Karen Rose - Count to Ten

"There's a Sergeant Unger waiting outside. He says you're expecting him."

"Yes. Can you give us another room? Sergeant Unger will be redoing fingerprints of all staff and students."

Marcy's back snapped straight. "Dr. Bixby didn't approve that."

"Dr. Bixby doesn't have to," Mia told her mildly. "You are required to be fingerprinted by the state. We have reason to believe… mistakes were made in your records. Please find the sergeant a room. He'll need a table and an electrical outlet."

Reed leaned back in his chair. "I think Dr. Bixby should be the first one they print."

"I agree." She sighed. "No wonder Bixby wanted to know what she said before she died. That was a bombshell. We'll keep talking to the teachers while Jack gets set up." She poked her head into the hall. "Whoever"s next, please come in."

Thursday, November 30, 10:15 A.M.

"Please sit down Miss Kersey" Jackie Kersey had been crying hard, her face red and puffy. "I'm Detective Mitchell and this is my partner Lieutenant Solliday. We're very sorry for your loss, ma'am, but we need to ask you some questions."

They were the same words she'd said to the math teacher, the history teacher, and the librarian they'd just finished interviewing, but in no way did her words sound any less sincere. Kersey nodded, shakily. "I'm sorry, I just can't seem to stop crying."

Mia squeezed her arm. "It's okay. Now what do you teach here, Miss Kersey?

She sniffled and drew a huge breath. "I teach geography to the middle school."

"What can you tell us about Miss Adler?"

Jackie Kersey wrung her hands. "Brooke was young. So full of… optimism. You lose that pretty fast around here. She wanted to do the right thing, to reach these kids."

"Any kids in particular?"

"She was worried about Manny." She frowned. "She was afraid of Jeff."

Four out of four teachers had mentioned this Jeff, Reed thought.

"Were you?" Mia asked softly.

"Let's just say I'm glad he's in lockup. When he turns eighteen I'll say yes."

"How well did you know Miss Adler?" Reed asked.

"About as well as anyone. She'd just started to come out of her shell. I convinced her to go to Flannagan's after work on Monday. Devin was going, and she liked him."

"Did he like her?" Mia murmured.

"Devin likes everybody." She managed a watery smile. "He likes you more if he can sucker you into his football pool. But yeah, he liked her."

"Like as in a girlfriend?"

"I saw him staring at her chest more than once, so I think he was attracted to her, but to my knowledge they didn't see each other outside of school. Look, we all know you were here yesterday. Somehow Brooke was involved and now she's dead. I don't mean to be crass, but are the rest of us in any danger?"

Mia hesitated long enough to make Jackie Kersey pale. "Don't go anywhere alone."

"Oh my God," Kersey whispered. "This place is a nightmare. I knew it."

Reed frowned. "You knew what, ma'am?"

"I came here because my old school closed and I needed a job. But it's never felt right. I can't tell you any more than that, because it's only a feeling."

Mia squeezed Kersey's hand before giving her a business card. "Trust your instincts, Miss Kersey. That's why you have them. To keep you alert and safe."

When she was gone, Mia came around to Reed's side of the table and leaned one hip against its edge. "Kersey didn't know White had a fiancee already," she murmured.

"I know." Reed pulled out Kersey's personnel file. "She's only been here eight months." He looked up, thoughts connecting. "Have you noticed that all the teachers in this school have been here less than two years? But the school's been here for five. As have Bixby and Thompson. Secrest has been here four."

"Huh." He could see that she hadn't thought of it but unlike earlier this morning, she wasn't annoyed that he had first. "You're right. Lucas, Celebrese, the history teacher, the librarian, White, Kersey. Adler. All less than two years." She ran her thumb down the stack, counting. "About two dozen. Let's take a look before we talk to any more teachers to see if this is true for all of them." She gave him an impressed nod. "Nice."

Her simple praise shouldn't make him feel like turning cartwheels, but it did. Pushing the feeling aside, he opened the first file. "I'll read, you write?"

She waved her pen. "Let's roll." They'd checked three of the files, all three staff employed less than a year, when Jack knocked on the door.

"This is Officer James. He's here to sweep. Officer Willis is almost ready to take the prints. I just came along to make sure everything was perfect. By the frickin' book. I don't want to have any questions about that unmatched print when we're done."

Reed and Mia followed Jack to another conference room where an officer was plugging a scanner into a laptop computer. "You'll have to get Thompson's print from his office," Reed said. "He's AWOL."

"Interesting. I'll take his prints and Willis can get started on the staff."

"Did Spinnelli send the units to cover the exits?" Mia asked.

"I didn't see them when I got here," Jack said.

Willis looked up. "They pulled in just after me. I was a few minutes behind."

"Willis stopped for a yellow light," Jack sneered.

Willis gave Mia a knowing wink. "It was red. I would've had to give myself a citation."

"What is the meaning of this?" Bixby stood in the doorway, glowering. "Coming in here and fingerprinting us like we're all common criminals. This is outrageous."

"No, it's not," Reed said, losing his patience. "We have four dead women in the morgue, Dr. Bixby. One is your former employee. I'd think you'd want to know who is responsible. I would think you might even be a little afraid for yourself."

Bixby paled a shade. "Why should I be afraid for myself?"

"I can't imagine you have no enemies," Reed said quietly. "So do yourself a favor and stay out of the way. Better yet, take Sergeant Unger to Dr. Thompson's office and let him do his job."

Bixby nodded stiffly. "This way, Sergeant."

Mia was smiling at him. "Nice," she said again, just as her cell phone rang. "It's Spinnelli," she murmured. "This is Mitchell… Uh-huh…" Her eyes widened. "Ah shit, Marc. You're kidding." She sighed. "Not yet. Willis is just about to start. Thanks." She snapped her cell phone closed. "Well, looks like we found Thompson."

Reed leaned back and looked at her frustrated face and knew. "How dead is he?"

"Very, very. Somebody slit his throat. Some guy on his way to work found him. He saw a car on the side of the road with what looked like mud caked on the windshield. The mud turned out to be blood. Car's registered to Dr. Julian Thompson. Let's go."

On their way out Mia found Secrest's office. "We need to step out for a little while."

"Forgive me if I don't cry," he said sarcastically, arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't you even want to know why?" she demanded.

"Should I?"

Mia blew out an angry breath. "Goddammit, what kind of cop were you, Secrest?"

His eyes flashed. "A former one, Detective."

"Thompson's dead," she said and he flinched, then his face returned to stone.

"When? How?"

"I don't know when and can't tell you how," she snapped. "While we're gone, Sergeant Unger will fingerprint the staff and students."

He stiffened. "Why?"

Reed cleared his throat. "Because we found a discrepancy in your records, Mr. Secrest," he said calmly. "Your cooperation would be appreciated."

He nodded. "Anything else, Lieutenant?" and Reed nearly winced at the civility in his voice, a marked contrast to the derisive tone he'd used with Mia.

Mia tilted her head, ignoring the slam. "Yeah. Nobody, nobody comes in or goes out of this complex. Anyone attempting to will be taken to the precinct. You're all on lockdown until we settle the issue of fingerprints. Are we clear, Secrest?"