Killer Mission Page 4

  Joe rolled his eyes. “Is it too late to switch places?” he grumbled.

  I let that one pass. “So if you don’t think Destiny could be our culprit, who else have you got so far?” I asked.

  “Hey, who’s that?” Joe said instead of answering.

  I followed his gaze. I was just in time to see a pale, skinny man in a bow tie hurry across the path a few dozen yards ahead of us. He didn’t seem to see us as he disappeared into the woods.

  “Where’s he going?” I wondered. “Doesn’t look like he’s dressed for cross-country skiing. Or even a hike.”

  “Maybe we should send Killer after him to bring him down.”

  Joe was joking. But I glanced down at the dog. Killer had pricked his ears toward the man. Otherwise, no reaction.

  “Killer’s not suspicious,” I commented. “Guess that means that guy’s okay.”

  Joe shot me an incredulous look. “Who cares what some mutt thinks? What, is Killer a member of ATAC now?”

  “Never mind. Come on, let’s go this way.”

  We turned and wandered down a side trail, heading deeper into the woods. It was pretty wild out there. Like we’d entered a whole new kind of world at the edge of the manicured lawns of Firth’s campus.

  Still, there was evidence that someone else had been out there lately. Cross-country ski tracks. Lots of them.

  “Cool,” Joe said. “Maybe I can get in some skiing while we’re here.” He smirked at me. “Especially since I won’t have any homework taking up my spare time.”

  “With any luck, we’ll be out of here before you get the chance.”

  “We’ll see,” said Joe. “I—hey, come on, you!”

  He tugged at Killer’s leash. I saw that the dog had frozen and gone on the alert. He was staring intently down another side trail. It was so narrow I hadn’t even noticed it.

  “What is it, boy?” I asked.

  “This isn’t an episode of that old TV show Lassie, dude,” Joe told me.

  I ignored the jibe. “Do you smell fire?”

  Joe opened his mouth to answer. But just then Killer took off, dragging him down that side trail.

  “Hey!” Joe exclaimed. “Stop!”

  I ran after them. I definitely smelled fire by now. And something else, too. A sour sort of smell that I couldn’t place at first.

  A few seconds later all three of us burst out of the trees. We were in a small clearing. A bonfire roared at the center of it. Half a dozen people—Firth students, by the looks of them—were gathered around a guy lying on the ground near the fire. They were all leaning in. None of them noticed our arrival.

  “Hold still,” one of the students barked out.

  The others shifted slightly. That allowed us a better view of the kid on the ground. Despite the cold, he wasn’t wearing a shirt. One of the others pressed something against bare skin, and he moaned in pain.

  My eyes widened as that mysterious smell got stronger. Now I recognized it.

  Burning flesh!

  Dangerously Hazy

  Wait!” I hissed as Frank started to lunge forward. I’d just figured out what was happening.

  He struggled to break free. “We’ve got to help him!”

  “No way, dude.” I yanked him back. “This isn’t a crime scene. I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of hazing thing.”

  Just then Killer barked. Oh, well. So much for fading back into the woods before they spotted us.

  “Hey!” One of the guys spun around. “Who are you?”

  “Don’t mind us,” I said. “Just out walking the dog.”

  Killer was pulling against the leash. I took a firmer grip so he wouldn’t get away.

  “Yo,” one of the guys said, stepping forward. “It’s Joe, right? We met earlier. I’m Spencer.”

  I hadn’t noticed him there at first. But now I recognized him. Mr. Friendly Preppy. “Sure, I remember. How’s it going?”

  Frank still looked kind of confused. “Um, what’s going on out here?”

  Spencer looked sheepish. “It’s no big deal,” he said. “We’re just goofing around. Tell them, Patton.”

  The kid on the ground sat up. He was a redhead with super-pale skin, so the painful-looking burn mark on his side really stood out. He winced as he glanced down at it.

  “Yeah,” he said weakly. “I wanted them to do this.”

  A short, stoop-shouldered guy with weird-looking sideburns was standing off to one side of the group. He let out a snort.

  “Uh-huh, Peachy here asked for it,” Sideburns said in a voice dripping with disdain. “Unlike some of us, he has no shame.”

  “Shut up, Ellery.” Patton sounded cranky. Not that I blamed him. That burn had to hurt like crazy.

  But at the moment I was more interested in Sideburns. “Ellery?” I blurted out. “Are you Ellery Marks?”

  “Yeah.” He looked me up and down. “Who’s asking?”

  “He’s the new dog handler,” said Spencer, nodding at Killer. The dog had finally stopped pulling. Now he was sitting on Frank’s foot.

  “Oh.” Ellery seemed unimpressed.

  “I, uh, was just wondering . . . ,” I began, trying to figure out what to ask without giving myself away.

  Ellery didn’t let me finish. “Look, if you have questions about the school or whatever, I’m sure someone else on the staff can help you. I’m a little too busy to play tour guide.”

  I felt my cheeks go red. So that was how it was, huh? Ellery was too good to talk to the help. Classy.

  Frank shot me a warning look. “Joe’s my cousin,” he said.

  “And who are you? The new janitor?” Ellery turned to regard him with a bored expression.

  “I’m a student here,” Frank responded easily. That was probably better than the response I had in mind, which was punching Ellery in his smug face. Or maybe ripping out those stupid sideburns. “I just transferred in.”

  “Where from?” asked Ellery.

  Frank named the prep school he’d been given as part of his cover story. By the nods from several of the guys, I guessed they’d heard of it. “So what exactly are you guys doing out here, anyway?” Frank added. “I mean, not to be nosy or anything . . .”

  “It’s okay, Frank,” Spencer said. “It’s really no big deal. Just a little GTT tradition.”

  “GTT?” I echoed.

  “Gamma Theta Theta,” one of the other guys spoke up. “The most awesome frat on campus!”

  They all did a quick little rah-rah type of yelp. I guessed that was another GTT tradition. The only one who didn’t join in was Ellery. He just looked bored.

  I had to admit it. The guy was cheesing me off. It was bad enough that Killer had totally dissed me. And now this clown? So far this mission wasn’t my favorite ever.

  Oh, well. At least I didn’t have to get up early for class in the morning like Frank. Then again, I wasn’t sure what time Killer would be expecting his first walk. With my luck, he was probably an early riser.

  Thinking about Killer reminded me of the reason Frank and I had wanted to talk to Ellery. The bite incident. I looked at Ellery again. Peeking out from his sleeve on one arm was something white. A bandage, unless I missed my guess.

  Luckily, there didn’t seem much danger of a repeat performance at the moment. Killer was still just sitting there, his furry behind resting gently on Frank’s shoe. He wasn’t paying any attention to Ellery at all. And it was mutual. Ellery had hardly looked the dog’s way since our arrival.

  That was weird. Wouldn’t most people be nervous around a dog that had attacked them? Still, I could already tell that Ellery was an odd duck and a cool customer. So who knew?

  Meanwhile Spencer was introducing the rest of the guys in the group. It turned out that Patton and Ellery were the only two would-be pledges. Spencer and the others were seniors who were already members of the frat.

  “You’ve already missed some of rush, but you should check us out,” Spencer told Frank. “I think you might fit in with us.”<
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  One of the other seniors nodded. “Just don’t get your hopes up too much,” he warned. “Everyone at Firth wants to join GTT.”

  “Some of the guys we cut early in rush have already signed up to rush again next year,” another senior bragged.

  “Yeah,” Patton grumbled under his breath. “If there even is a GTT next year.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked him.

  For a second none of them wanted to answer. But finally they all started talking at once. It was kind of hard to follow. But the upshot? It was rumored that Dr. Darity wanted to shut down all the frats.

  “Have you ever heard anything so lame?” One of the seniors made a face.

  “It’s ridiculous!” another burst out so loudly that Killer jumped to his feet. “The frats are a tradition. If he tries to take us on, the entire student body will revolt!”

  “Yeah!” Patton shouted, pumping his fist.

  It took all my self-control not to roll my eyes. They were being pretty melodramatic about this.

  “So what makes you think Darity wants to shut you down?” asked Frank. “Has he actually said so?”

  “Not exactly,” Spencer admitted with a shrug. “It’s mostly just speculation at this point.”

  Hearing that, I was ready to move on. Then again, I couldn’t help remembering those odd little glances and grimaces in the headmaster’s office earlier. Could these guys be onto something? And could it have something to do with our case?

  After all, what better way to shut down the campus fraternities than to make it look like they were the ones causing trouble and getting people hurt?

  •••

  “Here we are.” I stopped in front of a modern glass-and-steel building just off the Green. “Let’s hope the caf here is better than the one back at Bayport High.”

  “Shh.” Frank took a nervous look around. “Don’t talk like that. Undercover, remember?”

  “Whatever, Mr. Paranoid.” I pushed through the dining hall’s front door.

  Frank followed. “Guess we shouldn’t sit together,” he said. “Might look weird.”

  “Yeah. From what I hear, we working stiffs eat together in our own section of the caf. Wouldn’t do to mix with you rich and privileged students, you know. Just ask that Ellery guy.”

  “More importantly,” said Frank, “we can talk to more people if we split up. Catch you later, cuz.”

  “Ditto.”

  Frank had already filled me in on what he’d found out from that cleaning lady about the cottages. Yet another unfair thing about this assignment. But all I could do was make nice with the rest of the staff and hope they’d accept me. Otherwise it wasn’t going to be easy to find out anything useful.

  It didn’t take long to grab some food and find my way to the staff seating area. As I got closer, I recognized the hostile dude I’d encountered earlier. He was sitting at the largest table with a bunch of other people of all ages. There were also several smaller tables scattered around the big one.

  Everyone stopped talking and stared as I approached. Great. Nothing makes a guy feel welcome like dead silence.

  “Uh, hi,” I said, feeling stupid. “I’m Joe. New dog guy.”

  Most of them just kept staring. But I saw a couple of young women at one of the small tables exchange a glance. They didn’t look quite as unfriendly as the rest. There was my opening.

  “Hi there, ladies,” I said, stepping toward them. “Mind if I join you?”

  They traded another look. The younger one, a pretty blonde, shrugged. “Free country.”

  That was all the invitation I needed. I took a seat.

  “Okay, it’s feeling kind of chilly around here,” I said. “Guess it’s that cottage thing, right? Wish they’d warned me—I would’ve volunteered to take the smallest place they have. Heck, I don’t need much more than a broom closet. Though the dog might complain, I guess. He seems to like his space.”

  That seemed to thaw them both out. The brunette even smiled a little.

  “Yeah, it’s kind of stupid,” she said. “I mean, they would’ve had to move the kennel and everything if you ended up in a different cottage.”

  The blonde nodded. “Anyway, it’s not just that,” she said. “Hunt wasn’t exactly the most popular person on campus. Guess that rep might’ve rubbed off on you, too.”

  “Why wasn’t this Hunt character popular?” I picked up my burger and took a bite. It was practically tasteless, except for being too salty. Guess none of that prep school tuition went toward fine cuisine in the caf.

  “Dunno.” The brunette took a sip of her iced tea. “Maybe it came from spending so much time out cross-country skiing.”

  “And the marathon training or whatever,” the blonde put in. “I’m surprised that poor dog’s legs didn’t fall off from all the running they did every day out in the woods.”

  I chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about that with me. I’m as lazy as the day is long.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. But it seemed to do the trick. In another few minutes, I was going to have them eating out of my hand.

  The blonde giggled. “I can already tell you’re way cooler and more down-to-earth than Hunt,” she assured me. “I’m sure the others will come around soon too.”

  “Yeah,” the brunette added. “Especially since you’re not too good to eat with the rest of the staff, like some people. . . .”

  She was watching a stout middle-aged woman march past our table. The woman was carrying a takeout bag and heading toward the exit.

  “Who’s that?” I asked in a low voice.

  “Mrs. Wilson,” the blonde said. “She’s Dr. Montgomery’s housekeeper.”

  “Who? Oh wait, Montgomery—isn’t he the former headmaster of this place?” I vaguely recalled Frank saying he’d run into the old guy earlier.

  Both women nodded. “She’s like his right-hand man—been with him forever,” said the brunette. “But she doesn’t have much use for the rest of us. Thinks she’s better than us.”

  Her friend snorted. “Yeah. Not that she is. I heard that niece of hers down in Sugarview can’t stand her. . . .”

  I kind of zoned out as they gossiped on about Mrs. Wilson, her family, her lack of friends other than Dr. Montgomery, and, for all I knew, her cat. I wasn’t too interested in that sort of thing. Still, I did my best to smile and nod along. Now that I’d won them over, I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose them again.

  Still, it was tough to keep my mind from drifting. Specifically, back to our mission. Could Dr. Darity really be a suspect? Frank and I had discussed it on our walk back to the cottage to drop off Killer. He’d seemed skeptical but had agreed it was worth looking into further.

  But would the headmaster really risk his job and reputation just to put the Firth frats out of business? It seemed kind of crazy.

  A sudden flurry of shouts rang out from the student section, interrupting my thoughts. Glancing that way, I was just in time to see a stocky guy with greasy dark hair jump up onto one of the tables. He lifted a fistful of spaghetti above his head.

  “Food fight!” he howled.

  Shifting Targets

  Oh, man,” Spencer said when the food started flying. “Dr. Darity is going to have a fit.”

  I was sitting across from him. He’d sort of taken me under his wing after our encounter by the bonfire. Lee, Patton, and Ellery were also at our table.

  “Does this happen a lot?” I asked.

  Ellery shrugged. “Only when both of Zeke’s brain cells fire at the same time and he figures out how to bring that whole Animal House shtick of his to the masses,” he said in his sardonic way.

  “Zeke’s a loser,” Patton added with a frown.

  Great. I already knew my new roommate was a charmer. This just confirmed it.

  “It wasn’t Zeke this time.” Lee glanced across the room toward the center of the growing battle. “Lewis started it.”

  Patton grimaced. “Just as bad,” he muttered. “That jus
t means Darity has a real excuse to blame the frats for this—specifically GTT.”

  “Who’s Lewis?” I asked.

  “Lewis McPherson Junior,” Spencer told me. “He’s a sophomore.”

  “Yeah.” Patton sounded disgruntled. “And probably a shoo-in to get into GTT this year.”

  “Really?” I was surprised to hear that. “So sophomores can pledge frats here? For some reason I got the impression it was mostly a junior-senior thing.”

  “They’re allowed to rush.” Spencer ducked as a roll flew across our table. “But mostly they don’t make it in until they’re older. Lewis is an exception, though.”

  Patton nodded. “His family has almost as much money as Richie Rich here.” He shot a sidelong look at Ellery.

  “True,” said Spencer. “Plus, McPherson Senior was in a different chapter of GTT at another school.”

  I couldn’t help noticing that none of them seemed too thrilled by the idea of this Lewis guy joining their frat. Well, actually, Ellery looked as if he couldn’t care less one way or the other. He was playing with his sideburns and watching as a couple of guys at the next table dumped mustard and ketchup over somebody’s head.

  But the rest of them looked bummed. Spencer was biting his lip. Lee was sort of hunched down, pretending to be very focused on his food. And Patton was scowling.

  “I take it this Lewis kid isn’t Mr. Popular?” I said.

  “He’s obnoxious and a troublemaker,” Patton declared. “I can’t believe he wasn’t cut the first week of rush.”

  “Of course you can’t, Peachy,” Ellery taunted, finally tuning back to the conversation. “He might take your spot in GTT.”

  “Zip it, Marks.” Patton scowled at him, his face going as red as his hair. “I just think he’s not GTT material, that’s all.”

  “Look, Lewis is okay.” Spencer looked kind of uncomfortable. “He just needs to grow up a little. GTT can help him do that if we give him a chance.”

  Interesting. Spencer was president of GTT. Based on what he was saying, it sounded as if the frat was resigned to taking Lewis even if most of the members didn’t like him.

  “Yo, Spencer!” a voice rang out. “Ready for dessert?”