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sort of thing. 
It was no big stretch to see how people put up a protective wall when loss
occurred.  Zeb’s world looked potentially brighter by the minute.  His stomach
actually felt good as he handed Helen her blueberry muffin.
    “Made special just for you.”
    “You are a sweetheart.  So is Doreen for thinking of
me.”
    “Is Deputy Steele back yet?”
    “She’s in her office listening to the tape.”
    “Would you tell her I would like to talk with her when
she has a minute?  And, could you please bring me a cup of cof--never mind.  Do
we have any chamomile tea?”
    Helen, surprised by the request, did a double take. 
Without asking questions she quickly made the sheriff a cup of tea.
    Zeb shook his head in self-disgust as he got down to
filling out his report.  If he was not thinking clearly enough to know that
coffee was burning a hole in his gut, how would he ever get to the bottom of a
crime spree in his county, or figure out if his brother was indeed the car
thief who stole the Corvette?  A couple of deep breaths later he realized it
was the thought of a school building, with hundreds of helpless children in it,
being threatened that really stuck in his craw.  His irritation was rising as
Deputy Steele rapped lightly on his door.  The sound snapped him back from a
progressive abyss of angry thoughts.  Her easy demeanor was also helpful.
    “Kate, come in, have a seat.  Please tell me you’ve
got something.  I would like to get this thing wrapped up quickly, for
everyone’s sake.”
    Deputy Kate Steele pulled a small notebook from her
shirt pocket.
    “No recently fired or disgruntled employees at the
school.”
    “That’s good.  I would hate to think it was an insider
who would do such an idiotic thing.”
    “Principal Newlin did give me a list of recently
expelled students, dropouts and major troublemakers.  It’s not a long list,
eight boys and two girls.  The boys are all members of a gang called the Little
Brothers and Sisters.”
    “Little Brothers and Sisters?  New gang?”
    “A mix of Anglos, Hispanic and Native kids.  Kids on
the edge.  Principal Newlin says they are mixed up but mostly lonely types.”
    Sheriff Hanks shook his head. Lonely boys?  In his day
even the biggest loser had at least one good buddy.  What was the world coming
to?
    “Tell me about the girls?”
    “They have created minor problems compared to the
boys.  But, they were overheard talking about getting back at the school for
being put on detention.”
    “Why were they on detention?”
    “Smoking in the lavatory, fighting with other girls
and stealing money from purses.  The usual sort of thing that happens with
troublemakers their age.”
    “Budding bathroom muggers maybe?”
    “Girls have been settling their differences in
lavatories since before my time.  I’m going to talk with everyone on the list
she gave me.  At this time I consider all of them potential suspects.  Maybe
working together as a group.  And don’t be naïve, Sheriff, girls can be just as
bad as boys.”
    Deputy Steele read off the names to the sheriff.  He
knew most of the kids.  Three of the boys he had coached in little league
baseball.  He remembered seeing the girls riding their bikes around town only
last summer.  How could someone go from bicyclist to bomb threat maker in a few
short months?  It all seemed so ridiculous.
    “Divide the list in half.  I’ll take five of the
boys.  What did you learn from the tape?”
    “I listened twice.  The roughness of his voice sounds
like an older man, a smoker.  This may sound odd, but to me his voice sounded
frightened, even sorrowful, like he was speaking with regret.”
    “Hmm?”
    “The Hispanic accent is rural sounding,” continued Deputy
Steele.  “He also has a bit of a Native American tone to his voice, but not
like the San Carlos Apache accent.”
    “Ever heard a Mescalero Apache accent?”
    “No, not that I know of.”
    “I think that is what we