9:30 AM found us in the small town nearest the house and headed into a rather large old brick structure amazingly similar to the one we had found up in Kansas. Very similar but that was certainly not odd to be sure as most of the old school buildings had been of this ilk all over the country in the early 1900's. My guess was it was vintage about 1924 or '25.
We went through the large swinging doors and into a large foyer and corridor, and since school was out for the summer it was eerily quiet and seemed just as weird as it did in that high school building up in Kansas. Here too, we could hear music from somewhere, only this time coming from the back of the building on the main floor.
We headed down the hall in front of us and kept going and going until we got to a back corridor and about half way down there was a standing open door into what we discovered was a rather large classroom and sitting behind a rather formidable old oak desk was a woman of some years, with a radio playing on the desktop.
"Come on in," and hearing us she looked up and then told us with a big smile...and we did.
"I've been rather expecting you."
THAT took us all back a tad.
Rose hit it first.
"You have?"
"Oh my yes."
"But how, why, uh," I stammered.
She laughed.
"Oh, well see. Deputy Andy Fowler used to be one of my students. Heck, most of the county has been at one time or another."
She laughed again, a lovely melodic laugh.
I guessed and as it turns out rightly so, that she had been teaching here at the high school for a very long time...and was beloved and rightly so I surmised.
"Oh my yes, Andy has been keeping me apprised of the developments in the, uh shall we say, dearly departed situation and in part cause of course I had taught Rick Longworth and his father too. My first year of teaching Garrett was in my English Literature class."
She looked at me.
"You must be Dylan."
I blushed and wondered how she knew.
"Yes, Andy told me you seemed to be the most inquisitive...and I suspect I would be too if a body had washed up on MY lawn.
I couldn't help it. I laughed...and so did she.
By the way, I am Anna Van Der Lagt. My family has lived in this area for a couple of centuries. So did my late husband's family and he and I courted right here in this school. Now Dylan, tell me who are all your friends here."
I went around the assembled and introduced each one.
When we got to Kip she looked puzzled. I don't remember dear Andy mentioning you, son."
"That's cause I wasn't here. I just got back up here last night."
"Ahhh."
She then motioned to the classroom seats behind us and we took our places like a bunch of high school juvenile brats should. Hahaha.
We sat smugly confident, although NONE of us had our homework done...
"I assume you are here because you want to know what I know about the victims. Okay, let me start with Rick and what I know."
Nice to know this Anna person was a no-nonsense get right to the point person. Must be from decades of having to deal with smart-mouthed brats all day long.
"Rick was a bright cookie he was, and always one of my favorites, but troubled."
Rose interjected.
"Troubled?"
"Yes, always a bit dejected when he thought nobody was looking...but I could always tell."
"Do you know why?"
"Well, I asked him of course. Part of my job as a teacher you know," and she winked.
"It was his, what do they call it now? Oh yes, his 'orientation,' and see that didn't play well around here back then. Now? Nobody gives a damn," and she blushed. "Goodness, forgive me." and we did and said so.
"Funny," she said with kind of a far-off look in her eye. Not that long ago really. Just a few years is all, six or seven really, but back then it was different. It was frowned upon even though even then things were changing. But this is a very rural area and yes, things change but far more slowly than in cities like Detroit and Chicago. Between you and me I think he could not wait to graduate and leave here...which is exactly what he did. I remember asking him where he wanted to go to school after graduation and he said to San Francisco State University (I helped him with that. I have a dear friend there) and he was accepted."
"Is your friend still there?" I asked.
"Henry? Oh my yes, dear soul that he is. He was originally from here too and we grew up together. He is partly retired now but yes he is still there.
"Anyway, I will never forget the day that Rick got his letter of acceptance. He brought it to me and let me tell you, he was just absolutely estatic. I was so happy for him. I hoped and prayed he would finally come into his own and for once finally be happy."
"I thought he had moved to Colorado."
"Oh of course. His father had and Rick was born and had grown up there up until his sophomore year, but I think he and his father had a falling out of some sort. I never really knew but anyway and so Garrett sent Rick to live with a sister of his. She died about a year ago, as I recall. Lovely woman. I knew her for years."
"Did he know the Woods brothers from here?"
"No, they were from Colorado. They came to visit a couple of times and seemed like nice kids. They also wanted to go to San Francisco and I helped them too."
CHAPTER XVII: MEMORY LANE CONTINUES
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