Book 2-Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

     Alex gave Anna an, "I'm proud of you look" and squeezed her hand.  "What other injuries did Sandra have?"  Fletch asked the detective.  Anna suddenly stiffened, not sure after all if she was ready to hear the answer to that question.  Alex patted her hand.  "Do you want to step out for a few minutes?" the detective asked her, seeing the stress on her face.

     Anna looked into his eyes for a moment and then said, "No.  Go ahead Detective Burns."  The man nodded and perused the coroner's report again.  "The main trauma was to her head as I've said before, but she did have various internal injuries that contributed to her death."  He didn't name them out of consideration for Anna.

     "No broken bones?"  Fletch asked in surprise.  The detective glanced back at the report.  "No," he said, raising an eyebrow in confusion.  "Then there's no way she fell from the balcony!"  Fletch said in a raised voice.  "Yeah.  She would have at least broken an arm or a leg whether she jumped or was pushed from that height," Sam agreed.  Anna looked at Alex with wide eyes as she considered what had been said.  "I know," Alex began with the rest of the room listening in.  "A lot of people have some explaining to do," he ended.   Everyone in the room including Detective Burns nodded their heads' in agreement.

    "And as to what you Fletch, and you Sam said, "Those are totally logical conclusions," Detective Burns told them while distractedly scratching a spot on his chin.  Then he turned to his right and eying the screwed up look of concentration on the boy's face he said, "You look like you want to say something Lee,"  "Uh yeah I do.  I was just wondering what Dave's car looked like the day after," Lee said shrewdly.

     "To my knowledge, no one checked on that," Detective Burns told him.  "I for one am not surprised,"  Alex said in an irritated voice.  "Well Alex, you have to remember that everyone but me thought it was suicide."  Alex nodded at him, but didn't say anything.  "And I should mention that five years ago this police department would do anything that Mr. David B. Clinton Sr., Dave's father, wanted them to do."

     "I had been told that by a disgruntled officer who had been fired,  and I know myself he deserved to be, so I didn't put any stock into what he was saying."  His audience all had disgusted looks on their faces after hearing what was said about David Clinton Sr.'s hold on the Vandalia police department.

     "Does Dave's family still live here?"  Dawn asked him  "Yes,"  Detective Burns started, "The family owns an estate on the other side of the lake.  It's an old mansion that has been passed down from father to son for generations."  Alex, who had listened very carefully to all that had been said, but had spoken little until this point said, "On the topic of Dave's car, I noticed a run down looking garage next to the church on Main street when we first came into town.  Is that where Dave would have taken his car when it needed to be serviced, do you think?"  Alex posed to Detective Burns.

     "Well yes.  Probably Alex.   But we're talking about five years ago.  And I happen to know the man who runs the place.  He was very old back then and he is very feeble in mind and body now.  Trust me, he can barely remember his own name on a good day, let alone remember a car that was worked on all those years ago."

     "But he kept records didn't he?"  Glenna asked before Alex could.  And before Detective Burns could answer Glenna's question Alex put in fiercely, "If you could get this case re-opened those records could be evidence.  If Lee and Fletch are right, and I think they are, about a car accident being the cause of death, those records could help bring Dave to the justice he deserves," Alex pleaded with the detective.  Detective Burns sighed heavily.

     "You kids are making life difficult for me," he said, putting his head into his hands and moaning.  But when he looked up Anna was staring into his face, a tear running down her cheek, and he was ashamed at what he had said, when he thought of how difficult these last few years must have been for her and her parents.