The Third Victim Part 41

Rainie didn't know much about the man. She'd asked a few parents, all of whom said he seemed very nice. Inexperienced, a few commented, but hardworking in an earnest sort of way. Tuesday, when things had been hairy at the school, he'd certainly stepped up to the plate and done what she'd asked. There was something to be said for that.

But Rainie still wondered about him and Miss Avalon. Even tired, Mann had that clean-cut, all-American look going for him. Trim figure.

Short-cropped brown hair. Blue eyes. In a high school he would've inspired half a dozen juvenile crushes. And at Bakersville's K-8?

"Officer Conner," Mann said with obvious surprise when she showed up in the doorway alongside Quincy.

"How nice to see you again." He smiled at her, clearly not alarmed by her presence, and held out a hand.

"Mr. Mann." Rainie accepted his handshake. Weak grip, she thought.

Definitely young. Then added, unnecessarily, not at all like Quincy.

"Oh, call me Richard. Mr. Mann is my father."

"I know the feeling." She and Quincy took seats. Located off the admissions office and next to VanderZanden's room, Richard Mann's s.p.a.ce was small but tidy. The main attraction was one large window overlooking the side of the school parking lot, which let in lots of sun. The floor was blue Berber, the walls stark white, and the mult.i.tude of filing cabinets industrial gray. Except for two plants and one poster of cartoon faces demonstrating different human emotions, there wasn't much in the way of decorations. Definitely a bachelor's office, Rainie decided. She'd bet his apartment looked equally utilitarian.

At the moment, empty cardboard boxes and discarded files littered the floor.

"Cleaning house?" Quincy inquired.

"Going through old files," Mann confessed. He waved his hand apologetically over the pile.

"We're starting to run out of room, and most of these files are from before my time."

"That's right. You're new here."

"It's been a whole year. I don't feel so new anymore."

"Bakersville is a big change from L.A.," Rainie observed.

"That's what I was looking for."

"Small-town life?"

"Someplace with no drills for drive-by shootings." He smiled weakly.

"Of course, that didn't work out quite like I had planned."

"Where were you when the shooting started?" Rainie asked.

"In my office. It was my lunch break."

"You don't eat during normal lunch hours?"

"No. I have an open-door policy for the kids. You know, anyone can walk in if there's something they want to talk about. That sort of thing."

"We understand Melissa Avalon also left her door open for the kids during lunch." That's right." He nodded. "So you both took lunch at the same time." Rainie narrowed her eyes suggestively and watched Richard Mann grow confused. He'd been expecting an interview about Danny O'grady, not his own activities on the day of the shooting.

"Yes, I believe so," he said with less certainty. On his lap, his hands were already beginning to fidget. This, Rainie decided, was going to be like shooting fish in a barrel.

"You two ever do lunch together?"

"Well, we were coworkers ' "We understand Miss Avalon liked to get to know some of her coworkers."

"I don't understand ..."

"She and Princ.i.p.al VanderZanden. Or didn't you know about that?"

Rainie hardened her voice, and Richard Mann squirmed in his seat.

"I thought we were going to talk about Danny."

"How well did you know Melissa Avalon?"

"We worked together, that's all."

"She was very beautiful."

"I suppose .. ."

"Young, about the same age as yourself?"

"Yes, I guess."

"Also new to the area. Come on, Mr. Mann, don't tell me you two didn't have anything in common."

"Wait a minute. You think Melissa and I -' Mann made a little gesture with his hand, looked at them with shock, then vigorously shook his head. For the first time since the start of the interview, he visibly relaxed.

"I'm sorry, Officer, but if you guys think I was involved with Melissa, then you don't know much about her."

"What do you mean?" Quincy asked smoothly.

"Melissa had issues Freudian issues."

"You mean with her father?" Rainie demanded sharply.

"I don't know all the details," he replied, 'but she mentioned once that she was estranged from her family. Her father was a hard man, she said, very demanding and not very forgiving. Then you consider that she took up with VanderZanden in a matter of weeks and the man's nearly twice her age .. ."A subst.i.tute father figure," Quincy filled in.

"That was my a.n.a.lysis, yes," Mann said, and flashed Quincy a grateful smile. He was obviously pleased to have a chance to show off his own psychological training to a big-shot profiler.

The father ever visit?" Rainie pressed.

"I don't know."

"What about her mom?"

"I don't know."

"For someone you worked with for a whole year, you don't know a lot about her, do you?"

"She was very private about her family!"