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Shandra walked into the deli and spotted Ryan right away. He sat at a table in the corner near the front of the store. Two sandwiches, pickles, chips, and two waters sat on the table.
She sat down and picked up a water. “Thank you for ordering.”
“I wasn’t sure when you’d get here, and I can only take thirty minutes, ten of which are gone.” He picked up the sandwich closest to him and unwrapped the white paper. “You were doing more than getting groceries this morning.”
She studied him. He already knew where she’d been. “Yes. I spent some time with Lenny and Lana.”
“Without their mother present.” He raised an eyebrow.
“She was headed to the store when I arrived, and I asked if I could talk with them. I was as shocked as you when she said yes and left. But I did learn, it was Lenny who put the shredded paper and clay head on your porch.” She went on to tell him everything she’d learned.
“Mrs. Jones said that Ms. Tait had an appointment with someone on the school board yesterday.” Ryan picked up a pickle. “I wish I knew which one.”
“Either Mr. Tulley or Mrs. Simon. That’s who Mrs. Lawrence said would get things done.”
Ryan pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Charles, could you text me the addresses for a Mr. Tulley and Mrs. Simon. They are school board members. Thanks.” Ryan studied her. “I suppose you want to go along while I ask questions?”
“Well, I did come up with the names...” She bit into her sandwich to hide the grin tickling her lips.
They finished their sandwiches and walked to her Jeep.
“Why don’t you take your Jeep to my house. I’ll come by and pick you up in about thirty minutes. I need to go to the station and add my latest interviews to the file.” Ryan leaned on her open Jeep door.
“Okay, Sheba will like a chance to go outside for a while.” She kissed his cheek and closed the door. She hoped they could discover what Nancy had learned that ended her life.
~*~
Ryan returned to the station where his SUV was parked and headed straight back to his office. Opening the screen on his computer he spotted a new email from Sheila Rickman at the Forensics Lab.
He opened the email and read: The blood sample is B positive, not the victim’s type and is from a male. Hypothesis: the killer fell while carrying the body to the roof and scraped a limb, leaving the smear in the photograph. If there hasn’t been any increment weather, trace evidence could be hooked on the object that caused the injury.
Ryan pulled out his notepad and dialed Mr. Shepard’s number. As he waited for the man to answer, he opened another email. He had his search warrant for the computer at the school.
“Hello,” Mr. Shepard answered.
“This is Detective Greer. I have the search warrant and I need to do some more evidence gathering, can you meet me at the school in ten minutes?”
“I can be there.” The phone went dead.
Ryan printed out the search warrant and had Deputy Trapp called to meet him at the school.
On the way to the school he called Shandra.
“Hello,” she answered.
“I’m going to be a bit later than planned. The search warrant came in for the computer. I’m headed to meet Mr. Shepard and Deputy Trapp at the school. I’ll swing by and get you when I finish there.”
“I’ll be here.”
He hit the end button and hoped she didn’t decide to find the school board members on her own. It did take less time having her talk to people while he did other tasks like gather evidence, but she put herself in danger and put his job in danger by using a civilian for a lot of his information.
Mr. Shepard stood inside the main doors when he arrived. Deputy Trapp pulled up as Ryan opened the door. The deputy caught up to him as he held the door and waited.
Ryan moved to the office. Mr. Shepard unlocked the door and picked up an empty copy paper box sitting beside a desk.
Deputy Trapp and the custodian loaded the computer into the box and Ryan wrote out a receipt for the computer and keyboard.
“Take that out to your vehicle and come back. We need to look for trace evidence on the roof.” Ryan waited inside the multi-purpose room as the custodian held the doors for the deputy. The two walked over to where he stood by the door leading to the roof stairs.
“What are you looking for?” Mr. Shepard asked.
“I’m not sure. Once you unlock the door at the top you need to remain down here.”
The custodian nodded. He unlocked the doors and left.
Ryan stood at the roof door. “Over there about ten feet is a blood smear. Forensics said it isn’t the victim’s. That means the killer scraped on something getting up here or while carrying the body on the roof. Look for something jagged and fibers in the stairwell. I’ll look around up here.”
Trapp pulled out a flashlight, nodded, and started a slow descent of the stairs.
Ryan studied the door and door jamb looking for anything that might snag or scrape. Nothing. There was a cupola with a spinning vent. He moved to the vent and checked it for corners or loose pieces.
“Greer!” Deputy Trapp called from the stairwell.
Ryan worked his way to the door and stared down. “Did you find something?”
The deputy shone his light on a rough edge of the fourth step from the bottom.
Removing his backpack, Ryan knelt on the same step. He pulled out his camera and the luminol. After taking several photos from different directions, he sprayed the area.
The glow wasn’t as bright as the smear on the roof, but who knew how many times they’d stepped on the spot going up and down the stairs. He swabbed the blood with an evidence collector, used tweezers to pick at everything along the rough edge and put it in a small plastic bag. When he believed he had gathered everything that might pertain to the crime, he labeled it all and put it in his pack.
“Makes you wonder if it was a small person trying to pack the victim up the stairs,” Deputy Trapp said.
Ryan could see someone catching their foot on the woman’s skirt as they started to climb the stairs and land a shin on the edge of the step. “I’d think a small person would have dragged the body up the stairs.” He flicked on his flash light and searched all the steps for any sign of blood or fabric. He found skin and blood on two more steps.
When he was sure they wouldn’t find any more evidence, he nodded to the door at the bottom of the stairs.
Mr. Shepard stood by the door leading out into the courtyard. He seemed lost in thought.
“You can lock up now,” Ryan said, handing the evidence they’d collected to Trapp. “Take these and the computer to the forensics lab. Rickman will be waiting for them.”
Trapp nodded and left the building. His siren screamed to life and died away as the deputy headed toward Coeur d’Alene.
“What did you find up there?” Mr. Shepard asked.
“Evidence that might point us to the killer.” Ryan walked toward the main entrance. “Did you notice anyone limping when they left yesterday?”
“Boyd Lange, but I figured it was from basketball. Don’t remember Mr. Pawner limping but he’d changed. He was wearing sweats. He said he’d ran laps while the team practiced.”
“Did he run laps often?” Ryan knew Shandra would be angry if he didn’t try to find someone other than the obvious, Boyd Lange.
“Every so often he ran in the gym after school. Usually when he had a meeting in the evening.” The custodian closed the doors and locked them.
Ryan stood on the front steps of the school. He’d pick up Shandra and speak to the school board members, then he’d go by himself to the Lange house.
~*~
Shandra heard Ryan pull up. She called Sheba in from the backyard and had her coat in her hands when Ryan entered the house.
He grinned. “I’m surprised you didn’t run out and jump in as I slowly rolled by.”
“Funny.” She wasn’t sure how to tell him she knew which school board member they needed to talk with. “I made a couple calls while you were busy.”
Ryan’s forehead furrowed into a scowl. “Who did you call?”
“Mr. Tulley and Mrs. Simon. Nancy talked to Mrs. Simon, but she told me to call when we were headed her way and she’d have Mr. Tulley come over to be included.” She picked up her phone. “Shall I call her now?”
“Who did you say you were when you called?” Ryan walked by her and into the kitchen.
Water ran, and he returned with a full glass. As he sipped, his gaze locked with hers.
“I told her who I was and why we wanted to talk with her. She was agreeable. She said she didn’t for a moment believe that Ms. Tait would kill herself. She was a woman on a mission.” Shandra walked over to the door.
Ryan emptied his glass, placed it on the end table, and motioned with his hand. “Call her.”
Shandra made the call, and they headed to the woman’s home on the west side of town.
“What does this woman do for a living?” Ryan asked as they pulled into a circular driveway with a nearly four thousand square foot house behind it.
“Her husband is in construction. She has a real estate office.” Shandra had looked the woman up while waiting for Ryan.
They exited the SUV and walked up to the front door. Shandra rang the doorbell. They waited only thirty seconds before the door opened.
“Ms. Higheagle, Detective, come in.” The woman led them into a dining room set with cookies, a coffee urn, and tea pot. She turned to them and held out her hand. “I’m Margery Simon.”
“Detective Greer,” Ryan said, shaking hands.
“Shandra Higheagle,” Shandra said, shaking the woman’s hand and immediately liking their hostess.
“Please have a seat and help yourself to the cookies. Daniel should be here any moment. He just lives down the road. I called him after Ms. Higheagle called and gave him a head’s up.” Mrs. Simon sat across the table from them. “This business at the high school is awful. Two teachers in less than a week. It’s not safe for teachers or students. We had a board meeting last night. Several of the members thought we should shut the school down until the person responsible is caught.” She peered at Ryan. “Do you have any idea who did this?”
“I’m following leads and the state forensic lab is working around the clock on all the evidence we’ve sent them.”
Shandra could tell Ryan was holding back, but she also understood holding back information helped them to catch the guilty party.
The doorbell rang.
“That will be Daniel. I’ll be right back.” The woman strode from the room.
Shandra faced Ryan. “How much do you want me to say?”
“Just follow my lead. If I look at you, add in what you know.” He picked up a cookie and nibbled.
Mrs. Simon entered with a man a decade older than herself. He was tall, thin, and sported a bushy white mustache.
The woman made the introductions and seated the newcomer next to her across from Shandra.
“I’m not sure why you wanted to speak with Margery,” Mr. Tulley said.
“Ms. Tait had a meeting with Mrs. Simon yesterday morning. We believe whatever was talked about may have been the catalyst for her murder.” Ryan leaned forward.
“Coffee or tea?” Mrs. Simon asked, pouring a cup of coffee for Mr. Tulley.
“Coffee,” Ryan said.
“Tea,” Shandra offered and picked up a cookie. Either the woman was being evasive, or she was that perfect of a hostess.
Once everyone had a beverage the woman said, “She was telling me about all the harassment allegations against Mr. Huntley and how Mr. Pawner hadn’t lifted a finger to do anything to stop it. I asked her to bring me the reports and I’d make sure that it was looked into. She also said she believed that Mr. Pawner was behind an online forum that had worked up the students to cause harm to Mr. Huntley.”
Ryan glanced at Shandra. She wasn’t sure if he wanted her to speak or if he was figuring out what to say.
She decided to jump in. “I-we’ve talked to all the women who filed the reports and some of the students who—”
“Students?” Mr. Tulley interrupted. “You mean this teacher, Huntley, was also sexually harassing the students?”
Shandra couldn’t believe this was the first the man had heard of it. “Yes. Didn’t you get Mr. Pawner’s resignation?”
The two school board members looked at one another.
“No, this is the first we’ve heard of the resignation,” Mrs. Simon said.
“Mr. Pawner told me the day of Huntley’s death when we’d discovered the harassment reports, that he was turning in his resignation.” Ryan pulled out his notepad. “Who would that have gone through?”
“The superintendent and then it would have been brought to our attention.” Mr. Tulley said, pointing at Ryan’s notebook. “And if George didn’t notify us after receiving it, especially given this new light, he’d better be writing his own resignation.” The older man pulled out a cell phone and stood. “I’m going to call him right now.”
Mrs. Simon nodded and offered the plate of cookies. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. I didn’t realize this had been something that no one had addressed.”
“Were you aware that Mr. Huntley was the grandson of the Dalworths?” Shandra asked, already certain the woman wouldn’t have let the family’s money make a difference in how she handled the situation.
“The Dalworths are great benefactors to the high school, but I didn’t know that the deceased was their grandson. I’ll have to send my condolences.” The woman pulled out her cell phone and typed.
“Mr. Huntley preyed on the female teachers and students at the high school. He not only made them uncomfortable at school, he followed them in the evenings, taking photos of them.” Ryan’s words caused Shandra to shudder, thinking about how the man had stalked each of the females he’d made a victim.
Mrs. Simon stared at Ryan. She scowled. “Do the Dalworths know this about their grandson?”
“I had the impression the grandfather did, but the grandmother doted on him.” Ryan poised his pen over his notepad. “Did you and Ms. Tait talk about anything else other than that you wanted the files?”
“No. I told her to bring me the files and I’d make sure something happened, though I didn’t know what since the person they all blamed was dead.” The woman’s mouth dropped open a second before she snapped it closed, then asked, “Do you think one of the teachers or students he harassed had had enough?”
“There were more than his victims involved. There were fathers, brothers, and boyfriends.” Ryan cast a glance at Shandra.
What did he know that he hadn’t told her?
“That many people knew what was going on and the school board didn’t get a hint of it? My goodness, how long?”
“Seven years” Ryan said as Mr. Tulley entered the room.
“Seven years?” Mrs. Simon’s face darkened with rage. “Mr. Tulley, did you know that there was a teacher sexually harassing teachers and students at the high school for seven years?”
“I just found out about it. Mr. Pawner did turn in his resignation. George was trying to find a way around him losing his tenure and retirement before he handed it to us.” Mr. Tulley shook his head.
“The man doesn’t deserve that if he let so many teachers and students be harassed for that long.” Mrs. Simon’s voice rose in indignation.
“I agree, but we’ll be fighting George and anyone else who believes we need the Dalworth’s money.” Mr. Tulley said the Dalworth name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Shandra studied the two. “Now that this has come to light, will there be some changes made at the high school?”
Mrs. Simon nodded. “There will be. I’ll also make sure there is restitution. The Dalworth’s can afford to pay the families and pay for counseling at the high school.”
Shandra smiled. She understood why Mrs. Lawrence said these were the two to deal with school issues.
“Thank you for the refreshments and the information.” Ryan stood.
“You’ll let us know as soon as you find out who killed Ms. Tait?” Mrs. Simon asked.
“Yes. I’ll make sure you receive the statement.” Ryan grasped Shandra’s elbow, leading her out of the dining room.
Shandra thought it telling that the woman didn’t care who killed Mr. Huntley. If not for justice, no one would care, except his grandmother.