Read Online Are You Nuts? by Mark Richard Zubro - Free Book Online Page B

the two of them went off to some corner.”
    â€œAgnes said the fight continued.”
    â€œI was afraid of that.”
    â€œDo you remember who left the room after Belutha was helped out?”
    â€œNo. People were in and out and moving around. Throughout the meeting each side was trying to line up speakers. A few were making notes as others talked. Some huddled together in corners of the gym preparing their next statement. At the end everyone was sort of milling around as the voting took place and as we waited for the results to be announced. It would be nearly impossible to tell who was where when. I certainly don’t remember Jerome walking out.”
    â€œDid you see Meg leave?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWho escorted Belutha out?”
    Carolyn thought several moments. “I’m not sure. I was trying to get everyone else to settle down again. Sorry, that’s all I remember.”
    As I got up to go, she said, “Last night you were defended vigorously. You have a lot of good friends and supporters in the community.”
    â€œI’m glad I wasn’t the only topic of discussion.”
    â€œBelutha might have had a prepared diatribe against you, but she was escorted out before she could deliver it. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a teacher in this district as long as you want to be.”
    â€œThanks, I appreciate that. Right now I’m going to concentrate on finding the killer. Whatever happened at the meeting isn’t important anymore. Getting Meg out is.”
    â€œBut what happened earlier was important. Someone who was at that meeting is probably the killer. Good luck talking to people.”
    Before I left, she gave me a copy of the list she’d made of the people she remembered being at the meeting last night. She’d already given a copy to the police.
    I returned to the high school complex to see who among the faculty was in the building. Georgette Constantine, the school secretary, met me at the office door. “This is awful about Meg,” she began. “You’re going to do something about it, aren’t you?”
    I like Georgette. She lives to fuss and fume. For years I bought her act as a major ditz, always befuddled, but willing to bend over backward to help you. It took a while, but I realized very little got past her at any time. She knew what and who to watch out for. Over the years, we’d become good friends, especially after I helped her organize the custodians and secretaries into their union.
    I said, “I’m going to do everything I can to prove she didn’t kill anybody.”
    â€œEven if she’s found not guilty, they won’t keep her on, will they? I’d miss having her around. She’s so wonderful to work with. We’ve been friends for ages.”
    â€œI’m going to do everything I can to insure her continued employment here. Carolyn Blackburn didn’t sound like she was ready to fire anybody.”
    â€œGood.” She glanced around and then leaned closer. “I shouldn’t be telling you this or showing you these.” She held out some pink telephone message sheets. “These are for Edwina. There have been calls coming in this morning about you. They’re saying they don’t want their child in your classroom.”
    I riffled through them. There were six. I didn’t recognize any of the names. “I haven’t begun to memorize the names of the kids in my classes, but these don’t sound familiar.”
    â€œI checked. Only one has a kid scheduled to be in one of your classes. Why would they call if they don’t have students in your classes?”
    â€œFear? Ignorance? Outright stupidity? I don’t know. How many more of these came in over the summer?”
    She thought a moment. “Less than twenty-five here. I don’t know about the district office.”
    â€œCarolyn didn’t say anything about this.”
    â€œI talked to