Chain Reaction (31 page)

When she finished, Jimmy said, ‘No, ma’am, I don’t want a lawyer. I just want to tell you what happened.’

‘Are you responsible for the explosion at the high school?’ Lucinda asked.

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘How did you learn how to build a bomb?’

‘Online. There’s all sorts of ways online.’

‘What did you use to build it?’ Jake asked.

‘Well, I got a thermostat, clothespins, some bare metal thumb tacks, batteries and string at the hardware store. Then I stole a bag of fertilizer from a barn out in the country.’

‘Where did you build it?’

‘Out in Ms Schaffer’s garage. But she didn’t know what we were doing. We just said we were working on a project and needed a workbench, and since she had one in her garage that she never used, I asked to use it. But she didn’t ask any questions. She didn’t know what we were doing.’

Lucinda and Jake exchanged a glance and then Lucinda said, ‘We, Jimmy? Who is we?’

‘Me and Todd Matthews. But Todd – he didn’t know why I was doing it. I just told him it was a joke. We made rockets powered by gunpowder when we were kids and Molotov cocktails that we threw into cornfields in middle school. So he believed me when I told him that it would make a mess but that was it. He liked setting things off, destroying things, leaving a mess behind, but he never wanted to hurt anybody.’

‘Is that why he took his own life, Jimmy?’

‘Yeah. That was my fault, too. I didn’t know he liked David Baynes. I didn’t know he’d care. If I did, I would’ve gotten someone else to help.’

‘How did you get into the school?’ Jake asked.

‘I tricked my sister. I told her that I needed to defend a girl’s honor. I guess she liked that ’cause she didn’t ask any questions. I was ready for the questions. I was going to tell her that the principal had confiscated some naked photos of the girl and I needed to destroy them ’cause the girl didn’t know that they were being taken. But Tamara never asked.’

‘What did your sister do for you, Jimmy?’

‘Saturday night, when she got back from the battle of the bands, she just duct-taped open the door by the shop. So, I went in that way and set all the components in the file cabinet drawer, pushed it shut and pulled the string that was attached to a piece of plastic that separated the heads of the thumbtacks.’

‘Weren’t you worried that you’d set it off when you removed that barrier?’

‘Yeah. I was sweating something wicked. I had to wipe my hands on my pants a few times and hold my breath. I said a prayer, too. That was pretty stupid but I did it.’

‘Why did you do it, Jimmy?’

‘I did it to kill David Baynes,’ he said, his face devoid of emotion as he stared straight into Lucinda’s face.

‘Why, Jimmy? Why did you want to kill him?’

Jimmy shrugged and looked down at the surface of the table. ‘Didn’t like him much, I guess.’

‘Why not? Why didn’t you like him?’

‘I don’t know. I just didn’t.’

‘Jimmy, you had to have a reason to hate him enough to kill him.’

‘Well, I didn’t,’ Jimmy screamed. ‘I didn’t have a reason. And that’s that. No matter how many times you ask me, the answer is the same. I didn’t have a reason. I just didn’t like him.’

‘OK, Jimmy, settle down,’ Jake said. ‘We hear you loud and clear. Take it easy.’

Lucinda knew from his strong reaction that there was a reason he wasn’t willing to reveal. There was something between the two boys to stir up such a strong emotional response. ‘So, Jimmy, how did you get David over to the school?’

‘Todd told him about the girl and the naked pictures.’

‘Did David go in alone?’

‘Yeah, we drove over there together in Ms Schaffer’s truck. When we got there, Todd walked him around back to the door. He told him it was pictures of my sister so I couldn’t get caught inside and Todd said he was dating my sister so he’d be a natural suspect, too. So David went inside by himself. What a fool! He saw himself as some sort of white knight when it came to girls. He didn’t even know my sister – but that didn’t matter to him. He still wanted to protect her honor. I think he believed it would help him score some ass. I guess nobody told him that good guys finish last.’

‘Was Todd back in the truck when you pulled away?’

‘Yeah. Then we got past the traffic light and the whole place blew. We were laughing. But Todd – he stopped laughing later when he heard what had happened. He was really pissed. I told him if he told anybody, he’d go to jail, too. He kept saying, “You told me it would just make a mess. You told me nobody would get hurt.” I told him to get over it but he just kept on and on. And then I got mad and I said, “Well, what happened happened and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you can’t handle that, then maybe you should off yourself.” I really didn’t mean it. I didn’t think he’d do it.’

‘Is there anything else you want to tell us, Jimmy?’ Lucinda asked.

‘Just that, like I said, Todd didn’t really know what was up. And Tamara didn’t know. And Ms Schaffer knew less than any of them. This is all on me.’

‘OK, Jimmy, I’m arresting you for first degree murder and destruction of public property, and there will probably be a few more charges once the DA gets his hands on the case.’

‘Yes, ma’am. Tell Mama I’m sorry.’

Lucinda stepped into the hall and asked the patrolman standing guard to secure Jimmy in a cell. Lucinda half expected Jimmy to turn around and add something – any little thing that made more sense than what he’d already said.

‘What’s wrong, Lucy?’ Jake asked.

‘I don’t like this.’

‘What’s not to like? You solved the case. You’ve got the bad guy locked up. This is what you wanted, right?’

‘Only partly, Jake. I wanted answers. All the answers. He’s still holding something back. Right now, there’s a great big, gaping hole in his story. And I’m going to have to find out what that is.’

L
ucinda obtained a search warrant for Brittany Schaffer’s garage where Jimmy Van Dyke claimed he built the bomb. She, Jake, Marguerite, a handful of forensic technicians and a pair of uniformed patrolmen descended on the teacher’s place that evening.

When they pulled up, they saw a silver BMW in the driveway. Their arrival disrupted a candlelight dinner on the back patio. Brittany shrieked her objections to their presence and the owner of the car out front made a hasty retreat. Lucinda wasn’t sure if it was to escape the police or to get away from the scene Brittany was making.

Before they started the actual search for objects connected to the bomb, two techs went inside. One wiped likely surfaces, including the floor in front of the workbench, to collect any explosive residue. The other followed in his wake, dusting for prints.

In the trash can, Lucinda and Marguerite recovered and bagged receipts and packaging for a thermostat and batteries. On the bench, they confiscated open packages of clothespins and thumbtacks, a ball of cotton string, plastic shavings and a single-edged razor blade. Underneath the bench, they found a half-full bag of ammonium nitrate fertilizer.

Still, Lucinda was convinced that, this time, the confession didn’t hold up under close scrutiny. Jimmy Van Dyke left something unsaid, something hidden below the surface. Did Brittany Schaffer know what he was doing in her garage?

It was time for Brittany Schaffer to answer a few questions about what they had discovered. She refused to allow them inside her house and slammed the door shut. She screamed through the door, ‘I’ve already called my attorney. She will be here shortly. Until then, I am not answering any of your damn questions.’

‘I would really like to force my way inside, but it might have too many negative consequences,’ Lucinda said.

‘But,’ Jake said, ‘if she was knowledgeable about the activity in her garage, it would be totally justifiable.’

‘Patience. If she wasn’t, or if I can’t prove she was, Rita Younger will nail me to the wall.’

‘I thought Younger reserved her aggression for attacking men.’

‘Apparently, with me, she’s willing to make an exception.’

‘OK, let’s give the lawyer fifteen minutes. If she’s here by then, fine. If she’s not, we go in.’

Five minutes later, Rita arrived in a sapphire-blue Cadillac XTS. By the time she parked, Jake was drooling. Lucinda, however, was not impressed – too much car for that small woman and too ostentatious by far, she thought.

‘Harassing my client again, Lieutenant?’ Rita said as she stepped out of her car.

‘Well, gee, Younger, I doubt that a judge would see it that way considering what we found in your client’s garage,’ Lucinda said.

‘First things first, Lieutenant. I will, of course, be challenging your grounds for obtaining that search warrant. If I win that battle, what you found will be irrelevant. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll confer with my client and see if we’re willing to answer any of your questions.’

‘Be clear on this, Younger,’ Lucinda said. ‘It’s here or at the Justice Center – one way or another she’s talking to me on tape.’

‘We’ll see,’ Younger said and went inside.

‘Whoa,’ Jake said. ‘If anything, she seems to dislike you more than any man I’ve seen her shredding to bits.’

‘The feeling is mutual,’ Lucinda said.

Lucinda paced around the front yard for ten minutes before she lost her patience. She balled up both fists and banged them on the front door. Rita opened it and said, ‘Five more minutes, Lieutenant. We’ll be ready for you then.’ The door closed.

‘Damn that woman,’ Lucinda said.

‘Don’t let her push your buttons, Lucy. Let her play her games and think you don’t care.’

‘Easy for you to say.’

‘Oh, yeah, I’m not in her gun sights. But you know I’m right.’

Lucinda shrugged and resumed her pacing. Four minutes later, the door opened and Brittany, saccharine smile in place, invited Lucinda and Jake into her home as if they were guests to a cocktail party. She led them to the dining-room table where Rita Younger was seated, appearing to be holding court.

‘Before we begin the questioning,’ Rita said, ‘my client would like to make a statement. Are you recording?’

Lucinda pressed the red button and said, ‘Yes, we are recording. It is Saturday, May eleventh, 2013, at nine fourteen p.m. Present are Brittany Schaffer, her attorney Rita Younger, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jake Lovett and Lieutenant Lucinda Pierce.’

Brittany cleared her throat and straightened her posture. She held a legal pad and read from it. ‘I did give Jimmy Van Dyke permission to use the work space in my garage to work on a project. I didn’t ask him anything about what he was doing because, at that time, I did not care. I assumed if he was busy in there, he was not out on the streets getting into trouble. At no time, however, was I aware that he was involved in any criminal activity. I would not condone anyone using my property for illegal purposes. I also had no knowledge, at that time or since that time, of Jimmy Van Dyke’s involvement in the explosion at the high school.’

‘So, if you didn’t know what he was doing, how did you know why we were here?’ Lucinda asked.

Brittany blanched.

Rita came to the rescue. ‘My client is not a stupid person, Lieutenant. She is an educated professional. The search warrant stated what you were trying to find and it wouldn’t take much intellectual prowess for her or anyone to draw that conclusion.’

‘Yes, exactly,’ Brittany said, earning a glare from her attorney.

‘What about the other person in the garage?’ Jake asked. ‘Why didn’t you mention him?’

Brittany’s eyes glanced sideways toward Rita. ‘My client doesn’t know what you are talking about, Lieutenant.’

‘Ms Schaffer, are you aware that the other person is dead?’ Lucinda asked.

Rita answered, ‘As I said, Lieutenant, my client has no knowledge of a second person.’

‘What is your relationship with Jimmy Van Dyke, Ms Schaffer?’

‘I don’t have one. Whatever he said, it was just his little fantasy; it had nothing to do with me.’

‘Please, Ms Schaffer,’ Rita said, ‘don’t answer any questions until I tell you that it is appropriate to do so.’

Brittany looked down at the surface of the table, appearing as chastised as a little girl who interrupted her mother’s conversation.

‘Ms Schaffer,’ Jake said, ‘did Jimmy talk to you about his fantasy? About what he wanted to do to you – with you?’

Brittany looked ready to jump up and run from the room. Rita placed a firm hand on her client’s forearm and said, ‘We have no comment at this time.’

‘Did you know,’ Lucinda asked, ‘that Jimmy told people that you two were getting married once he graduated from high school?’

‘That’s ridiculous,’ Brittany said.

Rita squeezed her arm. ‘Lieutenant, I am going to have to terminate this interview. It’s getting late. My client is tired and stressed from your invasion of her home and property and she wants to get some rest tonight so she can visit her mother tomorrow. It’s Mother’s Day, you know – oh, that’s right, Lieutenant, you don’t have a mother and you’re not a mother so I’m sure it’s irrelevant to you. But, for the rest of us, it is a very important day.’

Lucinda bolted to her feet, her hands clenched at her side. She glared down at Rita Younger and turned off the digital recorder. Lucinda heard Jake’s sharp intake of breath. She smelled the stink of fear on Brittany and saw the self-satisfied smug on Rita’s face. She spun around and walked to the door. ‘Come on, Special Agent Lovett. We’ll find what we need for an arrest warrant and come back when we have done.’

L
ucinda struggled Sunday morning to match Jake’s upbeat attitude. Mother’s Day was always a difficult holiday for her since it fell one week after she witnessed her father shoot and kill her mother decades earlier. She’d been in shock the day her mother died and all through the funeral. It was on that first Mother’s Day that her anger had started to build into an uncontrollable fury. Her biggest wish that day was that her father hadn’t died so that she could kill him herself. She knew the annual celebration of mothers wasn’t any easier for Jake, either, since he had lost his mom to breast cancer. However, Lucinda thought Jake seemed to be more focused on her needs and her past trauma than on the early demise of his own mother. It seemed as if he was trying to soften the emotional impact of the day by waking her up with a steaming mug of coffee and then serving her breakfast in bed.