Back To School Murder #4 by Leslie Meier

didn’t want to have to repeat the process.
    â€œI know things have been kind of crazy lately,” said Lucy.
    â€œKind of.” Bill picked up an antique agate doorknob he used for a paperweight and fiddled with it. “These days I never know what I’ll find when I get home from work and I don’t like it. This job of yours is not working out.”
    â€œMaybe not. But I want to give it a try. Besides, Ted only needs me for a couple of weeks.” Lucy hoped it would be longer, but Bill didn’t need to know that. She bent down and nuzzled his ear.
    He reached his hand around her waist and pulled her down on his lap.
    â€œWe haven’t done this in a long time,” said Lucy, gently pressing her lips against his. “Am I getting too heavy?”
    â€œNo,” said Bill, pulling her closer for another kiss. “I’d say you’re just about right.”
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    The next morning the temperature was cooler and the air was crisp. Fall was definitely in the air, and Lucy was the very model of a modern working mother. She made hot cocoa and oatmeal for the kids’ breakfast. She packed lunches for herself, Zoë, and Sara. She put out lunch money for Elizabeth and Toby. She unearthed a lasagna she had frozen months before, when Bill had impulsively decided to take the whole family out for dinner, and set it on the counter to defrost. It was amazing what you could accomplish if you were organized, and got up an hour ahead of the rest of the family, she told herself.
    By the time she had arrived at The Pennysaver , after dropping off a rather clingy Zoë at the day-care center, she felt as if she had already put in a full day’s work. She set a bag of tomatoes on Ted’s desk and began sorting the mail.
    â€œHi, Lucy,” said Ted as he entered. “How’s it going?”
    â€œSo far, so good,” said Lucy, fighting the impulse to yawn. “I thought the paper looked great.”
    â€œNot bad,” said Ted. “If only we had more weeks like this.”
    â€œYou don’t mean that.” Lucy was shocked.
    â€œYes, I…” He paused, shamefaced, and shook his head. “No, I don’t. Hey,” he said, opening the bag of tomatoes, “are these from you?”
    â€œYeah, the garden’s in overdrive.” Lucy paused. “You know what Sara told me? They had police dogs over at the elementary school.”
    â€œI know. Explosive-sniffing dogs. They checked all the closets and desks.”
    â€œIsn’t that kind of closing the barn door after the horses have gone?”
    Ted shrugged. “They seem pretty convinced that a student set the bomb.”
    â€œThat’s crazy. The oldest kids there are fourth graders. They’re practically babies.”
    â€œThere is a widespread belief that half the kids in America are surfing the Internet looking for instructions on how to build bombs at home. The other half are crashing into adult chat rooms, looking for porn.”
    â€œMost kids in Tinker’s Cove don’t even have computers.”
    â€œMaybe, but the fact is that the phone call came from the school.”
    â€œWhat about the staff?” Lucy paused. “What do you know about Mr. Mopps?”
    â€œNot much, except that the kids seem to like him. He’s been there for years.”
    â€œIsn’t Greece a violent sort of country?” asked Lucy.
    â€œI think it’s been pretty peaceful lately. Besides, he doesn’t come from Greece. I think he grew up in Brooklyn. Why? Do you suspect him?”
    â€œSara told me that Ms. Crane was chewing him out over something.”
    â€œWell, I don’t think it was for blowing up the school.” Ted put the bag of tomatoes on the top of his desk and sat down, flicking on his computer. “I’d like this story to break, but not just yet. I could use some new developments early next week, so I can get them in next week’s