Murders at Westfield High

Chapter 7

I waited until Monday evening to go back to the public library and look at newspaper editions that came after Carrie's murder report. What I found was even more surprising and ominous. The subsequent articles mention that there had been three other murders at Westfield high. Gabriel Stevens was stabbed in a girls’ bathroom three years earlier. Janice Miller was found stabbed multiple times in the gym two years before that and Heather Jones had been stabbed in the parking lot two years earlier than that. In all three cases no murder weapon had been found and no suspect arrested. No wonder Westfield High is haunted. They should have re-named it Murder High.

What I don’t understand is why these murders didn’t raise a red flag. Obviously, the murderer is still at Westfield High. The problem for me is how to find out who did it without upsetting Julia.

 I decided to date her again. This time we went to the park near the school and walked around in the well-lit areas. Other couples were doing the same. Some were seated on benches making out.

A cool evening breeze caused Julia to get closer to me. I put my arm around her as we strolled along a paved walk that snaked through a landscape of buckeye trees and poplars illuminated with incandescent lamps. A newly mowed grass smell and a cool evening breeze added to the quaint turn-of-century feel of the park. We stopped for a while and it resulted in a kissing session. I was glad that I hadn’t upset Julia with my obsession about her sister. However, I still had an urge to find out the truth.

“I went back to the library and found that three other girls had been stabbed at the high school. As in the case of Carrie’s murder, no weapon was found nor was any suspect arrested. I’ve surmised that the killer is still at the high school.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t get upset. “That would preclude a student being the murderer.”

“That’s my conclusion. It has to be someone who works at the high school and has been there for at least twelve years, assuming that the same person committed all four murders.”

She stopped and stared at me. “Why are you so interested in these crimes? You’re a senior and will soon be out of there.”

“That’s true, but I feel that justice should prevail.”

“I could care less about my sister,” she said with a gruff sounding voice. “She hated me and my mother.”

“What about the other girls? Did they hate their mothers?”

She propped her fists on her hips. “Are you mocking me?”

“No,” I said, trying to add a weak smile to placate her. “I’m just trying to find out if the murderer is still at the high school and bring him or her to justice before they kill again.”

“I still don’t see why you’re so fired up about these murders. My sister was killed over four years ago.”

I sat down on a bench and rubbed my face. I turned away and sighed before looking at her. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but I think that I have no choice. I’ve seen your sister’s ghost on several occasions.”

Julia’s expression went from abject shock, complete surprise, to tempered amusement. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am serious. I realize how crazy it sounds, but I can’t deny what I’ve seen. Your sister is dressed in her prom dress and has appeared to me near her old locker and in my gym and swimming classes.”

After a few minutes of shocked expressions, she squinted at me. “Okay, if you’ve seen my sister as she was at the prom then you should know the color of a ribbon she was wearing on her strap.”

I recalled the ghost images that I had seen in my mind’s eye and concentrated on details about Carrie’s dress. Eureka! I waved a finger at her. “Yes, I saw that. It was very unusual, a black ribbon. I thought it strange because it didn’t match anything else in her ensemble.”

Julia’s eyes grew large. “Oh my God! There’s no way you could have known that. None of the newspaper accounts mentioned it. She told me that she wore it to remember the other girls that had been murdered.”

I rubbed my face again. “And, she ended up being murdered herself. How ironic.”

She sat down next to me and put her face close to mine. “I’m sorry that I made fun of you. It’s just that my sister and I were estranged. We really had nothing in common.”

“Perhaps you could help me discover her murderer. Did she have any conflicts with Mrs. Wells, the principal?”

Julia blew out a disgusted breath. “Most students at Westfield have issues with Mrs. Wells. They call her an ogre . . . and a few more disrespectful names.”

I smiled when she said that. I could imagine what she meant.

“Wells likes to paddle disobedient students,” Julia said. “I know my sister got her behind paddled several times.”

“I’m surprised that she still does that. Most schools have done away with corporal punishment, especially in high schools. They just use suspension or detention.”

She huffed. “I think the old witch enjoys doing it.”

“I can’t imagine her being the murderer. I’m sure that the police investigated her thoroughly after your sister’s murder. It has to be someone that no one would suspect.”

“You’re probably right.”

I gave her a teasing smile. “Have you ever been paddled?”

“I came close, but I think that Wells felt pity for me because of what happened to my sister.”

“That’s not behavior consistent with a murderer.”

“I agree. What’s your next step?”

“I don’t know. If I could only make contact with your sister . . . “

I could see the disbelief in her eyes. She probably thinks I’ve gone crazy, but it isn’t going to stop me from finding the truth.