Page 102 of Holmes, Margaret and Poe

The detective smiled. “I like that.”

“Your call, but I’m willing to bluff on this one if we have to.”

“Let’s see how things go,” Creighton said as they climbed the steps to the field house where the heads of the various athletic departments had offices.

“You’ve been here before,” Bree said.

“Last week, but the coaches I wanted to talk with were all at another meet,” Detective Creighton said, opening a door to the main office. “The staff are all here today, even though it’s Sunday, because there’s a big meet tomorrow.”

Behind the front desk, an attractive young woman wearing a Paxson State Athletics hoodie was giggling at something said by a tall man wearing running shorts and a rain jacket.

Bree recognized him even before he’d twisted his head to see who’d come in. When he did, he sobered.

“Coach Leclerc,” Creighton said. “One of the people we wanted to see.”

“Didn’t know you were coming by, Detective.”

“A whim,” Creighton replied. “We were in the area, and I had a few quick follow-up questions, if you don’t mind.”

Leclerc glanced at his watch, cleared his throat, said, “We’re having a special speed practice right now, but sure, we can go to my office.”

“And Coach Neely?” Bree said.

“Already outside with her team,” he said, moving down a hallway.

“Let’s go out there,” Creighton said.

“It’s raining.”

“We won’t melt,” Bree said.

Leclerc shrugged and then took two sharp turns and pushed through a fire exit door. That put them in a tunnel that they followed to the small football stadium and track. Women’s cross-country coach Marie Neely stood at the near side of thetrack looking at a stopwatch while Tina Dawson and several other girls came gasping across the finish line.

“Better,” Neely said.

Breathing hard, Tina grimaced and said, “I don’t know why I’m doing two-hundreds. I’m a distance runner, Marie.”

“You qualified for regionals with that run at George Mason,” Neely said crisply. “But if you want to compete at nationals, you will need a hard-sprint finish in you.”

Tina finally noticed Detective Creighton, Bree, and Coach Leclerc. She wiped a strand of wet hair from her eyes. “Hello?”

Coach Neely turned and peered at them from under the hood of her rain jacket.

“They have some questions,” Leclerc said.

“I’m running a practice,” Neely said. “Big meet tomorrow.”

“We’ll ask between timings,” Creighton said.

Neely looked at Leclerc, then sighed. “As you wish. Tina, you’ve got two more. Jog back. Stay warm.”

“We’d kind of like Tina to stay,” Bree said.

Tina appeared relieved. “I’d like to stay too.”

Irritated, Neely said, “Put sweats on, Tina. Okay, ask away.”

The Fairfax County detective said, “One of the things that Jannie Cross told us was that Iliana had confided in her that she wanted to talk with Bree because she was being blackmailed over a sex tape.”

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