be a false eyelash.
“What brought all this on?” Rhodes asked, and everyone started talking at once.
Rhodes got out his pistol again and fired it into the air twice.
Things got very quiet.
“That’s better,” Rhodes said. “Let’s just have one person talking at a time. Who knows how all this got started?”
No one said a word for a few seconds, and it was so quiet that Rhodes could hear Vernell’s raspy breathing. Finally Chatterton spoke up.
“I’d tell you, Sheriff, but I don’t know. I just sort of walked into it like you did.”
“What about you, Ms. Arnot?” Rhodes said.
Jeanne Arnot was standing on the edge of the group watching the goings-on with an amused grin. She hadn’t joined in the cheerleading as far as Rhodes could remember, but she seemed to be enjoying things now.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Vernell and Serena were talking, and all of a sudden they were at each other’s throats. You’ll have to ask them.”
“That’s right, Sheriff,” Carrie Logan said. “It all happened pretty quickly. I don’t think anybody knows what started it.”
“Somebody does,” Rhodes said. “I think Mr. Chatterton and I will take Ms. Lindsey and Ms. Thayer over to the president’s house for a little conversation. The rest of you can go about your business.”
Rhodes waited until the writers and prospective writers started to drift back into the dormitory. Then he took Serena’s arm.
She shook him off and said, “I’ll go. Just don’t touch me.”
“You can let go of me, too,” Vernell told Chatterton. “I’m not going to run away.”
“Good,” Rhodes said. “Let’s go.”
They were about halfway there when something occurred to Rhodes, something he should have thought of earlier.
“Where’s Terry Don Coslin?” he asked.
14
N OBODY SEEMED TO KNOW WHERE TERRY DON WAS. IT BOTHERED Rhodes a little that Terry Don never seemed to be around when things happened. Of course he’d been there when Billy Quentin started shooting, but not when Henrietta died and not when the fight broke out. Rhodes looked around the crowd to see who else was missing.
“Where’s Lorene Winslow?” he asked.
“Right here,” Lorene said from the back of the crowd.
Rhodes couldn’t tell whether she’d just walked up or whether she’d been there all along.
“Have you seen Terry Don?” he asked her.
“I haven’t seen him since dinner,” Lorene said.
Neither, apparently, had anyone else.
“He ate at my table,” Chatterton said. “I had to check on some things, and when I got back he was gone. I assumed he went on back to the president’s house.”
“I guess we’ll find out when we get there, then,” Rhodes said. “Come on.”
Chatterton took the lead. Rhodes waited until Vernell and Serena had started walking, then fell in behind them.
“I think this is stupid,” Serena said when they were halfway there. “I don’t know why you want to question us about a private disagreement. It’s none of your business.”
“It’s about a murder case,” Rhodes told her. “That makes it my business.”
“You don’t know what it was about. You don’t have a clue.”
Rhodes supposed Serena was hoping Vernell would take the hint and keep her mouth shut. He didn’t think it would work out like that, however.
When they got to the president’s house, Chatterton went inside first. Rhodes and the two women waited on the porch. Chatterton was back in only a few seconds.
“There’s no one in there,” he said. “I don’t know where Mr. Coslin could be.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Rhodes said. “Why don’t you take Ms. Thayer into the kitchen. I’ll question Ms. Lindsey in the living room.”
Chatterton led Serena away, while Rhodes and Vernell got situated. Vernell sat in a chair, but Rhodes preferred to stand.
When Vernell was seated, Rhodes said, “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Do you want to tell me what caused all the trouble, or are you going to let
“What brought all this on?” Rhodes asked, and everyone started talking at once.
Rhodes got out his pistol again and fired it into the air twice.
Things got very quiet.
“That’s better,” Rhodes said. “Let’s just have one person talking at a time. Who knows how all this got started?”
No one said a word for a few seconds, and it was so quiet that Rhodes could hear Vernell’s raspy breathing. Finally Chatterton spoke up.
“I’d tell you, Sheriff, but I don’t know. I just sort of walked into it like you did.”
“What about you, Ms. Arnot?” Rhodes said.
Jeanne Arnot was standing on the edge of the group watching the goings-on with an amused grin. She hadn’t joined in the cheerleading as far as Rhodes could remember, but she seemed to be enjoying things now.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Vernell and Serena were talking, and all of a sudden they were at each other’s throats. You’ll have to ask them.”
“That’s right, Sheriff,” Carrie Logan said. “It all happened pretty quickly. I don’t think anybody knows what started it.”
“Somebody does,” Rhodes said. “I think Mr. Chatterton and I will take Ms. Lindsey and Ms. Thayer over to the president’s house for a little conversation. The rest of you can go about your business.”
Rhodes waited until the writers and prospective writers started to drift back into the dormitory. Then he took Serena’s arm.
She shook him off and said, “I’ll go. Just don’t touch me.”
“You can let go of me, too,” Vernell told Chatterton. “I’m not going to run away.”
“Good,” Rhodes said. “Let’s go.”
They were about halfway there when something occurred to Rhodes, something he should have thought of earlier.
“Where’s Terry Don Coslin?” he asked.
14
N OBODY SEEMED TO KNOW WHERE TERRY DON WAS. IT BOTHERED Rhodes a little that Terry Don never seemed to be around when things happened. Of course he’d been there when Billy Quentin started shooting, but not when Henrietta died and not when the fight broke out. Rhodes looked around the crowd to see who else was missing.
“Where’s Lorene Winslow?” he asked.
“Right here,” Lorene said from the back of the crowd.
Rhodes couldn’t tell whether she’d just walked up or whether she’d been there all along.
“Have you seen Terry Don?” he asked her.
“I haven’t seen him since dinner,” Lorene said.
Neither, apparently, had anyone else.
“He ate at my table,” Chatterton said. “I had to check on some things, and when I got back he was gone. I assumed he went on back to the president’s house.”
“I guess we’ll find out when we get there, then,” Rhodes said. “Come on.”
Chatterton took the lead. Rhodes waited until Vernell and Serena had started walking, then fell in behind them.
“I think this is stupid,” Serena said when they were halfway there. “I don’t know why you want to question us about a private disagreement. It’s none of your business.”
“It’s about a murder case,” Rhodes told her. “That makes it my business.”
“You don’t know what it was about. You don’t have a clue.”
Rhodes supposed Serena was hoping Vernell would take the hint and keep her mouth shut. He didn’t think it would work out like that, however.
When they got to the president’s house, Chatterton went inside first. Rhodes and the two women waited on the porch. Chatterton was back in only a few seconds.
“There’s no one in there,” he said. “I don’t know where Mr. Coslin could be.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Rhodes said. “Why don’t you take Ms. Thayer into the kitchen. I’ll question Ms. Lindsey in the living room.”
Chatterton led Serena away, while Rhodes and Vernell got situated. Vernell sat in a chair, but Rhodes preferred to stand.
When Vernell was seated, Rhodes said, “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Do you want to tell me what caused all the trouble, or are you going to let
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