My Private Detective

“Heidi?” He called on her last. “If you’re a writer, perhaps you’d like to share an idea for a mystery novel with the class.”

She lifted her head. Again she found herself gazing into eyes as blue as the ocean after the sun has burned off the haze.

Afraid it would sound suspicious if she stood up and gave a perfect outline of Dana’s case without the aid of notes, she said, “I wasn’t here for the first class to get the assignment. So if it’s all right, I’ll bring a synopsis next week.”

No one needed to know she wasn’t a writer. She figured that most, if not all, of the people in this room held a job and did writing in their spare time. For the next while she preferred to stay in the background; she’d wait to see what comments he’d make about her synopsis once she’d handed it in next Wednesday.

She hated any delay, but she was afraid to talk to him about Dana’s case so soon. After all, this was the detective’s first night teaching the class. She couldn’t risk alienating him right off the bat by asking for preferential treatment, not when an opportunity like this had finally come her way.

The detective eyed her for a moment, as if pondering her response. Then he got out of his chair to stand in front of them, legs slightly apart. Heidi tried not to be aware of his arresting masculinity, but it was impossible.

“Every story I heard would make a fascinating mystery, but I’m not an editor. My job is to turn you into professional sleuths in ten easy lessons—at least in your imaginations.” He flashed the class a quick smile that made Heidi’s heart falter briefly.

“On Wednesday night you learned that you must never assume anything. After hearing from everyone this evening, you can see why. Although we knew who the culprit was in all but one of the stories—Nancy’s—our minds were busy conceiving of any number of suspects who would’ve been capable of committing the crime. No doubt many of you would’ve chosen another character to be the culprit.”

Heidi nodded with the class. That was exactly what she’d done.

“How many of you have ever eaten a pastry called a Napoleon?”

Several hands went up, including Heidi’s.

“The French call them mille feuilles. A thousand leaves. The pastry is made up of many layers. A mystery is like that. As soon as you expose one layer, you find another, then another. Leaf by leaf, you carefully examine what you find.

“You subject the crime scene to thorough analysis. You follow up on every lead. You never leave a question unanswered, even if it takes you months, years or in some cases, all your life.”

Heidi shivered. He’d just zeroed in on her thoughts. Even if it took the rest of her life, she would never stop doing everything she could to see her friend go free.

“If some small point nags at you,” the detective continued, “you listen to your intuition and rethink it, rework it, until you’ve satisfied your curiosity.

“When I’m called to a crime scene, I try to keep an open mind, no matter how strongly I might be persuaded that a certain suspect has to be guilty because of circumstantial evidence.

“Consider Nancy’s story about the skier who was blamed for pushing his girlfriend to her death. We weren’t given a lot of information, yet based on the fact that he was sitting next to her, he had opportunity. We know he was jealous, so he certainly had motive.

“I don’t know how Nancy plans to finish her story, but by the time this class is through, she’ll understand what goes on at a crime scene. Armed with that information, I’m betting she’ll have come up with any number of alternative explanations.

“The victim might have been on drugs and fallen by accident. Or she could have decided to commit suicide—for any of a number of reasons. She might have hated her boyfriend enough to kill herself and hope he got blamed for it.

“Maybe she was pregnant with another skier’s baby and didn’t want her coach to know because he’d throw her off the team. Maybe she was pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby and didn’t want him to know. Or maybe she was afraid that if he knew, he’d insist she give up skiing.

“Possibly she jumped intending to kill the baby but not herself. Then again, maybe the bar holding the skiers in the chair gave way, and it was an accident, pure and simple. Especially if there was enough wind to make the chair sway and send her plunging before her boyfriend could prevent it.”

“I love that explanation!” Nancy cried out.

While everyone laughed and began a lively discussion of which version they felt she should use, Heidi thought back to Dana’s case. According to Dr. Turner, the prosecuting attorney had called it an open-and-shut case. A question of sibling rivalry that turned to jealousy, then murder.

But listening to Detective Poletti suggesting one possibility after another for the fictional skier’s death underscored Heidi’s belief that the police had overlooked something vital in Dana’s case. Something that would point to the real killer.

“Before I tell you which of your stories I’ve picked for the class to analyze, I’m going to pass out a packet detailing a homicide that happened in San Francisco a few years ago.

“This case will be your textbook. Inside is an incident report, crime-scene evidence reports, coroner’s report and a press report revealing the arrests made after a two-month investigation. Go ahead and look through it. Then you’re free to get up and stretch or use the washrooms at either end of the hall. We’ll reconvene in five minutes.”

Only the man named Tom left the room. The others immersed themselves in the information the detective had distributed. Heidi glanced through the pages, but her mind was still on Dana.

How she wished it was her friend’s case they were studying!

As soon as Tom was back, the teacher asked each of them to make one observation about what they’d read. Everyone said the same thing. They had no idea so much evidence could be gathered at a crime scene.

The detective nodded. “Perhaps now you’ll understand why many criminal cases fail to stand up in court. If the investigating officers overlook a piece of vital evidence, or if someone purposely or unwittingly disturbs the crime scene and tampers with the evidence before a team of experts can get in there, crucial bits of information are lost.

“It’s unfortunate that, on occasion, the police themselves have been accused of tainting or even planting evidence, but we’re not going to get into that in this class.

“Okay, let’s proceed to the mystery we’ll be examining. We’ll assume the crime scene is untouched and waiting for Mesa Junior High’s detectives to begin their investigation.”

A ripple of excitement swept through the room.

Heidi hadn’t met Mr. Mcfarlane, but she couldn’t imagine him enthralling the class the way Detective Poletti had. The man possessed so much genuine charm and charisma, everyone was mesmerized.

In fact, she couldn’t think of another man who exuded such confidence and intelligence without being at all overbearing. As she looked around, she realized the men, as well as the women, were captivated by his personality and easygoing manner.

“Emily Deerborn? I’ve chosen your synopsis.”

Everyone clapped for the beaming older woman and told her how lucky she was that her story had been the one selected.

The detective said, “Why don’t we ask Heidi to read it for us this time? When she’s finished, someone tell the class why I decided this was a good mystery for us to study.”

Heidi already knew why. Or at least she thought she knew. After she’d done her part, she sat down. At that point several hands went up, but their answers weren’t what he was looking for. Heidi raised hers.

His gaze swerved in her direction. “What’s your guess, Heidi?”

“A lot of the other stories dealt with motives that would have to be explored by interviewing suspects and witnesses alike. This story involved a poisoning carried out by four culprits. That means there’s an unusual amount of physical evidence that will have to be gathered in order for all four to be arrested in the end.”

Something flickered in the depths of his eyes. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Emily has presented a case in which forensics will play a vital role. Daniel told me you signed up for this class to learn more about forensic science.”

Just as everyone nodded and made comments, the bell rang.

He glanced at his watch. “It’s time to go. Here’s your assignment.”

They all opened their notebooks and started writing.

“Over the weekend I want you to put on your detective hats. You’ll be writing up Emily’s incident report. I’ll start you off.

“It’s a Tuesday morning. You’ve been called to the scene of a possible homicide. You enter the office building with another detective and find two police officers, as well as two paramedics, already there, along with one witness who works in that office.

“Said witness came to work and discovered her boss slumped over the desk, so she called 911.

“With that scene in mind, list as many things as you can think of that need to be done on the spot. Use the textbook case I gave you to help make your list. Wednesday, we’ll put everything on the board and go from there.

“As you leave the room, please put your synopsis on the desk. Make sure your name’s on it.”

The class members got out of their seats and clustered around Detective Poletti. When he went into the hall, they followed, bombarding him with questions. Heidi hurriedly rearranged the desks for Monday morning.

She would have erased the board where he’d written his name and an outline of the class, but he came back inside and did it for her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” His eyes were smiling and alive. “What else can I do for you?”

“Not a thing. I’m ready to go. I need to pay my fee for the class before the secretary goes home.”

“Since I have to hand in the attendance roll, I’ll walk with you.”

He waited while she turned out lights and locked the door, then they started down the hall. Her awareness of him made it difficult to act naturally.

Jeff had been a much shorter man with an average build. Detective Poletti’s tall, well-honed frame was a revelation.

The last thing she wanted was to act like some of the other women in the class who’d already made their attraction to him obvious.

“You weren’t a detective in another life, were you?” he asked.

She chuckled softly without looking at him. “No. It just seemed to me that in a poisoning case, a lot of forensic work would be required in order to determine the culprit.”

“I’ll bet no one gets away with much in your geography class,” he teased.

“You’d be surprised. Kids come smarter and smarter these days.”

“You’re right,” he murmured. “Especially on the streets.”

Heidi turned her head to look up at him. “Was it a lot different in New York than here?”

“No. Gangs are everywhere.”

“I know. It’s a tragic situation that seems to be getting worse.”

He followed her into the community-ed office.

“Hi!” Carol greeted them, but her gaze rested on the man who’d just handed her the roll.

“Hi, Carol.” Heidi vied for the secretary’s attention.

“How much do I owe for the class? Detective Poletti was kind enough to let me sign up.” She opened her purse and reached for her checkbook.

“Make it out to Community School for a hundred dollars.”

“That’s all?”

The detective’s mouth curved upward. “Didn’t you know that law-enforcement officers, like teachers, aren’t in it for the money?”

“It isn’t fair. Considering all the times you’ll have to drive to our school, you’ll end up spending most of your teaching fee on gas alone.”

It was his turn to chuckle. “I’m not worried about it, but I appreciate your concern.” Their eyes met. Her pulse began to race when she realized that he seemed to be waiting for her.

After writing out the check, she handed it to Carol. “Thanks. See you later.”

“Good-night,” Carol said as they left the office and headed for the doors that led to the north parking lot.

He held one open for her. “Where’s your car?”

“Right ahead of us in the faculty parking area.”

“Before you leave, I’d like to know if you’re a writer, too.”

“No. I don’t have the patience.”

“Nor I. Under the circumstances, don’t worry about coming up with a mystery synopsis for the class.”

Now she understood why he hadn’t walked off yet. Again she’d hoped it had been for a more personal reason.

“Actually, I-I’d like to write one.” I need your input in Dana’s case. “If the others think I’m working on a book, then I won’t stand out. Besides, I don’t want anyone to believe you’re giving me preferential treatment because I missed Wednesday night or because you’re using my room.”

His face broke into a smile. “Well, then, I’ll expect a masterpiece.”

She knew he was teasing her, but it was hard to think of Dana’s case in that light. “Now you’ve made me nervous.”

Just then, several mothers she knew came out of the building and waved to her. Heidi could see the speculation in their eyes as they glanced at the handsome man standing beside her. She waved, trying to pretend she didn’t know what was going through their minds.

Afraid the detective might think she was lingering because of him, she said, “It’s getting late, so I’ll say good-night. Thanks again for letting me join the class.”

“My pleasure. See you next Wednesday.”

She hurried toward her car, aware of a weakness in her legs that made her thankful she didn’t have to walk far. By the time she got behind the wheel, he’d disappeared in the crowd of adults leaving the building.

Just as well she couldn’t see him. It was patently ridiculous to fantasize about a man who was probably married or living with someone. Her only concern should be to get everything she could out of this class. What she learned would teach her how to start looking for hidden evidence that could lead to a reopening of Dana’s case. At the very least, it should help her evaluate any private detective she might decide to hire.

But putting her new teacher out of her mind was easier said than done. By Sunday afternoon, she was still struggling to suppress thoughts of Detective Gideon Poletti as she wrote the synopsis and did the homework he’d assigned.

She was beginning to suspect he’d taken up permanent residence in her mind.

CHAPTER THREE

GIDEON TOSSED THE FRISBEE one last time, and a gust of wind blew it off course. The green plastic disc sailed over Kevin’s blond head and would have disappeared into the surf if it hadn’t been for Pokey.

“Good dog!” Kevin cried as the frisky beagle leaped in the air to catch it in time.

“Let’s go home.”

“Not yet, Dad!”

“We have to. You promised to get your homework done before I drive you back to your mom’s. She made a special concession, letting you spend this weekend with me because of my birthday.”

“I know. That means I won’t be able to sleep over next Saturday or Sunday.”

“True, but I still get you Friday night. Now you’ve only got one hour left. Beat you to the house!”

His ranch-style home was located two blocks from the ocean with easy access to the beach from a nearby side street.

He took off on a run. When he looked over his shoulder, Kevin wasn’t far behind. Pokey kept up with him. Though the dog stayed at Gideon’s, he adored Kevin and clearly rejoiced in the time they spent together.

Fay refused to have an animal in the house. No amount of pleading on Kevin’s part could change her mind. But like everything else about the situation, he and his son had learned to adapt.

Between Gideon and his housekeeper, Martha, who came in every weekday afternoon for an hour to clean and prepare meals, Pokey’s needs were met and he had the run of the house.

A few minutes later Kevin hauled his math book from his backpack and sat at the family-room table to start his homework. Gideon went in search of the synopses he’d brought home and joined his son. Pokey lay on the floor between them.

Kevin eyed the papers with curiosity. “What are you doing, Dad?”

“Homework. Just like you.”

He laughed. “Come on.”

“It’s true. You’re looking at the new criminology teacher for the district’s adult-education program.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope. I have eleven students who signed up for community school.” One of them is probably the most terrific-looking female I’ve ever met in my life. And the most puzzling.

“I didn’t know that.”

“How could you? Daniel Mcfarlane underwent emergency surgery on Friday morning and asked me to take over his class.”

“What happened to him?”

“He has cancer, but I understand the operation took care of the problem. With some chemotherapy, he’ll be fine.”

“That’s good.” His son’s voice trailed off. “Hey, Dad…do your students listen to you and everything?”

Gideon laughed. “So far I haven’t had a problem.”

“Is it fun to teach?”

“As a matter of fact, it is.”

“How long are you going to be their teacher?”

“I’m not sure. Possibly till mid-May.”

“That long?” Kevin cried. “When’s your class?” Any change in Gideon’s routine upset his son if it wasn’t handled carefully.

“Wednesday and Friday nights.”

Kevin’s face fell. “But those are our nights together! Is that the reason you couldn’t come and get me until late on Friday?”

“Yes. But I’ve been thinking about that. How would you like to come to class and watch me teach?” Gideon asked before his son could jump to the wrong conclusion. “You can get your homework done at the same time. We’ll have dinner at the Jolly Roger first, and go for ice cream after.”

“You’d let me come?”

“Of course.”

The tears that were threatening disappeared.

“I realize this changes the way we’ll spend Wednesday and Friday nights for a while. But I couldn’t say no to Daniel when he asked me this favor, could I?”

“No, I guess not. Can I bring Pokey?”

“Do they let you have dogs at school?” Gideon countered.

Kevin let out a deep sigh. “No.”

“I tell you what. On Wednesdays I’ll get off duty early and pick you up at school. We’ll go to the park or the beach and play with Pokey until we have to leave for my class. How does that sound?”

“Okay, but what about Fridays?”

“I can’t get off early on Friday. But since we have the whole weekend together every other week, you can still come with me. We’ll have a late dinner after class on those nights.”

“How come Daniel had to ask you?”

Kevin, Kevin. “I think you already know the answer to that question.”

He lowered his head. “Yeah. He’s a good friend. I just wish Mom would let me live—”

“We’ve been over this ground before, son. And it’s not like we won’t be together. Besides, this will give you a chance to find out what I do for a living.”

“I already know,” the boy said glumly.

Kevin was going through a stage of worrying constantly that Gideon might get killed on the job. It was one of the fears family members harbored when a parent worked in law enforcement. But Gideon had assured his fourteen-year-old that being a detective was safer than being a street cop. Still, anxiety remained.

“Do you want to hear my students’ stories?” Gideon decided a little distraction right now was more important than insisting that Kevin finish his homework. His son could do that back at Fay’s.

“What stories?”

“My students are mystery writers.” Except for one, who had an entirely different motive for attending the class. Heidi Ellis presented a mystery in her own right. One that wanted solving…

“Mystery writers?”

“That’s right. They want to learn how to write what happens at the scene of a crime from a detective’s point of view. I’ll take them through the procedure step by step.”

“That ought to be interesting.”

The light had returned to his son’s eyes. Thank God.

AT ELEVEN ON SUNDAY NIGHT, Heidi finished correcting her students’ homework and reviewing her own and prepared for bed. While she was brushing her teeth, her phone rang.

Hoping against hope, she rinsed her mouth, then dashed into the bedroom to answer it. Caller ID was blocked.

“Hello?” she said anxiously.

“Ms. Ellis? John Cobb here.”

Filled with relief, she sank onto the edge of her bed.

“Thanks for calling me back. I know you’ve been out of town and I hate to bother you at home, but I’m desperate to help Dana. She’s barely hanging on.”

“I got your message earlier today and I’ve already made a call to her doctor and to the judge. We’ll get an order to the prison so the doctor there will give her the medication she needs.”

“Oh, thank you,” Heidi breathed.

“Let me assure you that I’m as eager as you are for some new evidence in this case so I can take it to the district attorney.”

She gripped the phone more tightly. “That’s why I’m calling. I’m going to get that evidence!”

There was a brief silence on his end. “It would have to be compelling. Ron Jenke, the prosecuting attorney, has a formidable reputation for winning cases. What he presented appeared to the jury to be an airtight case. Since you and I know Dana’s not guilty, that means we need a whole new approach to her case.

“Unfortunately the private detective the Turners retained after the trial never came up with anything I could use. He’s given up.”

“I know,” Heidi murmured. “When I visited Dana last Sunday, she told me there was no hope. But I told her she was wrong and promised that the next time she saw me, I’d have something good to report.” Visits to inmates had to be applied for weeks ahead. Even though Heidi knew there’d be Sundays when she couldn’t go, she’d already made application for six months’ worth of Sunday visits.

“Ms. Ellis, I’m sure you’re aware that her case will require the best criminal investigator around. He needs to be someone who’ll look at it in a completely fresh way. Someone who won’t be intimidated by Jenke or persuaded by the evidence that put Dana behind bars in the first place.

“There are investigators like that, but it’s hard to find them, let alone convince them to take a case that’s already been settled.”

Since the class, Gideon Poletti’s image had never left her mind. “I-I’ve found someone who’s a detective’s detective. Given a little more time, I may be able to persuade him to take Dana’s case.”

“Good for you! I’ll work with you any way I can. We’ll pray for a different outcome. Dana’s an innocent woman.”

“She is. I won’t rest until she’s back home. Under the circumstances, my parents and I would like to formally retain you as our attorney to help Dana. We’ll let the Turners know what we’re doing. They’re so deep in despair right now, maybe this will give them some hope.”

“They’re more fortunate than they know to have someone like you on their side.”

“Dana and I grew up next door to each other, Mr. Cobb. I’m an only child and I couldn’t love a sister more than I love her. As for my parents, they love her like a daughter. No matter how long it takes, I’ll fight to get her out of prison.”

“Be assured I’ll do everything in my power to help make that happen. Call me when you’re ready to meet.”

“Thank you very much. Expect a retainer in the mail in the next few days.”

“Let’s not worry about that right now, Ms. Ellis. Good luck. I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.”

Heidi hung up, more convinced than ever that a man with a reputation like Daniel Mcfarlane’s would’ve made sure he sent the best detective in the business to replace him.

If Detective Poletti couldn’t come up with new evidence, no one could.

But Mr. Cobb had hit on one major problem. Her teacher was a human being with a personal life and a career that might make it impossible for him to take on Dana’s case.