A Silent Fury

She laughed and exited the car, leading the way to the front door of the school.

Their mood turned serious as they entered the building. Joseph watched her shutters come back down. All cop now, she was back to business. Flashing her badge at the receptionist, she said, “Did Billy Franklin’s mother call to let you know we were coming?”

“Yes, she did.”

“Is there a room where we could speak with him privately?”

“Of course.”

They walked down a short hall to a conference room. She said, “I’ll just page Billy for you.”

She left, and Joseph paced.

A few minutes later, the door opened once again and a young man who Joseph knew to be seventeen years old, entered. He had on baggy jeans and a light sweatshirt with the school logo emblazoned across his chest. He looked scared and tired, like he hadn’t had much sleep lately.

Probably hadn’t. Not with his kid sister missing.

Following Billy was Coach Dillard. “I’m sorry,” Joseph stopped his advancement into the room, “You can’t be here.”

“Billy asked me to join him. Is it all right?”

Joseph looked at Billy then over at Catelyn. She shrugged. “If he wants him here, I guess.”

Alan sat next to Billy at the table. “I assume this is about Kelly.”

“You assume right,” Catelyn said.

Joseph turned his attention back to the boy. “Do you know if Kelly and Tracy were together at the school Tuesday night?”

Billy licked his lips, his eyes darting around the room stopping when he came to Catelyn. “She already questioned me the day Tracy died. Why do I have to answer more?”

“Because Kelly’s still missing, Billy, and we’re running out of options to help find her. So, if some of our questions seem repetitive, will you just humor us?” Catelyn frowned at Billy’s evasiveness. Joseph didn’t blame her. He eyed the kid and started to speak when the door opened.

Another man in his early sixties stepped through the door. “I’m Carlton Bowles, principal here. Do you mind if I sit in on this?”

He held out a hand and Joseph and Catelyn stood once again. Joseph said, “Have a seat.”

Catelyn decided it was time for a woman’s touch. “Billy, I know we talked right after Tracy was found and I appreciate your cooperation. The only reason Special Agent Santino and I are here is because we’re hoping you might have remembered something since I last talked to you. You’re not a suspect in any way right now. Do you think you could relax and just try to help us out?”

At her reassurance, his countenance seemed to soften. “Yes. Like I said before, I think she and Tracy were together, but I can’t say for sure. She texted me a little after 4:00 that afternoon and said she was meeting some friends.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if that included Tracy or not. She wanted me to make up an excuse to tell Mom and Dad about why she was going to be late for supper. I did.”

“And she never came home, right?”

“Right. I wasn’t too worried because she was always late, but then she wasn’t home by dark, which still wasn’t that unusual. Then around 9:00, I mean, she still wasn’t home…”

She waited to see if he was going to pick back up with his sentence. He didn’t, so she said, “I do have one question that I haven’t asked you. Do you know anything about the gang, The Skulls?”

Catelyn knew she’d hit a bull’s-eye when Billy’s face lost all color. His throat bobbed and shook his head. “No, no. I don’t know anything about them. Just what I’ve heard and it’s not good. I don’t want to be mixed up in that stuff. Uh-uh.”

He placed his hands on the table. They trembled and he shoved them back in his lap. This boy was terrified of something.

Alan lifted a hand. “Um, do you mind if I intervene here?”

Catelyn lifted a brow. “Sure.”

“Billy’s a good kid trying to stay out of trouble. A fantastic baseball player with a huge future ahead of him. That sister of his…well, no disrespect, but she seemed to be heading toward trouble. I mean, I’ve heard she was a good kid, so maybe I’m off base, but considering the kids she hung out with…” He shrugged. “From the outside looking in, I would say that if she had her way, she would have had Billy involved in that gang.”

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