Page 3 - Labelle Gramercy, Detective

Road Kill

“Right.” Not a steel-gray hair was out of place on Foster’s head,
but his left hand was compulsively squeezing a brass artillery shell
casing he kept on his desk for comfort. “Let me put you in the
picture: Ross Ewidge is dead. Fell off the side of a cliff in the San
Pajaro nature preserve.”
“What!” I cried, immediately on my feet. “Out in the mountains?
But this is a school day! Oh, my god! The seniors went on a field trip
with him today—are they all right?”
Kerr frowned and squinted at me. “Yes. Only one casualty. The
students are on their way back here now, under police escort. And so
is Brad Fassner, best cop in the city. We were in the same unit in
Korea, spent weeks together in Pusan. I called him just now, and he
is going to take care of it for us.”
I sat down heavily. “Take care of it, sir?”
“Yes. Bound to be some sort of inquiry. He’ll wrap it up as quickly
as possible, give us all the damage control we might need to keep this
from destroying discipline here. Only four weeks to summer
vacation. Got to close ranks, keep classes going, squelch rumors, that
sort of thing. You’ve got a role in this, Holloman. I know I can count
on you.”
I felt my own hands gripping tightly at my corduroy slacks. “Me,
sir? Yes, of course. Grief counseling for the survivors. Not exactly
my specialty, but I have encountered similar situations in the—”
The principal waved dismissively, cutting me off. “That’s your
business, Holloman. I don’t care how you handle morale, but it will
have to wait: first things first.” He looked at his watch. “At eleven
hundred hours the bus will arrive in the parking lot, and Captain
Fassner will be checking in here with me for a briefing. I want you
there when the bus door opens. You’ve got to intercept the two
eyewitnesses. Their names are”—he consulted a notepad—“Sherrie
Cook and Labelle Gramercy. Take them to your office directly, and
don’t let them talk to anyone else. Say what you want to the other
students in that class, but get them off campus: send them home for
the rest of the day.”
I nodded, pleased to find an outlet for the nervous energy building
up in my limbs. “Yes, sir. What shall I do with the two girls? Send for
the school nurse?”

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