At the constabulary late on Friday evening, it only took an hour for Olivia to input the death and rescue information into the computer. With each detail she felt her heart race faster and faster. Once she pushed Send to Janis Jets, she sat back in her chair. Emotionally spent, she finally had a chance to assess her own feelings. Tears of hopelessness filled her eyes.
Dave is gone.
Olivia tried to remember when she'd felt so detached from her perennial optimism. When Mom died I felt this way. She was my best friend. I was just getting to know Dave, but I feel the same senselessness in his loss.
The doors behind her swished open. Janis Jets appeared, her face looking grim. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"Not hungry," Olivia said, reaching for a tissue.
"I ordered burgers. They'll be delivered. We have to begin our investigation. You can feel sad later once we've figured out if he jumped or fell or if someone pushed him."
"We?"
"Of course, we. You think I hired you to do your nails and file papers all day? You've got, might I say, certain instincts for eliciting confessions, and I think you'd be an asset on this case. I have a plan."
"You think it was murder then?" Olivia said, shoving her balled-up tissues into the wastebasket. She sat up in her chair, her mind welcoming a challenge.
Jets rubbed her hand on the back of her neck. "He might have fallen off the cliff," she said. She scratched her head over her right ear. "I don't know how he could have lost his balance in that particular place. Just to make sure, I asked his wife when we spoke; she said Dave hiked the Lily Rock loop all the time. He was familiar with the trails."
"How did you feel talking to Linnea about Dave?" Olivia watched Janis carefully. Her face, immobile, did not give away any emotion.
Jets shook her head, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Even if Riverside Police made the visit to her house, I was the one who called on what was quite possibly the worst day of her life." The facts, spoken in a staccato delivery, sounded like an addition to a police report.
For the first time, the full impact of Janis's work hit Olivia. Up until then she'd been an observer and part-time help outside of investigations. But today, she saw a different side. A person she knew had died and notifications needed to be made.
I wouldn't want that part of Janis's job for anything in the world. Typing a report doesn't compare.
Olivia inhaled deeply. She dropped another tissue in the wastebasket. "Okay then, I think I am feeling a bit hungry. Did you ask for the burger to be slightly pink on the inside?"
Janis's grim face shifted to slightly amused. "That's the stuff, first we think food…then if we have another few minutes, we turn to investigating. I'm happy to hear that your nutritional needs have become foremost on your mind. I ordered two hamburgers, slightly pink just the way we like them."
"Food keeps me sane," Olivia admitted.
Jets checked her cell phone. "I'll go back to my office and read your report. You bring the delivery back to the break room as soon as it gets here. Don't dawdle. I like a hot fry, not a soggy one."
Within ten minutes the delivery guy bounced into the constabulary, bringing two brown food bags, the grease already staining the sides.
"Here's your order," he said, dropping the bags on her desk. "Gotta go." Before she could say goodbye, the door closed behind him.
Since it grew increasingly dark outside, Olivia locked up the entrance to the constabulary. Then she made her way to the break room.
Janis followed her down the hall as Olivia set the bags in the middle of the table. Janis reached in first, handing one burger to Olivia before grabbing one for herself.
Both women sat down, peeling away the paper wrapping of their burger. They ate in silence.
Olivia finished her last bite and then gathered the paper wrappers. "I don't want to come back next week to leftover food on the table," she commented dryly to Janis, tossing the trash into the receptacle.
"Didn't I tell you?" Jets said, wiping a crumb from her chin. "You're not coming back to the constabulary starting tomorrow."
"I'm fired?"
"You're not getting out of this job that easy. I have a plan. Time to change your work location. I want you up at the music academy day and night, at least for the rest of parent weekend. If we act fast we can figure out this incident before people start leaving."
"In fact, I asked Sage to find you a room at the dorm so that you can eavesdrop on the students, listen and report back. Many a killer confesses over brushing their molars in the community bathroom. You probably don't know that because you're an amateur sleuth."
"I didn't know that," Olivia agreed, imagining herself living in a dormitory room.
A small twin bed with no one talking at me would be so good right now.
"How will Sage explain my presence to the student residents?"
"You're going to be the dorm head. I checked the student housing charter while you were writing your report. Sage emailed it to me as soon as I told her my plan. According to what I read, an adult is required to be present in the dorm, especially in the evening. Plus with a potential campus killer on the loose, I'd feel better if you were there to be a soothing and, of course, a nosey presence."
"Does this mean I have to pack an overnight bag and go undercover? Do I take on an accent and wear a wig?"
Jets smirked. "I think the students know you too well to get away with any phony nonsense. Just be you. Your music cred will be background enough and interesting to the students. Plus everyone knows you’re the lead vocalist of Sweet Four O'Clock and that you play the auto thingamabob, and that you also coach the a cappella group. Not exactly undercover, more like minor celebrity big frog in a very small pond."
"I don't know if I like being compared to an amphibian," muttered Olivia.
Janis ignored her. "Now then, we need to interview all of those Tone People one at a time."
"Rangers," corrected Olivia. "They're called the Tone Rangers."
"Whatever. And then, as if we don’t have enough problems, we have to interview their parents. Lots of relatives arrived for parent weekend. I'll handle that part while you mingle with the young." Janis smiled, looking happy with her plan.
"I hadn't thought about all the parents being around. Do you have to interview everyone on campus?"
"My gut tells me the Tone Rangers are at the center of this murder. Let's start with them and see where it goes," Jets stated calmly.
"I already told Sage to break the bad news to the families. I don't imagine her popularity is soaring at the moment. You know she's already in hot water with the school board. I heard all the details from Meadow."
"Did I mention priorities? Sage's job is the least of my worries right now. In a way she could be one of my suspects. She's around that campus all the time."
"You don't really think Sage had anything to do with Dave's death, do you?"
"Between us, I don't. But while you are snooping around the pool of potential pushers off the cliff, I'll do my best to gather evidence. If Dave actually jumped, he hid his depression very well."
Olivia thought for a moment. "Dave did talk to me about his concerns about being a dad. He seemed worried but not ambivalent, nothing that would lead me to believe he'd take his own life."
"That's helpful," Jets said. "Of course, Dave could have fallen by accident. Like I said, a fall would look different to the pros. They'll know. And if Dave was pushed, there will be signs revealed by forensics and the coroner. That's my job, to get the professionals on the case while we still have the students and families available and under our surveillance."
"How long can Sage keep the parents from leaving?"
"I have no idea. It will take some ingenious planning and soothing, because that's what rich people appreciate. Oh, and it will also require good food. I have that Cookie guy already baking his butt off tonight."
"You talked to the chef of the Curated Cuisine about the case?"
"We spoke briefly. He says he'll pull out all the stops with his pea soup and baked bread. Pea soup?" Jets added, scorn in her voice. "Ever since I was a kid I made it a habit to avoid green food."
"Not even a green vegetable?"
"If it's green, it's mean. That was my motto. No green anything, especially salad—the most overpriced item on any menu. Adding protein to a salad has become a fad. Give me the meat, hold the rest."
Not a green vegetable fan. Another thing I didn't know about Janis Jets.
Olivia glanced at her cell phone. Two missed calls from Michael and one from Sage.
"I guess I'd better throw some things into a suitcase for my new assignment," Olivia said.
"Don't forget your toothbrush," Janis added with a sly wink.
"I'll catch up with you tomorrow at the academy," Michael's tired voice said over the phone. Olivia had called to touch base with him before heading to the music academy dorm.
"When Sage finds me a room, I'll text you the number," Olivia added. "What a day, huh?"
"I really hoped he'd be alive when we got the stretcher to him," admitted Michael.
"Dave was a good guy. I was just getting to know him. Janis said she spoke to his wife already," Olivia said, tears threatening. "I wouldn't want to be in Linnea's shoes, with a baby on the way. Plus Dave mentioned financial problems to me just a day ago. That would be tough." Tears came to her eyes.
Michael drew a deep breath. "We can help with the finances, at least we can try. I've got a couple of ideas, but I'm too tired to explain them now. How are you doing?"
"I'm ready to drive to the academy and sleep at the dorm. I never thought this would be one of my constabulary assignments, going undercover with a bunch of teenagers in high school."
"You do get around," chuckled Michael. "Don't forget to give me your room number when you find out." She heard a stifled yawn over the phone.
"Get some sleep," she told him. "See you tomorrow."
After Michael clicked off the phone, Olivia had one more call to make.
She found her Recents in her phone and pushed redial.
"Hi," said Sage. "I've been getting your room all ready; it's on the second floor, number 235."
"I'm on my way to the academy."
Sage interrupted. "You know where the building is, but just so you know, there's a new sign. The dorms are called the Court Family Residence Hall."
"I see," said Olivia. "I guess the Court family donated the funds to renovate the old bunkhouse."
"That's right. I was there when the board decided to let him put his name on the building. At the time I didn't object because I can't afford to annoy Simon Court if I want to keep my job." Olivia heard the desperation in Sage's voice.
"Speaking of parents, how did the families respond when you told them parent weekend would also include the opportunity to watch a police investigation?"
Sage hesitated. "I haven't had time to make all of those phone calls, at least not yet. And I don't know how to tell people without alarming them. Right under my nose one of our tutors dies. I'm not feeling good about all of this."
"I know, honey. You must be exhausted trying to please everyone all the time. I hope Janis has some answers for us soon. I'll be listening to all conversations. Janis seemed to think I'd learn the most in the bathroom brushing my teeth."
Sage chuckled and then sighed deeply. "So much of my work is about appeasing people who donate money to the school. Over the past year I've had my head buried in meetings, keeping my mouth shut. I didn't even see how odd things have become."
"Dave's death is a wakeup call," admitted Olivia. "Something sinister is happening at the school and we'll get to the bottom of it very soon." Olivia wanted to encourage Sage but also let her know that she had her back. “I'll meet you in front of the dorm in five minutes," she added. The phone disconnected.
Once in her car, Olivia headed to the main road. It took less than ten minutes to arrive at the music academy.
Parking her car as close as possible to the footpath, she turned off her ignition. Her legs ached when she stood up from the car.
Will this day ever end?
Olivia took her suitcase from the trunk and then clicked the fob to secure the car. She rolled her bag toward the dormitory, noting the new sign, Court Family Residence Hall, above the double-entry doors.
Through the glass of the doors, Olivia saw students mingling in the entryway. Abbey and Anais huddled together until Anais caught sight of Olivia; she ran to open the door.
"You got here quick," Anais said breathlessly. "Ms. McCloud told us to look out for you. She'll bring your key up in a minute. Can I help you with your bag?"
"Thanks, that's very kind."
Anais pointed to the stairway. "It’s probably the same room as the old head was in, right up those stairs and to the left. The odd-numbered side of the hallway."
Olivia looked around. "Maybe I'll wait here until Sage arrives. How are you two doing? I feel so sad about Dave Franco."
"What a horrible school this is," cried Abbey. She leaned her back against the wall, a scowl on her face. "I told my father I want to transfer right after winter break. Once the word is out that someone actually died here, right on campus at the Lily Rock Music Academy, I'm sure parents will pull their kids out. I want to be as far away as possible. You too, Anais." She pointed to her friend.
Anais nodded. "We won't qualify for early admissions now. Colleges avoid any kind of scandal with students or high schools, or at least that's what I heard."
Olivia looked at Anais closely. Why would Anais believe the school would be held responsible for an unexpected campus death?
She wanted to quit the group anyway. Why is she pretending to care about early admission?
Abbey pointed. "Ms. McCloud is coming. She must have your key."
Sage let herself in the glass entry door. "Ah good, you're here," she said, giving Olivia a quick hug. "I see you've been talking to your greeting committee."
"We've been sharing our sadness over Dave's death," said Olivia. She left out the part about leaving the academy.
Sage turned to face Anais and then looked at Abbey. "You girls know you can talk to me or Olivia any time about what you saw tonight or your feelings about the accident."
Olivia noted Sage's deliberate use of the word accident. She didn't flinch or disagree.
Better to let the girls think it's not a murder. They’d be even more freaked out.
Neither Abbey nor Anais addressed Sage's offer.
"We'll be going now," said Abbey, taking Anais by the elbow. She looked over her shoulder at Olivia. "Both of us are on the second floor, so I'm sure we'll be running into each other. But for now I need a walk and some fresh air. How about you, Anais?"
Anais smiled as if pleased to be included. "Sure, that would be great. Bye, Olivia. Oh, and you too, Ms. McCloud," she added as an afterthought. The girls walked out of the doors arm in arm. They headed toward the wooded area, where lamps lit the path.
Once upstairs Sage watched as Olivia flung her suitcase on the twin-sized bed. She pushed her hands into the covers to feel the mattress. "Feels comfy."
When Sage didn't respond, Olivia looked at her sister more closely.
She looks exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes from crying.
"I've got everything from here," she assured Sage. "Why don't you head back home to get some sleep? By the way, is M&M with you?"
"He's waiting back in my office. Every time I pick up the phone or type on the computer he stands up as if he's annoyed. I think my phone has survived four crashes from him bumping it off the desk with his big paw."
Olivia laughed. "That dog knows what's best. Time for you to go back to the house. Take him with you and text me when you get there. We can talk in the morning."
Sage didn't argue. Before she got out the door she turned to tell Olivia, "The showers are that way." She pointed. "End of the hall, take a left."
"I'll find everything," Olivia assured Sage.
Asking questions will be part of my undercover work. Gives me an excuse to talk to the students.
"Right," answered Sage. Before she could step into the hall she heard a low yip. Olivia watched as Mayor Maguire greeted Sage by offering his paw for a shake.
"Hey, M&M," called Olivia.
The dog spun around, moving past Sage. He leapt onto the bed, shoving his head into Olivia's chest.
"Good to see you, boy," Olivia bent her head into his neck, inhaling the smell of dog fur and pine needles. "You go with Sage, but I hope to see you tomorrow."
The dog shook from his head to his tail. Then he jumped to the floor to follow Sage. Olivia closed the door softly behind them.
She examined her room more closely now that she was alone. The twin bed and a nightstand had been pushed into the corner by the window. Olivia turned down the sheets, appreciating the scent of bleach and lemon. Then she left her suitcase on top of the dresser across the room. A light shone through the window, attracting her attention.
Olivia pushed aside the curtain to look out. A group of students talked in a grassy area beneath her window. Abbey Court stood in the center. Though Olivia could not hear what the girl said, it was obvious by her hand gestures that she felt intensely.
She turned from the window to unzip her suitcase, finding a few necessary items. She grabbed her bag with her toothbrush, shampoo, and soap. After undressing she wrapped a thread-worn bathrobe around her body, cinching the tie at her waist.
Shower kit in her hand and flip-flops on her feet, she made her way to the door.
I'm in search of the showers and my first conversation. Let the sleuthing begin.