Gracie's Game: Sudden Anger, Accidentally on Purpose by Jack Parker Page A

refused to loan her the money, but he'd told her
"you're in my will"
.
    Had Aunt Jeanine broken in to find the will? That made a little more sense, she wouldn't have bothered to be careful in her search. And she'd
certainly
have taken the cash Dad kept in his desk drawer. Wouldn't her car have been seen? Maybe the neighbors didn't pay any attention because they knew it "belonged" at the house.
    What had her alibi been? Gracie remembered the lieutenant had had to drag it out of her in bits and pieces, Aunt Jeanine never could tell a story so it made sense. Oh, yeah. She'd done laundry in the morning and played bingo all afternoon. Well, that wouldn't surprise her. It wouldn't be easy to check out, though.
    Perhaps Aunt Jeanine had found Dad's will, and learned that either she wasn't in it or that she didn't get very much. That would certainly have made her mad! But mad enough to shoot him? Gracie just couldn't see that. Besides, it would have required her aunt to
do
something for herself, and she did as little as she could. That was the biggest reason she never got the things she wanted, because she wasn't willing to make any effort on her own behalf. Aunt Jeanine might be ditzy enough to think there was only one copy of the will and that the money would be split among family if it couldn't be found, though.
    Even if Aunt Jeanine had discovered she inherited a big chunk of change, she'd just spin fantasies about how she was gonna spend it all. Gracie had heard it all before; "when I win the lottery", followed by a list of purchases: car, house, jewelry, plastic surgery and liposuction, and then a new wardrobe. In spite of her faults Aunt Jeanine was basically a good person; she could twist the truth in her own favor but she couldn't lie, it just wasn't in her nature. Neither was murder.
    So maybe the burglary
was
a coincidence after all. Some junkie looking for things he could sell so he could buy drugs. It seemed odd that he'd only hit
Dad's
house and none of the others in the neighborhood. Surely the police would've known by now if several houses in the area had been robbed. It also seemed funny that a junkie would've left Justin's marijuana; free dope would've been a little extra bonus. Hadn't he stolen pills out of the medicine cabinet?
    Gracie gave up and decided to go to bed. Maybe it would all make better sense in the morning.
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER 10
     
    Gracie was sitting in class Wednesday morning during first hour when an aide stuck her head in the door and briefly conferred with the teacher.
    "Gracie?" Mr. Jackson turned to look at her. "Would you get your books and go with the aide, please?"
    Gracie closed her notebook and piled the textbooks on top. She picked everything up and walked to the door.
"What's going on, now?"
she asked herself. The aide just smiled at her as they walked out the door and down the hallway.
    "Where are we going?" Gracie asked her.
    "Mrs. Baker wants to see you," she said without giving any further details.
    "Great, now I know how my brother feels. Except that Justin doesn't
care
when he's sent to the principal," Gracie muttered to herself.
    Gracie was nervous when she was ushered into the inner sanctum. So much had happened yesterday, she was afraid maybe there was more bad news. But Mrs. Baker just smiled and gestured for her to take a seat.
    "Gracie, I am so very sorry to hear about your father's death," Mrs. Baker said. "You must be terribly upset."
    "Thank you," Gracie replied. "I
am
upset, but more confused. I just don't know who could've done it, or
why
."
    "The police don't have a suspect yet?" Mrs. Baker asked.
    "No Ma'am," Gracie said.
    "Well, these things take time. I was surprised to see you were in class today, I'd expected you would stay home."
    "I'd rather be here," Gracie told her. "If I stayed home I'd just drive myself crazy trying to figure it all out. School gives me something else to think about. It's OK, isn't it?"
    "It's fine, if that's what you want. If you