Shadow Dancer (The Shadow Series Book 1) (24 page)

The principal let out a sig
h.

"Come into my office, will you?" Principal Maynard said, signaling for DiNolfo to follow him. She followed behind him, and took a
seat in his spacious office that overlooked the parking lot.
Before the principal began to speak, DiNolfo asked, "Will Bernard be joining us?"
Principal Maynard scratched his head, unsure of what to say.
 

"Bernard is not here. He called yesterday at 2:00 in the morning saying he was sick with the flu, and
wouldn't be in for a while. He didn't sound sick though. In fact, I heard screaming in the background. I do hope he is alright."

DiNolfo had whipped out her notebook, and wrote verbatim what the principal had to say.
 

"Who calls out with the flu at 2:00 in the morning? Anyway, so he
didn't show up that day and shortly after classes had started, Jack Morrow came storming in here looking for his daughter. He destroyed the door to 219, and startled a bunch of children. He said he seen Mr. Kendricks on his property just after discovering that Tristan was missing."

"Have you noticed anything odd
about Mr. Kendricks?"
 

"Odd? Well he always was a pretty peculiar fellow..."
 

"How so?"
 

"He can be a bit reclusive, and he has no filter for niceties or sarcasm. A bit of a grammar fiend, too..."
 

"Okay, but nothing that r
aised a red flag?”

“
No... I mean he had a troubled past, but he got himself straightened out, put himself through college. I was happy to give him a job. He didn’t have a record. We check every year. This behavior isn't like him."

“Have you tried him at home?”

“Yes. It’s been cleared out.”

“I’m sure there is a perfectly good explanation.”

“I agree… and the last time I checked, innocent men do not run from the police.”

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
 

"Thank you for your time, Sir. Could you show me the classroom?"
 

"Yes, I just ask that you don't touch anything until you have procured a warrant. We want to support the police however we can in the investigation. We want Tristan
returned safe and sound. But until more information is found out about our teacher, we don't want his constitutional rights to be violated. "
 

"Of course. Understood and thank you for your cooperation."
 

Pain in the ass!

Principal Maynard led
Sergeant DiNolfo to room 219, where the door was ripped completely off the hinges.
Damn Jack
. She glanced around the room and it appeared Kendricks had left in a hurry, as his jacket and date book were still laying on the desk. The desks were all formed in neat lines, and nothing looked out of order.
"I assume classes are being held elsewhere?"
 

"Yes. Room 418 with a substitute teacher."

"Great. This room is off limits. I will be getting a warrant."
 

Principal Maynard nodded in understanding, as DiNolfo left the room and headed back out to her
squad car. She had some time to kill before school let out, so she decided to head into town for a bite to eat.
DiNolfo walked into Monte's Cafe in Elkhart as the clock on the wall read 1:17. She knew Cole would not be here yet, but she was hungry and had some time to kill. From what she gathered from several family members, Cole and Tristan were close. One even mentioned that Tristan confided heavily in Cole. DiNolfo hoped she had told Cole something, anything about what was going on.

Joe Piedmonte came to the front counter when he heard the bell over the door ring. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you..." Joe said, the usual warmth removed from his voice. She could tell that he knew that she was here on official business.

"What can I get you? It’s on me."

"Well that depends... What's good?"

Joe feigned shock as a broad smile came across his face.

"It's all good!" Jenna returned his smile, there was something about
Joe that always managed to warm her mood.

"Surprise me, then. I'll just be sitting right over there," said Jenna, pointing to a booth near the front windows. As she settled into the booth, she pulled the Morrow file out of her bag and began perusing where she left off. She had marked off sections that she planned to come back to later. She had marked off Bernard Kendricks’ testimony, the transcription from Moira's 911 call, and she especially marked off the officer's case notes transcribed by Amos Cope himself. With so little help, she wondered when she was supposed to get through the file when she was busy trying to sift through facts of this case, and find a missing teenage girl.
Twenty minutes later, Jenna's order was up, and as the waitress, Maxine went to grab the tray, Joe told her to go take her break, as he took the tray over to Jenna's booth.
"Voila. Meatball sandwich topped with marinara and mozzarella, a side of fries, and freshly brewed, sweetened iced tea."

"That looks amazing, I don't know if I can finish it, but I am definitely going to try!"

Jenna took half of the sandwich and put it on a paper plate in front of Joe, and she began to dig into her meal.

"So I know you're here to ask me about Tristan, and I'll help where I can."

"I appreciate it greatly. I am also going to need to talk to your son. I understand they were quite close."

"Nicolo will probably not admit this to you, but he is quite smitten with the girl. When he found out she was missing, he was really broken up about it. He started canvassing the area, trying to find out who might know where she might have gone or who might have taken her. When she didn't show up to school the next day, he assumed that Tristan got into an argument with her father and he allowed her to stay home that day."
"Just curious, but why would he assume that?"
 

"Cole told me that he and Tristan were looking at a scrap book the night before, it was my daughter's
birthday, and she found a news article in the scrap book that talked about her mother's death. I guess Jack hadn't told her yet. I have to say, I can't really blame him. My son was in complete shock when he found out the next day that Tristan was gone."

"Are you and Jack friends?"
 

"Yes. Our families go way back."
 

"How did that happen?"
 

"School. Plus his family has been eating here since we opened our doors."
 

"Tell me about Jack."
 

"He's a good guy. Got a raw deal if you ask me with his wife. I felt terrible when the news about Catherine came out. Without Jack, I wouldn't have a family."
 

"Oh?"
 

"When that bridge went out, in '81, my kids were trapped underneath in a car. Jack is the one that saved them. Moved debris and snow and
everything to get to them, and he kept them safe in his house over the Christmas holiday until the pass was cleared. Missing wife and all... he kept my kids safe. To me, that shows tremendous moral fiber. My wife died in that accident."

Jenna reached out for Joe’s hand.

“I’m sorry Joe.”

After a moment of silence, the questioning continued.
 

"Do you have any idea where Tristan might be?"
 

"No. But I will tell you this. Keep Amos and Earl off the case if you can. They are as corrupt as they come."
 

"Don't you worry, I have my eyes on them. Tell me about Bernard Kendricks..."
 

"I don't trust him."
 

"Why?"
 

"I think he is too hard on the kids, and from what I've heard, he pays inappropriate attention to some of
the female students at school."
The bell over the entrance door rung again, as Cole Piedmonte walked through the door with a miserable look upon his face. Joe Piedmonte whistled at him from his seat, effectively catching his son's attention.
 

"C'mere son..." Cole came to his father's side, staring at DiNolfo nervously.

"Sergeant DiNolfo has some questions for you about Tristan. Give her your cooperation." Joe stood up from the bench and allowed his son to sit down. Jenna smiled warmly at Cole, trying to make him more relaxed.

"Hi Cole, I'm Jenna. I'm the lead on Tristan's case, and I am trying to find your friend."

"Hi," said Cole quietly, unsure of what to say.
 

"
Could you please tell me when was the last time you saw Tristan?"
 

"The night before she went missing. We were having my sister's birthday party, and Tristan and her family had come down. Our families are close."

"Did you two argue at all?"
 

"No. We never argue."
 

"So she was happy to be in your company?"
 

"I think so. Although it did sour a little when she came across that news article."

"The one talking about her mother's death?"
 

"Yeah. She didn't know, and she was really angry with her father for lying to her."
 

"Tell me about her father."
 

"Jack is okay. He always seems tired, but he always drives me home no matter how late I stay at their house. He even said I could start working for him next year at
the farm once I turn 18."
 

"That was kind of him."
 

Cole shook his head in agreement.
 

"How about your teacher?"
 

"I hate him," Cole said with a look of great distaste. "He is a horrible
person."
 

This caught Jenna off guard. Sure most students couldn't stand their teachers, but hate seemed like an awfully harsh sentiment.
 

"How come?"
 

"He would always keep Tristan afterwards in class, locking the
door and pulling the shade. He claimed that she had make up work to do, which is a lie, because she had a near perfect average. She would always come out of the class crying. He had stopped for a while. Jack had warned Kendricks that he would be sorry if he didn't leave his family alone."

Jenna scribbled furiously in her notebook.
 

"Do you think he had an interest in Tristan that wasn't exactly... academic?"

“Like what?”

“Would he try to touch her?”

"I have no doubt. But she is tough. We would know if he tried anything."
 

"Would you?"
 

"She didn't keep secrets from me. She is my girlfriend, and my best friend, we told each other everything," Cole looked away mid-sentence trying to keep his composure. "I just hope she's okay."
 

"I want you to know that we are doing everything we can to find her."
 

Jenna rose from her seat, grabbed her bag, and waved goodbye to Joe who was now behind the counter dealing with another customer. She decided she would go back to the station for an hour or so until Hernandez called with an update on the house search, and she would try
to finish reading over Catherine’s case file.

* * *

Earl and Amos got out of their squad car in the parking lot of Monte's Cafe and moved quickly towards the entrance.

“Some people just don't understand simple instructions... How hard is it to not talk to the police?"

"We are the police..."

"You know what I mean."

The bell over the door in Monte's cafe rung yet again as the two deputies walked through. Joe's happy face turned sour as he threw a dish rag onto the counter, waiting for the nonsense that Amos and Earl would spew out.

Although Joe was looking right at Amos, he decided to ring the bell on the counter anyway. Loudly he yelled, "Can I get some service?!" Earl, meanwhile went up to Joe's lone customer, George Harris, trying to get him to leave. Joe seen this and yelled back to him, "No, George, you stay. Earl was just leaving." Amos leaned over the counter coming within an inch of Joe's face.