Murder at Granite Falls Read online

  “I guess.”

  “So, do you have time for lunch today?”

  All of the other teachers had been distant since the weekend of Billy’s death, and though Marie had remained cordial, this was the first real gesture of friendship anyone at the school had offered since Billy died. “I’d like to, but I work at the raft office this afternoon.”

  “So you’re still getting along okay out there?”

  “It’s quiet, but fine.” Carrie sighed. “Business is slow.”

  Marie shuddered. “Well, I’ll have to say that you’re a braver woman than I am, just for staying out there. No matter what people say, I don’t believe you could’ve had anything to do with murder. And I’d always be wondering—what if the killer comes back?”

  TWELVE

  On Friday, a week after Principal Grover’s sharp words in the hall outside her classroom, Noah still hadn’t come back to summer school. He and his aunt hadn’t been in church, either.

  So when Carrie saw them outside the tiny town library on Monday afternoon, she hesitated, then pulled her Tahoe into an empty parking space a half block away and walked back.

  Noah saw her first and offered a tentative smile of welcome. But when his aunt glanced around to follow his gaze, she stiffened and grabbed his hand.

  “Hi, there,” Carrie said warmly, smiling at them both. “Beautiful summer day, isn’t it?”

  Noah’s smile wobbled, then faded when his aunt gave his hand a slight jerk of warning. “Yes, it is,” she said. She shoved a long hank of dishwater-blond hair behind her eye. “So I guess we’d better be going.”

  She turned to leave and Noah obediently followed, though he glanced over his shoulder at Carrie as if he wanted to say something but didn’t dare. “I hope we’ll get to see Noah back at school someday,” she called out.

  Linda continued on a few more strides, but slowed to a stop, her shoulders slumped. She whispered a few words to Noah and gestured toward a bench in front of the bank, waiting until he dutifully went to the bench and sat down, and then she turned back.

  Carrie expected to face the woman’s anger over whatever issue had precipitated Noah’s withdrawal from summer school. The look of defeat in Linda’s eyes caught her off guard. “I’m so glad to see you two. I’ve missed Noah in class.”

  Linda’s gaze darted protectively toward the boy, then skated back to Carrie. “Well, he won’t be back. Not this summer, anyway.”

  “But—”

  “Please, just drop it. I— It isn’t possible.”

  “I only want to help,” Carrie said softly.

  Linda swallowed hard. “His father has done everything he can to shelter Noah after what he’s been through. Undue attention just makes things worse.”

  “I didn’t mean to—”

  “But it happened. And it was all I could do to convince David to stay in Granite Falls, and let Noah come back to school here in the fall. He thinks his son needs a fresh start elsewhere, where no one knows about Sheryl’s death and no one will ever bring it up. I think Noah needs familiar surroundings, but I’m not the one to decide.” She glanced again at the boy, and lowered her voice. “Look, his father and I do know about the pictures he draws. He’s done them at home—many of them. The counselor says he’s trying to deal with his mother’s death this way. We’re keeping him close to home for the rest of the summer, where he can feel safe with the last two people he has left in this world. Understand?”

  “I can only imagine how hard this has been for all of you. If there’s anything I can do, just say the word.”

  “What you can do is just leave us alone. Don’t be telling people about his drawings and how troubled he is. Understand? I know he’s got problems. His father and I are dealing with them, best we can.” She closed her eyes briefly, then continued in a lower tone. “When you talked to the principal, he had his secretary contact us. We don’t want Noah labeled as being ‘disturbed,’ understand?”

  “But I didn’t—”

  “It’s all the same, if people talk about his ‘crazy pictures.’ Dottie is one of the biggest gossips in town, and now that could happen.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Everyone knows about Sheryl’s murder. They don’t need to make Noah an object of pity or curiosity.”

  “Honestly, I didn’t know they were Noah’s drawings, until that day. I was just worried about the child who’d anonymously left them for me. I thought it might just be the usual stuff fifth-grade boys like to draw, yet…”

  “Look, Noah still has nightmares. He wakes up screaming several times a week. Sometimes he awakens and cries into his pillow for his mom, trying to avoid waking up my brother and me. During the day, it’s better. But…well, the counselors say it will just take a long time.” Linda glanced down the street and shifted uneasily. “He was mortified when you asked the class who might have drawn those pictures. So just leave us alone. You’ve done enough damage as it is.”

  Logan helped the last Girl Scout out of the raft, then pulled it higher up the bank and took off his life jacket and tossed it back in the raft.

  By the time he turned back to group, Carrie had already emerged from the office and was helping the girls and their leaders with their own life jackets.

  She was dressed in a pretty pink top and khaki shorts today, colors that emphasized her deepening tan. He needed to stop noticing what she wore and how she looked.

  Since he’d told her about competing in rodeos, there had been a wall of ice between them that time was never going to melt. And that was just as well.

  He’d be leaving in a few weeks—unless the murder investigation forced him to stay—and wouldn’t be back for six months. Even if the impossible occurred and she deigned to give him the time of day, he already knew how well long-distance relationships worked. Not at all.

  When the last girl climbed back on the shuttle bus, Carrie dusted off her hands. “Nice group.”

  “Sharper than the last group of adults Tina took down the river. Did she tell you about them?”

  Carrie’s pretty bow of a mouth tipped up briefly. “I believe that was the group with the lady who asked about when Montana’s deer molted and turned into elk.”

  He laughed. “I just want to know how Tina handled that one. I think I would have lost it, right then and there.”

  “City folks.” She grabbed an armload of life jackets and wrestled them into the boathouse, where she began hanging them on a row of pegs by size.

  He grabbed the last three and followed her. “You don’t seem as chipper as usual. Is something wrong?”

  She settled the last life jacket into place. “No.”

  “There is, too.” He cracked a smile. “Was someone rude on the phone?”

  “No.”

  “Impatient to start guiding on the river? As soon as things get busier we’ll be sure to get you on the schedule.”

  “I look forward to that, now that I’ve finished those certification classes. But that’s not it.”

  He thought for a minute. “You have second thoughts about your afternoon job here?”

  “No. The first two weeks have been fine. No complaints.” She turned and leaned against the wall. “I just had an encounter with a student’s family member after school today, and discovered that I’ve inadvertently made things a thousand times worse for that child.” Carrie sighed. “With the best intentions, but still…”

  “I can’t believe that.”

  “Do.”

  “Can you tell me about it?”

  She gave him a bleak glance. “Nope.”

  “You look like you need cheering up. Want to go out on the river? We could take one of the two-man rafts. Or Penny could go, when she gets back.”

  “That’s sweet of you to offer. But I’m sure it’s the last thing you two would want to do after being on the water all day.”

  “Take a kayak or a canoe then, if you’d rather go solo. Sometimes things just look better when you can get out and do something.”<
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  She stilled for a moment, then shook her head. “It’s already five o’clock, and I have papers to grade. But thanks—maybe another time.”

  He smiled gently. “I know you’ve got an awful lot on your mind. But things will work out.”

  “Easy for you to say.” She tried to dredge up an answering grin. “You didn’t just put your foot in your mouth.”

  “I can’t imagine you ever doing that.” He surveyed the long row of life jackets on the wall, straightened one, then picked up a yellow kayak and settled it on a triple-stack kayak rack in the corner. He turned to face her. “Just so you know, Penny and I have been asking a lot of questions around town. And sooner or later, the man who killed Billy will be found. I can promise you that.”

  Wednesday morning dawned way too early, after yet another sleepless night, with heavy fog blanketing the lower half of the mountains and a chilly mist that jeweled the pines in diamonds. If the forecasters were right, rain would be moving into the area by midmorning and then linger for much of the day, meaning few customers would be signing up for rafting today and most of the reservations would be cancelled.

  Not that there’d been many in the first place, according to Penny.

  At school, only half of the students showed up, so Carrie postponed her lesson on a comparison of Mayan and American Indian art, and let them get started on a pottery project. She strolled back and forth between the tables, offering advice and praise, and keeping an eye on the Nelson boys, who lobbed missiles of clay at each other from either side of the room whenever her back was turned.

  She smiled to herself at the consternation of the twins and the awe of the others, who were all apparently unaware of the lovely, reflective properties of the framed map of America to the left of the blackboard.

  Austin zinged a piece of clay at Rachel, then played innocent when Carrie whirled around to glare at him.

  Fifth graders. On the cusp of starting to notice the opposite sex, but most were nowhere close to understanding or caring about the subtleties of an actual relationship.

  “Austin, that’s enough. If you can’t handle this project with the others, perhaps you need to sit way in the back, and face the windows.”

  Austin slipped down in his seat, the tips of his ears bright red.

  “Ms. Randall.” Ed Grover stood in the doorway, frowning. “Can you come here for a minute?”

  If she’d been sitting, she might have wanted to slide down in her seat, too. “Keep at it, class.” She gave Austin a stern look. “I’ll be just outside the door.”

  The principal ushered her out into the hallway and closed the door. “I just learned that Noah Colwell won’t be back in school for the rest of the summer.”

  “That’s correct. He—”

  “His aunt says he was uncomfortable in class, and didn’t want to return. Is that true?”

  “Yes…she wants to keep him home and—”

  “Ms. Randall. This hasn’t been an auspicious start for you here.” He rocked back on his heels. “We’re not even halfway through summer school and several students in your class have dropped out. We need our students. Every last one of them. I’m especially concerned when a troubled child like Noah—who’s in need of our help—drops out. We’ve let him down, don’t you think?”

  She felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach at hearing him echo her own feelings. “Unintentionally.”

  “What if she decides to homeschool, or something? Then we’ve lost state funding, and in a district this size, we need every child we can get.”

  Homeschooling could be a wonderful option, when parents were dedicated. Children often ended ahead of their public school counterparts when they received such individualized attention, and she’d often thought she’d try it herself if she ever got her life straightened out and had a family. But from the tone in his voice, Grover probably didn’t want to hear that. He seemed more concerned with funding than the child himself.

  “Pay his aunt a visit,” he continued. “Apologize for whatever it was that upset the kid. See if you can get him back.”

  “I just saw them in town on Monday. I don’t think—”

  “You aren’t paid to do that. It’s my job.”

  Ouch. His words rasped against her skin like rough sandpaper. “I did try to talk with Linda. She feels he just needs time to get over his loss, and Mr. Colwell feels the same.”

  The principal glowered at her. “You can try again, right?”

  Carrie sighed. “Of course, if you want me to go talk to them, I’ll be happy to do so.”

  “Good, good. Let me know how it goes.” He pursed his lips as he gave her a long, assessing look. “I have a feeling that you can smooth the waters with them both, if you put your mind to it.”

  She watched him stride down the hall, and once again, she had the feeling that her future in the Granite Falls school system was hanging in the balance. But where did the true importance lie?

  It wasn’t her own future that mattered most. She would go talk to Linda Bates and her brother to discuss Noah’s best interests…and just pray that she could make everyone happy.

  THIRTEEN

  It was raining by noon. The students all grumbled as they left school to walk home in the rain or went to wait for their parents at the front entrance, but Carrie savored the wonderfully drippy weather as she walked to her Tahoe under her bright red umbrella. She’d always loved rain.

  Penny had already texted her to say that there’d be no need to work this afternoon, so after she finished her visit with Linda and Mr. Colwell at Noah’s house, she’d drop by one of the quaint coffee shops in town or maybe even head for the bookstore over in Battle Creek—rainy weather was perfect for curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea. Maybe she’d even stop in to see Trace and Kris, though she’d have to watch the time. Rain, nightfall and mountain roads were a combination she tried to avoid.

  She drove slowly through town, past the gift shops and high-adventure sporting goods shops, the little touristy restaurants and small artisans’ galleries. At the end of town she glanced again at the map and directions she’d printed off the internet, then continued on for several miles until the signs for Granite Peak and Wilderness Park came into view. A right turn took her up a narrow, winding road that turned from asphalt to gravel at the four-mile point, where it grew even steeper and passed several rustic, tumbledown cabins that obviously hadn’t been used for years.

  The fourth one was the oldest, its logs weathered and gray, and the car parked in front had seen better days. Still, the yard was neatly kept and the windows shone. Carrie pulled up next to the car and climbed from behind her wheel, unfurled her umbrella and trotted up to the door.

  It opened before she made it to the top step.

  “What are you doing here?” Linda whispered. She glanced over her shoulder into the cabin then stepped outside, pulling the front door closed. “I already told you that Noah wouldn’t be back this summer.”

  “I understand. But Principal Grover wanted me to make sure everything is all right. Can we talk—maybe with Noah’s father, too?”

  Linda anxiously surveyed the yard, then her worried gaze flitted back to Carrie. She reached for the doorknob. “My brother is asleep, actually—he got in late last night and has to leave again very early tomorrow morning.”

  “Is there another time? I can come back.”

  “He’s a long-haul trucker, so he comes and goes to the east and west coast all the time. I can’t tell you when he’ll be back next—at least until he marks it on the calendar for me.”

  “Then, can I talk to you?”

  “I have nothing to say.”

  Carrie started to envision her fall teaching contract going up in smoke. “But what about Noah—and school in the fall?”

  A door slammed. Heavy footsteps creaked across an uncarpeted floor, drawing closer.

  Linda shook her head. “You really shouldn’t have come.”

  “I’m only doing my job.
I’m sorry if—”

  A burly man pulled the front door open wider, his red plaid shirt stretched across his ample belly. Probably in his forties, the dark stubble on his face and the weary expression in his eyes suggested he’d been short of sleep for some time.

  “What’s going on out here?”

  Linda stepped aside. “David, this is Ms. Carrie Randall. She is—or was—Noah’s teacher for the summer.”

  He shoved a hand through his thinning black hair and frowned. “So you’re the one. Why are you here?”

  “The principal asked me to come for a brief visit, just to talk to you about school in the fall.”

  His expression darkened. “Frankly, I don’t want Noah there at all, though my sister disagrees.”

  “I still feel so badly about upsetting him, Mr. Colwell. I never meant to do that. Maybe it would help if the three of us could sit down for a talk, so he’d understand why I asked—”

  “About his drawings? I handled it.”

  “But—”

  “Just drop it.” He folded his heavily muscled arms across his chest. “Honestly, I’d homeschool him if I could, but I’m on the road all the time and Linda dropped out of high school, so she’s afraid she doesn’t have the experience. I just want him kept away from anyone who might upset him. My son has suffered more than any child ever should, from the things people say to him in town.”

  “I understand. Totally.” Carrie debated for a moment. “If you’re really interested in homeschooling, I can get you in touch with the local homeschool association. They offer resources and guidance.”

  “I made my decision. You can tell your principal that Noah will be back. But nothing means more to me than my son. So if he comes home crying again, I’ll pull him out faster than you can say goodbye.”

  He stepped back and shut the door in Carrie’s face.

  Carrie stared at it for a moment, feeling as if she’d just encroached on enemy territory. Was it so wrong to ask about the child’s welfare? Was the man simply being protective, or had he tipped over into paranoia?