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“She could have taken them somewhere else to bury in the woods or something.”
“The kid’s not that strong. Maybe weighs in at a hundred twenty-five pounds.”
Larry couldn’t seem to let his theory go. “Could have tricked them into getting into the car alive and shot them where she left them.”
“Okay, say that’s what happened. And would it really matter whether she had a license or not? She’d have taken their car if that’s what she’d planned.”
“That’s if she even knows how to drive.”
“Right. But the vehicle’s gone, so she’d have had to get back somehow to be at the school in time for the shooting. Doesn’t make sense unless someone picked her up and brought her back. According to the other kid, Tyler, he’s never met Jessica. Didn’t know she existed. He’d expected his pal, Johnny Ray, to be the shooter in the other classroom.”
Defeated, Larry pushed. “So where’s her folks? According to the police reports, there were no signs of any struggle at her place. Haveyouchecked in there yet?”
“Have it on my agenda this morning. Just waiting on Agent Page. Have you heard from her?”
“Yeah, she called in to say she had a lead she was following. She’ll be… ahh, here she is now.” The balding man looked up adoringly and smiled. “Hey, Lori.”
“Hey Lar. How’re you doing this fine morning?”
“Better now that you’re here, Sugar.”
Lori laughed and turned to Walker. “How about you?”
Snarling his reply, he barked, “Just peachy. Where’ve you been?”
Lori raised her eyebrow toward Larry as in a question. “Who messed with his muffins this morning?”
“Hell if I know. He’s always sweet like this when he doesn’t get his own way. Reminds me of my two-year-old.”
“Zip it. Both of you.” Beau pointed at the chair of her desk across from his, expecting her to sit. “You didn’t return my text.”
She put her purse in the drawer and sat without looking his way. “Didn’t know I had to.”
“Just respectful, is all. Right Lar?”
The other man sniffed, struggled to get his bulk out of his chair, then picked up his mug. “You two kids want to play at being the Bickersons, fine with me, but I’m outta here.”
Beau watched Lori’s indecision. Would she answer him? “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Where were you?”
“I went to Chrissie Whelan’s high school, and we had a little visit.”
Interested in spite of wanting to stay irate, he waited. So did she, smiling nicely as if she had all the time in the world. Then she shrugged. Before she could turn away, he broke. “What’d she say?”
Lori told him almost verbatim, and he had the same response she’d had. “How do we find this guy; the one Chrissie saw her with. The one she played second fiddle to.”
“See, that’s what I want to know. I spent some time with the principal and the secretary, questioning them. They finally agreed to let me speak to some of the other kids still in school that were in Jessica’s home room.”
“Good. Good thinking. What happened?” Forgetting his ire, Beau sat forward.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? What do you mean?”
“No one could remember anything about her. They all had a lot of questions as to what made her turn rogue but seems to me like she didn’t have a friend in the whole world. Even the teachers I spoke to couldn’t add much. Said she missed a lot of school, and when she was there, she didn’t seem to care about anything.”
