Thank you everyone who sent a review. This is what I have been missing for so long, guess I had to write the stories to get reviews. And again, thanks to my beta reader.

Chapter Eight

Caitlyn and Jeremy were huddled together when they heard the distinctive tread of Jim Dunbar entering the room. Jeremy hugged Caitlyn tighter.

"Jim, I'm by the piano with Cait."

"Jeremy," Dunbar stopped and turned toward the couple, "I think we'd better talk alone." He waited, hearing the whispers, the jangle of leashes, the tentative kiss before Caitlyn left the room. "Okay, kid, what'da'ya want to tell me?"

"Yeah, I guess, it… it… it's kinda embarrassing, you know, admitting me and my girlfriend were sneaking around listening at doorways."

"Your girlfriend?" Jim chuckled as he settled into one of the sofas and patted it so Jeremy would join him. "I thought you'd met here for the first time."

"Yeah, but we found out we're going to both be going to Yale. Callum is going go to SUNY and we were kinda making fun of him." Jeremy sounded embarrassed as he sat down. "You know, State University of New York wasn't as ah, well, prestigious as Yale."

"And you were rubbing it in."

"No, it was friendly and he gave as good as he got but then he got really smug a few days ago. So we decided to do some surveillance; a stake out and you were the inspiration Mr. Police Detective."

Jim rolled his eyes, "just what I've always wanted, to inspire eavesdropping."

"Sorry; anyway we heard Ashley Rush inside and she was laughing at Callum. I guess he couldn't, ah, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Jim's voice got hard. "And you didn't tell the police last night."

"'Cause I don't believe Callum killed her. Besides, wouldn't his clothes be covered with blood? The police didn't find blood on anybody's clothes and her neck was sliced. Blood would've sprayed like crazy, right?"

Jim's voice remained hard, "Yeah, right. There would have been blood everywhere. This does not make the fact you didn't tell the police right. It is not your place to decide who is guilty or innocent. The police might have cleared him of suspicion but now we may never know."

"But they arrested that weirdo!"

"That doesn't mean they'll be able to keep him. I don't think they have enough evidence to keep Seth O'Brien."

"Yeah, but," Jeremy stuttered and shook, "it couldn't be Callum. If it wasn't the animal rights weirdo it had to be Anita Shaw. She was really throwing a spaz about Ashley. You should have heard her, crying and bitching about being tempted into sin by an unnatural creature."

Jim nodded, "and who did she say this to?"

"Reverend Washington," Jeremy fidgeted with Dandy's leash. "He told her to speak to one of the councillors. After that I didn't hear anything because I got the hell outta there."

"Well, that ends that. I can't approach the Reverend."

"Why not? She told him everything!"

Dunbar sighed, "if she confessed to a minister its private; the seal of the confessional covers all clergy."

"Can't you, like, force it outta them?"

Jim rose, exasperated, "I shouldn't even be doing this. I'm a suspect the same as everyone else here."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Maybe because I don't want to see someone innocent go to jail." Dunbar cringed. He was glad the kid couldn't his face because Jim really couldn't tell anyone why he was doing this since hadn't figured it out himself.

Jim headed toward his room, hoping beyond hope no one would stop him on the way to bed.

"Jim," came Sam Coleman's voice.

"Almost made it, Hank."

"What was that, Jim?" Sam laid his hand on Dunbar 's shoulder. "Have you decided to go out this afternoon?"

"I don't know if I want to take Hank out on all that ice."

"I talked to Gayle Authier and we decided that going to the mall would be an excellent trip today. No ice but lots of crowds to manoeuvre through. So far everyone asked is coming but I expect there will be a few who won't. Can I count on you to join in?"

Flipping the crystal on his watch, Jim read 9:45. "If we're leaving after one this afternoon, I'll be there."

"We'll be leaving one o'clock on the dot, is that good enough for you, your majesty?"

The sarcasm was not lost on Jim. He shrugged, "I'll be there;" I need to get my wife a Christmas present anyway."

"I'll see you then," the man turned, "I have five more people to talk to before lunch,"

"Yeah, go on, I'm outta here."

The state troopers burst into the head administrator's office. "Ms. Authier, I'm sorry, but we have to talk to your students again."

Gayle Authier folded her arms over her ample chest. "Trooper Carson , you were here for hours last night annoying our students and upsetting the whole equilibrium of the school. You arrested someone. Go question that person."

"We have questioned Mr. O'Brien and released him." Trooper Carson pulled out his cell phone. "I'm sure if I talk to Judge Michaels I can have this whole place shutdown for a complete search warrant. Now, wouldn't it be easier if you just let us talk to your students and narrow our search down."

Authier shook her head. "Please try not to disrupt my students too much."

Jim sat on the floor of his room, gently running his fingers through the soft hair on Hank's head. He was overtired. Every time his head hit the pillow his mind raced with thoughts of Ashley Rush.

He cupped the dog's head gently in his hands. "Am I getting too old for this?" Jim chuckled. "Can you tell me what I want to know, kid? I'm feeling old right now or maybe I'm just so damn tired."

There was a sharp rap on the door. "Dunbar, its Trooper Carson. I wanna speak to you."

Jim rolled his head until his neck cracked, rose and opened the door. "Come in, I got nothing to hide."

"Have you got something to share," Carson asked as he and Kovacs entered the room.

"Yeah, I just might." Jim smirked, "as long as I don't need a lawyer."

Boots shuffled and harnesses creaked as nine students waited for transportation to Fairview Mall for a day of shopping. Sam Coleman and Gayle Authier watched with pride as their students walked with their heads high and their grips firm but relaxed on the stiff leather handles of the harnesses. This was going to be a different kind of lesson today.

Gayle Authier spoke first. "I'm glad to see the turn out is very good after such a difficult night, but we have to learn to absorb the knocks life gives is and move on. Today each one of you will be paired with a teacher, councillor or therapist from the school and we all will go to the Fairview Mall. Previously to this, we have given you very specific directions on where you are going and what you are to do. Real life isn't that easy and we will be putting you into a new situation."

Sam Coleman stepped in. "Today you are going to have to ask complete strangers where the shops you want to go to are and how to get there. I want you to think about the people you will be asking. Use your heads and when asking for directions remember if you are given something vague like 'right over there', or 'straight ahead of you' ask the person to be more explicit. Morristown and its inhabitants are used to dealing with visually impaired persons, but that is not always going to be the case. That is why your companion will be keeping track of you and be able to tell you your strengths or weaknesses today. We won't let anything bad happen to you, but everyone here wants to see how you work with your partner and how you yourself manage."

The sound of rushed footsteps came to the crowd at the front door. Coleman and Authier looked pleased as Jim Dunbar and Hank joined the group.

"Jim," Sam grinned as the detective joined the group, "I'm glad you could make it. Should we wait for Anita?"

"No," Jim scrubbed his hand over his face. "She's busy talking to Carson and Kovacs. This is all you're getting today."

"Good," Gayle clapped her hands together, "Time for everyone to get into the vans and we can head out."

tbc