Not in High School Anymore

By Juli Adla

Not in High School Anymore
By Juli Adla

Everyone loves the beach with the fresh air, the surf, and the close-knit community. In this modern mystery, the Long Beach Washington "Peninsula" is the setting. But, real life is not a vacation. Real life is a mixture of joy, anxiety, and a lot of work. This is a complex story about a young couple who are building a life no longer based on Chemistry tests and football games. Randy and Sari have so much potential, but must climb over, work around, and dig deep to overcome the many obstacles thrown in their path. And, murder complicates it all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Juli Adla
• Release date: Nov 10, 2019

Juli Adla

Juli Adla wrote her first play in grade 5. She now writes for her own enjoyment of creating feasible plots with believable characters. She was disappointed in the female characters in many novels having grown up around strong, resilient women. The men she knows have much more depth than often depicted in modern literature.She and her husband made the decision to stay in the Pacific Northwest to raise their family. Now, including grandchildren, the family has roots in 5 continents. Her husband, a retired police officer, is her technical resource for her mystery novels.Adla has worked in business, politics, but mostly education as a teacher and administrator. She hopes her readers enjoy her books as much as she enjoyed creating them.

Book preview

Not in High School Anymore

a novel by

Juli Adla

Copyright 2019Juli Adla

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Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 - Assault

CHAPTER 2 – More Questions Than Answers

CHAPTER 3 - The Victim Had Enemies

CHAPTER 4 - A New Perspective

CHAPTER 5 – More Stress

CHAPTER 6–Not a Vacation

CHAPTER 7 - Renewal

CHAPTER 8 - Healing

CHAPTER 9–A Family Plan

CHAPTER 10–A Fight to the Finish

About the Author

CHAPTER 1 – Assault

Sari loved being out in this gentle fall weather. It made running much easier. Summer was never miserably hot on the Washington coast, but sometimes, cooler air was the runner’s friend. She loved the soft mornings, too. The wind and rain usually held off until the afternoons, accept that this was a very pretty fall. The rains had not yet begun, and there was little breeze coming off the Pacific. She had two hours before she went to work and this was her indulgence. After Randy left for work, she could usually fit in a run. She wondered if she would have to change to walking soon.

The paved path along the boardwalk was wonderful. The curves and inclines made a varied run that was a good workout. She continued on the path after the boardwalk ended. As she crossed the wooden bridge over a high tide inlet, she could see a bicyclist had stopped up ahead. As she approached, she recognized Todd Bricker as he took off his helmet.

Sari, out for a little run? His gaze was thorough.

She slowed to a walk as she came close. He was not one of her favorite people, but he was Randy’s coworker.

Hi, Todd. Are you on vacation?

No, just some comp time. Morgan and I are training for a ride.

Oh. Well, see you. She moved past him.

Sari. Did you see the fishing boat that washed up last night? His voice was full of wonder.

She stopped. She couldn’t imagine why she hadn’t heard about it.

No. Where?

Here. Long Beach. He laid his bike down at the side of the path and headed towards the beach.

It’s a mess, he called back to her.

Sari started up the dune behind him. She was filled with concern and hoping to see an empty vessel with towlines attached. She knew many of the fishing families and didn’t take this lightly. They had crossed one hillock and walked around a small knoll when he stopped. He turned and gave her a smile.

We have some privacy here.

She was confused as to why he stopped and tried to walk around him towards the beach. He grabbed her arm.

What? she tried to pull away.

Don’t play games with me, Sari. His face was really close. He smooth good looks had never impressed Sari, now his smile frightened her.

I know what you do on those nights Randy plays poker with the guys.

Let go of my arm, Todd. You aren’t conning me with that college boy line, she yelled at him.

He let go of her arm, but gave her a hard push backwards. She stumbled and regained her footing. But before she could run back to the path, he had stepped closer and pushed her again. She fell backwards onto the soft sand. His smile didn’t change as he sat down across her and held her there. She tried to twist away, but he outweighed her by at least forty pounds.

Let me up, Todd, she demanded.

Sari. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of this before. Well, maybe not with me. Come on, we can have a little fun. Nobody will know. You think you can come out here in your little running clothes and pretend not to want this. His voice was full of sarcasm.

She began to punch at him with her fists. She opened her mouth to scream, but he placed his hand over it. On the empty beach with the sounds of the surf, it would have been futile, anyway.

Come on. You’ll like it. He grabbed her wrists and leaned forward to try to kiss her. His cologne was overwhelming.

She was moving her head from side to side to avoid him.

He brought her arms down across her chest and gripped her wrists with one hand. Go ahead, keep struggling. I like to fight. It makes it more fun. Come on, fight me, Sari. He stretched out on top of her and was pulling at her shorts.

She felt like she was suffocating. Not from his weight, but from fear. She prayed for the right words to stop him.

If you do this, you better kill me, cause Randy will make you wish you were dead, she was talking fast and feeling the panic rise in her. Let me go and I won’t tell Randy. I won’t tell anybody. Please don’t do this.

She was willing to negotiate just to be free of him.

Oh, Sari. You can’t pretend to care about that little boy you married. I bet Randy’s pretty useless after that six pack he finishes every night. He was laughing at her.

Please, let me up. Todd, I promise. No one will know.

He looked at her and seemed amused by her fear.

She didn’t understand how he could think this was amusing.

He shook his head and rolled off of her, but told her, Okay, okay. But, if you get tired of that punk, you know where to find me.

She rolled away from him and scrambled to her feet. She was afraid she was shaking too much to walk, but with each step back to the path, she became surer of her footing. When she crossed the last knoll, she saw another bicyclist waiting by Bricker’s bike. Sari thought it must be Bricker’s riding partner Hank Morgan. She knew she couldn’t face him so she cut across the sand away from him to reach the path and started running back towards town.

Bricker wasn’t far behind her.

Morgan watched him walk down the dune through the beach grass.

What you been up to, Bricker?

Just a little fun.

Wasn’t that Randy’s wife? She didn’t look like she was having fun.

Well, I…I had to break it off. I’m not risking my friendship with a coworker for some little bitch. She didn’t take it too well. She’ll find some other sucker soon enough. Feel sorry for Comstock. He probably doesn’t have a clue she whores around. Bricker felt justified in slamming Sari. If she wouldn’t play with him, he would make life a little miserable for her.

Morgan just looked at him.

You’re an arrogant bastard, Bricker.

You want a go at her. I don’t care. Apparently, Randy isn’t taking care of business. Is it my fault? Bricker laughed.

Morgan shook his head and rode away. Bricker followed him.

Oh, thank you God, thank you God, Sari repeated again and again then, she started to feel sick. She finally stopped at a trashcan to throw up. She wanted Randy. The tears were running down her face. She stayed away from the main street and kept running until she reached her front door. She fumbled with the key and had trouble getting it right side up through her tears. She thought she would drive to the shop and tell him. She realized she shouldn’t drive when she was this upset. She called instead.

He’s out on the road, Sari. He gave some guys comp time so he took the truck out himself. You want me to radio him. He probably out on the pass somewhere. He said he was going to look at some unstable ground out there, Mick Thomas told her.

No. No. Just tell him to call home when he can. Thanks.

She stood in the shower for a full half hour and cried. She tried to wash the shame and fear away. She only got out because the water was getting too cold.

She was more confused when she got out. Should she report it to the police? It would be so embarrassing. She had attended Ilwaco High School with two of the local policemen and the Chief was her friend’s uncle. Maybe Bricker was just being obnoxious. But, she had been truly afraid. How could she every face him at a department function again? Well, Randy never took her to any of the picnics or Christmas parties anyway. He always said they were ‘guy things.’

She wanted to tell Randy, but what about his temper? She had told Bricker she wouldn’t tell if he let her go. What if Randy beat him up? What if Randy didn’t? What if he didn’t believe her? His work was everything to him. His buddies at work were important to him. She had learned that early on and he loved being a supervisor. He would lose his job if he hit a coworker.

She automatically got ready for work. She left the house wearing her black slacks and green golf shirt and carried her apron. She felt calm enough to drive. She drove past the restaurant parking lot and had to turn around and come back. She concentrated to make her face look natural.

Ellen looked up when she came through the door.

Hi, Sari. You look beat. Are you sure you want to work today?

Yes, yes. I’ll work. It was the wrong decision. She confused three orders and dropped a coffee pot. It was almost time for her shift to be over when Ellen summoned her to the phone. Randy was returning her call.

Hi, are you coming home after work? She was trying to control her voice.

Not tonight. Remember, poker at Ben’s. It’s Tuesday. Why?

I just wanted to talk. She dare not reveal too much.

Can’t you call one of your girlfriends? I really would like this night out.

Sure. You deserve it. See you later.

She never said ‘I love you’ when he was at work. He hated it. He said it made him feel like he was supposed to say it, too, in front of his coworkers.

She went home to an empty house and tried to follow some sort of normal routine. It wasn’t long before she realized that every floor squeak and every branch scraping the siding created a panic attack. She didn’t know what to do to feel calm. She finally went to bed and slept. She didn’t wake up when Randy came home. In the next few days, she slept ever minute that she was home alone. She knew it was a stress response.

Work was something else. She still couldn’t concentrate on the orders and had to have customers repeat. Thursday she thought she saw Todd Bricker coming in the door. She actually started shaking, even after she realized it wasn’t him. She had to force herself to get out of the car at home especially if it was after dark. She felt sad and angry and confused, but still didn’t feel she could tell anyone.

Sari let herself believe it would just fade away. She was sure she could eventually control the fear and anger. She began to mentally practice how she would respond if she saw Bricker, again. She was well aware that in this small community, she would eventually run into him.

On Saturday morning, she dressed to run after setting out breakfast for Randy. He came out of the bedroom in his pajama pants looking sleepy. His blond hair was messy and he hadn’t shaved yet. He sat down at the kitchen table.

Where you going? he asked yawning as he watched her get a water bottle.

I’m going to run. Would you come with me today?

So you have started stealing my sweats? he teased her.

She hadn’t worn her shorts and T-shirt to run since that morning. Bricker’s words kept ringing in her ears about how she was dressed.

I’ll change if you want your sweats, will you come?

No. We’re headed up to Kristianson Peak to look for elk sites this morning. I’ll get all the exercise I need. See you tonight.

She gave him a kiss and left alone. She couldn’t tell him how much she wanted him to go with her without telling him the whole story. She walked through the back streets to warm up before she hit the trail that paralleled the boardwalk. Since Tuesday, she felt her anxiety build each time she was alone on the trail. If she was alone with some man on the path, she could feel her breathing quicken until she could spot a third walker or runner. In the early morning, it was difficult to run with a crowd. At one point, she decided she would give up this routine. But then her resolve kicked in and she decided she would not let scum like Bricker dictate her life.

She sat on one of the benches at the far north end of the path. It was so quiet. The sun was low still, but there was promise of another beautiful fall day.