Hopscotch Homicide (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 16) Read Online Free Page B

reminder whispered in his ear.”
    Miss Maxwell picked up the pen that was sitting on her desk. She made a few notes in a notebook and then returned her attention to me.
    “How are his manners?”
    Yikes.
    “His manners?” I asked.
    “Does he know how to work quietly? Does he understand the importance of taking turns and listening to what others have to say?”
    “He’s ten,” I pointed out.
    “Many ten-year-olds are ready to take on the demands of fifth grade, while others are not.”
    “Yes, well, he went to a private school last year and he did fine.”
    Miss Maxwell sat back and looked at me. She had an expression on her face that made me feel as though I was being scolded, which was ridiculous because she couldn’t be any older than I was.
    “And how many students were in his class last year?”
    “Ten,” I admitted.
    Miss Maxwell gave me a meaningful glance.
    “Look, he might be a bit more active than other kids and his manners may need work, but one day Scooter Sherwood is going to do something truly amazing, and when he does, you can either be the fifth-grade teacher who believed in him and gave him a shot or the one who decided he was a loser and wrote him off before she even met him. What’s it going to be, Miss Maxwell?”
    The woman looked surprised by my outburst.
    “I look forward to meeting Scooter,” she said with just a hint of admiration in her voice.
    I smiled. I was so nailing this mothering thing.
    “It would really benefit his learning experience if you were involved with his class,” Miss Maxwell added. “How would you like to be room mother?”
    Drat.
    “I’d love nothing more.” I forced a smile.
    “And our first PTA meeting is on Wednesday. I assume I can count on your presence?”
    “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
     
    “Room mother?” Ellie asked when I spoke to her on the phone later that day.
    “What was I supposed to say? She had me on the spot and she knew it. How bad can it be?”
    Ellie laughed. I’m sure she wanted to remind me exactly how bad it could be but had decided to let me suffer in silence.
    I decided to change the subject to something less painful. “I did find out one interesting piece of news after I spoke to you yesterday. The freezer in the cafeteria is being replaced, which means Mrs. Brown wasn’t planning to freeze the hamburger gravy she was making.”
    “Whatever was she going to do with it?” Ellie asked.
    “I don’t know. I checked around, and neither the church nor the senior center is planning a potluck. I can’t imagine why she would want a pot as large as she was making for anything less than a public event.”
    “Did Principal Bower know what she wanted the gravy for?”
    “No. He said he hadn’t seen Mrs. Brown since the end of the school year last June. He also thought it was odd that she hadn’t popped into the office to say hi. It seems none of her movements prior to her murder really make any sense, at least from the outside looking in. I spoke to the kindergarten teacher, who told me she had seen Mrs. Brown lurking in the hallway on the day she was murdered. She didn’t know why she was on campus, but she gave me the names of a couple other staff members who were at the school earlier in the day. I’m going to follow up when I can.”
    “I don’t know, Zoe. It seems like you’re getting in over your head. Soccer mom and now room mom and PTA member. Do you really have time for sleuthing too?”
    “Not really, but I’m not sleuthing. I’m just talking to people as the opportunity presents itself,” I defended myself. “If these conversations lead to clues in the case I might follow up just to see where they go.”
    “That’s sleuthing.”
    “Yeah, maybe. But don’t worry. I really do realize I have to prioritize my time.”
     
    After I hung up with Ellie I headed over to Donovan’s, the general store my dad owns and operates. It had been a while since I’d stopped in, and I wanted to see how my baby