Murder at the High School Reunion by Steve Demaree Page B

Conkwright there when you got there?”
    “No, but Jimmy got there not long after that. ’e was
thare when it come time to go through the food line.”
    “So, tell me about what went on that night?”
    “Well, there ain’t much to tell. It was our twenty
year reunion. There ain’t many a us, and mosta us still live ’round here, but
Jimmy ’ad moved away. It was good to see ’im agin. ’e was kind of feelin’ ’is
oats that night. I ’ad to calm ’im down a mite.”
    “How was he feeling his oats?”
    “Well, you know ’ow some people act when they see some
old friends. ’e was a little on the rowdy side.”
    “What kind of things did he do?”
    “Oh, nothin’ too much. ’e was jist talkin’ a lot, and
’e asked some o’ the guys’ wives to dance. Flirted with ’em a little, too. Some
a the guys took it the wrong way.”
    “Almost come to blows?”
    “Well, I don’t know ’bout that. I stepped in and
pulled Jimmy away afore that ’appened.”
    “Did he hit on any more of the women before the night
ended?”
    “A little bit. Ruffled some more feathers. Then, when
Betty Gail Spencer came in without Duck, ’e took up with her.”
    “Was he drinking?”
    “Not at first. Then, someone riled ’im up and ’e
stomped out. Betty Gail took off after ’im. They was gone a while. When they
got back they’d been drinkin’ a little.”
    “Did this lead to anything?”
    “Oh, that Rose Ellen Calvert ’ad ’er panties tied in a
knot. Everybody always said she was such a prude because none a the guys were
innerested in her. The first time Jimmy left, she followed ’im. I think she was
’fraid ’e might do somethin’ to the school. She tried to do it agin, when Jimmy
and Betty Gail  left together, but somebody stopped ’er.”
    “Do you know who it was?”
    “Naw. I jist remember that somebody said somethin’ to
’er, kept ’er from leaving. She ended up leavin’ anyway, said she ’ad to go to
the restroom, but that was about five minutes later. I ’ad to go myself, and
when I come out I seen Rose Ellen comin’ outa the kitchen. When she seen me, she
’ightailed back to the cafeteria.”
    “Did anyone leave the cafeteria to go look for Jimmy
and Betty Gail?”
    “Yeah, but not right away. At least I don’t think it
was right away. Anyway, Duck showed up a few minutes later. I think George
Justice musta called ’im. At least ’e got on ’is phone and called someone when
they left together. Anyway, ’e showed up, and ’e, George, and Billy Korlein
were gonna look for Jimmy and Betty Gail. I was afraid that the three a ’em would
beat Jimmy up if they found ’im, so I butted in and went lookin’ with ’em.”
    “So the four of you looked for them together?”
    “Well, we did at first, but when we didn’t find ’em
right away, Duck was jist gittin’ madder and madder, so somebody suggested we’d
do better if we spread out. I told ’em to ’oller if they found ’em, but nobody
ever ’ollered.”
    “Do you have any idea if anybody saw either of them?”
    “Don’t know. I went outside, thought maybe the two a
’em mighta gone back to Jimmy’s car. I ’unted ’round out there for a while, but
I didn’t see nothin’ except’n one a the other guys. Time I got back, the other
three was back with everyone else and Duck was ravin’ and decided to leave.”
    “Did you see Jimmy’s car?”
    “Yep, but they wasn’t in it.”
    “Were you and Jimmy good friends?”
    “Still are. Oh, we ’ad some words on occasion. Usually
when we were out drinkin’ somewheres. We were still in ’igh school, but Jimmy
always knowed where to find somethin’ to drink. I don’t drink no more. That
night that Jimmy and that girl was out ridin’ ’round and she got killed, that
cured me. I never took another drink after that. That was jist afore the end o’
the school year. Jimmy’s daddy got things ’ushed for a while, but everybody
turned aginst Jimmy after that, so ’is