The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer (15 page)

He shook his head. “This isn't a game.”

“I'm not playing games. Just think about it. What if Klonsky is the murderer? Are you going to let him get away with it?”

“Of course not,” the chief sputtered. “But there's no way Klonsky did this.”

“You might be right, but what if you're not? Just give us some time to prove our case.”

“I don't want you kids anywhere near this investigation.” His face turned a deeper shade of red, and his eyes blazed with anger.

Sarah held up her hands in surrender. “We won't go near the Cat Lady's house. I promise.”

“That's right.” The chief leaned on his desk and pointed a finger at Sarah. “You kids stay away from my crime scene.” His eyes blazed at Sarah again. “I could arrest you kids for what you've done! I should arrest you!”

“Please don't,” Lacey pleaded.

“Why would you do that?” Sarah asked.

“Because you kids went through my crime scene and removed evidence from it. It's against the law! You should be punished!”

“What about Klonsky?”

“What about him?” the chief asked with an angry wave of his hand.

“Are you going to tell him about the murder weapon?”

“I don't want to hear any more about Klonsky. You kids get out of here, before I arrest you.”

“But, Dad,” Scott protested.

“Out!”

“Dad!”

“We'll be talking at home, young man,” the chief said with a frosty glare.

The Super Spies scrambled out of the chief's office and trudged down the long corridor.

Sarah's shoulders sagged. “That didn't go so well.”

“It sure didn't.” Jackie frowned.

“Now, we are going to jail,” Lacey whimpered.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “If he were going to arrest us, he would have done it by now.”

Lacey let out a relieved sigh. “I hope you're right.”

“You guys, we've got to do something.
” Sarah frowned and bit her lip
.

“We can't let Klonsky get away with this!” Jackie said, raising her voice.

Just then Lon Klonsky loomed around the corner. He stood larger than life, glaring at the Super Spies as they met in the middle of the hall.

“What are you kids doing here?” He scowled.

“None of your beeswax.” Sarah crossed her arms over her chest and stood defiantly in the middle of the hall. Lacey clutched the back of her shirt and held on for dear life. Sarah felt her trembling like a leaf in the wind.

Klonsky glowered at Sarah. Looming above her, his face wore a ferocious sneer. He probed her with his eyes looking for weaknesses, Sarah was sure. They were still red from their battle with the perfume last night. A small scar ran from his eyebrow to the corner of his eye. It gave him a more sinister appearance.
As if he needs
any help in that department,
Sarah thought wryly.

“Are you kids in trouble again?” Klonsky's voice was an angry rumble.

“No.” Sarah glared at him.

“Were you kids in the Fedewa home last night?”

“No,” Sarah lied. She met his gaze with an unwavering stare, but her stomach twisted into an apprehensive knot.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“We're leaving.”

Klonsky leaned down and whispered in a dangerous voice. “I'm going to put you behind bars for the murder of that old lady.”

A flash of anger erupted in Sarah's belly, and she gave the crooked cop a withering look.
Not if we get you first
.
Sarah bit her tongue to keep the words from escaping her mouth.

“You know we didn't do it,” Sarah said, instead.

“I don't know that. Now, get out of here.” Klonsky gave them a dismissive wave and proceeded down the hall.

“No problem,” Jackie said, giving his back a mock salute.

“You got that right.” Sarah glared at his back as he walked away, her hands clenched into angry fists.

“Let's get out of here,” Lacey whimpered.

The Super Spies continued down the hall, but Sarah suddenly stopped and turned.
“Hey Scott, is he going to see your dad?”

He paused, and peered down the hall. “Yeah, I think he is.”

“Let's go listen.” Sarah took a step toward the chief's office.

Scott grabbed her arm. “I've got a better idea. Let's go around to the front. We can listen through the windows.”

“Were the windows open?” Lacey asked.

“I didn't notice, but I know my dad. He would choose fresh air over air conditioning any day of the week.”

“Good idea, your dad's back will be facing the windows. He won't even see us,” Sarah said.

The Super Spies hurried outside, turning the corner to the back of the building.

“Hey, the windows are open,” Sarah said.

“We can hide between the bushes and the wall of the building,” Jackie pointed out.

The teens scrambled to their hiding place. Sarah made sure everyone ducked down, hiding from anyone on the street and the police officers inside. She breathed a sigh of relief; the shrubs were green, thorn free, and thick with leaves.

The Super Spies listened as Klonsky and Chief Johnson talked about the annual police golf outing.
Within minutes, the conversation turned toward the Cat Lady murder.

“So Lon, any new developments on the Fedewa case?”

“Not yet. The MO appears to be the same as the Messenger every way you look at it, though.”

“Did you find any other clues?”

“We found vomit at the crime scene, and we think it belongs to the perp. I've sent it to the lab for testing.”

Sarah's heart lurched in her chest and she put her arm around her sister. She felt Lacey tremble and squeezed her tight.

“Any suspects?”

“No, not yet, but I'm still suspicious of those kids we found at the crime scene.”

“You think those girls were strong enough to stab Mrs. Fedewa?”

“There were three of them.”

“You think those three girls are the Death Messenger?” the chief asked.

Sarah heard the shock in his voice.

“They're probably copycats.”

“Yeah, but what was their motive?”

Sarah's blood boiled as she listened. Looking at Jackie, she saw her friend's eyes widen until they were as big as saucers. She dared a peek through the window. The chief sat behind his desk and Klonsky lounged in a chair facing him.

“I don't know yet,” Klonsky frowned.
“But they're from the city… lots of violence in the city.”

Chief Johnson rubbed his neck and paused as if he were considering what Klonsky was saying. “Yeah…but let's stick to the evidence for now. Did you find the murder weapon yet?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, I came across a new development.”

“You did?” Klonsky asked. Sarah heard the surprise in his voice. She ducked down, hoping she wouldn't be discovered.

“Yep. Some kids went through our crime scene and found this,” the chief said.

Sarah heard the sound of a drawer opening and the rustling sound of plastic rubbing against plastic. She knew the chief was showing Klonsky the service pin. Standing on tiptoes, she peeked inside. The policemen were focused on each other and didn't notice her peeping in the window.

“No kidding.”

“Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“A service pin.”

“One of our service pins?” Klonsky sat back in his seat and crossed his legs.

“Yep,” Chief Johnson said.

The chief seemed to study Klonsky as if he were trying to gauge his reaction. “These kids claim they found it at the crime scene. They said they were there at night and ran into you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Klonsky sat up straight and shifted in his seat. He uncrossed his legs and bounced them as if he were suddenly full of nervous energy.

“No, I'm not kidding.” Chief Johnson rubbed the back of his neck.
He seemed to be waiting for Klonsky to tell his side of the story. When he didn't take the bait, the chief continued. “Yep, they said you were there with someone who wasn't a cop.”

“Who was I supposedly with?” He rolled his eyes as if the mere mention of this incident was preposterous.

“Someone named D.W.”

Sarah saw Klonsky turn white at the sound of the name. He shifted uneasily in his chair and cleared his throat. “I was not near the Fedewa home last night with someone named D.W.”

“These kids say you were and they found this.” The chief tossed the plastic bag containing the service pin toward Klonsky. “Does that look familiar to you?”

Klonsky caught the bag and studied the pin.

“It's your service pin,” the chief said.

Klonsky squinted at the pin. “You're right, it is my pin. I probably dropped it when I walked the scene.”

“Yeah, that's what I told those kids.” Chief Johnson glanced down and rifled through some files on his desk. Faking a laugh, he opened a file as if he were studying it. He kept his face hidden from Klonsky, but Sarah witnessed the red stain of anger creeping up his neck and ears.

“I'm going to need that pin back,” Chief Johnson said.

“Why?”

“Well, these kids trespassed on a crime scene, and I need it as evidence against them.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure thing, boss.” Klonsky stood and put the plastic bag down on the chief's desk.

Sarah quickly ducked down so she wouldn't be seen. After a few seconds, she raised her head and watched the scene before her. Klonsky was
slouching in his chair again.

“By the way, who were the kids in the house last night?”

“Didn't get a good look at them, huh?” Chief Johnson tossed the question out into the air so casually he could have been asking Klonsky about the weather.

Klonsky caught himself. “Wh-What?” He sat up straight in his chair.

“Just checking,” Chief Johnson joked. “I need you to make sure the Fedewa home is locked up tight.”

“Sure, boss.” Klonsky cleared his throat. “Who were the kids that got in?”

“I'm handling that. Don't worry about it.” The chief gave Klonsky a dismissive wave of his hand.

“I just thought I could help you out with that. You know, bring them in for you.” Klonsky gave the chief a winning smile.

Sarah gasped and then held her breath. Klonsky didn't get a good look at them last night! She prayed the chief wouldn't spill their names. Her heart hammered against her chest. Grabbing Jackie's hand, she squeezed tight. Jackie squeezed back.

Lacey let out a low whimper.

“Shhh,” Sarah warned.

“I said I'm handling the situation.” He began writing in a file on his desk. “You just worry about solving the Fedewa murder.”

“Yes sir.” Klonsky cleared his throat. “It wasn't those kids that just left, was it?”

“I said, don't worry about it. Just focus on the Fedewa murder.”

“Sure, boss.”

“Make sure the Fedewa house is locked up tight, Take Wilson with you.”

“Yes sir.”

“I think we need to bring the State Police in on this one. I'm going to set up a task force, and I want you involved.”

“You think we need the Staties?” Klonsky leaned forward in his chair and put his hands on his knees.

“Yes, I do.”

“With all due respect, boss, I think we can handle this on our own.”

“I don't agree, and I'm running the show. You're dismissed, Detective.”

“Yes sir.”

Klonsky stood and walked out the office door.

The Super Spies gaped at each other. Sarah put a warning finger to her lips.

“Shhhh.”

She heard the chief pick up the phone.

“Watson, how are ya? It's Chief Johnson, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”

There was a pause as if the chief were listening to Watson's response.

“I was wondering if you could get me the logs and the inventory on the Fedewa murder? Yeah, that's right. I need to take a look at it.”

“Follow me,” Scott whispered, gesturing with his hand.

The girls crept from their hiding place and followed Scott to the parking lot.
Detective Swift had parked against a fence with the motor running. Piling in his car, the Super Spies all spoke at once.