“Bonnie used to coach the cheerleaders ten years or so ago. That was about the time that you were in high school, wasn’t it, Hannah?”

“Yes, it was. But I don’t remember that.”

“Were you a cheerleader?”

“Heavens, no! Andrea was the one who went to the try-outs, not me. I never was very athletic.”

“Then that’s probably why you didn’t know that Bonnie was coaching the cheerleaders.”

“I remember that Bonnie was always at the school for one thing or another. She did a lot of things there, but I never knew that she was involved with the cheerleaders.”

“Well, she was. Boyd told me that she had classes for the cheerleaders in the gym after school on Mondays and Wednesdays. Bonnie was a head cheerleader in college and she taught the girls all the cheers she remembered. It was part of her volunteer work. She’s always been very active with the school, and in the community, too.”

“I know,” Hannah said with a smile. “Bonnie belongs to as many clubs as my mother does. And that’s a whole lot!”

“To tell the truth, I don’t know how Bonnie does it. She never backs down when they ask her to do something, and she’s on the board of almost every charity. She’s very active with the children’s home, and she even volunteers at the senior center.”

Hannah’s mind was spinning so fast at this new information, she wasn’t quite sure what to ask next. But that didn’t matter because Danielle began to elaborate.

“I think that’s one of the reasons why Bonnie cancelled her class today. She must be very upset about what happened to Phyllis Bates. Phyllis was one of Bonnie’s cheerleaders, and Bonnie worked very hard to turn Phyllis’s life around. Bonnie and Gil never had children and Phyllis was like a daughter to Bonnie. She took Phyllis shopping for the right kind of clothes, gave her advice on everything from schoolwork to dating, and picked her up for church every Sunday.”

“Bonnie told you all that?”

“Yes. Bonnie’s a fascinating woman, a real do-gooder, and I mean that in a positive way. She said that Phyllis was heading down the wrong path when she was in junior high, flirting with the older boys and wearing clothes that were too provocative. Bonnie just knew that Phyllis would get into trouble if she didn’t change her ways, so she took Phyllis under her wing.”

“By encouraging Phyllis to try out for the junior varsity cheerleading squad?” Hannah guessed.

“That’s right. Bonnie said she did her best to teach Phyllis how to be a lady and maintain good grades and good moral values. And Bonnie was proud that her effort had worked. Phyllis gained self-confidence and began to date a really nice senior boy.”

“Herb Beeseman,” Hannah said.