Sunday, April 29

        Dan used the Bob-White station wagon to drive himself to the Sleepyside Police Department.  Regan had offered to accompany him, as had Mr. Maypenny, but he had refused both offers, telling the men that he could handle the interview alone.  They gave in, but only after making him promise he would call if anything unexpected happened.

        Sitting in the station lobby, waiting for Sergeant Molinson, Dan began to rethink his decision.  Logically, he knew that he had done nothing wrong.  Emotionally, waiting, alone, in the police station was shredding his nerves and bringing back some very unpleasant memories.  Dan noticed that his leg was twitching, and concentrated on making his body perfectly still, his face blank.

        “Dan.”  Molinson’s voice took him by surprise.

        “Sir?”  Dan rose, extending his hand. 

        Molinson shook it briefly and said, “Thanks for coming in.  Come on back.”

        Dan followed the sergeant down the hall and into his cramped office.  Molinson pointed Dan into a folding chair, seating himself behind the metal desk.  Folding his large hands, Molinson leaned on the desk and said, “Dan, twenty-three students ended up in the hospital last night.  I need to know what you saw, what you heard--anything you can give me.”

        “I don’t really have much to tell you,” Dan said. “I was with Josie, outside, because the gym was too hot, and we had been dancing.  She was thirsty, and wanted some punch.  I offered to buy her a soda, but she said drinking the punch was part of the experience.  We were just sitting in the quad, talking, when she started getting kind of silly.  Then she passed out.”

        “When did you notice the girl acting funny?”  Molinson asked.

        “About ten seconds after she introduced herself,” Dan said with a small smile.  “But a few minutes before she passed out, she was slurring her words and said she was dizzy.”

        “Have you had any contact with any of your old gang?”

        Dan was startled by the unexpected question.  Shaking his head vehemently, he said, “No, sir.  Not since last summer, when...” he broke off.

        “...When they kidnapped you and held you prisoner during the Maasden-Vorwald wedding?” Molinson finished.

        “That’s right, sir.”  Dan felt the overwhelming urge to chew on his fingernails, but he fought it, keeping his hands on his knees. “Why do you ask?”

        “One of my officers rousted a couple of punks over on Hawthorne, looked like they might be looking for trouble.  Had Cowhands stenciled on their jackets.”  Molinson sat back.  “We didn’t find anything on them, so we let them go, but I’ve heard a few rumors.”

        “I haven’t seen anyone,” Dan said tightly, wondering what was coming next.

        “That’s good to know.”  Molinson leaned forward again.  “We’re considering the event last night a case of poisoning.  The punchbowl was clean, but individual glasses were tainted.  The substance used was a cocktail of two drugs: Ketamine and GHB.”  Dan inhaled sharply, closing his eyes.  Molinson narrowed his eyes.  “Recognize those?” he asked.

        Dan nodded.  “Special K and Easy Lay,” he said quietly. “Some people take them so they can get drunk without the hangover.  Easy Lay makes girls want to have sex, too.”

        “Personal experience?” Molinson asked.

        “No sir.”  Dan shook his head.  “But I’ve seen...I’ve seen them being used.”

        “I suspected as much,” Molinson admitted.  “You realize, of course, that circumstantial evidence would suggest you as the culprit.  You have knowledge of the drugs used, some of your old gang has been in the vicinity, and your date was one of the kids drugged, by punch that you quote, never touch, unquote.”

        Dan’s heart leapt into his throat and started to pound against his tonsils.  “Josie wasn’t my date.”  Those were the first words that popped into his mind and out of his mouth.   “She was Lester’s date.”

        “Lester Mundy?” Molinson asked.  “The practical joker?  If she was Mundy’s date, why was she with you?”

        Slowly, Dan explained the whole series of events, starting with Josie accosting him in front of the vending machine.  By the time he finished, Molinson was guilty of suppressing a few chuckles.

        Dan watched the sergeant scribble a few notes.  “Do I need to call my uncle or Mr. Maypenny, sir?” he asked nervously.

        “No.”  Molinson rose from his chair.  “I meant what I said last night, Dan.  I don’t consider you a suspect, just a witness.  So far, your fingerprints aren’t on anything we’ve tested, and you’ve been more than cooperative. You’re free to go.”

        Relieved, Dan rose and picked up his jacket.  “Dan?” Molinson’s voice stopped him as he turned to leave.  Facing the sergeant, he waited.   Molinson sighed and rubbed his head.  “Look, I know you’ll want to tell the others.  I don’t expect you to keep the information I gave you confidential, but please explain to Miss Belden and Miss Wheeler that this is not a case for amateur detectives.  If I need their help, I’ll ask for it.  I don’t want them involved.”

        “Yes, sir,” Dan answered.  “I’ll tell them how dangerous the drugs are, and I promise to warn them to stay out of it, but...” Dan lifted his hands and shrugged.

        Molinson grimaced.  “I know,” he said, “But do your best.”

        “Yes, sir.  I will.”  Dan saw himself out.

        The car seemed to have a mind of it’s own.  It took Dan directly from the police station to the hospital.  Taking the elevator up to the fourth floor, he checked in at the nursing station, and moved down the hall to Josie’s room.  The door was ajar, so he let himself slip through it.  It was a double room, but only one of the beds was occupied.  Dan watched the dark haired girl propped up on pillows, scribble intently on a piece of notebook paper.

        Stepping back, he knocked softly on the door.  Josie looked up, startled.

        “May I come in?”  Dan asked, a smile on his face.

        Josie’s eyes narrowed.  “Why?  Do you want to finish the job?” she asked coolly.

        The venom in the girl’s voice took Dan aback.  “No,” he said cautiously.  “I just wanted to see how you were feeling.  I wanted to make sure you were all right.”  He took a couple of steps toward the bed.  “I didn’t have anything to do with what happened to you last night, and I don’t know why you would think I did.”

        ”Because I can’t remember anything!”  Josie’s cold mask began to crumble.  Dan took another few steps and was at her side, reaching for her hand.  She cringed away from him, covering her face with her hands.  “Don’t touch me!” she whispered. 

        “Okay.”  Dan pulled his hands back, placing them in his pockets.  “Why don’t you tell me what you do remember, and I can try and fill in the blanks.”

        Warily, Josie turned her gaze on Dan.  “Why should I trust you?”

        Dan shrugged, “I can’t give you any reason.”

        “I can.”  Dan turned to see Katie Fisher in the doorway.  “I think you can trust him, Taz, because he made Lester bring him to the house so he could tell Mom and me.  And then he helped Mom get here, and he stayed until we knew you were okay.”

        Josie looked at her sister, then at Dan.  “How did you get here?” she asked Katie.

        “Susan came over to the house to stay with Mom, and she had Les bring me here.  I snuck past the nurse.”  Katie grinned, pulling a chair over to the bedside.  “Dad is going to be here at four to sign you out and take us both home.”  Making herself comfortable in the chair, Katie said, “So spill it, Sis.”

        Josie nodded.  “Susan is Lester’s mother,” she explained for Dan’s benefit.  “Our families have been friends for years.”

        “That’s what Les was saying last night.”  Dan dragged a second chair across the floor.  “Look, Josie,” he said, taking a seat.  “I can understand why you wouldn’t trust me, but I swear that I didn’t drug you.  I don’t have a clue who did, or why.  Maybe we can figure it out together.”

        “I want to know who.” Josie admitted, her voice tight.  “And I want to know why, so I guess I have to trust you, at least for now.”  Sighing, she leaned back against her pillows.  “What do I remember?  I remember dancing almost every dance.  I danced with you the most, Dan, but I also danced with Lester and your friends, Jim, Brian and Mart.  I was having a lot of fun, and I was happy for Lester, because he was spending a lot of time with Ruthie...”

        By the time Dan pulled into the driveway at Crabapple Farm and parked the station wagon in front of the garage, it was nearly five.  He had stayed at the hospital  brainstorming and discussing things with Josie and Katie until the girls’ father arrived.  Mr. Fisher had embarrassed Dan, thanking him profusely for his care of the Fisher family during the crisis.   By the time Dan had managed to politely extricate himself, he was almost thirty minutes behind schedule.

        Climbing out of the car, his head filled with the information he had collected, Dan bypassed the front door, and headed around to the back of the house.

        “Dan!”  Bobby Belden yelled.  Dan stopped, bracing himself as the little boy hurled himself across the lawn.  It was a game they often played;  Bobby hit Dan around the knees, tumbling him over backwards.

        “Good tackle,” Dan groaned from flat on his back, Bobby kneeling on his chest.

        “Too easy!”  Bobby giggled, as Dan gently rolled the boy onto the grass and tickled his ribs.

        “Bobby, let Dan go, and come wash up so we can have dinner.”  Mrs. Belden called from the porch.  Reluctantly, Bobby pulled himself free and headed for the house.  Dan walked over to where the rest of the gang was waiting.

        Trixie looked up from setting the picnic table.  “Moms and Daddy are eating inside with Bobby, so we can have a mini meeting out here.”

        “I’ll go wash up, and then I can fill you in.”  Dan said.

        On his way back out into the yard, Mrs. Belden handed Dan the salad and some bowls.  He set  them on the table, as Jim, Mart and Brian brought out platters of ham, vegetables and potato salad.  Diana passed out rolls, and Honey filled glasses with milk or water.  Finally, when all had been served, the eating commenced.

        “So,” Trixie said, swallowing a bite of ham.  “I guess this meeting is officially called to order.”  She looked around at her friends.  “Okay, Dan.  Tell us what you know.”

        Dan sipped milk from his glass, and then cleared his throat.  “I know that it’s bad news,” he said.  “The drugs used in the punch are nasty.  Really nasty.  Josie can’t remember anything that happened once she started drinking the punch.”  He looked around at the six pairs of eyes staring at him.  “There were two drugs used; GHB and Ketamine.  They’re party drugs.”  Understanding dawned on Jim and Brian’s faces, and after a minute of silence, Mart flushed and started shaking his head. 

        “Actually,” Mart said, “I think Ketamine is an animal sedative used primarily for feline surgical procedures.”

        The girls looked confused.  “Why would someone use cat tranquilizers as a party drug?”  Honey asked.

        “Because in humans, they lower inhibitions and act as an amnesiac,” Brian explained quietly.  “People act drunk, but later they don’t feel hung over, and they can’t remember what they’ve done.”

        “But...” Suddenly, the light went on in Trixie’s head, and she too, flushed with embarrassment.  “Oh.”

        “But doesn’t GHB cause nausea?”  Jim asked.  “When we took that seminar on party drugs last winter, I thought that’s what they said.”

        “I remember,” Dan agreed,  “and from what the doctor said last night, that’s true.  When the two are combined, I guess they cause seizures and irregular heartbeat, too.  The doc said that Josie had a seizure in the ambulance.”

        “Yikes!” Trixie said.

        “It gets worse,” Dan admitted.  “Molinson said that his men came across a couple of guys from my old gang last week.  They let them go, but I can’t help but think they might be involved.”

        “Do you know who they were?” Mart asked.

        “No idea.”  Dan rubbed his head with his hands. “I haven’t seen anyone from the Cowhands since last summer, but the drugs...well, I know that Luke had them sometimes...”

        “But Luke’s in jail, right?”  Jim asked.

        “True, but when one goes down, another steps up.”  Dan closed his eyes.  “If they’re here, and all of a sudden someone drugs the punch, and the evidence is pointing to me...”

        “Molinson thinks you did it?”  Trixie’s eyes were blazing again.

        “No!”  Dan stopped her before she could get a full head of steam.  “Molinson doesn’t think I am involved, but the evidence--the circumstantial evidence--does point to me.  I’m just saying that someone might have been trying to set me up.”  He shrugged.  “Or maybe, it isn’t about me at all.  I don’t know.”

        “Did Josie have anything helpful?” Diana asked, her voice calm.

        Dan shook his head.  “I don’t know.   She’s pretty hazy about everything after we went outside.  I asked her to have lunch with us tomorrow, because I thought maybe she could tell us whom she saw around the food table.  I wasn’t paying any attention.”

        “The whole bowl wasn’t drugged, right?” Mart asked.  “It was individual cups.”

        “That’s what Molinson told me.”

        “So,” Honey mused.  “Whoever drugged the drinks had to have access to the refreshment table for quite a while.”

        “Maybe we should start with the refreshment committee,” Trixie suggested.  “Or with the Eighth Grade Leadership Committee.  Remember, the ELC helps serve at the Senior High dances.”

        “I can get that information,” Diana volunteered.  “I helped with the decoration committee, so I’ll just find a copy of the dance committee minutes.  Everyone who helped should be listed.”

        “We can check off that list with anyone Josie or the rest of us might have seen around the table.”  Trixie was getting excited, her mystery sense shifting into hyper drive.

        “Hold up a minute,” Dan said.  “Sergeant Molinson requested that I tell you that the drugs they, whoever they are, used are very dangerous, and that if he needs your help, he’ll ask for it.  Otherwise, stay out of it.”

        “You can’t be serious!” Trixie protested, her cheeks reddening.

        “Hey!” Dan held up his hands.  “I told him I would tell you.  I never said I would try to stop you.”

        Trixie calmed down, but Honey looked troubled.  “I can’t believe that someone we know would do something like this,” she said.  “I mean...I drank some of that punch.”  She shook her head in disbelief.

        “So did I,” Mart admitted.  “Twice.  It’s hard to believe that any one of us could have ended up in the hospital--or worse.”

        “At the risk of sounding like a stick in the mud,” Brian spoke up, “I’d like to suggest that we check out people who seem suspicious, but not take any action.  Please, can we leave the criminal investigation to the police?”

        Trixie looked at Honey.  Both girls looked at Brian, who waited expectantly.  Finally, Trixie shrugged.  “Brian,” she said, “I promise not to deliberately look for crooks, just for suspects.  Is that good enough?”

        Brian looked at Jim.  Jim smiled at the girls.  “I suppose that will have to do,” he said. “But please, please be careful.”

        Mrs. Belden stepped out onto the porch.  “I hate to interrupt,” she called, “but if you want any cake, you’ll need to come inside.”

        “Oh, boy, cake!” Mart rose from his seat, managing to clear his plate and glass in one sweeping motion.  “I move that the meeting be adjourned--for dessert.”

        “Seconded!”  Dan chimed in, following Mart’s lead.  The rest of the Bob-Whites made quick work of clearing the table, and headed in to join the family for chocolate cake.

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