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“So, by now you know that the other shooter was a girl called Jessica Boland. Did you ever meet her or talk with her online?”
“Never heard of her.”
“Funny thing. Your Johnny pretty much led her to the same path as you, promised her the same things. Makes me wonder who he meant to keep his promises with. And then there is Jeb Stone. A kid who shot up Grimshaw High yesterday, killed himself and wounded ten more. Seems he had a friend too, called him Ray.”
Tyler’s brown eyes filled with shock. He began to shake, fury pouring from every movement as he pushed his way over to the table and slammed his fists down on the metal surface over and over.
“Stop that!” Lori’s hard voice lifted.
He turned pain-filled eyes her way and screamed, “No.”
That’s when she left.
Seeing the guard start forward to collect Tyler, she held his arm, keeping him from entering the room. “Give the kid a few minutes but watch him so he doesn’t hurt himself.” The man checked her eyes and liking what he saw, he stopped as she asked, “Afraid the truth hurts, my friend? Kid’s having a little breakdown, hopefully a cleansing one… and it’s well overdue.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Lori met up with Beau at the office and dropped a burger bag onto his desk. Carrying her chai tea in the special cups they gave out, she placed a similar one next to his arm. “Not sure if you drink tea or coffee but the girl said you liked Espresso Macchiato so that’s what I got.”
Ripping into the bag, Beau’s face beamed when he smelled the hot meat, bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. A happy grin lit his features, and he beamed her way. Unwrapping the huge burger, he took a bite and at the same time muttered, “You’re a sweet, sweet woman. How did you know I hadn’t eaten?”
Ignoring the fact that he talked with his mouth full, she grinned. “I called Larry. Asked if he wanted a treat, and he whined that his wife has him on a diet but that you were a snarly grump. He figured if I fed the animal, you might not rip his head off again.”
“Serves him right for being so fucking cheerful.”
“Aha, there’s that bad boy again. Keep chewing and you’ll feel better.”
Lori sat across from him at her desk and began to eat her own meal. Dipping her fries into the ketchup she’d poured out, she moaned with delight and scarfed down the food without any dignity whatsoever. God, she was starving.
By the time they’d both gathered up the refuse and stuffed it all into the trash, Larry returned. “We’ve set up the details in the video room. You might want to see this spread.”
They followed their coworker into the exclusive room where large screens lined the far wall. On each were the images of the perpetrators of the recent school crimes.
First, they had Jessica and a list of details beside her unflattering image. Her age, name of school, number of injured, and other pertinent information.
Beside her was Tyler Jonas. Again they’d listed his particulars. Filling the next board was Jeb Stone and his specifics were a lot different than the other two. The fact that he’d killed himself, and the list of the people he’d wounded loomed large.
After surveying each display, Lori walked to the desk where the main computer had been inserted. Quickly, she worked the flat buttons and the last screen in the room lit up. Listed in big print was the name Johnny Ray. No photograph sat next to his name, but she’d begun to fill in details they all needed to see.
This dude held the title of Boss and next to it in smaller print – Manipulator, instigator. She listed the number of times the others had referred to him and by the different titles. Also, what had been said by each of the shooters. By the time she’d finished, it was clear to everyone that Lori blamed all the shootings on this one ghost.
It was also clear that the only one in custody who hadn’t named this person was Jessica. Only because she hadn’t spoken to anyone but Lori. Which meant they knew next to nothing about her.
Before Lori could debate her ideas out loud, one of the secretaries pushed into the room and called out, “They found Jessica Boland’s parents. They’re bringing them in now.”
Beau moved in close to Lori before they left the room. He pointed to the last screen. “That’s only an assumption on your part, right?”
“Maybe. But it’s a good one. I talked to Tyler earlier, and he was totally manipulated by this person who he calls Johnny Ray. It can’t be random that Stone mentioned someone called Ray too. I believe that if we find him, we’ll stop these shootings.”
Suddenly, his hand shot out and held her shoulder. “What’s that bruise on your neck? It wasn’t there this morning.”
Lori tried to pull away. He’d softened his grip but still wouldn’t let her loose. “It’s nothing… a little squabble with Tyler. Poor kid’s really mixed up.”
“Yeah, well that poor kid’s dead if he lays hands on you again.” He touched the spot with tenderness and then turned away. “Let’s go meet the swell people who live in the palace where Jessica grew up.”
She followed him down the hallway, her hand against the area he’d caressed with such care. Heart beating fast from their interaction, she had to forcibly clear her head before entering the room.
Lori had formed an opinion of Jessica’s mother and stepfather in her mind’s eye, and the real people totally lived up to her profiling.
