Sharpe Image: Prequel Novella (Maycroft Mystery Series Book 0) Read online

  In her hurry to turn off the switch for the overhead white light, she stubbed her toe on one of the boxes and nearly fell to the ground.

  “Dang it!” It was definitely time to get those boxes moved out of there.

  For now, though, she was on a mission to catch a killer. If she was right, she needed to alert Evans as quickly as possible.

  She pulled out a sheet of photo paper and laid the sleeve of negatives across it, carefully placing a glass plate on top to hold them flat against the paper. She had made enough contact sheets in her life that she was able to guess at the exposure time. She adjusted the aperture setting on the enlarger and flipped on the light switch. She counted off the seconds then switched it off.

  This was her favorite part of photography. It worked just like on TV and in the movies. She slid the contact sheet into the first tray and watched the developer do its magic, gently rocking the tray back and forth. The small images appeared. Using tongs, she lifted the sheet of paper and put it into the stop bath. She rocked the tray more vigorously this time. At last, she slid the paper face down into the fixing solution.

  The print needed a minimum of one minute in the fixer to become permanent, then she could turn on the white light and take a look. She grabbed the loupe next to the enlarger and counted sixty Mississippis in her head. She turned on the running water to rinse the print and laid it on the counter, something she never allowed her students to do. Prints needed to be completely dried before examining, she would tell them.

  Sorry, guys. Not this time. She flipped on the light and looked at the pictures. The first were close-ups of the old sign above the bleachers. Then she noticed the lettering on the sign in the pictures. They were inverted. In her rush, she had made the rookie mistake of placing the film sleeve on the photo paper upside down. Hopefully, Granbury had taken the other two shots before he zoomed in on the sign. She moved the magnifying loupe over to the next frame. Her stomach lurched as she realized what she was seeing. The next picture confirmed it. She reached for her cell phone to call Evans. She tried to get the phone to respond, but nothing happened. Realizing her fingers were still wet from handling the wet contact sheet, she grabbed a paper towel to dry them. At last, her phone responded to her touch. She went to her list of recent calls and redialed the detective’s number. It went to voicemail.

  “Really?” she said as she waited for his message to end. “What if this was an emergency?”

  What was she thinking. This was an emergency. She had just discovered who killed Mrs. Baldwin.

  *

  After leaving a message, she turned off the main light so she could make an enlargement of the two pertinent photos. This time, she was careful to step around the yearbook boxes.

  “Mrs. Sharpe?”

  That must be Helen. This was about the time the custodians cleaned up her room each day. She closed up the box of photo paper and stepped into the revolving door. “I’ll just be a few more—”

  Sitting behind Deena’s desk was Judy Osborne. The woman’s hand was stuck in a large tote bag resting on her lap.

  Deena tried to hide her fear. Why on earth was she here? Did she know about the film and the pictures?

  Judy flashed a fake smile. “Mrs. Sharpe. So nice to see you again.” She leaned back and swiveled in Deena’s chair. “I guess you’re working on that article for the school newspaper about Natalie Baldwin’s accident.”

  Was that a real question or was she being sarcastic? “I—I was…”

  “You don’t have to pretend on my account. We both know what’s going on here.” She put her free hand on the computer monitor and swung it around to face Deena. “Detective Evans showed Lacy and me the picture when he dropped by today. And of course I saw Mr. Granbury and his camera. Joe Evans told us how helpful you were in offering to develop the pictures.”

  This obviously wasn’t a social call, but what did Judy have in her purse? It was probably a gun. Or perhaps it was a bluff.

  The classroom door opened. It was Helen.

  Deena wanted to yell, to warn her to get away.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs. Sharpe,” Helen said. “I’ll come back later.” She backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

  Deena took a step toward the door.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Judy said. “You saw what I did to Natalie.”

  Deena’s cell phone rang, and she looked down toward her pocket. Was it Gary? Maybe he would be worried about her and come up to school to check on her. Her eyes filled with tears. Gary.

  The thought of her husband finding her dead in her classroom was just too much to take. Her fear suddenly turned to anger. “What do you want from me? The film? The pictures?”

  “That’s a start.” Judy slowly pulled her hand out of the bag. It wasn’t a gun she was holding, it was a stack of cash. “I thought maybe we could make a deal. Ten thousand dollars for the pictures and your silence.”

  “This isn’t a game show, Judy. This is real. You killed your best friend.”

  She scoffed. “Now, that’s a laugh. I hated that woman. She and her stupid daughter always showing up Caroline and me. My daughter should have been the head cheerleader, the head of the pep squad in middle school, the top of the honor roll. But no, she was always one step behind Lacy Baldwin.”

  “Lacy.” Deena gasped, remembering how she had sent her to this mad woman’s house for protection.

  “If Natalie had just agreed to move to Houston with her husband, she’d still be alive. It’s kind of ironic that Lacy will be leaving Maycroft anyway, just without her precious mother. You can’t change that, Mrs. Sharpe. Don’t make it any worse for the poor girl.”

  “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to take your blood money.”

  Judy stood up and reached back into her bag. “I thought you might say that. That’s why I brought this.” She pulled out a second stack of cash. “Here’s another ten thousand. That’s twenty thousand dollars. Surely that’s enough for you and that tight-wad husband of yours.” Judy shook her head. “I don’t know how I’m going to explain all this missing money.”

  Deena glanced back at the door. She was about to make a run for it.

  “And of course there’s this,” Judy said, pulling a switchblade out of her pocket and snapping it open.

  Deena took a step backward and tripped into the revolving door. She grabbed the handle and spun it just in time to catch Judy’s arm with the knife in her hand.

  The woman groaned and slipped in her other hand, trying to pry the door back open. Judy had the advantage. She waved the knife dangerously close to Deena’s face.

  All Deena could do was use the palms of her hands to push on the small handle inside the door. She was losing strength and had to make a move. Sucking in a deep breath, she lunged her whole body toward the handle.

  Judy screamed and dropped the knife, managing to pull her arm free.

  Deena spun the door around and jumped back into the darkroom. She grabbed the bottle of developer and a pair of goggles then switched off the yellow light. She walked carefully toward the back corner of the room, feeling in front of her for the stack of boxes. If she could catch Judy by surprise, she could run out the door and call for help. Those crazy English teachers on her hallway always stayed at school late.

  She crouched down and pulled on the goggles as she heard the swishing sound of the door as it turned. She blinked her eyes, wishing they would adjust to the darkness like in a movie theater, but she knew they wouldn’t. That’s the whole point of a darkroom.

  “I didn’t want to have to hurt you, Mrs. Sharpe, but you aren’t giving me any choice. You know I have you trapped. There’s no way out but through me. Please be reasonable. I can’t give you any more money. That’s all I have.” Her feet made a shuffling sound as she inched across the room. “It’s Caroline’s college fund. I know you’re a teacher and wouldn’t want to deprive a sweet girl like my Caroline from going to college, now would you?”

  Deena closed
her eyes and tried to envision where the woman was and where she’d be when she fell. She baited the woman to come forward. “I’m sure she’ll get financial aid because her mother will be in prison.”

  “There you are,” Judy said.

  Deena heard the approaching footsteps and braced herself.

  “Ouch!” Judy yelled as she crashed into the wall of boxes.

  Deena jumped up and shook out some of the chemicals from the bottle, hoping her aim was on target. Judging by Judy’s cries, it was.

  Deena moved as quickly as she dared to the revolving door and then out to her classroom. She ran into the hallway.

  Detective Evans raced toward her.

  “Judy’s in there!” Deena yelled. “She’s got a knife.”

  Evans drew his gun and pushed Deena past him. “Get somewhere safe and call 9-1-1,” he barked.

  Mrs. Barrett stepped into the hallway. “What’s going on?” She took Deena by the arm. “Are you okay?”

  Deena pushed them both inside the classroom. “Lock the door! I’m calling the police!”

  “Oh my. You’re bleeding.”

  “I’m okay,” Deena said, pushing the numbers on her cell phone. “Everything is going to be okay now.”

  • 12 •

  Principal Haskett insisted that Deena take the next day off. Her classes would meet in the auditorium since the police would need to finish processing the crime scene. He even agreed to have the custodians move the yearbook boxes back across the hall into the bookroom for safekeeping. She wasn’t positive, but she thought she’d heard him whisper something to Justin Metz about liability.

  Gary paced the hallway, anxiously waiting for Detective Evans to finish getting her statement.

  Several officers counted and bagged the money for evidence while a paramedic wrapped Deena’s arm where she had been cut by Judy’s knife. Luckily, the wounds were superficial and didn’t require stitches.

  She tried to recall Judy’s exact words as Evans peppered her with questions.

  “We need to figure out if her husband was in on this. Did she mention anything about him?”

  “Not directly. But that’s how I figured out that Judy might be involved. While I was developing the film, I looked back at the picture on my monitor. Her husband was sitting by himself.”

  “So you know her husband?”

  “Sort of. He used to work with my husband, Gary.”

  “Did you call me?” Gary asked, stepping into the room.

  “Can he stay in here with me?” Deena asked Evans. “This is my first police interrogation, so I’m not sure of the rules.”

  “Sure.” Evans pulled up a chair for Gary. “But this isn’t an interrogation. That’s for suspects. This is an interview.”

  “Got it.” She squeezed Gary’s hand. “Didn’t you work with a man named Osborne?”

  Gary nodded. “Yeah. Harold Osborne. He left the agency about five years ago. Why?”

  Detective Evans handed the picture to Deena. “Can you point him out?”

  “This is him.” She showed Gary.

  “Yep, that’s Harold Osborne.”

  “Judy called you a tight-wad,” Deena said to Gary. “Why would she say that?”

  “Harold was one of those guys always complaining that he didn’t make enough money to keep up with his wife’s spending habits. I was his supervisor at the time and wouldn’t give him as big a raise as he wanted. That’s why he quit. I think he went into day-trading after that.”

  “Oh, I remember something else,” Deena said. “After she called Gary a tight-wad, she said she’d have to explain the missing money. Maybe she meant she’d have to explain it to her husband.”

  “Very good,” Evans said as he scribbled in his notepad. “I have an officer picking him up. We’ll have to see if he knew what his wife did at the stadium. Do you remember anything else?”

  Deena shook her head. “That’s when she came at me and tripped over the boxes. I poured a developing chemical on her. Is she okay, by the way?”

  “She’ll be fine. They took her to the hospital as a precaution. She cut herself pretty badly when she fell on her knife.” Evans put the small notepad in his pocket and stood. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest. You deserve it. I’ll come by and check on you tomorrow. If you think of anything else, just write it down.” He reached over to shake Gary’s hand. “Sorry, man. I never meant to put her in danger.”

  “Thanks,” Gary said. “Just keep her safe.”

  Deena knew Gary was trying to hold it together even though he was worried sick about her. After all, they weren’t just husband and wife, they were best friends and had been for more than thirty years. She always thought of him as her rock, but this was the first time she realized that she was his rock, too.

  • 13 •

  It was all she could do to convince Gary she would be fine staying home alone on Wednesday. The last thing she needed was him watching over her like a nervous new mother. With both Harold and Judy in custody, the only Osborne left to bother her was Caroline, and Deena doubted she knew anything about her crazy cheerleader mom’s deadly deeds. For that matter, it was unlikely that Harold did either. Still, she felt better knowing the police would be patrolling the area even more than usual.

  When she finally got up around ten o’clock, she felt like she was playing hooky from school. She rarely took a day off even if she didn’t feel well. What do people do who don’t work? she wondered. I would definitely need some more hobbies.

  In the summer and on weekends, she would tend to her antique business. It was actually just a hobby, but she had a booth at the local antique mall where she sold vintage treasures. She spent many Saturdays at estate sales and flea markets. Today, though, she just wanted to lie around in her pajamas and watch game shows.

  Detective Evans called right before noon. “Good news. Judy Osborne confessed. Actually, it didn’t take much arm-twisting since the pictures clearly show her pushing Mrs. Baldwin over the railing. But that means you won’t have to testify at a trial.”

  “That’s a relief,” Deena said. “What about her husband?”

  “We’re fairly certain he knew nothing about it. You should have seen his reaction when he found out she had forged his signature and withdrawn all that money from the bank.”

  “Well, at least Caroline will still have one parent to take care of her.”

  “He says he’s sending her to California to live with his parents until he can sell the house and join them. He doesn’t want her to have to face everyone at school considering what her mother did.”

  The doorbell rang and Deena thanked him for calling.

  Who could that be? Maybe it was one of her nosy neighbors wondering why the police were circling the neighborhood. A person could hardly leave their house around here without someone speculating where they were headed.

  She looked out the peephole and saw Carl and Lacy. What on earth were they doing here? She opened the door. “Why aren’t you two at school?”

  Lacy threw her arms around Deena’s neck. “Oh, thank you, Mrs. Sharpe. I heard what you did.”

  Carl grinned. “Don’t worry. Our parents called the school and gave us permission to come over here to see you.”

  Lacy finally let go of Deena.

  “Well, come on in, but just for a few minutes. You two have missed enough class already this week.” She offered them some sweet tea, using her good Southern manners.

  “No, thanks,” Lacy said.

  Deena hesitated to ask but couldn’t help herself. “What about Derrick? Were you able to find him?”

  Lacy nodded. “He came back last night. He said the reason he ran away was because he had been in trouble with the law before and was afraid they wouldn’t believe him this time.”

  “That’s an important thing to remember,” Deena said, slipping into her teacher voice. “Everything you do in life follows you. Always be mindful of that.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Lacy said.

&n
bsp; “Are you upset with him?” Deena asked.

  “No, not really. We’re better off as friends anyway. Plus, when you think about everything that’s happened—or that could have happened—it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.”

  Deena patted her arm. “That’s very mature of you. I’m sure your mother would have been proud.”

  Lacy’s eyes glistened with tears. “My father says we can stay here, at least until the end of the school year.” She lowered her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t trust him.”

  Before Deena could say anything, Carl jumped in. “Look, you’d been through a traumatic situation. The police were asking questions. People were saying your mother had been murdered. It makes sense that you didn’t know who to trust.”

  “Listen to him,” Deena said. “He’s a smart kid. Also, you know your teachers and counselor are always there to help if you need them. And so am I.”

  “Thank you,” Lacy said.

  “I have a feeling you are going to be just fine.”

  Lacy looked at the bandage on Deena’s arm and made a face.

  She smiled back. “We are all going to be just fine.”

  THE END

  Read on for a preview of the next book in the Cozy Suburbs Mystery Series.

  Please visit my website at www.lisabthomas.com to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book. You may also follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

  More Works by Lisa B. Thomas

  Sharpe Shooter

  Sharpe Edge

  Sharpe Mind

  Sharpe Turn

  Sharpe Point

  Sharpe Cookie

  Sharpe Image: Prequel Novella

  All book available on Amazon.

  Books are also available on audio.

  Preview of Sharpe Shooter, Maycroft Mystery Series, Book 1

  • 1 •

  Perhaps I should have had a plan before setting myself up to be fired, Deena Sharpe thought as her eyes traveled around the empty classroom. Thriving just days earlier with busy teenagers, so alive that their youth spilled over into the hallway, the room now seemed like an empty tomb awaiting a sarcophagus.