“Is this actionable, Austin?”
Blake’s face was serious, but Jesse could see the amusement in his eyes.
“Most things are actionable, Walter,” he said. “This is not something in which I would expect the action to go your way.”
“She has insulted us,” Ms. Fiedler said.
“I think she’s just kidding you a little, Miriam,” Blake said.
“Well, I think she’s insulting,” Ms. Fiedler said.
She turned on Jesse.
“I want her reprimanded,” she said.
“You bet,” Jesse said. “How many kids are going to attend this school?”
“Twelve,” Carr said.
“So,” Jesse said. “A bus will deliver them in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon.”
No one answered.
“Twelve of them,” Jesse said. “Age?”
“Preschool,” Carr said.
Jesse nodded.
“The worst kind,” he said.
Carr didn’t say anything.
“It is,” Ms. Fielder said, “the tip of the camel’s nose. It needs to be stopped at the beginning before the value of the Neck simply vanishes.”
“Real-estate value?” Jesse said.
“All value,” Ms. Fiedler said.
Jesse didn’t say anything. The room was silent.
Finally Ms. Fiedler said, “Well?”
“Twelve preschoolers and one bus do not seem to me a public safety issue,” Jesse said.
“That’s not your decision,” Ms. Fiedler said.
“Actually, it is,” Jesse said.
“In a democracy,” Ms. Fiedler said, “the people rule. You work for us.”
“What a terrible thought,” Jesse said.
“So you are not going to act?”
“Not at the moment,” Jesse said.
Ms. Fiedler stood.
“You have not heard the last of this,” she said.
“I was guessing that,” Jesse said.
Ms. Fiedler stalked out without speaking again. The men followed her. Carr stared straight ahead. Blake winked at Molly on the way out.
Jesse and Molly sat silently for a time.
