Giving Up the Ghost (17 page)

Gabbie filled two bowls with soup, and brought them to the table. "Eat," she ordered,
and put bread in the toaster.

Jill wiped her face and blew her nose. "I'm worried about Theo, but she'll be okay with
her father. You and I hardly know each other, but I want... I need to ask you to keep an eye on her.
You don't have to call her or anything, but since you'll see her every day, just--just give her a kind
word or a shoulder to lean on if she feels like talking."

Gabbie grit her teeth. Playing godmother to a hostile teenager she hardly knew was not
a responsibility she welcomed right now. But Theo was burdened with more problems than her
mother knew about, and Gabbie had always made herself available to her students. "Of course I will,
Jill. Though surely you have a few good friends in town who'll be happy to look in on Theo on a
regular basis."

Jill met her gaze. "Not really. My best friends from high school moved away, and
working two jobs hasn't left me much time to socialize." Tears streamed down her face. "I didn't
need anyone else when I had Cam. Damn that man! He was the only one who understood what I was
going through.

"And then--" The sobs came, rasping, awful sounds that tugged at Gabbie's heart. Jill
struggled to control herself and give voice to what she'd been harboring in silence all these months.
"And then it turned out he didn't even want me in the end. What a fool I was. What a fool I am for
still loving him and missing him, when I meant nothing to him. That bastard used me like he used
everyone else in this town."

Gabbie folded her arms around Jill, as a blazing anger toward Cam ripped through her
like a bolt of lightning. "Jill, please don't upset yourself. Where are you going now?"

"To my parents. They live in New Jersey. I'll stay with them till I decide what I'm going
to do with the rest of my life."

Suddenly Gabbie remembered the investigation of Cam's death had been reopened.
Darren would want to talk to Jill again.

"Jill, the police now think Cam was murdered, and--"

Jill nodded. "I know. Darren came by this morning to ask me about the last time I saw
Cam. Then he questioned Fred. When he left, Fred was furious."

Gabbie's heart quickened. "Does Darren consider Fred a suspect?"

Jill shrugged. "I don't know. Fred wasn't worried about that. He said since Darren saw
him out last night with this Anne from his lab, he figured he might as well break the news to me
himself. You were there too," she added accusingly.

"Yes, I was," Gabbie admitted.

"And you wouldn't have told me either. I bet he looked happy." Jill covered her face with
her hands.

Gabbie didn't answer. She feared another outburst of tears, but Jill pulled herself
together.

"After Cam rejected me and--and died, I tried to make the best of things. You can't
imagine how I tried. Candle-lit dinners, slinky nightgowns." She let out a mirthless laugh. "So
hypocritical. Neither of us was interested. But I tried, for Theo's sake."

She shook her head. "And now Darren's saying Cam was murdered. I'm still reeling from
that bit of news. What made him change his mind, after all this time?"

"Could be the threatening letter I got made him start to wonder."

Jill cocked her head and gave her a shrewd look. "Are you two a couple?"

"No!" Damn Fred! Those we see, see us. Gabbie felt heat rise to her face. "We're just
friends," she added quickly. "Probably because he was Cam's best friend and the police chief, and
I'm living here in the cottage and got to wondering if Cam's death was an accident."

"Oh." Jill nodded thoughtfully. "Though maybe it was, after all. I can't imagine anyone
wanting to kill Cam."

"Come on, Jill. I met the guys--Reese and Jack, Terry and Don. They all hated him."

"Oh, they were furious with him because of that land deal he pulled over them. Believe
me, I know all about it--from Reese and from Cam, himself. But Cam wasn't like anyone you've ever
met." Jill smiled her lovely smile. "The guys were furious with him, but trust me, they all loved him. I
know for a fact he sat each of them down, one at a time, and wooed and cajoled, apologized and
made all kinds of promises till he was back in their good graces. Cam was always forgiven."

"Don and Terry didn't sound forgiving to me," Gabbie said. "And what about Fred?"

Jill waved her hand dismissively. "Fred wouldn't kill anyone over me. As for Don and
Terry, I saw them having a heart-to-heart with Cam in the diner the day before he died."

Gabbie cast her a speculative glance. "Do you think a woman might have killed him?
Maybe someone all torn up about his love 'em and leave 'em ways?"

"I doubt it. When he refused to take me with him, I nearly killed myself that night." She
gave a humorless laugh. "Dumb me. I bet even poor, naive Sonia--whom Cam used to flirt with to
make her feel good--knew he was all talk. Something I should have kept in mind."

They finished their soup in silence. "That was good," Jill said. "I didn't realize how
hungry I was."

Gabbie stood. "Let me make you a tuna fish sandwich. You can eat it on the way."

Jill gave her a lopsided grin. "Well, I won't say no to that. Could I use your
facilities?"

"Sure. You know the way."

Jill went upstairs. Gabbie raced into the den. "Cam," she called, keeping her voice low,
"come here! I need you."

She called twice more, and was about to give up when Cam appeared. "What is it?" He
sounded annoyed. "I did precisely as you asked and kept away."

"I know, thanks." She put her finger to her lips and spoke softly. "But Jill's here now. It's
your last chance to tell her that you love her."

Cam started to fade. "Why did you bring here? I can't do this. I can't."

"Yes, you can and you will!"

"No, really Gabbie--"

"For once in your life you're going to do the right thing," she snapped. "Be a man!"

"Gabbie, where are you?" Jill called from the kitchen.

"In the den. Would you mind coming in here?"

"Sure, but I really must get going."

"I won't keep you, I promise."

Jill came into the room. She staggered and fell back against the couch when she saw
Cam. "Is it you or am I dreaming?"

"No dream, I promise you" Cam crooned in a voice Gabbie had never heard him use
before. "It's me, Jilly, and I've so much to tell you."

Gabbie left them and returned to the kitchen. When Jill appeared half an hour later, she
was tearful again.

"Gabbie, I've just have the strangest half hour of my life!"

Gabbie gave her a wry smile. "I can imagine."

"Cam loved me, he really did! He says he loves me now."

"I know. He's told me often enough."

They hugged. Jill put on her jacket. Gabbie walked her into the hall.

"Take care, and try not to dwell on the past. I'll keep a special eye out for Theo."

"Thanks, Gabbie, I know you will."

The door closed behind her. Gabbie heard the car motor start up, and then fade away. It
was a bittersweet sound, and for a moment Gabbie felt a pang of envy. Jill had left home just as she
had, only Jill was fortunate to have had the support of a new friend and the reassurance of her
former lover to see her off.

"No self-pity and no comparisons," she scolded herself. "You chose your new life. Now
get on with it."

Gabbie had just finished her school work and was gathering up her books, when the
phone rang.

"Hi, how are you today?" Darren said.

"Fine. I hear you've been busy talking to suspects."

"Can't keep a secret in this town."

"Except for the big one of who killed Cam. But we'll find out soon enough."

"We?" She loved the way his voice jumped up an octave when she got under his skin.
"Gabbie, I told you last night, it's my job to find his murderer. I don't want you getting any more
threatening notes or worse."

"I doubt that I will, now that it's official Cam's death was no accident."

"I spoke to the D. A.'s office. They told me if something shows up on the statue or the
barometer, they'll present it to a judge ASAP, and the body will be exhumed pronto." She heard him
swallow. "Trouble is, I ought to be there when the Suffolk ME examines the remains."

"I'm glad I can skip that part."

"It's the least I can do for Cam. Poor guy. Getting killed was bad enough, but having his
best friend write it off as an accident must have hurt like hell."

His self-reproach came through loud and clear. She couldn't think of words to soothe
away the sting, and then realized he wasn't fishing for sympathy. Instead, she said, "Feel like eating
a home-cooked dinner tomorrow night?"

He chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * * *

The news that Cam's death was being treated as a probable murder spread through CH
like wildfire. It was all the kids could talk about on Monday morning. Several of them swarmed
around Gabbie's desk at the start of third period, as if she'd been their teacher since
September.

"Hey, Ms. Meyerson. Aren't you scared, living in a house where a guy was offed?" Jeff
said.

She knew the best way to calm them was to use this as a jumping-off point for a short
discussion and a writing assignment.

"Death is a part of the life cycle," she said. "It excites us and fascinates us. At the same
time it frightens the daylights out of us, because we know we all die. Nobody likes to think about
that. Not that you should," she added quickly, gazing into the faces of her captive audience. "You're
young and have your lives ahead of you."

"Unless someone gets hit by a car or catches an awful disease," one of the girls said.

"Yes," Gabbie agreed. "Anything can happen. In fact, there's a death coming up in The
Great Gatsby. It's a pivotal event in the novel. I want you to be aware of the incidents of cause and
effect that lead up to this death, and how the death impacts on the rest of the story. Now, let's
discuss the chapter you read for homework."

She was in the middle of a similar spiel in her fourth period class when the fire drill bell
rang.

"Everyone out! Form a double line and turn right. We follow Mrs. Bolton's class
outside."

"We can't go outside dressed like this," one of the girls complained.

"Hey, I'll freeze my ass off," Ryan Marco said.

"Not your ass, your--"

Gabbie could well imagine what Jed Lancaster whispered, as the group of boys around
him burst into laugher.

"No talking! Keep on moving."

Gabbie herded her students into the crowded hall, where they joined the throng moving
toward the stairwell. They were descending the steps to the first floor, when the loud speaker
boomed throughout the building.

"This is Dr. Jordan. Students, you are to leave the building immediately. Bus riders, go to
the bus area. Buses will depart in ten minutes. Those seniors who drove to school are to get in their
cars and drive home. Teachers, see to it that all students leave the building, then go directly to the
shop building. Everyone must vacate this building."

Instead of obeying, many students turned to ask each other what was going on. The
anxious buzz filled Gabbie's ears. "Everyone, keep moving!" she ordered, raising her voice above the
din.

Someone at the top of the stairs started pushing and kids crowded into her students. A
girl stumbled. Gabbie helped her to her feet. Fearing a stampede, Gabbie threw up her arms and
faced the oncoming crowd. "Keep to the right! Keep to the right! No pushing. No shoving." She
sighed with relief when they obeyed and moved in an orderly manner down the stairs.

"Hey, Ms. Meyerson, what's going on?" Ryan said as he pushed past her.

"I don't know."

"I bet it's a bomb scare," Lizzie Terranova said. "Why else would they send us home?"
She looked terrified, Gabbie thought. "I hate to leave my good jacket in my locker."

Someone knocked into Lizzie, and Gabbie prevented her from falling just in time.

"I'm sure it will be safe there," Gabbie reassured her.

Lizzie grimaced. "Right. If the school doesn't blow up."

Gabbie retrieved her parka from the English office. She hustled students to the exit, as
she made her way to the small shop building behind the main building. Some teachers were there
already.

"Is it a bomb scare?" she asked Suzanne Lindstrom, the head of the foreign language
department.

"So I've been told." Suzanne pursed bow-shaped lips. "Tim said the caller's voice was
muffled, but he sounded like a kid. He told Tim not to worry because he had half an hour to empty
the building before it blew. Then he started to laugh." Suzanne lowered her voice. "Tim thought he
recognized the voice."

Gabbie's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, no! Not those two."

Suzanne's expression was wry. "Barrett and Todd. Who else would do something like
this? I hope this time they'll nail them and put them away."

"They're a menace to society," Cindy West, another English teacher, snapped.

Gabbie sensed her colleagues' growing agitation as the minutes passed and they were
left to their speculations. Finally, Tim Jordan strode into the room. He stood near the door, a grave
expression fixed on his handsome face as he waited for the clamor to die down.

Gabbie observed his glittering eyes, the chiseled lips that barely contained his pent-up
excitement. He's getting off on this. The school might be in danger of blowing up, but Tim Jordan is
glowing in the limelight. She almost laughed aloud when he nodded, as though thanking an unseen
presenter.

"Sorry for the delay. I commend you all for shepherding the students to safety."

"Shepherding the students?" echoed George Breck, the guidance counselor. "Give me a
break."

Gabbie half-listened as Tim Jordan prattled on about how proud he was of the faculty's
masterful handling of a potentially dangerous situation. At this very moment all students were
safely out of the building. The police were on the premises, doing everything in their power to get
the problem under control.