Chapter Two

The High School didn't look much different than a hundred other schools she noted as Detective Marks made her way to the office. Lockers, offices, classrooms and endless halls leading nowhere but in on themselves greeted her evenly spaced footsteps. She concentrated on the task at hand rather than the chaos her mind wanted to toss at her.

"Detective Marks," She flashed her badge, "I need to talk to the coach that was in charge of the locker where Cali Robbins was pulled from yesterday evening."

The office secretary looked a little confused as to why the police would be involved, but she directed Marks to the gym. "Go down the hall to your right and it's the fourth door."

"Thanks." With that Charlie tried to shake off the feeling that those high school halls echoed. It wasn't the same one where she had done her time as a student, but it still gave her the creeps to be reminded of those days.

The gym was not hard to find. The high level of noise could be heard through the closed door, and there was an explosion of volume when Charlie opened it. Glancing around she quickly spotted a stocky man with his back to her blowing a whistle. He turned as she attempted to announce her presence to him over the commotion. "Coach? Detective –" Her voice stopped cold as he turned around. She recognized him instantly, although he didn't seem to remember her. Recovering from her momentary shock she went on as she showed her badge. "I have a few questions for you regarding the incident yesterday after practice."

He looked at her badge then started to walk towards his office motioning her to follow him out. Once in the relatively quiet surroundings of the closed office, he crossed his arms and in a curious tone asked "What is this all about?"

"Yesterday Cali Robbins became trapped in the equipment locker and sustained an injury to her right arm. The police attempted to reach you to gain access to the locker, but they were unsuccessful. Is it commonplace for there to be no set of keys kept here at the school for the locker?" Her whole body was tense, but her voice did not betray it as she pushed on with the questions.

"Yeah I heard about that this morning. Hope she's doing OK. After practice I usually put the keys back in the main office, but last night I took 'em with me because I had to come in early this morning to set up for an extra practice session. Gotta meet coming up this weekend that we have to be ready for." He explained.

"Do you know why Cali was in the locker last evening?" The reasoning was convenient, but not enough to really give her cause for official suspicion.

"No… I didn't see her at practice, and I left right after." The coach had walked around his desk, and picked up a clipboard. "If there's nothing else I need to get back out there."

"That's all I have, thank you." He nodded and headed back to the students who were starting to get rowdy without supervision. Once he had left the room she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. No one noticed the slight trembling as Charlie made her way back to her car.

With the door shut, and key in the ignition she started to shake more violently.


Charlie hoped she would not run into Toby at the hospital as she made her way to the girl's room. Luck was with her it seemed as there was no one present in the room, but Cali looking out towards the window obviously not liking being stuck in bed.

"Cali?" The detective called from the doorway to get the girl's attention.

"Yes?" Looking over at her new visitor, Cali sat up a little straighter.

"I'm Detective Marks, and I wanted to ask you a couple of follow up questions regarding yesterday. How are you doing?" Charlie's shaking had stopped, but the tension still held her taut.

"I'm fine. What questions?" Cali's tone was guarded. 'Why would the police be here? Didn't they believe her story?' Thoughts pulsed through her head.

"Can you tell me what you were doing at the equipment locker yesterday before you were trapped inside?" she questioned eying Cali's defensive posture curiously.

"I was getting some extra mats out for practice. Door must have swung shut behind me." She rolled her eyes to play it off as no big deal.

"Those are pretty big mats to be carrying by yourself. Was anyone else there to help you get them out who might have seen what happened?" With a discerning gaze, Charlie was listening to the words spoken, but watching the girl's body language as well.

"They're not that heavy, and I'm stronger than I look. There was no one else there when it happened." Cali looked down at her fingers and fiddled with the bandage on her arm.

"That's a pretty nasty cut. Do you remember how it happened?" Charlie motioned towards the girl's arm.

"I scraped it against something when I was trying to pull the door open is all. It's not that deep." She still wouldn't look up to meet Detective Marks eyes. Charlie knew from the police report that there was blood on the wristband that was found outside the locker, and there was no way Cali's story could be the whole truth. However, without more to go on there was nothing further to be done.

"I'll let you get some rest. " Charlie excused herself, and started to leave down the hallway when her luck ran out. Toby and Oz rushed in with an elderly gentleman on the stretcher.

Oz saw Toby nod to Charlie, "I got this. Go on." With a nod of thanks and acknowledgment Toby started down the hall. Charlie carefully steadied her mind to a blank to keep control of any stray thoughts. Now was not the time to be broadcasting considering her encounter at the school.

"Hey did you get a chance to talk to the coach?" He was still winded a little from the fast pace of the last ambulance run.

"Yes and I talked to Cali. There's nothing to follow up on. He says he wasn't at the school that late, and she claims there was no one else there when it happened." Breathing steady and deep to focus her mind, the words came out a little more flat than intended.

Toby's face wrinkled in puzzlement. "You OK?"

"I'm fine, but I don't have time to track imaginary cases. I need to get back to the station before the sergeant wonders why there has been no progress on the cases I was actually assigned." She didn't wait for an answer before quickly striding out the door.


A few hours later Oz and Toby were getting ready to wrap things up for the end of shift, when Toby noticed a man approaching Cali's hospital room. The man had on a coach's uniform from the same school Cali attended. Watching from a few feet away, Toby saw the man pause at her door and stand there rather than go in. ++ She told them it was just an accident. I knew she was a smart girl. ++ Looking around the man noticed Toby staring at him, and he started off down the hall in the opposite direction. Toby followed a few steps then glanced to the side to look in the open door on Cali only to see that she was fitfully sleeping.

He didn't have to reach out to listen to her in order to be slammed by echoes of her nightmare. ++ The man had her pinned up against the inside of the locker. She was whimpering in distress as the coach ran his hand down her side. "Shhh calm down now." ++Then the images shifted from what must have been a different time as Cali now appeared with the outfit worn the evening before. ++The same man was following her into the locker, but this time she turned abruptly and shoved him back in a panic with her right arm scraping against the keys in his hand. The unexpected shove was enough to throw him off balance and allow her to close the door between them.++

Toby felt sick to his stomach, and quickly scanned the hallway but it was too late. The man had gone.


Detective Marks sat at her desk not really seeing the file in front of her. She was still a bit rattled by seeing her former gymnastics coach, and Charlie knew Toby would not let this drop so easily. As if on cue, Toby glided into the police station and was heading for her desk. Expecting his arrival, she brought up an image of a locked door in her mind and held it there with conscious concentration.

"It was the coach… he attacked Cali before in that locker and yesterday she must have been afraid he would try something again which is why she trapped herself inside. I saw her cut her arm on some keys the coach had in his hand." He briskly relayed the new information as he stood beside her desk

Her story won't back it up. I can try talking to the girl who found Cali… ", shuffling through papers Charlie soon found the name she was searching for, "a Cassie Matthews stated she heard Cali crying inside the locker and saw the wristband on the ground." Charlie kept her eyes downcast and grabbed her keys off the desk as she started moving past Toby towards the door.

Something wasn't right with her, but exactly what was going on Toby didn't know. He reached out a hand and touched her arm. "Hey what's up? You don't seem yourself." The image of a locked door was pushed at him and he took a step back surprised at the unexpected rebuff.

"It's nothing. You want me to check this out or not?" Agitation filled her voice.

He swallowed and let her leave without further comment. Now he knew something was wrong. No one had ever blocked him that way. Of course to have a need to block his ability to listen you would have to know it's there to begin with which prevented most people the opportunity to put up barriers.


Detective Marks went back to the school office, where the secretary sent someone to retrieve Cassie Matthews from class.

"Is there a room we can talk in private for a few minutes?" Charlie asked, and was directed to a side conference room. The room wasn't very large, but it was comfortably lit and would allow for a better opportunity to talk freely than in the busy main office waiting area.

A few minutes later Cassie was escorted to the conference room and left with Charlie. "Please sit down Cassie. My name is Detective Marks and I'm here concerning what happened yesterday with Cali. Whatever you tell me will be kept in confidence, and I need the truth. Do you understand?" Cassie looked anxiously at the door, but nodded her agreement. "You are the one who discovered Cali was trapped in the equipment locker, correct?"

"Yes… her mom had called the school, and asked if anyone knew where Cali was since she wasn't home yet. I was coming back to the locker room when I heard them on the phone, and was asked if I had seen her. There were a few people sent to check around the school to see if we could find her. I went out back and was calling her name but she didn't answer. Then I heard something from the locker and went closer. Then she called back that the door was stuck. I ran back to the office to let them know. They called for help, and I went out to the locker to wait for someone to show up."

"Did you see anyone around the locker when you were searching for Cali?" Marks questioned.

Cassie looked a little nervous, but answered "There was no one by the locker when I found her." The exactness of her answer sounded like there was something more, which caused Charlie to follow up with a broader time frame.

"Did you know of or see anyone by the locker after school?" She focused on the girl's expression, but noticed the wringing hands.

"Well the track team was out there … and I had heard the coach ask that Cali be told to help him get the mats out to the gym." This line of inquiry was making the girl nervous.

"Did you actually see the coach and Cali at the locker after school?"

"No… I only saw the coach walking towards that area. Can I go now?" Cassie stood, but was waiting to be dismissed before actually leaving. Cassie had heard the rumors about the Coach, and she wanted to leave before the possibility of them being brought forth entered into the conversation with the detective.

"One more thing - did you see anything around the locker that might have suggested what happened?" Charlie tried to be vague so as not to taint any answer the girl might have.

"Not really… I mean her wristband was lying on the ground by the door, but it must have dropped when she went inside, and that wouldn't have had anything to do with the lock."

"Do you know what happened to the wristband?"

The girl shrugged, "Probably put in the lost and found."

"Can you describe it?"

"It was yellow and white striped." The girl was edging toward the door.

"Thank you Cassie, you can return to class now." Marks smiled reassuringly at the girl and followed her out to the main office. She walked over to the desk and asked to see the lost and found. A box of miscellaneous items was pulled from a drawer in the corner. Near to the top was a wristband that matched Cassie's description. There was a slight red stain on the lower inside band of white.


"The wristband and Cassie's statement should be enough for the warrant. Will keep you posted from there." Charlie decided calling Toby on her way home was the safest bet on keeping him informed while keeping him at a distance. "I'm beat and going to call it an early night."

There was a slight pause, "Anything I can do?" he was still worried over her recent odd behavior.

"Go home so we both can get some rest. Good night." Charlie ended the call and rubbed at her temples. All she wanted to do was fall into bed. Last night had seen little sleep and even less rest. She had a feeling tomorrow would be trying since she needed to get a warrant on a case that officially never existed till Toby's hunches were figured in and that always led to complications with her boss.

2 am… she tossed and turned seeking sleep without success. Her head would not quiet down, and when she had had gotten to sleep the nightmare was lurking again.


Charlie was surprised at the lack of resistance in getting the search warrant for the coach's residence based on Cassie's statement and the blood tainted wrist band. The search had yielded a gym bag with a trace of blood, and now they were awaiting the results to see if it matched the blood from the wrist band which had been confirmed earlier by the lab as belonging to Cali Robbins.

"We can't make the arrest till we are sure the blood is a match." Detective Marks argued into the phone. "Even if he did originally attack her, he wouldn't be stupid enough to go after her again now that she is out of the hospital. Not with the investigation in progress." She stifled a yawn.

"You sound tired. What happened to going to bed early last night?" Toby had been heading into work when his phone rang. Charlie seemed to be keeping him very updated to ensure he would not come by in person to get news on the case.

"I did go to bed. Just didn't sleep. I gotta go." She had a few tips on other cases that needed to be checked out before they grew cold.