Classmate Murders - Bob Moats (ready player one ebook .txt) 📗

for them when Trapper would get here.

About 4 A.M. the medics had me bandaged up like a mummy and Buck and the giants were all sitting together on the couch looking a bit frazzled. Trapper was talking to the outside cops, and then he came over to me where I was sitting in an armchair, Penny sitting on the arm.

"Ok, Richards, lets hear your part in this attempt." He was a bit friendly, probably since Penny wasn't murdered. Chalk one up for the good guys.

I told him everything from when I heard a noise outside Penny's room, in the backyard.

He looked a bit puzzled and asked "Why were you in Miss Wicken's room?"

We both smiled and Trapper just said "Oh, aww..all right let that go, so where was our hero Buck while the killer was bashing you with the door?" He looked over to Buck.

I looked over to Buck, too, wondering the same thing.

He grinned and said "I went out for a breath of fresh air and was talking to the cops out front. I had just came back in and saw Tim and Deacon on the floor and went to the bedroom to check on you guys, that's when I ran into the nut job."

"Why didn't you have your gun out?" I asked.

"I was concerned over not shooting you or Penny so waited till I assessed the situation. By that time he was standing in front of me, I had no time to draw, I just jumped at him. I hate men in ski masks," he grinned.

"George, why did you have a gun?" Trapper asked.

"I'm licensed to carry concealed, for protection from the criminal element."

"Whatever, just keep it concealed from me. The officers who ran out the back said the killer was escaping in a boat, that's how he got here unseen. We were watching the road and front, he knows the layout here." He turned to Penny, "Have you had anyone in the house recently who could get a look at the place?"

Penny thought and said "There was a man came out two weeks ago to give me an estimate on carpeting. He drew out a floor plan with measurements. He was the only person to be in the house in a long time. I never did get the estimate, I just figured they weren't interested in doing the job and then I forgot about it."

"I'll need the name of that carpet store," He asked her. She said she would write it down and went to get the address.

Trapper looked at the giants and said, "Richards explained your part in this, I'm going to assume you men did your jobs the best you could under the circumstances. You two will still be assigned to protection. Just stay on your best." The giants smiled and nodded.

"Miss Wickens, I'm still having a hard time locating Linda Grolich, but after this I think the killer may wait to get back to you till this all settles. He will probably try for Grolich now, I just hope he has as much trouble finding her as I am."

"Well, Sergeant, if it helps, I talked to Linda about a year ago, we ran into each other in a restaurant, and after talking a while she told me about a cabin she had up in Lakeport. She said she goes there every so often to get away from people." Penny related.

"Oh, man, that helps. I'll do some checking with the Lakeport police and see what they can track down." Looking to Penny again, "I really think we should put you in a safe house till this is over."

Penny paused, "I understand your concern, but with this crack team of protectors I have here, I'd rather stay in my home. I can take some time off from my show. Phil, the station's weather man can do a decent job of filling in for me, he has in the past. But not great enough that he would replace me." She had a cute little smile, an evil smile, but cute.

"Well, that's up to you. I'll leave things the way they are for now, that may throw off the killer figuring we would change things. I'm going to call Lakeport to see if I can find Grolich and alert the police about the situation."

He told the outside officers to wait for a relief team and asked the giants if they needed relief. They both said they were fine with staying. Trapper said that was fine with him and went out.

We just all sat there, not knowing what to say and too tired to say anything. Penny slipped down on the armchair with me making me flinch from the ribs, she apologized and started to get up but I pulled her back down. We snuggled.

"You'll need to get that window in the kitchen boarded up and the front door jam fixed. Oh, and there's a bullet hole in your bedroom ceiling," I said to her.

She smiled, "I'll leave the bullet hole to remind me of your gallant attempt to protect me."

Buck offered, "I need to go home for a bit to get a few things, I'll measure the window and get a sheet of plywood for it at Home Depot, and some wood for the door. I'll bring it all back then we can have a construction party. I saw a barbecue out back, seems like a shame not to use it." The walrus smile came out.

Penny got up and took some money out of her purse and gave it to Buck, "Get the wood and some nice steaks with this. Big juicy steaks."

Buck said, "Yes ma'am, as you wish, I'm at your command." He got up, swayed a bit, but steadied himself, then left. The giants got up and said they needed fresh air so went out with the other two officers to wait for their relief.

Penny and I were finally alone in the house, it felt good. She tightened her hug on me.

"Jim, I really like having you around. For more than just sex." She grinned and kissed me on the cheek. "Although that's a good reason. I was really in a bad way over you back in high school. You were my first serious crush, the kind you don't get over easily. I was so jealous of the way you used to talk about Sara in the lunch room. You probably don't remember but I used to hang around with the small circle of friends you had."


"I do remember, I used to hang with the underclassmen, my class was so annoying. You were a doll even back then, so I do remember. I thought cheerleaders were only accessible to the jocks and that one jock, Jeff Lyons, seemed to be always around you. I even fantasized about you occasionally. It was hard not to notice you, especially in your short cheerleader skirt. You honestly had the best legs of all the cheerleaders," I confessed.

She looked at me for a bit then said, "We've got some catching up to do. I'll have to buy a new cheerleader outfit and you can bring your camera."

"Hmm.. interesting thought. I like it!" We made out like teenagers for a while.

*


Chapter Nine

After a half hour, we came up for air. Since we were getting a little hot and heavy, we stopped so not to embarrass anyone walking in and finding us possibly rolling naked on the rug.

Besides, I wanted to have a talk with Penny about the Rocco incident. It could lead to finding out who is doing all this. I really didn't want to change the mood, but I needed to know.

"Penny, I have to ask you about something that I really don't want to hear about, involving you." She looked at me with a puzzled expression, I continued, "It's about Rocco, and the charges that were made about inappropriate behavior toward the cheerleaders."

Penny stiffened a bit, then got up. She didn't say anything for a moment, just walked over and sat on a stool at the snack counter. "I've always tried to push that whole thing out of my mind. Dee and I were so against it, but Sue and Marge kept at us for days, until we broke down and gave in. Linda and Joyce were mean girls anyway, so they thought it was all just fun." She went quiet for a bit as though trying to think. "Sue didn't like Mr. Rocco, she didn't like the way he would always treat Mrs. Stone, our gym teacher. He was always pawing at her, in their office when he thought no one was looking, but Sue saw them a couple of times."

I got up and went to stool next to her, and said, "I always thought Mrs. Stone was a bit on the lesbian side. Even though she was married."

"Her husband was a teacher at another school in the district. No, she may have been a bit butch looking, but not a lesbian. Definitely not. Mr. Rocco was a mean, ornery person towards the students. He treated the football team like they were idiots. In gym, he would torment the slow kids, and the overweight ones, pushing them way too hard. He sent many a boy out crying. He was not well liked by just about everyone. I guess, I justified what we did as punishment for him being such a rotten person."

She looked at me and had such a sad expression. "I never realized that we could ruin his career and his life. He left the school and we were told not to talk about it by the school administration. Linda told us later that he had gotten mean with her, in the locker room, before he left and threatened all of us. She was scared, but he didn't harm her, just the threat."

"What was Mrs. Stone's reaction, did she know you girls made up the charges?"

"Oh God, no. We never talked to her about it, and she never brought it up. It was so weird, like it never happened. But Mrs. Stone was never quite the same after that, she became moody and sullen. She wasn't even happy when we found out she was pregnant a couple of months later. Her husband would stop by, about twice a week, to see if she was all right. At least he was happy."

We both were silent for a while. I was deducing things in my head, which didn't do much.

Penny took a big breath and continued, "Mrs. Stone worked up to the last month of her pregnancy and then just disappeared. She never came back after her son was born. We wanted to visit her, but she told us to stay away. As for Mr. Rocco, Sue told us she heard one of the teachers in the office, saying that he heard that Rocco was in jail, in Lansing for drunk, disorderly and assault. He was working as a janitor in some factory and he came in drunk to work one day. He had a fight with his boss. They called the cops and took him away, but not before he had broke a pop bottle over his boss's head causing a severe concussion. He went into a coma. Rocco was sent to jail for a year. God, did we push him to that?"

"Hey, he had the meanness in him. It