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Ms. Teller twisted her lips to the side and darted her gaze to the closed door than back to Owen. Tears misted in her eyes, and she cleared her throat. “I’m not sure when he’ll be back. His girlfriend was found dead this morning. He’ll be needing some time off.”
Marie stifled a gasp and fought not to let her jaw drop. Water’s Edge was a small town. The chances of two women being found dead this morning were slim. Unless the teacher’s girlfriend was from a different town. The tightening of Owen’s jaw and his hard gaze told her his thinking lined up with hers.
“I’m sorry for his loss,” Owen said slowly. “Do you happen to know what his girlfriend’s name was?”
Ms. Teller locked her gaze on Owen. “Erica. Erica Zyler.”
Adrenaline zipped through Owen’s veins as he and Marie followed Ms. Teller down the empty hall. Maroon lockers sat snuggly against the walls on both sides, only interrupted when a door to a classroom emerged. Mr. Silas might not be here, but Owen still wanted to look at the chemistry room. He needed to see what kind of equipment the school provided the students for the experiments they did in class.
Ms. Teller opened a door and ushered them inside. Two-person lab benches clogged the room, backless stools tucked under them. Microscopes, textbooks, and Bunsen burners sat neatly on the back wall.
Owen crossed the room and grabbed one of the Bunsen burners. It looked identical to the one he’d seen in the blind, but they all looked the same to him. He whirled around, clasping it in his hand. “Where do you buy your lab equipment?”
A balding man with a white beard and thick glasses rose from behind the small wooden desk at the front of the room. “Can I help you with something, Ms. Teller?”
Ms. Teller stood with her back as straight as the brown hair that skimmed the top of her shoulders. “This is Deputy Wells and his friend. They are here asking questions about one of our students.”
The man ran his thick fingers through his beard. “I’m only a substitute, and a new one at that. I don’t know how much help I’d be.”
Ms. Teller offered him a small smile. “It’s okay, Doug. Deputy Wells wanted to see the chemistry lab even though Mr. Silas is out.” She faced Owen once more. “If you have any more questions before you leave, please stop by my office. I’m afraid I have an appointment to meet a parent. Take as much time in here as you need.”
Doug hurried to them as Ms. Teller left the room.
Marie shifted beside Owen and peered at the burner. She turned a brilliant smile to the old man. Damn if Owen didn’t wish she’d flash a smile like that at him “Have you had any equipment missing lately?” she asked.
Doug shrugged. “I couldn’t say. This is my first time subbing for Mr. Silas this year. I was a history teacher, so I don’t have much experience with this stuff.” He flicked his wrist toward the long piece of metal and tubing in Owen’s hand. “You could check the storage closet. Not sure if that would give you any answers or not.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder at a wide door in a front corner of the room.
Owen weaved between the lab tables and opened the door. Shelves sat in a U-shape along the interior of the walk-in closet. Cardboard boxes occupied every inch of the space inside. Black marker identified each box. He handed the Bunsen burner to Marie then lifted the crisscrossed top of the box in front of him. The makeshift label correctly identified the textbooks inside, and he wasn’t surprised to find the correct contents of the next three boxes.
“This will take forever,” Marie said from over his shoulder. “And even if you don’t find what he has labeled outside the box, we won’t know the reason why. Let’s talk to Ms. Teller again. Maybe she has a list of supplies or order forms or something. Maybe there’s a discrepancy in the budget or a record of missing equipment. There’d have to be a paper trail if this guy stole from the school.”
Owen shook his head and gave the stockpile of crap one last look. “You’re right. They have to keep records of everything.” He dipped his chin toward Doug. “Thanks.”
He pressed the tips of his fingers to the small of Marie’s back and led her from the room. He wanted to keep his hand on her back, her skin, hell anywhere she’d let him, but he couldn’t think of an excuse to touch her once they stepped back in the empty hall.
He jammed his hands in his pockets. Every minute he spent with Marie revealed something else he liked about her. She was a caring mother and a knock-out, but she was smart, too. Always thinking, always jumping in to give her thoughts and show him a different path to take.
His boots squeaked against the recently buffed floor, and he tightened his jaw. The path he wanted to take with Marie was one he couldn’t dare go down.
“Do you think the chemistry teacher is behind all of this?” Marie asked, her voice breaking into his thoughts.
“Maybe. It seems pretty coincidental he has a connection to Eddy and Erica. Not to mention a working knowledge on combining chemicals and access to lab equipment. I need to find this guy and talk to him.”
Beep, beep, beep.
The faint sound of a car alarm echoed through the hall, and apprehension tickled the base of Owen’s neck. He reached for Marie and pulled her toward the front doors at a clip, hoping his gut was wrong.
They burst onto the now empty sidewalk, into the cool and misty air. Gray clouds had replaced the white, and the lot was nearly empty save a few sedans in the faculty spots.
His cruiser sat at the curb, lights flashing, horn honking.
A spiderweb of splintering glass engulfed his windshield.
12
Owen sat on the edge of the sidewalk and watched the flatbed tow truck haul away his car. On closer inspection, his windshield wasn’t the only thing vandalized. Slits punctured two tires, and key marks scratched lines into the paint. Frustration pounded through his veins.
Marie sat beside him, her shoulder pressed against his and her hand on his knee. Her reassuring touch against the rough material of his pants was the only thing keeping him from losing it.
