“He’s a janitor.” Mrs. Hughes rolled her eyes. “He cleans up trash.”
“Maintenance is a very respectable profession.” Jenna looked horrified. “He is responsible for all the auxiliary staff working at the school. He does a great job.”
“He’s a no-account just like his father.” Mrs. Hughes waved a hand around the house. “He don’t like it here. He wants to find his own place and leave me to fend for myself. He figures I’ll just stand by and let him take Verna with him.” She took a long drag on her cigarette. “It just ain’t gonna happen.”
“Okay.” Jenna exchanged a meaningful glance with Kane. “Before I go, have you seen anyone hanging around the school, or the cheerleaders. Someone who isn’t on staff?”
“There is one guy.” Cory buttered a slice of toast and stood leaning against the counter to eat it. “The girls call him Stalker Stan. Stan Williams. He hangs around some, takes photos and asks them for dates.” He shrugged. “I mentioned him to Mr. Turner being as he’s a shrink and all and asked him if I should report him… Stalker Stan, I mean. He figured he was harmless enough.”
Kane frowned. “Does he get too friendly at all?”
“Not that I’m aware.” Cory chewed slowly. “No one mentioned anything.”
“Any idea where we can find Mr. Williams?” Jenna took out her notebook and pen. “How old would you say he is?”
“Dunno, thirty maybe.” Cory pushed more bread into the toaster. “He lives in a room over the general store, acts as their security overnight, and drives the school bus.”
“When was the last time anyone drove the old Chrysler sedan?” Kane looked around the faces in the room.
“I drove it last Saturday night to practice and once to go to the store.” Verna shrugged. “Ma don’t go out much.”
Kane looked at her. “Did you give Laurie a ride on Saturday night?”
“No, I had to pick up a cherry pie from Aunt Betty’s for Ma.” Verna glared at him. “I’m not allowed to give people rides in Ma’s car.”
“I’m waiting to eat here.” Mrs. Hughes stubbed out her cigarette in an overflowing ashtray on the table and glared at them. “Enough with the questions.”
“Sure, thank you for your time. We’ll see ourselves out.” Jenna turned and waved him away.
Outside, Kane took a few deep breaths and turned to her. “How do people live like that?”
“It’s a fire hazard and now I feel like I have cooties.” Jenna pulled out a packet of wipes from her pocket and washed her face and hands. She thrust them at him. “Here, don’t get in the truck until you wash your hands. That place needs to be condemned.” She stared at him. “Is there anything we can do?”
Kane shook his head. “Nope, if they had garbage piled up outside, the council could order them to clean it up but inside, they have the right to live in squalor if they choose to.” He wiped his hands and face before slipping behind the wheel. “It’s a shame we can’t eliminate Verna. Now I’ve met her and seeing the circumstances she’s living in, the pair of them make a very interesting couple. She’s strong and dominant and Cory is constantly belittled by his mom. We can’t discount them as suspects.”
“You have echoed my thoughts.” Jenna shuddered. “But brother and sister?”
Kane turned the Beast around and headed back to the highway. “They both know they’re not related and he admires her. It’s possible.”
“Let’s see if we can hunt down Williams.” Jenna was checking the databases on the mobile digital terminal. “I can’t find anything apart from his background checks to become a school bus driver. He looks clean.” She checked out a few things and then leaned back in her seat. “The kids have a school free day for the parade today, so no school bus. He might be at home.”
“It’s worth a try.” Kane shook his head. “I’m not happy with a thirty-year-old guy hanging around sixteen-year-olds and asking them on dates. He sounds like a creep to me.”
“I’m surprised the parents haven’t complained.” Jenna huffed out a sigh. “I guess as he’s been cleared to drive the bus, he’s not a danger.”
Astonished, Kane shot her a glance. “The background check would have been basic, maybe this state, maybe just this county. He could have committed offenses elsewhere or he’s just not been caught yet.” He crawled along Main and finally parked a short distance from the general store. “I’d like to know what his interest is in young girls. Usually men aren’t quite so brazen. They’ll go watch the football to sneak a peek at the cheerleaders but showing up at the practice? He’s up to something, I can feel it in my bones.”
“So, do you want to take the lead in the questioning and lean on him a bit?” Jenna pushed on her hat and smoothed her hair behind her ears. “You might make him talk.”
“Yeah.” Kane smiled at her. “I’d like that.”
Twenty-Two
It was busy in town, with everyone getting organized for the parade. People milled around, setting up tables to sell a variety of goods, from flags to coo
kies. Excitement hummed through the excited chatter. The Fall Parade was a big event for Black Rock Falls and like Jenna, the day for everyone had started at dawn. She walked beside Kane to the general store and they went round back. The store was very old and one of the first buildings to be constructed in town, the apartment, once the residence of the owner was accessed by a long wooden staircase. As she climbed the creaky steps, brown paint flaked off the handrail like confetti, she stepped with care. “I hope this staircase will take your weight.”
“It’s not rotting, it’s just old is all.” Kane examined the handrail. “A lick of paint and a few nails and it would be fine.” He touched her shoulder. “If this guy is remotely involved, I might have to get down to his level, same as I did with Hughes and talk dirty to make him believe I’m just like him.”