,” she said, remembering his appearance on the security camera footage.

“Sure, but he told them he didn’t remember.”

And the police couldn’t disprove that. “But he did see who did it?”

Johnny nodded, looking worried.

“Did he tell you who?”

He nodded again. “I don’t wanna get Amos in trouble. He trusts me. If I told you an’ you told the police an’ they questioned him an’ accused him of not telling the truth, he’d . . .” He shrugged and wouldn’t finish, his eyes clouded with worry.

“But we need the person caught. Johnny, you do want to see the person caught, right? The fire could have hurt someone.”

He nodded slowly. “Let me talk to Amos, an’ I’ll see if he’ll let me tell you.”

“Okay. You do that.”

Shannon waved and beckoned Johnny to come help her. They were loading trees on another truck. The local little league team did a fund-raiser every year, and Jakob always sold them trees at cost to help them out. The school bus arrived, Jocie disembarked, and life, as always, kicked back into high gear.