cheek. “Stop it!” She squirmed to free her arms.
Scott was a little shorter than her, Mo half a head taller. The bus lurched to a stop, knocking the boys off balance and enabling Casey to wedge her elbows against their chests.
“Enough!” Marie yelled. “You two are out of here.”
“All right, kids,” Lou called out. “Back off.”
The boys kept scowling at each other. Neither of them moved. Marie reached Mo just as Scott shoved past Casey and drove his fist into Mo’s stomach. Mo lost his balance and grabbed Casey’s arm. She tried to break free but couldn’t and went down with him. The back of her head thudded against the floor.
“Casey!”
She heard Lou’s voice, but her eyes were shut tight as waves of pain ricocheted around her head. Mo’s leg jostled under her right thigh and then slid free. The back of her head felt like it was on fire. She opened her eyes, but wavering black dots made it hard to focus on the faces hovering above her.
“Casey?” Lou asked. “Are you okay, hon?”
“I think so.” She closed her eyes again, hoping the dots would go away. Her head pounded so hard she could only hear snippets of chatter.
“Sorry, lady.” Mo’s voice. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Move back!” Lou reached for Casey’s arm. “Let’s get you up.”
Hands slid under her back. Pain shot across her skull as they helped her sit up.
“Where are you hurt?” Lou asked. “It’s your head, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Casey squinted while hands clasped her back and shoulders. Nausea rippled through her as she was lifted off the floor and into a seat. Perspiration dampened her upper lip.
Lou’s warm hands touched her cheeks. “I’ll call for an ambulance.”
“Don’t, I just need aspirin and a cold pack.”
“You might have a concussion.”
“Sorry about what happened.” Scott looked panic-stricken as he appeared in front of her. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
Before she could respond, Lou turned on the kid. “She asked you to stop and you didn’t!” He removed a notepad from his shirt pocket. “I want your name and phone number.”
After Scott mumbled the information, he and his friends left the bus.
A minute later, Marie reappeared. “The other bunch is leaving too. I’ve got their names and numbers.”
Lou turned to Casey, his eyes filled with worry and what she thought might be fear. “You look so pale.”
“I’m fine.” She tried a smile, but it made her feel worse. “I blew it again.”
“You took action from the get-go, and of course you couldn’t manhandle a bunch of kids, especially after what Jasmine did.”
Casey started to shake her head, but it hurt too much. “I’m off my game. Can’t even catch the stupid rockhound.”
“Lou, it looks like the fight’s continuing outside,” Marie said. “It’d be safer if we call the police rather than intervene.”
“Then do it,” he said as he studied Casey. “Let me check your head.”
His fingertips began a gentle probe until she gasped with pain. “You’re already swelling. I’ll get a pack from the first aid kit.”
Casey took slow, deep breaths to calm her churning stomach. Around her, passengers muttered things she couldn’t quite decipher.
As Lou returned, he hit the pack, then shook it. “Here, it’s already getting cold.” He handed the pack to Casey. “I don’t have any painkillers, but I’ll see if Marie does.” He squeezed her hands. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
“Absolutely.” Carefully, she held the pack against the part that hurt the most.
“Okay, call if you need me.”
Marie joined them. “Are you all right, Casey?”
“I will be.”
“I’ve got Advil.” Marie dropped a couple of pills in her hand, then gave her the bottled water she always carried.
“Thanks.” After she took the pills, she closed her eyes once again. Gradually, conversations faded as she blocked out everything and tried to relax.
She had no idea how much time had passed when Marie shouted, “Look at that!”
Casey sat up slowly as they turned into Mainland’s yard. She didn’t notice anything unusual until the bus was facing the garage at the back of the depot. Someone had spray painted “Remember Jasmine” in large red letters across the top of the building.
Lou helped her off the bus. When they reached her Tercel, he stopped to examine the back of her head. “You’re growing one hell of a goose egg. Are you sure you don’t need a doctor?”
“The Advil’s helping.” She had no intention of waiting in an emergency room for god knows how long. “I should go in and write my report. Stan will want it asap.”
“You can do it from home. Didn’t you just buy a laptop so you could send reports from anywhere?”
“Good point. I just need a few more minutes before I get behind the wheel.”
“I’ll get you another cold pack, and then I should drive you home.”
She didn’t want to leave her car here. As Lou hurried toward the admin building, Casey leaned against the Tercel and gazed at the sign. Given everything she’d learned about Jasmine this week, how could she not remember her?
She surveyed the silver compact parked next to her. Didn’t Eisler’s assistant, Jan, drive one? Or was it the new girl? Shit, why was she even thinking this way? The vehicle spotted at the murder scene probably didn’t belong to Mainland staff at all.
“Do you like the sign?”
Casey turned to find Roberto strolling up to her, his lunch pail and apple in hand. A grease streak ran down his right pant leg. “Well, it’s big. Who made it?”
“That’s a mystery.” Roberto’s amused expression faded as he stepped closer to her. “You look hung over.”
“I got caught between two kids fighting. Fell and hit my head.”
“Marie must have had a shitty time too.” He glanced over his shoulder at the admin building. “I passed her a minute ago and said hi, but she wouldn’t even look at me. I wonder if she heard about the pool.” He bit into his apple.
“What pool?”
Roberto chewed a few moments. “After Marie started telling people about the VP being hot for Jasmine and that he didn’t have an alibi, some of the guys started a murder pool.”
“Tacky, Roberto.”
“They’re just trying to help the morale around here. Anyway, Birch is the heavy favorite despite his so-called alibi, though my money’s on Eisler.”
“Why?”
Roberto’s expression became grim. “The night before Jasmine died, she called me around midnight. Said that Eisler had phoned her earlier, while Noel was there. The jerk wanted to meet her for a drink, but she turned him down.”
“Have you told the police?”
“I will when I need to.” He took another bite of apple.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing much.” Roberto shrugged and kept chewing.
“Hey, would you like to take one of Jasmine’s hamsters or guinea pigs off my hands? I can’t keep them.”
“No, you know me; I’m rarely home.”
The smell of diesel fumes from an incoming bus made her feel nauseous. Nearby, three clerical staff stopped walking to look up at the sign.
