Read Online Voice Mail Murder by Patricia Rockwell - Free Book Online Page B

could help you deal with this horrible ordeal with what happened to the Coach, I am very grateful. Good luck tomorrow!”
    “Thanks!” he smiled. “Will you be there, Dr. Barnes?”
    “I . . . don’t know,” she stammered. She was not really into sports and had never attended any athletic events in her fifteen years of teaching. “Maybe. But, good luck, and remember that Coach Croft will be there in spirit. Do your best for him!”
    “I will!” He hoisted the back-pack higher on his shoulder and with a brief wave, disappeared down the hallway.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Her talk with Jesse Portillo, the young football player, had haunted Pamela. Maybe that was why, now, on a brisk, fall Saturday evening, she found herself sitting high up in the faculty section of the home bleachers of the Grace University Football Stadium waiting for the starting gun (or whatever happened to begin a football game). Her jacket clutched tightly around her body, she rubbed her hands together. A gentle afternoon breeze had turned into a nippy wind and her fingertips were icy. Rocky, seated next to her, grabbed one hand in his and squeezed. Down on the field, the band played warm-up songs and cheerleaders leaped and danced.
    “Dr. Barnes,” called out Jane Marie over the noise, “how do you like your first football game?”
    Pamela smiled at her colleague sitting two heads to her right on the end of the row. Leaning over Laura Delmondo, she yelled, “It’s exciting! Very noisy!”
    “It’ll get noisier!” added Laura, smiling. Pamela knew that the young professor and the secretary were avid team fans and often attended the games together, as other faculty members seemed to have little interest in campus sporting events. Laura had left her new baby at home with her husband, and Jane Marie’s husband, who worked in the oil industry, was away on a rig for several months. The two women, of similar ages often socialized.
    “Expect the President to speak,” added Mitchell Marks, seated to Rocky’s left.
    “Really?” questioned Pamela, bending over Rocky, “Is that typical?”
    “It is when the head coach is murdered and the school decides not to cancel the game,” noted Mitchell, with a roll of his eyes. He smiled sideways to include his wife who was seated on his left. The group of six was the entire contingent from the Psychology Department. Pamela knew that Mitchell typically attended major games and school functions, not always because he had any interest in the actual event, but because he perceived it a part of his job as Department Head to also be a figurehead for Psychology and its faculty members. Pamela was delighted that he took his position seriously and was relieved that it allowed her to avoid most such activities.
    The band started a louder and livelier tune and the crowd of mostly students and some faculty die-hards began clapping to the beat. People were still entering the bleachers and finding spots—obviously many were regulars at the Tigers’ home games—and as fans slid into spots in the bleachers, Pamela could see many greetings taking place. She could also hear an undercurrent of discussion about the recent murder—and the events surrounding it. People were curious about how the administration would portray their decision to continue with the game as planned, considering the horrific event. She was intrigued about what their school’s top gun would have to say.
    A burst of applause as the band finished a lively number caused the entire population of the home bleachers to rise en masse. More faculty and staff streamed down from the entrance at the top, now trying to squeeze in between colleagues as space in the bleachers became more difficult to find. Pamela glanced to her right where Jane Marie was speaking to a slim, blonde woman who had just entered and was moving down to a lower row. The woman stood below, looking up at Jane Marie with determination. Her eyes were bloodshot but her mouth was set