Page 22 - Labelle Gramercy, Detective

Road Kill

familiar face. Maybe I’ll sleep better tonight, thanks to you. I’ll check
in tomorrow. So long!”
And she bounced out of the office. I had given her temporary
relief with a dose of false hopes, I feared. After making sure the outer
office was still deserted, I buzzed the principal’s office; the secretary
had gone for the day, but Foster Kerr always worked until five
o’clock.
“What is it, Holloman?” he rasped, dispensing with the usual
formalities.
“It’s Labelle Gramercy, sir. One of the girls who witnessed the
tragedy at the nature park. It seems to be preying on her mind.”
A brief but ominous silence. “Meaning what, exactly?”
“Well, she feels something is not quite right with the official
account of what transpired out there, and she perceives some sinister
implication in the disappearance of Ross Ewidge’s papers. So she is
asking questions and spending time worrying about it instead of
wrapping up her course work.”
“I told you to put a lid on this. No more publicity, no more
disruptions. Our objective is in sight: summer vacation. Now, do
whatever you have to do—get her to a doctor for some medication,
if necessary—and neutralize the situation. Do you read me?”
I took a deep breath. “Yes, sir. What I would like to do is get her
together with Brad Fassner again.”
Another dead space: had the enemy cut my commanding officer’s
lines of communication? No. “Blast it, Holloman! The case is closed.
No more police on campus. The troops are as jittery as a long-tailed
cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. Forget it, mister.”
“Then let me arrange it for off-campus. She really needs an
authority figure to explain the facts to her. Maybe it’s the trauma,
maybe it’s the type of inquiring mind she has: I don’t know why, but
in my opinion this is the best way to put her fears to rest. If Fassner
would only talk to her...” I trailed off, cunningly.
“He will if I ask him to!” Kerr’s voice blared like a trumpet. “You
know we were in the same unit in Korea, fought side by side through
a hellish winter. You let me talk to him, Holloman. I’ll get back to
you.”

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