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“Well, I’m not sure how I can help you,” Darlene replied. “I have no idea who would want to hurt him. And so horribly, too. He was such a kind and generous man. He really cared about those kids. Who wants to hurt a schoolteacher?"
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Faith said. “It’s horrible what happened.”
“But you must be used to this,” Darlene replied. “You see horrible things every day as part of your job. It must be awful for you. I couldn’t handle seeing all of the terrible things you’ve had to see. I think it would drive me insane.”
You’re probably right,Faith thought. Aloud, she said, “I’m very sorry to ask, Darlene, but can you confirm your whereabouts the night of Patrick’s death?”
“I was here,” Darlene said. “I suppose you could talk to my friend Wendy Carmichael. She was on the phone with me for several hours. I often talked to her when Patrick was away.”
“Was Patrick often away?”
“Not so often, I suppose. He started to travel more when he accepted the superintendent position. He would travel to Des Moines for State Education Board advisory meetings and occasionally he would go to Austin or Boston for conferences. Odd places to hold educational conferences, but that’s where they were.” She laughed. “Hehatedtraveling.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Oh yes. He would complainconstantlyabout the airports and buses and crowds. He was a homebody, Patrick was. That’s why it was so wonderful that he loved his kids so much. I’ve never seen a man change as completely as Patrick did when it came to teaching.”
“Do you have children of your own?”
"No," Darlene replied, shaking her head. "We wanted children, but Patrick wasn't fertile. That killed him, of course. I suppose that's why he poured himself into his work. It was his chance to be a father figure or as close to one as he could be."
“Did he ever have any trouble with any of his students?”
“With his students?” Darlene looked shocked at the very idea. “Absolutely not! Theyallloved him!”
Faith appreciated the desire to protect her husband’s reputation, but she needed the truth right now, no matter how painful it was. “Darlene, I know that this can be difficult, but it’s very important that you answer as truthfully as possible. Are you saying that there were no students ever in his decades as a teacher who he didn’t get along with?”
Darlene smiled patiently. “I know that you’re wondering if I’m just lying to myself, but I’m not. My husband fought fiercely for all of his students. Even the troublemakers knew that Mr. Jeter was off limits. He was the kind of man who would bring extra lunches to school so that he could eat with the kids on detention. He wouldn’t even try to influence them. He just wanted them to know he was there. That, of course, inspired most of them to try harder. But even the ones that slipped through the cracks never blamed my husband for it.”
“And you know this for sure?”
“Well, I know they never showed any sign of resentment while they were in school, and when we would run into former students, they all had fond memories of him. I suppose it’s possible that a former student did this, but I can’t think of who that might be.”
“What about a rival teacher or another staff member?” Faith pressed. “Maybe a parent, someone else on the school board?”
Darlene smiled again, this time sadly. “Believe me, Special Agent, if I had any idea who might have wanted to hurt my husband, I would be on the phone with the police until they dragged whoever it was to jail. But I don’t know who. I can’t remember anyone ever hating him the way whoever killed him clearly hated him.”
Faith tried another tack. “Did you notice any changes in his behavior recently? Any mood swings, secretiveness, different habits?”
She shook her head. “No, nothing out of the ordinary. He was the same as always.”
Faith tried to hide her irritation. She had really been counting on interviewing the families to uncover something useful in the case. Maybe the mental patient angle would pan out, but Faith had her doubts about that. Unless there was a connection between Jeter’s students and Montgomery’s patients.
“Darlene, did Patrick ever connect with his students after they graduated?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Frequently.”
“Did he say anything about any of them needing therapy or having mental health issues?”
She shook her head. “No. Are you saying that a mental patient did this?”
“We’re just getting all the information we can,” Michael replied.
“Can you tell us what happened the night of his death?” Faith asked.
She nodded and took a deep breath. "Well, he had left for work earlier that morning. I made him a ham and cheese sandwich with an apple and a bag of potato chips for lunch, just like always. I swear that man ate the same lunch as his students. No extras since the school year is over. He called me on his lunch break, and he called me again when he was on his way home." Her lip trembled. “That was the last time I heard his voice.”
She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her mouth. Faith felt a lump form in her throat again and moved on quickly, “When did you call the police?”
