Murder Is Elementary (13 page)

Chapter 44

“Do you want some more coffee, Mom?” asked Hayley. Without waiting for an answer, Hayley went into the kitchen, grabbed the pot and brought it back to the table. She poured herself another cup. “The baby was up three times last night. I think he’s teething.”

“No, thanks. I think you’re right.” Her mom took a bite of a homemade banana muffin. “He’s drooling a lot. You got your first tooth around his age. Rub some teething gel on his gums or give him a frozen teething ring. Poor baby. How’s Antonio doing with his new job?”

“Fine, I guess. We haven’t been communicating much these days.” Hayley felt her eyes beginning to tear up.

“Is anything wrong? Now that he finally has a respectable position is he screwing it up already? I figured he wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“Why are you always so negative about him?” Hayley was beginning to feel anger in the pit of her stomach. “Right from the day you met him you didn’t like him. Remember? I brought him home for Thanksgiving and I was so excited for you to meet him. You made that grimace you make right when you first shook his hand.”

“I did not. I thought he was perfectly lovely,” said her mom.

“Don’t lie, Mom. You gave him the third degree during dinner. You asked him what his parents did, why he was studying theater, what his plans were. Then after dinner when you and I were loading the dishwasher you told me I could do better. You hadn’t known him more than six hours and you already thought he was a loser.”

“I was just looking out for you and I was right, wasn’t I? How many years did it take before you could afford this house? How many years were you married to a teacher? Guys that go into teaching are either lazy or not very bright.”

“You had to keep pushing me to push him. That’s why he felt he needed to cheat on me. He knew he could never live up to my expectations, which is ironic because at first I really didn’t care how much money he was going to make or how much status he had. I loved him just as he was. But then, you kept second-guessing me and making me feel like I’d settled for less than I deserved.”

“Where’s the violin music, Hayley? He cheated on you. See, I was right, wasn’t I? You’re going to divorce him and clean him out of every penny he has. Dad will get you in touch with a good divorce lawyer. I’m sure Arthur will have a colleague he can suggest. And he will never see his sons again. You have to get full custody.”

“No, Mom. He’ll pay for this but I will determine how, not you. I loved him––I still do. It’s about time I told you to butt out.” Hayley folded her arms across her chest.

“Hayley, you really need to move on while you’re still young enough to find someone else. My friend Tanya has a son who is a cardiac surgeon. His wife died of cancer last year––so tragic. Anyhow, I know the two of you would get along. That’s the kind of husband you deserve.” Just then, the baby began to cry over the monitor.

“This discussion is over. You can see yourself out. I have to get the baby.”

Chapter 45

Westbrook Elementary was eerily quiet first thing in the morning.
Schools were meant to be full of children,
thought Jody. Many of her teacher friends loved the early morning serenity but Jody thought it was depressing. This morning she and Antonio were meeting with the parents of the school terror. Their little blond dynamo was by far more of a terror than any boy Jody had ever worked with. Her rap sheet included setting a fire in the girls’ bathroom, throwing a tray of food at the cafeteria manager, and bullying a myriad of students. Her parents didn’t look like the parents of a problem kid. They were both well dressed and articulate. Something must have been going on at home though. This type of extreme behavior had roots.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Vigliotti. Have a seat,” said Antonio. The conference room was warm and inviting. The walls were paneled and the carpet was plush. Antonio liked that the chairs were thickly cushioned. Sometimes meetings went on for a long time. Jody shook their hands and had a seat. They’d met before on several occasions.

“As you know,” said Antonio, “Savannah has a history of disciplinary issues stemming from the day she entered kindergarten. We’ve suspended her countless times, taken away field trips and parties, and even had her write reflections on her behavior. Nothing seems to be working.”

“I know,” said Mr. Vigliotti. “We can’t control her at home either. I’m so sorry that she’s causing such a disruption. We’ve been to three different therapists and they couldn’t give us answers.”

“Sometimes kids act out for attention or to express anger,” said Jody.

“Yes, believe me we know that. She swears she isn’t angry and God knows she gets plenty of attention,” said Mrs. Vigliotti.

“We’re going to try a new solution,” said Mr. Vigliotti. “We’ve been doing research on the internet and there’s a facility not far from here that offers a behavior boot camp. It’s an eight week session. We’re going to pull Savannah out of school for that amount of time. The boot camp has an academic component and they promise the children will not fall behind academically.”

“No.” Jody’s vehement opposition caused Savannah’s parents and Antonio to jump. Jody even surprised herself with the power of her own voice. ”You must not do that. They will ruin her.” Jody stood up and slapped her hand against the oak table.

“Calm down,” said Antonio. “These are her parents and they have obviously researched this a great deal.”

“You just don’t want to deal with her at home.” Jody spit the stinging words out of her mouth. “Do you think they will tame her? Make her into your ideal child? What are you thinking?” She felt her face flush with rage.

“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs.Vigliotti. Excuse us a moment.” Antonio led Jody out of the conference room.

“What on earth is wrong with you? You can’t talk to parents that way. They didn’t do anything wrong. They’re exploring a possible solution––that’s more than most parents around here are willing to do. At least they realize there’s an issue and are trying to fix it.”

“Those camps are horrible. Haven’t you seen those stories about kids who go there and are beaten or made to do hard labor in the heat all day without water. A kid even died at one of those places just last year. You know how passionately I feel about the unjust treatment of children,” said Jody. She was practically out of breath by this point.

“These parents have done their research. I know the facility they’re talking about and it has a wonderful track record. Over the years we’ve had a few of our students go there and they came back much better behaved,” said Antonio.

“They need to accept who that child is and work with her from a position of love and understanding. Do you know how traumatic it will be for that child to be taken out of her home for eight weeks?” said Jody. She had seen this scenario before and it didn’t turn out well.

“It’s been traumatic for the adults and students here who Savannah has been impacting these past few years. Setting that fire was the last straw. If she doesn’t get aggressive help now she’ll wind up in jail. You need to apologize to those parents and just maybe I won’t write up a discipline report on you,” said Antonio. His stern tone caused Jody to step back.

“I’m sorry. This issue is close to my heart.” Jody took a deep breath and walked back into the conference room.

“Mr. and Mrs. Vigliotti, I apologize. I know you’re doing what you think is best for Savannah. I should never have reacted that way.”

“We understand. We know you care about Savannah just as we do. She will come back here a different person, you’ll see,” said Mrs. Vigliotti.

“Yes, I’m sure she will,” said Jody.

Chapter 46

Jody headed back to her office, still upset about the meeting. She ran into Theresa in the hallway.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” said Theresa. She was carrying a stack of papers that Jody assumed she’d just retrieved from her mailbox.

“Oh, I just had an upsetting meeting with Savannah’s parents.” Everyone in school knew who Savannah was, even those who’d never taught her. “They want to send her to that boot camp outside of town.”

“So, maybe that’s what she needs. I bet her teacher will be happy to hear that,” said Theresa.

“Those places destroy lives. I’d never do that to my child,” said Jody.

“There are lots of things we see around here that we’d never do. I guess we both are just going to have perfect children. Can we exchange them if they aren’t?” Theresa laughed and Jody couldn’t help cracking a smile.

“So, how was your date with Prince Charming last night?” said Jody.

“I don’t know. I think I want to break up with him,” said Theresa.

“Why? I thought you were really into him,” said Jody.

“He’s getting more and more possessive. If he texts and I don’t answer immediately he has a fit. If he asks me out and I have plans with you or Becky, he pouts and tries to make me feel guilty. That police detective called me to invite me out to dinner the other day while he and I were at dinner and he was furious.”

“Why don’t you just tell him you need a little breathing room?” suggested Jody.

“We already had that conversation––more than once. I’m going to tell him tonight that I don’t want to see him any more. There. I’ve made up my mind,” said Theresa.

“Good luck. Call me afterwards and let me know how it goes.” said Jody.

“I will. I might need some ice cream therapy afterwards though,” said Theresa.

“I’ll bring over the Ben and Jerry’s,” offered Jody. “Cherry Garcia, or Chunky Monkey?”

“Both,” answered Theresa. She glanced down at her watch. “Oh, I better go. The kids will be coming in a minute. Talk to you later.”

Jody watched her friend disappear down the hall and then went to her office.

She poured herself a cup of coffee.
It feels like it’s at least 3:00,
she thought. She was disappointed when she looked at the clock on her desk and saw that it was barely 12:30. She’d just started listening to her phone messages when she heard a knock. She saw Susan Wiles standing at her doorway.

“Oh, hello, Susan. Come on in. What can I do for you?”
She looks so relaxed
, thought Jody. In fact, every retired teacher whom Jody ever met looked ten years younger than they did while they were teaching. ”You look great.”

“Thank you,” said Susan. “I just wanted to check and make sure you were still keeping the DCF at bay.”

“Yes, I told them Carolina had an aunt who was coming from out of state to stay with her but they will certainly be following up. Have you located the aunt yet?”

“No, not yet. The police are still searching,” said Susan.

“Well I hope they find her soon for Carolina’s sake. I’ll call DCF though. I’ve had plenty of experience with them. Stalling isn’t usually the problem. Most often I have to stay on them to take action. I’ll walk you out.”

Jody and Susan walked into the main office suite. A very handsome man with a dolly full of snacks was signing in. As soon as he was out of earshot, Sandra whistled. “Bye, Macho Man. Come again soon,” said Sandra under her breath.

“Macho Man?” said Susan. Jody watched Susan’s jaw visibly drop.

“Yes,” said Sandra. He used to come around here all the time when Vicky was alive. They spent an awful lot of time in her office with the door closed. He had quite the temper though––Vicky had finally met her match. He and Vicky would get into fights and both of them would be screaming like banshees.”

Jody wasn’t happy to hear that. She hadn’t mentioned to Theresa that David had been seeing Vicky. She figured it was past history. But, in light of what Theresa was saying about how possessive he was and that she planned on breaking up with him, maybe she should know this. She’d have to talk to her during lunch.
Oh no,
she thought.
Theresa’s class was on a field trip. It would have to wait.

Chapter 47

Boy, that was exhausting
, thought Theresa. Chaperoning a classroom full of kids at a hands-on science museum was no easy task. She’d think twice next time the idea of a field trip popped into her mind. The bus was the worse part. The stuffy heat along with all the noise made her nauseated. She grabbed her purse and stopped by Jody’s office but Jody was in a meeting. She decided to go home and try to take a nap before dealing with David that evening. As soon as she got home, she changed into sweats, turned off her phone, and dove under the covers. When she woke up she realized that David would be there in just a few minutes.

I’d better jump in the shower and get ready
, she thought. The Japanese Cherry shower gel revitalized her. She would talk to David over dinner. She had to eat after all and maybe he’d make less of a scene out in public. She turned off the water and dried off with the fluffy bath towel she’d treated herself to during last January’s white sale. The doorbell rang.
Here goes nothing,
she thought.

“Bonsoir, mi amour. Are you ready for dinner? I’m starving,” said David.

“Yes, I sure am. Let me grab my purse,” said Theresa. David helped her into her coat. She locked the door and accompanied him to the car. She remembered how impressed she was the first time she rode in his car. Now the BMW seemed pompous and superficial, just like David.

On the way to the restaurant, Theresa rehearsed the speech she would give David. Her palms were sweating even with her gloves off.

“I made reservations at Benihanas,” said David. One of the things that had been getting on Theresa’s nerves lately was how David never consulted her or took her preferences into consideration when making dinner plans. It was always about what he wanted. She told him many times that she didn’t like to eat red meat but dinner plans more often than not involved a steak house.

“Great,” said Theresa. They arrived at the restaurant and were promptly seated. The restaurant was illuminated only by the small oil lamps in the middle of the tables. Theresa was glad they weren’t sitting at one of the communal tables where the chef cooked for you and a bunch of strangers. That was always uncomfortable. You didn’t know whether or not you were obligated to make small talk or if you could ignore them and focus on the people you came with. Theresa heard knives clanking together and the sizzling of food cooking on the table grills. She smelled grilled steak and even though she was mostly a vegetarian these days, the aroma was none the less enticing. Her stomach growled.

“We’ll have the steak teriyaki,” said David. He ordered a bottle of wine as well.

Theresa waited until they were just about finished eating when she broached the subject of breaking up. “David, I’ve enjoyed getting to know you these past months…”

“I’ve enjoyed spending time with you too, Theresa. I think this relationship has real momentum,” said David.
 

“David, I’m not so sure. Honestly, I don’t think this is working out any more.”

“What are you talking about?” said David. “We’re together every weekend and most days during the week. I know you’re in love with me, and I love you too.”

“David, it should not surprise you that I’m not happy. We’ve talked about you giving me some space but it just hasn’t happened. I’m feeling smothered and I feel like you’re always trying to control me,” said Theresa.

“What?” Theresa saw David’s dark eyes narrow. “You’re kidding me right? We’re great together. I did give you space. I’m the best thing that ever happened to you. You know how much time and money I’ve invested in you? I’m the one who decides when it’s over and it’s not.”

“David, I mean it,” said Theresa. A relationship is a two way street. You’re a great guy, but this is over. I don’t want a relationship with you right now.”

David sat back in his chair and took a long, slow breath. Theresa felt a little, what was it…scared?

“Okay then,” said David. “If that’s how you want it, then that’s how it will be.” He snapped up the check. Theresa felt like every eye in the restaurant was on them. Silently, David pushed away from the table and they exited the restaurant. He was still enough of a gentleman to open the car door for her. Theresa just wanted to evaporate into the night air.
I’ll be home in half an hour and this will all be over,
Theresa told herself. Thoughts of Cherry Garcia danced in her head. She started to cry in spite of herself as David sped out of the parking lot.

“David, I need a tissue,” said Theresa.

“There’s probably a pack in the glove compartment,” answered David. Theresa noticed an iciness in his tone.

Theresa opened the glove compartment. She rummaged around with her hand. She didn’t find a tissue but she did find something interesting––an Epi-pen.

“David, why do you have an Epi-pen? I didn’t know you had any allergies,” asked Theresa.

“I’m deathly allergic to bee stings. I carry it just in case.” He continued driving past the exit for Theresa’s house.

“Where are you going?” asked Theresa. She was beginning to panic.

“You’ll see,” snapped David.

“David, take me home right now.” Her breathing got quicker and she could feel her heart beating in her chest. “Where are you going?”

David was silent and continued driving for what seemed like an eternity. Theresa couldn’t read her watch in the dark and realized that in her haste she’d left her phone on her bed. David abruptly exited the highway, winding and twisting now through the mountains. Theresa thought about opening the door and jumping out of the car but there was nothing but dark woods on either side of the road. They hadn’t passed another car since exiting the Thruway. She was definitely in a panic.

“David, come on. Where are we going? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. You know what, let’s continue seeing each other. I didn’t realize you were in love with me. Now that I think about it, I’m in love with you too.”

David gripped the steering wheel even more tightly and kept driving.