The List
Chapter Twelve
"Everyone out!" Frank ordered, as he went over to Fred and felt for a pulse, knowing he wouldn't find one because Fred's eyes were staring sightlessly from their sockets.
"Get Principal Dylan and call the police," Frank said, looking up and seeing Callie standing in the doorway with the other students. She nodded and took off.
Principal Dylan arrived in a couple of minutes followed by Joe, whose shirt was covered in orange soda. The principal ordered everyone back to their classes and the students who were to have lab were sent to the gym with their teacher.
"What happened?" Joe asked Frank.
"I don't know," Frank answered, his face wearing a fearful expression. "I followed him to class. He came in and sat down and then I went to my class. I just had sat down when I heard a scream. Fred was like that when I got here."
"Why were you following him?" Principal Dylan inquired. Frank and Joe took turns explaining about what had been going on for the past few days.
"This wasn't an accident?" the principal asked in horror. "And you really think Paula was murdered too?" He shook his head, trying to take it in. "Would you two please wait here after the police have left?" he asked. "I think a faculty meeting is in order and you two should be present."
"Of course," Frank agreed. The principal left the room to greet the police as cruisers pulled up outside with lights flashing.
"What happened to you?" Frank asked, looking at Joe's soiled shirt.
"Ralph didn't like being followed," Joe answered with a grimace. "I caught sight of him before we even left the lunchroom. He headed down the hall and ducked into the teacher's lounge. I opened the door to see what he was doing in there and he opened a can of soda in my face," Joe added, making another sour expression.
"He told me if I followed him again, he would break both my arms. I tried to explain why I was following him, but he shoved me into the wall and told me to leave him alone." Joe shook his head. "He took off running and I didn't see him again until I was on my way here. He was in Mrs. Winebarger's class."
"I hope the guys are having better luck than we are," Frank said.
"Well, it will probably be a repeat of yesterday with the rest of classes being dismissed," Joe commented as the police entered the room. "And they won't have to deal with following them around school after all."
The students were dismissed after the two girls who had found Fred were questioned. Two hours later, the scene had been secured and Fred's body taken to the morgue. Frank and Joe were asked to wait outside the teacher's lounge while they had a discussion and then were admitted inside.
"Frank, Joe," Principal Dylan said. "I have talked with the superintendant and he has talked with the Board of Education. School is being postponed for the rest of the week. You two, however, are being granted, along with the authorities and your father, free reign over the grounds." He stopped speaking and looked over at Patty. She stood up and he sat down.
"I have been asked to allow you access to the student files for the Creative Expression class," she informed them. "However, none of what you read or see is to be passed on to anyone not directly involved in the investigation."
"We understand," Frank told her.
Amy stood up as Patty returned to her chair. "Before you two do any more investigating into this, I would like to have a conference with Joe," she said.
"Why?" Frank demanded.
"Patty told me about Joe's chat with her earlier," she said, staring Frank in the eyes. "I want the killer caught, if there is one," she added, causing Frank's eyes to narrow while Joe's shot open in surprise. "After I have talked with Joe and am convinced his encounter with the gas was not of his own making, then I will cooperate fully with your investigation. If not, then I will only cooperate with the authorities."
"Wait a minute," Frank said. "How did you know about the gas?"
"My brother was one of the paramedics at your house," Amy informed him.
"Well, let's get it over with," Joe said. "We've got a killer to catch."
Amy stood up and came over to Joe. "We'll do this in Patty's office," she said, then left the room.
Joe looked at Frank. "I'll call the guys and see if they know where any of the other kids from the class were when Fred was killed," Frank told him.
"Pick me up later?" Joe asked.
Frank shook his head. "I'm waiting on you," Frank asserted. "It isn't safe for you to be alone until we find this guy. I'll call the guys from the cafeteria."
Joe nodded and left the lounge. Amy was waiting in the hall and together they walked down the hall to Patty's office.
It was almost two hours before the door to Patty's office opened again. Frank, who had finished an hour ago and was sitting in the floor across from the office reading in his physics book, jumped to his feet as Amy stepped out.
Amy grinned at Frank and shook her head. "I've never been so wrong about anyone before in my life," she told him. "Joe has already started looking at the files," she continued. "I'll be in the Creative Expression's class room when you finish."
Frank put his book into his backpack and went in Patty's office. Joe was standing by the file cabinet, frowning. "What's wrong?" Frank asked, going to stand beside Joe.
"They're not here," Joe said, pushing the file drawer closed and looking at Frank. "Mine, Paula's, Tim's, all the ones on the list are missing."
"What about the other students in the class?" Frank inquired, pulling the drawer open again.
"They are there," Joe admitted. "But...."
"But only the prospective victim's files are absent," Frank finished Joe's sentence. "Well, let's check out the other students," Frank continued. "Everyone in your class is a suspect."
"Yeah," Joe said, half-heartedly.
"What?" Frank demanded. He hated when Joe got an idea and wouldn't spill it all at once.
"We can't question these kids," Joe said, his worried blue eyes looking into Frank's questioning ones. "Patty and Amy were wrong about me, sure, but I don't think they were that far off on some of the others."
"Fine, we won't question them," Frank promised. "But we do need to see if we can figure out what you, Fred, Paula, Craig, and the others on the suicide note have in common, if anything, that the other students in the class don't."
"How is that going to find the killer?" Joe asked.
"It may not," Frank said. "But we need to know why only seven of you were singled out."
"There is an easy way to find out who is behind this," Joe said, nonchalantly, a few minutes later.
"Oh?" Frank asked, looking up from Valerie's file.
"I could...." Joe began.
"NO!" Frank said forcefully, glaring at Joe. "You could not. If something went wrong, he would kill you," Frank continued, knowing exactly what Joe had been going to propose.
"But..." Joe tried to interuppt to no avail.
"No buts," Frank declared firmly. "You are not setting yourself up as bait. End of discussion!" he ordered, looking back down at Valerie's file, seething at Joe's blatant disregard for his own safety.
They finished perusing the files and returned them to the cabinet. "We'll have to let Patty know some of her files are missing," Joe said as he and Frank left the office and headed toward Amy's class room.
"Maybe she already knows," Frank said.
"You don't suspect her, do you?" Joe demanded in disbelief. "The person who attacked me was definitely male."
"Never heard of an accomplice?" Frank retorted. Seeing Joe about to argue, Frank continued. "Look, I'm not saying she is involved. All I am suggesting is, we shouldn't trust anyone related to this class until we do find the guilty party."
"Not even Valerie?" Joe demanded. "She wasn't even in class the day we had the assignment."
"Joe, please?" Frank begged. "You have to be careful."
"I will be," Joe promised. "But I'm not about to turn on my friends," he added, stepping ahead of Frank and entering the class room. Frank bit his bottom lip in frustration and followed Joe inside.
Amy could tell them nothing they didn't already know, so they went out to the van. "We still need to warn the other kids," Frank said, getting in the van behind the wheel. "We'll warn them on our way home."
Joe frowned. "Besides me, there are only three left now," he said.
"I know, baby brother," Frank said softly, glancing over at Joe. "We'll stop this guy before he can kill again," he promised.
The first student's house they came to was Aaron Wissel's. The boys got out of the van and walked up to the door. "We don't want any!" a deep voice shouted from within after they had knocked.
A man with oily black hair and a black beard came into view. He was dressed in black pants with a blue mechanic's uniform shirt on.
"We're here to see Aaron," Joe told the man who looked so much like Aaron it had to be his father.
"Who are you?" Mr. Wissel demanded, eyeing the boys suspiciously.
"My name is Joe Hardy and this is my brother, Frank," Joe introduced themselves. "Aaron and I have a class together at Bayport High."
Mr. Wissel opened the screen door and let the boys inside. "Down the hall, second door on the left," he told them before going back into the living room and sitting down in front of the television.
Frank knocked on Aaron's door. Instead of the door opening, the sound of a chair being thrust under the knob on the other side could be heard. Frank stepped back and prepared to kick the door in. Joe took off at a run out of the front door and around toward the side of the house where Aaron's window would be.
As Frank's foot landed on the door with a crack, Mr. Wissel came running to the hallway. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded angrily, as Frank backed up and kicked at the door again.
The door burst open and Frank ran into the room followed by Mr. Wissel. Both froze in shock as the face of Aaron stared at them in terror. He was standing, barefoot and tiptoe, bound and gagged, on a chair. A noose hung around his neck with the rope having been run through a bracket on the ceiling which had, moments before, held a plant, and ran down to the base of Aaron's desk where the rope was tied around the heavy base.
At any second, Aaron was going to lose his balance and fall from the chair, hanging himself!
Chapter Twelve
"Everyone out!" Frank ordered, as he went over to Fred and felt for a pulse, knowing he wouldn't find one because Fred's eyes were staring sightlessly from their sockets.
"Get Principal Dylan and call the police," Frank said, looking up and seeing Callie standing in the doorway with the other students. She nodded and took off.
Principal Dylan arrived in a couple of minutes followed by Joe, whose shirt was covered in orange soda. The principal ordered everyone back to their classes and the students who were to have lab were sent to the gym with their teacher.
"What happened?" Joe asked Frank.
"I don't know," Frank answered, his face wearing a fearful expression. "I followed him to class. He came in and sat down and then I went to my class. I just had sat down when I heard a scream. Fred was like that when I got here."
"Why were you following him?" Principal Dylan inquired. Frank and Joe took turns explaining about what had been going on for the past few days.
"This wasn't an accident?" the principal asked in horror. "And you really think Paula was murdered too?" He shook his head, trying to take it in. "Would you two please wait here after the police have left?" he asked. "I think a faculty meeting is in order and you two should be present."
"Of course," Frank agreed. The principal left the room to greet the police as cruisers pulled up outside with lights flashing.
"What happened to you?" Frank asked, looking at Joe's soiled shirt.
"Ralph didn't like being followed," Joe answered with a grimace. "I caught sight of him before we even left the lunchroom. He headed down the hall and ducked into the teacher's lounge. I opened the door to see what he was doing in there and he opened a can of soda in my face," Joe added, making another sour expression.
"He told me if I followed him again, he would break both my arms. I tried to explain why I was following him, but he shoved me into the wall and told me to leave him alone." Joe shook his head. "He took off running and I didn't see him again until I was on my way here. He was in Mrs. Winebarger's class."
"I hope the guys are having better luck than we are," Frank said.
"Well, it will probably be a repeat of yesterday with the rest of classes being dismissed," Joe commented as the police entered the room. "And they won't have to deal with following them around school after all."
The students were dismissed after the two girls who had found Fred were questioned. Two hours later, the scene had been secured and Fred's body taken to the morgue. Frank and Joe were asked to wait outside the teacher's lounge while they had a discussion and then were admitted inside.
"Frank, Joe," Principal Dylan said. "I have talked with the superintendant and he has talked with the Board of Education. School is being postponed for the rest of the week. You two, however, are being granted, along with the authorities and your father, free reign over the grounds." He stopped speaking and looked over at Patty. She stood up and he sat down.
"I have been asked to allow you access to the student files for the Creative Expression class," she informed them. "However, none of what you read or see is to be passed on to anyone not directly involved in the investigation."
"We understand," Frank told her.
Amy stood up as Patty returned to her chair. "Before you two do any more investigating into this, I would like to have a conference with Joe," she said.
"Why?" Frank demanded.
"Patty told me about Joe's chat with her earlier," she said, staring Frank in the eyes. "I want the killer caught, if there is one," she added, causing Frank's eyes to narrow while Joe's shot open in surprise. "After I have talked with Joe and am convinced his encounter with the gas was not of his own making, then I will cooperate fully with your investigation. If not, then I will only cooperate with the authorities."
"Wait a minute," Frank said. "How did you know about the gas?"
"My brother was one of the paramedics at your house," Amy informed him.
"Well, let's get it over with," Joe said. "We've got a killer to catch."
Amy stood up and came over to Joe. "We'll do this in Patty's office," she said, then left the room.
Joe looked at Frank. "I'll call the guys and see if they know where any of the other kids from the class were when Fred was killed," Frank told him.
"Pick me up later?" Joe asked.
Frank shook his head. "I'm waiting on you," Frank asserted. "It isn't safe for you to be alone until we find this guy. I'll call the guys from the cafeteria."
Joe nodded and left the lounge. Amy was waiting in the hall and together they walked down the hall to Patty's office.
It was almost two hours before the door to Patty's office opened again. Frank, who had finished an hour ago and was sitting in the floor across from the office reading in his physics book, jumped to his feet as Amy stepped out.
Amy grinned at Frank and shook her head. "I've never been so wrong about anyone before in my life," she told him. "Joe has already started looking at the files," she continued. "I'll be in the Creative Expression's class room when you finish."
Frank put his book into his backpack and went in Patty's office. Joe was standing by the file cabinet, frowning. "What's wrong?" Frank asked, going to stand beside Joe.
"They're not here," Joe said, pushing the file drawer closed and looking at Frank. "Mine, Paula's, Tim's, all the ones on the list are missing."
"What about the other students in the class?" Frank inquired, pulling the drawer open again.
"They are there," Joe admitted. "But...."
"But only the prospective victim's files are absent," Frank finished Joe's sentence. "Well, let's check out the other students," Frank continued. "Everyone in your class is a suspect."
"Yeah," Joe said, half-heartedly.
"What?" Frank demanded. He hated when Joe got an idea and wouldn't spill it all at once.
"We can't question these kids," Joe said, his worried blue eyes looking into Frank's questioning ones. "Patty and Amy were wrong about me, sure, but I don't think they were that far off on some of the others."
"Fine, we won't question them," Frank promised. "But we do need to see if we can figure out what you, Fred, Paula, Craig, and the others on the suicide note have in common, if anything, that the other students in the class don't."
"How is that going to find the killer?" Joe asked.
"It may not," Frank said. "But we need to know why only seven of you were singled out."
"There is an easy way to find out who is behind this," Joe said, nonchalantly, a few minutes later.
"Oh?" Frank asked, looking up from Valerie's file.
"I could...." Joe began.
"NO!" Frank said forcefully, glaring at Joe. "You could not. If something went wrong, he would kill you," Frank continued, knowing exactly what Joe had been going to propose.
"But..." Joe tried to interuppt to no avail.
"No buts," Frank declared firmly. "You are not setting yourself up as bait. End of discussion!" he ordered, looking back down at Valerie's file, seething at Joe's blatant disregard for his own safety.
They finished perusing the files and returned them to the cabinet. "We'll have to let Patty know some of her files are missing," Joe said as he and Frank left the office and headed toward Amy's class room.
"Maybe she already knows," Frank said.
"You don't suspect her, do you?" Joe demanded in disbelief. "The person who attacked me was definitely male."
"Never heard of an accomplice?" Frank retorted. Seeing Joe about to argue, Frank continued. "Look, I'm not saying she is involved. All I am suggesting is, we shouldn't trust anyone related to this class until we do find the guilty party."
"Not even Valerie?" Joe demanded. "She wasn't even in class the day we had the assignment."
"Joe, please?" Frank begged. "You have to be careful."
"I will be," Joe promised. "But I'm not about to turn on my friends," he added, stepping ahead of Frank and entering the class room. Frank bit his bottom lip in frustration and followed Joe inside.
Amy could tell them nothing they didn't already know, so they went out to the van. "We still need to warn the other kids," Frank said, getting in the van behind the wheel. "We'll warn them on our way home."
Joe frowned. "Besides me, there are only three left now," he said.
"I know, baby brother," Frank said softly, glancing over at Joe. "We'll stop this guy before he can kill again," he promised.
The first student's house they came to was Aaron Wissel's. The boys got out of the van and walked up to the door. "We don't want any!" a deep voice shouted from within after they had knocked.
A man with oily black hair and a black beard came into view. He was dressed in black pants with a blue mechanic's uniform shirt on.
"We're here to see Aaron," Joe told the man who looked so much like Aaron it had to be his father.
"Who are you?" Mr. Wissel demanded, eyeing the boys suspiciously.
"My name is Joe Hardy and this is my brother, Frank," Joe introduced themselves. "Aaron and I have a class together at Bayport High."
Mr. Wissel opened the screen door and let the boys inside. "Down the hall, second door on the left," he told them before going back into the living room and sitting down in front of the television.
Frank knocked on Aaron's door. Instead of the door opening, the sound of a chair being thrust under the knob on the other side could be heard. Frank stepped back and prepared to kick the door in. Joe took off at a run out of the front door and around toward the side of the house where Aaron's window would be.
As Frank's foot landed on the door with a crack, Mr. Wissel came running to the hallway. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded angrily, as Frank backed up and kicked at the door again.
The door burst open and Frank ran into the room followed by Mr. Wissel. Both froze in shock as the face of Aaron stared at them in terror. He was standing, barefoot and tiptoe, bound and gagged, on a chair. A noose hung around his neck with the rope having been run through a bracket on the ceiling which had, moments before, held a plant, and ran down to the base of Aaron's desk where the rope was tied around the heavy base.
At any second, Aaron was going to lose his balance and fall from the chair, hanging himself!