The Word of a Child

But he did. And, damn him, remained silent.

Noreen Patterson said firmly, “I’d appreciate it if you would stay.”

Mariah stood for a moment, so near rebellion that she trembled. Nostrils flaring, she stared at Detective McLean, knowing what was coming, hating it and him. He could have rescued her, could have said in that quiet voice, “I don’t think we need Ms. Stavig to be here.”

But he said nothing of the kind, and after an intense inner battle Mariah went back to her seat and waited, head bowed.

Noreen Patterson raised her voice. “Come in.”

“You wanted to see me?” Gerald Tanner looked wary.

The principal asked him to take a seat. The remaining one was right beside Mariah. She stared down at her hands.

“Mr. Tanner, one of your students has accused you of trading a passing grade for sex.”

His body jerked, as though he’d been struck by a bullet. “What?”

Sounding calm, nonjudgmental, Noreen Patterson summarized Tracy’s story.

“Who is the student?” he asked, strain making his voice shake.

“Tracy Mitchell.”

“God.” He bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I’ve had conferences with her—I know she can do the work if only she’d try—but I’ve never…” He drew a breath that was painful to hear.

Unable to prevent herself, Mariah turned her head to see the bewilderment and shock on his face.

“You don’t seriously think I…” He looked from face to face and saw that they did. “Oh my God. This can’t be happening!”

“I’m afraid it is, Mr. Tanner.” Detective McLean spoke quietly. “Any accusation of this magnitude has to be taken seriously.”

“But she’s thirteen years old! A…a child!” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I have never been interested, would never be interested…”

They began to ask questions, and Mariah watched his horrified disintegration.

“You’re going to take her word over mine?” He shoved his chair back. His frenzied gaze encountered Mariah. “Why is she here?”

Mariah opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“The student chose to confide in Ms. Stavig,” the principal said coolly. “Since she’s involved this deeply, I asked her to stay.”

He looked at her with deep hurt. “You couldn’t have come to me?”

“I…” Her voice stuck, unstuck. “You know I have to…”

“Set up an ambush?” He shot out of the chair as if he couldn’t bear to be so close to her.

“Ms. Stavig did nothing but what she is required by law to do, and you know it,” Mrs. Patterson said sharply.

“This is unbelievable!” He paced, his agitation making his gait jerky and his bony limbs look like sticks strung together. “Do I even get a chance to answer these charges? Does anybody care if I’m innocent?”

“Of course we care…”

He swung to face Detective McLean. “Are you going to arrest me?” he shouted. He stuck out his arms. “Here! Handcuff me now. Let’s get it over with. Apparently we can skip the trial, too. The judge and jury are right here!”

He had passed the point of listening to reason, and Mariah couldn’t blame him. They had ambushed him, and she understood his terror as the snares whipped shut on his ankles.

No matter the outcome, his life would never be the same again. Rumors would start, whispers would follow him. Even his best friends would feel doubt. Everyone would wonder: Did he do it? Even if Tracy Mitchell eventually recanted her story the doubts wouldn’t be completely erased. Maybe she was afraid of him; maybe that’s why she says it never happened. Maybe…

“I’m sorry,” Mariah whispered.

The only one who seemed to hear her was Detective McLean, whose mask slipped briefly to reveal a flash of—what? Compassion? Some inner anguish?

Or was it pity, because twice she had been fooled by monsters who walked as men?

The next moment he looked back at Gerald Tanner and said in that quiet, steadying voice, “Mr. Tanner, I have every intention of hearing your side. Teenagers do make up stories like this. You will not be railroaded, I promise.”

Mariah stood up and left, not caring whether the principal would be annoyed.

God help her, she would never look at Gerald Tanner again without hearing the whisper of doubt.

Already those doubts murmured in her ear as she made her way blindly through the office and out the double doors to the parking lot.

But the ones that were not content to murmur, that clawed deep, had nothing to do with a high school computer teacher. Always, always, they had to do with Simon, the man she had loved.

If he had done what they said—of course he hadn’t, but if he had—would he one day touch Zofie in a way no father should?

She got into her car, locked the door and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. She tasted the salt of her own tears.

“What else could I do?” she asked aloud, and didn’t even know if she was talking about Simon or Gerald Tanner.

CHAPTER TWO

CONNOR TOOK A LONG SWALLOW of beer and announced, “I’m starting to hate my job.”

He and his brothers, policemen all, had gathered for their traditional weekly dinner and couple of beers at John’s. John was the only one of them with children and a wife, which meant the sofa coordinated with the leather chair and the Persian rug, the kitchen table wasn’t covered with old pizza boxes and take-out Chinese cartons, and instead of an overflowing hamper, the bathroom had clean, matching towels and, tonight, even flowers in a stoneware vase.

Connor was beginning to think a life of domestic happiness didn’t look so bad. Not that he had any prospects for marriage, but…hell, he could buy a house. A man didn’t need a wife for that.

Right now, the three were slouched in the living room. Natalie, John’s wife, had shooed them out of the kitchen and insisted that she and their mother would clean up. The kids were doing homework upstairs. Whether Mom was here or not, somehow Natalie always managed to give the brothers time to talk. After finishing in the kitchen, Mom usually left, while Natalie was likely to pop in long enough to kiss their cheeks and wish them good-night, exchange a slow, deep look with her new husband, and disappear upstairs to read in bed. And wait for John, who would start getting antsy in an hour or so. Who could blame him, with a luscious woman like Natalie waiting?

Even the idea of a wife wasn’t sounding so bad to Connor. Must be a symptom of age, he figured; his thirtieth birthday had come and gone.

His comment about his job still hung in the air when his mother appeared in the doorway. Voice sharp, she said, “Don’t say things you don’t mean. You sound like a teenager, making too much of some little complaint.”

Surprised by her agitation, Connor raised his brow. “How do you know it’s a little complaint?”

In the act of snatching up a coffee mug left on the end table, she demanded, “Well, isn’t it?”