"But he's accused Dave. And the situation is very serious. If I am going to deal correctly with Dave, I need to know what happened between them."
"I've told you what happened."
"You saw it happen?"
"No, but it was reported by Mr. Arthur, the playground supervisor. He is very accurate in the matter of disputes, I can assure you. The point is, we don't allow biting, Mrs. Kendall."
Lynn was feeling an invisible hand pressing on her. The conversation had a distinct uphill quality. "Perhaps I should talk with my son Jamie," Lynn said.
"Jamie's story will agree with David's, I'm sure. The point is, Mr. Arthur says that it didn't happen that way."
"The bigger boy didn't attack Jamie first?"
The principal stiffened. "Mrs. Kendall," she said, "in cases of disciplinary disputes, we can refer to a security camera on the playground. We can go to that if we need to - now or later. But I would encourage you to stay with the issue of the biting. Which is David. However uncomfortable that may be."
"I see," Lynn said. The situation was clear. "All right, I will deal with Dave, when he comes home from school."
"I think you should take him with you."
"I would prefer he finish the day," she said, "and walk home with Jamie."
"I don't think - "
"Dave has a problem integrating in the classroom, as you explained," Lynn said. "I don't think we help his integration if we pull him out of class now. I will deal with him when he comes home."
The principal nodded reluctantly. "Well..."
"I will speak to him now," Lynn said, "and tell him he'll stay here for the rest of the day."
CHapter 056
Alex Burnetjumped out of the cab and ran toward the school. When she saw the ambulance, her heart began to pound.
A few minutes before, she had been with a client - who was sobbing - when the receptionist buzzed to say that Jamie's teacher had called. Something about a doctor's visit for her son. The story was garbled, but Alex didn't wait. She handed the client a box of Kleenex and ran. She'd jumped in a cab downstairs and told the guy to run stoplights.
The ambulance was at the curb, doors open, a white-coated doctor waiting in the back - she wanted to scream. She had never felt like this before. The world was greenish-white; she was sick with fear. She ran past the ambulance and into the school courtyard. The mother at the front desk said, "Can I help - " but Alex knew where Jamie's classroom was, on the ground floor, at the rear courtyard. She headed straight toward it.
Her cell phone rang. It was Jamie's teacher, Miss Holloway. "That woman is waiting outside the class," she whispered. "She gave me a letter with your phone number on it, but I didn't trust that. I used the number we had on your school file and called that..."
"Good work," Alex said. "I'm almost there."
"She's outside."
Alex came around the corner and saw a woman in a blue suit, standing outside the classroom. Alex went right up to her. "And who the hell are you?"
The woman smiled calmly, held out her hand. "Hi, Ms. Burnet. Casey Rogers, I'm sorry you had to come all this way."
She was so easy, so relaxed, Alex was disarmed. She put her hands on her hips, breathing deeply, catching her breath. "What seems to be the problem, Casey?"
"There isn't any problem, Ms. Burnet."
"You work in my office?"
"Gosh no. I work in Dr. Hughes's office. Dr. Hughes wanted me to pick up Jamie and bring him in for his tetanus shot. It's not an emergency, but it does need to be done. He cut his ankle a week ago, isn't that right?"
"No..."
"No? Well, I can't imagine...Do you suppose I was sent for the wrong child? Let me call Dr. Hughes..." She took out her cell phone.
"Yes, do that."
Inside the classroom, the kids were looking at them through the glass. She waved to Jamie, who smiled back.
"Perhaps we should move away," Casey Rogers said. "Not disrupt them." Then into the phone: "Dr. Hughes, please. Yes. It's Casey."
Together, they walked back toward the school entrance. Through the entry arch, Alex saw the ambulance. Alex said, "Did you bring an ambulance?"
"Gosh, no. I have no idea why it's here." She pointed to the windshield. "Looks like the driver is eating lunch."
Through the windshield, Alex saw a burly man with a black goatee munching on a submarine sandwich. Had he stopped by the school just to eat lunch? Something about that didn't seem right. She couldn't put her finger on it.
"Dr. Hughes? It's Casey. Yes, I'm with Ms. Burnet right now, and she says her son Jamie did not cut his foot."
"He did not," Alex repeated. They walked through the arch and outside, moving closer to the ambulance. The driver put his sandwich on the dashboard and opened the door on the driver's side. He was getting out.
"Yes, Dr. Hughes," Casey said, "we're leaving the school right now." She held the phone out to Alex. "Would you like to speak to Dr. Hughes?"
"Yes," Alex said. As she put the phone to her ear, she heard a piercing electronic shriek - it disoriented her - she dropped the phone as Casey Rogers grabbed her elbows and yanked her arms back. The driver was coming around the front of the ambulance toward her.
"We don't need the kid," the driver said. "She'll do fine."
It took a moment before she put it together: they were kidnapping her. What happened next was instinct. She slammed her head straight back, hitting Casey in the nose. Casey screamed and let go. Blood gushed down from her nose. Alex grabbed Casey's arm and swung her forward, throwing her at the big man. He sidestepped gracefully as Casey hit the concrete and rolled, howling in pain.