Free Murder of a Pink Elephant by Denise Swanson

in his chest. “Frannie Ryan’s missing.”
    “I know. Xavier is going nuts. He keeps trying to sneak into the building. Simon has him locked in his car to keep him from slipping past us and getting hurt.” Wally sighed. “The firefighters have searched the gym and the surrounding area twice. They don’t know where else to look. They hope she went home with someone. The only other possibility is—”
    Skye cut his words off with a shake of her head. She refused to think that Frannie might be dead.
    Wally said, “Go over to the junior high. Maybe they have some news over there.”
    Skye nodded but decided instead to take one more look around the building.
    At some point in the chaos, she had acquired a flashlight, and as she rounded the corner, she thumbed it on. The snow, a hodgepodge of hundreds of footprints, held no answers. She aimed the beam at the door of the swimming pool enclosure since that was where Justin had last seen Frannie.
    Almost the entire wall of the enclosure was made up of nearly opaque blue safety glass. As she swung the ray of light away from that wall, she caught sight of something. Could it have been a human shadow or was that just wishful thinking?
    She ran toward the door and grabbed the knob, fearing it would be locked, but it turned easily under her hand. The firefighters must have opened it. She flung the door wide and stepped inside, sweeping the enclosure with the beam of her flashlight, but saw nothing other than the pool, a couple of safety rings, and a pole with a hook on the end. The area appeared exactly as it did every morning when Skye swam laps. It was difficult to believe a fire had occurred a few feet away.
    She took a step backward; she must have mistaken the pole for a person. No, wait. What was that sound and where was it coming from? Skye moved toward the doors leading to the locker rooms. She heard another faint noise and this time could tell it was coming from the boys’ side.
    Skye pushed open the door. Surely the firefighters had checked this area, although it appeared untouched by the fire, so maybe not. The Scumble River Fire Department was staffed by volunteers and didn’t have the manpower of the bigger crews.
    “Help!” The word was muffled nearly beyond recognition.
    Skye followed the sound toward the shower area. Had another teen decided on a spur-of-the-moment bath?
    To the right of the showers were rows of lockers. One was rattling, and Skye wrenched open its door. Frannie burst out of the locker screaming.

   CHAPTER 7   
Dark Side of the Moon
    F rannie’s hands were tied behind her back with a jockstrap, and her face was covered with a pair of gym shorts, one of the legs having been forced over her head. Skye snatched away the shorts, and the scream died on Frannie’s lips as her eyes locked onto Skye’s. Whimpering, Frannie’s lashes fluttered and she slumped in Skye’s arms.
    She staggered backward, smacking into a wooden bench bolted to the floor. The edge caught her in the back of the knees, making her stumble. She tried to regain her balance, but Frannie’s weight was too much, and Skye fell, hitting her head on the seat.
    The world went black for a second, then she became aware that she was flat on her back, and there was a heavy mass on her chest, hindering her breathing. Skye focused. Frannie was out cold and lying on top of her.
    She gently rolled the girl off her and freed Frannie’s hands from the jockstrap. Struggling to her feet, Skye wondered,
How will I get Frannie out of here?
She needed a wheelchair or … Skye looked around. The coaches’ office was connected to the locker rooms. Thankfully, the normally locked door was ajar. She ran inside and snatched one of the desk chairs, pushing it beside the unconscious teen. Franniemoaned but didn’t open her eyes as Skye heaved her onto the seat.
    Skye gripped the back of the chair and started to push. Which way should she go? If she tried to go out the pool door, she wasn’t sure