Ray Elkins mystery - 02 - Color Tour by Aaron Stander Read Free Book Online Page B

about some of the faculty members, romances, things of that sort. I think most of it was the product of our imagination.”
    “And the drugs and sex?”
    “I was only in ninth and tenth grade; I probably wasn’t completely aware of what was going on. But I think things were fairly tame.”
    “Anything else I should know?”
    “I did meet the new headmaster, Warrington, earlier this summer.”
    “Where?”
    “I got invited to an alumni tea. It was sort of a fundraiser and student-recruiting affair. White wine, Brie, cucumber and watercress sandwiches.”
    “What was your impression of Warrington?”
    “He was very gracious, seemed interested in what I had to say without being overly solicitous. But there was something about him.” She had a troubled expression.
    “What about him?”
    “I just had this feeling he was a lech. Don’t know why. He wasn’t sneaking peeks at my parts or saying anything inappropriate. But something about him made me uncomfortable. He was just a bit oily.” She sipped some wine and refilled her glass. “You met with the staff?”
    “I did. Telling people about a death is always hard. And this was… ” His eyes showed the anguish.
    “Suspects?” Lisa asked.
    “Suspects, not really.” Ray paused briefly and then moved to another subject. “Did you have a man by the name of Quertermous as a teacher when you were at Leiston?”
    “Quertermous, Alan Quertermous, I had that creep for math,” Lisa responded, tossing her long, blond hair. “He’d walk around the room while we were doing our worksheets with a swagger stick tucked under his arm. Why do you ask?”
    “He launched into a diatribe at the end of the meeting,” explained Ray. “I was wondering about him. I sense you didn’t like him.”
    “You are so fast, Ray,” she responded in a mocking tone. “So tell us, what was Quertermous in a tizzy about?”
    “He was loudly suggesting that the crime was predictable.”
    “How so?” Lisa asked.
    “We’re going to find out,” Ray replied.
    “A likely suspect?” Marc asked.
    “Well, you have to be careful not to dismiss anything too quickly,” Ray said, “but I don’t think so. Quertermous’s outburst might have had more to do with the politics of the place than anything else. I have much to learn about Leiston School.”
    “After a day like today, do you ever regret leaving college teaching?” asked Marc.
    Ray didn’t stop to reflect on Marc’s question. “We brought the headmaster, Warrington, out to ID the victims. After he saw the bodies he got sick,” Ray stopped for a moment. “This is hardly dinner conversation… ”
    “We’re with you,” said Lisa.
    “As a rookie cop, I did the same thing,” Ray said, continuing the conversation. “But you get beyond it. You disconnect from the carnage and settle into going through the procedures. Necessary perhaps, but I’m not sure it’s a good thing.”
    “Why not?” Lisa asked.
    “I think we get hardened. And every exposure furthers the damage. I escaped into academe to get away from the nasty streets of Detroit. But,” Ray chuckled, his tone changing as he finally responded to Marc’s question, “the ivory tower is not without its dangers. The battles I saw during my university career were brutal. Fortunately, they were mostly verbal. The backstabbing was metaphorical, although I suspect there were some people who had homicidal fantasies.” He paused briefly, “And during my brief tenure as the interim director of the campus police, I had to deal with a sociopathic faculty member who was willing to kill for tenure.”
    “You’ve never mentioned that,” Marc said.
    “It’s a piece of history I’d rather forget,” he paused and peered off into space. Bringing his focus back to Marc and Lisa, Ray continued, “As I was driving over here, I was reflecting back on my university experience and thinking about the people I met at Leiston today. They seemed sincere and united in their grief and