Book 2-Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

                                                                                       Chapter 13

                                                                                 Sins of the Father

     Connie gave Detective Burns an embarrassed look when he ask, "What drug was being used that night?"  "Meth,"  she answered.  Mr. Clinton gave his son a furious glance, but Dave wouldn't look at him.  "Which of you used the drug?"  Detective Burns asked Connie in a very serious tone.  "Dave, Aaron and I did," she admitted.

     "So Sandra and Jo Ann didn't?"  "No.  Sandra hated drugs," she then turned to Jo Ann and continued, "And so does Jo Ann."  Detective Burns focused on Jo Ann's face, and Jo Ann said, "No sir.  Not at all."  "Detective Burns gave her a smile and then said, "Thank you for being so honest with me Connie."  Connie smiled a little and then the detective asked, "When did the party break up?"

     "About ten thirty, eleven o'clock,"  Jo Ann answered.  "Aaron went to bed first," she said, looking over at him.  Aaron glared at her again.  "Is that right Aaron?"  Detective Burns asked.  "Yeah," Aaron said gruffly.  "Go on Jo Ann," the detective encouraged her.  But then he said, "Wait a minute," and Jo Ann stopped in what she'd started to say.

     "I'm a bit confused.  Because on the original report...." and right on cue Dawn handed him a sheet of paper from a file in front of her.  Detective Burns perused it for a few moments then said, "On the report you Jo Ann and Connie," (he looked at each person as he spoke) Aaron and Dave," Dave looked up for just a moment, "were sleeping in the living room just between those two sofas there," he said pointing to the approximate spot, "at around that time. 

     "We were!" Connie and Jo Ann said in unison.  "But you said, Connie or Jo Ann, one of you said...., Oh, wait a minute, you said you girls changed in the bedroom, not slept there.  Sorry my mistake."  Alex had to restrain his chuckle.  He thought Detective Burns was doing a really good imitation of the bumbling "Colombo"named after the TV show baring that name.

     "So you girls retired to your sleeping bags while Aaron went to his room? Right?"  "Right," Jo Ann agreed.  But first Connie and I had a hot cocoa," she made a face, and added, "And I was so sleepy after drinking it.  "To come to think of it, me too," Connie agreed.  The detective nodded, as if he suddenly understood something.  "So you two went to bed and didn't wake until Dave woke you, Jo Ann and Aaron up around midnight?"  "Yes," the girls echoed.

     "Well Aaron, did you hear or see anything after the girls went to sleep?  Or were they more than asleep?  Were they drugged?"   Detective Burns asked him.  The current Police Chief, Lenny Finny suddenly banged his coffee cup into the plastic bag on the table and it made a loud clang.   Everyone at the table and in the living room jumped.

     But no one more so than Aaron.  For he didn't know, nor did anyone else seated in the living room knew what the bag contained.  Aaron stared at the bag on the table for a few moments with real fear in his eyes.  Alex and his friends knew the Police Chief's action had not been an accident.  And Detective Burns was happy to see the terrified look on Aaron's face.

     "They were drugged!  Okay!"  Aaron said grudgingly.  Anna's mother Peg gasped, and so did the girls in the house.  "Why?"  Detective Burns asked in a angry tone.  Aaron glanced at Dave for the first time with a sly grin on his face.  Dave shook his head slowly at him in warning.  Mr. Clinton was visibly pale and sweating now and gave Aaron a murderous look.  But Aaron ignored them and said, "Dave asked me to drug Connie and Jo Ann," he said dispassionately.