Book 1-Annie Adams and the Mystery Club Detectives

Continue Annie Adams and the Mystery Club Detectives

                                                                                          Chapter 9

                                                            Suspects, Suspects and more Suspects

     When the girls arrived in Annie's and Beth's dorm room,  Annie immediately got on her computer.  "I'll just be a few minutes," she told them.  She was going to send a few e-mails to her aunt and uncle and her best friends back home.  But she was really buying some time thinking of how she was going to answer Beth, Katie and Trisha's  questions about Collin, which she knew they would bombard her with as soon as she was free.

     While she sent the e-mails, Annie mused on how silly she was to think she wouldn't face questions, on how she felt about a boy until she was at least sixteen years old.  Naïve.  She told herself.  Her friends talked softly in the background about what the next move should be for the Mystery Club Detectives, as they waited for Annie to be done with her e-mails.

     Ten minutes passed and Annie felt she could stall no longer.  She gave out a heavy sigh and closed her lab top.  Then she turned on her stool and faced her friends, who immediately stopped talking.  "Okay.  Fire away!"  She said, surprising herself at her boldness, and trying not to smile, and failing.

     "He's really cute."  Beth started.  Annie's smile widened.  "He is nice to look at."  Annie agreed.  "He likes you."  Trisha said confidently.  Annie blushed and covered her face with both hands.  "We saw you give him your phone number."  Katie said smirking.  "He said we could keep in touch about the case."  Annie said simply.  "Yeah.  That's the reason."  Beth said sarcastically.

     "Okay Beth.  What do you want me to say?"  Annie said dramatically.  "He's cute, and nice, and very intelligent....and I like him."  She ended, half glaring at her friends.  "That works for me."  Beth said, nodding at Katie and Trisha.  "Us too."  Katie said giggling.  Trisha was just trying not to laugh.

     Annie hopped down from the stool and announced, "I'm gonna take a shower.  I won't be taking any more questions at this time,"  she said, grabbing a shirt and slacks from a dresser drawer and dramatically again, sweeping off to the bathroom, her arms waving like an actress on Broadway.  Then she gave her friends a cheesy grin just before  she closed the door in their smiling faces.

     The next day, Monday, while the girls were having lunch in the cafeteria, Annie's cell phone rang.  "I bet I know who that is."  Beth teased her.  Annie wrinkled her nose at her friend.  "Hello"....  Annie hated to admit the disappointment she felt when she heard the answering voice.  Her friends saw her cheerful face fall into almost a frown, and Beth immediately felt bad for teasing her.

     "Oh hi sheriff Cooper...."  Annie said, forcing her voice to be cheerful. ...."You did?  Oh really?"  A few minutes passed while Annie just listened, but her face betrayed no emotion.  Then she spoke again, "Well, thanks for keeping us posted.  Ruthie told us that she was able to talk Miss. Leighton out of resigning, temporarily at least."...."Yeah, we're happy about it too."...."Okay.  We'll see ya later.  Bye."

     Annie  shoved her cell back in her jean pocket.  "What did he say?"  Beth asked.  "Sheriff Cooper talked to the delivery people this morning, and all but one has an alibi.  And the one who didn't, quit the company late Friday afternoon.  So I guess we don't know if he had an alibi or not, and we probably won't, because he's disappeared."  Annie ended with a brow raised.

     "Well, that sounds like a suspicious person to me."  Katie said.  "Maybe."  Annie agreed, taking a bite of her burger.  She then wiped her mouth, swallowed, and continued.  "Sheriff Cooper is interviewing the housekeeping staff later today.  The sheriff told me that Miss Leighton said some of them weren't happy about it."  Annie said, taking a sip of her drink.

     "I'll bet not."  Trisha said, spooning a bite of peas.  Annie was about to continue when her cell rang out again.  She pulled it from her pocket and said, "Hello," as a smile slowly spread across her face.  Beth smirked knowingly at Katie and Trisha.  "Eating lunch"....  "Um, a hamburger.".... Beth got Annie's attention and mouthed, "Common room, see you there later."  Annie smiled gratefully and waved, as her friends picked up their trays and left.

     "Yeah, I know, classes start tomorrow.".... Just then an announcement came over the PA system.  "Wait a sec Collin, an announcement is coming.  "Attention all students.  Since today is your last day of freedom, as classes start tomorrow, we are having a day of activities such as, Croquet, Volleyball and Tennis.  We have invited Ridgewest to join us.  The students who are involved in the field events on Friday can get in some practice.  Have a good day!"  Miss Leighton ended.

     Just as Annie was telling Collin she would see him soon, Beth, Katie and Trisha appeared at the table, all three of them smiling broadly at her.

     Collin, Zack, Jamie and Charlie arrived at the front steps of Ridgemont  just as Annie, Beth, Trisha and Katie appeared at the entrance.  The large double doors had been propped open to allow the excited, fleeing students safer access to the grounds.  As soon as he saw her, Collin gave Annie his lopsided grin.  "Hey!"  she said, as she met him at  the bottom of the steps.

     Beth and Zack rolled their eyes at the two of them at the same time; Zack chuckled and Beth giggled.  "So what do you girls want to do?"  Jamie asked, as the group wandered to the back of the school.  "First, I have something to tell you guys."  Annie said, and related what sheriff Cooper had told her that morning.

     "Well, that guy that disappeared seems suspect to me,"  Charlie said.  "Yeah maybe."  Beth agreed.  "But the fact that the housekeeping staff are upset about being questioned may be a reason to suspect some of them too."  Trisha said wisely.  "They were probably insulted."  Collin said with a shrug.  "Some people don't take it well when their integrity is questioned,"  he added.

     "But shouldn't they know that everyone that was here at the time of the theft would be interviewed?"  Zack asked.  "Some people's emotions are stronger than their reason."  Collin said knowledgably.  Annie caught herself gazing in awe at him again at his grasp of the English language. Then she looked away quickly when he glanced at her; turning a beet red with embarrassment.

     "Oh, I almost forgot!"  Zack started.  "I overheard these juniors talking in our common room last night.  They said something about one of their girlfriends seeing this shadow of a person in the office last Friday morning around nine thirty."  The girls' eyes were wide with interest.  "The guy said he urged his girlfriend to tell the headmistress what she saw.  The girl promised she would.  Her boyfriend said she had forgotten all about the incident when the sheriff had interviewed her; that she had only remembered that she forgot to tell him about it last night."  Zack ended.

     "It was just a shadow?  She didn't see a face?"  Annie asked anxiously.  "Nope.  Just a shadow."  Zack answered.  "When Zack told us this story last night, I said it might have been Miss Leighton's shadow."  Collin said.  "Yeah, it could've been."  Annie agreed, but her mind was racing.  She thought there had to be a way to find out to whom the shadow belonged.