Four Little Problems

“Um, yes. I’ve taken over as PTO president and I hoped the, um, disk might clarify some questions.”

“Principal Ross filed a report this morning about the missing funds. Kind of coincidental that you spoke with her yesterday and retrieved the disk last night. Interfering with an investigation is serious business, ma’am.”

“But there wasn’t an investigation yet.”

He nodded. “Technically, you’re right. But you were aware there would be. There could be a question of whether you tampered with the disk.”

“I did not tamper with it.” But her conscience twinged. Should she tell them she’d made copies of the disk? No. Tampering meant changing or destroying—copying hadn’t changed the original one bit. “I was hoping there might be information that would clear all this up and the police wouldn’t have to be involved.”

The officer held her gaze. “How closely did you work with Mrs. Bigelow?”

Emily forced herself not to blink, not to glance away. “I might have said hello to her at a PTO meeting, but for the most part, she didn’t think I was quite up to her standards.”

The officer’s eyes twinkled for a moment and he almost cracked a smile. “Yes, I understand she could be very, um, particular.”

Emily glanced at his badge. Officer G. Kirk. Jason played basketball with a Kirk. That must be his son. And she recalled hearing that his wife had had words with Tiffany over a school slogan contest or something. Nodody’s ideas had ever been as good as Tiffany’s.

“The word I had in mind started with a B, but I guess particular will work,” Emily commented dryly.

Officer Kirk coughed. “Do you have the disk with you?”

“Yes. In my purse.” She rummaged through her large bag and produced the disk. “Do you need some sort of affidavit that I haven’t changed anything on it?”

“If you’d handwrite a quick note, that would be helpful. We might need something more formal later.”

“Sure.” She pulled out a yellow note pad and quickly wrote the note. Tearing off the sheet, she handed it to him. “I’m sorry, officer, I didn’t intend to interfere with your investigation.”

“It looks like there was no harm done.” He sealed the disk and her note in separate bags. “Thank you for your time.”

“You’re welcome.”

Emily breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind him. Only then did she realize her knees were shaking. She’d put herself and her children at risk listening to Patrick Stevens.

It was hard to concentrate the next few hours, but somehow she managed. Finally, Olivia left for a meeting.

Picking up the phone, Emily dialed the number for Elmwood Elementary. She knew it by heart after having kids enrolled there so long. She punched in Patrick’s room number and was surprised when he picked up.

“Don’t you have classes to teach?” she demanded.

“My students are in Art. And this is?”

“Emily Patterson. The woman who went out on a limb for you. The same woman police interviewed at her place of employment because she did a favor for you.”

“You’re kidding. What did they want?”

“And you’re supposed to be a genius. The disk, Einstein.”

“Actually, I’m only highly intelligent. My IQ is a few points shy of genius level.”

“Quit playing games, Stevens. They asked me if I tampered with the disk.”

“You didn’t. I imagine you gave up the disk voluntarily. No harm, no foul.”

“Easy for you to say. I don’t know about you, but I need my job. If I’m unemployed, my kids are homeless with nothing to eat. It’s a little more severe than just missing a Lexus payment.”

“You’re right, Emily.” His voice lowered. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. I’m sorry.”

His apology surprised her. Neither of her ex-husbands had ever admitted being wrong. Even Larry, when she’d caught him riding a two-bit cocktail waitress at the Lazy Eight Motel.

Of course, Larry had explained how it had all been Emily’s fault because she’d gained weight after Ryan’s birth. After all, he could hardly be held accountable when his wife was a fat cow, too tired to make love with her husband.

Though Emily had promptly kicked his sorry butt out of the house, a tiny part of her wondered if he’d been right. She’d even gone so far as to suggest marriage counseling. Thank goodness he’d refused, or she might still be trying to fix a hopeless relationship.

“Emily, are you there?”

“Yes, um, the other line’s ringing,” she lied. “I’ve got to go. Just leave me out of any future schemes, okay, Einstein?”

PATRICK JUGGLED pizza boxes and a plastic sack of two-liter bottles of soda. Somehow he managed to press the doorbell at Emily’s house with his elbow.

His gut told him this was a lame idea. But his conscience told him he’d gotten Emily in a lot of trouble and pizza was the least he could do.

Waiting expectantly, he hunkered down in his jacket. Clear skies, a trace of snow on the ground, it was going to be a cold night.

Finally, the door opened a crack.

Patrick bit back a groan. It figured. “Jason, hi, is your mother home?”

“She’s in the shower.”

The boy’s answer left Patrick nonplussed. He hadn’t thought she would have rushed in the door from work and jumped into the shower. “Oh. I, um, brought pizza.”

“Yeah, I can see.” The door widened a bit and Jason crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. “She doesn’t want your pizza.” He looked Patrick up and down, his smirk leaving no doubt it was more than food he referred to.

Patrick might have been amused if he hadn’t had a history with the kid. As it was, he reminded himself he was the level-headed adult and should respond as such. “Can you let her know I’m here?”

“Like I said, she’s in the shower.”

“You can’t call through the bathroom door?”

“Nope. She sings in the shower. Real loud. And off-key.”

The visual made Patrick smile. He decided to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. “Okay, how about if I come in and wait?”

“No way. One of Mom’s rules. No guests while she’s in the shower.”

Recalling Jason’s interrupted wrestling match with his girlfriend the other night, Patrick realized the rule was probably prudent.

“Okay. I’ll wait out here, then.”