Brennaman was dressed casually in denims and a light-blue shirt, probably since school wasn’t in session. Mattie would guess he was in his early sixties, and he was of average build though fit and muscular for his age. His gray hair was short, military style. “Sheriff,” he said, offering a handshake. Then he turned and offered her one. “And is it Mattie Lu Cobb?”
His grip felt solid and firm. Robo’s training held, and he remained seated at Mattie’s heel, hackles still raised. “Yes, Mr. Brennaman. Good to see you again.”
“And you.” He turned his attention back to the sheriff and took a seat at the table, gesturing for them to be seated as well. “We’re terribly disturbed by this tragedy.”
“It’s a blow to the whole community,” McCoy said.
“I heard from Mr. Hartman that Grace was shot, buried in the mountains.”
“That’s right.”
“Terrible, just terrible,” Brennaman said, shaking his head. “I hope you find her killer and bring him to justice.”
“We plan to.” The sheriff paused, spreading his hands out on the table in front of him. “What can you tell me about Grace Hartman?”
“Well, let’s see. Grace would be a junior this year. She was bright, popular with both teachers and students, did well in her studies, and participated in sports.” He looked at Mattie. “Not as fast as you were, Mattie, but she did go out for track. This was her first year volunteering in the office, so I didn’t know her as well as I would have by the end of the year. Betty feels responsible for losing track of her yesterday morning, but things were hectic. I got called to an unplanned meeting, had to cancel the one I had with you.” He nodded at McCoy. “Well, these things happen. I’m glad you could come by today.”
“Do you know of anyone who might have been mad at Grace? Anyone who might want to hurt her?”
“No, no.” Brennaman was shaking his head. “We all loved Grace around here. I can’t even imagine anyone wanting to hurt that girl in any way.”
McCoy nodded. “That’s what we’ve heard. Mr. Brennaman, I can tell you that our investigation has turned up the probability that Grace’s death is drug related.”
Brennaman’s gray brows shot up. “Drugs? Grace?”
“That surprises you.”
“Of course it does! I can’t imagine Grace having anything to do with drugs.”
“We don’t necessarily believe she was involved with drugs herself. But we believe her killer may be involved with drugs in some way. In light of that possibility, can you think of anything that might help us with our investigation?”
Mattie watched Brennaman pause to digest the information. “Not anything that comes to mind immediately, but I may need to ponder that for a while.”
“Fair enough,” McCoy said. “That brings me to what Deputy Cobb and I would like to talk to you about. We’d like to develop a presence here at the school with our new narcotics detection dog. Did you get a chance to look at the letter I sent about this dog being added to our department?”
“A few weeks ago, I believe. Perhaps you should brief me.”
“We’ve already started combating drug traffic on our highways with road blocks and vehicle sweeps, and we’d like to do something similar here at school. We’d like to provide an antinarcotics education program and combine that with occasional unanticipated locker checks. We’re here to offer these services and gain permission to start.”
Frowning, Brennaman tapped a finger on the table, setting up a muted drum. “Grace Hartman’s death was a tragedy, but this isn’t a police state. The drug education program’s one thing, but I don’t like the idea of a police dog roaming our halls.”
McCoy sat back in his chair, relaxed and casual. He steepled his fingers against his chin. “A narcotics dog wouldn’t be roaming. He’s on leash and under the control of his handler. Other communities have found the use of a dog very effective, and the animal becomes a mascot for the program. A dog can make inroads with some kids that teachers and law enforcement officers have found difficult to reach.”
“And this dog’s handler is Deputy Cobb, here?” He looked at Mattie.
“Yes, sir,” she said.
Brennaman smiled at her and then shifted his attention to Robo. Mattie quickly checked him, too, and saw that his fur was smooth again, hackles dropped, but he was still staring at the principal.
It felt like Brennaman was legitimately concerned about having a police dog at school. Or maybe he was afraid of dogs.
“Robo was raised with kids,” Mattie said. “He acts like a family pet. And he’s completed more obedience training than most other dogs.”
“I still don’t like the message we’d be sending by having a police dog and an officer here at school, but I’ll consider it. I’m just not convinced drugs are a big problem here at Timber Creek High.”
“We believe one child lost is one too many,” McCoy said. “We’d like to do what we can to prevent further harm to our community’s children.”
Brennaman nodded. “We’re in agreement there. The drug education program sounds worth taking a look at, depending on who’s teaching it. We would need to review that individual’s credentials to ensure an appropriate match. We have our standards here for teachers and recognize the kind of influence a good teacher can have on students of this age.”
Mattie felt anxiety wash through her. Was Brennaman trying to find a way to block the program because she would be involved? Or was she being too sensitive?
Sheriff McCoy leaned forward in his chair. “Deputy Cobb completed twelve weeks of K-9 Academy training, and she and this dog were at the top of their class. Part of her training included using him in schools and public relations. Her qualifications are impeccable.”
Brennaman looked at Mattie, giving her another brief smile. “I’m sure they are. It’s good to hear what training you’ve had, Mattie. You’d make a great role model for the students.”
She lowered her head in a slight nod to acknowledge the compliment. “Thank you. I’m excited about the program. I received a training curriculum and materials at the academy that I’m happy to share with you.”
He nodded. “That would be good. I’ll have to look them over, talk to the superintendent about this, and then get back to you in a few weeks.”
“Perhaps Deputy Cobb can drop off the materials on Monday.” McCoy stood and Mattie rose to stand beside him. “It sounds like a good idea to involve the superintendent, but we’d like to move forward with this as quickly as possible. I’ll check with your secretary on my way out to get started on setting up a meeting with the two of you as soon as possible.”
McCoy extended his hand, and Mattie followed suit, realizing that McCoy had taken hold of the meeting and didn’t plan to let Brennaman delay implementation of the program. She followed the sheriff to the front desk but passed by to go outside when he and Brennaman stopped to talk to the receptionist.
The air felt clean and fresh, and Mattie drew in a deep breath, feeling a huge sense of relief that the meeting was over. Brennaman appeared to accept her; it was Robo he seemed to have problems with.
While she was putting Robo back into the cruiser, McCoy exited the building and walked down the sidewalk to join her. “Be sure and get those materials you mentioned over to Mr. Brennaman on Monday.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Spend some time this afternoon writing up a proposal that I can use with the superintendent. Have it on my desk by the end of the day. I’ll set up that meeting with the superintendent and Brennaman next week.” McCoy looked off to the distance, thinking. “We didn’t learn anything useful about Grace here. Right now, Mike Chadron is the best lead we’ve got. If he doesn’t come back to town tonight, I’ll resubmit an affidavit for search in the morning. I’ll take it over to Judge Taylor personally, and we’ll have a little talk. He won’t deny us again.”