Why Isn't Becky Twitchell Dead?

High school teacher Tom Mason (introduced in Simple Suburban Murder ) puts his life on the line to help a troubled student in Zubro's entertaining mystery. Learning that dumb but likable Jeff Trask has been arrested for the murder of his girl friend, Tom indulges the boy's desperate mother and questions a checkered group of faculty and students. Tom's lover, all-star baseball pitcher Scott Carpenter, plays a big role in the investigation, opening doors with his fame and helping fight off assailants. Not that ex-Marine Tom is unable to fend for himself, but the murders of other students he has questioned suggest that he might not survive his sleuthing without a partner. Those who seem particularly worried about this investigation include the grubby coach, the stuffy school superintendent, the ``Big Man on Campus'' and, most of all, Becky Twitchell, notorious among her peers for her irrational behavior, cruelty and drug pushing. Gradually, Tom and Scott realize that they are homing in on a drug kingpin, whose identity is elusive until the final pages. Tom and Scott are an engaging detective team, and their sleuthing is related in a lively style. (Mar)