*****
As they traipsed through their school’s crowded hallway, Adam could tell other students were abuzz about something. Their usual happy-go-lucky faces were replaced by strange blank stares. An aura of seriousness swamped the hallway and Adam wanted to know what everyone else seemed to know. The three boys strolled into their classroom and took their seats. After the bell rang, their teacher, Mr. Patterson, began to speak.
“Alright class, settle down. Quiet now, I have something important to say. I’m pretty sure some of you may have heard from your parents about the events that took place last night. If you haven’t and you walked to school via Catherine Avenue, you may have seen the commotion across the street from the Southern Pines Cemetery. A young lady was murdered and the police are investigating. There is no reason to be frightened, however. The police will be around all day to ensure your safety. That’s all the information I have right now. Okay, are there any questions you wish to ask?”
Adam watched as everyone in the class turned and glared at one another waiting to see who would raise their hand. There were no takers, so Mr. Patterson continued with the class.
After school, the three friends hooked up and headed for home with the news about the murder out of their minds, until they neared the cemetery. A couple of police cars remained across the street in the small parking lot.
“Wow, I can’t believe the police are still there. Mr. Patterson said they would be there all day,” Vance said.
“Whatever happened must’ve been pretty bad,” commented Kyle.”
“Yeah, she shouldn’t have been at work so late,” Adam said arousing the attention of his two friends.
“What do you mean she shouldn’t have been at work so late?” Kyle asked. His expression was serious.
“Ahhh…Ahhh…nothing. I mean if she didn’t stay late, maybe nothing would have happened.”
“That’s a bad thing to say Adam. It sounds like you’re blaming her,” Vance said finding his statement insensitive.
“No, that’s not what I meant. Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything,” Adam apologetically said as he glanced inside the cemetery.
The boys remained silent until they turned down Elwood Drive.
“Looks like my father is home early today,” Vance said when he saw his father’s car parked in the driveway. “I’ll be starting my homework early.”
“I have to get something to eat before I start my homework,” Adam added. “Vance, do you think your mom has any snacks around the house?”
“You guys always ask me that. Ya’ll come in my house and eat up all my food.”
“Well, it’s your mom that keeps that stuff around,” Kyle said smartly. “It would just spoil if we didn’t help get rid of it.”
“But who asked you two to help?”
“Come on man, your mom always has something. We won’t stay long. Just a small snack and we’ll say hi to your mom and dad,” Adam pleaded.
Vance knew he couldn’t resist their requests, especially since it was coming from both sides. He dropped his head and gave in saying,
“Alright…come on.”
Adam turned to Kyle sporting a wide grin and Kyle did likewise. Vance looked disappointed, but the prospect of having snacks with his friends was a pretty cool idea. They picked up their pace in anticipation of something yummy to munch on.
All three entered Vance’s house through the rear door that led directly into the kitchen. As they trampled in, Vance heard his mother calling his name from the living room and he responded. Kyle and Adam removed their backpacks and sat them on the floor while Vance rambled through the pantry in search of the elusive snacks. The soft sound of footsteps grew nearer and became louder until Vance’s mom, Beverly Gidwell, stood in the kitchen doorway smiling.
“I bet I know what you boys are looking for,” she said.
Vance turned, unsure if his mother was upset or not. He backed out of the pantry and watched her movements. She headed to the pantry and shuffled some items around, then reached into the back of the darkened closet. All they heard was the soft rustling of plastic. Their anticipation grew as she drew her arm back and pulled out a large sack of Rice Krispy treats with multi-colored sprinkles, topped with chocolate frosting. None of the boys, including Vance, expected such delicious looking treats. They clamored around her and she doled them out on white, flower-covered napkins. Their earlier disagreement was forgotten as their minds focused on the sweet taste of the snacks.
Adam and Kyle thanked Vance and his mother as they left for their own houses. The sugar rush made them giddy as they strolled down the sidewalk. Then, out of the blue, Kyle asked,
“Adam, what did you do with that list of names I sent you?”
Adam peered at Kyle, confused about the question and asked, “What list of names?”
“Remember that list of names that dealt with Brian Kinkaid’s trial?”
A stunned Adam paused before answering as he remembered, then said, “I didn’t do anything with it yet. I’ll be using it when I write my paper about him.”
“You’re going to write a paper about him? Why?”
“Vance asked me that same question when I told him. That’s the tombstone I fell on when I had my accident. I’m a little curious about his life and death.”
“That’s scary, dude. It’s…it’s…what’s that word Mr. Patterson likes to say? Ahhh…ahhhh…oh yeah…morbid? Writing about somebody that killed all those people.”
“Hey, you did all that research about him after my accident. Why is it okay for you to show some interest in him and not me? Huh, why?”
“I became interested in him because the way the cop and my mother responded after I asked about him. You actually died on his grave after hitting your head on his tombstone. It was your body that reacted strangely.”
“You’re not gonna bring up that stuff about his spirit jumping into me again, are you?”
“Nah, I’m not. I just find it really strange.”
Adam suspected Kyle was hiding something from him. He was acting more and more like a detective. The way Kyle looked at him was odd, like Kyle couldn’t trust him. But why? Adam didn’t remember doing anything wrong, but he also didn’t remember how his backpack got dumped out or why he petitioned Kyle for the list of names in the first place.