about the Boy Scouts for Scooter. It’s a good organization that can help teach our youth traditional values. I’ve signed my Artie up for Cub Scouts. Yolanda is the organizer for the area. She can get you set up with a troop for Scooter, I’m sure.”
“It sounds good, but Scooter has soccer. I’m afraid he’s already pretty busy.”
“An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Virginia shook her finger at me as if she were scolding me. “It’s best to keep our children busy. You should at least look into it. In fact, there’s an informational dinner at the community center tonight. I remember Scooter from the last time he lived here. The child is in serious need of discipline. You really should plan to attend.”
“I’ll think about it. It’s been nice catching up, but I really am in a hurry.”
“I heard Zak is about to launch some new software that will revitalize the industry,” Virginia commented as I tried to scurry away.
“Yes, it launches at the end of the month.”
“I’d love to hear all about it.”
“And I’d love to tell you, but I’m in a hurry.” I stopped walking and looked at the woman. I really did need to get rid of her before I reached Salinger’s car. “Call me next week and we’ll have lunch to catch up. We can talk about the PTA then as well.”
“I’ll do that.”
She wouldn’t.
Virginia and I hadn’t been friends in elementary school and we weren’t friends now. I was certain the only reason she’d even stopped to talk to me was to try to get a juicy piece of gossip about the millionaire I’d married.
She hugged me and turned back toward the admin office and I continued to the parking lot.
It was starting to rain heavily by the time I managed to retrieve the blanket from Salinger’s squad car. When I got back to the spot where he was waiting with Mrs. Brown’s body, it had started to pour.
“What took you so long?” Salinger asked.
“I ran into Virginia Wilson.”
Salinger frowned. Virginia was famous in Ashton Falls for being both a gossip and a complainer. I wasn’t a bit surprised the sheriff knew exactly who she was. I was willing to bet she called the sheriff’s office to complain about one thing or another on a weekly basis.
“She doesn’t know what’s going on?” Salinger asked.
“No, I managed to get rid of her.”
“Good. That woman is a real thorn in my backside.”
“Doesn’t it seem odd to you that the lunch lady was on campus fully clothed in lunch lady attire even though there are no students to cook for?” I asked.
“I suppose she could have been preparing food to freeze, or maybe she was just stocking the pantry,” Salinger suggested.
“Maybe, but what was she doing out here on the hopscotch course?”
Salinger picked up a cigarette stub with a gloved hand. “I’m guessing she was taking a break.”
I frowned. I didn’t remember Mrs. Brown being a smoker. Of course she wouldn’t have smoked in front of the students, so maybe she had her secret vice and I just hadn’t known about it. After one of my best friends, Levi Denton, got a job coaching at the high school, I’d found out a lot of things about the faculty that I’d never have suspected. As a student, you view your teachers as beyond reproach, but I’d learned in recent years that the veil of perfection teachers tried to convey was often no more than an illusion.
Of course that wasn’t true of all teachers. Since Levi had been working at the high school I’d discovered that some of the faculty I’d most feared as a student were the nicest once you got to know them.
“Do you happen to know if Mrs. Brown has any family?” Salinger asked.
“Not that I know of. Her name is Mrs. Brown, so I imagine there is or was a husband in the mix. Principal Bower is in his office. I’m sure he can answer your questions about her personal life.”
Salinger looked up toward the sky. “You can go ahead and go. No use both of us getting soaked to the
“It sounds good, but Scooter has soccer. I’m afraid he’s already pretty busy.”
“An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Virginia shook her finger at me as if she were scolding me. “It’s best to keep our children busy. You should at least look into it. In fact, there’s an informational dinner at the community center tonight. I remember Scooter from the last time he lived here. The child is in serious need of discipline. You really should plan to attend.”
“I’ll think about it. It’s been nice catching up, but I really am in a hurry.”
“I heard Zak is about to launch some new software that will revitalize the industry,” Virginia commented as I tried to scurry away.
“Yes, it launches at the end of the month.”
“I’d love to hear all about it.”
“And I’d love to tell you, but I’m in a hurry.” I stopped walking and looked at the woman. I really did need to get rid of her before I reached Salinger’s car. “Call me next week and we’ll have lunch to catch up. We can talk about the PTA then as well.”
“I’ll do that.”
She wouldn’t.
Virginia and I hadn’t been friends in elementary school and we weren’t friends now. I was certain the only reason she’d even stopped to talk to me was to try to get a juicy piece of gossip about the millionaire I’d married.
She hugged me and turned back toward the admin office and I continued to the parking lot.
It was starting to rain heavily by the time I managed to retrieve the blanket from Salinger’s squad car. When I got back to the spot where he was waiting with Mrs. Brown’s body, it had started to pour.
“What took you so long?” Salinger asked.
“I ran into Virginia Wilson.”
Salinger frowned. Virginia was famous in Ashton Falls for being both a gossip and a complainer. I wasn’t a bit surprised the sheriff knew exactly who she was. I was willing to bet she called the sheriff’s office to complain about one thing or another on a weekly basis.
“She doesn’t know what’s going on?” Salinger asked.
“No, I managed to get rid of her.”
“Good. That woman is a real thorn in my backside.”
“Doesn’t it seem odd to you that the lunch lady was on campus fully clothed in lunch lady attire even though there are no students to cook for?” I asked.
“I suppose she could have been preparing food to freeze, or maybe she was just stocking the pantry,” Salinger suggested.
“Maybe, but what was she doing out here on the hopscotch course?”
Salinger picked up a cigarette stub with a gloved hand. “I’m guessing she was taking a break.”
I frowned. I didn’t remember Mrs. Brown being a smoker. Of course she wouldn’t have smoked in front of the students, so maybe she had her secret vice and I just hadn’t known about it. After one of my best friends, Levi Denton, got a job coaching at the high school, I’d found out a lot of things about the faculty that I’d never have suspected. As a student, you view your teachers as beyond reproach, but I’d learned in recent years that the veil of perfection teachers tried to convey was often no more than an illusion.
Of course that wasn’t true of all teachers. Since Levi had been working at the high school I’d discovered that some of the faculty I’d most feared as a student were the nicest once you got to know them.
“Do you happen to know if Mrs. Brown has any family?” Salinger asked.
“Not that I know of. Her name is Mrs. Brown, so I imagine there is or was a husband in the mix. Principal Bower is in his office. I’m sure he can answer your questions about her personal life.”
Salinger looked up toward the sky. “You can go ahead and go. No use both of us getting soaked to the
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