Take Another Look (15 page)

Jane stared at her beautiful daughter and wondered if the teen was simply naïve or manipulating them all for some mysterious reason.

As the interview wound down, Drum steered the conversation to the question Jane had tried to prepare her daughter for.

“Did you see Olivia in the water?” he asked. “Were you nearby?”

Harper shook her head. “I was hanging out with my friends. We were pretty far from the boathouse.”

“Do you want to show me on the map?”

Jane watched as Harper pointed to a spot near the center of the park—not far from the Ping-Pong tables where Jane had been at that crucial time. Harper was either lying or confused.

“Okay. Were these friends girls from the team?” he asked.

“No.”

No? Jane bit her lower lip as she reconsidered the lecture she'd given about honesty.

“I was with my friend Teddy Pitari,” Harper offered. “And a senior girl. She's not really a friend, but Teddy knows her. Abby Dobler.”

Jane had to restrain herself from pouncing on Harper for having poor judgment. As a freshman student, Abby had been forgetful and inattentive—a C minus all the way. And last year, Abby had been suspended for smoking weed in the locker room while the rest of her PE class was outside on the track. She had followed that mundane offense up with a more creative e-blast of herself, topless, to a handful of male teachers. Luke had been relieved that he was not one of “the chosen.” The second offense had not earned a suspension, as Abby had contended that, while she'd posed for the photo, she had not sent it out. Cyberbullying was a tough charge for the administration to sort out; they did not have the resources or the laws to handle the complaint. The whole incident had left Jane feeling sorry for the girl, whose father was in jail and whose mother had not once attended a meeting to defend her.

“But those aren't her usual friends,” Jane said, as if that would clear Harper's name in some way. “Her closest friends are Emma Suzuki and Sydney Schiavone.”

Eldon Drum nodded sagely. Jane noticed that he hadn't written anything down; she hoped that was a positive sign. He thanked them again for coming in and gave Jane his card. “Call if you have any questions.”

She took the card, grateful to have this interview behind them.

“And Harper,” Drum said, “I'm sorry I can't return your bat, especially with you having a game today. You think you can blast one out of the park without it?”

“I'm sure gonna try.”

“That's the spirit.”

Chapter 16

I
t was hardly a surprise that Mirror Lake won their Sunday afternoon game. Sure, Canby fielded a tough team, but these girls were a well-oiled machine when they were free of distractions like the Ferguson clan. Madison Lowe stepped into the gap caused by Olivia's absence and demonstrated some untapped skills as shortstop. Harper hit two home runs on a borrowed bat and made some phenomenal plays at home.

At the game, the parent contingent was subdued. Jane sensed neither an outpouring of sympathy for Olivia nor a torrent of vigilante fury toward Harper. Some didn't even know about Harper's bat; others didn't seem to be jumping to conclusions, though Jane did notice two moms staring at Harper and whispering behind their hands. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but Luke reassured her with a blunt text:

A greater concern was the possibility of a violent fiend on the loose, most likely a student from the high school, someone passing their kids in the corridors. People were spooked, but with so little reliable information available, they kept the picnic incident out of their conversations.

After the game, Jane had no desire to attend the victory celebration at Pizza Kingdom. She was tired and worried, and there were those assignments to grade, but it was important to save face. “All eyes are on us now,” she had told Harper that morning. “We need to stay positive, be friendly, and speak kindly of Olivia.”

“Just saying, that sounds really dumb,” Harper said. “Who made up those rules?”

“Just be nice.”

“I
am
nice. And this is so unfair. I didn't do anything wrong. Just because someone stole my bat, now I'm supposed to tiptoe around everyone. It's just not fair.”

“Life is not always fair.” Jane tried to keep the frustration from her voice. All things considered, people were giving Harper a pretty fair shake. But Harper didn't see the big picture. On days like this, it was hard for her to see past the annoying zit on her chin.

 

When Jane walked into the English faculty office Monday, she found one of the teachers ranting about lack of supervision at the picnic.

“There's no denying that a baseball bat is a lethal weapon.” Rob Horn was squaring off with Mary Ellen as he used the paper cutter to divide pink papers into small strips. This was the mandate of the last few years; to save paper, teachers now condensed assignments into chunks of tiny print, duplicated them on the same page, and then sliced each printed page into strips that reminded Jane of the blurbs from fortune cookies.

“A lot of things can be used as weapons,” Mary Ellen said. “Lacrosse sticks. Polished apples. Paper cutters.”

“What idiot let a bunch of girls walk in with baseball bats?” Rob asked.

“I did,” Mary Ellen admitted. “They were softball bats, and they were stowed away in big, heavy canvas bags.”

“We were both working the gate,” Jane added with a level look for Rob, who had always been a little leery of students since he'd left the junior high to teach here two years ago. He frequently commented on the hulking size of the senior guys and the incidents of violence in schools across the nation.

He scoffed. “Then shame on you, too.”

“Most of the girls on the softball team came straight from practice,” Jane went on. “I guess we forgot to walk them through the metal detector.”

Mary Ellen bit back a grin.

“Oh, so funny.” Rob's voice was thick with sarcasm. “It's easy to be cavalier about security when you live in the bubble of Mirror Lake.”

“Come on, Rob,” Jane coaxed. “We're talking teenage girls here. Not a major threat.”

“Yeah. Tell that to Olivia.” Rob collected his papers, stacking them quickly. “It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.” His face was flushed with annoyance as he strode out of the office.

“Ah, geez.” Jane sighed.

“What a load of crap.” Mary Ellen stirred creamer into her coffee. “I don't need that. You volunteer to work a school event and suddenly you're supposed to possess superpowers.”

Jane tried to laugh it off, but the shadow of the picnic followed her. Later that day in the school library she noticed that a table of parent volunteers went completely silent as she approached. Their staring eyes seemed to drill at her back like hornets as she led her class to the computer room.

On Tuesday Dr. Gallaway stopped by Jane's classroom to ask how Harper was holding up. Jane wasn't sure if she meant under the strain of suspicion or the fear of a maniac on the loose. But she didn't press the matter, and when Jane told her that Harper was fine, the principal moved on. If Kathleen Gallaway had been a more accessible person, Jane would have asked her about the investigation. She was dying to know who had attacked Olivia. But information was sparse. The school said only that they were cooperating with the police investigation, and the police said nothing.

The whole thing bothered Jane more because she knew that something was up with Harper. Of course, she knew that Harper hadn't done it, but had she been involved in some way? An accomplice? It was a concern. Jane longed for answers, but feared the truth.

At least Harper wasn't worried, and that made life pleasant in the Ryan household. Harper liked her new teachers and had high hopes for achieving decent grades this year without “killing” herself. Her spot as team catcher was secure for the time being. She had befriended the new girl and was lobbying for a sleepover to bring all of her friends together.

And she had her first real boyfriend. Jesse had come to the house twice this week to help Harper with her science homework—a presentation on global warming—and the kid knew his stuff. Not just a boyfriend but a student with prowess. Jane had to hide her glee for fear that Harper would discover his inner nerd and dump him.

On Thursday word came that Olivia was being released from the hospital.

“She still doesn't remember the attack,” Luke told Jane over the phone. He had been getting information from Gray Tarkington, who had decided it was not wise for a school administrator to talk about Olivia with any of the school parents, even if that parent taught at the school. Gray could be so maddening and frustrating, especially since he knew Jane would get the information in a roundabout way.

“Does Olivia remember being afraid of someone that afternoon?” Jane asked as she paced the backyard, pulling weeds and replenishing the bird feeder. “Was she chased? Is she blaming anyone in particular?”

“Nope. No memory, and she's being gracious about it. As if she's embarrassed that she can't remember. The doctors say that her memory could come back in a week or a month—even a year—but there's no guarantee.”

“The police can't be happy about that.” Jane thought about Detective Drum with his easy demeanor and bad knees. Would he leave the case on hold and go in for his surgery as scheduled? Would the department drop the investigation for the time being? “I just can't believe that someone could be attacked that way, beaten, and no one heard or saw a thing.”

“We don't know that. Just because there's been no arrest, it doesn't mean the police don't have some incriminating witness statements,” Luke pointed out. “They may have a suspect in their sights. Maybe they're sitting on him or her until they have enough evidence to build a case.”

Jane dropped a handful of weeds into the bin and paced back toward the deck. “It's driving me crazy. I wish I knew who attacked Olivia.”

“I think everyone feels that way.”

“Everyone isn't under scrutiny the way Harper and I are. I want this to be over.” She thought about calling Detective Drum to ask about the case. After all, he had given her his card and told her to call. But she suspected his intention was to get more information from Jane, not to give it out.

Friday was the first home football game of the season, and Harper, who usually could not care less, was suddenly revved up and ready to roar for the Mirror Lake team. Jane suspected that Harper's enthusiasm was fueled by the opportunity to show off her new boyfriend, whom Harper had invited over for a bite before the game.

“I didn't plan to make dinner,” Jane said when she came downstairs to find the two of them sitting with their thighs touching at the kitchen counter. “I figured we'd just grab something at the game. They'll have pizza and hot dogs and soft pretzels. How does that sound?”

“I'm good, Ms. Ryan,” Jesse said, his dark eyes earnest and huge. Jane was impressed that he looked her in the eye. Some students didn't warm up to eye contact until the fifth week of school.

“I'm so hungry,” Harper insisted, hopping off the stool and opening the fridge. “Why don't I cook for you?” she suggested to Jesse.

Cook for him?
Jane wanted to say.
You don't even cook for yourself.

“Do you like mac and cheese?” Harper lifted the box from the freezer.

Now there was something Harper could cook.

“Sure.” Jesse shrugged and smiled at Jane. “Are you going to the game, Ms. Ryan?”

“I am. I'll be chaperoning.”

“That must be a pain, giving up your Friday nights for a work obligation.” This was more than she had evoked from Jesse Shapiro through all of freshman English.

“Sometimes it's a drag toward the end of the season, especially on those cold, rainy nights. But tonight I'm looking forward to it.”

As Harper popped the block of macaroni into the microwave, they chatted about the football team and Jesse's involvement in the school band. “We'll be playing tonight from the bleachers,” he said. “That part's kind of cool, getting the crowd revved up. But no half-time show, thank God. All that marching makes me feel like a marine recruit.”

“Do you wear uniforms?”

“We're supposed to, but you know . . .” He looked down, his hair falling in his eyes. “The dog ate my homework.”

Jane laughed and left the two of them to eat while she took Phoenix out for a short run around the block. Once upon a time this big dog had been Harper's main companion and confidante. Jane used to love overhearing Harper singing to Phee. She adored the way her daughter admonished the dog to stay safe when chasing the neighbor's cat.
“You have to be careful in the street, honey. It's dangerous out there.”

But Phoenix had been replaced by the BFFs and now Jesse. Harper's boyfriend. Well, at least she had picked an interesting one.

 

Jane let the kids walk to school while she stayed behind to clean up the mess Harper had left in the kitchen. Normally she would have made Harper load the dishwasher, empty the overflowing recycling bin, and wipe down the kitchen counters, but she restrained herself from instituting martial law in front of Jesse. She didn't want to embarrass Harper, but how could the girl walk away from splatters of chocolate milk and sticky, neglected macaroni noodles? It was as if she didn't even see it.

It was the perfect night for football—cool and clear, with a smiling, chiseled moon illuminating an inky indigo sky. Jane's annoyance was quickly chased away by the spectacle of Friday night football. The brilliant lights that turned night to day. The booming bass and brass of the school band. The roar of the crowd and the all-American drawl of the announcer's voice. The coziness of burrowing into a fleece jacket to ward off the night's chill.

It was easy to locate Harper, adoring her guy from a spot on the track that surrounded the football field. Along with Emma and Sydney, she flitted along, stopping to chat with other kids, exchanging hugs and laughing. They skipped ahead, shrieked about something, and then raced to the concession stand. Girls.

For the first hour Jane and Mina “patrolled” the area behind the goalpost that backed up to the golf course, talking with kids and, mostly, making sure that they stayed on this side of the barrier marking off the end zone. This part of the field was the unofficial hangout for junior high kids, who came to the high school game in droves, testing the waters of the future. The girls giggled together, munching Pixy Stix and Red Vines licorice. The boys brought Frisbees and footballs of their own, trying to form pickup games on the practice fields. Jane had already learned a few names tonight, knowing that they would be her students in the next two years.

As she strolled past groups of kids, she noticed an elderly woman struggling down the steps of the bleachers, aided by a teenage girl. Leaving so soon? Jane thought. The woman seemed ill or debilitated in some way, though it didn't seem to be an emergency. The girl helping her down the uneven steps could have been Harper with her dark hair and trim shape. Was this the new girl, Isabel? She did have a slight resemblance to Harper.
Although my daughter would never be so patient with an old lady.

When Jane and Mina were relieved of their post by two other teachers, Jane cut behind the bleachers and noticed a familiar face on the path to the school.

“Detective Drum?” She paused in front of the man watching the game from the summit of the path. “I didn't know you were an Osprey fan.”

He dug his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “I'm a fan of Mirror Lake. I was hoping to blend. After last week, we wanted to have a police presence here, but didn't want to upset anyone. One or two cops are okay, but more than that and people get to wondering what's going on. The beefed-up security has the opposite effect; folks start to feel scared.”

She glanced toward the back of the bleachers, dark and dense from this angle. “So there are other cops working undercover tonight?”