Chapter 7: The Unusual Suspect
The next few weeks were pretty uneventful for the gang. There was still no news about Shara or Bobby.
The first of December was an unusually warm Saturday. An unusually warm December day in southern Ohio still means heavy jacket, hat, and boots; yet, William and Keira dragged everyone outside for Christmas caroling. Jumper was the only one who got out of it. He had a terrible cold, at least that’s what he told William.
Everyone fit snuggly in William’s extended cab Ford as they made their way into town. They parked near the post office. The guys straggled behind silently as the girls strolled arm in arm down the sidewalk ahead. Their off-key carols got louder and louder until giggles finally overtook them. They were rounding the corner of Park and Court when a squad car pulled up with lights ablaze. Two officers emerged from the car. Colby recognized the youngest uniformed officer, but it was the older policeman that spoke first.
“Are you Colby Hayes?”
“Yes, officer…sir, what’s going on?”
“Son, we need you to come with us to the police station. Your parents are already waiting for us there. We need to ask you a few questions.”
“Smitty, are you arresting me?” he pleaded.
The younger officer, Officer Ben Smith, known to locals simply as Smitty, was seven years older than Colby. He was the same age as Colby’s brother, Jamie. Colby could remember Jamie and Smitty spending many long, Saturday afternoons camped out in front of the T.V. to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes play. It was this connection that forced Smitty to step in. “Colby, we just need to ask you a few questions about those kids that were taken.”
“You think he’s involved?” Keira asked as she moved in front of Colby.
“Miss, just move on, please. We’ll take care of this.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. He didn’t even know Bobby.”
“Keira, I do know Bobby. I was tutoring him in chemistry,” Colby admitted. “But, I was in the lab, prepping for my advanced chemistry placement test on the day he disappeared. I’m sure the school has a sign-in sheet or something.”
“Yeah, that’s right and he was with us when Shara disappeared. We were all together, cleaning up after our Halloween party,” she added.
Colby looked at her with warning in his eyes. Ann and William dropped their gaze to the sidewalk.
“Mr. Hayes, I have to advise you to stop talking. This matter should only be discussed with your parents present. Come with us,” the older officer insisted.
He nodded and followed Smitty to the back door of the squad car. Smitty gently shut the door and quickly slipped into the passenger’s seat. The senior officer gave a satisfied nod and issued a fatherly warning of “keep your noses clean” to the others, before ducking into the car himself. They zoomed away.
No one really felt like singing anymore. They began to quietly stroll down the street to the post office where William had parked the truck. Well, quietly, except for Keira. She was infuriated by the policemen’s visit and let everyone know it. Once at the truck, Brooke announced that she was meeting her Dad at the pharmacy next door. Without even a goodbye, she darted away.
Ann opened the door and then the half door to the extended cab back seat and slipped inside. She shut the doors quickly to keep the cold air out. Keira and William stood outside for a moment. Keira was still fuming. William tried to calm her down. He took her hands and leaned in close.
“Keira, I love you. You’ve got to calm down. Why are you so upset? They’re just going to ask him a few questions.”
She threw out her arms breaking his grip. He fell back a few steps from the force. Her strength surprised him. She was strong, very strong. He stepped back and looked at her. William knew that she hadn’t meant to hurt him when she pushed him away. He flexed his fingers and rubbed his wrist. “I can’t believe it,” he muttered, shaking his head in doubt.
Hurt and angry, he turned from her and climbed into the truck. Keira took a long, calming breath and took her place in the passenger seat. She felt the rush of hot air from the dashboard. She closed her eyes and let the soothing warmth flow over her. It felt good, but it didn’t help her mood.
“I can’t believe Brooke. She didn’t even speak up when the police carried her boyfriend away,” Ann noted.
“She certainly didn’t waste any time getting out of here,” William noted.
“She probably had to rush home to take a shower. She’s dating an ex-con now.”
“I don’t want to hear this,” Keira snapped with her eyes still closed and her forehead wrinkled with stress.
William couldn’t take it any longer. “Keira, why on earth did you do that?”
Her eyes burst open. “Do what? Stick up for my friend? It was more than Brooke did.”
“It was the police. It’s not like a bully stole his lunch money.”
“I had to do it. I know he didn’t do this.”
“You LIED to the police. He left the party before Shara was snatched and you know it. He didn’t even have a good excuse, just something lame about studying.”
Ann fell silent in the back seat and suddenly wished she could disappear without being noticed.
“I protected my friend. I don’t regret it. End of subject.”
“Yeah, you protected him, like you always do. I suppose it’s your duty to protect him.”
“What are you talking about? The only problem here, William, is your sudden, insane jealousy.”
“No, the problem is that I love you and you’ve been lying to me this whole time,” William said. “I can’t believe it,” he muttered under his breath, massaging one of his hurting wrists.
“Calm down guys,” Ann intervened. “We were only kidding. You know Colby. He’s squeaky clean. I bet he’s already home.”
William fumed as he slammed the gas pedal and the engine roared. Even though it was out of his way to do so, he dropped Keira off first.
“I’m home,” she yelled as she darted for her bedroom. She plopped on the bed and texted Colby. There was no reply.
Looking for a distraction, she decided to head to the kitchen and help Nana with dinner. It helped her mood to see that it was her favorite, lasagna and garlic bread. She was enjoying her meal in silence, hoping that Nana wouldn’t ask about the day’s events, when the phone rang.
“Just sit there and finish eating. I’ll get it.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Nana said.
Keira answered it before the second ring. To her relief, it was Colby. She took the cordless handset to her room, hopefully out of reach for Nana’s extremely keen sense of hearing.
“Hey.”
“What happened? Tell me everything.”
“Not much to tell. They asked me where I was when Bobby and Shara disappeared. I told them the same thing that we told the police when they pulled up. Mom and Dad didn’t really remember when I got home, so they assumed that I helped with the party clean up. It’s something I would normally do and I’ve never given them a reason not to believe me.”
Colby took in a deep breath and asked, “Did Brooke say anything about it?”
“This isn’t about Brooke.”
“It’s just that I tried to call, but there’s no answer. Do you think she’s screening my calls? She must have been so embarrassed. Do you think she’ll ever talk to me again?”
Keira started to argue that not everything was about Brooke, but knew that she needed to put her irritation in check and attempt to relieve his concern. After all, she was his best friend and this was probably one of the worst days of his life.
“Brooke’s not going to break up with you for this,” she said calmly. “She’s not ignoring you, she’s not even home. She was running errands with her Dad this evening, probably forgot her phone or let the battery run down. So, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Good,” he said. An awkward silence followed. Colby couldn’t stop worrying about Brooke.
Keira couldn’t think of anything else to say that wouldn’t make her seem jealous or insensitive.
“By the way, I’ve got to say thanks for stepping in, but you shouldn’t have,” Colby managed. “You know that I can’t stand to lie and you could have been caught.”
“You were in trouble, so I couldn’t help myself. You sound just like William. He was furious with me, he said he loved me and he wanted me to calm down.”
The words no more than left her lips when she realized it. “Oh no, he said he loved me. I didn’t even catch it. I pushed him away. I mean, literally, I physically pushed him away.”
“Wow that is bad.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I think he may have said it more than once.”
“Do you love him?”
Her chest tightened as she thought about how angry William was with her. “Let’s just forget about William and me for now. I want to talk about why the police were questioning you.”
Colby spoke carefully, “Well, Bobby and Shara ran in two very different social circles, but I was tutoring Bobby and Shara and I shared lab time before the science fair, so I was a common factor in both of their lives.”
“So, they think the two disappearances are connected?”
“Sounds like it. They said that there were the same muddy footprints at each scene.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“For now, but I feel like I have to get to the bottom of this thing. My alibis aren’t rock solid. They could come after me again.”
“Footprints are all they have to go on?” she asked.
“That’s pretty much it. So, they’re trying to find suspects through commonalities. That’s how they found me.”
“So,” Keira pondered. “What about their parents, any ties there?”
“Worlds apart, just like their kids. Bobby’s parents are divorced. His mom works at an art gallery in San Diego, a real free spirit type. He lives here with his Dad who owns a nightclub in Grant. Shara’s parents are doctors at St. Joseph’s.”
“Dead end there,” she said. “What about siblings?”
“Nope. Both are the only child in their family.”
“That could be something.”
“I don’t see how, but I suppose it could,” Colby mumbled in exasperation. “Listen, I’ve had a long day. I’m taking a shower and going to bed. Talk to you tomorrow?”
“Sure,” she replied absentmindedly, still deeply immersed in thought.
“Keira, you know that I didn’t do this, right?”
“I have no doubt.”