Book 1-Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

Continue Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

                                                                                      Chapter 13

                                                                       A little Help From a Friend

     "You know, I can't believe the bomber was able to pull this off in broad daylight."  Glenna said in a surprised voice.  "He probably cased the school and so he knew when no one would be on the grounds."  Lee put in.  "Yeah.  And if the bombs were already to go, it would have been a quick job to attach them to the gas tanks and set the timers."  Fletch suggested.  "They may have been magnetic."  Alex said with a thoughtful look on his face.  "All the bomber had to do was stick them anywhere near the gas tanks.

     "If he was really smart, he would've set them off by remote control and be completely out of the area when they went off."  Alex added. 

     "That's brilliant!"  Dawn praised him.  Suddenly, Fletch got his usual enlightened look on his face.  "On another part of the subject," Fletch started.  "The names of the teachers are on their parking spots, right?" he asked.  Dawn shivered and everyone else said, "Yeah," in unison.  Suddenly, Dawn's eyes were wide and her mouth gaping.  "You think this "nut" was after a specific teacher?"  she asked him.

     Fletch didn't get a chance to answer, for Dawn went on, "But then why would they blow up the other four cars?"  "Maybe so no one would know who they were after?"  Glenna questioned.

Again, Fletch didn't get a word in.  "Or maybe the bomber was after all of them, like Fletch said."  Lee said nodding.  "That is what you were saying Fletch?"  Fletch just nodded, staring at the ceiling with that faraway look in his eyes.  But after a few moments he spoke as he counted on his fingers. "Let me see, Mrs. Marks, Mr. Wells, Mr. Riggs, Mr. Watts, who's new, and Mr. Wayne, who is also a new teacher.  Mr. Watts and Mr. Wayne don't have names on their spots yet."

     "I noticed one day when I was crossing the lot."  Fletch ended.  "I wonder who had their spots before them?"  Alex asked of anyone.  "Actually,...."  Dawn said, her finger placed on her chin.  "I road to school with my Mom all last year, so I've seen the teacher's names on those parking spaces a lot.  And of course last year, I would have been looking at the two names of the people that Mr. Watts and Mr. Wayne replaced.  Just give me a minute.  Dawn ended, putting each forefinger on either side of her forehead, and scrunching her eyes together.

     Her Friends watched her while she started whispering to herself.  "Mr. Watt's is on the left side of my Mom.  Who was there before?"  she muttered.  All was quiet for a few moments, then Dawn squealed!  "Mr. Everett Kimball!"  she burst out!  " The biology teacher," she finished gleefully.  "Okay, now who used to be in Mr. Wayne's spot?"  she mumbled.

     "Maybe we could pass her off as a mind reader, and we could make some pocket money."  Lee whispered in Alex's ear.  Alex chuckled softly.  Dawn evidently didn't hear Lee's comment, because she went on trying to bring back memories of the parking lot.  Then suddenly as before, she exclaimed, "Mrs. Simms, the health teacher," she ended with a proud look.  The others jotted down the names in their notebooks.

     "Now what do these two people have in common with your mom, Mr. Wells and Mr. Riggs?  I mean besides the fact that they're all teachers."  Lee asked.  "Where are these teachers now, I wonder?"  Alex asked, not trying to answer Lee's question.  "They still teach."  Dawn said simply, staring into space.  "They're elderly, maybe they have spaces nearer the front doors," she added.

     Lee swatted at a fly and missed, then said,  "But what do they all have in common?" he said a bit irritated.   "I don't know."  Dawn said.  "But I know what they don't...."  Lee threw his hands up and scowled at her.  He felt he was never going to get her, or anyone to focus on his question, which he thought was important to know.  Alex stifled a snicker.

     "None of them teach the same subject...." Dawn went on, ignoring Lee's scowl.  "There's two women and three men, so it can't be a gender thing."  "They all did something to make the bomber angry with them.  That is if he was after all of them."  Alex said reasonably.   The little shack was bathed in silence for a few moments.

     "They somehow got him fired,"  Fletch whispered mysteriously.  They were all on the school board that dismissed him," Dawn said softly, as though in a daze.  Glenna and Lee gaped at the two of them with awed looks on their faces.  And Alex too, felt in his gut, they were right.  "When was your mom on the school board?"  Alex asked eagerly.  "She's still on it."  Dawn said, overwhelmed by what she and Fletch had put together.  Suddenly their discovery made everything too real for her."

     "She's sat on the board for six years."  Dawn ended, turning to stare at Alex, who stared back for a few moments, then said with great surety.  "I have a guess at who did this," he whispered.  "Who?"  Dawn, Glenna, Fletch and Lee chimed.  "Mr. George Lockes.

     Dawn shook her head as if to clear it and said, "The one that had no explanation of dismissal?"  "Why?"  Lee asked, cocking his head.  "I just have a feeling that he's the one."  Alex said with a shrug.  "I think he did something so horrible that the board, the school didn't want anyone to know about it.  That's why they didn't put it in writing, in case someone should look at the files and discover what ever they were covering up."

     Beep.  Beep.  Fletch's watch alarm went off.  "Time to check in with our parents," he said blandly.  Dawn took out her cell and called her mother.  "Hey Mom."...."Yeah.  We're having a great time."  She said, looking around the dismal shack.  "Did you ask where are we?"  The others cast her dubious looks.

     "Oh, we're just hanging out at this shack downtown."  Glenna covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, and the boys stifled chuckles.  "Yeah.  I'll be home at five.  Love you," she ended.  Then she handed the cell to Lee, who was now laughing.  He gave a vague answer to his where-a-bouts, which his mother must have been used to, because when he gave the phone to Alex, Lee looked very pleased with himself.

     Alex and Fletch made their calls next, then Fletch handed it back to Dawn.  Glenna made her call on her own cell.  "All is well," she said after she put her phone back in her bag.  "Where do we go from here?"  Lee asked Leaning back on his crate against the wall.  "Well, I know that Detective Burns won't tell us anything, but maybe Mrs. Books could call him and ask if this George Lockes had a record."  Alex said halfheartedly.  He really didn't hold much hope that Mrs. Books would do that.

     The others took a few moments to think what Alex had suggested.  "But do we want her to know what we've been up to?"  Dawn asked.  "She helped us the last time."  Lee pointed out.  "Yes.  But I think she might consider this case a little more dangerous."  Dawn said with a frown.  "What excuse could she give Detective Burns to get the info?"  Fletch asked wisely.  "She could tell him it was research for a book."  Alex suggested.

     "We can try anyways.  I don't think she'd tell on us, would she?"  Glenna said warily.  "Nah.  She's crazy about us."  Lee said confidently.  "Come on gang.  Let's go ask her."  Lee urged his friends, a big grin on his face.